2019–20 MPBL season

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2019–20 MPBL season
LeagueMaharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
SportBasketball
DurationRegular season:
June 12, 2019 – February 12, 2020
Playoffs:
February 15 – March 11, 2020 (before suspension)
March 10–16, 2021 (resumption)
Finals:
March 17–21, 2021
Number of games464 (regular season)
35 (playoffs)
Number of teams31
TV partner(s)ABS-CBN (S+A, Liga, A2Z, The Filipino Channel, iWantTFC)
Fox Sports
Regular season
Top seedSan Juan Knights
Season MVPJohn Wilson (San Juan)
Playoffs
North Division championsSan Juan Knights
  North Division runners-upMakati Super Crunch
South Division championsDavao Occidental Tigers
  South Division runners-upBasilan Steel
Finals
ChampionsDavao Occidental Tigers
  Runners-upSan Juan Knights
Finals MVPMark Yee (Davao Occidental)
MPBL seasons

The 2019–20 MPBL season, also known as the MPBL Lakan Season or the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season for sponsorship reasons, was the third season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. It was also the last season of the league's semi-professional era, as they would turn professional in December 2021.[1] The regular season began June 12, 2019 and ended on February 12, 2020. The playoffs then began on February 15, 2020, and ended on March 21, 2021 when the Davao Occidental Tigers defeated the defending champion San Juan Knights in four games in the 2021 MPBL Finals.[2]

This season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines as the season had to be suspended on March 11, 2020, midway through the Division Finals.[3] Nearly one year later, the playoffs resumed on March 10, 2021 with a bubble in the Subic Bay Gymnasium in Olongapo, Zambales.

This season featured 31 teams, which is currently the biggest the league has gotten, with six expansion teams joining and one team departing from the league.

The opening ceremonies took place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. The 2020 MPBL All-Star Game was also held at the same venue on February 13, 2020, as the South Division once again defeated the North Division in overtime with a score of 126–122.

Teams

Expansion

This season saw six expansion teams make their debut in the league. The Nueva Ecija MiGuard join from Central Luzon, while the Mindoro Tamaraws and Bicol Volcanoes became the first teams based in Mimaropa and the Bicol Region, respectively. Western Visayas is the only region with two expansion teams in the Bacolod Master Sardines and Iloilo United Royals. The last expansion team was the Soccsksargen Marlins representing the Soccsksargen region.

Despite the departure of the Mandaluyong El Tigre, which marked the first time a team didn't return to compete, the number of participating teams increased from 26 to 31, currently the most for a single season in league history.

Nueva Ecija was allocated to the North Division, with the other five expansion teams being placed in the South Division. To balance the divisions, the Marikina Shoemasters, Parañaque Patriots, and Rizal Golden Coolers moved to the North Division.

