We're a couple of days away from the start of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup and, for a population so starved for quality basketball, the excitement is palpable.
Here are three things we can look forward to in the Clark PBA Bubble:
1) High-scoring Games That Mask Rusty Basketball - This will be the first time any of our PBA players will be in any sort of high-level basketball competition in the last 7 months. While I have no doubt that they have not forgotten how to score, defensive schemes and rotation take repetition and familiarity to be effective.
I think we can expect teams to rack up the scores (and the turnovers) as they find their bearings.
2) Guards Will Be The Stars - The absence of JuneMar Fajardo affects this league so much that teams with exceptional guards suddenly become favorites. While Alex Cabagnot is still a good guard, San Miguel's fate rests on how Chris Ross and Terence Romeo can stave off the likes of Jayson Castro, Paul Lee, Stanley Pringle, Scottie Thompson, Jio Jalalon, Baser Amer, Kiefer Ravena, and CJ Perez.
3) Other PBA Big Men Get Rare Time To Shine - Again, the absence of JuneMar Fajardo means it's open season on the title "Best PBA Big Man". If the likes of Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, JP Erram, Ian Sanggalang, and Raymond Almazan want to, at the very least, challenge Fajardo's status as best big man in the PBA, this bubble is the time to prove it.
WHAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT:
PBA basketball. Maybe the long layoff will be what we need to reignite our love affair with the PBA. Definitely tuning in on Sunday for the first games and I hope you join me.
