Crispa's Amazing 21 Straight Wins! (Champ, 1983)

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

 

            2^nd 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.

One More for PBA Book of 'Firsts' (Sports Weekly, 1980)

Sports Weekly Magazine

August 29-September 5, 1980

Peter N. Acosta

 

 

            For a season which pad produced more than its share of unusual occurrences, PBA ’80 came up with yet another as Crispa reached for its third straight victory halfway through the double round eliminations of the Invitationals.

 

            The Jeansmakers, winners of their first two games in the series, didn’t make it, blowing a 114-110 decision to the visiting tall and tough Adidas quintet. It was, however, Crispa’s setback that made this a game that will no doubt go down in the PBA’s book of “firsts” but what happened in the closing minute and a half.

           

            It was a stupefying windup.

           

            Consider these:

 

            With 1:28 left in the game clock and Adidas out front by seven points, 109-102, Adidas playing coach Bill Sweek reacted angrily to a mandatory timeout rule after he had called an injury timeout on George Gooden. This was after an earlier foul call had set up Crispa’s Sylvester Cuyler to a stint on the free throw line.

 

            Claiming that he didn’t call a timeout, Sweek banged the officials’ desk with his palms and then kicked a rule book in the air.

 

            For this outburst, Sweek was slapped with two technical fouls by referee Ting Cruz which Atoy Co, playing one of his best games in the series, converted. After which, Cuyler took his turn on the foul line to sink his two free throws.

 

            With that unusual stint from the free throw line which came on two technical and a regular foul committed on a player in the act of shooting, Crispa brought down Adidas’ lead to three, 109-106.

 

            But although losing its coach who was thrown out of the court by referee Cruz, Adidas refused to crack up. On the next play, when the game was resumed after an uproar sparked by Sweek’s tantrum, Gooden, one of the two shortest men in the Adidas lineup, knocked in a short jumper to give his team a five-point lead, 111-106, the time down to 1:11.

 

            Co pumped in one from the side to again close the gap, and it looked like Crispa had a chance to further narrow down Adidas’ lead when the Shoemakers were forced into a violation of the 25-second-must-shoot rule after Co’s shot.

 

            But when Byron “Snake” Jones missed a forced jumper and the 6’5 Randolph Owens made good a three-point stint after scoring and then converting from the 15-foot line on a foul called on Jones, Adidas had the game on ice.

 

 

 

            It was a numbing finish for a Crispa team which, after a slow start, had taken a nine-point lead at the half and then had gone into the last period with a seven-point margin at 90-83.

 

            A 12-4 flurry in the first four minutes of the fourth sent Adidas out front by two, 96-94, and then by seven twice, the last time when playing Coach Sweek went into that costly tantrum that almost cost Adidas the game.

 

            Earlier, Crispa’s Philip Cezar also caused an uproar when he touched off a brief brawl among some spectators in the ringside seats behind the goal after he had reacted violently against a heckler.

 

            Compared to this, however, Sweek’s outburst was something.

 

            Sweek, of course, had an explanation for it. “I never called a timeout,” he declared. “If that was a local rule, they should have informed me about it earlier.”

 

            He was still fuming when he said, but somehow, his ire at having been ejected seemed to have been saved by his team’s victory on two clutch hits by Gooden and Owens.

 

            One thing he can’t understand though, he said, was how it seems his team almost always get a lot of foul calls from the referees. “It’s always been like this,” he said. “We’re supposed to be the taller team, and yet, we get all the fouls.”

 

            With his clutch jump shot, Gooden, a former draftee of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA upped his evening’s total to 20 points, the highest for Adidas. For Crispa, the top man was Co who finally recorded his first 30-point output in the five-team Invitationals.

Philip Cezar: King of the Hardcourt (Sports Weekly, 1979)

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.

Atoy Makes It but Many Ask: Was Fernandez Robbed? (Sports Weekly, 1979)

Sports Weekly Magazine

August 3-10, 1979

Vic Villafranca

 

 

Tradition ostensibly won over performance, myopia over 20-20 vision and last-minute backstage maneuvers over the weight of statistics when Crispa’s Fortunato (Atoy) Co came from behind to win the most valuable player race of the 1979 PBA All-Filipino over a heavily-favored Ramon Fernandez of Toyota and three other nominees for the bauble which carries with it a Php 50,000.00 cash prize.

 

            It was a black day for objectivity and fair play and the general reaction of the crowd at the Plaza presidential hall in Makati to the verdict ranged from total disbelief to total disgust.

 

            One of the judges in the panel of sportswriters, radio and TV men that rendered the pivotal decision in the contest, Ronnie Nathanielsz of GTV Channel 4, howled over what he described as “an obscene decision.”

 

            “I’m ashamed to be part of the group that was instrumental in carrying out what in my view was an obscene verdict and an unmitigated act of unfairness,” said a fuming Nathanielsz. “I wonder how those guys can sleep tonight or look at their faces in the mirror tomorrow morning.”

 

            Five feet away from where Ronnie ranted, Kitchie Benedicto of KBS, shook her head sadly.

