San Miguel takes on Magnolia in PBA Season 45 opener

With its commitment to the Gilas Pilipinas program of the Samahang Baskebol ng Pilipinas (SBP) still in motion, the Philippine Basketball Association will apply the same format it used last season for the three conferences when league unfolds its 45th season on Sunday, March 1.

The Philippine Cup, which will run until June 17, ushers in the new season with a battle of last year’s Finalists San Miguel and Magnolia serving as the curtain-raiser.

The Beermen will be gunning for their 6th straight Philippine Cup title while the Hotshots will be looking to bounce back from a fruitless Season 44 campaign.

The format of the All-Filipino tournament will have the top 8 teams advancing to the quarterfinal round after a single round robin eliminations. The top two teams will have a twice-to-beat advantage over the 7th and 8th seeds while the 3rd and 6th, and the 4th and 5th seeds will figure in a best-of-three series.

The Semis and the Finals will both be a best-of-seven affair.

The Commissioner’s Cup will be held from June 24 to October 4 while the season-ending Governors’ Cup will take place on October 11 to January 29.

The league takes a break from July 10-12 for the annual All-Star game which will be held at Passi City in Iloilo.