Contagious madness

The NBA is getting a greater appreciation for the Philippines’ basketball madness. And they can see how contagious it is. Huge crowds gathered all over the SM Megamall atrium over the weekend to catch the final days of the NBA Madness tour. And they weren’t disappointed.

The NBA and its local events manager, events.work have been feverishly trying to boost awareness of the NBA, in cooperation with Solar Sports. The finale of NBA Madness showed just how imaginative organizers can be in adding more permutations to the game. Aside from the usual NBA 2Ball (created as an alternative to the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest and featuring tandems of NBA and WNBA players), free throw shooting (a "conga line" formed at the charity stripe), and 3-point shootout, they added some new gimmicks. One was an obstacle course, wherein a contestant had to weave around seven life-sized NBA logos (silhouettes of Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West) and score a basket in as little time as possible); another was a "shot of the day" that pit spectators going at each other, each trying to consistently make a chosen shot.

On Saturday, NBA Madness held a contest for budding commentators, with The Philippine Star columnist Quinito Henson and the Golden State Warrior Girls as judges. The Warrior Girls performed several of their NBA routines in their various colorful costumes, and threw in a bonus doing the "spaghetti dance" to the new Sex Bomb Dancers’ anthem, drawing howls of delight from the predominantly male crowd.

The Warrior Girls have received royal treatment here in the Philippines. Friday, they were given a guided tour of Corregidor Island, learning about the gallant stand of combined US and Filipino forces, and how Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of the American Pacific fleet, was ordered evacuated to Australia. Saturday, after all their duties, they were treated to a lavish dinner and show by Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon (who was, interestingly enough, a cheerleader for the Ateneo de Manila during his time). Sunday would be their last night in the Philippines. Despite the fact that they were a last-minute confirmation (the Los Angeles Laker Girls were originally slated to fly in) they were true professionals.

Sunday also saw the media and other celebrities get involved in the games. Yours truly joined Bobby Parks and his son, coaches from the Hoops School, sportscasters Dominic Uy and Paolo Trillo, actor Gabby Eigenmann and members from the sports press in the various contests.

This writer partnered with Sports Radio’s Kenneth Garcia to win the first NBA 2Ball contest in the Philippines. After three years, the contest was opened up to the media again, and I thought I’d try my luck with my eleven-year old son, Daniel. His kuya had just left the country Thursday, so he nervously agreed, not fully comprehending that we would be playing against grown-ups. I made him a deal: if he was still nervous after we practiced, I’d call it off and just join the 3-point shootout. I was more worried about myself, actually. The first time I tried this, my older son Vincent scored in our only 2Ball round and I didn’t. I’ve never lived that down. Oh, well.

And, as they say, it is sometimes better to be lucky than good.

In the first round, I was shooting atrociously, particularly after a great showing by the Hoops School coaches and the Parks family. However, when Daniel acccidentally wedged the ball between the hoop and backboard, we were given a second chance. We then scored 33, good for second place. But boy, were we terrified. I was starting to worry if I might end up traumatizing my son. I had my arm around him before the contest started, and his heart was racing.

After one round of the 3-point shootout, I was exhausted. But we still had the 2Ball semifinals. I needn’t have worried. The other contestants were also tired, and thanks to my son’s last-second basket, we finished in second place by a point. Only the top two would advance to the finals.

The Warrior Girls were called back, adding to the pressure. This was it. Hoops School vs. The Basketball Show.

But the coaches were both drained from the 3-point shootout, and managed only 17 points. So we basically just has to avoid embarrassing ourselves (more so me). Halfway through the round, I was sure we had won, and I told Daniel as I handed him the ball. He smiled the smile that made everything worth it. We both caught the madness.

As the buzzer sounded, I picked him up off the ground and hugged him. I was more proud that he had overcome all his fears than the winning itself. It was his first championship in anything, his first trophy.

And there was more to come. Bobby Parks scored an insurmountable 17 in the 3-point shootout to clinch the title. The Warrior Girls handed us our hardware, including Golden State Warriors caps and jerseys. It was heart-warming having my kid put on an oversized jersey, a cap, and carrying his heavy glass NBA Madness championship trophy, and beaming at the cameras. But the best part came when we had changed out of our adrenalin-soaked shirts and put all our goodies away in the car. My child looked up at me with his big-toothed smile, peering from under his spanking-new Warriors cap, and said the following with great pride, joy and a little surprise, putting it in the perspective of an eleven-year old boy.

"Daddy, we beat two adults!"

Out of the mouths of babes. You’re absolutely right, son, we did.

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