PBA Scores, News and Updates

[Zurca]

San Mig Coffee survives Petron to bag PBA crown

MANILA, Philippines — And the underdogs made it.

San Mig Coffee survived a grueling matchup with Petron Blaze and rose with an 87-77 win to bag the 2013 PBA Governor's Cup title before more than 21, 000 fans on Friday night, October 25 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Big man Joe Devance banked in two triples in a two-minute stretch that saw the Mixers turn a slim one-point lead into a 74-65 bubble with a little over 8 minutes left in the game.

The Boosters attempted to come back behind import Elijah Millsap, but the top-seeded Petron crew failed to get support from its locals as Junemar Fajardo missed 4 straight free-throws and league MVP Arwind Santos vanished in the most crucial moments.

With two minutes left and San Mig Coffee up, 78-75, the Boosters had a chance to draw closer before Millsap turned the ball over, enabling Mixers import Marqus Blakely to go all the way for an easy basket that gave his team an 80-75 lead with 1:47 remaining.

Santos sank a basket but Blakely quickly retaliated to bring the lead back to 82-77 with 1:09 left on the clock.

Marc Pingris split his charities in the ensuing play to make it 83-77 with 46.8 seconds remaining then Millsap and Santos failed to drain shot attempts for Petron.

However, James Yap could not pull the final nail on the Boosters' coffin, missing two free-throw shots to give Petron a final stab at a comeback with 30.4 seconds left.

Pingris then cemented his status as the PBA's top defender and swatted away a looper by Millsap, leading to title-sealing free-throws by Mark Barroca, who brought the lead to 85-77.

Pingris iced the win with two more free-throws to peg the final count at 87-77.

From Rappler.com

[Zurca]

PBA Governors' Cup Finals Game 7

The scores:

San Mig Coffee 87 - Blakely 19, Pingris 19, Simon 16, Devance 11, Barroca 10, Yap 8, Mallari 2, De Ocampo 2.

Petron 77 - Millsap 25, Fajardo 20, Lassiter 11, Cabagnot 8, Santos 7, Lutz 4, Kramer 2, Deutchman 0, Tubid 0.

Quarters: 19-19, 41-39, 65-61, 87-77


Official Game Statistics

[Zurca]

San Mig Coffee wins PBA Governors' Cup

MANILA - San Mig Coffee drubbed Petron Blaze in the winner-take-all Game 7, 87-77, to clinch the PBA Governors’ Cup in front of more than 21,000 spectators at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday night.

After engaging the Boosters in three tight quarters, the Mixers unleashed a searing 9-2 run in the final three minutes to break away and secure the title.

Marc Pingris outplayed Petron’s bigman Junemar Fajardo and finished Game 7 with 19 points and 17 rebounds to go with his 5 blocks.

It was a redemption of sorts for the Gilas player, who failed to finish in their Game 6 loss to the Boosters due to a sprained ankle.

“Inisip ko talaga na laro lang talaga eh... hindi ko na iniisip yung naisprain ako nun Game 6, ang sabi ko lang samahan lang ako ni Lord, ginabayan ako't hindi sumakit ang paa ko,” said the 6’5” forward after the game.

“Sa lahat ng mga fans, kayo po ang nagbibigay ng lakas sa amin. Maraming salamat po sa pagpunta nyo rito.”

He was eventually named PBA Finals' Most Valuable Player.

Trailing San Mig by 2 points at the half, the Boosters stalked the Mixers in the third but could not get any closer than 5 points.
 
Things went awry for Petron when Marques Blakely started a 9-2 exchange via a transition play with 1:47 left to play in the fourth quarter.

In that telling run, only Mark Barroca managed to score for the Boosters, sinking both of his free throws with 21.3 seconds left in the game.

The win enabled San Mig coach Tim Cone to match the all-time best record of 15 titles set by PBA coaching legend Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan.

“I'm just very humbled at the moment... i think we're the underdogs coming in. Petron is such a well constructed team,” said Cone during the post-game interview.

“I'm so humbled because my idol Baby Dalupan, when I was growing up here, he was the guy, he was the man we all watched, and watched him coached Crispa and even Great Taste later on. It's so humbling to be able to tie a great man like that.”

San Mig Coffee also frustrated the campaign of Petron’s rookie coach Gee Abanilla, who steered the Boosters to a sensational 8-1 run in the eliminations only to lose in their best-of-7 title series versus the Mixers, 4-3.

