Flirting with injury

Asia’s first professional basketball league opens its 40th season this coming Sunday inside the huge and brand new Philippine Arena at Bocaue, Bulacan.  The PBA will also welcome three new teams – Blackwater Elite, Kia Sorento and NLEX Road Warriors.  The new ball clubs upped the PBA membership to 12 teams.

The opening also comes with a novelty starring boxing icon Manny Pacqiuao.  Not content with moonlighting as a congressman, preacher, singer, actor, product endorser and whatever, he now will strut his stuff as playing-coach of Kia.  They tangle with fellow newbie Blackwater in the 3:30pm opener.

I seriously doubt if Pacman’s advisers had the screws tightened on their heads considering that what he has strayed into is very risky in relation to his coming fight next month.  People will argue that he will only be on the playing court in limited minutes.  Yeah right.

Let’s say that as per contract agreement, playing-coach Pacman will not be compelled to see action and if the situation arises, he could be on the court for a maximum of 10 minutes only.  This is not a pick-up game or a practice game where opponents will go easy on you and allow themselves to be posterized.

Just like boxing or any other sport where monetary consideration is the primary aim, the PBA is a league where athletes are paid to show their stuff and are expected to give their best effort to triumph.  In every team and in any sport, there will always be someone whose main source of income depends on how he makes the lives of the opponents miserable.

This is where my concern lies.  Pacman is doing so well in boxing that a supposedly undefeated fighter whose name is related to the climate had been manufacturing all sorts of alibis with a dash of mockery just to evade a dream match.

When Pacman enters the basketball court, a player assigned to guard him most certainly has to earn his pay and make Pacman work hard on his dribble or make a shot.  In doing so, this guard sticks to him tighter than Jinkee’s embrace.  There will be contact all throughout although less brutal than the jabs and uppercuts that Pacman is used to, he could twist his knee, tweak his back or sprain his left hand.  Boom!  Say goodbye to the fight with Algieri.   I sincerely hope this scenario won’t happen.

Pacman will matchup against Blackwater’s 10-year pro Paul Artadi alternating with Fil-Am Chris Timberlake.  Both stand at 5-10 with Timberlake showing some muscles.  At 5-7, Pacman is already overmatched and he still has to get savvy in the ways of the point guard.  Will Artadi and Timberlake just let Pacman blow by them?  And will Alex Nuyles just let him make an uncontested layup?  Will Blackwater give Kia the win just because Pacman is on the other side?  Sunday afternoon will be interesting.

I can only speculate on the kind of contract Pacman has with Kia for this adventure.  It could be bordering between the scandalously gluttonous or insanely piggish.  Whatever.  With his stature, Pacman deserves every centavo he gets.  Just coordinate with the pistol-packing lady known as Kim Henares so you can whistle a happy tune to the bank.  And while he’s still good at it, I wish Pacman would just stick to boxing.  Politics is already a distraction.

PBA drumbeaters meanwhile, declare that this season could be on the basketball record books as about 40,000 tickets had already been sold and chances are, the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena will be filled to capacity.  If the PBA can accomplish the feat, they will be third on the list on the world’s largest basketball crowd ever assembled in one roof.

The game between Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks in March 27, 1998 at the Georgia Dome topped the list recording 62,046 spectators.  The Bulls, starring Michael Jordan with 34 points defeated the Hawks.  Next was the 61,983 attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome in a January 29, 1988 game with Detroit winning over Boston, 125-108.  The Pistons-Sixers game also at the Silverdome comes in third with 52,745 in attendance played on February 14, 1987.

The PBA’s top record was 24,883 spectators during the Game 7 of the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup semis between Barangay Ginebra and San Mig Coffee.  Just last Wednesday, the record was broken during Game 3 of the UAAP Finals between NU and FEU with 25,138 screaming blue- and yellow-clad fans.

The league should thank Pacman and Kia for it.  Crowds will be eager to see the Pambansang Kamao play the Pambansang Laro.  In cooperation with a bus liner, Kia will be fielding 200 buses to shuttle fans to and from the venue for free.  Only two things can happen – either Kia runs over Blackwater or Blackwater hydroplanes Kia.

Games will be shown live on TV5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 4pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 3pm during Sundays.  The PBA had grown and with all the technological advances, it would be nice if they can have their own cable TV channel that not only shows live games but also vintage PBA games.  I miss the Crispa-Toyota duels of the late 70s.