PBA sets Govs' Cup Finals decider at PH Arena

The Philippine Arena has been reserved for Game 7. Dennis Acosta (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The PBA Governors' Cup could end like how the Philippine Cup concluded: by holding a game outside Metro Manila.

The league announced on Thursday that it has chosen the Philippine Arena in Bocaue as the venue for Game 7 of the Governors' Cup Finals between Ginebra and Meralco on Sunday night.

If the necessity arises, that is, if the Bolts deny the Gin Kings of getting crowned again as Governors' Cup champions in Game 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Friday night, it will be similar to how the PBA finished its season-opening conference, in which a finals game was held "out-of-town".

The difference, though, is that the PBA had to finish the Philippine Cup in a bubble setup in at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

This time, with cases dwindling in number and restrictions loosened up, fans can watch the game live assuming Meralco forces the 3-all deadlock in the best-of-seven finals.

Bocaue, like the rest of Bulacan, is under Alert Level 1, which means the Philippine Arena can accommodate fans at full capacity.

This also means the PBA has a shot at beating its all-time single-game attendance record, which was set on Oct. 27, 2017 when 54,086 people flocked the Philippine Arena to watch the same Ginebra and Meralco teams go at it in Game 7 of the Governors' Cup Finals that year.

The attendance record was just shy of the arena's full seating capacity, which is at 55,000.

But first things first: the Bolts must beat the Gin Kings on Friday night if they want some PBA action in Bocaue's prime sports and entertainment hub.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno