Painters, alone on top, relish packed crowd; PBA eyes more ‘free’ playdates
Jaylen Johnson enjoyed the crowd so much on late Wednesday evening that he expressed hope that it wouldn’t be a one-time event.
“I wish it were like that every game,” the Rain or Shine import said.
The PBA certainly hopes so.
The league’s decision to treat fans by giving out free tickets to the Commissioner’s Cup doubleheader on Wednesday, the eve of its anniversary, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium resulted in a packed crowd that normally shows up only during the late playoffs and in the championship.
“We filled out probably 85 to 90 percent of Ninoy,” an ecstatic Willie Marcial, the PBA commissioner, said on Thursday.
And the full-house crowd was rocking, too.
“That crowd was lit,” a beaming Johnson said after registering 24 points in Rain or Shine’s impressive 116-112 win over San Miguel Beer that kept the team unbeaten in the tournament.
“It was a great atmosphere to be in. I am grateful to be here,” he added.
The Elasto Painters’ Jhonard Clarito was also a fan of what he saw.
“I think that was our best game against San Miguel and it happened in front of a huge crowd,” he told the Inquirer in Filipino and made a promise to basketball fans should they decide to show up for his team’s games.
“At least, we make them have fun. I want to give them a shoutout and hopefully, they keep watching our games. We’ll keep giving them a show,” Clarito added after dropping 16 points and eight rebounds in Rain or Shine’s fifth straight win.
Labor day, blood drive
Even Marcio Lassiter, who fired 27 points for the Beermen in the loss that dropped them to a 3-3 card, loved the loud crowd that showed up the day before the league celebrated its 51st anniversary.
“It was rocking. It was good to feel the roar back. It’s always great to see the fans come out and support [the league] and it was a special night,” he said.
“For me, I wanted to give back to the crowd, I know all of us do, I always try to make sure to do that,” he added.
The response has Marcial and his team looking for other playdates to give out free tickets.
Already, the commissioner has penciled May 1 as another possible date to open the gates to the public, particularly the workforce.
“It’s Labor Day and we want to pay tribute to our workers,” said Marcial, who has been in touch with Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma regarding that possibility.
Marcial added that they will also give out free tickets when the PBA and Red Cross collaborate on a blood drive on May 3.
The response thrilled the league’s office, particularly because it was worried about crowd turnout following the series of fuel price increases.
“At the start, we were worried because people might feel the need to just watch at home,” Marcial said. “But then we saw attendance rising because fans are really excited about all these tall imports we have, like Bol Bol.”
The packed venue on Wednesday further calmed the league’s worries.
“It goes to show that our fans are always out there and we just have to find ways to make it easier for them to watch live,” Marcial added.
