THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) opens shop still under a pandemic cloud with a triple-header on Friday that will usher in the Season 46th Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.

Gone though are the pomp and pageantry of the league's traditional opening ceremony.

Under strict health and safety protocols, the 11 a.m. opening ceremony will feature only the 12 governors taking part in a simple program from the nearby Sports 5 studios in Mandaluyong City while the players get ready for action at the Ynares court only some 2 kms away.

Prior to the Sunday Ginebra game, the Asia's first ever professional basketball league unfolds the new season with an 11 a.m. opening ceremony followed by a 12:30 p.m. match between Blackwater and Alaska, followed by Rain or Shine and NLEX at 3 p.m. and finally Northport and Meralco at 6 p.m.

"I am praying nothing wrong will happen and we're also praying that we sustain a beautiful start until the end of the season," PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial told BusinessMirror on Wednesday.

A double-header— TNT Tropang Giga against Terrafirma at 2 p.m. and Magnolia against Phoenix Super LPG at 4:35 p.m.—are up on Saturday.

On Sunday, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel opens defense of the all-Filipino title against NLEX at 4:35 p.m. Sandwiching the Gin Kings-Road Warriors showdown are the Terrafirma-Alaska game at 12:30 p.m. and Blackwater-Rain or Shine tussle at 7 p.m.

The PBA is no longer new to holding more than two games per playing day. The league went to as far as four games a day in the Clark bubble during the Philippine Cup in the last quarter of 2021.

The league, Marcial said, could be holding a two-conference season due to time constraints. The Philippine Cup is expected to be finished on August 27 and sans strict travel protocols, the second conference could be featuring foreign imports.

Ginebra won the Philippine Cup at the expense of TNT KaTropa in five games inside the Clark bubble. That was the league's only tournament in pandemic-stricken 45th season.

Gin Kings Head Coach Tim Cone said his wards are expecting a grind to kick off the season.

"We just found out just today that we're playing NLEX on Sunday, so we haven't had much time to think about them.," Cone said. "Still, we know Coach Yeng's [Guiao] team is going to be incredibly tough."

"We haven't had any tune-up games so it's hard to tell where we are at the moment,"Cone added.
But nevertheless, Cone remains in high spirits defending their title this season.

"I know this, however: no matter how we play on Sunday, we know we will get better as the conference goes along, and at the end, we expect to be competing for a championship," he added.

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