On Easter Sunday, the battle for the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup championship begins with Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between Barangay Ginebra, the defending champions, and TNT Tropang Giga, the no. 1 team of the conference.
The series will feature the two best teams of this season's Governors' Cup.
Ginebra has won nine of its last ten games, while TNT has lost just twice in 16 games. In their elimination round match-up on Mar. 17, the Tropang Giga won 114-105, but neither side is putting much stock into that.
From a purely talent standpoint, this series has all the makings of a classic. But peel away this layer, and you'll find a few other storylines that make this series worth watching. Here's a list of what's at stake in this championship duel.
Tropang Giga looking for Governors' Cup breakthrough
TNT have won eight championships in their PBA history, but none of them have come in the Governors' Cup.
In fact, the franchise has only played in the Governors' Cup Finals twice, and not since 2011. For some reason, this conference has been their waterloo.
This 2023 team is their best chance at finally getting the monkey of their collective backs, and they know it.
At Monday's finals press conference, PBA chairman and TNT team governor Ricky Vargas was especially passionate when he spoke about what a title would mean for the franchise, and the confidence he had in this team to finally get the job done.
I've been chairman for five years already," he said. "And you know what's been memorable about these five years? All five championship trophies of (Ginebra team governor) Alfrancis Chua, I was the one who awarded them.
"I only have one wish. I hope that at the end of the finals, Alfrancis will be the one to hand me the trophy.
"Ginebra is the best team in the league but we are the best team this conference. So it is not true that we will think that we are the underdogs. We are the hound dogs. We are the German shepherds. And I know they have one in their team.
"We will see to it that we will match their energy. Ginebra has been able to be the best team in the league because they worked very hard for it. That never-say-die is an attitude that they have, even if they're down by 20 points. I hope we can match that. And we are not number 1 in the conference today without working very hard for it."
Win it for LA
As has been widely publicized, Ginebra point guard LA Tenorio will be sitting this one out after he announced he was battling colon cancer.
In fact, he will likely miss being present for some of the games as he undergoes treatment. The Ginebra team captain has been its heart and soul for several years now, so it goes without saying that the players have an extra motivation to win it all.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone has been consistent in saying that as much as possible he'd like to avoid talking about Tenorio and his condition, but he made an exception this time to share that he still forgets sometimes that LA isn't on the roster.
"LA is one of those special guys," said Cone. "And he's been special way back with me for Alaska and even here, just like Jojo (Lastimosa), a team captain for many, many years. He really has mentored every player in our team
" Like I said, it's just really difficult to talk about LA. We think about him all the time.
"I turn to the bench all the time and look down the bench because I'm automatically putting LA into the game. And when I write my starting lineup, as Jo knows, I write my starting lineup before the game starts on the whiteboard, I inevitably start to put LA down and then I forget and I erase it. I put Scotty instead.
"He's constantly with us, constantly on our minds. I don't know. Like I said, it's just really difficult talking about it.
"But he's a presence that hovers over us all the time. And whether this had happened to him or not, this was, he would still be an inspiration. There's no one quite like 'Playoff LA' except maybe 'Fourth Quarter Jojo'."
Justin Brownlee chases history
What do Justin Brownlee and Michael Jordan have in common?
Answer: both are six-for-six in best-of-seven championship series.
Now, Brownlee has a chance to go seven-for-seven which would not only keep his 100% batting average but also move him into first place among PBA imports for most titles. He's currently tied for first with another Tim Cone-linked import, Sean Chambers, who won six titles with the Alaska franchise.
Chambers apparently wants Brownlee to stay tied with him, according to Lastimosa, his former Alaska teammate.
"I believe Justin hasn't lost yet in this conference," Lastimosa said. "Sean Chambers texted me. He told me, 'You cannot make them win because Justin will be one up against me.' That's going to be hard to do.
"I know this is going to be a big challenge for all of us. And we need everybody to play really well to beat Ginebra."
Brownlee gave a tip of the hat to Chambers, who is just ahead of him in the PBA imports' all-time scoring list.
"I got a lot of respect for him," said Brownlee. "Of course, I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for guys like Sean Chambers and Norman Black, Ray Parks, and the list goes on. So definitely gotta honor those guys and give those guys their respect."
In Cone's mind, though, Brownlee is already in the pantheon of PBA greats regardless who wins the title.
"I don't think this will have much difference on his legacy," he said. "He's already secured it whether he wins this one or not. And he's not going anywhere. He's gonna be coming back, he's gonna have more chances.
"Even if he stays at six, he's still gonna be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, import to ever play in the league. And that's saying a lot with the Bobby Parkses and the Norman Blacks and the Tony Harrises. Of course, Sean Chambers.
"That's a lot of imports that have been here to our shores through the years. Can you imagine how many have been here? And to be considered the best or at least one of the best, that's an amazing feat."