 

            Beside her, TV director Bert de Leon asked, “what happened?”

 

            On the floor, a coach of a PBA ballclub which had tangled with Fernandez’s team in the last All-Filipino, put his arms around the poleaxed Fernandez and blurted, “Mon, you were robbed.”

 

            Rene Dalugdog, who represented the TV group in the media panel of judges, shook Fernandez’s hand and said he couldn’t understand what happened. “But I want you to know,” he told Fernandez, “that in my book, you should have been it, I voted for you and I voted in accordance with my conscience.”

 

 

 

            Announced by PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto, Co’s victory over Fernandez, Sonny Jaworski of Toyota, and two other Crispa players, Freddie Hubalde and Philip Cezar, drew only lukewarm applause from the crowd. There were hisses too, and some scattered boos.

 

            Asked what he thought of the crowd’s reaction, Jun Hizon, producer of the PBA games, said he felt “it smacked of indifference; no spontaneity whatsoever.”

 

            Hizon also observed that from what he observed of the winner’s actuations after he received the award, “It seems as if even Atoy himself Is not altogether happy over the way the whole thing turned out.”

 

            At the Vineyard pub, Rod Reyes, now of the National Media Production Center and formerly one of the country’s top sportswriters, said, “Nakakahiya.”

 

            Then also from Rod came the night’s oft-repeated question, “What happened?”

 

            Indeed, what happened?

 

            Going into the fourth and last phase of the four-tiered format of the race for MVP, Fernandez looked as if he had his first MVP all wrapped up with the way he outscored Co in statistical points garnered in the regular games of the last All-Filipino series and likewise in the All-Star games where both he and Co were participants.

 

            Fernandez finished ahead of Co with 2,856 statistical points against Co’s 2,726 in the All-Filipino. That SP total, which gave Fernandez 30 percent, was tops for this phase of the tilt. Co got 28.63 percent for his 2,726 points.

 

            As for their performances in the four game All-Star series, Fernandez was only second to Freddie Hubalde with his 381 statistical points against Hubalde’s 389, but Co fared worse. He finished fifth behind Hubalde, Arnulfo Tuadles of Toyota and Abet Guidaben of Crispa with his 302 SP’s.

 

            Overall, the statistical points earned by both Fernandez and Co showed the Toyota center 209 statistical points up on Co.

 

            Counting the 30 percent garnered by Fernandez in topping the popularity tilt put by the Don Cigarettes, Fernandez went to the awards dinner holding 69.79 percent of the whole cake, or a 4.43 percent lead over Co who had 65.36 percent.

 

            On the basis of all this, it would seem as if all that Fernandez needed to win was some kind of a reconfirmation by the media panel of judges of what the figures proclaimed.

 

            He never got it.

 

 

 

            Out of the 14 sportswriters and a representative each from radio and TV who cast their ballots for MVP, Fernandez only got 4 votes, while Co ran off with 9. There was one abstention.

 

            With his surprising win in the sportswriters’ ballot, Co finished with 95.36 percentage points against Fernandez’s 83.12%.

 

            It was a stunning, unbelievable reversal, a breakaway from a probable outcome of the race when gleaned in the light of statistics. “Incredible,” said one league statistician, expressing shock over the way the vote of the media panel went.

 

            Incredible it really seems to be, and it’s just too bad that because the media poll was by secret ballot, those who asked the pointed question – what happened? – will never get to know how Fernandez lost in the polling booth in what he appeared to have worked so hard to win on the hardcourt.

 

            Aside from Co, the other winners of silver cups and cash prizes for outstanding performances in the last All-Filipino were:

 

            Arnulfo Tuadles of Toyota – rookie of the year

            Abe King – most improved player of the year

            Tito Varela – most sportsmanlike player

            Crispa Coach Baby Dalupan – coach of the year

           

            Winners of slots in the league’s mythical selection were Fernandez, Co, Jaworski, Hubalde and Tuadles.

 

            Tuadles won out over Ronnie Albor of Honda, Bing del Rosario of Gilbey’s Gin, Ely Capacio of Tanduay, and Fritz Gaston of U/Tex, while King was chosen over a cast of nominees that included Rudy Lalota of Royal, Willie Tanduyan of Gilbey’s, Tito Varela of Crispa and Oscar Rocha of Honda.

 

            Varela got the nod over Tony Torrente of Royal, Larry Mumar of Filmanbank, Jesse Sullano of Honda and Mike Bilbao of Tanduay for the most sportsmanlike player plum.

 

            Dalupan had as his contenders the coaches of the eight other ballclubs in the league.

 

            In winning the 1979 MVP award, Co, who led the league in scoring and was credited as the first man in the PBA to score 5,000 points, approximated a feat he scored in 1976 when he was named pro basketball player of the year in the All-Filipino sports awards sponsored by Seven-Up.

 

But unlike ’76 when he made top pro honors without a breath of dissent from anyone, it was different this time around. For as Co will no doubt find out in the days to come, aside from winning the Wimbledon-style silver cup and a Php 50,000.00 paycheck, he also – through no fault of his own – lit the fires of another controversy in an already controversy-ridden PBA season.