PBA Finals: TNT vs. San Miguel draws a full house at the Smart Araneta Coliseum

The TNT Tropang Giga held on after squandering a 24-point lead and benefited from a favorable—but contentious—officiating decision to defeat the San Miguel Beermen, 99–96, in Game 1 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, July 13.

The high-intensity game was watched by a sellout crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. This was expected by PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, who was confident of a huge turnout despite the absence of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—arguably the most popular team in the league.

Barangay Ginebra suffered a Philippine Cup exit in the semifinals at the hands of long-time rivals San Miguel in Game 7, which drew a crowd of 12,279 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, July 9.

“Fans flock during the playoffs, starting from the quarterfinals. We could see that during the eliminations, only a few fans came to watch the games. But come playoffs—especially during the finals—they are there. I expect a packed arena. The fans are really looking for quality games, and this finals series has it,” Marcial told the media.

The league has seen a decline in stadium attendance in recent years, with a total of 16,783 fans attending Game 4 of the Governors’ Cup Finals (won by Barangay Ginebra), compared to only 11,802 spectators at the Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial has addressed questions over the venue choice for Games 6 and 7 of the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals between the TNT Tropang 5G and the San Miguel Beermen.

read: https://t.co/C3Les5rd8g pic.twitter.com/Kstwb7YBIj

— Fastbreak (@fastbreaknewsph) July 12, 2025

Marcial added that there will be no changes in venue if the series reaches Game 6 or 7. As it stands, the first three games are being played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with Game 4 scheduled for the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Game 5 returns to the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City is set to host Game 6 or 7, if necessary.

There are concerns regarding the PhilSports Arena, as it only has a maximum capacity of 10,000—considered small for what could be a series-deciding game.

“As of now, that’s the schedule we have. We’ve already checked other possible venues, but unfortunately, they’re fully booked, so we can’t transfer to bigger venues. As much as we wanted to play in a bigger venue, we can’t for now. But we are okay with PhilSports. We’ve been talking to possible venues two months in advance to book a schedule. As of now, we’ll stay with PhilSports,” Marcial concluded.

Game 2 of the Finals is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and promises to be another thrilling encounter.

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