Philippines, 15 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


INSIDE SPORTS - PBA REINFORCES INTEGRITY OF PRO LEAGUE


PhilBoxing.com



Chito Narvasa.

The finals of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors Cup is expected to draw huge crowds primarily because of the appearance of crowd darlings Ginebra San Miguel, who packed the stands as they always do, when in contention.

It invariably reflects the never-say-die spirit which was a legacy of ?The Living Legend? Robert Jaworski, the charismatic hard-court warrior who provided the excitement and the unbridled passion for the game that marked his career as a playing coach of Ginebra.

But to us, the most meaningful aspect of this best-of-seven championship series between Ginebra and the Meralco Bolts is that their entry totally erased any doubts about sister teams competing against each other with the favored squad believed to be the choice of the corporate owners ? San Miguel Beer in the case of Ramon Ang and Tropang Texters in the selected hierarchy of Manny Pangilinan.

However, basketball fans and even some of us in media were pleasantly surprised that the two less favored teams in the minds of us all, reinforced the integrity of the PBA by powering their way to a finals showdown.

This was the singular achievement of the pro league because it proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the outcome of the games depended on the desire of the players to raise the level of their game and to aspire to reach new heights of human excellence on the basketball court and not the supposed preference of the team owners which, in a sense, seems a little unfair.

Ownership didn?t matter. The choice of the corporate bosses, indeed if they do choose at all, was never taken into account as the players and the two classy coaches ? Tim Cone and Norman Black ? played to win and they did so, handsomely.

Commissioner Chito Narvasa must share in the singular achievement of reinforcing the integrity of the game and as a result, the league itself.

Once applauded as ?The Big Little League? in a prestigious regional magazine, the PBA has now become bigger than ever in Asian basketball precisely because of the unsullied integrity which, we must confess, should also be attributed to the referees who demonstrated their competence and neutrality in both semi final series. It erased the serious doubts of the past and shed new light on the reality that when challenged to do a good job, the PBA referees and the individuals chosen to oversee their performance reached new heights of efficiency and set new standards of accomplishment which again reinforced the bottom line in any sporting adventure ? unsullied integrity.

We look around to find out who should be credited for this visible turnaround in erasing doubtful perceptions and setting a new tone in the pro league. Aside from Commissioner Narvasa and his staff, credit must go to the team owners and the two brilliant coaches ? Tim Cone and Norman Black who elevated sportsmanship, fair play and competitive decency to a level probably never seen before.

Indeed, a measure of the mutual respect between the two coaches is the fact that when we called to congratulate coach Norman on making it to the finals and asked him how he thought the San Miguel Beer-Ginebra game 5 would go, he didn?t hesitate in telling us, Ginebra would win because Tim was such a great coach and he would never lose two games in a row.

Such was the measure of the man which I am certain Tim Cone respects and would, in whatever manner possible, reciprocate.

We were invited, after quite a few years, to host the pre-finals press conference at the sprawling PBA Caf? in Metro Walk and did so gladly. Because the PBA has been an integral part of our life beginning from the beginning, when the late esteemed businessman-sportsman Leo Prieto was Commissioner and the eminent lawyer Rudy Salud was the legal counsel who crafted the Constitution and By Laws of the league just as he did for the World Boxing Council which is the No.1 pro boxing organization in the world.

It was a most enjoyable experience because our friends ? gentlemen-coaches Tim Cone and Norman Black steered their teams to victory with style and will deservedly face-off in the best-of-seven championship series.

With over 23,000 paying patrons watching Game No. 5 of the Ginebra-San Miguel Beer series which was much more than the 16,000 who trooped to the Mall of Asia Arena to watch the La Salle-Ateneo showdown including alumni and students, it told a story of how the PBA still reigns as the big, little league and unquestionably a reflection of the unbridled passion of Filipino basketball fans for a league that provides excitement at a very reasonable price and doesn?t let them down in fulfilling that vision.

If the advance sell-out ticket sales for the first two games is any indication then perhaps there couldn?t have been a better match-up.

Go play the game gentlemen with the same unbridled intensity you showed when it mattered most in the semi finals. Play basketball as only you guys ? the Kings and the Bolts know how and in so doing, have a fun series.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.