2021 MPBL Finals

The 2021 MPBL Finals, originally called the 2020 MPBL Finals and also known as the MPBL Lakan Cup Finals, was the championship series of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's (MPBL) 2019–20 MPBL season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league held the entire series in a bubble in Subic, Zambales.[1][2] In the best-of-five playoff that saw a rematch of the previous season's Finals, the South Division champion Davao Occidental Tigers beat the North Division champion San Juan Knights, 3–1, as they were crowned the league's third champions. Mark Yee was also named the season's Finals MVP.[3]

2021 MPBL Finals
TeamCoachWins
Davao Occidental TigersDon Dulay3
San Juan KnightsRandy Alcantara1
DatesMarch 17–21, 2021
MVPMark Yee
Northern finalsSan Juan def. Makati, 2–1
Southern finalsDavao Occidental def. Basilan, 2–1
← 2019MPBL Finals2022 →

Both teams finished with the first seed in their respective divisions with a record of 26–4, but San Juan beat Davao Occidental in their regular season match-up. As of 2023, it is the last Finals appearance for both teams.

Background

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The league stopped play on March 11, 2020, midway through the Division Finals, after the outbreak of the pandemic spread throughout the country, thus shelving the remaining games of the playoffs.[4] A year later, after the league got an approval from the government and the IATF, allowing the league to resume play inside a bubble starting March 10, which featured the final games of the Division Finals.[1] The series did not feature a home-and-away format due to the threat of the ongoing pandemic. All games were played at the Subic Bay Gymnasium, the venue of the sepak takraw event that was used in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

San Juan Knights

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The San Juan Knights entered the season as the defending champions, winning the 2019 MPBL Finals against the Davao Occidental Tigers. They started the season with a 10-game winning streak and eventually finishing the regular season with a 26–4 win-loss card to hold the league's best record, a tiebreaker that was broken as the Knights have defeated the Tigers in the regular-season game. In the playoffs, they easily defeated 8th-seeded Pasay Voyagers and 4th-seeded Pampanga Giant Lanterns in the first two rounds, both in just two games. The Division Finals saw the 3rd-seeded Makati Super Crunch, who have qualified for their first Division Finals appearance. Both teams split the first two games, and the series went to a decider. The decider game three saw only 5 players play from the Makati side, as the Knights overpowered the other team in a record-setting match, 131–54, and eventually clinch the North Division championship for the second consecutive season and advance for their second straight MPBL Finals appearance.

Davao Occidental Tigers

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The Davao Occidental Tigers entered the season as the runners-up, losing to the San Juan Knights in the 2019 MPBL Finals. They have started the season with a 10–1 win-loss record and eventually finishing the regular season with a 26–4 win-loss record, identical to that of the Knights, but only held the second-best record in the league as they fell to San Juan in the regular-season matchup. In the first round, the team were pushed to the limits by Bicol Volcanoes, forcing a decider, and eventually won the series in three games. The Division Semifinals saw themselves making an easy sweep of the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines in two games, and facing the Basilan Steel in the Division Finals. The Steel shocked the Tigers in the first game, and the Tigers even the series at one-apiece before the stoppage, forcing a decider. But the decider game three was not played and gave a default win for the team as the league gave an ultimatum to the Basilan team that should another member of the Basilan team catch the virus, a default win would be awarded. On March 16, the league gave the default 2–0 win to the Tigers to become the two-time South Division Champions to advance to their second straight MPBL Finals appearance, setting up a finals rematch against the very team in San Juan Knights.[5]

Road to the Finals

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San Juan Knights (Northern Division Champion)Davao Occidental Tigers (Southern Division Champion)

PosTeamPldWLPCTGBQualification
1San Juan Knights30264.867Playoffs
2Manila Stars30255.8331
3Makati Super Crunch30228.7334
4Pampanga Giant Lanterns30219.7005
5Bataan Risers302010.6676
6Bulacan Kuyas301911.6337
7Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors301812.6008
8Pasay Voyagers301713.5679
9Caloocan Supremos301614.53310
10Valenzuela Classic301119.36715
11Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards301020.333[a]16
12Quezon City Capitals301020.333[a]16
13Marikina Shoemasters30822.267[b]18
14Parañaque Patriots30822.267[b]18
15Navotas Uni-Pak Sardines29722.24118.5
16Rizal Golden Coolers29623.20719.5
Source: Standings
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Nueva Ecija wins tiebreaker over Quezon City by head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Marikina wins tiebreaker over Parañaque by head-to-head victory.
1st seed in the North, best league record
Regular season
PosTeamPldWLPCTGBQualification
1Davao Occidental Tigers30264.867Playoffs
2Bacoor City Strikers30246.8002
3Basilan Steel302010.6676
4Batangas City Athletics301911.6337
5Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines301812.600[a]8
6Iloilo United Royals301812.600[a]8
7GenSan Warriors301812.600[a]8
8Bicol Volcanoes301614.53310
9Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol301515.50011
10Biñan City Luxxe White301218.40014
11Bacolod Master Sardines301119.36715
12Mindoro Tamaraws30921.30017
13Muntinlupa Cagers30723.23319
14Imus Bandera30624.20020
15Sarangani Marlins30129.03325
Source: Standings
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Zamboanga (+8), Iloilo (-3), and General Santos (-5) are ranked based on head-to-head point differential.
1st seed in the South, 2nd best league record
Defeated 8th-seeded Pasay Voyagers, 2–0First RoundDefeated 8th-seeded Bicol Volcanoes, 2–1
Defeated 4th-seeded Pampanga Giant Lanterns, 2–0Division SemifinalsDefeated 5th-seeded Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines, 2–0
Defeated 3rd-seeded Makati Super Crunch, 2–1Division FinalsDefeated 3rd-seeded Basilan Steel, 2–1

