MANILA — The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) has come under increasing pressure to explain Bacolod MassKara’s controversial performance against the Bulacan Kuyas, after team MassKara’s scoreless final 7:48 triggered outrage among Bacolod’s basketball community.
Bacolod absorbed a 100-64 defeat; MassKara failed to convert a single field goal over the final 7:48 of the contest.
Video clips of the closing stretch quickly spread across social media, fueling speculation among fans and basketball observers over the team’s lackluster finish.
As of this writing, the MPBL has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident, although the league is reportedly taking a closer look at what transpired.
Among the most vocal critics was Bacolod basketball coach Arland Pasco Blanco, who said the team’s uninspired finish tarnished the city’s rich basketball tradition.
“Binuang na gid ni ya. Tani indi man nila pakahuy-an amon lugar. Indi na amo maghampang ang taga-Bacolod (It’s ridiculous. I just hope they don’t bring shame to our place. That’’ not how people from Bacolod play),” Blanco told Panay News.
Blanco also appealed directly to league founder Manny Pacquiao to address the controversy.
“Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, Manny Pacquiao, please do something about this. Bacolod City is a city crazy about basketball. Basketball is a religion here. This is not how we respect the game. We truly love basketball here,” he added.
Adding to the criticism was MPBL commentator Cedelf Tupas, himself a Bacolod native, who openly questioned the MassKara’s offensive decisions during the live broadcast as the team repeatedly squandered scoring opportunities.
“You pass the ball here. Here! Kung kailan hindi na kailangan i-pasa doon pinasa,” Tupas commentated during the game. “Oh my gosh, I got to stop covering Bacolod games cause tataas ang aking blood pressure.”
He later lamented the team’s prolonged scoring drought.
“It’s tough to watch because there were so many opportunities to score. Scoreless in the last eight minutes. Come on. Come on guys,” he added.
The loss was another disappointing outing for Bacolod this season. Earlier in the campaign, the MassKara also suffered heavy defeats, including a 129-45 rout and back-to-back losses of 113-61 to Quezon and 113-62 to Bataan./PN
