With the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals slowly heating up and several teams already exchanging pointed barbs regarding supposed biases in officiating, league commissioner Chito Salud reiterated that the referees’ focus will be on calling the games in a “firm, steadfast and fair” manner.
This was the statement that Salud released after the Talk ‘N Text camp cried foul in the wake of its 81-87 Game 2 loss to San Miguel last Sunday night. The loss was a costly one since it dropped the Texters to a 0-2 hole against what has been the most dominant team in the conference so far.
After the loss, Talk ‘N Text head coach Jong Uichico expressed his disappointment with the way the series has been officiated.
“It’s a given when you’re playing against the San Miguel group. I’ve been there,” he said. Texters team owner and sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan also tweeted, “We can’t win these games with bad referee calls.”
UNBECOMING OF A COACH
San Miguel Beer team governor Robert Non quickly retaliated in a press statement.
“It is a pity that Talk ‘N Text has resorted to unfounded, unnecessary and unfair complaints about the officiating, which I would say sort of maligning and has put into question the integrity of the PBA as an institution,” Non said. “Normally, I would not respond to such accusations, but coming from Coach Jong Uichico, who was many-time champion coach from his previous teams and a national coach at that, I find his comments unbecoming of a coach of his stature.
To set the facts straight, any basketball fan knows that San Miguel won both Games One and Two fair and square. And who else to be blamed on TNT side, obviously it’s not the referees but their Coach (Jong) who seems at a loss on how his team was beaten twice. But finding solace in blaming the referees is a lame excuse.
He should know better that a game is won not by intimidating the officials but preparing your team well. Obviously he wasn’t able to do his part in that respect.”
Salud was quick to intervene and said yesterday afternoon that the loss may have just understandably caused “anguish and disappointment.”
“The referees will be firm, steadfast and fair, as they have been. So I call on the teams to focus on one thing and one thing alone: giving their best as they play the game on the merits,” the commissioner said.