From San Miguel guard Jericho Cruz flipping the finger to TNT head coach Chot Reyes waving a white hanky as a sarcastic gesture, the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup championship is not lacking color and drama.
Mind games and physicality have played an active role in the best-of-seven series that is slowly turning into a war of attrition.
Cruz flashed a dirty finger at the Tropang 5G bench in the series opener last Wednesday, eventually incurring a still-to-be-announced fine from the Commissioner’s Office.
The animated guard said he was provoked.
“The Talk ‘N Text bench started it. I didn’t even do anything. They started. Those who barely saw action on their bench were provoking me. So, I just got back at them,” Cruz narrated on the reason for his obscene gesture in the Beermen’s 91-96 Game 1 loss.
In the series-tying 111-92 victory over San Miguel last Friday, Cruz was celebrating and shouting at the Tropang 5G bench after his buckets, returning the favor of getting under their skin.
Reyes, on the other hand, was seen waving a white handkerchief in the final period of TNT’s blowout loss.
It was a sarcastic gesture towards the game officials after Calvin Oftana was whistled for a second technical foul.
Oftana got entangled with Chris Ross when the San Miguel guard attempted a steal. The Tropang 5G forward apparently got hit in the face and on the same motion swung his elbow that barely missed the back of the head of the Beermen playing assistant coach.
Ross felt the games had been beyond physical and should be checked to prevent escalation.
“It happens to be not physical, it happens to be dirty where there should be a line drawn,” he said.
“As long as its physical basketball, that’s fine. But when you cross the line and start giving elbows and hip checks and not doing basketball plays, people got to take a look at that.”
Physical or not, the rematch of last season’s all-Filipino finale is getting testy.
And more of the drama unfolded in the pivotal Game 3 being played as of press time at the Mall of Asia Arena.