All-Star games have always been about fun and entertainment. — something that can’t be said for Friday night in Batangas City, when the SMART All-Star National Team took on the Luzon All-Stars in the second leg of the 2018 PBA All-Star Week.
Terrence Romeo and Arwind Santos nearly got into it with 4:52 left in the game, when the former gave the latter a sneaky hit after thinking that he got elbowed by Santos in the San Miguel Beermen star forward’s lay-up.
Both men were slapped with technical fouls, which is a rarity in the mid-season spectacle.
“Nagkabiglaan lang siguro.
“Kasi alam mo naman, may mga biglaang reaction, pag-layup ni kuya Arwind, nasa ilalim so medyo na-feel ko na nabagsakan ako ng siko so parang biglang instinct lang,” Romeo explained of his actions.
Santos pointed out that, “Nabagsakan ko lang siya. Gumanti siya kaagad.”
That spat, however, won’t escalate into a long-standing feud, as the two Far Eastern University products quickly squashed their beef. After SMART’s 152-149 win, Romeo and Santos were seen on the court patching things up.
“‘Di ako galit kay kuya Arwind. Actually lumapit nga ako, sabi ko, ‘Pasensya na kuya Arwind kasi nabigla din ako, hindi naman na dapat ganoon’,” said Romeo, the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, as he tallied 48 points and 11 assists.
“Pareho naman kaming taga-FEU ni kuya Arwind. Wala sa akin yun, wala sa amin yun.”
“Nag-sorry naman kami sa isa’t isa,” said Santos, who had 32 points and five rebounds for Luzon, who had a chance to end the match into a draw after coming back from 11 points down with 3:20 remaining in the fourth.
“Hindi siya aabot sa suntukan talaga.”
