I hope you have not forgotten that TNT, the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup champion, and Barangay Ginebra, the runner-up, are set to represent the Philippines in the upcoming East Asia Super League (EASL) tournament scheduled for October. They will be joined by Korean Basketball League champion Anyang KGC, featuring Filipino player Rhenz Abando, as well as the SK Knights and the Hong Kong team Bay Area Dragons. The remaining two teams will come from the Japan B. League and Taiwan's P.League+ as the competition's cast is completed.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed that the participating teams have been informed about their involvement in the EASL and that the PBA is ready to adjust its scheduling to accommodate the two teams, as the PBA is also set to resume in October. The EASL games are scheduled to take place every Wednesday, with Barangay Ginebra and TNT expected to play three home games and three away matches during the group stage. This will mark the first time the EASL will implement a home-and-away format, as their previous plans were canceled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In March of this year, the EASL organized the Champion's Week in Japan, where San Miguel Beer and TNT represented the PBA. Unfortunately, both teams were eliminated early in the tournament, with San Miguel Beer failing to win any games in the group stage and TNT facing a similar outcome, despite the presence of imports Cameron Clark, Jessie Govan, Daniel Ochefu, and Jalen Hudson.
Now, the question is, which team has a much bigger chance of winning the EASL?
I actually think that it is Ginebra due to two reasons. We already saw how TNT mishandled the first EASL tournament. The biggest reason for that is their defective-for-International-play frontcourt.
Ginebra has the better frontcourt. If Japeth Aguilar stays healthly, their chances of having a good run is much better than TNT.
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