Battle of the ages

When you call a sports competition a “battle of the ages,” you usually refer to an encounter that pits two titans with timeless implications like a confrontation between giants transcending generations. In the PBA, it takes a somewhat different meaning, considering there are six players who are in their 40s and nine more who are 38 and over but less than 40.

So when Magnolia faced TNT in the Philippine Cup game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last Friday, it was a literal “battle of the ages” as Rafi Reavis, 47, and Kelly Williams, 43, were on opposite sides. Not surprisingly, both veterans played big roles in the contest which the Hotshots won, 88-83, to claim a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals starting Wednesday.

Reavis finished with four points and six rebounds in 12:11 minutes to take Best Player of the Game honors. The logical choice for the award was Zavier Lucero who collected 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 38:59 minutes off the bench. But the night belonged to the sentimental pick. Reavis outdid himself and was still on the floor when the final buzzer sounded. When not on the court, he stood at the sidelines cheering, applauding every play and encouraging teammates to keep on trucking. It was like going back in time when Reavis was a rookie in 2002 as Coca-Cola’s first round pick, second overall behind Yancy de Ocampo.

What made the night even more significant for Reavis was his effort off the boards made him only the 14th player in PBA history to collect more than 5,000 rebounds in a career after Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Jerry Codiñera, Asi Taulava, Alvin Patrimonio, Arwind Santos, Philip Cezar, June Mar Fajardo, Robert Jaworski, Abe King, Ali Peek, Yoyoy Villamin and Williams. “I didn’t know,” said Reavis when told of his feat after the contest. “I just go out there and do what I can to help our team win. And I thank the coaching staff for trusting in me and giving me the opportunity to continue playing.”

Williams, for his part, didn’t do badly either, winding up with 10 points and two rebounds in 15:19 minutes as a starter. He buried back-to-back triples in the first quarter to stake TNT to an early lead. Williams was the PBA’s first overall pick in 2006 and the 2008 MVP is in the books as one of the league’s 50 Greatest.

The other 40-and-over players in the league this season are Ginebra’s LA Tenorio, 40, Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, 40 and Mark Borboran, 40 and San Miguel Beer’s Chris Ross, 40. Coming close to join the club are Phoenix’ RJ Jazul, 39, Magnolia’s Mark Barroca, 39, Ginebra’s Raymond Aguilar, 39 and Japeth Aguilar, 38, TNT’s Jayson Castro, 38, Blackwater’s Jvee Casio, 38, Terrafirma’s Stanley Pringle, 38, San Miguel Beer’s Marcio Lassiter, 38 and Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga, 38.