The moment the ball is tipped in the series opener Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Barangay Ginebra and Meralco will go down in PBA history as the first two teams to face off for a particular conference crown for three straight seasons.
This alone makes the 2019-20 PBA Governors Cup Finals compelling, memorable and must-see.
Rattle off the ingredients - legendary coaches, great imports, tough locals - and there's no doubt this finale has all the trimmings of a classic in the making. It could well get the premier local cage league to a fiery start in 2020.
Now on its third offering, the Ginebra-Meralco saga reels off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Big Dome - a finale expected to be a blast of a January war, not unlike their previous title collisions in 2016 and 2017.
Themselves anticipating a fierce showdown, key personalities from both sides brimmed with excitement, enthusiasm and interest during the pre-finals press conference at the Sambokojin restaurant in Eastwood City Saturday.
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"We played them twice and we beat them twice so they are going to be super hungry to play us," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
"Our goal is to win the championship. We got a lot of respect for Ginebra. Tim Cone is one of the top coaches in the league, but our goal is to win, as simple as that," said Meralco coach Norman Black.
The Ginebra side is out to reclaim the crown it lost last year while the Meralco squad looks for breakthrough ascension to the top.
Hunger, desire and motivation are there for both teams. Both sides know each other well. And thus in the end, it could go down to which team has made better preparation in the long break they enjoyed after the semis last December.
Proper mindset, execution and adjustments will also be key factors in what's likely to be a war of attrition.
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In 2016, the Kings took six games to wrap up the crown, then a full seven-game series to repeat in 2017.
Both were well-fought finales. Then there's lineup tweaking for both sides that could impact the Ginebra-Meralco III.
No doubt, the Bolts have gained added depth, length and firepower in their acquisitions of Raymond Almazan, Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto.
But the Kings have remained a solid cast made more formidable by the entry of Stanley Pringle.
And both sides salivate to end on top.
There's Ginebra import Justin Brownlee aching for redemption after his three-peat bid was scuttled by Romeo Travis and the Magnolia Hotshots last season.
On the other side, there's Allen Durham hoping to finally nail a crown on his fourth tour of duty with the Bolts.
"It's good to be in the finals, but we know that at this point, we're not satisfied. And we want to feel the greatest feeling," said Brownlee.
Durham looks forward to Last Dance III with his archrival.
"It's going to be fun," said Durham. "As a competitor, you want to play against the best and he (Brownlee) has shown he's one of the best imports in the PBA year after year. So definitely, it will be a battle," said Durham.(SB)
