The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) had successfully completed its Lakan Season which was suspended for almost a year due to the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. In another thrilling best-of-five series between budding rivals San Juan Knights and Davao Occidental Tigers, the latter finally avenged their bitter and heartbreaking loss to the Knights last year, thanks to a nail-biting three (3) pointer by Mark Yee that pushed the Tigers ahead, 89-88, in the dying seconds of game four (4).
While the series between the North and and South Division champions respectively proved to be another classic, the continuation of the playoffs in a bubble setup was not without any controversies.
Makati Supercrunch played with only five (5) playersThe Makati Supercrunch perhaps was the dark horse in the North Division. They ended the regular season with a record of 22-8 behind the heroics of their ex-pros including Jhong Baloria, Jeckster Apinan, Cedric Ablaza and rookie Joshua Torralba.
They easily dispatched the sixth-seeded Bulacan Kuyas in the first round of the Playoffs before facing the highly-touted Manila Stars in the second round. Although many expected the Manila Stars to win the series due to the exceptional plays of its dynamic duo of Aris Dionisio and Chris Bitoon, the Makati Supercrunch proved their doubters wrong.
As expected, the Manila Stars repulsed Makati's comeback bid with a 77-74 squeaker in the first game. Makati, however, refused to go home yet as they thrashed Manila with a dominant 75-59 win right before the Star's home crowd in game two (2) at the San Andres Gym, Manila. In the do-or-die game 3, the Makati Supercrunch pulled off another stunning upset, 78-75, which dashed the vaunted Manila Stars' hope of reaching the North Division Finals in two (2) consecutive years.
Makati Supercrunch then faced in the North Division Finals the heavily-favored San Juan Knights who are raring to defend their title. True to their billing as defending champions, the San Juan Knights did not pull any punches in the first game as they dominated Makati, 76-60. It was also unfortunate for the Makati Supercrunch to give up their homecourt advantage in game two (2) as the Makati Coliseum was not available as a venue. The second game was then scheduled to be played at Filoil gym in San Juan.
Nevertheless, the resilient Makati Supercrunch found a way to carve out a thrilling 91-88 win against the Knights last March 11, 2020 to force a rubber match. The playoffs, unfortunately, were suspended right after due to the covid-19 pandemic; thus, Makati's momentum going into the deciding third game was gone.
When the MPBL announced the resumption of the playoffs, everyone were excited to finally see the remaining four (4) teams slug it out in a bubbly-type tournament to decide who will go home with the championship trophy. The excitement, however, suddenly turned into disappointment as Makati only fielded five (5) homegrown players in the pivotal game three (3) due to an infighting between the management and ex-pros of Makati Supercrunch. According to reports, the management did not give in to the demands of the ex-pros that all team members, including the homegrowns, shall be paid a month's worth of salary during the two (2) week bubble.
With only five (5) players and with San Juan having a complete team, Makati did not stand a chance against the Knights. San Juan handily dumped Makati with a 77-point whipping, 131-54 last March 10, 2021.
It was a terrible sight for basketball fans to watch on national tv a lopsided match instead of a potential thriller between two exciting teams. Be that as it may, we still have to applaud the five (5) Makati players who finished the entire 40 minutes of basketball just to represent their hometown team.
A series of misfortune for Basilan
The MPBL surely received a lot of criticisms from basketball fans after the dismal game between San Juan and Makati. A lot of them suggested that the game should have been cancelled considering that Makati only had five (5) players and no substitutes.
That was not the end of MPBL's issues in holding the bubble. The bigger problem arose when two (2) of Basilan Steel's contingent tested positive with the Covid-19 during the swab test conducted before allowing them to enter the bubble. Consequently, the players afflicted with the Covid-19 virus were sent home while the remaining team members were quarantined in a hotel outside of the bubble.
According to commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, a zoom meeting was done between MPBL's management team and Basilan's coaching staff to lay out their next move considering that the the permit for the holding of a bubble in Subic was granted by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for a limited time only.
As per MPBL policy, the entire Basilan team should have been sent home as they were all considered close contacts of the positive players. However, it was agreed during the meeting that Basilan can quarantine for seven (7) days and that if anyone in the team will test positive after a re-swab, the Steel will be considered in default.
As a result, the supposed game three (3) between Davao Occidental Tigers and Basilan Steel last March 10, 2021 was rescheduled to March 17, 2021. Unfortunately, four (4) more members of Basilan's team tested positive of the Covid-19 virus a day before the re-scheduled game which prompted commissioner Duremdes to declare Basilan in default and the Davao Occidental Tigers as the South Division Champions.
Understandably, the decision of the MPBL was not well received by Basilan's management, players, and their fans as they vented out their frustrations in various social media platforms, especially in the official Facebook page the Basilan Steel. The issue got heated up to the point that the owner of Basilan had demanded accountability from the MPBL while also simultaneously calling for the resignation of Commisisoner Duremdes.
Basilan likewise demanded the reimbursement of their expenses in going to the bubble and for their stay in the quarantine hotel. Surprisingly, Basilan rejected the offer of Chooks-to-Go Philippines and Senator Manny Pacquiao to pay their hotel bill.
It appears that a wedge in the relationship between the MPBL and Basilan had developed but as a basketball fan, we do hope that they will iron out their differences soon. We sympathize with the MPBL as they have to abide with the health protocols of the Department of Health and the IATF-EID while also working on a limited budget. We also understand the frustration of Basilan since they were a win away from the national championship and that they exerted considerable amount of time and effort just to reach the semifinals.
Without a doubt, the Covid-19 pandemic had taken away from us the joy of watching competitive basketball games. The fledgling MPBL had been on a rise in terms of popularity and its truly unfortunate that the pandemic clipped their wings.
Looking at the brighter side, basketball never stops. The MPBL surely learned a lesson from this debacle and we surely hope they keep such lessons in mind for the sake of the league.
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