Game 5 of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Finals was another instant classic. The battle between the hungry challengers and the proud defending champions had storylines on top of storylines. There was June Mar Fajardo who perhaps had the worst half on his entire PBA career, but still came up with a 20-20 game. Marcio Lassiter was finally playing a great game after suffering a back injury. Magnolia overcame fouled out bigs and Paul Lee's injury, and Mark Barroca hit the biggest shot of the series thus far. However, when you recall Game 5, the first thing people will talk about was the intruder dressed as Spider-Man. It soiled an instant classic. It killed the momentum of the game. Players get injured with moves they practice every day. They get hurt with contact they actually brace for. A player running straight into another person going full speed ahead is a recipe for disaster. The intruder ran right into the most well-liked PBA player today in Fajardo, and he hurt him. For those who might not know, Fajardo is one of the most humble people you'll meet. Amidst the personal accolades, championships, money and fame, if you bump into him in public, chances are he'll be the first to apologize. The runner's plea after he was nabbed was to relay his message of solidarity and love but it's difficult to believe that the message was really what he wanted to push here. He wanted fame, infamy to be more apt. He wanted the attention of the thousands watching inside the Smart-Araneta Coliseum and the millions more watching at home. He wanted to be talked about, maybe even praised for his message but it fell on deaf ears because he chose the wrong manner of doing so. QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES - MAY 10, 2019: A costumed spectator makes a scene during the Game 5 of PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. KC Cruz/ESPN5 Christian Standhardinger and Chris Ross were the first to express their displeasure as they bumped the intruder after seeing him collide with their teammate, which could have also prevented him from running into more people. PBA personnel and the arena security got to him 10 seconds after he collided with Fajardo. Everyone wanted a piece of the guy for hurting Fajardo. Some overzealous people managed to sneak in a punch or two but the violence was kept at a minimum and rightfully so. The players had every right to protect themselves as the invader ransacked their place of work, which could have caused them harm. Force needed to be used to bring him down but other than that no harm should have been done to the guy after the security personnel already had him subdued. After his accomplices were also escorted into the dugout area, another fan wanted to express his displeasure as he threw a punch from the patron section. The security personnel were also quick to pinpoint the individual and escort him out, which was the perfect way of dealing with it. It didn't matter whose side he was on. He committed a mistake and he, too, will have to pay for it. It's frustrating that this event ended up going viral after being picked up by international news agencies because Philippine basketball has so much to offer. The invader will now spend at least a night in jail. The PBA Office will surely do everything they can to make sure this never happens again. Fans of the PBA are lucky to get liberal access to the players. The security personnel even allow them to take pictures on the court before the game and during halftime. Now, with his development, it wouldn't be a surprise if stricter rules are put in place. The PBA will have to protect its players and limiting chances of this happening again should be a priority, even if it means also limiting fans' access to the court. This may be just one of the steps that the PBA will have to take and the fans will bear the brunt of it because of one guy's desire for his 15 minutes of fame.<doc-sep>Barroca hits game-winner as Magnolia goes up 3-2 vs SMB in chaos-marred Game 5 CUBAO, Philippines – The Magnolia Hotshots are on the brink of ending San Miguel's reign in the Philippine Cup after emerging victorious in a pivotal Game Five of the finals, 88-86, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao on Friday. The game was marred with chaos after an unknown fan dressed as Spider-Man charged into the court during the fourth quarter and hit SMB's June Mar Fajardo. Related Stories Man dressed as Spider-Man runs on court in PBA Finals Game 5 The scuffle resulted in a long ceasefire on the court as security personnel dragged the assailant out of the arena. After a strong start against the Beermen in the first half, Magnolia had to weather San Miguel's blistering 20-2 run in the third quarter that almost cost them the game. The Hotshots also survived a scare late in the game as Fajardo slowly picked up his game. Mark Barroca hit a buzzer-beater to give Magnolia the win. Barroca and Ian Sangalang paced the Hotshots in the crucial win. Meanwhile, hot-again Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos led the Beermen in the losing effort. Magnolia hopes to close out the series on Sunday while SMB face a do-or-die situation to keep their Philippine Cup dominance run alive.