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Goorjian-coached Bay Area Dragons into Game 7 of PBA Finals
Brian Goorjian is one win away from securing yet another title as head coach in his illustrious career, except this time it is in the form of a PBA trophy from the Philippines with a Chinese team.
Wait, what?
Background:
The Goorjian-coached Bay Area Dragons, a new franchise representing Greater China (China, Hong Kong and Macau), were formed in 2021 and based out of Hong Kong.
Why?
To enter the upcoming East Asia Super League, a brand new competition commencing in 2023 which was officially ratified by FIBA Asia and FIBA, for league play between the champion and runner-up clubs of Japan, Korea and the Philippines plus the champions of Taiwan and a franchise in Hong Kong. For whatever reason China's CBA are not involved for now even though the EASL publicly stated they wished for them to be. Total of 8 teams, founded and privately operated by Hong Kong-based East Asia Super League Limited.
At the same time a West Asia Super League was created and subsequently endorsed by FIBA comprising two conferences named 'West Asia' (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) and 'Gulf' (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) to be joined in later group stage play by the champions of India and Kazakhstan. Total of 18 teams, with the first season currently underway and privately operated by a Dubai-based company.
The top two sides from the East Asia Super League (EASL) and West Asia Super League (WASL) will qualify for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup to crown the official club champion of Asia. The winner will qualify for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with rumours the global governing body wants to revamp it as a more serious World Cup for clubs similar to the old McDonald's Championship.
There is now a formal in-season pyramid structure for professional clubs in Asia outside of the confines of their national leagues.
So?
Australia and New Zealand are not involved and there has been no indication they were approached. This is the first time a full-scale continental league format will be played throughout Asia. Previously there were only ad hoc out-of-season cup-style competitions organised between clubs to determine unofficial zonal and continental titles.
And?
As a consequence of COVID the first season of EASL has been delayed until October 2023. The problem for Bay Area Dragons was they had no national league to compete in so were invited to participate as a guest team in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup, one of three competitions that comprise the PBA season calendar of the Philippines, basing themselves in Manila.
Goorjian's Dragons play for the title in Game 7 of the championship series on Friday night at the 55,000 capacity Philippine Arena, scene of the infamous Philippines-Boomers brawl. Games 1 to 6 averaged 18,453 spectators played out of two 20K stadiums.
Yeah, okay?
Since the Dragons are a squad of Chinese players (with imports) the recent success of the team has been noticed back home. There is talk the exposure may land the PBA a TV rights deal in China.
This is what the NBL were trying to achieve under LK for years and the PBA may have done it overnight by accident due to unforeseen circumstances.
At the same time Australian clubs are shut out from the new EuroLeague-style home-and-away tournament. Since the EASL is operated by a private company, under the auspices of FIBA Asia via a ten year agreement, there is no obligation to include the NBL even though AUS and NZL are members of the federation.
Where to from here? Hopefully the NBL manages to have its top two admitted into the EASL in future but it will be dependent on the incumbents and whether or not they are interested in being shown up, depending on allowable import quotas. Things have all of a sudden solidified up north.
LK may be in with the NBA now but Asia, in the form of the EASL backed by FIBA, is a new player to navigate closer to home.
