FOUR teams take the floor today to kick off hostilities in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Barely nine days after Barangay Ginebra San Miguel dethroned San Miguel Beer in a six-game series, action begins instantly with sister teams TNT and NLEX going head to head at 7 p.m. and Meralco taking on Columbian Dyip earlier in the day at 4:30 p.m.
The Road Warriors will miss Coach Yeng Guiao, who steered the Philippines to a 96-59 rout of Kazakhstan in the team’s Jakarta Palembang 18th Asian Games debut on Thursday.
NLEX brings Oluseyi Ashaolu its campaign, while TNT takes Mike Glover’s act to the conference where imports stand no more that 6-foot-5.
Twice a runner-up in the season-ending conference, the Bolts parade old reliable and reigning Best Import Allen Durham.
Meralco absorbed back-to-back defeats to Barangay Ginebra in previous Governors’ Cup Finals series with Durham hoisting the trophy for the best reinforcement on both occasions.
Durham will be tested against debuting import Akeem Wright of the Columbian Dyip.
Ginebra is sticking with the hardworking Justin Brownlee, who got the attention of Congress as the country’s next naturalized player.
San Miguel Beer tapped journeyman Arizona Reid, Phoenix has Eugene Phelps, NorthPort (formerly GlobalPort) has Rashad Woods, Magnolia got Romeo Travis, Blackwater picked Henry Walker and Alaska nabbed Mike Harris.
Rain or Shine will skip five weeks of the competition in favor of the Asian Games.