By JONAS TERRADO
A shorter playoff schedule will be implemented for the season-ending PBA Governors’ Cup which could start in the final week of November.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the top four teams after the single-round eliminations will carry a twice-to-beat advantage against their quarterfinal opponents, with the semis being a best-of-five and finals a best-of-seven.
The recent Philippine Cup saw the top two teams having a twice-to-beat advantage while the teams seeded third to sixth meeting in a best-of-three series in the quarterfinals followed by the semis and finals which were both best-of-seven affairs.
The league is hoping to begin the second conference which will feature the return of imports on Nov. 28 under a closed-circuit arrangement in Metro Manila.
Each team will play 11 games, meaning that the conference will likely stretch past Christmas and New Year.
Marcial earlier expressed hope that fans can be allowed under a limited capacity, especially with NCR being downgraded to a less-restrictive Alert Level 2.
The Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, the initial site of the Philippine Cup eliminations in late-July, will likely play host to the Governors’ Cup since it will serve as venue for the PBA’s inaugural 3×3 tournament.
The 3×3 tourney starts on Nov. 20.
