The PBA increased its membership from 6 to 8 teams, with the entry of expansion franchises RFM/Cosmos Bottling, Inc. and Pepsi-Cola. The 6 regular PBA ballclubs were allowed to protect 9 players from its rosters, the two new teams will pick those players in the expansion pool. [1]
Formula Shell won their first PBA title after five years of participation, but the biggest story of the year was the walkout of Añejo Rum 65 in Game 6 of the First Conference finals, the 65ers were heavily fined a total of P550,000.
Presto Tivolis won the All-Filipino crown at the expense of Purefoods Hotdogs for their first title in three years and sixth overall.
With the advent of "Open basketball" being approved, professional basketball players are now allowed to play in the international tournaments such as the Olympics and World championships, the PBA send an all-pro team to the Beijing Asian Games in September and chosen to coach the PBA-backed national team is Añejo playing coach Robert Jaworski. [2] Despite only two weeks to prepare and injuries and problems hounding the team even from the time it was formed, the All-Pro nationals won a silver medal finish, behind host China.
Purefoods Hotdogs came back from a 0-2 overhaul to win the Third Conference title and their first championship with a 3-2 series win over Alaska Milk, becoming only the second team to have won three straight after falling behind two games to none, the Hotdogs duplicated the feat achieved by the Crispa Redmanizers in 1976. Coach Baby Dalupan, the league's winningest coach, won his 15th title.
^If a team outside the top two teams wins at least five semifinal round games, then it and the second-placed team will playoff for the last Finals berth; otherwise, the top 2 teams qualify outright.
^Purefoods advanced to the Finals outright as #1 seeded team; Finals berth playoff: Presto 117–115 San Miguel
^Añejo and San Miguel played off for the finals incentive playoff for winning at least five semifinal games and finishing outside of the top 2; Finals berth incentive playoff: San Miguel 132–117 Añejo
^If a team outside the top two teams wins at least five semifinal round games, then it and the second-placed team will playoff for the last Finals berth; otherwise, the top 2 teams qualify outright.
^Presto qualified for a playoff for Finals berth incentive for winning at least five semifinal games and finishing outside of the top 2, Shell qualified for a playoff for the Finals berth incentive after finishing tied for second; Finals berth incentive playoff: Shell 137–114 Presto
^Alaska advanced to the Finals outright as #1 seeded team, Purefoods guaranteed playoff as #2 seeded team; Finals berth playoff: Purefoods 121–101 Shell
