San Juan Knights. MPBL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League is determined to finish its Lakan Season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And with only four teams left, the league is optimistic it will be able to crown a champion in a bubble-like environment.
“As per our founder and CEO senator Manny (Pacquiao), we really need to finish the national finals of our Lakan Season,” said league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes during Tuesdays PSA Forum webcast.
“We’re already on our division finals which are both knockout games so it’s easy for us to setup a bubble-type tournament because we only have four teams left and on the first day, two teams will be eliminated right away.”
The tournament, which was halted by the pandemic, is down to the last four teams with San Juan and Makati in the North division, and Basilan and Davao Occidental in the South. Both best-of-threes are tied at 1-1.
The winners clash in a best-of-five national final.
But before anything else, the league will have to wait for the go-signal by the Inter-Agency Task Force first before it can get the ball rolling again.
Duremdes also said the MPBL has been getting several offers where it can hold its bubble similar to what the PBA has been planning for.
“Actually there are a lot of people who want to help the MPBL. One of which is Araneta, there’s also Subic and others who are willing to help just to finish the season. We’re just finding out where is the best place to stage our bubble for the four remaining teams,” said Duremdes, who also added that a private property in Tanay, Rizal is also a possible location for the league’s bubble.
Safety and health, of course, are of utmost importance.
“What’s really important for us is the safety. It’s hard to gamble because once you make a mistake, it’s not only basketball that’s going to be affected. Number one, is the players’ health is at risk and number two, other sports will be affected as well. Even the PBA, you have to be careful. I’m sure that if one messes up, the government will put a stop to it.”