MANILA, Philippines – NBA legend Tyrone Curtis “Muggsy†Bogues was among the thousand spectators that watched San Mig Coffee escaped Alaska, 71-69, in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Bogues, who is in town for the NBA Junior Philippines in partnership with Alaska, was impressed by the Philippine brand of play.
The Mixers and the Aces played a dogfight basketball that went down-to-the-wire. It took Denzel Bowles’s heroics to bail out San Mig Coffee.
But Bogues, who sat behind the Alaska bench for obvious reasons, was particularly impressed by San Mig Coffee ace guard James Yap and Alaska rookie Calvin Abueva.
“I was really impressed. James Yap was good out there. The kid on the Aces, they call him The Beast, he looks good too and also (Rob) Dozier,†Bogues told Philstar.com.
Yap and Abueva figured in an entertaining trash-talking incident in the first half of Game 1. (Below is the video of Yap's post-game interview courtesy of InterAKTV's youtube video channel.)
Bogues, who became the shortest player ever at 5-foot-3 to play in the NBA, thought the Aces got the game in the bag until Bowles exploded in the clutch for six straight points.
“They (Aces) got the opportunity to win the game. Now, hopefully they got some confidence that they can finally beat this team (San Mig Coffee),†said Bogues, who played point guard for the Washington Bullets (now Wizards), Charlotte Hornets (now New Orleans Hornets), Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors in a 14-year NBA career that ended in 2001.
The pint-sized playmaker, who relied on his speed and high basketball IQ to get into the NBA, said that you need to have confidence to overcome challenges.
“Nobody gave me a chance to play basketball because of my size. But I have confidence in myself. You need to take advantage of what the other guys give you. If you’re a smaller guard, you always wanted to push the ball,†Bogues said. “You have to run the team as the point guard and if you understand how to play that role, you make the guys around you play better as well as yourself.â€
Game 2 of the Mixers-Aces semifinal series is scheduled tonight at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.