By Ronnie Nathanielsz

WHILE we can certainly understand the euphoria of Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Sonny Barrios and the pro league’s finance people over the reported Game 7 crowd of 18,388, which included that charming basketball fan, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, to us it was not the crowd or the revenues derived that mattered as much as the way the series was played.

It is an accepted fact that Talk N Text and Alaska Aces are not among the PBA’s most popular teams. That honor has been cornered through the years by San Miguel Corp.’s three teams—Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel Beer and Purefoods.

If any evidence was needed, it was the fact that most of the fans were clad in identical yellow T-shirts of Talk N Text and the red shirts of Alaska, which meant that they were, by and large, supporters from the two companies that battled for honors in the All-Filipino finals. Frankly speaking, if there were different shades of yellow and red it may have registered more effectively.

But this is in no way meant to downplay the supporters from both companies, who came out to cheer, like they should, the men who carried their banner in the country’s premier basketball league by far. It was refreshing and we sincerely hope that their commitment in the future would be just as wholehearted.

Frankly speaking, while fans, bands, balloons and buntings add to the excitement and the overall atmosphere of a championship series, to us the game’s the thing and we are prone to judge the recent series precisely from this point of view.

In that sense, the series was extraordinary. It has been a long time since basketball fans, who love the game and follow it with a passion for the sport’s own intrinsic values, have been privileged to witness such a series. It was basketball not just at its best, but its very best.

Unquestionably, both Talk N Text and Alaska earned the respect and admiration of genuine basketball fans and we are certain that by their performance in this series they have attracted many more fans to their side, especially the uncommitted or those who have no deep down sentiment in favor of any of the other teams.

While the players on both teams and coaches Chot Reyes and Tim Cone deserve our respect for the manner in which they transformed the game and lifted the series to new heights of competitive excellence, the owners behind the teams—Manny Pangilinan and Fred Uytengsu deserve much of the credit.

These two gentlemen of sterling qualities, whose presence at almost every single game—except when the demands of business cannot be set aside—have served as an example of leadership and commitment that is hard to emulate. The compelling aspect is that they don’t merely show up for championship games—they show up for every game their teams play.

Their exuberance during the games transcends all else and not merely inspires their teams, but fires the imagination of their fans which is how it should be.

There were some sidelights to the series that we felt may have been out-of-place but didn’t mar the games on the court. Cone’s comments had some people ranting and raving, but knowing him as we do, it was something said when under extreme pressure and never ever meant to be, because Tim Cone is a great coach and a truly decent human being.

Cone lifted Alaska’s game to remarkable levels of achievement that we frankly didn’t believe the team was capable of. As for Chot, we knew he had the feel and a tremendously talented lineup that was almost impossible to beat. But they were stretched to the limit and so were the emotions of the fans.

No matter who gave out the tickets—if indeed they did—or who handed out T-shirts, we are glad they did because over 18,000 people in that final game must have learned that PBA basketball is racing back in time to the glory days of yesteryear and will surely return to enjoy the game Filipinos love with inexplicable passion.


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