Blakely tallied 19 points for San Mig Coffee, which also got 16 points from PJ Simon.

Elijah Millsap and Fajardo scored 25 points and 20, respectively, for Petron, which failed to get added scoring boost from the rest of its crew.

From ABS-CBNnews.com

[kingjames24szupladoh]

Congrats San Mig Coffee

[dennis magtulis]

redemption for Blakely , when they lost against ROS last year,,medyo di pa siya ganun ka mature eh,,dami pa niyang errors and mabilis siyang ma foul trouble

expected na kay sakuragi yang game na pinakita niya, and napabilib nako ni poging mark ngayon,,before kasi di ako elibs sa kanya as a point guard

I feel sorry for arwind santos,,na-jinx yata siya sa pagkakuha ng mvp awards..
Sayang lang,,sana na prove niya na deserving siya sa award na un

too bad I missed this game, yung last championship nila kasi with bowles was too emotional,

Congrats coffee mixers! sana ibalik na yung Old monicker ,,hehe

[tonistork]

parang di ko feel ang PBA Finals pag sister teams ang magkalaban.

anyway, congratz SanMig and to Finals MVP (kahit inaasar ka ng biyenan mong si bossing na iyakin ka daw, hehe), Marc Pingris.

[Zurca]

Ping caps dream year with Finals MVP Plum

With four minutes left in Game 7, Marc Pingris raised his arms, signaling to the crowd to come alive after sensing that the win was within their grasp. In a move reminiscent of those fateful August nights, once again, Pinoy Sakuragi willed the crowd to go to their favor.

Twenty-three ticks remaining in the clock, Elijah Millsap, the will-driven Petron import tried one last gasp to revive the body of the Blaze Boosters. But there was Pingris, closing the door shut with a big block that cemented San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone’s 15th title in the league.

This night, he was more than just the team’s emotional leader. He was more than a defensive anchor. On October 25, 2013, Jean Marc Pingris was the leader of the San Mig Coffee Planet.

The scoreboard read: San Mig Coffee 87 – Petron 77. With 21,319 in attendance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Pingris, unable to resist his emotions, bowed near center court once again, just like when they clinched a seat in the FIBA World Championships.

“Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord. Binigay namin lahat, win or lose,” said the 32-year-old power forward.

“Iniisip ko lang, laro lang talaga eh. Hindi ko na inisip yung sakit (ng katawan),” Pingris said.

Cone said, “He played really well today and today’s the deciding game.”

Playing well might be an understatement for “Ping”, as he averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in the championship series.

In the title-clincher, he was sensational as he finished with 19 points, 17 boards, two dimes, and five rejections, including that deciding block on Millsap as Petron began to crumble and San Mig Coffee started to celebrate.

Whenever Pingris was given the spotlight, the fans chanted “M-V-P”. And rightfully so, he was named as the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals MVP.

Named as a member of the All-Defensive Team and the Mythical Second Team, not to mention his silver medal in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships, this award is just the cherry on top of the sundae for Pingris. And there is no doubt that on this fateful night, the deciding factor that gave the Coffee Mixers their 10th franchise title is the same one Pingris embodied during that Gilas stint – “Puso”.

From Inquirer.net

[Zurca]

Grand PBA 2014 Season Opening Mulled

After Game Seven of the Petron Blaze – San Mig Coffee finale – the last game of PBA Season 38, the country’s premier cage league takes only a 22-day breather before reopening shop.

Being mulled is an innovative program spread over the country’s three major islands to celebrate the opening of the 2014 PBA Season on November 17.

A proposal being looked at is grand festivities highlighted by simultaneous games in Manila, Cebu and Davao with a theme “Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao: One Nation.”

Six teams, with their muses, parade at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, two at the New Cebu Coliseum and two at a Davao playing venue.

The Smart Araneta Coliseum match, to be tipped off at 3 p.m., will be telecast live on TV5, followed by the Davao game at 5 p.m. and finally the Cebu tiff at 7 p.m.

“The Board is open to the proposal. It’s not simple. It requires much logistics. They’re now looking at how this can be done,” said PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial.

The PBA has never gone out of town for its inaugurals in its first 38 years of being.

The Big Dome, however, still serves as the main venue where incoming Board chairman Ramon Segismundo of Meralco will declare the season open.

