Sports Weekly Magazine
October 12-19, 1979
Pyke F. Jocson
Perhaps, he didn’t mind it. Or if he did, he never showed it at all. For one, honesty has always been the name of his game. And for another, he never gave a damn.
Ah, that bloody question who’s really number one!
Philip Cezar, Crispa’s elongated 6’3 forward-center, easily heralded as the closest contender to the throne occupied by Ramon Fernandez as the premier all-around cager in the PBA, is number two no more.
He must have gotten tired of the calling. This mere shadow of Fernandez hullaballoo. It had always been like that. Since that very first time they came face to face, and of all things, as teammates in the 1972 RP Youth quintet, and as, would you believe, relievers to the country’s then prince of a slotman, Ed Carvajal.
From that time on, although he had managed to steal the thunder from Fernandez once in a while, Cezar remained a notch less than the Toyota beanpole. It was like everything was fixed and rehearsed, Fernandez as ever first, and Cezar, an ever second.
Until the fateful PBA Sprite One-on-One game came along, and Cezar suddenly found himself at par with the player many had obviously regarded as the best. “Of course, I wanted to win, that would be pure hypocrisy if I say I didn’t. But as seed two, I believed that the pressure wasn’t on me. Sinabi ko na lang sa sarili ko, laban lang. Basta I’d do my best, and if my best wouldn’t be enough, that’s okay. I didn’t have the illusion na kaya ko ‘to. In fact, when I learned about what Ramon said before our match, yun sabi niya kaya niya ako ng two games straight, sabi ko wala akong pakialam sa iniisip niya. He could think that way if he wanted to. Pero deep within, noon ko lang naramdaman, that was the only time I felt and realized that kung kaya niya ako, kaya ko rin siya siguro.”
Cezar’s first game with Fernandez was a picnic. He toyed on the highly-favored seed one, 15-9. The second game and the eventual clincher for the Crispa cage star had the trimmings of a championship duel. Cezar pulverized Fernandez, 22-19, on an extended thriller.
“Akala ko rin, kay Mon na ang second game. Seven seconds na lang at kanya pa ang bola, there was really no way for me to stop him. Pero nabigla rin ako when he tried for a jump. I was expecting of course na dadalhin niya talaga ang bola sa loob then fish for a foul. Kanya na talaga ang laro. But when he jumped and missed, I really went up for the ball. At the extension, sabi ko, siguro akin naman ito.”
The slit-eyed player, who’d rather keep mum about all the dirty words they are saying about him and his game, saw no significance in solidly preparing for the one-on-one.
“Ano ang dapat mo pang i-practice? Mas maigi kung papanoorin mo na lang ang kalaban mo sa iba niyang games sa one-on-one. That way, napag-aralan mo ang moves niya. Iba kasi ang situation sa one-on-one dito. In actual game, you still think of other opponents sa court, ‘yung bang na-fake mo nga, pero eto pa ang isang kalaban para salubungin ka. Here, it’s entirely different. You’re concentrated on only one opponent. Wlaa kang iniisip na iba. And you have to put into your mind so many things because of the different rules applied here.
How he beat Fernandez is a story in itself.
“Alam kong mahusay siya sa ilalim, kaya I never really pushed myself close to him. Pinabayaan ko siyan ma-libre at mag-attempt sa labas. I took that gamble. Kasi when I watched Mon’s game against Abet and Freddie, Nakita ko, pagpasok pa lang ni Mon, dinidikitan na agad. Eh dito magaling si Mon. Besides, two inches taller siya sa akin. Pag-nakapag-shift siya papasok, patay ka na. So, maraming beses siyang tumira noong jump na malapit. And in that kind of shot, your ball control is limited. “Yun bang alangan sa mahina at sa malakas ang bitaw. Pagtira naman niya, sa akin sigurado ang bola dahil naba-box out ko siya. And I noticed also one thing. Ang fault siguro ni Mon, he doesn’t want to be blocked. Ayaw niyang masupalpal. Kaya mas madali siyang ma-ilang. “Yung jump nga niya, nai-iba ang porma kung tina-try kong supalpalin. Ako naman, I don’t mind getting blocked. Sabi ko, kung masupalpal niya ako, hindi naman siya mabibigyan ng points dito. Kaya sige lang, I think this was one advantage I had over Mon.”
As the newly-crowned one-on-one champion, Philip was awarded a trophy and a cash prize of Php 25,000.
The big amount is there, okay, and who wouldn’t be happy with it? But from how I sized up Philip, from how I’ve known him to be, the trophy, the usually taken for granted award takes the bigger and greater significance in his victory than the cash prize.
The trophy, for Philip, clearly symbolizes the honest truth that he is no longer number two.