Barangay Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua suggested for the PBA’s staging in Metro Manila after the challenging bubble tournament in Clark last year.
Chua, the concurrent sports director of San Miguel Corp., said the good old Smart Araneta Coliseum and its nearby hotels can do the job for the Season 46 bubble or closed-circuit games this year.
The PBA successfully conducted its Season 45 Philippine Cup using a full bubble in Clark for over two months. The delegates stayed at Quest Hotel inside the Freeport zone and the games were held at AUF Sports Arena over in Angeles City. Conincidentally, Barangay Ginebra emerged as the champions as they of the PBA Philippine Cup beating the TNT Tropang Giga in their best-of-seven final series with an 82-78 victory in Game Five.
For this year, the PBA is considering the closed circuit concept, where participants will follow a strict home-stadium-home routine.
“Our thinking in the board is because the first bubble was successful, maybe we can also do it here (Metro Manila),” said Chua. He expressed belief it would be difficult to get the teams back to full isolation outside of NCR, especially if the league holds two conferences for Season 46 over an extended period of six or seven months.
The PBA expects to come up with a more detailed plan by February.
With additional reports: Olmin Leyba, The Philippine Star
Photo source: ABS – CBN News, CTTO
