CSB clarified on an interview broadcast during the opening ceremonies that a rumoured seven-game suspension for Baculi for using indecent language in a PCU game on a tune-up league was untrue. Elimination round Team standings NBI agents were present in the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, monitoring the basketball games. Rumours still persist that there were still efforts of game fixing in the games. The suspects "resurfaced" during the first round game between the Blazers and the Heavy Bombers, the day where the agents were supposedly absent. Match-up results Scores Results on top and to the right of the dashes are for first-round games; those to the bottom and to the left of it are second-round games. Postseason teams San Beda Red Lions After making waves in the off-season tournaments, San Beda and PCU emerged as the preseason favorites. After defeating the JRU Heavy Bombers on Opening Night, the Red Lions were defeated by the PCU Dolphins, when Red Lions coach Koy Banal was on duty as assistant coach of the Purefoods Chunkee Giants during their PBA championship game. After Banal and the Chunkee Giants won the Philippine Cup, his return to the San Beda bench signalled the start of a Red Lions rampage, winning their next four games in convincing fashion. Their final game in the first round pitted them against the then undefeated Letran Knights. The game was held to a sell-out crowd and the Red Lions controlled the game. They never trailed during the game and went on to win by eight points, dealing the Knights their first loss of the season. During the second round, the Lions defeated PCU, the only team that had beaten them in the season and assuring them of the twice to beat advantage in the playoffs. San Beda completed a sweep of the second round with a victory over the Letran Knights in the elimination round finale in a tightly contested and defense oriented game to a capacity crowd at the famed Araneta Coliseum (linescore, right). This sealed their top place finish in the eliminations and sending the Knights to an additional playoff game against PCU to determine the final seeding in the semifinals. PCU Dolphins After losing to Letran in last year's Finals series, the Dolphins returned with an almost intact lineup, except for coach Junel Baculi who resigned due to health reasons (see above). On their Opening Day game against Mapua,