MAGNOLIA import Romeo Travis is not pinpointing officiating as the reason for the Hotshots’ Game Three loss amidst calls from both coaches involved in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals for consistent officiating in the series.
On Sunday, Magnolia coach Chito Victolero lamented the officiating has become inconsistent since Alaska coach Alex Compton claimed after Game Two that the Hotshots guards are getting away with fouls.
At the end of the day, Travis said the reason why the Hotshots lost because of themselves.
“I can’t comment on what calls were made or not made. The referees didn’t make us lose by 30 regardless of the calls that were called or not called,” said Travis.
“You can’t point fingers at a 30-point game,” said Travis, referring to the 100-71 Game Three loss where they trailed by as many as 36 points. “Five, 10 maybe. But 30, you got to look inward before you can point out.”
Travis had 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals on Sunday, a far cry from his performance in Game Two where he had 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
Ultimately, Travis said the third quarter wherein the Aces outscored the Hotshots, 33-14, were the deciding factor in Game Three. Travis also pointed out that the Hotshots only had 11 assists, the same number Chris Banchero had on Sunday.
“In the third quarter, (it was) when the game got away from us. It’s pretty much how you lose games. You don’t play basketball the right way, you are going to lose,” said Travis.
“We only had 11 assists. Chris had that by himself. The stats tell the story. Mike Harris killed us. We didn’t respond as a unit. That’s what happens,” he added.
Travis said he had warned about complacency before Game Three as the Hotshots go for a 3-0 series lead. Only one team in San Miguel over Alaska in the 2016 Philippine Cup finals have come back from a 0-3 deficit.
“I tried to warn the guys and warm myself about complacency. Just thinking that we can show up and win. But we are not good enough team to do that. We are not talented enough to just show up and win. We have to work hard and they outworked us on both ends and in all facets of the game,” said Travis.
Travis and the rest of the Hotshots will try to bounce back in Game Four on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“You seen the results. It happened. The game happened. Luckily, it’s a series. They responded as we know they would and its our turn to respond now,” said Travis.