The Smart Araneta Coliseum also hosts most of the games in PBA Season 39 that holds four regular double-headers in a week – Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

It’s still part of the adjustments the league made in its calendar to give way to Gilas Pilipinas’ participation in the last FIBA Asia tourney.

The new PBA season ends by the second week of August 2014, giving coach Chot Reyes and Gilas at least two weeks of dedicated training for the 2014 World Championship in Spain.

Several stars in new teams and a bumper crop of rookies will be in showcase for the league’s 2014 season.

Among the freshmen to watch are Greg Slaughter, Ian Sangalang, Raymond Almazan, Terrence Romeo, RR Garcia, Jeric Teng, Nico Salva and Justin Chua.

Their takers will be known on November 3 when the 2013 PBA Rookie Draft is held at Midtown Robinson’s Manila.

Barangay Ginebra is tipped to exercise its rights on the top pick on 7-foot-1 Slaughter while San Mig Coffee is expected to make 6-foot-7 Sangalang as the second choice.

From Inquirer.net

[Zurca]

For Tim Cone, tying Baby Dalupan's record is 'very humbling'

Tim Cone has called the shots in the pro league long enough to know the significance of tying legendary tactician Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan atop the list of coaches with the most PBA championships.

Thanks to his charges’ collective desire and indomitable spirit in the stretch, Cone, 55, notched his 15th overall crown following San Mig Coffee’s remarkable 87-77 victory against favored Petron Blaze in their winner-take-all match in the PBA Governors Cup finals before an overflowing Friday night crowd at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

“It’s very humbling to tie a great coach and great man like that. I’m kind of speechless. I don’t know what to say,” pointed out Cone in a television interview as the Mixers celebrated their 10th overall title in franchise history.

“I wish he (Dalupan) had been here tonight. It would have been sweet to have him here,” said the American coach, who also essayed a Grand Slam in 1996 when he was still with Alaska, then led by former league MVP Johnny Abarrientos and former Rookie of the Year Jeff Cariaso, who now serve as his assistant coaches at San Mig Coffee.

While basking in the glow of his latest coaching victory, Cone couldn’t help but recall how he first lost to Dalupan, who recently turned 90, in a championship series before winning one title after another.

“A lot of people don’t know that my first finals appearance was his last championship. I was leading two-to-zero and he swept me three games in a row,” he shared, referring to how Dalupan and the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, ironically the franchise now coached by Cone, stunned the Milkmen during the 1990 Third Conference finals.

Winning his record-tying title didn’t come on a silver platter for Cone.

The Mixers got off to an alarming start, dropping their first two and three of their four initial outings. Pushing the panic button, though, was far from Cone’s mind as San Mig racked up five straight wins to finish second behind topnotcher Petron Blaze in the sprint-like eliminations round.

In the quarterfinals, the Mixers were forced to play a sudden-death match with archnemesis Alaska Aces before they defeated the pumped-up Meralco Bolts in four grind-it-out games in the semifinals.

Getting over the Boosters in the finals proved tougher for the Mixers as they even trailed 1-2 in the series then took the next four of five games to seal their date with destiny, a year after falling short against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in another epic seven-game series.

“We never lacked faith. In fact, we felt early adversity will help us later on. Then we had that great series against Alaska. We went through the wringer on that. And then (we faced) Meralco, our corporate rival, and Petron. But our guys were incredible. I think we were just able to found a way to win. Our team has done a great job. It was really something special,” gushed Cone.

He also did not forget to pay tribute to their fans, collectively known as the San Mig Coffee Planet. “After we started zero-and two, I told them (on Twitter) ‘I’m sorry guys. But stay with us and we’ll make you proud later on.’ I’m really kilig that we were able to make them proud tonight,” he beamed.  “This is really yours. I’m really proud of the fans. You’re really special.”

From Y! Sports Philippines

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Slaughter to join Ginebra practice

It appears that Barangay Ginebra will make Greg Slaughter the No. 1 overall pick in the PBA Rookie Draft.

The 7-foot Slaughter was invited yesterday during the Kings’ practice session, and will be joining the team’s training on Tuesday, well ahead of the Nov. 3 Draft at the Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila.

Slaughter was invited by Ginebra team manager Alfrancis Chua, and was introduced to head coach Ato Agustin, and other team members like former Most Valuable Players Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand.

