JUST weeks after the Bacolod controversy rocked the MPBL, another unusual scoring sequence has caught the attention of basketball fans online.
The Mindoro Tamaraws went scoreless for 12 minutes against Marikina, a stretch that quickly went viral on social media and raised questions among netizens.
What made the sequence even more curious was how Mindoro responded.
After being unable to score for 12 minutes, the Tamaraws suddenly found their offense in the closing stretch and completed a 71-69 comeback victory over Marikina.
The unusual game sequence comes at a particularly sensitive time for the MPBL, just weeks after the league was forced to deal with the Bacolod MassKara controversy, where a prolonged scoring drought became part of a much bigger investigation.
This time, however, there is no established allegation of game-fixing involving Mindoro.
Still, the timing and the unusual nature of the scoring drought were enough for netizens to raise questions and compare the sequence with what happened in the Bacolod case.
And the MPBL itself is now taking notice.
In an exclusive interview with Sports Now, commissioner Emerson Oreta confirmed that the league’s analytics team will look into the game.
“We’ll try. May third party tayo na katulong, iyung analytics natin. They will see,” said Oreta.
Oreta, who was personally present with the MPBL technical committee during the game, said he saw Mindoro continuing to compete despite the scoring drought.
“Kung basketball fanatic ka, you can see they’re trying to score at the same time they’re playing defense,” he pointed out.
But the commissioner also acknowledged a broader concern facing the league: the disparity in the level of competition among teams.
Oreta revealed that the MPBL is considering creating a Division 2 next season in an effort to address the imbalance.
“We’re trying to put a Division 2 next season para maayos natin iyung level of competition,” he continued.
The proposal, however, remains subject to the approval of MPBL founder and president Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, Oreta said the league’s investigation into the Bacolod case remains ongoing, with continued coordination involving the Games and Amusements Board and government officials.
For now, Mindoro’s 12-minute scoring drought remains an unusual sequence that caught the attention of netizens and not proof of game-fixing.
But coming only weeks after the Bacolod controversy, it’s another moment the MPBL can hardly afford to ignore. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
