The history of Philippine Basketball won't be complete without the games between the storied teams of the PBA, Toyota vs. Crispa. It captured the attention of the whole archipelago in the 1970's and the 1980's. Even now it is still talked about and the internet is making it known to the whole world of it's part of the lore of Philippine basketball. My hope for this thread is to be able to get all the games the two teams played in the PBA posted in this thread. To start I need all the help from Gameface members to check with friends, office-workers, grandfathers/mothers if they have stored clippings of Toyota-Crispa games and other stories, so we can have them posted here at Unrivaled Rivalry: Crispa-Toyota. Hoping for the best.
Here's the last game they ever played: The Classic Reunion of 2003
TOYOTA EDGES CRISPA IN CLASSIC REUNION MATCH
May 29, 2003- 2003 PBA All-Star Weekend
When the game is on the wire, you'd like the ball in the hands of your biggest player. And nobody else could be bigger than Robert Jaworski.
The current Senator of the Republic, playing for the first time in a long, long while, hit a three-point shot off an assist from Ramon Fernandez and led Toyota to a 65-61 win over archnemesis Crispa last night in the reunion match between the two rival teams that highlighted the start of All-Star weekend at the Araneta Coliseum.
Jaworski's triple came with 23.3 seconds left, icing the final score, and Bogs Adornado sealed Crispa's doom with a missed triple on the other end.
"The option was there. Alangan naman ipasa pa natin eh open naman," Jaworski said.
The assist from Fernandez brought back memories of the 1989 All-Star game, when Jaworski hit his former rival and teammate with a pass that led to the basket that won the game. This time, the roles were reversed.
"It's just fitting that I return the favor. I wanted to draw his man to keep him open and just like the Big J of old, he hit the shot," said Fernandez. "Parang scripted eh," said Jaworski.
"We couln't ask for a better ending," said Philippine Basketball Association commisioner Noli Eala.
Of course,it doesn't mean it's the end.
"Kailangan may rematch," said Crispa defender Philip Cezar.
"Kailangan bumawi kami," said Atoy Co, who missed several jumpers before nailing two clutch ones in the stretch, both which gave Crispa two point leads.
Oscar Rocha, unheralded as the stars that surrounded him, countered with two clutch shots that answered Co's sudden awakening to keep Toyota in contention late in the game.
Terry Saldana had a three-point play and Rocha had two free-throws as the Tamaraws, who led by as many as 13 in the third, blew off a one-point deficit and took a 62-58 lead, 54 seconds left in the game.
Adornado buried a triple to cut the lead to one but on the return play, Fernandez posted Abet Guidaben and hit Jaworski for the key triple.
Saldana led Toyota with 15 points and 15 rebounds while Chito Loyzaga added 14 and 15 boards. Guidaben led Crsipa with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
As expected several players got into heated confrontation, but only because of the passion with which the two teams play against each other. (See..only an exhibition but it seems the PBA title is on the line. What more when they were younger!)
The scores:
Toyota 65 -Saldana 15, Loyzaga 14, Rocha 6, Herrera 6, Camus 4, Marcelo 4, Fernandez 4, Cordero 4, Cortez 3, Gil 3, Segura 2, Rodriguez 0, Bauzon 0, Reynoso 0, Clarino 0, Legaspi 0 ( The total is correct but where's Jaworski's scoring?)
Crispa 61 - Guidaben 17, Co 8, Adornado 7, Cezar 7, Cristobal 5, Mamaril 5, Dela Cruz 4, Hubalde 4, Esguerra 2, Pages 2, Dionisio 0, Brodett 0, Varela 0, Franco 0, Tanduyan 0, Fabiosa 0, Cruz 0.
Quarter: 16-14; 34-25; 47-42; 65-61 (toto battung)