Fine for 2 PBA teams (June 22, 1978)

Bulletin Today sports editor Lito Fernandez opined in his column that both Toyota and Crispa deserve at least a fine for their heated match in the 1978 PBA All-Filipino Conference eliminations.

Fine for 2 PBA teams

THE NEUTRAL CORNER
By Lito P. Fernandez

Bulletin Today

Published Thursday June 22, 1978

Crispa and Toyota should be both fined by the Philippine Basketball Association for turning their rematch Tuesday night into a virtual slugging contest. Many players got hurt, including Crispa center Alberto Guidaben who was hospitalized after he was hit in the jaw by Ramon Fernandez midway in the first quarter.

It is really hard to understand why the two teams had to resort to such dangerous fouls and body tackles when they could have easily played a hard, clean game like they did in their first game last May 18.

Even the high scores of both teams — it was the highest scoring game so far in the series — failed to hide the bone-jarring contacts that marred the bruising contest. Fists and elbows, flew in wild abandon and the game resembled a Bruce Lee movie.

The failure of the referees to call it close in the first quarter practically gave the players license to do their thing in the game, which degenerated into a “basketbrawl.”

Predictably, the game almost erupted in a free-for-all in the fourth period after another violent encounter. Only the intervention of peace officers prevented the incident from getting out of hand.

This is the kind of game Philippine basketball — particularly the PBA — can do without.