Ginebra owns the top pick in the Draft, the first time the team will pick first in 17 years, or since former Adamson University 6-foot-9 center Marlou Aquino was tabbed as the top pick of the team back in 1996.

Slaughter arrived Thursday evening after a month-long training in the US in preparation for his first season in the pro league. Chua called Slaughter’s agent, Charlie Dy, and asked if the onetime Ateneo player can drop by at the Acropolis Gym.

According to Dy, the team just asked Slaughter to join the practice, but there was no discussion about the Draft, saying: “no assurance, but that’s Ok.”

After playing for University of the Visayas, Slaughter transferred to Ateneo and helped the Blue Eagles win the last two titles of their historic five-peat (2008-2012). He also played for the original Smart Gilas Pilipinas under Serbian coach Rajko Toroman.

Agustin said the other day that the team is still clueless on who to pick in the PBA Rookie Draft as the team is also interested in former San Sebastian College stalwart Ian Sangalang, the NCAA MVP in 2012.

Sangalang was a rookie starter when the Stags bagged the 2009 NCAA title under Agustin.

However, following Ginebra’s invitation for him to join the practice session next week, it seems that Slaughter has the inside track to be the top pick in the Draft, unless the Kings will have a change of heart at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman said that his team will opt for the best available talent when they use their three picks in the first round.

The Energy Cola own the 4th, 5th and 6th selections in the first round and have invited FEU’s Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia, UST’s Jeric Teng and Jeric Fortuna, Ateneo’s Nico Salva and Justin Chua, former Smart Gilas player JR Cawaling and Arellano University’s James Forrester during recent practice sessions.

From Manila Bulletin

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Abanilla sees hope from loss

Petron Blaze rookie mentor Gee Abanilla sees something positive from their Game 7 defeat to San Mig Coffee in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Abanilla said they can use their defeat as motivation as they move on for next season’s campaign, beginning with the Philippine Cup.

“I was disappointed not because we lost,” said Abanilla after the Blazers dropped an 87-77 loss to San Mig Coffee Friday.

“I knew that the players gave everything they got, and they really wanted to win this game. It’s very unfortunate that we fell short. But it’s a crash course for us, we’re grateful about it.”

Abanilla replaced Olsen Racela before the start of the season-endingconference. With a star-studded lineup reinforced by Elijah Millsap, younger brother of Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap, the Blazers faced high expectations.

After losing their first game in the eliminations, the Boosters won eight straight for a league-best 8-1 record going to the playoffs.

As the No. 1 team, Petron Blaze knocked out No. 8 Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, and then dethroned Rain or Shine in four games of their best-of-five semifinal series.

In the Finals, the Boosters jumped to a 2-1 lead, but found themselves in a 3-2 hole after dropping Games 4 (88-86) and 5 (114-103). They won Game 6 (99-88) to force the sudden-death, but had no gas left in the tank in Game 7.

Abanilla remains positive.

“Looking ahead, this is just a baby step for us for something… I hope something greater. We’re just building an identity that we want in the future. Ultimately we want to be in a level that we can say we got the identity we want,” he said.

“Although we fell short… I think there’s a bright future ahead of us if we can just focus and build on things that we want to.”

Arwind Santos and Junmar Fajardo echoed Abanilla’s optimism.

“Dito masusubukan yung faith namin e, tiwala sa isa’t isa, tiwala sa Diyos. Hindi kailaangan mawala. Kailangan matuto kami, kailangan din hindi kami masyado magpa-apekto. Yung confidence namin hindi rin dapat na bumaba,” said Santos.

“Masakit dahil natalo, pero walang magawa e. May manalo, may matalo. Bawi kami next season,” Fajardo said.

Millsap said he would love to come back here and play for the Boosters.

“I had fun. It was a great experience for me. I learned a lot from these guys… love playing with these guys. I appreciate the fans support to the team. I enjoyed it here,” Millsap said.

From Manila Bulletin

[Zurca]

Ginebra may also invite Sangalang

Give others the same opportunity which Greg Slaughter will enjoy when he joins Ginebra’s practice session tomorrow.

That, in essence, was the advise of top Ginebra official Robero Non to the team’s coaching staff headed by Ato Agustin.

By inviting other prospects, according to Non, the coaching will have better analysis when they make a decision in choosing the top overall pick in the PBA Rookie Draft on Nov. 3 at the Robinson’s Place in Ermita, Manila.

