Philippine Cup. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Every game matters, especially for the upcoming 2018 PBA Philippine Cup.
From the usual 10 slots in the past All-Filipino conferences, only the top eight teams will progress to the quarterfinals this time, making every assignment all the more important.
The full schedule was released by the league on Friday.
The squads will still go through a single-round elimination, with the top two finishers claiming twice-to-beat advantages against the seventh and eighth teams in their quarterfinal duels. The middle teams, meanwhile, will engage in a best-of-three series with the winners progressing to the semifinals.
The semifinals and the Finals will still be played in a best-of-7 series.
Five out-of-town venues have also been scheduled, with the league holding Saturday playdates in Ilo-ilo City, Legazpi in Albay, Calasiao in Pangasinan, Dumaguete City, and Cagayan de Oro City.
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Mall of Asia Arena, and Ynares Center in Antipolo will still serve as the main venues for the season opener of 43rd season, with Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan and Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay also hosting a handful of games.
The Christmas games between GlobalPort and NLEX and the Manila Clasico tussle between Ginebra and Magnolia will be held at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The 43rd PBA season opens this Sunday at the Big Dome, where defending champion San Miguel opens its four-peat bid against retooled Phoenix at 6:30 p.m.