Marcial sees full venues in semis

Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Willie Marcial expects the game venues to be packed once again as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) reaches the Commissioner’s Cup semi-finals.

Offering an interesting Final Four cast, Marcial said fans are expected to see the action live after a so-so gate attendance in the recently-concluded quarterfinals.

Only four squads are left standing and they survived equally-challenging routes to become fitting protagonists in the intriguing semi-finals cast of the import-laden conference.

Two teams in Rain or Shine and Alaska are making their return in the Final Four after two long years (six conferences) while two consistent teams in reigning champion San Miguel and crowd darling Barangay Ginebra are at it again, looking to extend their reign in the mid-season conference.

The top seed Elasto Painters are paired with the Gin Kings while the second-ranked Aces take on rivals Beermen in their respective best-of-five semis series. The winners advance to the best-of-seven Finals to dispute the Commissioner’s Cup trophy.

“In the semi-finals, the crowd usually come in droves,” Marcial told the Daily Tribune.

The PBA held action-packed quarterfinal games this past week, pitting the best eight teams, but just drew an average gate attendance at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum and the Mall of Asia Arena.

Marcial said the General Admission price to just P50 to accommodate more fans.

“We adjusted the ticket rates because we want everyone to be able to watch their basketball idols live,” Marcial said.