MERALCO may have battled Barangay Ginebra several times in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals, but their games against Magnolia Chicken Timplados over the past few conferences have been a dogfight that it is brewing into a rivalry.
Meralco vs Magnolia already a rivalry?
The Bolts overcame the Hotshots, 86-84, in another playoff-type contest between both teams in the 2023 Governors’ Cup and it has been that way since two years ago, with head coach Norman Black already seeing the match-ups between the squads as a rivalry.
In the 2021 Philippine Cup, the Bolts overcame a 13-point lead to beat the Hotshots, 95-94, on a buzzer-beating lay-up by Chris Newsome in Bacolor.
Since then, they have been figuring in mostly crucial elimination matches and important playoff games, with Magnolia getting back at Meralco in the semifinals with a 4-2 series win in the Bacolor semi-bubble, with the Hotshots bowing to TNT in the championship series.
The Hotshots beat the Bolts, 88-85, in their elimination round match in the 2021 Governors’ Cup where they overhauled a 16-point deficit to take the victory. But Magnolia was stunned in the semifinals with a 3-2 series defeat even with the No. 1 seed in the playoffs against Meralco, which arranged a finals clash with eventual champion Barangay Ginebra with the result.
Magnolia won over Meralco, 97-88, in overtime during a 2022 Philippine Cup clash, and the Hotshots beat an injury-depleted Bolts squad, 108-96, in the Commissioner’s Cup tussle. The Bolts finally won this season with a grind-out win that went down to free throws and defense after both teams held double-digit leads over the course of the contest.
Since that 2021 clash in the Philippine Cup, Magnolia is leading the match-up, but not far behind with the Hotshots getting nine wins and the Bolts with seven over the course of that period.
“I think it has been for a few years since the bubble,” said Black, when asked if he thinks Meralco and Magnolia is already a rivalry.
“Personally, I think that’s what the league should be all about,” said Black, who was adamant in the past that Meralco has no rivalry against Barangay Ginebra yet since the Bolts haven’t won a championship over them.
“It should be about rivalries. That’s how you bring people into the stands when they know that they show up for the game, there is going to be a fight. Not literally a fight, but a fight on the court as far as how they play on the court against each other.”
“That’s why people come to see the games. They want to see teams out there really battling it out,” said Black.
Black said that has been exactly the quality of the matches of both defensive-oriented teams over the past few conferences.
“Every time we play Magnolia, because we play similar styles,” said Black. “We are not really high-scoring teams. We play defense. We play different defense. Theirs is more pressure, pressure, pressure, take the ball away from you. Ours is more, we stop you and take the rebounds. It’s different types of defenses but it’s just a good match-up.”
Black hopes that the Meralco-Magnolia rivalry will continue to take off and produce quality matches for the benefit of the PBA.
“I think it’s good for the PBA that the PBA establishes rivalries like that throughout the league,” said Black.
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