Arenas

Expansion team
Team switched divisions
New arena
Team Arena Capacity
North Division
Bataan Risers Bataan People's Center 4,000
Bulacan Kuyas Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium 5,000
Baliwag Star Arena 5,000
Malolos Sports and Convention Center 5,000
Caloocan Supremos Caloocan Sports Complex 3,000
Makati Super Crunch Makati Coliseum 12,000
Manila Stars San Andres Sports Complex 3,000
Marikina Shoemasters Marist School Gymnasium 2,500
Marikina Sports Center 7,000
Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines Navotas Sports Complex 1,000
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards No home games
Pampanga Giant Lanterns AUF Sports and Cultural Center 3,000
Parañaque Patriots Olivarez College Gymnasium 3,500
Pasay Voyagers Cuneta Astrodome 12,000
Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors Pasig Sports Center 2,500
Quezon City Capitals Blue Eagle Gym 7,500
JCSGO Seed Dome 1,000
Rizal Golden Coolers Ynares Center 7,400
San Juan Knights Filoil Flying V Centre 5,500
Val City Carga Backload Solution Valenzuela Astrodome 3,000
South Division
Bacolod Master Sardines La Salle Coliseum 8,000
Bacoor City Strikers Strike Gymansium 1,500
Basilan Steel Lamitan Capitol Gymansium 3,000
Batangas City Athletics Batangas City Sports Coliseum 4,000
Batangas State University Gymnasium 2,500
Bicol Volcanoes Ibalong Centrum for Recreation 8,000
Albay Astrodome 8,000
Biñan City Luxxe White Alonte Sports Arena 6,500
Santa Rosa Sports Complex 5,700
Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol Hoops Dome 6,500
Aznar Coliseum 7,000
Davao Occidental Tigers Rizal Memorial Colleges Gymnasium 2,000
Davao City Recreation Center 2,500
USeP Gymnasium and Cultural Center 6,000
RDR Gymnasium N/A
GenSan Warriors Lagao Gymnasium 6,000
Iloilo United Royals University of San Agustin Gymnasium 5,000
Passi City Arena 2,000
Imus Bandera Imus City Sports Complex 1,000
Mindoro Tamaraws No home games
Muntinlupa Cagers Muntinlupa Sports Center 3,000
Sarangani Marlins Sarangani Capitol Gymnasium N/A
Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum 12,000
Neutral
Opening ceremonies SM Mall of Asia Arena 15,000
All-Star Game SM Mall of Asia Arena 15,000
International Invasion Hamdan Sports Complex 15,000
Winsport Arena N/A
Mindanao Invasion El Salvador City Gymnasium N/A
2020–21 MPBL playoffs Subic Bay Gymnasium N/A1
Notes
  1. ^ During the latter part of the 2020–21 MPBL playoffs, all playoff games at the Subic Bay Gymnasium were held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

Name changes

  • The Cebu City Sharks changed their team name to Cebu Sharks before the start of the season, then later as Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol in October 2019
  • The Imus Bandera changed their team name to Imus Khaleb Shawarma before the start of the season, then later as Imus Bandera-Luxxe Slim in December 2019
  • The Laguna Heroes changed their team name to Biñan City Krah Heroes before the start of the season, then later as Biñan City Luxxe White in November 2019
  • The Navotas Clutch changed their team name to Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines in June 2019
  • The Valenzuela Classic changed their team name to Valenzuela SPVTOP Marketplace in June 2019, then later as Val City-Carga Backload Solution in November 2019
  • The Nueva Ecija MiGuard changed their team name to Nueva Ecija ForestLake in August 2019, then later as Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in October 2019
  • The Soccsksargen Marlins-Armor On changed their team name to Sarangani Marlins in November 2019

Coaching changes

Off-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Bataan Risers Jojo Lastimosa Jong Uichico
Batangas City Athletics Mac Tan Goldwyn Monteverde
Bacoor Strikers Leo Issac Chris Gavina
Imus Khaleb Shawarma Mike Orquillas Buddz Reyes
Manila Stars Philip Cezar Tino Pinat
Muntinlupa Cagers Jack Azcueta Richie Melencio
Parañaque Patriots Monel Kallos Michael Saguiguit
Pasay Voyagers Cholo Martin Marlon Martin
Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors Ronjay Enrile Bong Dela Cruz
Rizal Golden Coolers Braulio Lim Jr. Jayvee Gayoso
Valenzuela SPVTOP Marketplace Juven Formacil Gerry Esplana
Mid-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
1Bataan Risers Jong Uichico Jonas Villanueva
Batangas City Athletics Goldwyn Monteverde Woody Co
Binan City Luxxe White Alex Angeles Dennis Miranda
Bulacan Kuyas Britt Reroma Kerwin McCoy
Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol Titing Manalili Noynoy Falcasantos
Imus Bandera - Luxxe Slim Buddz Reyes
Mac Cuan
Eugene Tan 		Mac Cuan
Eugene Tan
Raymund Valenzona
GenSan Warriors Jesus Ramon Pido Rich Alvarez
Makati Super Crunch Pocholo Villanueva Beaujing Acot
Mindoro Tamaraws Bengie Teodoro Justin Tan
Muntinlupa Cagers Richie Melencio
Dave Moralde 		Dave Moralde
Bonnie Garcia
Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards Eric Gascon
Alvin Grey 		Alvin Grey
Charles Tiu
Quezon City Capitals Vis Valencia Christian Coronel
Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines Raymund Valenzona
Bai Cristobal 		Bai Cristobal
Britt Reroma
Sarangani Marlins Biboy Simon
Bong Melocoton 		Bong Melocoton
Manuel Torralba
Val City - Carga Backload Solution Gerry Esplana Ronjay Enrile

