Pangasinan ranks 12th in MPBL
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
WITHOUT a doubt, the talk of the sports world now is the NBA championships. We watched how the former champion Boston Celtics swept arch rival Indiana Pacers, 4-0, in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series last week. Meanwhile, the winner of the Western Conference finals between the erstwhile NBA champions Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves is awaited. Dallas is leading the match, 3-1, win-loss games. Many say it will be a victory for the Texans.
In PBA, the crowd favorite and many times champions, the Ginebra five succumbed to the co-ex champions Meralco Bolts last May 29, 86-81, to even the score, 3-3. Leading by just three points, 84-81 in the dying seconds of the game. Meralco’s forward-guard Fil-Am cager Chris Newsome, after a foul, successfully converted his two charity shots, 5.4 ticks left of the game to the delight of the pro-Meralco’s buffs. The seventh and final game will be held in San Jose, Batangas on May 31. (I’m making this piece on May 30 so by the time you read this article, the stalemate is already over). The winner will face San Miguel Beer for this year’s All-Filipino Conference championships.
Still on basketball, the “Pangasinan Heatwaves,” our province’s representative in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) will play against the Parañaque Patriots at Calasiao Sports Complex on May 31. The Parañaque five are now carding a record of seven wins with three losses, while our Pangasinan quintet marks for just two wins with ghastly eight defeats. Heatwaves initially lost its inaugural game against the league’s co-rookie team Abra Weavers, 75-83, last April 6, a pulsating defeat to Valenzuela City Classic, 85-86, then to Quezon Province Huskers, 68, 72, San Juan Knights, 73-81, Batang Kanlaloo, 65-69, Davao Occidental Tigers, 62-64, Valenzuela City Classics, 85-86, and the Biñan Tatak Gel Beast Motorcycle GameX, 72-75. Their two victories were amazing wins in double digits. Firstly, against the Bulacan Kuyas, 87-55, then the Marikina Shoemasters, 80-68. They have to win majority of their remaining games to enter the quarterfinals. Our Heatwaves is in 12th position out of 14 teams in the Northern Division.
By the way, here’s a question for the MPBL: Why isn’t Lingayen, being the capital town of our beloved province Pangasinan hosting any game?
Meanwhile, in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup hosted by Philippines, the talk of the town is the historical third place finish of our women’s national squad dumping the taller Australian team, 25-23, 25-15, 25-7, last Tuesday (May 28). It’s our very first podium finish in the history of AVC tilts since its birth decades ago. Defending champion Vietnam demonstrated its championship caliber by sweeping the match against the lankier Kazakhstan, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20, to win the gold medal.
In local cycling, a mountain bike race might be held in my town Mangaldan this coming June 8. Details of this race (if luckily pushes through), will be printed here in the next week issue.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you have known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
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