Ginebra-Talk ‘N Text, Kia-Blackwater to open 40th PBA season

Naveen Ganglani

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Ginebra-Talk ‘N Text, Kia-Blackwater to open 40th PBA season
The 40th PBA season will open up on October 19 with a double-header at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan

MANILA, Philippines – The 40th season of the Philippine Basketball Association is set to open with an exciting double-header at the largest arena in the country.

The league’s All-Filipino Philippine Cup conference will commence on Sunday, October 19 at the brand-new Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan with the PBA’s new expansion teams, KIA Sorentos and Blackwater Elite, going head to head following the opening ceremonies.

The Sorentos will be led by playing-coach and Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and some of the team’s notable young players like Reil Cervantes, LA Revilla, and Paul Sanga.

Blackwater will field veterans Paul Artadi, Sunday Salvacion, and Eddie Laure, and other young prospects such as Alex Nuyles, JP Erram, and Juami Tiongson.

For the other game of the day, long-time franchise favorites Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings will square off.

TNT will play its first game under new head coach Jong Uichico, but mainstays such as Jayson Castro, Larry Fonacier, Jimmy Alapag, and Kelly Williams are expected to be present, along with the recently-acquired Jay Washington.

Ginebra will commence its second conference under the tutelage of head coach Jeffrey Cariaso while being led by Mark Caguioa, Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, and Chris Ellis.

The opening day schedule was first reported by the Philippine Star, and later on confirmed to Rappler by PBA media chief bureau Willie Marcial.

Marcial also confirmed a report of PhiStar that the league will impose new policies with regards to the bringing in of imports in the PBA’s latter two conferences: the Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cups (the league has 3 annual conferences per season).

The teams that finished in the top 8 of the league standings in the Philippine Cup will have a height limit for imports at 6-foot-9 in the subsequent Commissioner’s Cup, while the bottom four squads will have an unlimited height advantage.

The same rule will be applied for the top 8 and bottom 4 of the Commissioner’s Cup in the subsequent Governors’ Cup, with the exception of the height limit being at 6-foot-5 for the better-performing squads rather than 6-foot-9. – Rappler.com

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