FOR the second straight year, players, team officials, and the rest of the PBA family can celebrate Christmas at the comfort of their homes as the league did away with the traditional Dec. 25 game.
Even though the league draws a huge crowd on Christmas Days, Commissioner Willie Marcial said he was willing to scrap it since its a special once-a-year celebration that should be spent with family and loved ones.
As things stand, the Governors Cup semifinals starts on Saturday with Game One between Barangay Ginebra and NorthPort, to be followed by the series opener between Meralco and TnT Katropa the next day.
Even if both best-of-five series reaches the full route, the semis is scheduled to end on Dec. 22.
The league then takes a two-week break for the Christmas and New Year celebration.
The best-of-seven finals won't start until Jan. 8.
Granting the title series lasts the distance, Game 7 of the finals will be held on Jan. 22 or more than a year to complete the league's 44th season that kicked off last Jan. 13.
The last time the league held a Christmas game was in 2017 when Brangay Ginebra thwarted Magnolia, 89-78, at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan during the Philippine Cup.
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