DON'T believe it when you hear that sister teams in the PBA don't play hard enough when playing against each other. And don't believe that sister teams are routinely ordered to rig results because the owner has a favorite team.
At least, that is not the case with the MVP Group which has three teams in the PBA: TNT, NLEX and Meralco.
According to sources, the teams fight to the death because there is more at stake than just advancing to the playoffs and winning a championship.
The talk somehow spread after TNT, the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, beat NLEX, the No. 1 ranked team, during their quarterfinal series where the Tropang 5G overcame twice-to-win disadvantage.
TNT is currently in a do-or-die matchup against Barangay Ginebra which it will meet in Game 7 of the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup finals on Wednesday.
One player has insisted that a team giving way to its company sibling is nothing but a myth.
The person who requested anonymity said games against sister teams are, in fact, more intense as each ballclub want to prove it is the best in the organization.
Plus, the monetary benefits of winning against a sister team is sometimes very lucrative, recalling the player’s disappointment after they lost in a playoff series.
“Two months (salary),” said the player, when asked how much the bonus that they were supposed to receive had they won against their sister team.
If the source is to be believed, that’s about P840,000 for a player who receives the maximum just for winning a playoff series against a sister team.
By the way, one other group that has sister teams in the PBA is San Miguel. Besides SMB, also under that umbrella is Ginebra and Magnolia. Whether the owner of that group also offers stupendous bonuses if it wins against sister teams is unknown.
But your guess is as good as mine. - Reuben Terrado
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
