AFTER nearly seven months out, the PBA returns with its 48th season that begins with Magnolia Chicken Timplados and TNT colliding in the lone Commissioner's Cup game on opening day at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots and the Tropang Giga open hostilities after the league took a lengthy break to give way to Gilas Pilipinas’ buildup and participation in the Fiba Basketball World Cup ay home and the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
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Magnolia made strides during the offseason, sweeping 11 games during the PBA on Tour, a series of exhibition games held during the break. The Hotshots now step into the season with high expectations which coach Chito Victolero embraces.
“We have the materials and I think the improvement of the players will help us regain that championship,” said Victolero, whose team has not won a championship since the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
Magnolia has had import Tyler Bey around since August in the a bid to break the title drought, the longest among the ballclubs under the San Miguel Corporation umbrella.
TNT, meanwhile, won the last Governors’ Cup championship at the expense of Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra but enter the new season without several players, notably Mikey Williams due to a contract dispute.
Pogoy is out, too
Roger Pogoy is also out due to a heart condition that will require him to rest for a lengthy period, while Poy Erram is injured.
Compounding the team's woes is the illness that sidelined Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, forcing TNT management to sign up its East Asia Super League reinforcement Quincy Miller as temporary import, at least for the meantime.
Still, TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa remained upbeat and unintimiadated by the in-form Hotshots.
“The Tour is different from the regular season. We know that and they (Magnolia) know that. This is where the real tournament begins. It’s not the Tour. Tour is just like a televised na larong labas. We didn’t get any bonus,” said Lastimosa.
“I’m just saying it like it is. But the real season really starts on November 5 so let’s see what happens,” said Lastimosa.
The match will tip off after the Leo Awards slated at 4 p.m. and the formal opening ceremony at 5 p.m.
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