AFTER getting their fill in the Philippine Cup, fans can expect more exciting games in the last two conferences of the pro league. Formats in the sprint-like Commissioner’s Cup and the season-ending Governors Cup have totally done away with no-bearing games, making each tournament a veritable mad scramble to the top.
"Every game will count, so done away with are non-bearing games," Commissioner Chito Salud said yesterday. "With all the teams giving it their all in every game, the fans are sure to be in for a treat."
Salud’s brainchild for both import-spiked tournaments include nine elimination round games with early exits awaiting squads that fail to keep up.
In the Commissioner’s Cup that kicks off on Feb. 18 and featuring imports no taller than 6-foot-4, the top two teams advance to the semifinals, with the next four advancing to the quarterfinals and the last four teams eliminated outright.
The semis are best-of-five affairs and the finals a race-to-four duel.
The cumulative placing of all teams in the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup will determine the height of their reinforcements for the season-ending tourney.
The bottom two teams can field imports with a maximum height ceiling of 6-foot-6 while the fifth to eighth squads can field imports no taller than 6-foot-4. The top four squads will be limited to imports standing no taller than 6-foot-2.
The Governors’ Cup will feature a nine-game eliminations phase, with the top six squads advancing to a single-round carry-over semis and the seventh to tenth teams being eliminated.
A team that fails to land in the top two but wins four of its five semis games will earn a crack at the second-ranked team for a finals berth.
Meanwhile, Ira Brown is set to plane in today to reinforce San Miguel Beer, completing the cast of imports for the Commissioner’s Cup.
The former Gonzaga Bulldog, who is coming off a stint in Argentina, is listed at 6-foot-4 and is expected to have no problem meeting the PBA’s height limit.
The rest of the imports have readily made the height limit, with Meralco’s Anthony Dandridge emerging the tallest at 6-3 14/16 and Air21’s JaJuan Smith the shortest at just a shade under 6-foot-2.
Powerade is parading Russell Carter (6-3 ¾), Rain or Shine Hassan Adams (6-3 5/16, Alaska Larry Williams (6-3 5/8), Ginebra Nate Brumfield (6’3 9/16), B-MEG Derby Ace Robert Brown (6-2 5/16) and Philippine Cup champion Talk N Text Paul Harris (6-3 3/8).
Also competing as guest team is Smart-Gilas, which has a naturalized player in 6-foot-10 Marcus Douthit.
Noli Cortez, Business Insight Malaya
