ENOUGH is enough.
Hopefully, the battle over who gets the last word in the tempestuous exchange between Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Governor Alfrancis Chua is over.
Both men, once allies who served at different times as president of the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP), have said their piece and generated more than enough social media buzz following two separate confrontations that became a major storyline during Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals last week.
Guiao raised concerns about referees being talked to, while Chua responded with equal passion and conviction. Both made their points, each employing colorful rhetoric to drive home their arguments.
Now, it may be time for both to move on and allow basketball fans and the sports media to focus on what truly matters: Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday between Ginebra and Talk ’N Text.
The championship series promises to be compelling. During Monday’s press conference at Novotel, Tropang 5G import Chris McCullough predicted it would be “a Finals that will be remembered for a long time.”
Chua, also the Ginebra team manager, can return to his customary seat at the Kings’ bench. Guiao, meanwhile, can finally take time off to address a nagging back problem that he has admitted may require surgery.
That should bring an end to the days-long controversy.
Rain or Shine and Ginebra battled fiercely in Game 6 on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, with the Elasto Painters, trailing 3-2 in the series, fighting for survival against a determined opponent eager to avoid a do-or-die Game 7.
Behind the efforts of import Jaylen Johnson, Gian Mamuyac and a crucial four-point shot by Anton Asistio early in the fourth quarter, Rain or Shine managed to keep the game within reach.
But without Guiao’s usual fiery presence on the sidelines—a factor veteran sports columnist Quinito Henson suggested had been diminished by the aftermath of his verbal spat with Chua—the Elasto Painters were unable to match Ginebra’s finishing kick. They ultimately fell short in their bid to force a deciding seventh game.
At Novotel, as he was leaving after the press conference, TNT coach Chot Reyes—who jokingly referenced the now-viral incident during a postgame interview after Game 5 of their own series with the Meralco Bolts—was asked whether he shared Guiao’s concerns.
As subtle as ever when it is called for, Reyes, who is buddies with Ginebra head coach Tim Cone and has described both Chua and Guiao as “my friends,” replied:
“Sa tagal at dalas naming nakakalaban ang Ginebra, at least to me, we’re used to it already.
“We trust that the Commissioner’s Office will do its job to ensure that it doesn’t happen, that they are able to make sure the referees remain as objective as possible. So, sa ‘kin, I guess, sanay na ’ko doon.”
