1989 Philippine Amateur Basketball League season
| 1989 PABL season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 26 – December, 1989 |
| Number of teams | 7 + 3 |
| Conferences | |
| Invitational Cup champions | Magnolia Ice Cream |
| Runners-up | Sta. Lucia Realtors |
| Freedom Cup champions | Swift Squeeze Juice Drinks |
| Runners-up | Sta.Lucia Realtors |
| Maharlika Cup champions | Magnolia Ice Cream |
| Runners-up | Sta. Lucia Realtors |
| Seasons | |
The 1989 PABL season is the 7th season of the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL).
Invitational Cup
The first conference opens on March 26. [1] The participating teams were defending champion Swift Squeeze Juice Drinks, National seniors champion Magnolia Ice Cream, Sta.Lucia Realtors, Philips Sardines, Agfa Colors, Burger City and the fabled Crispa Redmanizers, making a comeback from the basketball scene after a five-year absence. Three teams played as guest squads; El Rancho of Cebu, composed of a selection from the Visayas, Asia Overseas Transport and Dansei Groom Shop.
| Qualified for semifinals |
| Team Standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia | 9 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Swift's | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Crispa | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Philips | 5 | 4 | .555 |
| Burger City | 5 | 4 | .555 |
| Sta.Lucia | 4 | 5 | .444 |
| Asia Overseas | 4 | 5 | .444 |
| Agfa Colors | 3 | 6 | .333 |
| El Rancho | 2 | 7 | .222 |
| Dansei | 1 | 8 | .111 |
Magnolia swept the eliminations with a perfect 9-0 won-loss card, followed by Crispa and Swift Squeeze with 6-3 slates, Burger City and Philips with 5-4, and Sta.Lucia and Asia Overseas Transport with 4-5. [2] Seven teams enter the semifinal round and were joined by the seeded Tera Electronics of Taipei, the lone foreign squad. [3]
Magnolia Ice Cream and Sta.Lucia advances in the best-of-three finals series. The Ice Cream Makers completed a two-game sweep over the Realtors to win their fourth PABL title.
Freedom Cup
Three guest squads once again joined the seven regular members, these are the Pampanga Selection, United Bicolanos and Marsman of Davao. Six teams makes it to the semifinal round, Burger City and Sta.Lucia were tied on top with a 7-2 won-loss slates, Swifts, Philips and Crispa were a game behind at 6-3, Magnolia takes the 6th and last slot with 5 wins and 4 losses. [4]
| Qualified for semifinals |
| Team Standings | Win | Loss | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burger City | 7 | 2 | .778 |
| Sta.Lucia | 7 | 2 | .778 |
| Swift's | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Philips | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Crispa | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Magnolia | 5 | 4 | .555 |
| Pampanga All-Stars | 3 | 6 | .333 |
| Marsman-Davao | 3 | 6 | .333 |
| Agfa Colors | 2 | 7 | .222 |
| Bicol | 0 | 9 | .000 |
The one-round semifinals saw three teams; Sta.Lucia, Swift's and Magnolia finished with identical 4-1 won-loss slates. Sta.Lucia makes it to the finals via higher quotient. Swift and Magnolia battled in a playoff on July 10 and the Juice Drinks won, 116-99, to face the Realtors for the championship. [5]
Swift Squeeze Juice Drinks, behind the likes of Vergel Meneses, Eugene Quilban, Andy De Guzman and Bong Ravena, frustrated the Sta.Lucia Realtors in the finals for the second time in the season, scoring a 2-0 sweep in their best-of-three title series. [6]
Maharlika Cup
After the two-round eliminations among the seven regular members, Pop Cola (formerly Swift Squeeze), Magnolia, Crispa and Sta.Lucia advances in the semifinal round. El Rancho of Cebu and NBA Bacolod qualified in the Maharlika Cup semifinals as they top the seven-team San Miguel Beer Corporate Cup which includes the Pampanga All-Stars, Pepsi-Mindanao, Shakey's Baguio, Bicol kaypee and KABAKA-Manila, [7] however, NBA Bacolod begged off to come to Manila because of the Political situation and the ongoing coup that happen in December.
Magnolia Ice Cream defeated Sta.Lucia, 2 games to 1, in the finals as the Realtors finish bridesmaid in all three conferences of the season, they also placed second in the National Seniors tournament earlier in the year, three of those finals losses were handed to them by the Ice Cream Makers.
Occurrences
- Philips Sardines forfeited their last three semifinal games in the Invitational Cup, citing lousy officiating that led to their walkout and forfeiture of their remaining assignments.
- Schedules during the semifinals of the Maharlika Cup went disarray, first with the brownouts, then the Gintong Alay ordered the closure of the games at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum due to the PABL's failure to settle accounts. League officials, led by technical committee Lauro Mumar and PABL chairman Oscar Villadolid worked overtime to put back the scheduled games or look for an alternative venue.