1998 PBA Commissioner's Cup
The 1998 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup was the second conference of the 1998 PBA season. It started on May 22 and ended on August 14, 1998. The tournament is an Import-laden format, which requires an import or a pure-foreign player for each team with a 6'8" height limit.
Format
The following format will be observed for the duration of the conference- The teams were divided into 2 groups.
- San Miguel Beermen
- Ginebra Kings
- Pop Cola 800s
- Mobiline Phone Pals
- Teams in a group will play against each other once and against teams in the other group twice; 11 games per team; Teams are then seeded by basis on win-loss records. Ties are broken among point differentials of the tied teams. Standings will be determined in one league table; teams do not qualify by basis of groupings.
- The top two teams will automatically qualify to the semifinals, while the next four teams will have a crossover quarterfinal round.
- Quarterfinals:
- *QF1: #3 vs. #6, with #3 having the twice-to-beat advantage
- *QF2: #4 vs. #5, with #4 having the twice-to-beat advantage
- Best-of-five semifinals:
- *SF1: QF1 vs. #4
- *SF2: QF2 vs. #3
- One-game third-place playoff: losers of the semifinals
- Best-of-seven finals: winners of the semifinals
Elimination round
Team standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | Alaska Milkmen | 9 | 2 | .819 | -- |
| 2 | Pop Cola 800s | 6 | 5 | .545 | 4 |
| 3 | San Miguel Beermen | 6 | 5 | .545 | 4 |
| 4 | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs | 5 | 6 | .455 | 5 |
| 5 | Formula Shell Zoom Masters | 5 | 6 | .455 | 5 |
| 6 | Mobiline Phone Pals | 5 | 6 | .455 | 5 |
| 7 | Sta. Lucia Realtors | 4 | 7 | .364 | 6 |
| 8 | Ginebra San Miguel | 4 | 7 | .364 | 6 |
Alaska was unbeaten in their first eight outings before losing to Mobiline and San Miguel in succession. Pop Cola clinched the 2nd seed with a superior quotient over San Miguel Beermen.