Champ Magazine
July 14, 1983
Emilie & Joe Concepcion
The feat winning 21 consecutive games – is fantastic!
It never happened before.
Most likely, with the enforcement of player draft rules to strengthen the local lineups of lower-placed teams and the current handicapping system on the use of imports to “balance” the team, such a feat may never be recorded again.
The feat is an all-time season record that went through two Conference record year from March 10 to June 19. Twelve victories were registered in the All-Filipino (First) Conference, and nine more in the current Reinforced (Second) Conference. It surpassed the 19 straight wins set also by Crispa from September 30 to December 9, 1980, which is established as the all-time Conference record.
The feat saw the Redmanizers scoring a twenty-one game-total of 2,486 points against 2,272 made by their opponents. On a per game average, this is 118.38 against 108.19 points.
The feat had Crispa scoring 37.27 percent (41/110) on three-point shots, 52.92 percent (968/1829) on two-point field goals, and 80.32 percent (506/630) on free throws.
In the 21-game stretch, Crispa averaged 37 defensive, 16 offensive and 53 total rebounds, 28 assists, 5 steals, 7 shot blocks and 25 turnovers.
Accomplishing the feat was certainly not easy. In three games, the Redmanizers managed to win by only a one-point margin. These were an 83-82 squeaker over Gilbey’s Gin in the first conference, and a 110-109 and 120-119 thrillers over Great Taste Discoverers in separate Conferences.
Four games went through overtime periods, all in the second conference in five-game expense. The first was against San Miguel Beer, and after a regulation win over the Toyota Silver Coronas, three successive games went into five-minute extensions. These were against Tanduay Rhum, Galerie Dominique and Sunkist Juice Lovers, all. Three matches handled by assistant coach Narciso Bernardo.
Combined, Bernardo won six games (three in each Conference) in the absence of regular coach, Tommy Manotoc, who won fifteen.
More than anything else, it is the combination of the new management pair of Coach Manotoc and manager Ernesto Floro that molded the present team into a sharp, cohesive outfit that looks forward to a GRAND SLAM finish, and taking one game at a time, accomplish the 21 consecutive wins first.
THE PBA ALL-TIME WINNING STREAK RECORD
First Conference – All Filipino
No. 1: March 10, 1983 CRISPA 121, MANHATTAN 97
Seven Redmanizers scored double figures led by Co with 33. Crispa also had 39 assists and 13 shot blocks.
No. 2: March 15, 1983 CRISPA 119, TANDUAY 112
Crispa had 32 turnovers, Co 7 errors, but the Redmanizers rallied from 11 points down with Hubalde, Guidaben and Cristobal contributing heavily.
No. 3: March 20, 1983 CRISPA 114, SAN MIGUEL 90
Crispa’s defense limited the Beermen to 55 points in the first three quarters which Villamin and Fabiosa had 8 assists each.
No. 4 March 24, 1983 CRISPA 123, GREAT TASTE 97
Crispa converted 55 field goals against only 37 by Great Taste. Co passed out 10 assists.
No. 5 March 27, 1983 CRISPA 108, GALERIE DOMINIQUE 97
Bernie Bernardo called the shots for Crispa. Guidaben stood out with 28 points and 17 rebounds.
No. 6 April 7, 1983 CRISPA 83, GILBEY’S 82
Crispa played poorly but won in this Conference’s lowest scoring game as Generalao and Watson missed their last shots. Bernardo’s second win.
No. 7 April 12, 1983 CRISPA 109, TOYOTA 102
Guidaben’s 32 points and 16 rebounds gave Bernardo his third win, as he proved himself against no less than Toyota.
No. 8 April 14, 1983 CRISPA 124, GILBEY’S 116
Cezar stretched for 35 points as Manotoc resumed head coach duties in the semifinal round of this Conference.
No. 9 April 17, 1983 CRISPA 110, GREAT TASTE 109
Esguerra came off the bench to score 15 points and Fabiosa got 7 steals to help Crispa win by one point.
No. 10 April 19, 1983 CRISPA 121, GILBEY’S 101
This first game of the Best-of-Five championship series had Israel playing 37 minutes, typifying Crispa’s solid defense.
No. 11 April 21, 1983 CRISPA 119, GILBEY’S 116
2nd game – Best of Five. Gilbey’s Vargas had 22 points and 16 rebounds while Generalao scored 23 points and dished out 12 assists, but Crispa’s might and deep bench prevailed.
No. 12 April 24, 1983 CRISPA 115, GILBEY’S 84
The dam broke on the gallant men of Honeyboy Palanca and Turing Valenzona. Crispa wrapped up the All-Filipino conference championship in style.
Second Conference – Reinforced Filipino
No. 13 May 15, 1983 CRISPA 120, GREAT TASTE 119
Crispa import Billy Ray Bates made his PBA debut by scoring 64 points that included five 3-point shots and four slam dunks.
No. 14 May 19, 1983 CRISPA 135, GILBEY’S 123
Gilbey’s veteran import Massey outscored Bates, 43-34, but seven local Redmanizers scored double figures to set a new PBA record by converting 72 percent on 54 out of 75 two-point shots.
No. 15 May 24, 1983 CRISPA 113, SAN MIGUEL 111, OT
Crispa tied SMBeer at 101-all in regulation time and outscored the Beermen, 12-10, in the overtime period.
No. 16 May 29, 1983 CRISPA 122, TOYOTA 110
Co did not suit up and Cezar scored only one point, but it did not matter. Guidaben had 23 points and 19 rebounds to add to Bates’ 51 points.
No. 17 June 2, 1983 CRISPA 129, TANDUAY 123 OT
Bernardo drove the Redmanizers with the score at 111 all in regulation to win in overtime with Bates knocking down six three-point shots.
No. 18 June 7, 1983, CRISPA 115, GALERIE DOMINIQUE 112 OT
Behind by four points with eleven seconds left, Crispa tied the score at 102-all and went on to win in the extension period as Ms. Nikki Coseteng lambasted the officiating. Bernardo mentored the Crispa bench.
No. 19 June 11, 1983 CRISPA 146, SUNKIST141 OT
Benardo’s third straight overtime win (and Crispa’s fourth in five games as this out-of-town game played in Cabanatuan. Regulation ended at 130-all. Crispa posted by far the season’s highest score as defense was all but forgotten.
No. 20 June 14, 1983 CRISPA 127, TANDUAY 123
Manotoc was back as Crispa rolled over Tanduay whose 47 fouls gave Crispa 47 trips to the free throw line when the Redmanizers coverted 33 to make up for their deficit in field goal conversion.
No. 21 June 19, 1983 CRISPA 113, GREAT TASTE 107
Showdown in Cebu with a one and a half-hour blackout in the second quarter cooled off Great Taste’s usually good shooting. Bates again powered Crispa with 50 points and 21 rebounds that snapped the Discoverers’ own winning streak at seven games.