NEW SEASON, NEW RULES: PBA makes key changes ahead of Season 49

Aside from the controversial four-point shot innovation and a change in tournament format, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will also introduce a few modifications to its rules for Season 49.

League deputy commissioner Eric Castro laid down the revisions which include the removal of backboard violation, restriction on the official suspension of play and crossing of the coaches’ hashmark rules during the PBA pre-season conference on Wednesday held at the Shangri-La EDSA in Mandaluyong City.

Hoping to speed up the game and make it more interesting, the changes will be in effect starting in the Governors’ Cup unfolding on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Players starting this season can now attempt to take shots from behind the backboard, which was a violation before.

“In line with aligning with the FIBA rules we will remove that over the backboard rule. So, players can now attempt to shoot from behind the board,” Castro said.

“The only violation that we’re going to call is if the ball hits any part of the goal on top, the timer or the shot clock.”

The PBA will also follow a more stringent rule on the official suspension of play.

“As you’ve noticed a lot of our players when they go down, sometimes, they take a while to get up. So right now, we’ll give a 15-second leeway for those players down on the floor,” Castro added.

This means a player will be mandatorily substituted if he fails to get back up on his feet within 15 seconds.

Coaches this time can also get away with crossing the coach’s hashmark without infracting an automatic technical foul.

“The league thought to give coaches a leeway. Once they crossed the hashmark we’ll just give them a warning. They will only be whistled with a technical foul when they make a second infraction,” the league official said.

The PBA Board, during its annual planning session in Japan, gave the green light for the four-point shot which earned mixed reactions from coaches, players and fans.

First implemented in last year’s All-Star Games in Passi, Iloilo, the four-point line will be an arc measuring 27 feet painted on the court beyond the 23-foot three-point line.

Also one of the major changes this season is the new tournament format for the season-opening conference where the 12 participating teams are divided into two groups for the elimination round where each squad will play with their groupmates twice.

The top four teams from each group at the end of the eliminations will advance to the best-of-five quarterfinals. The semifinals and championship round of the import-laden conference are both best-of-seven affairs.

As part of the league’s commitment to Gilas Pilipinas’ participation and hosting of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament, the PBA will have a compressed game schedule with six playdates a week.

Opening day will pit Philippine Cup champion Meralco and Magnolia at 7:30 p.m. after the 4 p.m. Season 48 LEO Awards to be followed by the 5 p.m. opening ceremonies.