Head-to-head matchup

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January 18, 2020
06:30 pm
Davao Occidental Tigers65–84San Juan Knights
Scoring by quarter: 13–26, 18–23, 20–14, 14–21
Pts: Yvan Ludovice, Mark Yee 14 each
Rebs: Yee, Robles 14 each
Asts: June Kenneth Mocon 7
Pts: Orlan Wamar 15
Rebs: Larry Rodriguez 8
Asts: Andrew Estrella 6

Series summary

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Due to the series being held in a bubble, no team had homecourt advantage, as all games were played at the Subic Bay Gymnasium.

GameDateResultVenue
1March 17San Juan Knights75–77 (OT)
(0–1)
Davao Occidental TigersSubic Bay Gymnasium
2March 18San Juan Knights70–65
(0–1)
Davao Occidental TigersSubic Bay Gymnasium
3March 20San Juan Knights58–66
(0–1)
Davao Occidental TigersSubic Bay Gymnasium
4March 21San Juan Knights88–89 (OT)
(0–1)
Davao Occidental TigersSubic Bay Gymnasium

Game summaries

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Game 1

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March 17, 2021
4:00 pm
San Juan Knights75–77 (OT)Davao Occidental Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 15–15, 19–13, 19–25Overtime: 7–9
Pts: Mike Ayonayon 27
Rebs: Jhonard Clarito 11
Asts: Mike Ayonayon 5
Pts: Emman Calo, Mark Yee 15 each
Rebs: Billy Ray Robles 11
Asts: Billy Ray Robles 4
Subic Bay Gymnasium, Subic
Referees: J. Castroverde, E. Avis, R. Brila

Game 2

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March 18, 2021
4:00 pm
San Juan Knights70–65Davao Occidental Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 23–22, 14–13, 18–15
Pts: John Wilson 17
Rebs: Jhonard Clarito 11
Asts: Mike Ayonayon 9
Pts: Emman Calo 26
Rebs: Mark Yee, Billy Ray Robles 10 each
Asts: Mark Yee, Yvan Ludovice 3 each
Subic Bay Gymnasium, Subic
Referees: B. Estroga, R. Brila, G. Villanueva

Game 3

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March 20, 2021
3:00 pm
San Juan Knights58–66Davao Occidental Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 14–15, 13–26, 15–11, 16–14
Pts: Mike Ayonayon 16
Rebs: John Wilson 9
Asts: Mike Ayonayon 3
Pts: Billy Ray Robles 13
Rebs: Mark Yee 11
Asts: Yvan Ludovice, Bonbon Custodio 3 each
Subic Bay Gymnasium, Subic

Game 4

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March 21, 2021
4:00 pm
San Juan Knights88–89 (OT)Davao Occidental Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 13–16, 29–16, 20–24Overtime: 8–9
Pts: Larry Rodriguez 19
Rebs: Jhonard Clarito 11
Asts: Carlos Isit Jr. 10
Pts: Emman Calo 22
Rebs: Mark Yee 12
Asts: Billy Ray Robles 6
Davao Occidental wins series, 3–1
Subic Bay Gymnasium, Subic

Broadcast notes

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This marked the third and currently final year of ABS-CBN's broadcast rights of the MPBL Finals, at least on television. Due to the expiration of the network's franchise, the series was broadcast on A2Z and Kapamilya Channel on television, the former coming as part of a blocktime partnership between ABS-CBN and ZOE Broadcasting Network. The Finals was also streamed on the league's official Facebook page.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b De La Pena, Leobert Julian (6 March 2021). "MPBL gets IATF green light to stage bubble in Subic". Daily Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  2. ^ Giongco, Mark (6 March 2021). "MPBL set to resume division finals on March 10". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  3. ^ Lozada, Bong (21 March 2021). "'Payback' as Davao Occidental wins MPBL national title, tops San Juan in OT". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ^ Leongson, Randolph (12 March 2020). "MPBL finally suspends play over coronavirus pandemic". Spin.ph. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Davao Occidental advances to MPBL National Finals vs San Juan by default". Inquirer.net. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  6. ^ Terrado, Reuben (7 March 2021). "MPBL playoffs to be aired live on A2Z Channel 11". Spin.ph. Retrieved 7 March 2021.