Rain or Shine starts Governors’ Cup title defense, faces arch rival San Mig Coffee

The euphoria brought about by the country’s hosting of the recent Fiba Asia Championship hasn’t simmered down yet and basketball enthusiasts will be treated to more quality hardcourt action when the season-ending PBA Governors’ Cup gets underway today with a twinbill at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Facing off in the 5 p.m. Curtain-raiser are the Air21 Express and Globalport Batang Pier, while locking horns in the 7:30 p.m. main game are the defending champions Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the San Mig Coffee Mixers.

The conference, which will feature imports not taller than 6-foot-5, will be a short one since the opening had to be delayed for several weeks to give way to the country’s hosting of the Fiba Asia championship.

The elimination round will be a single round-robin with the bottom two after the eliminations getting the boot.

The top four finishers carry a twice-to-beat advantage over the bottom four. The quarterfinals winners will advance to the best-of-five semifinal series with the victors advancing to the best-of-seven finals.

Air21, Rain or Shine and San Mig will parade returning imports.

The Express will have Zach Graham, Marqus Blakely will once again suit up for the Coffee Mixers, while the Painters have tapped Arizona Reid, who won the Best Import award in the 2010-11 Governors’ Cup.

Globalport will be reinforced by Markeith Cummings.

The protagonists, except for Air21, could play short-handed as they are expected to rest their players who played for Gilas Pilipinas in the recent Fiba Asia Championship. They are Jeff Chan and Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, Gary David of Globalport and Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee.