There was Philip Cezar pulling down hard fellow Hall of Famer and four-time MVP Ramon Fernandez while they jockeyed for position, reminiscent of their Crispa-Toyota days. Samboy Lim re-flashed his trademark breathtaking, skywalking moves that have made him the envy of many of his co-players and idol to a thousand more. And who can forget the sweet-shooting gunman named Allan Caidic?
"It was a fun game, but it reminded me of the old days," said Fernandez, who scored on a hook over Cezar for his only basket of the game.
The long-limbed Cezar, a defensive czar during his prime, failed to break into the scoring column but his TM Legends beat the Fernandez’s TM Greats, 96-92, in the once-in-a-lifetime match billed as the "PBA’s Greatest Game" at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday.
Lim, despite a throbbing left knee, was great although Caidic was better.
Lim lit the Big Dome with a 16-point first quarter binge and finished with 29 points before limping out midway in the final period–an all too familiar sight for perhaps the league’s most injury-prone player.
Caidic, for his part, sizzled with 30 points he highlighted with four triples that won him the MVP honors.
"Sa game hindi naman sumasakit, before and after ko lang talaga nararamdaman," said Lim. "Pero ayos lang, masaya naman dahil nakalaro ko ulit ang mga dati kong kalaro."
TM Legends coach Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan, the only coach to be named to the Hall of Fame, voiced the same concern.
"This game brings back memories, masaya," said Dalupan, who was backed by San Miguel Beer coach Jong Uichico.
One prominent figure — outside of the coaches and players — of the league’s good ’ol days was also there — cheering for and hollering the name of perhaps the most popular cager the PBA has produced.
Luminada Pagala, popularly known as "Aling Lumeng," braved the rains, traveled from Tondo to Cubao and waited hours just to see the man that she has rooted for almost all her life — Robert "Sonny" Jaworski.
But to her chagrin and thousands of others more, Jaworski contented himself in giving instructions to the TM Greats, chatted with former Toyota coach Dante Silverio and obligingly signed autographs for his fans.
The Big J never played, ignoring the fans’ strong clamor and the familiar chants of "Ja-wor-ski," "Ja-wor-ski" midway in the fourth quarter.
But Aling Lumeng was happy enough to be just reunited with her idol, who was named as one of the first 12 personalities — who included a coach, a broadcaster, a team manager and owner, former commissioners and fellow players — to be inducted to PBA Hall of Fame.
"Okay lang, para sa bagets lang kasi ‘yun," Aleng Lumeng told The STAR before posing for pictures with Jaworski’s wife Evelyn, daughter-in-law Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and grandson Rafael.
Huffing and puffing Fortunato "Atoy" Co and William "Bogs" Adornado, both Hall of Famers, Lim Eng Beng, Manny Paner and Freddie Hubalde turned back the hands of time and flashed their old brilliance while the younger ones and future Hall of Famers Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Hector Calma, Ato Agustin, Alvin Patrimonio and the still active group of Johnny Abarrientos, Kenneth Duremdes, Jerry Codiñera and Vergel Meneses played to their true potentials.
Simply put, the entire cast did their share to ensure the success of a match to remember.