TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa said if the team had a challenge left during its game against Rain or Shine on Friday night, he believes that the critical foul called on import Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson would have been overturned.
At the same time, it would have prevented the heated verbal altercation between coach Yeng Guiao and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
“When did it ever happen this conference when we started challenging calls that a team won all two challenges and possibly three?” Lastimosa asked the morning following the Tropang Giga’s 119-112 loss to the Elasto Painters in a crucial PBA Commissioner’s Cup game.
Jolas: It was all ball
“That last call on Rahlir was all ball,” he stressed.
Unfortunately, teams are only allowed two maximum challenge calls. Under PBA rules adopted this season, a team would be granted a second challenge if its initial call was successful.
The Tropang Giga were both successful in the two challenge calls they did and had there been another one, Lastimosa was confident it would also favor TNT.
“I don’t think it ever happened,” said Lastimosa about any team having two successful challenges in the conference other than TNT.
The call in question came at the final 49 seconds when Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson went for a block against Rain or Shine counterpart Tree Treadwell and the Elasto Painters up by six.
Rahlir gets technical foul
Game officials called a foul on the TNT import which raised a howl from the Tropang Giga bench. It didn’t help any when Rahlir was whistled for a technical foul, resulting in three free throws for the Elasto Painters for a 115-106 lead.
That’s when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson began to go after the referees, following the game officials to the sideline, and later on, found himself already behind the Rain or Shine bench.
A heated verbal altercation ensued between Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Guiao, and several of the Rain or Shine staff as cooler heads tried to pacify both parties.
Lastimosa pointed out the situation couldn’t have escalated had the referees made the right call.
“Not that I’m blaming solely the referees’ officiating,” said the TNT coach.
“There’s much to be desired in our officiating, and it showed on how many got suspended already.”
Lastimosa also said he always sends videos of questionable calls to the PBA Technical Committee under Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro and is planning to do the same in this case.
As of posting time, Castro has yet to reply to the TNT coach.
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