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| Converge assistant coach Danny Ildefonso, seen here with the rest of the coaching staff, had a verbal exchange with NorthPort governor Erick Arejola after their game. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
MANILA—Was it just because of Scotty Hopson's late layup or was there something else?
NorthPort governor Erick Arejola was seen furious at someone from the Converge bench right after the latter rallied back to steal a 107-99 win in their PBA Governors' Cup game on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The heated moment came right after Hopson, who initially thought of just running the clock with the FiberXers already winning, was suddenly reminded about the quotient rule and beat the final buzzer with a layup.
One can easily conjecture Arejola wanted to reiterate the "unwritten rule" to the Converge bench and got mad at them, but while everyone was shaking hands after the game, he was actually seen trading barbs with assistant coach Danny Ildefonso, triggering some speculations that it may not actually be because of Hopson's layup.
For a recall, Ildefonso, the father of the Batang Pier's first-round pick Dave, commented on various Facebook threads discussing his son's fate with the former Harbour Centre franchise, implicitly accusing the team of being a "farm team".
Those comments, seen by the PBA as "detrimental to the league", cost the former two-time league MVP PHP20,000 in fines.
Head coach Bonnie Tan said after their first-round meeting that saw NorthPort winning by a blowout behind a 51-point blast from Arvin Tolentino that the elder Ildefonso's comments fired up the team in that game.
Neither Arejola nor Ildefonso aired his take on the post-game spat, which a witness said even spilled through the hallway before cooler heads prevailed.
Hopson's buzzer-beater did little to impact the head-to-head conference series between both the FiberXers and the Batang Pier as NorthPort still holds the tiebreaker over Converge mainly due to the 135-109 first-round blowout.
However, it could be in play if Magnolia, just above both teams at 3-3, ends up tied with them for the last two quarterfinal spots for Group A after the group stages.
Both the FiberXers and the Batang Pier still have at least two more meetings this season, and regardless of what happens in the contract dispute between Dave Ildefonso and NorthPort, we might still see more drama unfold between the two teams.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
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