Despite being decimated by the absence
of several players led by Philip Cezar for various reasons, Crispa
erased an early deficit and stunned Toyota their 1976 PBA
All-Filipino Conference finals series at 1-1.
Crispa stops Toyota, 117-112
By Ding Marcelo
Bulletin Today
Published Wednesday July 7, 1976
Crispa, reduced to only eight men by
injuries and suspensions, bucked this monumental deficiency last
night and rolled back Toyota, 117-112, to even up their best-of-five
series at one win apiece, thus assuring a fourth game for the
All-Filipino PBA championship at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Redmanizers, a death sentence
seemingly hanging over their heads, responded with surprising
efficacy – erasing an early 11-point deficit and then outplayed the
double-teaming Comets in the final quarter to score the longshot
victory to the delight of some 25,000 spectators.
Cristino Calilan, a tiny, sometimes
panicky Crispa reserve who played under the shadows of his more
illustrious teammates, helped preserve the victory, intercepting
three times in the last quarter and banging in four crucial charities
to emerge part-hero in the error-filled contest.
It was, however, Fortunato Co's two
charities and William Adornado's back-to-back baskets that finally
stopped the Comets on their tracks after a 6-0 splurge and narrowed
down Crispa's lead to only five, 109-104, after enjoying an 11-point
advantage earlier at 109-98.
From there, it was merely a matter of
running out the time even as Toyota scored six more unanswered
points, 115-111, before Calilan iced the victory with two more free
throws.
It was a victory as classic as when
Toyota rose from the grave to post the initial lead in their series
with a come-from-behind 119-115 win.
This time the odds were heavily stacked
against the Redmanizers who, aside from having two players suspended
and another recuperating in a hospital for a suspected heart
conditon, lost Tito Varela for the rest of the series after the
rookie guard reinjured a recently-healed broken nose.
Bernard Fabiosa, who missed the first
game owing to painful right knee, reported for duty enabling Crispa
to have the minimum eight players to make the game official. Seven
players would have given Toyota the game and the match reduced to an
exhibition contest.
“It was the kind of game I asked them
to give and they responded well,” said Crispa coach Baby Dalupan
moments after the game.
The loss of the first game shocked
Dalupan so much that he spent most of his time trying to encourage
his boys. He delivered pep talks and even in last night's game, the
Redmanizers appeared from the dugout a few minutes for start of the
third quarter, prompting others to speculate that Crispa probably had
given up the game.
And then the unexpected happened.
Crispa exploded with 13 points against
Toyota's two at the start of the third quarter and immediately, the
stands were alive as Crispa moved ahead for the first time, 64-63,
from a halftime deficit of 51-59.
They increased this to 10, 87-77, at
the end of the period and surged to their biggest lead, a 12-pointer,
107-95, on Calilan's charities, barely three minutes left in the
game.
“As I've already said, Crispa is a
tough team to beat,” coach Dante Silverio of Toyota said. “They
played a beautiful game.”
Crispa's win assured the Redmanizers of
Philip Cezar's services whose suspension will end on Sunday and
should the series go to its five-game limit, Rey Franco, also nursing
a three-game suspension, may make it in the fifth game.
Definitely out of the series, aside
from Varela, is Virgilio de la Cruz who is having his heart checked.
Crispa – 117
Adornado 30
Co 25
Guidaben 24
Hubalde 15
Soriano 10
Calilan 9
Pages 4
Fabiosa 0
Toyota – 112
Arnaiz 32
Segura 20
Fernandez 16
Acuna 13
Jaworski 9
Clarino 8
Bauzon 4
Tolentino 4
Marcelo 2
Rojas 2
Crispa 28 23 36 30 – 117
Toyota 31 28 18 35 – 112
Refs: F. Santarina, E. Cruz
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