From being a preseason favorite to hold aloft the Larry O’Brien hardware that goes to the National Basketball Association champion, the underachieving Los Angeles Lakers have struggled mightily to remain afloat in the West play-in standings at the All-Star break.
It was to be an enchanting Lovers Day get-together. Ouch, it was not to be. There were no lollipops and roses on Valentine’s Day of 1984 for players and team staff of the Toyota Super Corollas (Tamaraws) who were told of the shocking news of the disbandment of the Delta Motors franchise in the PBA after a nine-year stay in the pro league during a team gathering for what was supposed to be a happy occasion for all.
In NBA history, there have been three 50 points-or-more individual performances and seven triple-double games on Valentine’s Day.
A year from now, the Philippines will co-host the 19th edition of the FIBA World Cup (formerly known as the World Basketball Championship before being renamed as such in 2014)) with Japan and Indonesia. With the hosting rights, the country is automatically seeded to the 32-nation quadrennial competitions.
Life was a breeze, not because I was a spoiled brat, but rather because my parents from the middle class got me all the things I need to have – emphasis on “need” – and not what I wanted.
![Christmas [Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/warm-and-cozy-1975215_1920-400x200.jpg)
As I was listening to a CD full of Christmas music while doing this column, the lyrics of one such song caught my attention that I am sharing with you readers.
These are (Manila time and in chronological order): Atlanta at New York (1 a.m.), Boston at Milwaukee (3:30 a.m.), Golden State at Phoenix (6 a.m.; head-to-head series tied at 1-1), Brooklyn vs. the LA Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena (9 a.m.), and Dallas at Utah (11:30 a.m.).
Some of the most prolific individual scoring performances in National Basketball Association history have come on Christmas Day.
Amidst the festive mood brought about by the Christmas holidays, my feelings are tempered by the demise of Lim Eng Beng, one of the greatest athletes in local basketball history during this time of merrymaking six years ago.
Exactly 50 years ago on December 19, the music died. On that fateful day of December 19, 1971, the festive local basketball scene was rocked by the physical mauling of a pair of referees in an All-Filipino game in the Manila Industrial Commercial and Athletic Association (MICAA).