With a crucial 3-2 series lead at stale, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will be without a key big man when they tangle with the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in Game 5 of the 40th PBA Commissioner’s Cup Best-of-Seven Finals tonight at the Araneta Coliseum.
Cebuano big man JR Quiñahan was slapped with a one-game suspension on top of a P50,000 fine after he figured in a scuffle in Game 4, which was won by Talk ‘N Text, 99-92, tying the series, 2-2.
Rain or Shine’s Jireh Ibañez and Talk ‘N Text’s Matt Ganuelas-Rosser were also fined P40,000 each.
Ibañez and Rosser wrestled each other after jockeying for position in the 9:47 mark of the fourth period. Quiñahan joined the fray and threw the ball at Rosser’s face.
“For throwing the ball at the face of Rosser after Rosser and Ibañes have already disentangled, Quiñahan is hereby fined the amount of forty thousand pesos (P40,000.00) and suspended for one game for the Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 act,” a statement from the PBA Office of Commissioner said. “Further, Quiñahan took a fighting stance immediately after throwing the ball at Rosser, for which he is fined the additional sum of ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00).”
The league said Quinhan’s act was “treacherous.”
“This Office considers the act of hitting an opponent with the basketball as a highly provocative and treacherous act. It is not unlike throwing a punch without warning and worse, without the attendant risk of retaliation. We did not find this factual condition in the incident involving Rosser and Ibañes.”
The league reminded the two squads that future violations will be dealt with accordingly.