STREET SPORTS: It Takes Two to Tango

May 9, 2023

It is a new season in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League), and here in Negros Occidental, I just noticed that we have 2 MPBL teams – the Negros Pau Muscovados and the Bacolod City of Smiles.

The Negros Pau Muscovados are an expansion team composed of Negrenses Pao Javelona, Bill Geolingo, Jonathan Gantalao, Chris Flores, as well as, MPBL standouts Jason Melano, Robin Rono, Algin Andaya, Edrian Lao, and coached by former MBA, PBA & UAAP coach Bonnie Garcia. The Bacolod Masskara City of Smiles have been in the MPBL for 5 years but have a different core than last year where they were known as the Bacolod Bingo Plus. They have former PBA players Allan & James Mangahas, Harold Arboleda, local players – Domark Matillano, Chris Menguez, Coy Alvez, John Pastias, MPBL veterans – Mark Sarangay, Mac Montilla, Andretti Stevens, John Cantimbuhan, and newly-acquired hotshot Val Chauca. They are coached by veteran MPBL coach Monel Kallos. Going around coffee and barbershops in the city of Bacolod, I was interested to know which among the 2 MPBL teams in the province was the favorite.

The most common answer was “Tood ka? Duha gali team diri sa Negros?” Biskan sin-o lang sa ila. Kon sin-o mabakod, dira ta”. No team seems to be a clear favorite among the local population. I think a game between the 2 Negros teams, if held at the Saint La Salle Coliseum or other venues here in Negros Occidental, will be fun to watch. It would be like a local version of the NBA’s LA Lakers versus LA Clippers.

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It’s the offseason of the PBA and once again “ligang labas” is at the center of the news. The PBA just fined 10 of its players, most notably Jio Jalalon of Magnolia, Beau Belga of Rain or Shine, and JR Quinahan of NLEX for participating in sanctioned “ligang labas” games. Jalalon had the harshest penalty of P100,000 for being a second offender. Quinahan and Belga were fined P70,000 each after they took part in a brawl against a foreign team in Cebu. Another notable PBA player, Robert Bolick, who also participated in the game that featured the brawl, escaped a fine due to his contract having expired during his participation. But why do PBA players still participate in “ligang labas” despite having a stable and large salary in the PBA? First, some PBA players are getting big bucks from “ligang labas” because of their stature. It is an extra income aside from what they are earning. Second, it gives confidence to a struggling player. A player with no confidence in the PBA can bring it back by easily scoring 20-30 points against non-PBA or mostly non-pro players in “ligang labas”. And lastly, pressure from their local community. Players such as Quinahan, who is from Cebu or Calvin Abueva from Pampanga are very popular in their hometowns that they are being called to participate in organized games whenever there are fiestas like the Sinulog in Cebu. Whatever the reasons are, these PBA players should do a balancing act as not to compromise their careers with something that might happen to them, like a serious injury, since they are still under contract with their mother teams in the PBA.

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We are deep into the NBA conference semifinal playoffs and until now there is still no clear-cut favorite on who will win the 2023 NBA title in one of the wildest open seasons in recent memory. After the first round of the playoffs, a trend has emerged. NBA teams that have players with playoff experience are coming out victorious against teams that are young but without experience. The biggest surprise came from the East, where the No.8 Miami Heat, despite losing key players to injuries, upset the best record in the NBA Milwaukee Bucks 4-1. Their superstar Jimmy Butler may well be the best player of the playoffs after scoring 56 and 42 points in games 4 and 5 to eliminate the Bucks. They set up a match up with the New York Knicks who in a minor surprise led by hot-shooting point guard Jalen Brunson eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1. Two of the other favorites in the East, the 2022 NBA runner-up Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers led by NBA MVP Joel Embid set up their own second round date by dispatching off their less- experienced first round opponents the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets, 4-2 and 4-0 respectively. In the hotly competitive Western conference the defending champion Golden State Warriors won Game 7 on the road in hostile Sacramento, 120-100, winning the series 4-3 to book a place in the second round and set up a mouth-watering matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. Stephen Curry had a Game 7 playoff record 50 points. The Lakers beat another young and upcoming team, the Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2, with Anthony Davis dominating on defense and 38-year old Lebron James showing impressive form which shows that he is not ready to hang up his sneakers, even having a 22-rebound effort in Game 4. In the other bracket, the Phoenix Suns led by superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, beat an injury-plagued LA Clippers team, 4-1, and set up a match up with the Denver Nuggets, who beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in their own first round series.*

Pio Alessandro S. Ozoa is a graduate of BS Computer Science at USLS. A big fan of sports, especially basketball. A late bloomer when it comes to playing the game, he watches sports on livestream often as a deviation from the stress and pressure of everyday life.