| 1995–96 PBL season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 4, 1995 – January 9, 1996 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | GMA Network |
| Season MVP | Marlou Aquino Marlou Aquino Marlou Aquino |
| Reinforced Conference champions | Stag Pale Pilseners |
| Reinforced Conference runners-up | Red Bull Energy Drink |
| All-Filipino Cup champions | Stag Pale Pilseners |
| All-Filipino Cup runners-up | Casino Rubbing Alcohol |
| Danny Floro Cup champions | Stag Pale Pilseners |
| Danny Floro Cup runners-up | Red Bull Energy Drink |
The 1995–96 PBL season was the 13th season of the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), the commercial semi-professional basketball league.
Notable achievements
Under coach Junel Baculi, the PBL-Andoks team won the Asian Interclub basketball championships in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Malaysia-Petronas, 101–82, in the finals. The PBL selection were reinforced by seven-time PBA best import Bobby Parks and former Ginebra import Alexander Coles.
The Stag Pale Pilseners completed a three-conference sweep and a grandslam in their very first season in the PBL, becoming the sole PBL Team to do so. The Pilseners of coach Alfrancis Chua, with the likes of MVP Marlou Aquino, Bal David, Reuben Dela Rosa, Randy Alcantara, Derrick Bughao, Paul Du and best import Antoine Joubert, became the third team to win a title in their first try during the Reinforced Conference, defeating Red Bull Energy Drink in four games.[1] Stag had an easier time scoring a three-game finals sweep in the next two conferences, winning over Casino Rubbing Alcohol in the All-Filipino Cup and repeating over Red Bull in the Danny Floro Cup in January 1996.[2]
Occurrences
The PBL took a two-week break during the month of June to give way to the ABC Championships where most of the top players are members of the national team, the league resume on June 29 with the best-of-three semifinal pairings in the short All-Filipino Cup.[3]
TV coverage
GMA Network served as the broadcaster of the PBL, as it aired the PBL games on Primetime, every Monday and Thursday evenings from 6-10 p.m. with two games, and a triple header on Saturdays after Eat Bulaga!.
Reinforced Conference
| Qualified for semifinals |
| Team standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stag Pale Pilseners | 14 | 2 | .875 |
| Red Bull Energy Drink Kings | 13 | 3 | .812 |
| Chowking Fastfood Masters | 9 | 7 | .562 |
| Kutitap Toothpaste Dazzlers | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| Casino Rubbing Alcohol Makers | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| Magnolia Cheezee Spread Warriors | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| Burger Machine Burger Masters | 6 | 10 | .375 |
| Ramcar Oriental Battery Kings | 4 | 12 | .250 |
| Carol Ann's Snack Masters | 3 | 13 | .188 |
The imports who saw action in this conference were Antoine Joubert (Stag), Ray Reed (Red Bull), who was replaced by Stevie Thompson, Glynn Blackwell (Chowking), Claude Moore (Casino), Gary Gaspard (Kutitap), David Barksdale (Magnolia), Tony Tolbert (Burger Machine), Steve Hall (Ramcar), and Mark Harris (Carol Ann's).
Stag and Red Bull played in the finals, with the Pale Pilseners finished the semifinal round with 19 wins and 4 losses, followed by Red Bull with a 16 wins and 7 losses. Chowking and Casino gained a playoff for the second finals slot via win 4-of-7 incentive scheme.[4] Casino won against the Chowking Fastfood Masters, 92–73, but the Alcohol Makers in turn, lost to the Red Bull Energy Kings on May 1, 1995 for the right to meet the Pilseners for the championship.[5]
Finals series
| Team | Game 1 (May 4) | Game 2 (May 6) | Game 3 (May 8) | Game 4 (May 11) | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stag | 130 | 100 | 104 | 110 | 3 |
| Red Bull | 110 | 101 | 87 | 96 | 1 |
| Venue | Araneta | Araneta | Araneta | Araneta |
All-Filipino Cup
| Qualified for semifinals |
| Quarterfinal standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stag Pale Pilseners | 4 | 1 | .800 |
| Oriental Battery Kings | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Casino Rubbing Alcohol Makers | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Kutitap Toothpaste Dazzlers | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Magnolia Cheezee Spread Warriors | 1 | 4 | .200 |
| Chowking Fastfood Masters | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Three teams; the Red Bull Energy Kings, the Burger Machine Burger Masters, and the Carol Ann's Snack Masters were eliminated after a one-round eliminations. In the best-of-three semifinals match-up, the Stag Pale Pilseners prevailed over.the Kutitap Dazzlers and the Casino Rubbing Alcohol Makers won over the Oriental Battery Kings to arrange a finals showdown.[6]
Finals series
| Team | Game 1 (July 3) | Game 2 (July 6) | Game 3 (July 8) | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stag | 71 | 74 | 83 | 3 |
| Casino | 61 | 64 | 79 | 0 |
| Venue | Cuneta | Cuneta | Cuneta |
1995-96 Danny Floro Cup
| Qualified for semifinals |
| Quarterfinal standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | 4 | 1 | .800 |
| Stag Pale Pilsen | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Casino Rubbing Alcohol | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Kutitap Toothpaste | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Burger Machine | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| Chowking | 0 | 5 | .000 |
Six teams made it to the quarterfinals after the eliminations. The Stag Pale Pilseners scored a 2–0 sweep over the Casino Rubbing Alcohol Makers in their best-of-three semifinal series, while the Red Bull Energy Kings also swept their own series against the Kutitap Dazzlers and sealed a finals rematch with the Pale Pilseners.[7]
Finals series
| Team | Game 1 (Jan.7) | Game 2 (Jan.8) | Game 3 (Jan.9) | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stag | 105 | 93 | 102 | 3 |
| Red Bull | 102 | 86 | 92 | 0 |
| Venue | RMC | RMC | RMC |
International Invitational Cup
The short international invitational tournament took place from December 9–17, 1995. Guest teams were Boysen-International Bank of Korea, Hapee-Ozeta Club of the Slovak Republic and the Budweiser Kings of Guam.[8] Casino Rubbing Alcohol and Ozeta Club were declared co-champions after their final game ended at 97-all. The PBL was forced to let the Slovak squad leave early to catch their flight.[9] The Danny Floro Cup resumes just before Christmas.
Individual awards
- All-Filipino Cup:
- Most Valuable Player: Marlou Aquino (Stag)
- Mythical First team:
- Marlou Aquino (Stag)
- Bal David (Stag)
- Reuben Dela Rosa (Stag)
- Gilbert Castillo (Casino)
- Rodney Santos (Oriental Battery)
- Mythical Second team:
- James Walkvist (Oriental Battery)
- Michael Orquillas (Oriental Battery)
- Arthur Ayson (Oriental Battery)
- Randy Alcantara (Stag)
- Ruel Bravo (Kutitap)
References
- ↑ "Stag puts away PBL gonfalon". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Stag wraps it all up". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "PBL back in business today". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Do or die PBL match". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Casino rips Chowking, faces Red Bull next". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Stag gets headstart against Kutitap five". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Stag makes it to finals, closes in on Grand Slam". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "PBL International Cup reels off today". Manila Standard.
- ↑ "Co-champs from PBL boo-boo". Manila Standard.