Roster regulation changes

After receiving criticism for its previous set of changes, the player limits were increased to allow more players to join the league.[4]

  • The Filipino-foreigner player limit was increased from one to two, with the height limit of 6'4" remaining intact. However, only one of them can play at a time.
  • The ex-professional player limit was increased from five to seven. However, only five of them can play at a time.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony took place on June 12, 2019 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.[5] Some teams had a muse to represent the team, who are as follows:

Team Muse
Basilan Steel Sharifa Akeel
Bataan Risers Rolyn Angela Tungol
Batangas City Athletics Jeanette Reyes
Davao Occidental Tigers Vickie Rushton
GenSan Warriors Pamela Sue
Manila Stars Ahtisa Manalo
Marikina Shoemasters Sophie Albert
Mindoro Tamaraws Princess Legaspi
Navotas Clutch Anne Tenorio
Pampanga Giant Lanterns Zara Carbonell
Parañaque Patriots Nikka Castro
Pasay Voyagers Rachel May Libres
Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors Mikaela Gabrielle Bañares
Quezon City Capitals Samantha Bernardo
Rizal Golden Coolers Patricia Reyes
San Juan Knights Nadine Lustre
Valenzuela Classic Abby Dizor
Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines Joana Tan-Pe

Regular season

Format

The 31 teams played in a single round-robin format, playing one game against all other teams in the league for a total of 30 games. In each gameday, a series of games is played in a designated home arena, with the home team usually playing in the final game.

The top eight teams in each division advanced to a four-round, single-elimination playoffs, playing in best-of-three series in the first three rounds, and a best-of-five series in the National Finals, with homecourt advantage alternating between the higher seeds of each series in the first two rounds.

International games

For the first time in MPBL history, the league held regular season games in international venues under its existing Invasion series.

Date Teams Arena Location Ref.
MPBL Dubai Invasion
September 27, 2019 Davao Occidental Tigers vs. Batangas City Athletics Hamdan Sports Complex Dubai, United Arab Emirates
September 28, 2019 Batangas City Athletics vs. Imus Bandera
MPBL Canada Invasion
December 27, 2019 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines vs. Imus Bandera Winsport Arena Calgary, Alberta, Canada [6]

Standings

North Division

Pos Team
 Pld W L PCT GB Qualification
1 San Juan Knights 30 26 4 .867 — Playoffs
2 Manila Stars 30 25 5 .833 1
3 Makati Super Crunch 30 22 8 .733 4
4 Pampanga Giant Lanterns 30 21 9 .700 5
5 Bataan Risers 30 20 10 .667 6
6 Bulacan Kuyas 30 19 11 .633 7
7 Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors 30 18 12 .600 8
8 Pasay Voyagers 30 17 13 .567 9
9 Caloocan Supremos 30 16 14 .533 10
10 Valenzuela Classic 30 11 19 .367 15
11 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 30 10 20 .333[a] 16
12 Quezon City Capitals 30 10 20 .333[a] 16
13 Marikina Shoemasters 30 8 22 .267[b] 18
14 Parañaque Patriots 30 8 22 .267[b] 18
15 Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines 29 7 22 .241 18.5
16 Rizal Golden Coolers 29 6 23 .207 19.5
Source: Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Win percentage; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Head-to-head point differential; 4) Head-to-head points scored; 5) Overall point differential; 6) Overall points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Nueva Ecija wins tiebreaker over Quezon City by head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Marikina wins tiebreaker over Parañaque by head-to-head victory.

