Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Tempers flared Monday and emotions are expected to still run high as CafeFrance and Hapee duke it out for the 2015 PBA D-League Foundation Cup crown on Thursday after the Bakers forced deciding game 3 in the finals .
In game 2, emotions almost got the best of both teams as a scuffle almost turned into a full-on melee with under three minutes left to play.
After Hapee’s Art dela Cruz recovered from a scary fall which saw him hyperextend his left knee with 2:51 left, both squads nearly came to blows and had to be separated.
As a result, Hapee team manager Bernard Yang and CafeFrance team manager Jun Tiongco were both ejected for flagrant misconduct.
Ola Adeogun was also slapped with a technical foul after disrespectfully addressing an official even as Fresh Fighters’ Jaypee Mendoza and Bakers’ Michael Miranda were both given with technicals for verbal altercation.
CafeFrance coach Egay Macaraya came to the defense of his wards, saying that the play that started the scuffle was an unfortunate event and that o one from his camp were intentionally trying to start a fight.
“Nobody’s trying to hurt anybody. There were no dirty plays. It just so happened that dela Cruz hurt his knee from the fall,” he said. “The focus for us is winning the game.”
Yang, meanwhile, said that the team just reacted from the things some of the Fresh Fighters heard after they went on to help dela Cruz on the Bakers’ side of the court.
“I’m just trying to protect the players, especially the San Beda guys since the NCAA season is near,” he said.
But Hapee coach Ronnie Magsanoc just shrugged off the scene and would rather move forward to the all-important Game 3.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “Everybody wants to win. Sometimes, things like that happen. It’s up to the players to play through it.” CFC