Tuesday, November 11, 2008 PBA denies Air21’s appeal
MANILA - PBA commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios yesterday denied Air 21’s appeal for a replay of the controversial game it lost against San Miguel last Nov. 5.
The commissioner handed down the verdict four days after thoroughly and carefully studying the issue.
While Barrios admitted that game officials committed a serious error in judgment, he emphasized the blunder “did not decide the outcome of the game.”
SMB won the game, 130-129, in double overtime, but Air21 team officials placed it under protest claiming the Express should have clinched the match in the first overtime.
With the Beermen up 110-108, Air 21’s Ranidel de Ocampo heaved a shot the team claims to be from the three-point range, with 9.8 seconds remaining but referee Mario Montiel, the official nearest to the Air21 forward, counted it as just a two-point basket.
Montiel confessed he was “aligned” directly behind de Ocampo and had no vantage position to determine if the shot was taken from outside or inside the arc.
“While the error happened with only 9.8 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, the turn of events made the game go into a second overtime period and effectively provided five more minutes for Air21 to recover from the negative effects of
the error,” Barrios explained.
He added: “We wish to reiterate that in the determination of protests filed with our office, the PBA has, over the years, consistently leaned towards rigidity in upholding the finality of actual game results unless the facts and the rules clearly indicate otherwise. To our mind, hurting as it may be at times, the policy weighs heavier in the long term consideration of the overall good.”
Barrios emphasized that both games “involved technical errors” as both matches were decided by last second shots in which the losing party had no time to recover from the technical error.
Barrios, however, said the incident was an eye-opener and will be used to improve some existing rules. (PBA Media Bureau)
