PBA; Pride and Passion for Basketball

Thank you PBA. Thank you Kume Chito!

The year is 2012 going 2013, the PBA is back in terms of being one of the more preferred sources of entertainment in the country is concerned. The TV ratings are up, people are actually able to fill up about 1/3 of the venues and players enjoy immense popularity (even the undeserving ones) because of social media channels.

We'll go on record and thank Commissioner Chito Salud and the rest of the PBA Board of recognizing what the fans want. We want passion in games, be it in a blowout in the first round or a neck-and-neck grudge match in Game 7 of the Finals. We want animosity-- but only on the court. Physicality, but nothing borderline brutal or with mischievous/ murderous intent. The fans want emotions on the court, if we wanted to watch athletes flying all over and dunking, we'd troop to an And1 joint or download Harlem GlobeTrotters videos.

One player who best embodies those qualities is Rudy Hatfield. Not today's ripped, bald Hatfield playing so-so for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel but the one who suited up for the Laguna Lakers, then Tanduay Rhum Masters and Coca Cola. Even when he joined Ginebra he wasn't as efficient as he was back in the day. The guy who does it all-- dives on the floor, battles for loose balls, hustles and provides energy for the team. That kind of player is what we will root for no matter the team. It's why Marc Pingris, as limited as he was offensively (still is, but he can now knock down shots and has a pet jump hook within 10 feet as compared to before), is revered and respected by fans.

It's why Mac Cardona, when his swag is on (it's usually at 100%, but when he starts making 7 footers look stupid, it goes borderline 500%), is respected and booed by fans. Because they know he's going for the kill. Because he plays with heart to the best of his ball-hogging abilities. He'll never trade in his spots for stripes. Much like how Gary David should never be asked to average more than 3 assists a game. They are who they are. They play with passion, and that's why we love them.

Today, we have a bunch of super rookies who bring joy to watching the games. Last year was about the SMART Gilas' kids who didn't really live up to expectations save for JVee Casio. Paul Lee stole the show from them, while Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz were battling injuries come midseason.

This year, though not as polished, the rookies bring intense, nay, electric energy. Alaska has the mighty Calvin Abueva, Meralco has Clifford Hodge, Ginebra now has Yousef Taha and Ginebra, on a good day, has the pair of Keith Jensen and Chris Ellis. We'd love to throw in Vic Manuel's name in there, but he's lost in trying to play like a "main man" right away instead of just doing the dirty work first for his superstar teammates (but that's another story).

The veterans are also doing their part, although we're not exactly fond of the drama Petron and Ginebra are putting on. Hey, it's good television, so we'll just leave it at that. The game could've been much simpler for the powerhouse siblings if only their management was wise enough to conduct a dispersal draft among themselves (San Mig Coffee inluded, and by the help of willing *Bert Lina franchises* conduits) just to balance their rosters out (Ginebra has too many off-the-ball wings, Petron too many isolation scorers and San Mig Coffee too many bigs).

Alaska is playing superbly behind a "small ball" approach, Meralco's adopted the "Dribble Drive Offense" and is making defenseless scorers like Sol Mercado and Ronjay Buenafe look like what GlobalPort wants/expects from Willie Miller and Gary David. Hell, even Air21 has generated some interest because of all the Ginebra/Petron expendables they signed up.

Even if there's a discrepancy between the top 3 teams and the cellar dwellers, the games remain competitive. We'll never forget a pre-Kelly Williams Santa Lucia Realtors versus Alaska Aces match years back. The Aces' were running the Realtors to the ground, and for about 5 minutes, Coach Tim Cone went with an ALL LEFTY five on the floor that just flat out made the Realtors look stupid. It was the first and only time we saw Coach Cone play with such guys (only one or two guys were stars), and the Realtors, with Marlou Aquino taking the lead, couldn't have looked more uninterested/ uninspired on the court.

Pride and passionate, Filipino basketball is here to stay folks thanks to the PBA.