The physicality of the series between the Phoenix Fuel Masters and the San Miguel Beermen just got higher in Game Three.
For the first 12 minutes of the game, Dave Marcelo – who stands at 6-foot-5 – had been banging bodies with 7-foot June Mar Fajardo and 6-foot-8 Christian Standhardinger to try to stop the duo.
But early in the second quarter, things turned worse for Marcelo.
Apparently, the Filipino-German told him to “hit him harder” early on.
“Sabi ko Dave, ‘anong nangyari sa’yo?’ ‘Next time, hit me harder,’ sabi daw sa kanya,” shared Louie Alas.
And Marcelo gladly obliged.
Just a minute and 38 seconds into the second stanza, Marcelo clocked Standhardinger in the head with a clothesline. It resulted in an early night for him.
Though battered by foul trouble, Phoenix were still able to hold off San Miguel to rack up their first win in the series, 92-90.
After the game though, Standhardinger denied saying those things to Marcelo.
“No. I did not know. It’s part of the game like I said. It’s never anything personal,” said the second-year PBA pro.
“I’m sure he’s a good guy. I look forward to playing against those guys next game.”
