AFTER a long, long wait, the PBA is finally back after it got clearance from the Inter-Agency Task Force for its 2021 season.
Following the bubble season last year, the PBA will once again have a season like no other as it mounts a closed-circuit bubble where the movement of players, coaches and officials is restricted to home to venue and back.
Here’s the rundown of everything you need to know about the upcoming PBA season, as per information obtained during the virtual press conference presided over by Commissioner Willie Marcial on Friday.
Season opener
The 46th season of the PBA will kick off on July 16 with three games at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. A simple opening ceremony is slated at 11 a.m. before the action begins with a tripleheader starting at 12:30 p.m.
Game day
To fast-track the season, the PBA decided to hold tripleheaders for the Philippine Cup, except during days where the 3x3 league will be held. Just like pre-pandemic, matches will be held every Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays but on an earlier start time to accommodate the heavy three-game set.
Games begin at 12:30 p.m. with exception of Sundays where it will open at 2:30 p.m. All matches will be at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Practices during the season
Since the games will be in Pasig City, the PBA, as of now, is still waiting for the advice of the Department of Health (DoH) and the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) on when practices will be allowed in Metro Manila.
In the final week of the preseason, the PBA is also hoping to get clearance for tune-up games for the teams.
Format
The PBA will follow the same format as in previous Philippine Cups, conducting a single round-robin tournament with the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The top two teams will have twice-to-beat advantage over the bottom two, while the third and fourth ranked squads take on the sixth and fifth place team in a best-of-three affair. Semifinals and the finals will be a best-of-seven.
The Philippine Cup is being targeted to end in October, with the second conference to be held soon after.
Second conference
At the moment, the PBA is still determining whether it is feasible to bring in imports for the second conference. Marcial said holding another all-Filipino conference with Gilas Pilipinas as a guest team is also a possibility.
Audience
For now, the PBA will not accommodate fans inside the venue, but is hoping that audiences can slowly return to the games during the playoff round of the second conference.
Protocols
Just like in last year's bubble season, the health and safety protocols will not be compromised.
The whole PBA delegation will undergo RT-PCR testing three days before the July 16 opener, with continuous testing to be conducted every 10 days (from the 14 days last season), regardless if the individual is fully vaccinated or not.
Teams will be spending for the tests of the players, coaches, and staff, while the PBA will shoulder the expenses of the testing for its employees, referees, and media.
Monitoring and contact tracing
Over the course of the season, the PBA will be monitoring the movement of the teams and the entire delegation through an app as per advice of the DOH.
The number of persons inside the venue will be limited to avoid the games becoming a super-spreader. Teams will only be allowed to enter the venue at a specified time and will have to leave the playing area immediately.
In the unfortunate event that an individual tests positive, he or she, as well as the entire team and even their opponents, will be isolated and their games rescheduled. The entire team will be under quarantine for seven days, except for the person who tested positive who will have to isolate for 14 days.
Vaccinations
At the moment, Marcial said 95 percent of the PBA family have been vaccinated. He said 'two or three players' have not received vaccines by choice, while a few more are still waiting to have preferred brands.
Different protocols, however, will apply to the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Individuals exposed to a COVID-19 patient will need to quarantine for seven days without pay, with cost of the tests to be shouldered by the person. The unvaccinated COVID-19 patient, meantime, will have to quarantine for 14 days without pay, and will be shouldering the cost of the test.
Sanctions
Individuals found violating the league's health protocols will be handed a P75,000 fine and a 10-day suspension with pay. Repeat offenders face bigger sanctions.
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