Crispa emerged victorious in the first PBA game of the two archrivals. The match held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum served as a prelude to a year that saw both teams figuring in a number of violent encounters.
Crispa five clouts Toyota, 139-133
By Ding Marcelo
Bulletin Today
Published Sunday May 11, 1975
Crispa-Floro, playing with the same tormenting aggressiveness and precision that made it the country's premier team, derailed Toyota's running game last night and hacked out a stirring 139-133 victory that fittingly closed the first round of the Philippine Basketball Association's first conference.
A sellout crowd of 11,000 witnessed the game.
The defeat snapped a 20-game Toyota winning streak but the repercussions of the loss may linger longer than expected when PBA commissioner Leo Prieto shall pass judgment on Toyota's Oscar Rocha who hit Crispa's Bernard Fabiosa during the dying seconds of the torrid match.
Prieto's evaluation of the incident, the only black eye in what was otherwise a splendid contest, will place into focus to what extent the commissioner is empowered to impose discipline on the hardcourt.
"It's going to be pretty severe," he said when asked what kind of action he may take on Rocha who hit Fabiosa in the face, three seconds left, right in front where the commissioner sits.
A lethal third quarter onslaught broke the game wide open a close, bitterly fought contest as the Redmanizers led by as much as 15 points, 100-85, from which the Comets never recovered.
William Adornado, Rodolfo Soriano, Philip Cezar and Fortunato Co provided the relentless firepower during that momentous period but it was Fabiosa, who would lay crumpled on the floor later, who carried the day for the Redmanizers with his superb defense and fine ballhandling.
Fabiosa, who hit for 16, stole five times and helped Crispa ran out the time when the Comets started a blazing rally in the last five minutes, was simply unstoppable and remained the object of Toyota's consternation.
A rugged defense by Toyota failed to dampen the Crispa juggernaut as typified by the double figures registered by seven of the 10 men coach Baby Dalupan fielded for the evening.
The normally effective fastbreaks which the Comets employed with impunity in racking up seven straight wins, came only in flashes but even when they did, the Redmanizers would come up with their own and somehow, both were just about even in the department Toyota was supposed to be ahead - in physical conditioning.
Cezar outgunned both Alberto Reynoso and Fernandez in the slot and the Comets as well could not find the man to match the firepower of Adornado, who hit for 29, Co who scored 24 and Cezar who finished with 22.
Revilla also hit 16 while Alberto Guidaben was good for 15 like Soriano.
The Comets closed in during the last five minutes when they outhit the Redmanizers, 21-12, but Adornado clamped the uprising by scoring nine of his topscoring points in the period when Toyota narrowed the deficit to eight, 122-130, and to only four, 133-137, one minute left.
Overshadowed by the grim Crispa-Toyota contest was U-Tex's 111-104 triumph over the Concepcion Carriers.
The Weavers' victory gave them a share of second place after the first round together with the Redmanizers, Royal Tru-Orange and Noritake, all with five wins and three losses.
The PBA, meanwhile, in a bold move, prohibited the zone defense starting in tonight's second round.
Prieto said the new ruling was adopted to insure an aggressive game. Other rules as agreed upon by the coaches will be announced later.
The individual scores:
Second Game
Crispa - 139
Adornado 29
Co 24
P. Cezar 22
Fabiosa 16
Revilla 15
Soriano 15
Guidaben 11
Hubalde 7
De la Cruz 0
Franco 0
Toyota - 133
C. Reynoso 32
Arnaiz 25
Segura 22
Rojas 17
Fernandez 9
Jaworski 8
Acuna 7
Rocha 7
A. Reynoso 6
Bauzon 0
Toyota 39 26 32 36 - 133
Crispa 36 33 42 28 - 139
Refs: R. Bartolome, V. Marquez
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