THE NLEX Road Warriors lead a cast of 11 teams that are set to do battle in the PBA D-League starting Oct. 23 at the Arena in San Juan City.
In spite losing seven players to the PBA Draft, the Road Warriors have reloaded and are gunning for a fourth straight crown with the presence of new recruits from the recently-crowned UAAP champions Ateneo Blue Eagles. These are Finals MVP Nico Salva and Cebuano big man Greg Slaughter.
The opening playdate will feature a new squad in Informatics taking on the Cagayan Rising Suns while Boracay Rum tangles with Cebuana Lhuillier in the main offing at 4 p.m.
The rest of the field is composed of the league’s other new member, Fruitas along with Blackwater Sports, Café France, Erase Xfoliant and the Big Chill.
Teams will play a single round-robin with the top two finishers advancing to the semifinals. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ranked teams will advance to the quarterfinals with the No. 3 and 4 teams enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage. The bottom five teams will be eliminated. The semifinal and the Finals will be best-of-three series. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio