Henry Walker of Alaska (dark) vs Paul Lee of Rain or Shine (light). NUKI SABIO/PBA
MANILA, Philippines—Alaska import Henry Walker was wincing and grimacing in pain on the bench as he got treatment on his right arm in the closing minutes of Rain or Shine’s blowout win over the Aces in Game 2 of their semifinals series.
With a busted lower lip and after receiving therapy on his arm, Walker, the last man out of the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night, was still upset when he was met by a couple of reporters for an interview.
Asked about the physicality of the game, Walker showed he clearly had enough of it.
“That’s not physicality. That’s just dirty play. That’s blatant dirty play,” said Walker with his eyes glaring implying anger toward the Elasto Painters. “I’m getting punched in the mouth. This is the second time in a row I’m getting punched, trying to dislocate my arm,” he claimed. “Come on, let’s play ball. That’s all I’m here to do. I’m not here trying to do anything else.”
“All the dirty plays, I’m not gonna stand for that. Guys just trying to break my arm, come on, that’s not even part of basketball. I can see being physical. But there’s a line you’re crossing when you’re really trying to break my arm,” Walker, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, added
The NBA veteran Walker called out Rain or Shine’s Jireh Ibañes and Beau Belga for trying to “twist my arm up” with the Pilipinas reserve also “trying to hip toss me.”
“The whole game, Ibañes, or whatever his name is, he’s twisting my arm up.”
The 6-foot-5 Walker and Belga got entangled while both big men were fighting for position under the basket early in the third quarter with the former New York Knick charging at Belga meriting a flagrant foul 1.
“That’s not basketball. But I’m gonna get a call, get fined, because I reacted like any man would have reacted,” said Walker, who was fined P20,000 by the league before the conference “for misconduct and misdemeanor” during a tuneup fight. “It is what it is. I have nothing else to say about the physicality. I’m just gonna defend myself at all times.
Walker said he tried to plead his case to the referees but “I say something to the ref, he rolls his eyes.”
“I know I’m a foreigner but come on now. I can’t be physical and stuff like that but you’re allowing them to be physical like that. But if that’s what they gotta do to win, then so be it,” said Walker, who admitted that his arm was still “sore” and he would need a lot of “treatment” to be ready for the pivotal Game 3 on Tuesday.
“I can take basketball stuff, like if it’s a basketball play. But this is dirty play, this is not basketball. This is like me grabbing your arm, trying to twist your arm out the socket or break your elbow. That’s dirty, that has nothing to do with basketball.”