LA UNION and Pampanga clash for the National Basketball League (NBL) Season 3 President’s Cup crown
beginning on Thursday inside its bubble at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando,
Pampanga.
The NBL returns with the best-of-five championship series after securing an approval from the Inter-
Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Games and
Amusements Board.
The league was supposed to hold a playoff series inside the bubble but only La Union and Pampanga
agreed to play following the cancelation of the games because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But La Union Paower and Pampanga Delta will enter the bubble on Monday in time for Game 1 on
Thursday for Game 1 that will be aired live on the league’s Facebook page and on a delayed basis the
following day on Solar Sports.
Game 2 will be played on Saturday and Game 3 on Monday. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 will be on
October 28 and 30.
The NBL will be implementing strict health protocols inside the bubble in Pampanga for the safety of the
teams with swab testing to be done upon entry on Monday, before the championship series on
Wednesday, and exit on November 2.
For added safety, the NBL will be the first league that will provide PPEs for whistles of its referees and
game officials during the championship series.
The Paower and the Delta were the top two teams in Group B of the 14-team regular season
tournament after they finished with a 5-1 record. La Union was actually the top seed in Group B due to a
tiebreaker after the Paower beat the Delta in double overtime, 95-89, last January 11.
La Union, owned by board member Paolo Ortega, is seeking a championship in only its first season in the
league. However, Pampanga, with governor Dennis Pineda as owner, is targeting a title as well after
losing in the Season 2 finals against Taguig last year.