2020 PBA Philippine Cup champion Baranagy Ginebra. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra won’t be starting from scratch if ever the PBA decides to hold another conference inside a bubble for its 46th season.
Having won the championship in the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble last year, the Gin Kings already know what it takes to overcome the difficulties of playing under such condition and the adversities that come with it.
“For us, winning a championship in the bubble kind of gave us a blueprint already,” said Ginebra guard LA Tenorio on the PBA website.
“And it’s very exciting to have our new players with us if ever we enter a bubble again. We’re looking forward to it if ever there’s going to be another bubble,” he added.
The PBA had originally wanted to open its new season in April but the surge in COVID-19 infections in the country derailed the league’s plan.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, commissioner Willie Marcial said the PBA has turned all of its efforts to getting vaccinated with the league hoping to return to play without the need of staging a bubble.
Marcial, however, has also not discounted the possibility of opting for another bubble tournament especially with several local government units such as Ilocos Norte and Antipolo making offers to be potential hosts.
Last December, the PBA successfully crowned Ginebra as its champion despite a seven-month shutdown due to the pandemic.
Ginebra was the top seed entering the playoffs where it held off Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals, survived Meralco in the semifinals that went the distance before knocking off a banged-up TNT side in just five games in the championship round led by Tenorio, who was named Finals MVP.
The Gin Kings have been tipped as the early favorites to repeat this year after adding one of the best big men in the league in Christian Standhardinger in the offseason.