The outgoing chairman of the PBA Board of Governors said his staff should also invite other players, including former San Sebastian College standout Ian Sangalang, who is also worthy to be selected No. 1 overall.

The 7-foot Slaughter dropped by the Kings’ training at Green Meadows last Friday upon the invitation of team manager Alfrancis Chua, and was asked to join the practice session tomorrow.

Ginebra will pick No. 1 overall pick in the Draft, the first time the team will select first in 17 years, or since former Adamson University 6-foot-9 center Marlou Aquino was tabbed as the top pick of the team back in 1996 PBA Rookie Draft.

Slaughter arrived Thursday evening after a month-long training in the US in preparation for his first season in the pro league.

The 6-foot-7 Sangalang, on the other hand, won the NCAA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2012 and was a key member of the Stags under Agustin that bagged the NCAA title in 2009 versus San Beda College.

FIL-AMS MAY PULL SURPRISES

James Forrester, a Filipino-American born and raised in Canada who owns a 41-inch vertical leap, could turn out to be a surprise first round pick in the Annual PBA Draft on Nov. 3 at Robinson’s Place in Ermita.

After seeing action for Arellano University in the NCAA, the son of Pampanga native, the former Letecia Parinas, has declared himself available for the pros and, most likely, be picked right in the first round like two other Fil-Am friends.

Forrester trained for one year with the IMG Academy in the United States before electing to pursue his PBA dream by suiting up with the Chiefs even as 6-foot-9 centers Isaac Holstein and Maika Usita also loom as good prospects.

Forester averaged 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and had a 37% three-point shooting clip while playing for Cagayan in the D-League, while Holstein led the D-League in blocks and played for Gilas Pilipinas in the Dubai Invitational in 2012.

With Greg Slaughter and Ian Sangalang expected to be picked first and second overall, respectively, and another big man in Raymond Almazan likely to wind up third, anything can happen for the rest of the first round with the three Fil-foreigners looming as worthy picks.

Former Ateneo star and UAAP Finals MVP Ryan Buenafe is also a good catch for any teams.

From Manila Bulletin

[Zurca]

PBA aspirants get baptism of fire

Fueled by their basketball dreams, 77 out of the 85 aspirants came to the 2013 PBA Rookie Camp Monday at the Gatorade Hoops Center to take part in various skill-testing drills.

With tasks namely push-ups, bench press, pull-ups, sit-ups, and vertical leap at hand, the individual skill of the players were witnessed by team scouts looking to beef up their line-ups come Sunday at the Rookie Draft.

Echoing the sentiments of the majority of the rookies, Raymund Almazan said, “Kinakabahan ako pero excited sa mga ginawa namin.” The lanky Letran stud is seen as a shoo-in for the top three players picked in the 85-man pool.

The seven-foot Greg Slaughter, pegged as another of those top picks in the draft, said, “I’m not putting too much thought about it. I’m just focusing more on my preparation for the draft and to keep my focus for the task at hand.”

Slaughter was the tallest among the rookies as he was measured at 6-foot-11 and 5/8 inches, and has the longest wingspan at 85 inches. He also topped the vertical leap, and the bench press disciplines.

Ian Sangalang, the third of the potential top three centers, said, “Basta ako, focus lang ako sa mga gagawin. Big pressure yung dala ko ngayon dahil magaling yung mga kasabayan ko, pero gagawin ko lang yung best ko anuman yung mangyari.”

The former San Sebastian Stag who has been vocal on his intention to play for the crowd-favorite Ginebra bared that although he wants to play on his favorite squad, “kung hindi ako papalarin, kahit saan, lalaro ako.”

“I’m happy that I applied in a draft where the batch is very competitive. I just want to play basketball,” said second-generation and UST star guard Jeric Teng.

Cebuano Eliud Poligrates, pegged as a dark horse this coming draft, is confident that he can match up with the best young players coming into the rookie selection. “Alam kong kaya kong makipagsabayan sa kanila. Kaya ko to kaya magfo-focus lang ako sa game kung sakaling palarin ma-draft,” he said.

San Beda guard Anjo Caram, who is one of the smallest in the batch standing only at 5-foot-8, said that their height is not a disadvantage saying, “Mas mabilis kami kaya yun yung gagamitin namin. Wala naman sa height yan eh, sa puso pa rin yan para maglaro.”

