THE disputed shot clock violation apparently was not the only one that bothered Magnolia coach Chito Victolero during Game 2 of its PBA Governors Cup semis series against Meralco.
He also pointed out how game officials tightly called it against the Hotshots that prevented the top seeded team from playing its usual game.
“There’s a lot of bad calls. We were in penalty mga eight minutes yata yun ng second quarter. It’s like 6-0 in fouls,” he recalled.
“That’s our regular defense,” the Magnolia coach pointed out. “Hindi naman ako nagre-reklamo kung talagang foul. But sometimes the problem is you have to equally call yung tawag. But maybe that’s the breaks of the game, baka ganun talaga yung tawag.”
The Hotshots lost the match, 81-75, as the Bolts tied the series at one-game apiece.
Victolero’s gripe on officiating eventually reached boiling point in the final nine seconds when Tony Bishop’s shot didn’t hit the rim and the game clock shouldn't have been reset automatically as claimed by the Magnolia coaching staff.
No plan for a protest
But the referee didn’t call a violation and allowed the play to continue, to the consternation of Victolero, who angrily questioned the non-call.
The Magnolia coach said he doesn’t have a plan to raise the issue before the Commissioner’s Office though.
“I don’t know how they can fix the officiating. We’re not asking for an advantage or what, we’re just trying to make sure na equal ang officiating,” he said.
“Let the Commissioner’s Office watch or review everything. Wala naman akong control dun. The control is on their side.”
At the same time, Victolero gave credit to Meralco, which he said deserved the win.
“It’s not an excuse. Of course Meralco played hard also, they deserved the win,” he said. “But we have to do something about equal officiating.”
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