Covering the PBA beat for more than two decades now, this corner has seen a lot of things, felt the proverbial thrill of victory and agony of defeat every time a piece is written about a game.
But every time Barangay Ginebra wins a championship, it is almost impossible to explain why the people go ga-ga over the Gin Kings; why their mystique is unmistakable and why their throng has remained loyal all these years.
Wednesday night’s Governors’ Cup triumph over the game Meralco Bolts was a classic example, as more than 22,000 filled the Araneta Coliseum to the brim with thousands more turned away and contenting themselves watching from a big screen outside.
Stomps, cheers and shrieks go off every time the Gin Kings made a shot that glorious night.
Fans never stopped cheering Ginebra even if it fell 15 points behind in the first half.
Somehow, the fans knew something was cooking, that the Kings, being watched at ringside by the very man who started their never-say-die attitude, would eventually come roaring back.
And roar back Ginebra did, with LA Tenorio leading a furious third quarter charge that had the Kings making a game out of it again.
The crescendo reached a high during this time as one can literally not hear a seatmate during the course of the Ginebra rally and when the lead see-sawed between the two teams.
When Justin Brownlee nailed that three-point shot at the buzzer that resulted in a 91-88 Game 6 win, the end of an eight-year wait was like a huge bomb going off.
Had you been inside the Big Dome — if you heard the collective, deafening roar of the crowd — and even if you are not a Ginebra fan, you would be remembering that night for the rest of your life.
***
Robert Jaworski was in attendance when the Kings became kings of the PBA again.
And in his own way, the former Senator made sure that he had sort of a hand in making it all happen, when he made his way to the locker room at halftime to deliver some calming, yet encouraging words that coach Tim Cone said gave him goose bumps.
“He was very calm and friendly. And I was surprised,” Cone told reporters, referring to Jaworski. “When he talked (to the team), it seemed like all the tenseness in the room went out the window. It gave me goose bumps.”
That game will go down as a true classic in the history books of the league, as players who are striving to make the PBA, or even those already in the league, will dream to also be in that stage, playing that kind of game and responding to that challenge in that kind of way.
Players will also dream of playing in front of their idols, like when this batch of Kings played in front of Jaworski.
And most of the players who saw that game will be dreaming to have a shot like what Brownlee put up — and made — for it is one that truly defines one’s career, and a shot that people will be talking about long after the hero has left this earth.
***
Ginebra was magnanimous in victory, while the Bolts were gracious in defeat, which typified how professional both sides were during the entire series.
Norman Black of Meralco even made his way to the pressroom to talk to reporters despite taking that stinging loss. He had just one thing to say to his Bolts, that they hold their heads high because “we have no time to hold them down.”
“That was a great shot by Brownlee,” Black conceded and practically congratulated the Kings for what they accomplished. “How do you stop a shot like that?”
Black didn’t even look flustered. Just tired. He knew what just hit his Bolts.
“There’s no rest for the weary,” Black told reporters, who suggested that he take some time off considering that it was such a draining series and that they were on the losing end of it all.
“We have to prepare for the Draft,” Black went on. “And you guys know what we are looking for.”
The Draft will be on Oct. 30 and Meralco will exercise its first round pick, which is like the seventh overall, in selecting a big man that would hopefully fill the void that Black’s team has been trying to fill all season long.
In the Philippine Cup, the Bolts finished with a 1-11 record and were dead last in the 12-team field.
When the Commissioner’s Cup came along, Black didn’t think twice in signing up a legitimate big man in Arinze Onuaku, a low-scoring type of import who knew that his main job was guard the lanes and grab those rebounds.
The result was a fourth place finish for the Bolts.
In the Governors’ Cup, Black chased Allen Durham and the Bolts almost went all the way. It was also like winning a championship already, considering that very few gave Meralco a chance to go deep in the playoffs because it also retained its all-Filipino core.
