Expansion team San Juan and last season's semifinalist Valenzuela outplayed their respective rivals on Wednesday night and showed their readiness to compete in the more challenging, longer season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
Led by PBA veterans Mac Cardona and John Wilson and a few more notable standouts, the Knights blasted the Shoemasters, 92-65, making a strong statement to the rest of the 25 other member teams in the league.
The Knights, champion of the MPBL's precursor, the Metropolitan Basketball Association in Year 2000, displayed their full potential and showed their firepower.
They gave celebrity baller Gerald Anderson, who plays for Marikina, a neat lesson on what to expect in the fastest growing regional basketball league in the country put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA great Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.
The highly-fancied movie and television personality committed three turnovers and was even called for an offensive foul as he had a difficult time wriggling free from the defense of San Juan guards.
Over at Valenzuela's THOA Court, the Classic bucked a slow start before turning back the Pasig Pirates, 96-88, in the other tune-up match scheduled Wednesday.
The Chris Gavina-mentored Classic rallied from a 16-point deficit in the first period and got their bearings back when Paolo Hubalde, the team's court general returned.
Hubalde was poked in the eye in the first period and had to be relieved. His comeback in the second quarter sparked Valenzuela's play and together with Rocky Acidre, the Classic got back into the game, trimming the lead down to four midway second period.