South Division

Pos Team
 Pld W L PCT GB Qualification
1 Davao Occidental Tigers 30 26 4 .867 — Playoffs
2 Bacoor City Strikers 30 24 6 .800 2
3 Basilan Steel 30 20 10 .667 6
4 Batangas City Athletics 30 19 11 .633 7
5 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 30 18 12 .600[a] 8
6 Iloilo United Royals 30 18 12 .600[a] 8
7 GenSan Warriors 30 18 12 .600[a] 8
8 Bicol Volcanoes 30 16 14 .533 10
9 Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol 30 15 15 .500 11
10 Biñan City Luxxe White 30 12 18 .400 14
11 Bacolod Master Sardines 30 11 19 .367 15
12 Mindoro Tamaraws 30 9 21 .300 17
13 Muntinlupa Cagers 30 7 23 .233 19
14 Imus Bandera 30 6 24 .200 20
15 Sarangani Marlins 30 1 29 .033 25
Source: Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Win percentage; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Head-to-head point differential; 4) Head-to-head points scored; 5) Overall point differential; 6) Overall points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Zamboanga (+8), Iloilo (-3), and General Santos (-5) are ranked based on head-to-head point differential.

Results

Teams BCD BCR BAS BAN BTG BCL BIÑ BUL CAL CEB DVO GS ILO IMS MKT MNL MAR MDR MUN NAV NE PAM PAR PSY PSG QC RZL SJ SAR VAL ZAM
Bacolod 100–107** 96–89 64–84 54–63 76–72** 69–68 76–69 74–89 80–85 74–85 68–87 81–89 68–59 74–84 70–87 67–66 87–83 98–86** 69–78 76–82 65–82 78–82 50–61 68–87 68–63 84–89 71–95 89–80 83–78 84–82
Bacoor City 90–92 93–66 67–68 84–80 78–70 78–76 95–94** 88–71 73–70 87–75 79–68 79–57 86–63 74–78 100–88 76–59 98–67 87–78 90–80 69–76 109–56 78–83 73–64 111–79 87–84 76–77 65–60 78–74 83–75
Basilan 83–91 89–101** 83–94 78–94 55–65 82–70 86–78 71–76 85–79 78–74 98–85 80–86 65–66 86–83 105–89 90–79 113–94 93–81 83–74** 89–71 74–59 89–83** 86–78 103–85 86–89 85–82 87–78 78–83
Bataan 69–73 76–72 75–62 79–81** 90–77 65–75 75–83 74–66 78–84 65–61 69–76 76–77 82–76 97–87 86–53 81–78 71–60 77–76 75–56 72–71 63–64 79–73 78–57 79–87** 102–71 86–92** 92–79
Batangas City 71–76 85–95 81–82 80–67 68–56 57–67 85–79 65–59 86–85** 94–89** 50–73 70–66 106–99 79–70 72–68 81–85 79–82** 57–61 61–72 67–62 105–80 76–78 93–88 76–54 77–66 77–67
Bicol 80–75 81–83 73–81 77–67 76–88 65–63 74–77 81–78** 75–83 73–76 86–67 70–74 90–87 88–73 70–58 82–70 79–68 73–68 73–75 89–87 77–79 69–98 86–72 90–81** 84–80
Biñan City 82–87 72–68 85–81** 66–72 76–100 63–67 88–83 87–92 93–106 82–72 95–82 90–102 98–110 98–90 86–96 70–73 57–68 75–82 85–110 92–82 84–89 94–72 89–84 74–72
Bulacan 81–79 75–71 75–91 77–81 73–83 75–70 76–74 72–93 81–79 74–69 77–62 105–104** 78–85 63–69 76–69 100–98** 72–77 78–70 75–61 88–90 76–69 95–79 59–60
Caloocan 70–54 69–76 79–70 63–90 75–78** 77–119 72–65 76–74 93–90 63–62 97–96 92–90 70–76 90–75 78–72 87–89 84–87 92–78 89–111 93–77 76–65 83–74
Cebu 61–65 72–66 69–68 101–76 67–73 91–86** 50–42 73–94 79–62 83–71 77–73 77–88 79–70 74–82 68–78 95–89 89–59 69–88 89–57 66–69 74–70
Davao Occidental 84–75 89–76 94–78 101–79 79–76 85–83 99–84 106–90 94–74 86–79 62–65 78–70 69–67 75–71 90–82 86–55 65–84 104–75 65–67 84–82
General Santos 69–64 75–73 90–91** 72–79 96–89 88–80 84–61 87–76 80–75 85–94 78–67 76–69 91–82 124–103 70–69 97–91 104–87 93–87 52–62
Iloilo 73–69** 71–78 88–85 70–55 68–70 92–96 72–67 92–90 76–70 67–64 52–56 79–65 80–84 71–65 67–70 96–86 73–67 60–58
Imus 64–69 58–85 86–89 88–86 86–90 86–71 75–73 82–99 77–81 65–82 88–93 93–105 79–77** 68–97 82–70 67–73 72–88
Makati 56–64 85–70 97–65 81–68 67–62 74–80 96–94 91–71 61–79 101–87 85–91 73–51 86–88 106–70 78–61 111–106**
Manila 107–95 133–101 76–57 96–91 96–86 92–76 106–78 73–72 69–56 85–86 116–89 75–70 104–89 71–66 74–71
Marikina 75–80 85–75 88–80 76–78 69–95 89–82 66–70 63–69 76–77** 87–86 73–87 99–95 70–65 62–74
Mindoro 76–85 57–72 79–78 78–85 63–61 72–84 76–75 62–72 74–73 68–114 91–87 59–67 64–84
Muntinlupa 83–89 82–85 66–77 87–78 75–76** 76–98 106–100 66–70 63–91 58–55 83–97 63–75
Navotas 125–97 74–83 71–82 68–70 100–107 97–98* –[a] 95–112 88–82 88–83 65–80
Nueva Ecija 75–81 85–81 69–75 72–85 92–74 84–71 95–109 89–50 116–119** 85–109
Pampanga 82–63 75–65 71–62 75–81 90–70 97–102** 115–71 77–74 59–73
Parañaque 60–79 87–100 83–85 101–70 65–81 73–70 89–83 65–74
Pasay 68–71 92–89 74–69 72–74 70–54 61–77 82–83
Pasig 92–81 78–72 99–109 89–77 90–72 69–82
Quezon City 62–72 71–89 74–78 65–70 60–71
Rizal 86–101 77–73 77–81 76–95
San Juan 100–77 78–68 64–69
Sarangani 84–89 75–100
Valenzuela 78–85
Zamboanga
Source: Schedule
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win.
Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime.
Notes:
  1. ^ The Navotas–Rizal game was stopped at halftime for player safety. The game was not resumed due to it having no effect on playoff standings. Final score was 56–39 in favor of Rizal.

