2019–20_MPBL_season

2019–20 MPBL season

3rd season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

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]

Quick Facts League, Sport ...

2019–20 MPBL season

League	Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
Sport	Basketball
Duration	Regular 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 games	464 (regular season) 35 (playoffs)
Number of teams	31
TV partner(s)	ABS-CBN (S+A, Liga, A2Z, The Filipino Channel, iWantTFC) Fox Sports
Regular season
Top seed	San Juan Knights
Season MVP	John Wilson (San Juan)
Playoffs
North Division champions	San Juan Knights
North Division runners-up	Makati Super Crunch
South Division champions	Davao Occidental Tigers
South Division runners-up	Basilan Steel
Finals
Champions	Davao Occidental Tigers
Runners-up	San Juan Knights
Finals MVP	Mark Yee (Davao Occidental)
MPBL seasons
← 2018–19 2022 →

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

More information Team, 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 Shoemasters	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
Quezon City Capitals	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 City Athletics	Batangas State University Gymnasium	2,500
Bicol Volcanoes	Ibalong Centrum for Recreation	8,000
Bicol Volcanoes	Albay Astrodome	8,000
Biñan City Luxxe White	Alonte Sports Arena	6,500
Biñan City Luxxe White	Santa Rosa Sports Complex	5,700
Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol	Hoops Dome	6,500
Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol	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
Iloilo United Royals	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
International Invasion	Winsport Arena	N/A
Mindanao Invasion	El Salvador City Gymnasium	N/A
2020–21 MPBL playoffs	Subic Bay Gymnasium	N/A¹

Notes

^ 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

More information Off-season, Team ...

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:

More information Team, Muse ...

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.

More information Date, Teams ...

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	Hamdan Sports Complex	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
MPBL Canada Invasion
December 27, 2019	Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines vs. Imus Bandera	Winsport Arena	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	^[6]

Standings

North Division

More information Pos, Pld ...

Pos	Team v t e	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^{[lower-alpha 1]}	16
12	Quezon City Capitals	30	10	20	.333^{[lower-alpha 1]}	16
13	Marikina Shoemasters	30	8	22	.267^{[lower-alpha 2]}	18
14	Parañaque Patriots	30	8	22	.267^{[lower-alpha 2]}	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:

Nueva Ecija wins tiebreaker over Quezon City by head-to-head victory.
Marikina wins tiebreaker over Parañaque by head-to-head victory.

South Division

More information Pos, Pld ...

Pos	Team v t e	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^{[lower-alpha 1]}	8
6	Iloilo United Royals	30	18	12	.600^{[lower-alpha 1]}	8
7	GenSan Warriors	30	18	12	.600^{[lower-alpha 1]}	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

Zamboanga (+8), Iloilo (-3), and General Santos (-5) are ranked based on head-to-head point differential.

Results

More information Teams, BCD ...

Teams	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*	–^{[lower-alpha 1]}	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:

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)

San Juan

Pasay

San Juan

Pampanga

Pampanga

Bataan

San Juan

North Division

Makati

Manila

Pasig

Manila

Makati

Davao Occidental

Davao Occidental

Batangas City

Zamboanga

Davao Occidental

South Division

Basilan

Bacoor City

General Santos

Bacoor City

Basilan

Iloilo

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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

More information Team 1, Series ...

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

More information Team 1, Series ...

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.

More information Team 1, Series ...

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

More information Team 1, Series ...

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.

More information Team 1, Series ...

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.

More information Team 1, Series ...

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.

More information Team 1, Series ...

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

More information Pos, Player ...

North All-Stars
Pos	Player	Team
Starters
	Alfred Batino	Bataan Risers
	Aris Dionisio	Manila Stars
	Michael Juico	Pampanga Giant Lanterns
	Jai Reyes	Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards
	John Wilson	San Juan Knights
Reserves
	Cedric Ablaza	Makati Super Crunch
	Mark Benitez	Rizal Golden Coolers
	Clark Derige	Quezon City Capitals
	Paulo Hubalde	Val City Carga Backload Solution
	Dhon Reverente	Pasay Voyagers
	Paul Sanga	Caloocan Supremos
	Jayboy Solis	Parañaque Patriots
	Jay-R Taganas	Bulacan Kuyas
	Marwin Taywan	Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines
	Jeric Teng	Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors
	Ato Ular	Marikina Shoemasters
Head coach: Randy Alcantara (San Juan Knights)

South All-Stars
Pos	Player	Team
Starters
	Gab Banal	Bacoor City Strikers
	Allyn Bulanadi	Basilan Steel
	Will McAloney	Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol
	Jeff Viernes	Batangas City Athletics
	Mark Yee	Davao Occidental Tigers
Reserves
	Gerald Anderson	Imus Bandera
	Ronjay Buenafe	Bicol Volcanoes
	Robby Celiz	GenSan Warriors
	Richard Escoto	Iloilo United Royals
	Pao Javelona	Bacolod Master Sardines
	Pari Llagas	Sarangani Marlins
	Allan Mangahas	Biñan City Luxxe White
	Alvin Pasaol	Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines
	Rodel Vaygan	Mindoro Tamaraws
	GJ Ylagan	Muntinlupa Cagers
Head coach: Don Dulay (Davao Occidental)

Game

S+A

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

Mall of Asia Arena , Pasay

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.

Three-Point Shootout Champion: Lester Alvarez (Bulacan Kuyas)
Slam Dunk Contest Champion: David Carlos (Makati Super Crunch)

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

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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.

More information Awards, Winner(s) ...


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

More information Week, Player ...

List of players of the week
Week	Player	Stat Line	Against
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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