Asi Taulava's Jaworski moment

It happened several days ago, last Wednesday, June 11 to be exact, but I can’t help but recall it again and again.  It not only helped a team secure a much-needed victory in a hectic, breakneck speed PBA Governors’ Cup 2014 elimination round, but it also defined the character of an all-time great, nearing the end of the road, but willing to continue fighting every step until getting there.

In sports, we like to talk about skills, on one hand, and heart on the other.  There are those who are just so talented, so skilled, that they achieve so much, whether individually or with their team.  For others, we acknowledge how they may not be as smooth or as gifted, yet they play hard, so hard, to the point that they become winners as well. Sometimes, both skills and heart are found in one player.  You can start rattling off names, and I’m sure we all have our choices, but let’s turn our attention now to Asi Taulava, Air21’s ageless center. What he did in his team’s matchup against GlobalPort on the date aforementioned was, to me, extraordinary and heroic. It might have been risky, too, but nobody even thought of that after bearing witness.

For those who may not have heard, with only a few minutes to go in the first half of the game, GlobalPort import Dior Lowhorn, a huge man, drove in from the left side, converted a lay-up and, on his way down landed an elbow smack into Asi’s face.  I had the privilege of covering that game in the company of a man familiar with how physical it can get under the basket, former PBA front-liner Ali Peek.  Asi turned, feeling around his left eye, where the elbow had landed, and immediately, he felt the blood streaming down. 

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There was a lot of blood, as head/face wounds often produce, and it poured down his face, onto his jersey, and even to the floor of the Philsports Arena (formerly ULTRA), where many a PBA battle has been fought.  Asi glared at Lowhorn, even started rushing towards the import, set on retaliating, even as Dior spoke to him, telling him that it was an accident.  Fortunately, Asi never got to Lowhorn, as players, referees, and team officials intervened.  (For the record, I thought it was clearly an accident.)

Unfortunately for Air21, though, it seemed Asi would be lost for the game, considering how deep the cut looked and how much blood had scattered.  He left the court for treatment and missed the rest of the first half.  Prior to the halftime break, Ali and I interviewed Air21 import Dominique Sutton, whom Ali asked about possible adjustments, considering that Asi may not be around for the rest of the game.  Ali and I were concerned for Asi, as the wound looked pretty bad from our vantage point, so much so that we believed Asi had already been brought to the hospital for stitches, and the threat of the wound re-opening would be high if he returned to play.

Just prior to the second half, however, we were pleasantly surprised to see Asi on the bench, with a big bandage over the wound.  We wondered if Coach Franz Pumaren would still let him play, but when the second half began, Asi was on the court, ready to go.  Apple David, our courtside reporter, told us that Asi had never left the arena.  He refused to.  He insisted that the team medical staff just cover the wound as best as they could to allow him to play.  Ali smiled and shook his head.  He knew of his old friend Asi’s pride and determination, both of which were on full display.

Obviously, the wound and the bandage over it were bothering Asi.  He was struggling on defense, slow to react.  Halfway through the quarter, if I recall correctly, the wound was bleeding and the blood had leaked through the bandage.  Asi had to leave the game again and we thought, maybe this time, he would really not be back. 

Of course, we were wrong. Minutes later, he was back on the bench, and, yes, he continued playing a little later on.  At this point, with the game really close, not only did he play, but he practically willed his team to victory.  He ran up and down the court, battled with Lowhorn and the other big men, made crucial baskets, hit some free throws, collared rebounds on both ends, and played good defense.

The blood never leaked out again, and in the last minutes, when Air21 was practically assured of victory, Ali suggested that Asi should be the Best Player of the Game (no protest from me).  He finished with seventeen points, nine rebounds, and four assists in thirty-two minutes of action.  His points, rebounds and minutes were slightly below his conference averages, but he got his numbers that night with a gaping wound and a big bandage over his eye.

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Asi is 41 years old, but he has been playing like a much younger man. He is rejuvenated, trimmer but more solidly built, perhaps in better shape than in many years past.  He averages almost 40 minutes a game, on a team that is going to the playoffs for the second straight conference and which has become a threat to every other team in the league.  He is literally and figuratively the biggest reason for the Air 21 Express turnaround. 

To think, some thought his PBA career might be over when at the start of last season, as he was not on any PBA team’s roster. Given another chance, he came back perhaps even more determined than he had ever been.

His performance against GlobalPort brought back images of PBA legend Sonny Jaworski’s own bout with a nasty cut suffered against the powerhouse Northern Consolidated squad in 1985, when he had to leave the arena to get it stitched up, then returned to lead his Ginebra team to victory.  Some say that’s when the “never say die” spirit of Ginebra started. 

Perhaps Asi’s example last week will impact the Air21 franchise (or whatever name they carry next season, as rumor has it that PBA D-League team NLEX will acquire the team) in a similar way, beginning a legacy similar to that of The Big J.  It’s possible.  Asi, the Air21 Team Captain, together with proven stars such as Mark Cardona and Joseph Yeo, leads a group of players that seems to have found its niche. This is a new and improved Express. They’re fun to watch and learning how to win.

After Air21 defeated GlobalPort, I tweeted about Asi, admiring his effort, calling him a true warrior for staying in the game, and congratulating him for earning Best Player honors. He replied, thanking me and saying “Couldnt leave my lil brothers during battle! Puso (Heart).”

In this day and age of prima donnas in sports, athletes who are content with just receiving a paycheck, wincing in pain at every bump, and so easily sitting out games for various reasons, Asi is a prime example of how it should be done. The fans appreciate what he is doing, and we should all admire him for his effort.  He is, after all, the “most mature” (i.e., eldest) player in the PBA, and he is showing all the youngsters what it takes to be one of the all-time greats.  They should take heed and follow his lead.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.