I no longer take great interest in watching basketball games these days, probably due to having my fill, my eyes glued to that overwhelmingly addicting spectacle called the Crispa - Toyota rivalry in the seventies and early eighties. I was a Crispa fan. The Crispa Redmanizers on the one hand was owned by the Floro family, and was coached by the legendary Baby Dalupan. The Toyota Tamaraws, on the other hand, was owned by the Silverios. Most of the players cam from the ranks of the amateur league, the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA), which was the main basketball league since the pre-war era (established in 1938). The rivalry started in 1975, the birth of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and ended in 1984, when Toyota officially disbanded. This rivalry, on and off, the court, was the stuff of legend. It was very interesting to follow, since both teams gave each game their all in order to win. To a certain extent, it was no longer just a basketball game, it became a nationwide spectacle, sort of like gladiator games to entertain a nation under martial law. People were polarized, and every household would turn on the radios and television sets in order to follow the score board. Do you still remember the faces behind the teams?
As as aside, Kong Kong was quite active in the MICAA, having been a team manager of the Yutivo Opels in the fifties and early sixties. I remember other teams participating in the sixties, and that would include the YCO Painters, Ysmael Steel, Meralco Reddy Kilowatts, Mariwasa, Utex, Presto, Komatsu, 7Up and San Miguel Beer. While the games were televised, I was just a kid then and don't really remember much.
