What an encounter it was.
The 25th PBA season was a seminal period in Philippine basketball.
Game-changing moments took place, including the emergence of talents that altered the course of the league’s future. Many Fil-foreign cagers arrived in 1999, headlined by Asi Taulava, Danny Seigle, Eric Menk, and Sonny Alvarado. They took the PBA by storm, which prompted the homegrown stars to step up.
One of the locals who really took his game to another level was Benjie Paras of the now-defunct Shell Velocity Turbo Chargers. The 1999 PBA All-Filipino Cup finals between Shell and the Tanduay Rhum Masters, spearheaded by Menk and Alvarado, was must-see TV.
If you’re too young to have any knowledge of it—or perhaps old enough to reminisce the good old days—check out the throwback video posted by Facebook page PBA Klasiko Games, featuring the first quarter of Game 4 between Shell and Tanduay. Also, prior to the game, Menk was named Best Player of the Conference, beating Paras.
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PBA fans trooped to the comment section to express how they loved the league back then.
“Iba talaga noon, ang gandang panoorin,” Ramz Salvatierra said.
For Jared Tsquared, seeing the Tower of Power dunking all over Tanduay brought back priceless memories from his childhood.
“Nakikinood lang kami dati sa kapitbahay. Minsan, nakikinig sa radio,” he posted.
Johnson Capuno, meanwhile, was reminded of how good Paras was.
“Iba talaga ang kalakasan ni idol Paras nung kapanahunan niya,” he commented.
Here are a few other things that you need to be reminded of from the 1999 All-Filipino title showdown:
1. Shell lost Game 4 but ultimately secured the chip in six games. It was the only All-Filipino title won by the franchise.
2. Shell clinched the title with Paras and Vic Pablo, posting 23 and 21 points, respectively, in Game 6.
3. Paras didn’t win Finals MVP. It was Shell point guard Gerry Esplana a.k.a. Mr. Cool who got the nod. He scored 25 points in a pivotal Game 5
4. Winning the series was a major factor in why Paras was named MVP that season, exactly 10 years after he first received the award as a rookie. He narrowly beat Seigle of the San Miguel Beermen in the MVP race.
5. Alvarado, who tallied a triple-double in Game 6, was eventually banned from the PBA for falsification of documents. He was among those tagged as "Fil-shams."
Sports fans definitely love throwbacks, especially when it’s about the glory days of the PBA.
(PM)