By REYNALD MAGALLON
With his good looks and awesome leaping ability, Jojo Lastimosa was among the well-loved players of Mama’s Love in the defunct Philippine Amateur Basketball League in the 80s.
Well, not anymore, and in the eyes of San Miguel Beer fans, the once “darling” of Cebu’s basketball is now the object of their anger and fury.
The TNT assistant coach heard it all from the San Miguel fans on Wednesday, July 23, during Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals as he was jeered and booed each time his face was flashed in the Araneta Coliseum jumbotron and even when he was retreating to the Tropang 5G dugout at the half.
The former player-turned-coach and executive drew the ire of the SMB faithful following a postgame rant in Game 4 where he called Jericho Cruz a ‘little boy’ for his on court antics and Chris Ross a ‘not a nice guy’ and ‘complainer’.
Lastimosa was also shown shooing away Ross who was trying to comfort Poy Erram, who was alone at the TNT bench after SMB’s 105-91 victory in Game 4 and after he sustained what was later revealed an injury that would keep him out of the Finals series.
Though the 61-year-old brushed off the jeers with a smile, Ross took exception to the rant and actually turned to social media to express his displeasure while Cruz seemingly took a swipe at Lastimosa when it was TNT’s turn to come out on top in Game 5.
“I’m not a nice guy??! You have no clue who I am as a person. The few times we spoke I was as respectful as I could be like my pops taught me. I didn’t do anything disrespectful to the wives they were all cussing at me which was uncalled for,” wrote Ross in an X post before Game 5.
“Wala namang problema sa’kin yun. Talo kami. They deserve to win, walang problema sa’kin. Hindi naman ako sore loser. Nakakatanggap naman ako ng pagkatalo,” said Cruz after the Beermen’s 78-86 loss to the Tropang 5G.
The off-court drama between the three added further color to an already emotional Finals series between SMB and TNT.
It can be recalled that the Tropang 5G won the controversial series opener after the PBA technical committee nullified what was initially counted as a Mo Tautuaa dunk in the waning seconds of Game 1.
Venting its frustration from the loss, SMB won three straight games to take a 3-1 lead – the contest where Cruz was animated in his celebrations which apparently drew the ire of Lastimosa.
SMB still holds a 3-2 lead and has another chance at foiling TNT’s Grand Slam bid in Game 6.
.
