Alaska and Magnolia begin their best-of-seven title showdown for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup crown on Wednesday after a two-week lull that allowed injuries to heal and wasted bodies to rest.
The league made way for Team Pilipinas’s campaign—which resulted to two consecutive losses—in the Fiba Asia World Cup Qualifiers.
The Aces and Hotshots plunge into Game One of the best-of-seven duel starting at 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Magnolia earned the first ticket to the finals when it disposed its sister team and defending champion Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in four games.
Alaska, meanwhile, disposed of a hard-fighting Meralco also in four matches.
The pressure is strong for both sides which are coming off long title droughts. Alaska last won in 2013 and Magnolia, then the San Mig Coffee franchise, in 2014.
But the long rest allowed everyone to recover—injured or not.
“This is a big thing for us, especially for our players who are recovering from injuries,” Hotshots Head Coach Chito Victolero said.
Hotshots import Romeo Travis is expected to have fully recovered from a hamstring injury he sustained in the semifinals.
The injury never slowed down Travis as he exploded with a career-high 50 points in Game Four, where Magnolia booted out Barangay Ginebra, 112-108.
Paul Lee, meanwhile, is still recuperating from a right knee injury that sidelined him from his national team duties.
Chris Banchero (ankle), Jvee Casio (ankle) and Vic Manuel (hip) used the long break to heal their injuries they sustained from the tough semifinals clash against the Bolts.
“The fans want to see all the best players healthy and playing, and that’s what we all want. I just think it’s a blessing to the PBA and it shows that everybody wins when we support the national team,” Head Coach Alex Compton said.