Shaquille O'Neal's RP visit

August 20, 1997 (Wednesday), it was a very memorable game for ertswhile PBA stars Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino, Johnny Abarrientos and Alvin Patrimonio, and hordes of PBA fans. It was the first time they'd ever see NBA star and arguably one of the best centers of all-time Shaquille O'Neal in action. O'Neal was traveling with other American ballers including ex-NBA veteran Chris Gatling. Wonder how the game went? Let's look back and feel the excitement of that game.



Perhaps like the strong rains and the uncontrollable flooding that swept Metro Manila days earlier, visiting Shaquille O’Neal of the then Los Angeles Lakers team and his Team Shaq conquered a PBA All-Star selection 107-68 in an exhibition game before a fullhouse crowd at the Araneta Coliseum last August 1997.

Score was lopsided but there was no sense of urgency on the part of the two teams to win. It was as it was advertised -- just an exhibition game where almost everybody allowed O’Neal, primarily, to show the stuff that made him one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

It was showtime at its best with almost all the players falling into a state of amnesia when it came to playing defense. And the receptive crowd didn’t mind.

The PBA All-Stars, coached Philippine Living Legend Robert Jaworski Sr. were in the game only in the first few minutes when they engaged their American counterparts into two lead changes. From then on, it became a one-sided contest with Team Shaq pulling away, using their sheer power and tremendous advantage in ceiling to the hilt. Of course, with most of the PBA All-Stars taking extra precautions to avoid unnecessary injuries (with business in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis still to be finished), it was understandable why they didn’t play any defense.

Just to show how free-flowing the game was, Team Shaq had 28 of their total output courtesy of thunderous dunks, with O’Neal accounting for 16 of them. And believe it or not, even the littlest guys on the court -- Johnny Abarrientos and David of the PBA All-Stars -- got to show off their slam dunk skills with barely a minute left in the game. With help from Shaq, of course, who, instead of defending against them, gamely lifted the two players one after the other in two consecutive possessions of the PBA All-Stars for what could be the only times they will ever get to dunk the ball in a game.

“First time kong mag-dunk. Noong nakita kong ginawa kay Johnny, talagang ginusto ko na rin. Siyempre paring remembrance ko sa kanya. Kaya sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Hey, Shaq, let me dunk too,” said an excited David after the game. Those two slam dunks by the smallest locals, the first two for their team in the game, nearly brought the house down.

With the crowd expecting slam dunks at every possession, Nelson Asaytono got himself booed sometime in the fourth quarter when he just made an easy lay—up instead of a dunk on an all—alone fastbreak play. As expected, the 7-foot-2 and 330-pound O’Neil bullied and powered his way against the best Philippine basketball could offer against him at the slot in the persons of Marlou Aquino and Bonel Balingit, who both stood at 6-9.

The Shaq Attack, who at times played point guard for his team to the delight of the crowd, finished with a game—high 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two shotblocks in just 18 minutes of playing time in the shortened game. (Both teams played just seven-and-a half—minute quarters instead of the usual 12 per quarter.) O’Neal, who also had a mini-concert after the game, made 13 of 22 shots but failed in six attempts from three-point country. But Aquino, Balingit and even four-time PBA MVP Alvin Patrimonio showed O’Neal a thing or two of their capabilities. In the first quarter, Patrimonio drove inside the shaded lane and was met by O’Neal. Shifting the ball to his left hand, The Captain looped a left—handed bank shot over Shaq. O'Neal tried to block it but couldn't. The shot went in resulting in a big roar from the crowd.

In the second quarter, Balingit got caught in a one-on-one situation with the huge slotman inside the paint and faked a basket. O’Neal bit the fake and ended up fouling the erstwhile ex-Pop Cola man mountain (well of course he didn’t look like a man mountain anymore beside Shaq) and sending him to the 15-foot-line. Too bad Balingit missed free throws.

Team Shaq led then, 38-2 1 with 4:45 remaining in the first half. Balingit once again had a hangtime move against O’Neal in the final quarter, pumping the ball with one hand on a lay-up to avoid an O’Neal block but again he missed, most likely overwhelmed by Shaq’s presence. Nineteen seconds into the third quarter, Aquino had a neat finger-roll with Shaq in front of him for the first basket of the second half. O’Neal and company had led 58-39 at halftime.

About three minutes later, Patrimonio surprised everybody by getting an offensive rebound off a surprised O’Neal but his hook shot to avoid Shaq’s shotblocking arms went for naught. Abarrientos and Patrimonio also were seen making mincemeat of the defense of another legit NBA star Chris Gatling in two instances, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Gatling, a former New Jersey Net, also showed off his NBA stature, finishing with 24 points on a 12-of-13 shooting.

“Hindi pala malakas si Shaq kundi malakas na malakas. Ang laki nlya. Grabe. Magugulat ka pa talaga sa laki niya sa personal. At palang napakahirap harangin at depensahan. Minsan tinitulak ko siya sa depensa, ako pa yung napaatras. Hindi ko matulak. Baka nakalasan ako ng buto kung pinilit ko. Pero tuwang-tuwa kami dahil nakita at nakalaro namin ng personal Si Shaq," said Aquino, who finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Dennis Espino was tops in offense for the PBA selection with his 10 points, although most of them came in the fourth canto after Team Shaq had already posted leads of as big as 48. “Ni hindi nga basketball ang pinag-uusapan nainin sa bench kundi papaano makapagpa-picture at makapagpa-autograph kay Shaq,” Aquino also said. Patrimonio and Jeffrey Cariaso had eight points each but Jeffrey had one of his attempts in the second quarter swatted away to almost the lower box section by O’Neal.

“Mukhang masaya naman ang taong nanood. Tsaka kaining mga players. Talagang showtime,’ said Aquino. Indeed, it was one exhibition game they will never forget in their lives.