Commotion in the tunnel leading to the dugout between NorthPort and NLEX. –MELO FUERTES/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—At the end of the showdown between Northport and NLEX, a commotion ensued involving Batang Pier team manager Pido Jarencio and Road Warriors’ import Thomas Robinson on the way to the dugout at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
After the Road Warriors secured a 112-104 victory over Batang Pier in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Jarencio had to be contained by his players, security and even league commissioner Willie Marcial in the tunnel after hurling threats at the opposition’s import.
“I’ll shoot you later! Happy New Year and Merry Christmas” were among the words said by Jarencio as his peers tried to pacify him.
Robinson figured in plenty of collisions during the match, most notably in the third quarter when he was shoulder checked by Northport’s JM Calma.
NLEX coach Frankie Lim, though, said had no idea how it started, stating that all hell had already broken loose when he got to the dugout.
“When I got there, they were already swearing at each other. They were trying to scare Robinson but that guy’s not easily threatened. It ended up with bad words thrown at each other. I told him (Robinson), to just let it go. That’s just how it is,” said Lim at the post-game conference in Filipino.
“Everyone was trying to trash-talk each other. The bench joined in so he answered back. Someone got insulted, so he responded and he started to make threats. It didn’t need to reach that point. This is just basketball.”
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and none was cooler than Robinson’s, walking out of the locker room with utmost composure.
After finishing with a monster game of 30 points, 18 rebounds, two assists and two steals, the former NBA veteran paid little to no attention to the aftermath of the runaway game.
“They’re just upset, that’s all. They lost, we won,” said Robinson. “I was just competing. They’re competing, I’m competing, that’s all.”
Jarencio left the scene right after the altercation and wasn’t asked for a statement. Northport skidded to a 2-2 card while the Road Warriors improved to an identical record.