ALASKA and Magnolia will definitely relish the long break to pack themselves with tons of energy as they prepare for a tough best-of-seven title series of the season-ending Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
The league takes a break to pave the way for Team Pilipinas’s home games against Kazakhstan on November 30 and Iran on December 3 in the Fiba Asia World Cup Qualifiers.
Game One of the championship showdown is set on December 5, more than two weeks after the last finalist, the Aces, booked the remaining ticket by eliminating the hard-fighting Meralco Bolts in four games.
The Hotshots bagged the first finals berth on Friday by beating sister-team and defending champion Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.
The pressure is strong for both sides as they come from long title droughts that stretch back to 2013 for Alaska and 2014 for the former San Mig Coffee franchise.
It’s worth the wait, though, and the coaches are itching to get on each others’ skin.
But they admitted that they need to recharge and put everyone in good working condition.
“This is a big thing for us, especially for our players who are recovering from injuries,” Magnolia Head Coach Chito Victolero said during Tuesday’s press conference in a Quezon City restaurant.
Hotshots import Romeo Travis has yet to fully recuperate from a hamstring injury he incurred in the semifinals.
The injury never slowed Travis down and exploded for a career-high 50 points in Game Four where Magnolia officially booted out Barangay Ginebra, 112-108.
Paul Lee, meanwhile, is still recovering from a right-knee injury that put him on the sidelines in the national team practices.
“Right now they are getting better. This is also a good break especially for the other players who need to rest,” Victolero said.
Chris Banchero (ankle), Jvee Casio (ankle) and Vic Manuel (hip) of the Aces will also try to heal injuries they sustained in the tough semifinals against the Bolts.
“I think all of the players from both sides will benefit from this. This is also good because we are supporting the national team. We have our injured players and this will give them time to recover,” Alaska Coach Alex Compton said.
“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,” Compton added.