Defending champion Meralco Bolts take on no. 1 seed San Miguel Beermen in an early Finals rematch to start the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup playoffs.
The PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup playoffs tip off this week with familiar contenders and intriguing matchups all set for battle.
Top-4 seeds San Miguel, NLEX, Magnolia, and Ginebra hold a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, needing just one win to advance to the semifinals.
Among the storylines: TNT Tropang 5G begin their Grand Slam bid, having already secured the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles this season.
But the Tropang 5G will have to go through no. 3 Magnolia, a team looking quite different from earlier this season thanks to the shocking trade for Will Navarro.
Notably, the Hotshots beat TNT to close their elimination round schedule, which pushed the flagship MVP franchise to the bottom half of the standings.
Meanwhile, San Miguel and Meralco rekindle their rivalry in a rematch of last year’s Philippine Cup Finals, where the Bolts stunned the Beermen in six games to win their first PBA title.
Also looking to crash the semifinals are Rain or Shine, Converge, and the defending champion Bolts—each needing to win back-to-back games against the top four to survive.
PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals schedule:
June 18 – Wednesday – PhilSports Arena
- 5:00 p.m. – NLEX Road Warriors vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
- 7:30 p.m. – Magnolia Hotshots vs TNT Tropang Giga
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June 20 – Friday – Ninoy Aquino Stadium
- 5:00 p.m. – Meralco Bolts vs San Miguel Beermen
- 7:30 p.m. – Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel vs Converge FiberXers
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If Necessary – June 21 – Saturday – Ninoy Aquino Stadium
- 5:00 p.m. – TNT Tropang Giga vs Magnolia Hotshots
- 7:30 p.m. – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs NLEX Road Warriors
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If Necessary – June 22 – Sunday – Smart Araneta Coliseum
- 5:00 p.m. – Converge FiberXers vs Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel
- 7:30 p.m. – San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]