Jeffrey Cariaso’s Alaska coaching debut and the return of rookies CJ Perez and Robert Bolick from their impressive showing in the FIBA World Cup highlight the start of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Sept. 20 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Cariaso is hoping to give the Aces a winning start in the season-ending conference when they face Perez and the Columbian Dyip in the 4:30 p.m. before the Bolick and the NorthPort Batang Pier tackle the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 7 p.m.
Alaska made the biggest chance prior to the start of the Governors’ Cup when it hired Cariaso as successor to Alex Compton, who was asked by team owner Fred Uytengsu to step down weeks after the Commissioner’s Cup.
PBA fans are eager to see how Perez and Bolick perform after emerging as few of the bright spots in Gilas Pilipinas’ dismal campaign in the World Cup in China.
Yeng Guiao, who resigned as Gilas coach on Wednesday, returns to the NLEX sidelines the following day against Phoenix Pulse at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The game also marks Kiefer Ravena’s first PBA game since his 18-month FIBA suspension ended last month. Ravena has not played pro ball since the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.
Magnolia starts its defense of the Governors’ Cup crown on the same day against Meralco. Romeo Travis will once again reinforce the Hotshots in their quest to repeat.
Crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra opens the campaign on Sept. 22 opposite Alaska at the Big Dome while San Miguel Beer launches its bid for a historic Grand Slam on Sept. 25 against Phoenix, also at Araneta.
San Miguel’s debut will come days after the scheduled participation in the East Asia Super League Terrific 12 on Sept. 17 to 22 in Macau.
TNT KaTropa and Blackwater, two teams that will also see action in the Terrific 12, collide also on Sept. 25.
Former UAAP stars Ravena and Ray Parks Jr. face off for the first time as professional cagers on Sept. 29 when NLEX and Blackwater clash in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Dubai will host its first set of PBA games since 2015, with NLEX facing San Miguel on Oct. 4 and Ginebra on Oct. 5 at the Coca-Cola Arena.
Ginebra meets San Miguel on Oct. 15 and Manila Clasico rival Magnolia on Oct. 20 at the Big Dome. SMB and Magnolia clash on Oct. 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Two provincial games are slated with SMB and Rain or Shine squaring off Nov. 9 in Lapu-Lapu City while TNT and Magnolia meet on Nov. 16 in Davao City.
Stanley Pringle faces his former team for the first time since being traded in the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations as Ginebra and NorthPort clash at Araneta while SMB and TNT face off for the first time since the Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Nov. 20 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The top eight teams after the eliminations advance to the playoffs, with the first to fourth seeds holding a twice-to-beat advantage. The semis will be a best-of-five while the Finals remains a best-of-seven showing.
The PBA will take a long break during the playoffs to give way to the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. The Christmas break is expected to push the end of the conference to Jan. 2020.
