http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/sports/15938-where-amazing-happened.htmlWhere Amazing Happened
by rick olivares
by rick olivares
I’m somewhat wary of these reunion tours by suddenly reunited bands whose only purpose is to cash in on old hits and who, during their peak, never even deigned to perform in the Far East.
I don’t want to see this traveling piece that calls itself Chicago when it’s sans several key players, including the late Terry Kath and Peter Cetera. It’s like watching the 20th Century Doors that performed with only Robbie Kreiger and Ray Manzarek from the classic Doors lineup with replacement vocalist Ian Astbury of the Cult and drummer Stewart Copeland of the Police replacing the late Jim Morrison and John Densmore, who refused to play with the outfit. I’d rather listen to their CDs.
I am wary of these WWE wrestling events that are as fake as their storylines. I see them on television after their Philippine sojourn, and they mingle with their Stateside fans and sign autographs for hours and even do community work. It’s a slap to me and all Filipinos. The few times they’re here they are hardly friendly, and their handlers make it difficult for fans or even media people to get interviews or even a snapshot that will mean more to them than a show that doesn’t even count in their overall storylines.
And I am wary of all-star traveling troupes of athletes who are way past their prime. All I know is they’re being paid a couple of cool millions to don their old gear, wave to the fans, then put in a few minutes of playing time before taking their place on the bench for good.
But I momentarily suspended my pragmatism for the 2009 National Basketball Association (NBA) Asia Challenge. It was more than just watching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dominique Wilkins, Robert Horry, Tim Hardaway and Vlade Divac join a selection of players from the Developmental League in the first major event for the NBA in Asia. It was also a chance to see some of the second wave of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) stars like Benjie Paras, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Ronnie Magsanoc and Kenneth Duremdes join some of the current stars and play these NBA Legends.
During their press conference at Fiama in Makati, I was allowed five minutes to interview each player. And I thought that although they were probably asked similar queries in one form or another thousands of times, the NBA Legends were downright friendly, honest and candid.
Kareem longingly spoke of going outside Manila to see the rest of the country and to lazily lounge around our world-class beaches without having to talk about basketball. “Do I see that happening?” he said to me. “I honestly don’t think so, but I’d really like for that to happen. It’s hard to put on a disguise when you’re a seven-footer.”
Horry talked about his being a sleeper coming up through the 1993 draft as a nobody out of Alabama and stepping into the lineup of the Houston Rockets. He even settled the issue of who is the best center he ever played with (Hakeem Olajuwon gets the nod over Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan).
Divac revealed the connection that Manila had for all Serbians when they won the World Championships here in 1978 and how that got him into basketball. The fact that he visited Fort Santiago the day after to sample a slice of Philippine history and to inquire about Jose Rizal scored more than a few brownie points with me.
Wilkins talked about dunking the ball for the first time ever back when he was in eighth grade, and the exhilaration he felt after doing so. “I used a volleyball back then,” he recalled with a huge smile on his face. “I didn’t think that in doing so it would define me and give me a career, but it sure is nice.”
Hardaway said that it was fun being a part of Run-TMC with his then Golden State Warriors teammates Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, and later playing with Alonzo Mourning in the Miami Heat. “Some things you only realize afterward and playing with many great players. I’m blessed,” he smiled at the memory.
In the days prior to the NBA contingent’s arrival, I learned that ticket sales were slow. Local promoters hoped the players’ presence in the country and the increased media coverage would turn things around. True enough, reports had it that sales were brisk with the lower and middle portions sold out.
I have seen dozens and dozens of live NBA games, and this exhibition match was something more than a novelty. It could be the start of something bigger and long-term. And it was a pleasant surprise to see the crowds come in despite the inclement weather and cheer for everyone.
As expected, the NBA Legends all started alongside Billy Thomas, the one-time FedEx import in the PBA. Wilkins scored the first six points and two baskets coming off dunks. Although they were no longer of the windmill or the double-pump variety that was once graceful and violent, just to see him defy gravity at 49 years of age was a thrill. He certainly proved that he was more than a dunker when he posted up Patrimonio and scored on a variety of fade-aways and lay-ups. The NBA players’ height was clearly a factor, and the PBA All-Stars needed someone to pull the trigger to jump-start their offense.
