Delay means more rest

Nobody expected Game 6 of the PBA Governors Cup finals between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco to be postponed at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday. But late that morning while the PBA 3x3 games were underway, smoke billowed inside the venue, causing a halt to the proceedings. An early report claimed a fire broke out in the construction site at the Big Dome’s red gate but it was later confirmed an electrical problem in the air-conditioning system created the alarm.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial rushed to the scene early afternoon to check the situation with the Game 6 tipoff set in five hours and 20,000 fans expected to jam the arena. Bureau of Fire Protection inspectors said the fire was under control by 1 p.m. and Araneta officials gave their thumbs up to go on with the game. But Marcial said he wouldn’t risk the health and safety of the players, coaches, staff and fans.

As soon as Marcial got out of his car at the Araneta unloading area, smoke got into his eyes. He wore a facemask but it didn’t seem enough to prevent smoke from seeping in. Marcial walked towards the court and even as the smoke had visibly subsided, it was still in the air. “Mahirap na,” said Marcial. “Kung 20,000 fans ang papasok, anong gagawin natin kung magka-asthma attack maski na isang tao lamang? Alam ko malaking trabaho ang mag-refund pero alalahanin natin ang ating responsibilidad sa publiko. Dadalhin mo kaya ang anak mo sa coliseum kung may nangyaring ganoon?”

After inspecting the premises and consulting with fire and Araneta officials, Marcial decided to call off the game. He was thankful that the incident happened way before Game 6 would’ve started. Can you imagine if the smoke clouded the air and a fire alarm was triggered with 20,000 fans in the venue? There would’ve surely been a stampede to the exits and all hell could’ve broken loose. “Salamat sa Diyos na ligtas tayo sa peligro,” said Marcial.

Game 6 will now be played at the MOA Arena tonight. Fans are advised to go to the venue for the 6 p.m. game early as several streets leading to MOA are blocked because of repair work. Marcial was scheduled to confer with venue owners yesterday on availability in case of a Game 7. A possible option is the Philippine Arena where 54,086 fans set a PBA attendance record in Game 7 of the 2017 Governors Cup finals between the same teams that are now disputing the same crown. With attendance soaring game after game in the ongoing finals, it’s likely a new record will be registered if a Game 7 is staged at the Philippine Arena.

The postponement has meant more days of rest for the Ginebra and Meralco players. In Game 5 last Sunday, three players from each side logged over 40 minutes. Ginebra used a short rotation of eight players while Meralco deployed nine. Ginebra stands to benefit more from the extra days of recovery because Japeth Aguilar, who sat out the first three games of the finals, is able to buy time to get stronger. Aguilar checked in for 10 minutes in Game 4 and 15 in Game 5. His reactivation has given coach Tim Cone the luxury of playing a big lineup with Justin Brownlee at three and Christian Standhardinger at four. Meralco’s stoppers will also be refreshed for battle particularly as Cliff Hodge has been sacrificing his body game in, game out to anchor coach Norman Black’s defense.