<doc-sep>MANILA, Philippines – A man wearing a Spider-Man costume entered the court at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Game Five of the Philippine Cup Finals between San Miguel and Magnolia Friday, temporarily halting the action in the fourth period. Replays show the man running wildly on the court and bumping into the Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo, who appeared to be hurt afterwards. He was eventually tackled by venue security —even by SMB players Christian Stanhardinger and Chris Ross — and dragged out of the arena. Spider-Man Away From Home... and he’s on a basketball court! pic.twitter.com/E8xDaLJeli — alder almo (@alderalmo) May 10, 2019 An unknown individual dressed up as Spiderman came into the court and apparently hit Fajardo. Security dragged him out of the court. A ceasefire is now in effect. Magnolia leads 84-78 with three minutes left | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews #PBAFinals pic.twitter.com/sVRBaSFI8A — Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) May 10, 2019 Spiderman suddenly appears at the Big Dome @spinph pic.twitter.com/N9iJez8pgX — gerryramos (@gerardmos) May 10, 2019 PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said that the assailant is now in the custody of the police He said that the PBA plans to pursue a case against the man. He also said that the league will request additional security in the following games | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews #PBAFinals https://t.co/q35RO75vZo — Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) May 10, 2019 When asked about why he did what he did, the assailant had said to Marcial "eleksyon lang po" | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews #PBAFinals — Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) May 10, 2019 The chaos didn’t end there as another man attacked the SMB bench and also had to be retrained and taken away by security personnel. Chaos continues as the assailant continues to charge at the SMB bench. Multiple security personnel needed to restrain the man | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews #PBAFinals pic.twitter.com/Q0X2t4qkTO — Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) May 10, 2019 The series is tied at 2-2 as of posting time.<doc-sep>
Mark Barroca nailed a baseline jumper as time expired to lift the Magnolia Hotshots past the San Miguel Beermen 88-86 in Game 5 of the Philippine Cup finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday. Magnolia took possession with 13.2 seconds remaining and patiently worked the ball around before Rodney Brondial found Barroca in the left corner. Barroca pump-faked his way around Christian Standhardinger and hit the pull-up jumper as time expired. Barroca tied his series-best with 22 points, spiked by three triples to go with five rebounds, five assists. "I thank the Lord for giving me that chance," Barroca said. QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES - MAY 10, 2019: Mark Barroca hits the game-winner to lift Magnolia past San Miguel in Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. KC Cruz/ESPN5 San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo struggled for most of the game before finding his touch in the late stretch. Magnolia was able to limit Fajardo's touches in the first half, limiting him to only four attempts and no field goals. Fajardo broke out with 13 points in the final quarter. He finished with 21 points and 22 rebounds. "You really cannot contain him the whole game. In the second half, he got a lot of offensive rebounds," Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said. Then Barroca happened. "We're not able to execute the last few possessions. There was a lot of drama. I hope next game we will come out with a lot of energy because it's going to be a do or die for us," Beermen coach Leo Austria said. Magnolia will attempt to end the Beermen's quest for a five-straight All-Filipino title on Sunday. THE SCORES MAGNOLIA 88 - Barroca 22, Sangalang 18, Lee 12, Jalalon 8, Reavis 8, Brondial 8, Dela Rosa 7, Melton 3, Pascual 2, Ramos 0. SAN MIGUEL 86 - Fajardo 21, Lassiter 20, Santos 18, Romeo 11, Standhardinger 8, Cabagnot 5, Ross 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Pessumal 0. Quarterscores: 27-18, 49-36, 69-63, 88-86. EXTRA DRIBBLES A costumed spectator ran onto the court with 3:06 remaining and bumped Fajardo at center court. Fajardo was shaken but did not come out of the game. In trying to stop Fajardo the whole game, Rafi Reavis and Kyle Pascual fouled out while Ian Sanglang and Rodney Brondial each had five fouls. NEXT GAME Game 6 on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Smart-Araneta Coliseum.