By JONAS TERRADO
The opening day faceoff between defending five-time champion San Miguel Beer and Magnolia on March 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum will be one of many prominent on the calendar of the PBA Philippine Cup.
The match pitting the finalists of the last two editions of the season-opening conference is expected to cause plenty of intrigue with the Beermen playing without reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo due to a fractured right tibia.
Both squads are seen as the top favorites to win the Philippine Cup, including crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel which opens its campaign against Blackwater on March 14 in Balanga City, Bataan.
Ginebra is seen as another major threat to SMB’s reign after ruling last season’s Governors’ Cup, though it will enter the season minus center Greg Slaughter after the 7-footer decided to take a break from basketball. It will face SMB on April 12 and Magnolia on May 10, both at the Big Dome.
Poy Erram’s destination could be known by March 11 when TNT KaTropa and NLEX open their campaigns against separate opponents at the Big Dome. TNT plays Phoenix Pulse in the first game while NLEX meets NorthPort in the nightcap.
The PBA’s trade committee has yet to approve the proposed three-team deal that will send Erram from NLEX to TNT with Blackwater serving as conduit.
TNT and NLEX are scheduled to meet on April 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena, with Erram likely wearing a different uniform.
Ginebra battles Meralco on March 22 at Araneta in their first meeting since the Governors’ Cup Finals last January.
This time, the two teams won’t be having their imports Justin Brownlee and Allen Durham while the Bolts could be without Raymond Almazan as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
The venues of 12 PBA playdates have yet to be determined, though there’s a likelihood that the league will make its return to the Philsports Arena in Pasig City and the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
PBA officials have met with counterparts from the Philippine Sports Commission to discuss the possibility after the two venues were refurbished in time for the country’s recent hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
San Miguel tackles NLEX on April 25 in Dipolog City while TNT and Magnolia square off May 2 in Cagayan de Oro City in the two other provincial games slated during the eliminations.
The Beermen are also set to meet TNT on May 13 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City in a game pitting the two teams that met in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
