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    Goorjian doesn't mind jeers: 'Who wants to play in front of an empty crowd?'

    How Bay Area coach is fascinated by Filipino crowd
    Dec 28, 2022
    Crowd Game 1 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals Ginebra vs Bay Area
    Over 18,000 fans came in attendance in Game One.
    PHOTO: Marlo Cueto

    BRIAN Goorjian has probably seen it all in his over three decades as a pro club coach in Australia and China.

    But the current Bay Area Dragons mentor was surprised to see the kind of audience atmosphere as electric as it was in Game One of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Barangay Ginebra at the Mall of Asia Arena.

    Brian Goorjian on Filipino crowd

    “I’ve been in a lot of finals series, even the Olympics where you come into the stadium and I’ve never seen anything…taking videos of the people, standing in front of the stadium waiting to come in, and you just love that about the PBA,” the 69-year-old coach said on SPIN POV.

    “Everybody’s sending me messages like, ‘Wow’ and what a great experience to come into a stadium and the introductions, and the whole show is professional. And the fans and the environment were tremendous,” he added.

    Over 18,000 fans came in attendance to watch the Gin Kings roll to a 96-81 victory to gain the early upper hand in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

    Goorjian doesn’t mind the jeers from the pro-Ginebra crowd.

    “That’s a huge stadium, world-class, and you walk in and there’s a sea of people waiting to come in to the stadium and as Andrew [Nicholson] said, they weren’t cheering for us, for sure, but they were classy and passionate,” the American-Australian coach said.

    According to chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, Game One saw the largest crowd since the 20,224 people who came for Game Six of last season’s Governors’ Cup finals also at the MOA Arena between Ginebra and Meralco where the Gin Kings clinched the title with a 103-92 win last April 22.

    It was also the largest Christmas Day crowd since 2017 when 22,531 trooped to the Philippine Arena for the GlobalPort-NLEX & Brgy.Ginebra-Magnolia games in the elims of the 2017-18 Phil Cup.

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    “I went to the MMA fighting. It’s different when you applaud when you sit in and you applaud a good play. They’re passionate about their team,” Goorjian said.

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      Asked how playing against the league’s most popular team can be good marketing for the Dragons, Goorjian summed it up in one word: fantastic.

      “And we’re involved in entertainment. That’s why we’re here. Who wants to play in front of an empty crowd? So that environment, we’re so excited,” he added.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      Over 18,000 fans came in attendance in Game One.
      PHOTO: Marlo Cueto
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