ANALYSIS: Is the PBA’s new Governors’ Cup format good or bad?

We can’t stop talking about the PBA this week, can we?

The 2024 Draft went down on Sunday, Zavier Lucero finds himself shipped to Magnolia on Monday, and now the PBA has released the groupings for the elims of the season-opening Governor’s Cup. Interesting times, indeed.

(Technically, this was all preceded by the blockbuster trade that involved Stephen Holt and Isaac Go moving to Ginebra in exchange for Terrafirma-bound Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle. But that happened on Saturday, which technically makes it last week, right? Right?)

For over a decade now, each conference in the PBA—whether all-Filipino or import-laden—has followed a single round-robin format in the elimination round. The last conference that had a different structure was the 2014 Philippine Cup, which divided the teams into two groups and allowed eight ball clubs to advance to the playoffs.

More than 10 years after that Philippine Cup campaign (which saw San Mig Super Coffee defeat Rain or Shine to win the first title of their Grand Slam season), the PBA is set to shake things up by trying a new elimination round format. Good move or bad move? Let’s take a closer look.

The New Format: What to Expect

In this new format, the teams will be divided into Group A and Group B based on their default 2024 Draft order.

In the elimination round, each team will play twice against the other teams in its group. The top four teams in each group will then advance to the crossover quarterfinals, which will consist of best-of-five series. Meanwhile, the semifinals and finals will be best-of-seven affairs.

The Pros: A Dose of Delayed Gratification

Anyone raring to see the San Miguel Beermen get back at the Meralco Bolts? Sorry, folks: Under this new format, you’ll have to wait all the way till the playoffs.

While this Philippine Cup finals rematch is likely to draw plenty of buzz, the delayed gratification could lead to an even bigger ratings draw. (And, if Commissioner Willie Marcial had his way, an increase in live attendance as well.) Indeed, if the PBA has a hotly anticipated showdown in the palm of its hands, why not take time to build excitement for that slugfest?

To whet your appetite further, here are matchups that can materialize in the crossover playoffs:

• Manila Clasico: After all these years, the rivalry between Ginebra and Magnolia/Purefoods is still a thing. A very popular thing, at that.

• Ginebra vs. Meralco: The Barangay has had Meralco’s number over the years, but recently, the Bolts have been prevailing in their playoff series against Ginebra. Can the recently crowned Philippine Cup Champions continue their winning ways against the crowd favorites?

• San Miguel vs. TNT: Are we really gonna have to wait till the semifinals, possibly even the finals, to get our next SMB-TNT matchup? The answer’s yes, but think about this: the Beermen and the Tropa could very well be in peak form when they do lock horns.

The Cons: Redundancy Might Not Sell

While the new format rewards patience, the PBA does have to accept the reality that not all fans are willing to wait that long for certain marquee matchups. In other words, this elimination round structure might not do any favors for…well, the elimination round itself. 

Each six-team group follows a double round-robin format, which might lead to some matchups losing their luster the second time around. Fans could opt not to tune in on their TV sets—let alone pay for arena tickets and other expenses like food and transpo—to see the sequel of Cellar Dweller A vs. Cellar Dweller B.

It’s one thing to get camera shots of packed venues during the finals. It’s another thing to see an arena that’s at least half-full on average in the elimination round. Redundant matchups might not be helpful in that regard.

The Verdict: This Could Work

If you look at both sides of this experimental scenario, you’ll see that the PBA has good reason to test the waters.

For one, they’ve been doing the single round-robin elims for so long, and it’s high time that the league implements some sort of structural change to freshen up the scene. In this sense, the PBA’s introduction of a new format isn’t that far off from a coach calling for a new play after a string of futile possessions.

Oh, and that redundancy thing? With the right marketing, an elimination round sequel can be billed as the rematch—a chance for one team to gain a measure of revenge against an adversary that deprived them of sweet victory. (That might be overly dramatic, but you get the drift.)

And when the playoffs come along, the marketing team can pull out one more catchphrase from their bag of tricks: first time matchup. It’s the season-opening conference after all, and when a scintillating team from Group A meets a formidable franchise from Group B, good things will happen.

Those crossover series will draw plenty of eyeballs to the TV screen, generate thousands of hits on social media, and attract paying customers to the arenas. Hopefully, by then, we haven’t stopped talking about the PBA at all.