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The 2019 MPBL finals, also known as the MPBL Datu Cup finals, was the championship series of the
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...
's (MPBL) 2018–19 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The North Division champion San Juan Knights defeated the South Division champion
Davao Occidental Tigers The Davao Occidental Tigers (also known as Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife due to sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Davao metropolitan area and representing the province of Davao Occidental. The ...
, 3–2, as they were crowned the league's second champions. Mike Ayonayon is also named the season's Finals MVP. This finals matchup would go on to ignite a
rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between the two teams. Both the first-seeded Davao Occidental and third-seeded San Juan held the same regular season record (20–5), but the former held
homecourt advantage In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to gai ...
as they beat San Juan in their regular season match-up. It is the first of back-to-back finals between the two teams.


Background


San Juan Knights

The San Juan Knights entered the season as heavy favorites to win the national championship, as they are loaded with a mix of ex-pro players, collegiate players and homegrown players. They finished the regular season with a 20–5 win–loss record, tying with the Manila Stars for third place as both teams had an identical record. The Knights were able to clinch the third seed as they defeated the Stars in the eliminations. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, The Knights easily dealt the Navotas Clutch and the
Quezon City Capitals The Quezon City Galeries Taipan is a Filipino professional basketball team based in Quezon City. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Division. The team plays its home games a ...
both in just two games each series. The division finals saw their sister team, Manila Stars battling them for the Northern Division title. The series went to a decider, where the team would eventually defeat the Stars in Game 3 to clinch North Division title and move to their first ever MPBL finals appearance.


Davao Occidental Tigers

Davao Occidental Tigers came in to the tournament as the 2018 Preseason Champions winning over the Manila Stars in the finals. The Tigers ended their regular season with 20–5 win–loss record, to become the top seed in the South Division and clinch homecourt advantage for the division playoffs. They easily defeated the
Cebu City Sharks The Cebu Classic is a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Cebu metropolitan area. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. The team has played its home g ...
and the Bacoor City Strikers in the first round and in the division semifinals, both sweeping in two games each series. In the division finals, they faced the defending champions
Batangas City Athletics The Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters are a professional basketball team based in Batangas City, Batangas. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's South Division. The team splits its h ...
but were pushed to the limits, even forcing a Game 3 decider before escaping the Athletics, to claim its division title and advance to its first ever MPBL finals appearance.


Road to the finals


Head-to-head matchup

Since both teams have an identical 20–5 win–loss record, the
Davao Occidental Tigers The Davao Occidental Tigers (also known as Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife due to sponsorship reasons) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the Davao metropolitan area and representing the province of Davao Occidental. The ...
will hold the homecourt advantage for the title series as they defeated the San Juan Knights in the eliminations.


Series summary


Game summaries


Game 1


Game 2


Game 3


Game 4


Game 5


Broadcast notes

ABS-CBN Sports ABS-CBN Sports was a sports division of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, which aired some of the notable sporting events in the Philippines. ABS-CBN Sports began in 1998 as the main broadcaster for the network-backed bas ...
and ABS-CBN Regional Network Group is the official broadcaster of the Datu Cup finals that were aired via S+A,
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
and on Fox Sports Philippines. Fox Sports Philippines provided the English-language coverage of the title series. *Additional Game 5 crew: **Trophy presentation: Dyan Castillejo


Prizes

The San Juan Knights won the P10 million pesos worth of 18-karat gold trophy, similar to that NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy, and ball rings which will await the National Champions as per league founder Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Commissioner
Kenneth Duremdes Kenneth Celera Duremdes (born January 31, 1974) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who currently serves as the commissioner of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Nicknamed as "Captain Marbel", Duremdes played i ...
.


References

{{2018–19 MPBL season by team MPBL finals
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
2019 in Philippine sport Davao Occidental Tigers San Juan Knights Davao Occidental Tigers–San Juan Knights rivalry