FOUR teams hungry for glory will open the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup on July 19.
The Alaska Aces and the NLEX Road Warriors, teams who missed the playoffs in the Commissioner’s Cup, get their shot at redemption early, battling each other during opening day to see who can fast track its development.
The Aces will parade returning import Buck Henton while the Road Warriors will bank on a fresh face in Aaron Fuller in their bid to attain respectability.
On the same opening playdate of the season-ending conference, the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters and Kia, formerly Mahindra, collide.
Like Alaska, the Fuel Masters will be bringing back their high-scoring import from last season, Eugene Phelps.
On the other hand, Kia, which campaigned under the Mahindra brand in the past two seasons, is returning its old team name but will have a fresh reinforcement in Chane Behanan.
Defending champion Barangay Ginebra, led by its returning import Justin Brownlee, will be one of the favorites coming in. The Gin Kings start their title defense on consecutive Sundays, July 23 and 30, against the Meralco Bolts, in a rematch of last season’s finals, and GlobalPort Batang Pier, respectively.
Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beer will open its quest for a hat-trick of championships on July 29 against the Blackwater Elite in Antipolo City.