Not all games are in home–away format. Each team plays every team once. Number of asterisks after each score denotes number of overtimes played.

Playoffs

Main article: 2020–21 MPBL playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its division, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. Teams with home court advantage, the higher seeded team, are shown in italics.

First Round
(Best-of-3) 		Division Semifinals
(Best-of-3) 		Division Finals
(Best-of-3) 		National Finals
(Best-of-5)
            
N1 San Juan 2
N8 Pasay 0
N1 San Juan 2
N4 Pampanga 0
N4 Pampanga 2
N5 Bataan 0
N1 San Juan 2
North Division
N3 Makati 1
N2 Manila 2
N7 Pasig 0
N2 Manila 1
N3 Makati 2
N3 Makati 2
N6 Bulacan 0
N1 San Juan 1
S1 Davao Occidental 3
S1 Davao Occidental 2
S8 Bicol 1
S1 Davao Occidental 2
S5 Zamboanga 0
S4 Batangas City 1
S5 Zamboanga 2
S1 Davao Occidental 2
South Division
S3 Basilan 1
S2 Bacoor City 2
S7 General Santos 0
S2 Bacoor City 1
S3 Basilan 2
S3 Basilan 2
S6 Iloilo 0
This box:

First Round

In the First Round, the first- and second-seeded teams host games 1 and 3 of its respective division, while the third- and fourth-seeded teams host game 2.

North Division First Round

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) San Juan Knights 2–0 (8) Pasay Voyagers 75–74 74–67 —
(2) Manila Stars 2–0 (7) Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors 91–88 82–80 —
(3) Makati Super Crunch 2–0 (6) Bulacan Kuyas 94–88 86–78 —
(4) Pampanga Giant Lanterns 2–0 (5) Bataan Risers 71–64 83–80 —

South Division First Round

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) Davao Occidental Tigers 2–1 (8) Bicol Volcanoes 77–71 81–84 64–56 (OT)
(2) Bacoor City Strikers 2–0 (7) GenSan Warriors 95–72 69–60 —
(3) Basilan Steel 2–0 (6) Iloilo United Royals 83–68 70–63 —
(4) Batangas City Athletics 1–2 (5) Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 74–78 84–75 52–69

Division Semifinals

In the Division Semifinals, the highest seeded team hosts games 1 and 3, while the second-highest seeded team hosts game 2.

