Hong Kong Eastern’s participation as guest team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup will start right away on the first night of the midseason conference set for Nov. 27.
Eastern will take on Phoenix in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap at Philsports Arena in Pasig City, where it starts the quest of becoming just the second overseas club to win a PBA championship.
Jordan Heading finally makes his PBA debut for Converge against Terrafirma, the team that drafted him three years ago before trading the former Gilas Pilipinas mainstay’s rights just last week, in the formal opener at 5 p.m.
The one-time champion of the defunct Asean Basketball League and current participant of the East Asia Super League is adding spice to the conference that will allow teams to tap imports without the worry of exceeding any height limit.
Most teams, however, have opted to go for smaller imports like recent Governors’ Cup champion TNT with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, losing finalist Barangay Ginebra with old reliable Justin Brownlee and Blackwater with high-scoring George King.
TNT won’t start its bid for another title until Dec. 6 with an interesting duel with Eastern at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, one of four venues for the eliminations along with Ynares Center in Antipolo City and Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Clasico
Magnolia debuts on Nov. 28 opposite Blackwater at Ninoy Aquino with NLEX and NorthPort facing off on the same day to open their respective campaigns.
Nov. 29 will also mark the first game of Meralco versus Phoenix at the same venue while Rain or Shine goes up to Antipolo to play Meralco.
San Miguel Beer, which captured the last edition of the tournament last February, launches its title defense on Dec. 3 at Ninoy against Phoenix.
Ginebra, which won the Commissioner’s Cup in 2022 when it defeated a Hong Kong team in the now-dissolved Bay Area Dragons, will be the last team to debut on Dec. 11 by facing off NLEX.
Araneta is going to be once more the site of the league’s traditional Christmas Day twin bill between Converge and Meralco, followed by the renewal of the “Manila Clasico” rivalry pitting Ginebra and Magnolia. INQ