In the Philippines, there is no doubt that the greatest rivalry between two professional clubs revolves around the iconic Crispa and Toyota franchises, and their PBA games in the 1970s and 1980s were always must-see TV.
Former Crispa star Atoy Co, one of the central figures of the legendary rivalry, waxed poetic during a recent episode of the An Eternity of Basketball podcast, as he reveled in the days when people were sometimes described as either a Crispa or a Toyota fan.
The two teams met in the PBA finals 10 times over seven seasons, including the first six PBA conferences in 1975 and 1976, with Crispa holding the overall edge 6-4. Many of their games were filled with drama and excitement, with fights among players breaking out in a number of them.
For a brief time, though, there was a chance the rivalry could have lost its competitive edge. Co -- along with teammate Freddie Hubalde -- admitted that he was considering nixing his Crispa jersey for a Toyota one in the late 70's and even met with Toyota manager Pablo Carlos.
"Kaming dalawa ni Hubalde, we went to see Mr. Carlos because at the time mag-eexpire yung contract namin," Co bared. "Syempre at that time nag-iisip ka na mag-eexpire contract mo tapos nababalitaan mo na parang mas maganda yata ang sweldo na binibigay dun sa kanila."
Aside from the rumored higher salaries, Co had another incentive for switching sides. "Kaya ko din gusto dun kasi gustong gusto ko noon yung kotseng Celica," Co added.
According to Co the meeting did take place, but Carlos wasn't interested in bringing over the Crispa duo. Co was bewildered that Toyota didn't take them in, but conceded that it was better for the rivalry -- and the league -- that the two teams remained as competitive as they did.
"In my own opinion, hindi pwede mabuwag yung rivalry," Co said. "Kasi at that time yun lang ang kumikita naman talaga, pag laro ng Crispa-Toyota."
Despite the battle lines being distinctly drawn between the two ball clubs, Co believes the two rivals were good for each other and that the PBA might not have survived its early days without them. The 1979 MVP also believes the rivalry is a big reason why the PBA is alive.
"I think they complement each other, yung Crispa and Toyota," Co said. "Kasi sa tingin ko kung hindi nagkaroon ng rivalry, yung Crispa-Toyota at that time, baka struggle. Wala tayo ngayon, yung PBA na 'to baka wala."
According to Co, the fabled match-ups between Crispa and Toyota were akin to Manny Pacquiao fights today -- which regularly features a drop in crime rate and significantly less traffic on the streets.
"Parang laban ni Manny Pacquiao yun eh, yung Crispa-Toyota," Co said. "Ang tao, pag may ticket ka, pupunta ka ng Araneta. Kapag wala kang ticket, nakikipag-agawan ka, hahanap ka ng kakampi, kaibigan na may kilalang player."
"Malas ko lang, hindi ako marunong magbenta ng ticket nung araw," Co joked.
As with any rivalry, urban legends cropped up between the two clubs. One of the more notable ones was that Crispa players were not allowed to have Toyota cars. But Co explained that while it did happen to a certain extent, it was not a rule passed down by team management.
"Walang nagbawal, parang naging oath na lang," Co said.
"Katulad ng sinabi ko kanina, pag may Crispa-Toyota walang crime, walang traffic, lahat na naiiwan sa kalsada nandun sa appliance center nanood dun sa gilid," Co added. "Uuwi ka sa inyo para makapanuod ka ng game, kung may ticket punta ka ng Araneta. Dun ko lang makikita yung Araneta na pati yung daanan ng tao may nakaupo."
The Crispa-Toyota rivalry ended after the two teams folded one after the other in the mid-80s, and no other pairing has captured the imagination of the Filipino public as well since then. The most hotly anticipated match-up today is between the Ginebra and Purefoods franchises, but Co believes even that doesn't come close to the fever pitch between the old Crispa and Toyota teams.
"Minsan nga nanuod ako ng Purefoods-Ginebra na laban," Co shared. "Sabi ng (fan), 'Atoy, napupuno ba ng ganito nung naglalaro kayo?' 'Baliw ka pala, doble pa ng tao yun.'"