North Division Semifinals

Due to San Juan advancing after game 2, Manila instead hosted game 3.

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) San Juan Knights 2–0 (4) Pampanga Giant Lanterns 86–84 91–83 —
(2) Manila Stars 1–2 (3) Makati Super Crunch 77–74 59–75 75–78 (OT)

South Division Semifinals

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) Davao Occidental Tigers 2–0 (5) Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 47–28 62–58 —
(2) Bacoor City Strikers 1–2 (3) Basilan Steel 63–77 80–69 76–84

Division Finals

Under standard rules, in the Division Finals, the higher-seeded team hosts games 1 and 3 in its respective division, while the lower-seeded team hosts game 2.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the playoffs had to be suspended after both game 2s were played. The suspension lasted for a year, until the league were cleared by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to host a bubble at the Subic Bay Gymnasium in Olongapo, Zambales, where all remaining games were played.

North Division Finals

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, San Juan ended up hosting games 1 and 2, the latter being held behind closed doors. Game 3 was held at a neutral site in the Subic Bay Gymnasium.

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) San Juan Knights 2–1 (3) Makati Super Crunch 76–60 88–91 131–54

South Division Finals

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, game 3 would've been held at a neutral site in the Subic Bay Gymnasium.

However, game 3 was defaulted because multiple Basilan Steel members were tested positive for COVID-19 inside the bubble. Thus the game and the series was won by Davao Occidental as the Tigers advanced to the MPBL Finals.

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
(1) Davao Occidental Tigers 2–1 (3) Basilan Steel 72–74 81–76 2–0 (default)

MPBL Finals

Main article: 2021 MPBL Finals

Neither team had homecourt advantage due to all games being held at the Subic Bay Gymnasium.

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5
(N1) San Juan Knights 1–3 (S1) Davao Occidental Tigers 75–77 (OT) 70–65 58–66 88–89 (OT) —

All-Star Game

The 2020 MPBL All-Star Game took place at SM Mall of Asia Arena on February 13, 2020, where the South All-Stars prevailed over the North All-Stars for the second time with a score of 126–122. Jeff Viernes of the Batangas City Athletics was named the back-to-back All-Star Game MVP.[7]

Lineups

Game

February 13
North All-Stars 122–126 (OT) South All-Stars
Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 28–23, 28–29, 33–32, Overtime: 10–14
Pts: Michael Juico 23 Pts: Jeff Viernes 28

Pre-game events

Before the game itself, a series of pre-game events were held. Returning events include the executives' Game, Three-Point Shootout and the Slam Dunk Contest.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On March 12, 2020, the league announced the suspension of the 2019–20 season due to the impending COVID-19 pandemic. The league had just concluded with the second games of both Division Finals series, with both series being forced into a do-or-die third game.[8] Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes stated in June that the suspended playoffs would continue once restrictions on contact sports have been lifted by the government. The suspension lasted nearly one year, as the league announced on March 6, 2021 that it would finally resume its 2020 playoffs in a bio-secure bubble at the Subic Bay Gymnasium on March 10.[9] The 2020–21 season was also cancelled, with the league instead intending to start its fourth season in June 2021 before ultimately settling for 2022.[10]

Statistics

Awards

Most of the league's individual awards were given out before game 4 of the National Finals at the Subic Bay Gymnasium.[11] The Finals Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year were awarded at the conclusion of the series.

