Manila Clasico a holiday treat

The PBA is bringing the Manila Clasico to the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in Bulacan as a Christmas treat for the fans today. It’s only the second game between Barangay Ginebra and the Star Hotshots, formerly Purefoods, B-Meg and San Mig Coffee, on Christmas Day in PBA history but the Manila Clasico is featured for the second straight year.

The rivalry between Ginebra and Star dates back to 1988 and the league’s most popular clubs have squared off in 172 meetings with the Hotshots enjoying the edge in wins, 94-78. Twice, they’ve battled in the Finals with the teams splitting championships. Their matchup has been so even that they’ve both won five games each in two Finals encounters.

On Christmas Day last year, Ginebra edged Star, 92-89, in overtime in a Philippine Cup playoff game before 21,808 fans at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena. Ginebra had a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals and didn’t allow the Hotshots a chance to force a sudden-death clincher. The year before, Rain Or Shine defeated Alaska, 98-91, in Game 4 of the Philippine Cup semifinals at the MOA Arena on Christmas Day.

How many fans will jam the Philippine Arena for today’s doubleheader (the first game pits Mahindra against Blackwater) is anybody’s guess. The record for attendance in a PBA contest is 52,612 which was registered in a twinbill to open the league’s 40th season at the Philippine Arena on Oct. 19, 2014. The games were Kia over Blackwater, 80-66, with Manny Pacquiao in uniform and Ginebra over TNT, 101-81. The PBA hasn’t since returned to the Philippine Arena and today will mark its comeback after two years.

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In February 2014, the Manila Clasico drew a crowd of 24,883 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum for Game 7 of the Philippine Cup Finals. That was the largest attendance for a PBA bill at the Big Dome. An audience of 23,436 was on hand for Game 3 of the Governors Cup Finals between Ginebra and Alaska in 2013.

In the Governors Cup Finals last season, the PBA decided to set a limit of tickets for sale for safety reasons. In Game 5, a crowd of 22,196 showed up to witness Ginebra’s 92-81 win over Meralco. And in the Game 6 clincher, an audience of 22,538 came for Ginebra’s 91-88 victory. Without a cap for tickets, attendance would’ve gone through the roof.

To make it easier for Metro Manila fans to get to the Philippine Arena today, the PBA has arranged for free bus rides. Only Philippine Arena ticket holders will be allowed to board the JAM buses at the terminals on Buendia starting 11 a.m. and on EDSA/Kamuning starting 12 noon. The buses will leave in 30-minute intervals up to 2 p.m. Riders will be accommodated on a first-come-first-served basis so fans are encouraged to line up early.

JAM buses will transport fans to and from the Philippine Arena. Only those who are stamped at the terminal pick-up points will be able to board the buses returning to Metro Manila after the games. So it’s important for fans to get themselves stamped in boarding the buses to the Philippine Arena. Again, only those with tickets to the games will be accommodated in the buses.

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It’s not just the thrill of the Manila Clasico that fans are expecting. The Blackwater-Mahindra is also a potential barn burner. Mahindra is the only team without a win and the Floodbusters are going all out to bring down Blackwater. Team owner Dioceldo Sy’s Elite is No. 2 in the standings with a 4-2 record. In six previous conferences since joining the league, Blackwater failed to win more than three games. So winning four outings so far this conference is a new record of achievement. In its first-ever PBA season, Blackwater registered a grand total of four wins in three conferences.

Blackwater is suddenly the league’s flavor of the conference with rookie Mac Belo leading the charge. But it’s not just Belo who’s making things happen for the Elite. Art de la Cruz, John Pinto, Ronjay Buenafe, Kyle Pascual, Roi Sumang, Raymond Aguilar, Reil Cervantes, Denok Miranda and rookie Ael Banal are also contributing to the effort. Mahindra, however, is hungry for a win and the Floodbusters are expected to pour it on with L. A. Revilla, Alex Mallari, Mark Yee, Ryan Arana, Joseph Eriobu, rookie Russel Escoto and Jeric Teng on the firing end.

In the main event, Star is out to extend its win streak to four. Defense has been the key to the Hotshots’ resurgence as they’ve held opponents to an average of 86.4 points, No. 1 in the league. Ever since Justin Melton has started and Marc Pingris has come off the bench, Star is unbeaten in its last three games. Paul Lee, Jio Jalalon and Aldrech Ramos have breathed new life into the Hotshots.

Ginebra is due for a win. In five games so far, the trend has been loss, win, loss, win and loss. The Barangay is coming off a painful 15-point whipping by Alaska and coach Tim Cone was visibly disappointed by the way his players failed to execute on both ends. Against the Hotshots, Ginebra can’t afford to throw away possessions because Star is No. 1 in the league in turnover points at 26.2. The key to Cone’s system is precision and if the Barangay executes in the halfcourt with fluidity, it will be difficult to stop Ginebra.