LA Revilla, the 5-foot-8 La Salle guard, also said, “Wala naman sa akin yun eh. Actually, nandito kami sa situation na parang surreal pa sya. I’m just happy to see everyone today.”

“It’s a new experience,” said 5-foot-8 UST guard Jeric Fortuna. “I’m looking forward sa opportunity to play in a brand new atmosphere. I’ll just play hard to compensate yung disadvantage sa height.”

Shoreline Community College’s John Usita weighed the heaviest at 301 pounds. FEU’s Paul Sanga had 533 sit-ups to top the category, while UP’s Mark Lopez reigned in the pull-ups category by doing it 53 times.

Justin Brian Melton was also impressive in the draft combine as he had the most push-ups with 104 reps, while the trio of Slaughter, Melton, and Isaac Holstein had the highest vertical leaps by jumping 11 feet and six inches.

The Rookie Camp was managed by PBA head of referees Boy Cruz.

From Inquirer.net

[dennis magtulis]

wooh! excited nako sa draft!

[Zurca]

PBA soars to great heights in 2013

SYDNEY – In an astounding achievement that soared way beyond expectation, the Philippine Basketball Association raked in a whopping total gross gate sales of over P200 million in the season just past.

It was a monster hit with a great gravy in seeing PBA stars — making up the Philippine team – win the silver medal that glitter like gold in the FIBA Asia Championship in August.

The PBA led the way in the resurgence of Philippine basketball, and this encapsulates the chairman’s and the commissioner’s report to be presented in the PBA annual planning session at the Westin Hotel here.

“During the turnover of the chairmanship last year, I was apprehensive as Season 37 was a banner year. I just told everybody then that ‘I’m a fighter and we’ll do it’ with nary a hint we would surpass what we had achieved in 2011-2012,” said Non.

“The just concluded season proved to be a bigger hit in terms of gate attendance, gate receipts and TV viewership. And it also happened that the country qualified for the World Cup in the same year,” Non also said.

The league chairman said the commissioner deserved as much credit.

“Credit should also go to the commissioner. The board just set the programs and policies. He’s the one who carries everything out. He did with much success,” Non pointed out.

Salud, meanwhile, thanked the wisdom and full support of the members of the board and the team owners.

“I had no basketball background and experience to talk about when I came in,” he said. “Every time there’s a crucial, pivotal issue, I consulted and asked advice from them.”

The board and the Commissioner’s Office worked hand in hand to serve their mandate, and the league reaped enormous results.

“We saw banner season each year since the time we reverted back to the three-conference format in 2010-2011. And we are back in the mainstream of consciousness of the fans,” said Salud.

“Before, the were those saying the PBA was slowly becoming a niche market – ‘tayo-tayo na lang,” Salud recalled. “But look now. The TV rating would show that’s not true. The gate attendance would show that’s not true.”

The league enjoyed tremendous increase in gross gate receipts in the last three years from P90 million in 2011, P114 million last year and over P200 million this year.

Another crowning glory for the league was all-time one-game record crowd of 23,436 that showed up in Game Three of the Ginebra-Alaska finale in the second conference.

Balanced and fierce competition was the main staple feeding the continuous growth of the PBA fan base.

For the record, six different teams made the finals in the 2012-13 campaign.

Talk n Text won the Philippine Cup over Rain or Shine, Alaska annexed the Commissioner’s Cup versus Barangay Ginebra, and San Mig Coffee topped Petron Blaze for the Governors Cup.

The previous year, three different teams – Talk n Text, B-Meg (San Mig Coffee) and Rain or Shine – also soared to the top.

Salud also stressed that they’re listening to the fans and that’s why they took the lead in the formation of the Philippine team that made the grade for the world championship in the last Asian meet.

“We were in Guangzhou, in the stands as (the original) Gilas Pilipinas placed fourth. We said ‘okay, let’s support the team. PBA players formed the team that qualified for the 2014 world meet. It captivated the hearts of our basketball-crazy nation,” Salud said.

The PBA officials said they can’t rest on their laurels.

“Our mandate from the team owners is to make the games more exciting and be responsive to the fans,” said Salud. “

All league officials here are committed in their aspiration to sustain the league’s searing momentum and maintain the resurgence of Philippine basketball.

From Inquirer.net