Awards Winner(s) Team Ref.
Most Valuable Player John Wilson San Juan Knights
Finals Most Valuable Player Mark Yee Davao Occidental Tigers [12]
Defensive Player of the Year Mark Yee Davao Occidental Tigers
Sportsmanship Award Billy Ray Robles Davao Occidental Tigers
All-MPBL First Team John Wilson San Juan Knights
Mike Ayonayon San Juan Knights
Mark Yee Davao Occidental Tigers
Jeric Teng Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors
Jeckster Apinan Makati Super Crunch
All-MPBL Second Team Gab Banal Bacoor City Strikers
John Raymundo GenSan Warriors
Aris Dionisio Manila Stars
Chris Bitoon Manila Stars
Dhon Reverente Pasay Voyagers

Players of the Week

List of players of the week
Week Player Stat Line Against Ref.
June 12−15, 2019 Mark Cruz
(Pampanga Giant Lanterns)		 16 Points
11 Rebounds
12 Assists		 GenSan Warriors
June 17−22, 2019 Aris Dionisio
(Manila Stars)		 21 Points
12 Rebounds
3 Assists
2 Blocks		 Quezon City Capitals
June 24−29, 2019 Aaron Black
(Quezon City Capitals)		 17 Points
11 Rebounds
10 Assists		 Biñan City Heroes
July 1–6, 2019 Allan Mangahas
(Biñan City Heroes)		 22 Points
13 Rebounds
8 Assists		 Cebu Sharks
July 8–13, 2019
July 15–20, 2019 Mark Yee
(Davao Occidental Tigers)		 21 Points
12 Rebounds
2 Assists		 Rizal Golden Coolers
July 22–27, 2019
July 29 – August 3, 2019 Edzel Mag-isa
(Muntinlupa Cagers)		 24 Points
11 Rebounds
1 Assist		 Quezon City Capitals
August 5–10, 2019
August 12–17, 2019
August 19–24, 2019
August 26–31, 2019
September 2–7, 2019 Michael Juico
(Pampanga Giant Lanterns)		 14 Points
11 Rebounds
1 Assist		 Davao Occidental Tigers

Notable events

  • On November 4, 2019, the league suspended the Soccsksargen Marlins team due to allegations of game-fixing, as part of the league's greater crackdown on the issue.[13] The team was later turned over to new management and was renamed to the Sarangani Marlins. Two years later, criminal charges were filed against the members involved.[14]

Media

This season marked the third and final year of both ABS-CBN's and Fox Sports Asia's broadcast rights with the league.

For ABS-CBN, games were broadcast on S+A, Liga, and The Filipino Channel, while iWantTFC served as the network's international streaming platform. A2Z also broadcast the bubble games of the 2020–21 playoffs. The network's broadcast rights came to an end after the network's franchise was expired. On the other hand, Fox Sports Asia continued to broadcast Monday games as the league's cable partner. The network itself shut down on October 1, 2021.

IBC and TAP DMV would take over the television rights in the 2021 Invitational, while Cignal TV acquired the rights beginning with the succeeding 2022 season.

The league continued to broadcast all of the games on its official Facebook page.

References

  1. ^ "Chooks-to-Go MPBL officially turns pro". Tiebreaker Times. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Murillo, Michael Angelo (March 21, 2021). "Davao Occidental claims MPBL Lakan championship". Business World. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "MPBL: Playoffs suspended indefinitely in wake of COVID-19 threat". ABS-CBN News. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "MPBL raises limit on Fil-foreigners to two, ex-pros to seven per team". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "MPBL opens newest, biggest season Wednesday at MOA Arena". ABS-CBN Sports. June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Malihan, Drew (December 28, 2019). "Pasaol leads Zamboanga over Imus in Canada". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "Jeff Viernes named MVP as South wins in OT in MPBL All-Star game". spin.ph. February 14, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "MPBL: Playoffs suspended indefinitely in wake of COVID-19 threat". ABS-CBN News. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Giongco, Mark (March 6, 2021). "MPBL set to resume division finals on March 10". Inquirer.net. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Tupas, Cedelf (June 1, 2020). "MPBL cancels 2020-2021 season". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (March 21, 2021). "John Wilson crowned MPBL MVP". Rappler. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  12. ^ Terrado, Reuben (March 21, 2021). "Still going strong at 39, Game 4 hero Mark Yee named Finals MVP". Sports Interactive Network. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Garcia, Ma. Angelica (November 4, 2019). "MPBL's SOCCSKSARGEN Marlins suspended over alleged game-fixing". GMA News Online. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Damicog, Jeffrey. "DOJ to indict 17 persons in 2019 MPBL 'game-fixing'". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
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