The PBA released their tentative schedule for the 2012-13 PBA Philippine Cup on Thursday, and no doubt, if you're a basketball fan, you can't wait for the new season to begin.
In the first 30 days alone, there are eight games that rise above the pack. And whether you're a long-time lover of the league, a first-timer following this season's rookie class, or a returnee to local hoops, these are the match-ups you ought to have circled on your calendar.
September 30 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel versus Globalport Batang Pier (6:00pm)
The season opener pits two teams who've made a major addition during the off-season. For BGSM, they nabbed LA Tenorio while giving up just Enrico Villanueva and two draft picks. In that same deal, Globalport went with experience over youth, sending out 2011 first overall pick JVee Casio for two-time MVP Willie Miller.
Ginebra San Miguel will likely go all-out run-and-gun, but can their aging big men (Kerby Raymundo, Billy Mamaril, Rudy Hatfield) collar the rebounds and trigger the fast break? Will there be enough shots to go around for Miller and Gary David? These are questions that will be answered when the PBA tips-off.
October 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Air21 Express vs Barako Bull Energy Cola (5:15pm)
Prior to the five-team blockbuster that the above two franchises participated in, the Air21 Express made waves by getting a huge increase in height, via a three-squad deal. At the cost of some of their young guys and a first-round draft pick, the Express pulled in Nonoy Baclao, Rob Reyes, and KG Canaleta, bolstering a position that was considered their prime weakness in their five-win maiden season.
Will their newly-acquired big men be enough to lift Air21? Or will a younger Barako Bull squad return to prominence?
October 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Petron Blaze Boosters vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7:30pm)
It's the debut game of two of the three top picks in the 2012 draft: 6'10" Junemar Fajardo and 6'4" Alex Mallari, but their thunder might get stolen by the debut of the seventh overall pick - Chris Tiu, who lines-up opposite them for the 2012 Governors' Cup titlists, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
It'll also be a battle of philosophies - can the star-studded Boosters, under new head coach Olsen Racela, find an agreeable rotation that makes everyone on the squad happy, or will the chemistry of Yeng Guiao's Elasto Painters prevail once more?
October 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Meralco Bolts vs Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (5:15pm)
Black is back. After a highly successful run as head coach of the UAAP's Ateneo Blue Eagles, Norman Black returns to the PBA in the coach's chair for TNT, with the hope of adding to his 10 professional titles as mentor. He probably couldn't have found a better fit either, what with Talk 'N Text amassing four titles in a six conference span. His first test will be against sister team Meralco, with his trademark defense tested from the get-go against the one-two punch of Mark Cardona and Sol Mercado.
October 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - San Miguel Coffee Mixers vs Alaska Aces (7:30pm)
A full year post-Tim Cone, and the Alaska Aces look like a different team. Out goes LA Tenorio, in comes 2012 second overall pick Calvin Abueva, and new point guard JVee Casio. It's still unclear as to how much, or how little of the Triangle Offense Luigi Trillo will use, but one thing's for sure, with Abueva in the mix, the Aces have more of an edge than they've had in recent memory.
And just for kicks, their season-debut comes against Cone's new team, the San Miguel Coffee Mixers.
October 12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters vs Globalport Batang Pier (5:15pm)
It's a rematch between the protagonists of the 2011-12 Philippine Cup Finals. While Talk 'N Text is largely intact from that bunch, except with Norman Black at the helm instead of Chot Reyes, Globalport is a much different squad. Of their "Big Three," only Gary David remains with Casio and Marcio Lassiter gone. They also have a new coach in Glenn Capacio, who helmed FEU…when Black's Blue Eagles beat them in the UAAP Season 73 Finals.
October 20 at the SM MOA Arena - San Miguel Coffee Mixers vs Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (8:00pm)
This is a rematch of the 2012 Commissioner's Cup Finals, and the two sides are largely intact, save for the imports that bannered them, most notably Denzel Bowles of the then-BMEG Llamados, who made the key plays in the pivotal Game 7 that went to overtime. Will Tim Cone out-coach Norman Black? Or will TNT get some measure of revenge?
October 24 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum - Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs San Miguel Coffee Mixers (7:30pm)
Speaking of revenge, here's the rematch of the 2012 Governors' Cup Finals. There's no Marqus Blakely for San Mig, and there's no Jamelle Cornley for RoS, but Paul Lee should be healthy for this go-around. Also in the mix is the possibility rookie Chris Tiu guarding James Yap. If you're ever going to bring a date to a live PBA game, this might be the one where she goes home with a smile on her face. - AMD / RAF, GMA News
Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/274025/sports/opinion/eight-stand-out-games-kick-start-the-2012-13-pba-philippine-cup
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