Foul gimmick

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) media bureau chief Willie Marcial said yesterday the league is studying possible sanctions on Barangay Ginebra for staging a dragon dance that was clearly in poor taste during a timeout in the first half of last Friday’s Game 2 of the Fiesta Conference Finals.

Marcial said the Ginebra marketing staff has been summoned to the PBA office to explain itself tomorrow. PBA marketing head Jude Turquato will investigate the matter which drew a sharp reaction from the Chinese community.

Sta. Lucia Realty coach Alfrancis Chua said the Chinese dragon dance is for good luck. "We associate the dragon dance with happy occasions like a fiesta," he explained. "It’s not supposed to be used for something negative. I think the gimmick was foul. I was told Red Bull management was upset. Baka si coach Siot (Tanquingcen) was upset, too."

Marcial said the PBA cleared the request for a dragon dance number but no details of its execution were divulged. "We thought kung dragon dance, okay lang because it’s for good luck," noted Marcial. "Di namin akalain ganoon pala ang gagawin. We will definitely take action."

Two dragons gyrated on the court in the traditional Chinese dance while someone close by held up a poster showing the Red Bull logo. The poster was later torn in half and trampled on by the dragons. After the dance, the persons who were under the dragon shells emerged wearing Ginebra shirts. Barako player Mick Pennisi picked up the torn poster in the middle of the court and put it away.

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Since the Game 3 do-or-die duels in the semifinals, Marcial said the PBA has averaged over 10,000 fans in attendance. The frenzy generated by the Finals is reminiscent of the PBA’s glory years during the Crispa-Toyota era.

ABC Sports’ Siena Olazo, who directs the TV coverage, said the last six minutes of Game 1 last Wednesday registered a phenomenal rating that topped opposing shows on ABS-CBN and GMA. She also said the commercial load for Game 2 was the highest in years.

In case you didn’t know it, Game 2 was broadcast live in the US, the Middle East, parts of Europe including Italy, Saipan, Japan and countries where viewers can access the Filipino Channel cable system. So the scantily-clad and well-endowed Viva Hot Babes, who performed before tipoff, and Ogie Alcasid, who sang at halftime, were seen by a global audience.

The rush for tonight’s Game 3 tickets was inevitable. Tickets sold like hotcakes since Friday. With the series tied at a win apiece, fans realize how important the tiebreaker is in a best-of-5 series. Tanquingcen said he anticipates an "intense" battle and called it "the most crucial" encounter in the title playoffs.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao said the Barakos will find a way to win despite the one-game suspension of Jimwell Torion and the absence of injured point guard Denver Lopez. After Game 2, Guiao came out of the Red Bull dugout looking refreshed and confident–like he just figured out what it will take to clinch the title. He admitted he told the Barakos to get physical and play with more intensity in Game 2. What carried Red Bull to victory in the end, he said, was its championship experience.

Guiao explained that in the last few minutes, Junthy Valenzuela asked to sit for a minute to catch his breath. "I sent in Topex (Robinson) because he had already played and Jon (Ordonio) hadn’t," said Guiao.

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Tanquingcen admitted that with Red Bull’s 21-7 advantage in turnover points in Game 2, Ginebra was lucky to lose by only four. "But I’d rather be lucky and win than lucky and lose," he quipped.

Tanquingcen, tasting his first Finals defeat as a head coach, said he anticipated DaVonn Harp would be more aggressive in offense after he scored only four points in the series opener.

"We knew Harp would get his points," he said. "We expected Red Bull to go to him. We got hurt by fouls. Mark (Caguioa) couldn’t get his rhythm because of foul trouble. Torraye (Braggs) sat out long minutes because of foul trouble. We just have to learn from our mistakes and manage our fouls."

Because of Ginebra’s fouls, Red Bull took 37 free throws and converted 25 compared to the Kings’ 15-of-18 charities.

San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico, who mentored Tanquingcen, watched Games 1 and 2 at the Big Dome. He gave his thumbs-up on the officiating in the Finals so far.

"In Game 2, the referees took control early because if they didn’t, things could’ve gotten out of hand," said Uichico. "The flagrant 1 and 2 fouls made the players think twice before resorting to rough play."