CALVIN Oftana and Jhonard Clarito let bygones be bygones after their verbal altercation in the final seconds of Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between TNT and Rain or Shine.
Oftana and Clarito were seen arguing during a scuffle shortly after Jordan Heading was fouled by Santi Santillan with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter of TNT’s series-clinching 97-89 win over Rain or Shine.
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Clarito drew the ire of Oftana and the rest of the TNT players when he dove into Heading after the Santillan foul. But Oftana and Clarito didn’t made a big deal out of the incident, and even talked to each other at the end of Game 6.
“Wala ‘yun,” said Oftana. “Talagang ganun talaga. Ganun lang ‘yun, mangyayari’t mangyayari sa mga laro ‘yun. At the end of the day, sabi ko sa kanya, basketball lang ‘to. Gusto naming umuwi sa pamilya natin na walang nararamdaman.
"Naiintindihan niya rin naman. Siguro na misinterpret ko lang ‘yung mga ginagawa niya kasi alam naman natin na talagang hardworker si Jhonard.”
Clarito made two things clear: he was going for the ball during the dive, and every possession counts, no matter how
“Going for the ball naman eh. Siyempre, every possession napakamahalaga. Alam naman natin do-or-die para sa amin ‘yun. Kaya medyo nagkagirian. Pero it’s part of the game. It’s physical. Sa akin, normal lang ‘yun," he said.
"After the game, kamustahan na kami. Good game, good luck. Ganun lang. Ganun talaga ‘yung laro, may nananalo, may natatalo.”
Even Heading said it was normal, especially in a high-stakes contest, for a game to be a bit more physical.
“That’s just guys playing hard,” said Heading of the incident. “Credit to those guys at Rain or Shine. They play really, really hard. And it comes off as physical, it comes off, at times, dirty. But you know, at the heart of it, we all know that these guys are just trying to win a ballgame like we are.
"And things get chippy because guys are competitive and that’s just the way it is. But credit to those guys, they played a great series. It’s just impressive how aggressive and how hard they come out each and every night.”
'It's not my style'
TNT coach Chot Reyes, who was seen clapping many times when game officials tried to sort things out after the incident, was also asked for comment on the issue.
“That’s all I could do,” Reyes said when asked about his clapping gesture. “It’s not my style to talk to the players of the other teams. I'm a technical guy. I talk to my players, but I don’t talk to the players of the other teams. So, that’s all I could do. I told my players to calm down, to chill, and then just like a spectator, enjoy the goings-on.”
Aside from Oftana, Poy Erram and Glenn Khobuntin got to speak with Clarito at the floor after Game 6.
“Sabi rin ni Poy sa kanya na siya ‘yung heart and soul ng team nila. Kung maganda ‘yung laro niya, maganda ‘yung kalabasan nila. Totoo naman ‘yun. Nakikita naman ng lahat ‘yun,” said Oftana.
“After ng game, lumapit ako kay Calvin, lumapit sa akin, then si Glenn, si Poy. Wala, parang normal game lang. Kasi basketball, more on physical. Then, after ng game, wala na,” Clarito added.
The Bisaya connection made moving on easier.
“Kaibigan naman. At least, kilala ko rin naman sila, mga Bisaya. Bisaya rin ako,” said Clarito, who traces his roots to Davao.
“Nilapitan ko rin siya,” Oftana said. “Wala, no hard feelings… Alam naman ‘yun, mga Bisaya, may heated sa laro. Pero, end of the day. ‘Yun nga, mag-amigo lang din kami.”
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