Geneva wins historic bubble crown – Manila Bulletin

The path to the coronation of the PBA Philippine Cup champion seemed more like a journey than a destination, as the professional league endured rough roads to complete the 45 season that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time, the PBA organized a two-month bubble in Pampanga and reduced the season to just the Philippine Cup, which was suspended in mid-March after the only opening match between San Miguel Beer and Magnolia at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and members of the league’s Board of Governors had to work for months trying to find ways to restart the season amid the pandemic and subsequent community quarantine regulations imposed by the national government. .

Read: PBA: Commissioner Willie Marcial Targets Mid-October to Reboot Season

Agreed to have an NBA-inspired bubble setup and leveraged the Quest Hotel in Clark and the University of Angeles Foundation in nearby Angeles as sites through the help of the president and CEO of the Development and Conversion Authority. of Bases, Vince Dizon, who is also the deputy director of implementation. of the National Working Group against COVID-19.

The Interagency Task Force gave the PBA a go-ahead to continue the PBA restart in October that saw all 12 teams contest all eight quarterfinal spots in a compact elimination round schedule that lasted 32 days.

The bubble was met with threats of bursting after a referee and a Blackwater player initially tested positive for COVID-19. Both results eventually turned out to be “false positive,” but the PBA had to postpone several games while it developed new protocols to further ensure the safety of the PBA delegation.

Read: Longest Week at Clark

From there, the games became the center of attention and the end result saw the crowd favorite, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, emerge as the new leader of the league’s biggest tournament after a five-game fight of TNT at the Philippines Cup Finals.

Geneva started with four straight wins despite a slow start to late bubble players Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio, who continued to extend their record streak of consecutive games despite an appendectomy procedure in the days leading up to the restart.

Back-to-back defeats to Manila Clásico rival Magnolia and Rain or Shine proved to be minor setbacks, as coach Tim Cone was able to lead Geneva to the top seed at the start of the playoffs.

The Gin Kings avenged their loss to the Elasto Painters with a quarterfinal victory driven by late baskets from their most consistent player in Stanley Pringle, setting up a duel with an old foe on the Meralco Bolts.

It was Meralco who ended San Miguel’s five-year reign in the Philippine Cup, surpassing a two-goal lead in their quarter-final match. The Brewers arrived in Pampanga without June Mar Fajardo, who hurt her shin during practice in early February, and lost Terrence Romeo just five days after the restart with a dislocated shoulder.

Read: Major reorganization of the list? Austria hints at possible team rebuilding after sad quarter-final exit

Despite Mo Tautuaa’s strong performance, SMB was unable to overcome inconsistencies that led to an early exit from the bubble and questioned whether his dominance is a thing of the past.

The semi-finals proved too difficult for Geneva, as Meralco was able to lead the series to a decisive fifth game, even leading most of the decisive one. But the Gin Kings showed their true class by turning things around in the fourth before Scottie Thompson’s corner three, with less than a second left, sealed his spot in the Finals.

TNT also got off to a good start behind RR Pogoy and Ray Parks Jr., who was eager to prove his true worth as one of the best stars in the league. Tropang Giga also had a new addition at the Poy Erram center, acquired from the NLEX Road Warriors in a late February deal.

The fights at the end of the playoffs placed TNT at No. 3 entering the quarters, but it did quick work with Alaska in the quarters before facing a talented Phoenix Super LPG team powered by the return of Calvin Abueva.

Read: Coach Ravena is still proud of TNT despite defeat in the final

Like the PBA, Abueva’s return from indefinite suspension was an adventure in itself. Marcial was adamant about maintaining the ban amid calls from fans to reinstate the man they call “The Beast.”

Read: Taming the Beast

Along the way, Abueva had to attend psychological therapy sessions and a series of seminars from the Board of Games and Entertainment before Marcial decided on five games in Phoenix’s campaign to end the 16-month ban.

Abueva came back as if he hadn’t come from a long break, showing the same aggressiveness while playing with a calmer demeanor. He and first “Bubble MVP” contender Matthew Wright led Phoenix to second place and a semi-final trip after dispatching Magnolia.

Read: ‘Humble lang tayo’ – Explosive game only product of hard work, says ‘The Beast’

TNT and Phoenix also battled in a five-game encounter that ended with the Tropang Giga prevailing behind Parks’ great play in the rubber match and a collective team effort that prevented the Fuel Masters from securing their first place in the Finals.

TNT could have won the first two games of the championship series, but both games saw Geneva take comeback victories. The Kings took Game 1 with a 100-94 overtime victory led by Aguilar and Tenorio before Thompson knocked down a corner three to help his team take the lead and ultimately prevail 92-90.

Tropang Giga kept their chances alive in Game 3 with an 88-67 win despite Parks’ absence due to a calf strain, but the Kings bounced back in Game 4 by thwarting Tropang Giga’s return. 98 -88 with the help of two late triples from Tenorio. .

Read: Parks is a bubble stat champion; three Gin Kings in the top 10

Tenorio, Aguilar, Pringle and the rest of Geneva finished the job in Game 5 via an 82-78 decision, giving Cone his 23rd PBA championship and 13th for the most popular ball club in the United States. the league.

Read: ‘Iron Man’ Tenorio shines on the big stage, wins the fourth MVP award of the Finals

Guinevere did so without the presence of his legions of supporters, but nevertheless dedicated the triumph in his honor. The Kings and the rest of the PBA are hopeful that fans can return by when the 46th season begins in April.

Read: PBA secured government support for 46th season