Allan Caidic stepped out of a time warp and hit five triples—some with Horry or Divac flailing away at him—as the home team took the first quarter, 26-25. I, like everyone else, was clapping and cheering for both sides.
The D-Leaguers came in the second quarter and their quickness and youth kept them more than in step with the smaller but no less game Filipinos. Although it was an exhibition match, the composition of the team and the way we played showed we have lagged behind in the world game.
When the NBA Generations team played in Korea as their first stop of the 2009 NBA Asia Challenge, they played a squad that was stocked with outside shooters. The Koreans hit 50 percent of their shots and beat the Americans, who were slow to rotate and cover the perimeter.
Dondon Hontiveros, Willie Miller and Magsanoc kept the visitors honest inside as they launched triples. But they couldn’t hit enough of them to open the NBA Generations’ zone. The visiting team took the half, 46-41, and when the NBA Legends took the floor once more in the third quarter, they put 33 points on the board to break the match wide open, as they eventually coasted to a 109-86 win. As the buzzer sounded, it took some time for the crowd to exit, as they hoped for a photograph or an autograph with anybody.
In truth, I also thought that the Filipinos were star-struck. During time-outs, they watched the vexing New Jersey Nets Dunking Divas, who were a refreshing sight for sore eyes with their dancing talent and flair for showmanship. And the Nets’ mascot, Sly the Silver Fox, was massively entertaining. When they bounced off the trampoline for some acrobatic dunks of their own, the Divas and Sly left the coliseum rocking in their wake.
When Wilkins was late getting back to the bench prior to the start of the second half, the PBA All-Stars took the opportunity to have a group shot with the Human Highlight Film, who was perhaps the most gregarious and entertaining of the visiting team. Wilkins scored a game-high 28 points while pulling down five boards and blocking two shots. Not bad for a 49-year-old. How did he feel afterward?
“Sore,” he deadpanned, as the assembled media erupted into laughter. “Scoring points is not a problem, but running up and down the floor—man, I’m sore. I got me these icebags here on my knees.”
As the NBA Generations team made its way to the team bus back to their hotel, their coach Rory White had one last thing to say, “These five days—yeah, they were memorable. I agree with Kareem. It would be fun to come back and not talk basketball.”
I’ll look forward to that without a trace of wariness.
I don’t want to see this traveling piece that calls itself Chicago when it’s sans several key players, including the late Terry Kath and Peter Cetera. It’s like watching the 20th Century Doors that performed with only Robbie Kreiger and Ray Manzarek from the classic Doors lineup with replacement vocalist Ian Astbury of the Cult and drummer Stewart Copeland of the Police replacing the late Jim Morrison and John Densmore, who refused to play with the outfit. I’d rather listen to their CDs.
I am wary of these WWE wrestling events that are as fake as their storylines. I see them on television after their Philippine sojourn, and they mingle with their Stateside fans and sign autographs for hours and even do community work. It’s a slap to me and all Filipinos. The few times they’re here they are hardly friendly, and their handlers make it difficult for fans or even media people to get interviews or even a snapshot that will mean more to them than a show that doesn’t even count in their overall storylines.
And I am wary of all-star traveling troupes of athletes who are way past their prime. All I know is they’re being paid a couple of cool millions to don their old gear, wave to the fans, then put in a few minutes of playing time before taking their place on the bench for good.
But I momentarily suspended my pragmatism for the 2009 National Basketball Association (NBA) Asia Challenge. It was more than just watching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dominique Wilkins, Robert Horry, Tim Hardaway and Vlade Divac join a selection of players from the Developmental League in the first major event for the NBA in Asia. It was also a chance to see some of the second wave of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) stars like Benjie Paras, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Ronnie Magsanoc and Kenneth Duremdes join some of the current stars and play these NBA Legends.
During their press conference at Fiama in Makati, I was allowed five minutes to interview each player. And I thought that although they were probably asked similar queries in one form or another thousands of times, the NBA Legends were downright friendly, honest and candid.
Kareem longingly spoke of going outside Manila to see the rest of the country and to lazily lounge around our world-class beaches without having to talk about basketball. “Do I see that happening?” he said to me. “I honestly don’t think so, but I’d really like for that to happen. It’s hard to put on a disguise when you’re a seven-footer.”
