Four Pinoy imports battle it out for two semifinals slots as the 2025 KBL postseason play gets underway.
A quartet of Filipino imports take center stage to open the best-of-five quarterfinal round of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) playoffs starting Saturday, April 12.
JD Cagulangan will reignite his rivalry with former collegiate rival SJ Belangel as Suwon KT Sonicboom square off with the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus in the no. 4 vs. no. 5 matchup.
Meanwhile, Javi Gomez de Liaño and his sixth-seed Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters battle Miguel Oczon and the third-ranked Ulsan Mobis Hyundai Phoebus.
For the first time since the epic Game 3 battle in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball Finals, Cagulangan and Belangel will meet in a playoff series with the winner facing Juan Gomez de Liaño and his Seoul SK Knights in the semifinals.
Cagulangan, the freshly-minted KBL Rookie of the Year, made instant impact in his first year with the Sonicboom behind averages of 7.3 points and 4.8 assists in just 21.8 minutes of play.
The 25-year-old led Suwon to a 33-21 win-loss record and are winners of 12 of their last 16 games entering the playoffs.
On the other hand, Belangel, who is in his third year with the Pegasus, is averaging a career-high 14 points and 4.8 assists on an efficient 53% shooting in 53 games.
That includes dropping a KBL career-high 36 markers in a 114-77 Daegu rout of the Seoul Samsung Thunders last January.
The former Ateneo Blue Eagle and the Pegasus, who ended up as the fifth seed via 28-26 slate, also hold a 3-2 regular season head-to-head lead over Cagulangan and the Sonicboom.
Meanwhile, Javi GDL and the 2023 champions Anyang KGC needed a second-half surge to snag the sixth and final playoff spot.
After a 10-game losing skid, the Red Boosters went on an 18-8 the rest of the way to finish with a 25-29 win-loss record.
[ALSO READ: Javi GDL, Anyang snap 10-game losing skid at expense of SJ Belangel’s Daegu]
The former Terafirma Dyip submitted 8.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 21 minutes across 50 games in his first season in the KBL.
As for Oczon, the KBL sophomore saw limited minutes in the regular season for Ulsan (33-21) and logged 4.6 points in 50 games while coming off the bench most of the time.
Both teams split their six meetings with three wins apiece as the survivor of their quarterfinal duel will earn the right to face Carl Tamayo and the second seed Changwon LG Sakers in the next round.