THE PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup semifinals got off to a strong start, attendance-wise, on Wednesday night.
A total of 10,412 fans witnessed a pair of fiercely fouht Game Ones at the Ynares Center-Antipolo - easily one of the highest-attended playdates of the conference.
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Wednesday was the third-largest PBA crowd at the Ynares Center-Antipolo in history, with the first two also involving the four teams that are currently in the semifinals.
The largest was 11,021 in Game 1 of the 2024 (Season 49) Governors' Cup finals between TNT and Barangay Ginebra, followed by 10,952 in the 2011-12 Philippine Cup quarterfinals between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine, and Petron and Meralco, according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon.
The crowd came in droves as early as the first game where TNT won over Meralco, 94-89, as fans also came to see Tropang 5G import Bol Bol in his first semifinal game.
Rain or Shine later defeated crowd darling Barangay Ginebra, 115-111, in the second game by overcoming a 107-102 deficit to steal Game 1.
The series now shifts to a bigger venue at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Friday with Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra playing in the 5:15 p.m. timeslot, and TNT and Meralco seeing action at 7:30 p.m.
Last May 10, the playdate that had Magnolia battling Meralco, and Barangay Ginebra taking on TNT drew 13,967 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena, the largest by far this conference.
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