Killer schedule for semifinalists

Game on Jan. 4:

Cuneta Astrodome

6:45 p.m.- Rain or Shine vs. Powerade

The protagonists in the Final Four round of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup will get a considerable amount of rest before plunging into a killer schedule.

The league has set a historic schedule that will feature eight straight games for eight consecutive days.

The semifinals will start on Jan. 4 next year with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Powerade Tigers facing in Game 1 of their race-to-four series.

“We’re trying to see if one game each per day in the semis can hold the interest of fans,” said PBA Commissioner Chito Salud in a report posted on pba-online.net. “We’re truly confident to all our semifinalists.”

The other semifinal pairing will have the defending champions Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters going up against the Petron Blaze Boosters.

The match will be an intriguing one as it will be rematch of last season’s Fiesta Conference Finals won by the Boosters, denying the Texters of a rare Grand Slam feat.

That championship showdown was one of the most controversial series after Petron head coach Ato Agustin challenged Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes into a fistfight.

Talk ‘N Text is looking to become the first team in almost three decades to defend an All-Filipino crown.

While the Talk ‘N Text-Petron tiff is considered a battle of the Titans, the other series will have two young teams out to establish their own niche in the league.

Powerade is having a magnificent run in the playoffs after its resounding conquest of the top seed B-Meg Llamados in their quarterfinal duel.

The Tigers advanced to the semis by overcoming a twice-to-beat disadvantage behind the heroics of Gary David, who scored a combined 69 points in the teams’ two victories.

The series will have the top two picks in this year’s Rookie Draft with Powerade parading the number one overall pick Jvee Casio and Rain or Shine’s Paul Lee, the second overall pick.