It was a historic day for basketball as the country’s finest sports personalities witnessed a groundbreaking first at PLDT Home’s exclusive NBA Finals Watch Party. Last June 13, fans visited TGI Friday’s in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City, and watched the Denver Nuggets capture their first NBA championship in their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals, defeating the Miami Heat in five games.
NBA fans unite! Players from Gilas Pilipinas and sports personalities gather around at PLDT Home’s watch party of the NBA finals between Denver and Miami
Hosted by NBA Hype anchor Tin Gamboa, the PLDT Home Watch Party gathered around the biggest basketball fans including Gilas Pilipinas players Roger Pogoy, Kib Montalbo, Chris Newsome, Aaron Black, Brandon Ganuellas-Rosser, and Kevin Alas; and sports influencers and personalities Charles Tiu, Martin Javier, Vince Velasco, Bea Escudero, Paolo del Rosario, and Cam Lagmay.
Guests also joined various basketball-themed activities, including a basketball arcade game where participants in hoop-inspired attires had the opportunity to win exclusive NBA Store merchandise.
(L-R) PLDT Home’s Marketing PR AVP Cheryl Maxine Loyola, Retail and Online Acquisition Marketing Head Niño Carandang, and Product Manager Kristine Rementilla hype up the crowd right before the do-or-die game
A long road for Denver
The Denver Nuggets’ championship was truly one for the books. Since the appointment of Michael Malone as the team’s head coach and the selection of Nikola Jokic in 2015, the Nuggets has become a team on the rise after reaching the Western Conference Finals during the 2019-20 season, which is the furthest they’ve advanced until this year’s NBA Finals appearance.
After two years of falling short in the playoffs, the Nuggets made key moves to bolster their roster coming into the 2022-23 season, acquiring veterans Bruce Brown and DeAndre Jordan and former NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to provide with well-rounded players that can support two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and budding superstar Jamal Murray.
These transactions strengthened their roster and helped them navigate the regular season to become the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Their road to their first-ever NBA Finals went through the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers before facing the Miami Heat.