In the scuffles that happened late in Game Two of the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Finals series between the San Miguel Beermen and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday night, Renaldo Balkman was there.
Just not how you’d think.
He was seen doing his best to separate his teammates and their opponents to ease tensions – he came in when Arwind Santos had a spat with Kevin Ferrer, and he did the same when Chris Ross and Joe Devance went face-to-face.
To put it simply, Balkman was playing the pacifier’s role in the encounters that took place inside the final five minutes and 18 seconds of the game.
“I mean, I can’t say what I wanna say but at the end of the day, you gotta stay professional,” said the 12-year pro. “Basketball is tough sometimes, especially when you’re down like that. We were in the same predicament in Game One.
“Tempers get flared but you gotta stay professional all the time,” the Puerto Rican reinforcement added. “Give the fans a great show. All I gotta say about that is, man, you gotta keep playing through it, whatever the outcome is at the end of the game.
“I always say it, stay professional.”
Balkman and the Beermen were able to play through all the emotions, and they were rewarded with a 134-109 victory – one that sent the best-of-seven series to one game apiece.
The win serves as a huge statement from the defending champions after they were humiliated back in the series’ curtain-raiser last Friday in a 99-127 defeat, no thanks to the near-perfect form that Ginebra flashed.
“It was a tough loss for us Game One, really tough loss. Like I told my guys in the locker room, I’ve never in life got beat that bad and got embarrassed,” reflected Balkman, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds amid five fouls.
“So guess what. We came out here and got what we do.”
