LACK of local scoring and missed calls cost Rain or Shine Game 4 of its PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal playoff against TNT Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, according to Yeng Guiao.
Guiao pointed out on both factors were crucial in the 93-85 loss that left the Elasto Painters on the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven series with the Tropang Giga taking a commanding 3-1 lead.
No players outside of import Deon Thompson scored in double figures for Rain or Shine, with Anton Assistio and Keith Datu both finishing with eight points to complement the game-high 44-point output of the Elasto Painters’ reinforcement.
REAd TNT locks down on defense to push RoS on the brink of elimination
“It’s just too bad that it came na yung locals namin malamig. Si Deon maganda nilaro, naka 44 points siya,” noted Guiao.
But the veteran coach zoomed in on crucial calls that went against his team, including one that wasn’t whistled on Roger Pogoy with 2:56 left in the game.
“There was a situation na sa tingin ko would have changed the momentum of the game, the result could have been affected. Hinila ni (Roger) Pogoy si Mamu (Gian Mamuyac), binigyan pa sila ng three points,” he said.
The referees didn’t see the infraction, but instead called a foul on Thompson against Kelly Williams, resulting in a bonus free throw for TNT.
“Dapat yun free throws namin. Naging three points pa sa kabila,” Guiao recalled as TNT made it an 84-76 contest after Williams hit the extra foul shot.
The Rain or Shine coach also mentioned what he claimed was a travelling call that should've been called on Rey Nambatac and an earlier foul on Andrei Caracut that he said likewise escaped the eyes of game officials.
In all, Guiao said it cost Rain or Shine at least 10 points in the game.
“That’s almost 10 points lost doon lang sa bad calls. So kahit na malamig yung locals namin, kung nakuha lang namin yung tawag na dapat para sa amin, we would probably had the chance to win the game,” he said.
“The refs messed it up for us and in such a crucial game. Kasi sa tingin ko, you win this, you changed the whole momentum of the series for us. TNT wins it, they’re one game closer to winning the series.”
Officials admit mistake
Guiao added league officials admitted making mistakes on those calls.
“So kung kelan pa napaka-importante ng laro, yung lahat ng tawag ng referees cost us almost 10 points which were admittedly mali. Maski sila naman sinasabi nila mali yung mga tawag na yun,” he said.
But such are the breaks of the game, according to Guiao.
“Ganun talaga. Pero mahirap yung dehado ka na, malakas yung kalaban mo, tapos yung mga calls hindi mo pa makuha,” he said.
“Pero we'll see, hindi pa naman tapos. My Friday pa. We’ll watch films, we’ll do walk throughs, we’ll see what adjustments can still be made,” Guiao added. “Hindi pa tapos ito. Definitely, hindi pa tapos ito.”
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