Losing in such a painful way will only toughen the Bolts. They now know what it takes to compete at the highest level in the PBA and the coming season has nothing but great promise for them.
But every time Barangay Ginebra wins a championship, it is almost impossible to explain why the people go ga-ga over the Gin Kings; why their mystique is unmistakable and why their throng has remained loyal all these years.
Wednesday night’s Governors’ Cup triumph over the game Meralco Bolts was a classic example, as more than 22,000 filled the Araneta Coliseum to the brim with thousands more turned away and contenting themselves watching from a big screen outside.
Stomps, cheers and shrieks go off every time the Gin Kings made a shot that glorious night.
Fans never stopped cheering Ginebra even if it fell 15 points behind in the first half.
Somehow, the fans knew something was cooking, that the Kings, being watched at ringside by the very man who started their never-say-die attitude, would eventually come roaring back.
And roar back Ginebra did, with LA Tenorio leading a furious third quarter charge that had the Kings making a game out of it again.
The crescendo reached a high during this time as one can literally not hear a seatmate during the course of the Ginebra rally and when the lead see-sawed between the two teams.
When Justin Brownlee nailed that three-point shot at the buzzer that resulted in a 91-88 Game 6 win, the end of an eight-year wait was like a huge bomb going off.
Had you been inside the Big Dome — if you heard the collective, deafening roar of the crowd — and even if you are not a Ginebra fan, you would be remembering that night for the rest of your life.
***
Robert Jaworski was in attendance when the Kings became kings of the PBA again.
And in his own way, the former Senator made sure that he had sort of a hand in making it all happen, when he made his way to the locker room at halftime to deliver some calming, yet encouraging words that coach Tim Cone said gave him goose bumps.
“He was very calm and friendly. And I was surprised,” Cone told reporters, referring to Jaworski. “When he talked (to the team), it seemed like all the tenseness in the room went out the window. It gave me goose bumps.”
That game will go down as a true classic in the history books of the league, as players who are striving to make the PBA, or even those already in the league, will dream to also be in that stage, playing that kind of game and responding to that challenge in that kind of way.
Players will also dream of playing in front of their idols, like when this batch of Kings played in front of Jaworski.
And most of the players who saw that game will be dreaming to have a shot like what Brownlee put up — and made — for it is one that truly defines one’s career, and a shot that people will be talking about long after the hero has left this earth.
***
Ginebra was magnanimous in victory, while the Bolts were gracious in defeat, which typified how professional both sides were during the entire series.
Norman Black of Meralco even made his way to the pressroom to talk to reporters despite taking that stinging loss. He had just one thing to say to his Bolts, that they hold their heads high because “we have no time to hold them down.”
“That was a great shot by Brownlee,” Black conceded and practically congratulated the Kings for what they accomplished. “How do you stop a shot like that?”
Black didn’t even look flustered. Just tired. He knew what just hit his Bolts.
“There’s no rest for the weary,” Black told reporters, who suggested that he take some time off considering that it was such a draining series and that they were on the losing end of it all.
“We have to prepare for the Draft,” Black went on. “And you guys know what we are looking for.”
The Draft will be on Oct. 30 and Meralco will exercise its first round pick, which is like the seventh overall, in selecting a big man that would hopefully fill the void that Black’s team has been trying to fill all season long.
In the Philippine Cup, the Bolts finished with a 1-11 record and were dead last in the 12-team field.
When the Commissioner’s Cup came along, Black didn’t think twice in signing up a legitimate big man in Arinze Onuaku, a low-scoring type of import who knew that his main job was guard the lanes and grab those rebounds.
The result was a fourth place finish for the Bolts.
In the Governors’ Cup, Black chased Allen Durham and the Bolts almost went all the way. It was also like winning a championship already, considering that very few gave Meralco a chance to go deep in the playoffs because it also retained its all-Filipino core.
Losing in such a painful way will only toughen the Bolts. They now know what it takes to compete at the highest level in the PBA and the coming season has nothing but great promise for them.
