“MANANALO kami(We will win)! Excited na ako, excited na lahat(Everyone’s excited)!”
This was the confident statement of KIA playing-coach Manny Pacquiao moments before the start of the Sorento-Blackwater Elite clash in yesterday’s opening of the PBA’s 40th season at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The world boxing icon was warned by his trainer Freddie Roach about possible injuries that he might incur in PBA games before his Nov. 22 (Nov. 23 in Manila) fight with the undefeated Chris Algieri in Macau.
But it was obvious that nothing could stop the Pacman from getting a taste of professional basketball the first chance he got.
Even his wife Jinkee, the team muse, was just as excited as Pacquiao.
Jinkee said she will support her husband in basketball just as she supports him in boxing. “I will pray that his team wins today,” she said.
Roach chose to stay in General Santos City and watch his ward on television. Pacquiao promised to return to GenSan to resume his training as soon as the game against Blackwater was over.
Pacquiao was part of the KIA starting five. You could feel the electricity in the air when he was on court. Many in the crowd screamed every time he touched the ball.
Five minutes and 13 seconds into the first quarter, the “Pambansang Kamao” (National Fist) was pulled out by assistant coach Glenn Capacio after he committed two turnovers.
Pacquiao said his team needed to improve its shooting, especially on the charity lane.
The rest of the game, Pacquiao concentrated on coaching, inspiring his crew from the bench.
Kia rallied to beat Blackwater, 80-66.
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Boyet Fernandez, the man who will call the shots for NLEX as soon as the current NCAA season is over, was worried sick after reading this column last Wednesday. We said that among NLEX’s main tasks is to beat the San Miguel teams—Purefoods, Ginebra San Miguel and San Miguel Beer.
Team owner Manny V. Pangilinan was just teasing Mon Fernandez, the president and CEO of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., when he told the NLEX governor “to try and beat the SMC teams.”
Perhaps that would be the mission of MVP’s veteran teams Meralco and Talk ‘N Text. But if NLEX can also do it, that would certainly make MVP extremely happy.