Horry talked about his being a sleeper coming up through the 1993 draft as a nobody out of Alabama and stepping into the lineup of the Houston Rockets. He even settled the issue of who is the best center he ever played with (Hakeem Olajuwon gets the nod over Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan).
Divac revealed the connection that Manila had for all Serbians when they won the World Championships here in 1978 and how that got him into basketball. The fact that he visited Fort Santiago the day after to sample a slice of Philippine history and to inquire about Jose Rizal scored more than a few brownie points with me.
Wilkins talked about dunking the ball for the first time ever back when he was in eighth grade, and the exhilaration he felt after doing so. “I used a volleyball back then,” he recalled with a huge smile on his face. “I didn’t think that in doing so it would define me and give me a career, but it sure is nice.”
Hardaway said that it was fun being a part of Run-TMC with his then Golden State Warriors teammates Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, and later playing with Alonzo Mourning in the Miami Heat. “Some things you only realize afterward and playing with many great players. I’m blessed,” he smiled at the memory.
In the days prior to the NBA contingent’s arrival, I learned that ticket sales were slow. Local promoters hoped the players’ presence in the country and the increased media coverage would turn things around. True enough, reports had it that sales were brisk with the lower and middle portions sold out.
I have seen dozens and dozens of live NBA games, and this exhibition match was something more than a novelty. It could be the start of something bigger and long-term. And it was a pleasant surprise to see the crowds come in despite the inclement weather and cheer for everyone.
As expected, the NBA Legends all started alongside Billy Thomas, the one-time FedEx import in the PBA. Wilkins scored the first six points and two baskets coming off dunks. Although they were no longer of the windmill or the double-pump variety that was once graceful and violent, just to see him defy gravity at 49 years of age was a thrill. He certainly proved that he was more than a dunker when he posted up Patrimonio and scored on a variety of fade-aways and lay-ups. The NBA players’ height was clearly a factor, and the PBA All-Stars needed someone to pull the trigger to jump-start their offense.
Allan Caidic stepped out of a time warp and hit five triples—some with Horry or Divac flailing away at him—as the home team took the first quarter, 26-25. I, like everyone else, was clapping and cheering for both sides.
The D-Leaguers came in the second quarter and their quickness and youth kept them more than in step with the smaller but no less game Filipinos. Although it was an exhibition match, the composition of the team and the way we played showed we have lagged behind in the world game.
When the NBA Generations team played in Korea as their first stop of the 2009 NBA Asia Challenge, they played a squad that was stocked with outside shooters. The Koreans hit 50 percent of their shots and beat the Americans, who were slow to rotate and cover the perimeter.
Dondon Hontiveros, Willie Miller and Magsanoc kept the visitors honest inside as they launched triples. But they couldn’t hit enough of them to open the NBA Generations’ zone. The visiting team took the half, 46-41, and when the NBA Legends took the floor once more in the third quarter, they put 33 points on the board to break the match wide open, as they eventually coasted to a 109-86 win. As the buzzer sounded, it took some time for the crowd to exit, as they hoped for a photograph or an autograph with anybody.
In truth, I also thought that the Filipinos were star-struck. During time-outs, they watched the vexing New Jersey Nets Dunking Divas, who were a refreshing sight for sore eyes with their dancing talent and flair for showmanship. And the Nets’ mascot, Sly the Silver Fox, was massively entertaining. When they bounced off the trampoline for some acrobatic dunks of their own, the Divas and Sly left the coliseum rocking in their wake.
When Wilkins was late getting back to the bench prior to the start of the second half, the PBA All-Stars took the opportunity to have a group shot with the Human Highlight Film, who was perhaps the most gregarious and entertaining of the visiting team. Wilkins scored a game-high 28 points while pulling down five boards and blocking two shots. Not bad for a 49-year-old. How did he feel afterward?
“Sore,” he deadpanned, as the assembled media erupted into laughter. “Scoring points is not a problem, but running up and down the floor—man, I’m sore. I got me these icebags here on my knees.”
As the NBA Generations team made its way to the team bus back to their hotel, their coach Rory White had one last thing to say, “These five days—yeah, they were memorable. I agree with Kareem. It would be fun to come back and not talk basketball.”
I’ll look forward to that without a trace of wariness.
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