THE Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League will implement two major format changes for the MPBL Seventh Season starting on March 8 at the Capital Arena in Ilagan City, Isabela.
Heeding the team owners' recommendation, the MPBL has made the North and South Division Finals a best-of-five series instead of the usual best-of-three. The National Finals pitting the North and South champions, will remain a best-of-five battle.
Also approved was the play-in tussle for the last two qualifying slots in both divisions at the conclusion of the round-robin elimination round.
MPBL play-in tournament
Under this setup, the top six teams in the North and South advance outright to the quarterfinal playoffs, with the next four teams disputing the remaining two seats in a play-in similar to the NBA format.
The seventh and eighth-ranked teams will collide for the right to join the top six in the quarterfinals. The loser, however, gets another chance to become the eighth and last qualifier as it will still face the winner of the knockout game between the ninth and 10th-ranked teams.
MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes presided over the dinner meeting with the team owners, including those of newcomer Ilagan Isabela Cowboys and returning Basilan Starhorse, on Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Milky Way Cafe in Makati.
MPBL founder and chairman Manny Pacquiao graced the affair and exhorted the team owners, headed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada of the San Juan Knights, to help him rid the league of game-fixing by excluding players and coaches suspected to be in cahoots with illegal gamblers.
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While most of the 29 teams, headed by back-to-back champion Pampanga, losing finalist Quezon Province, that competed last year have signified their intention to join, others have requested more time to confirm their participation in the MPBL Seventh Season that will end in December.
MPBL chief executive officer Joe Ramos and head of operations Emmer Oreta were also present.
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