Walk n’ Text

I am a big basketball fan. I watch both the PBA and NBA. I love watching UAAP and NCAA basketball tourneys. It all started way back 1996, Ginebra – Alaska Championship series. And since that day, I have been a Ginebra fan.

Some say that once you’ve become a Ginebra fan, you will always be a fan and I say yes to that. In this conference of the PBA, my team got into the quarterfinals round. They were up against the defending champs, Talk n’ Text. I have high regards in this team as well. Their players are great runners, shooters and defenders. They were actually a threat, especially when they imposed a 2-0 win-loss record against the Gin Kings in their series. Of course I was worried! But then Ginebra put up a fight and got their first win. The next game is a do-or-die match for my team. I decided not to watch the game because I was scared to lose. (yeah, that’s me.) but actually, there isn’t anything to watch. The whole bench of the Talk n’Text team deserted the court. They walked out in the middle of the game.


I was online on Twitter when it all happened. I was just reading the updates and the scores from people on the web. Then came Jason Webb’s post saying that “Talk n’Text walks out of the game”. And then people started tweeting a lot about it, so I went and watched the game. Everyone else is just waiting for the next thing to happen. Quinito Henson tried his best explaining what happened over and over again for the benefit of the people like me.

Apparently, TnT player Ranidel de Ocampo was called for a Flagrant Personal Foul 2 after hitting a running and shooting Ronald Tubid with his elbow. On the video replay, Tubid followed up the act by waving down his arm on Ranidel’s face. Tubid wasn’t called for any charges. After the referee’s call, TnT coach Chot Reyes ushered the whole bench into the dug out.

It was intriguing and quite controversial as even Manny Pangilinan, the team owner, followed them. PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios was then called to meet with the coaching staff of TnT while the players get locked up in their room. Ginebra players and coaching staff was left along with thousands of people waiting in vain.

After a while, it was announced that Ginebra has won by default due to he walk-out incident. Later on, Chot Reyes went out to the press conference and shared their dismay about the unjust calls of the referees since their last game. Turns out, they were saying that the referees are more in favor of the Gin Kings. Coach Chot even has the statistics to back this up.

That being said, I still don’t think that a walk-out is necessary for this matter. It was just the last minute of the 1st quarter of the whole game. Their intentions and issues were valuable but this is not the right way to do it. Case in point, the crowd in Araneta Coliseum. It wasn’t a jam-packed game, but there are still thousands of people out there, along with the TV viewers waiting for a big game from both teams. There were refunds, right, but still, they should have considered the audience as well. I guess they were a bit self-centered in that situation. They acted like kids that could just quit any game as they wish.

I don’t know about the allegations with the unjust calls by the referees, but one thing’s for sure, this brought Ginebra to another level, as they were given a chance to tie the series, and eventually win on the next game.

I am a huge Ginebra fan. But this does not put me on the line to bash the TnT team. After all, they’ve paid for their actions already. Ginebra is on their way now to the semis. And that’s just what really matters to me now.

(This post just came from an outsider's point of view, for the real deal, click here..)