“NBA sa ABS-CBN” is not letting up in delivering a fun basketball viewing experience to Filipinos even as the 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is winding down to its fiery finish with three games already down in the Finals series between defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

    
With the rise in intensity inside the arenas, ABS-CBN Sports has also taken the excitement a notch higher by spicing up its coverage of the games on free TV, airing the games live or via satellite on ABS-CBN with primetime telecast and replays on ABS-CBN Sports + Action.

 Helmed by anchor Boom Gonzalez, who is joined by sports analyst TJ Manotoc and local basketball legends Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras, “NBA sa ABS-CBN” has been giving Filipinos a closer look and a more intimate access to the game of basketball, and the most popular professional basketball league in the world the entire season. From broadcasting up to four times a week, the show has ramped up to an everyday offering of games on free TV during the playoffs, the conference finals, up to the championship round, not letting Filipino sports fans miss topnotch basketball action.

 The quartet of Manotoc, Gonzalez, Paras, and Magsanoc has shown great chemistry, exuding a barkadavibe that makes viewers enjoy the game more than ever when they tune in. They have been successful in engaging the viewers, a proof to this is the consistent trending of #NBAsaABSCBN on social media. Celebrity basketball fans like Daniel Padilla and Yael Yuzon would also visit the studio to join in the fun as they cheer for their favorite teams on behalf of hoops fans watching from their homes. 

Coach Ronnie Magsanoc, for his part, enjoys being able to impart knowledge from a player’s standpoint being part, full time, of the resident analysts for the NBA, saying, “this is the best experience for me, a dream, and a rewarding experience for me, especially that I get to sit side-by-side with well-known sports panel members, and Benjie, which makes it not a job for me, so it’s fun.”

He said that he and Benjie did not need to be convinced that hard to be part of the local NBA coverage since management approached them both, fully knowing of their history as a duo, dating back to their college days. Manotoc for his part echoes the fun that Magsanoc exudes during coverages. 

“Ang saya kasi ginagawa naming barkada yung feel, na napapansin ng iba and the fact that we made it interactive especially on Twitter, everyone is just having fun. Parang barkada lang talaga.” 

However, what made this year’s NBA coverage extra special was that everyone was more into it, and by everyone, that means every regular basketball-loving Juan out there, be it in the office, on the streets, and even tricycle stations. 

“Napapansin ko this year, mas connected yung mga tao sa games. May tricycle driver pa nga na, regular season pa lang to, excited na sa ipapalabas na game noon. Yung mga simpleng tao, alam nila, naka-abang sila. Iba yung inaabangan nila eh,” shared an amused Manotoc. 

Coach Ronnie on the other hand, said that the knowledge they have been imparting, of sharing their own basketball know-how, and being given the liberty to do so, made the NBA coverage this year even better, saying, “overall, it’s a big plus for the every single day we have the game coverage, it really helps talk and share about basketball knowledge, and keeps not only me sharp, but the viewers as well.”

TJ agreed with Coach Ronnie on that end saying, “We want them to love the game, and understand the game at ginagawa naming ‘yun sa paraang matutuwa sila. At malaking bagay din yung nagbibigay kami ng bagay na pwede nilan matutunan sa experience naming mga anchor.”

Don’t miss the remaining games of the NBA Finals with Boom Gonzalez, TJ Manotoc, Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras. Game 4 will be aired LIVE on Saturday (June 11) at 9am on ABS-CBN with primetime telecast and replays on ABS-CBN Sports + Action. ABS-CBN Sports and ABS-CBN Sports + Action are all under the ABS-CBN Integrated Sports division of ABS-CBN, the country’s leading media and entertainment company. For more information about ABS-CBN Sports and game schedules, visit sports.abs-cbn.com, and follow ABS-CBN Sports’ official Facebook and Twitter accounts, @abscbnsports.