The Professional Basketball Alumni Association of the US showed off some hoop magic to a sellout crowd in Taipei with an 80-73 win over the SBL Future All-stars at the National Taiwan University Gymnasium last night.
The group of former National Basketball Association (NBA) standouts, led by Penny Hardaway, Tracy “T-Mac” McGrady and Latrell Sprewell, took the young Taiwanese squad to school with a slew of nifty passes and several brilliantly orchestrated scoring sequences to send the 4,500-plus on hand to their feet on numerous occasions.
Even though McGrady was sidelined by a knee injury and did not dress for the game, his presence was clearly felt as the fans chanted his name throughout the contest to show their support for the former NBA all-star.
DUNKING
In addition to four quarters of excellent hoop action, the game also featured an awesome slam dunk exhibition during the halftime intermission that showcased Porter Mayberry’s tremendous throw-down as the 165cm dunking sensation defied gravity by leaping over a teammate to grab the ball before slamming it home.
“It’s good to see everyone have a good time,” Mayberry said after the game.
His jaw-dropping act was slightly topped by Guy Dupuy’s baseline slam in which the French springman leapt over a Mayberry standing on a chair under the basket to bring the house down.
With the fans clearly on their side, the visitors took an early 22-12 lead after one quarter of play, with Hardaway and Antwan Scott leading the way.
RALLY BEFORE HALF
However, the SBL Future All-stars were able to come back, with Liu Chan and Norvel Pelle spearheading a rally that brought the hosts to within two of the visitors in a 33-31 affair at the half.
That was as close as the Taiwanese got during the game as the NBA alumni broke away with a strong second half, despite a sluggish effort by Hardaway, en route to the expected victory.
“I thought I was more ready than I was, but my legs just left me really early,” the “Pennyman” said after the game when asked to comment on his performance.
The long-time NBA All-Star might not have had a good game statistically, but his on-court presence was just as inspirational, if not more, to the fans and the players around nonetheless.
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