No NBA? No prob!

Every time the “kalag-kalag” holidays come around, basketball fans are actually excited for the holidays and wish for any form of an extended break. And that’s because it has also been a tradition for the NBA to open its season right around this time (late October to early November). So for the first time in a very loooooong time, we didn’t get to watch NBA games over the break. I’m sure a lot of fans were disappointed. After celebrating Dallas’s championship, the basketball world took its usual offseason routine of dealing with the “other” leagues. This ranged from the FIBA Olympic Qualifier tournaments across the globe to the local UAAP and NCAA games on TV. For Cebu fans, we had the CESAFI and school-based leagues for the youth. But what’s happening now? Without the world’s most watched basketball league, where will fans go?

 In life, they say that one will always have to be prepared for anything. This is why a Plan B must always be on deck for any undertaking or project that doesn’t click with its Plan A. So here it is, a projected Plan B for fans which won’t be too bad at all.

 For starters, Manny Pacquiao fights Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday. I’m certain all basketball fans will surely be glued to their TV’s next week. It’s too bad Pacquiao fights only twice a year. But the two or three (maybe four or more) replays of Pacquiao-Marquez III will surely fit the bill for the absence of the NBA. The downside here when Pacquiao fights is that all other boxing activities are quiet since he practically gobbles up all the boxing sponsors’ for the month. We don’t have any big time event from ALA, SGG, GerryPens or Wakee Salud this month, do we?

Moving over to basketball, the CESAFI Finals went into Game 4 yesterday. Call it timing, but the extended schedule, which was primarily due to the use of the double round robin classification phase/format, actually gives us fans something to cheer about. So think positive. There’s always a good side for everything. Moreover, the fans don’t seem to mind it. The Cebu Coliseum is filled at every game with rabid fans supporting their teams: UV and SHS-Ateneo de Cebu in the Juniors division; UC and SWU in the collegiate wars. Sans the NBA, the fans are treated to a thrilling best-of-five series that will momentarily make them “not miss” the NBA (for now). Unlike last year when the CESAFI ended around mid-October, the season is due to end either last night or on Tuesday. An added bonus is that the UC-SWU series is being aired over Sky Cable (for Metro Cebu subscribers). Lessons learned, the CESAFI should consider starting the season earlier if they want to implement the same double round robin system next year. Starting in August is a bit late.

 We also had a PBA game at the Hoops Dome last night. This was surely not a first and last affair for what is easily Cebu’s best (and only) venue for big league games. I’m sure Councilor Harry Radaza’s smile (and goatee) stretched ear-to-ear last night.

 In Manila, the NCAA also had an extended run that lasted until this past week where the San Beda Red Cubs won its 19th title with Cebuano Britt Reroma at the helm. San Beda’s seniors team also won the championship two weeks ago, defeating San Sebastian. This was perfectly timed to allow the UAAP to end its tournament a bit earlier, won by Ateneo (college) and NU (high school). As a footnote, the NCAA also uses a double round robin classification phase, and they have ten teams (sound familiar?). And as if it were part of a script, we now have CESAFI’s championship series in the two divisions. Over-all, the basketball calendar hasn’t been left with blanks ever since the NBA ended. Not bad, di ba?

 Coming up next week is the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Indonesia. Norman Black has gathered a host of collegiate players plus Chris Tiu to form the country’s basketball team. It’s not of the same caliber or level as the Smart Gilas Pilipinas team, but this team could very well be the developmental pool for Smart Gilas 2. Although already a clear favorite to win the gold medal, Black isn’t taking anything for granted and is out to make sure that the team comes up with a credible performance. And this means whipping the competition, not just scoring simple wins. Black has now proven that he can go the full route of coaching: from the pros to the collegiate ranks and now a return call to the Philippine team. The other events of the SEAG are also worth watching on TV with both AKTV and ABS-CBN sharing the chores of brining the action to our living rooms. Be on the look-out for the usual events where we do well: boxing, athletics, taekwondo and more.

 Also kicking off in November is the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL). A series of regional eliminations will be held across the country with the top qualifiers making it to the Final Four. The top teams of the UAAP, NCAA and CESAFI are already seeded in the Final Eight of the step-ladder knock-out format tournament. Bad news is that Cebu won’t be taking part of the Visayas eliminator games with UC and SWU already seeded.

 So who’s crying over the absence of NBA games? Well, we all are, but it’s not the end of the world is it? For now, let’s go with Plan B.

 No NBA? No prob.

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 Time-out: Happy birthday to Ryan Aznar! >>> You can reach me at [email protected].