BACK ON THEIR FEET
There were no fireworks nor rough plays in Converge’s 111-92 manhandling of NorthPort on Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations, and it somehow took a back seat after commissioner Willie Marcial, who just an hour before, had just levied a hefty fine, a suspension and issued a stern warning on the main character of an ugly incident just two nights before.
Alec Stockton dropped a season-high 33 points, three short of equaling his career best, as the FiberXers improved to 5-3 after their four-game winning streak was snapped last week by Barangay Ginebra in San Fernando, Pampanga.
“It a good bounce-back win for us after that bad loss to Ginebra,” said FiberXers coach Franco Atienza.
Press room talk
Much of the talk at the press room was the aftermath of Meralco bruiser Cliff Hodge’s hit on Zavier Lucero that had plenty of implications other than the Bolts veteran’s one-game ban, a P100,000 fine and Marcial’s promise of even stiffer penalties should something of the same happen again.
“I told him—because he had already been summoned twice—that the penalty will be harsher, which could mean a longer suspension (if this happens again),” Marcial said in Filipino when he addressed the sanctions during halftime of Converge’s lopsided win.
Hodge held on to Lucero’s head like it was a scripted professional wrestling maneuver, which eventually triggered a clearing of both benches and had coaches, team managers and other players getting in on it.
While Lucero didn’t receive at least a fine, Magnolia assistant coach Mon Jose was also handed a one-game ban while also fined P20,000 after the technical committee determined in its review that he had indeed given Hodge a headbutt at the scorers’ table.
Hodge, who has since apologized, said that a member of the Magnolia coaching staff gave him a headbutt, though he didn’t identify Jose as the culprit.
The league’s two top officials outside of Marcial were also punished as the commissioner canned his deputy, Eric Castro, and technical head, Bong Pascual, who both got one-playdate bans each after failing to hand Hodge a Flagrant Foul 2 following a review during the game.
Hodge was given a Flagrant Foul 1 instead of an F2, which would have led to an automatic ejection.
“There were lapses in our technical procedure and Hodge should have been given an F2 on the spot,” said Marcial.
Castro was not in attendance on Friday because of the ban while Pascual will serve his the following Friday.
Marcial talked with both Hodge and Lucero, who had earlier called the foul as a “dirty play.” Hodge was subject of scrutiny on social media, with some describing his move as like Steve Austin’s “Stone Cold Stunner,” Randy Orton’s “RKO” or LA Knight’s “BFT, which are finishers they apply during their professional wrestling matches in the WWE.
Ginebra was playing Phoenix at press time in the nightcap.
