MANILA – San Miguel Beermen opted not to protest their controversial 99-96 defeat to the TNT Tropang 5G in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday evening.
According to SMC athletic director Alfrancis Chua, it is moot and academic to file a protest since PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro and technical committee head Bong Pascual already had a press conference after the game backing up the referee’s verdict.
After being down by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, the Beermen successfully made their run and even took a 98-97 lead courtesy of an inside hit by Moala Tautuaa with 56 seconds left.
Few possessions later, referees decided to nullify the basket of Tautuaa, claiming that he committed a basketball interference when he pulled down the basket following his attempt.
With the Tropang 5G regaining a 97-96 lead with six seconds left, Calvin Oftana stretched their advantage to 99-96 with two free throws before Beermen’s Jaymar Perez missed on a three-point heave at the buzzer.
“Kasi pinangunahan kami. Alam na magpo-protesta kami, nag-presscon? Tama ba ‘yun? Parang pinreempt nila ‘yung gagawin namin… Alam na magpo-protesta kami, nagpa-presscon,” Chua said.
In a separate statement, Beermen team manager Gelacio Abanilla confirmed that they decided not to push through with the protest even if they have already prepared their letter.
“We had the letter prepared but we thought it was an exercise in futility since they preempted our arguments with their press con last (Sunday) night,” Abanilla said.
With the protest set aside, the Beermen will now turn their full attention to Game 2 tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum./PN
