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| PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro explained the decision to nullify a clutch dunk from Mo Tautuaa that bounced off the rim first before going in. Joseph Sanvictores |
QUEZON CITY--The PBA reiterated that the referees in Game 1 of the Philippine Cup Finals made the right decision to nullify a slam dunk from Mo Tautuaa that significantly rocked the outcome of the series opener between TNT and San Miguel.
Tautuaa attempted the dunk with 56.1 seconds left in the game, but the ball first bounced off the rim before going in eventually, supposedly giving the Beermen a 98-97 lead.
However, umpires Mardy Montoya, Jerry Narandan, James Paez, and Rommel Gruta looked back at the said play when action was stopped with 6.2 seconds remaining due to a jumpball situation between Jordan Heading and Chris Ross.
The officiating crew eventually ruled that Tautuaa committed an offensive basket interference in his dunk attempt and nullified the shot, dropping SMB back to 96 and eventually losing despite fighting back from 24 down.
"Interference occurs during a shot or a field goal when an offensive player causes the backboard to vibrate or grabs the basket in such a way that, in the judgment of the official, the ball has been caused to enter the basket," PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro explained on Sunday night after the controversial ending to the Tropang 5G's 99-96 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, reading the entire Rule J5 of the PBA Rulebook.
Debates quickly heated up online as to whether the referees made the right call or not, with those opposing the overturning of the decision insisting that the ball went straight into the net after the bounce off the rim.
However, Castro said that Tautuaa would still be called for basket interference regardless of whether the shot is "ringless" or not.
"Regardless kung may tamaan siya na part ng rim, the fact that nahila niya yung rim pababa is a violation already, considered an offensive basket interference," Castro continued.
He added that they would have still reviewed the now-controversial Tautuaa dunk after the game if there had been no deadball situation that took place, which implied that they would have still given TNT the win.
Some fans commented on the Dugout Philippines Facebook page about a similar play that saw Russell Westbrook initially missing a dunk attempt, but due to a lucky bounce, he was still given the two points.
Castro, though, reiterated that, unlike in the NBA, in which the referees simply moved on from the apparent missed call and probably just noted the officiating mishap in the referees' assessment, the PBA would still review the dunk the moment a dead-ball situation occurs.
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