"Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez Goes Full NBA for Episode Six

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is back and so was "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez who just aired its sixth episode last night.

And considering the situation that everybody else is in right now, it's a whole new game.

Benny Benitez returned with another exciting episode of the "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez and in last night's episode, it proved that two hours isn't enough when the discussion is about the biggest basketball league in the planet and with the league finally made its triumphant return last Friday, it was already expected that last night's episode would be a long but a fun-filled episode. And to top things off, Benitez was joined by two of best and widely-recognized NBA analysts in Jinno Rufino, and Jude Turcuato who is now the Head of Sports for Smart Communications.

The early goings of last night's run centered around the NBA "bubble" inside Disney World in Orlando where 22 teams are playing and will determine who will make it to this year's playoffs. To start things rolling, Jinno Rufino, a solid fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, shared that he looked like "a kid who was anticipating Christmas" when he first heard about the possibility that the NBA may try the bubble idea and that wasn't even confirmed back then. But when it was confirmed that Mickey Mouse's house in Orlando would play as the host of the NBA's resumption plan, Rufino revealed that that feeling of being like a kid excited for Christmas morning turned down to worry as Florida's number of confirmed 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) cases was already spiking when the NBA resumption plan confirmed. Talking about whether resuming the season despite the ongoing pandemic was a "slice of genius" for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and for the rest of the league, or it was a risky decision, Rufino went in the middle of both by stating that it was the only business that the NBA could make as not resuming the season this year could very well jeopardize the 2020-2021 season and perhaps, beyond. Rufino also pointed out that given the fact that the games are now being played in one place without the fans, the league lost money from ticket sales and the remaining source of income was the earnings from broadcasting the games on TV and on the streaming platforms while also adding that if the league is making less money, the players will suffer too as they too would earn less money. At the end of the day, Rufino said that we fans should give it to the NBA for thinking outside the box and also implementing the safety protocols to ensure that the bubble won't burst.

The second hour and 15 minutes of the episode was perhaps the most fun "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez had in its six-episode run thus far as Benitez, Rufino, and Turcuato shared their predictions, opinions, and everything else that there is to discuss with regards to the restart of the NBA season. Among the things that were heavily-discussed was whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo can now be considered as among the all-time greats after winning just his first Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season. Both Rufino and Turcuato agreed in saying that the number of championships that Antetokounmpo wins in his career will determine if he can be in the conversation as one of the greats in the history of the NBA. The already brewing rivalry between the two teams in Los Angeles was also discussed- particularly if and when the Lakers go on to face the Clippers in the playoffs. For one, Rufino pointed out that the stoppage of the NBA last March allowed LeBron James to get rested for four straight months and the effect of that rested LeBron was on full display as number 23 not only scored the game-winning putback against Kawhi Leonard and company, he defended both Leonard and Paul George in the final seconds which enabled the Lakers to escape with a two-point victory. The former Basketball TV (BTV) analyst also said that if and when LeBron James wins it all this year, it will cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats to ever play the game.

While the trio had different predictions as to who would win this year's MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and who will make it to the All-NBA First Team, they predicted that the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers would win the 2020 NBA championship and as Jinno Rufino said it, the tragic death of the great Kobe Bryant is serving as the team's fuel to keep going and "win this one for Kobe".    

With the NBA now back in a neutral environment, basketball is back indeed and both Rufino and Turcuato agreed that it has to happen as sports have become a part of our lives and that, the NBA returning gives us a sense of normalcy even if the games are held without fans. And frankly, it's better than nothing at all, right? 

Two days into the restart of the season. "Bull By the Horn" by Benny Benitez went into overtime by 15 minutes. One thing is certain: it's not the last time it will happen as the trio of Benitez, Turcuato and Rufino agreed in last night's discussion, they could talk NBA forever. And frankly, so do the fans.  

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