PBA technical committee affirms call on Tautuaa's missed dunk
At A Glance
- The PBA technical committee affirmed its decision to call a controversial offensive basket interference on Mo Tautuaa's dunk attempt late in TNT's 99-96 victory over San Miguel in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday, July 13.
The PBA technical committee affirmed its decision to call a controversial offensive basket interference on Mo Tautuaa's dunk attempt late in TNT's 99-96 victory over San Miguel in Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday, July 13.
In a press conference, which was only made to address the matter, league deputy commissioner Eric Castro confirmed that it was the right call to make following a review of the play that occured with 56.1 seconds left in the game.
The SMB big man went for a dunk but the ball bounced off the rim before going in. The shot was initially counted, putting the Beermen ahead, 98-97, only for the committee to rescind the basket and call an offensive interference instead, three possessions after.
Castro cited a section in the PBA rulebook as the basis of the call.
“Interference occurs during a shot when an offensive player causes the backboard to vibrate or grasp the basket in such a way that, in the judgement of the official, the ball has been caused to enter the basket,” the rule read.
According to Castro, Tautuaa pulled the rim as the ball bounced off it before going in.
“Mo dunked the last 56 seconds, nahila niya yung ring pagbaba. But the contention of the coaching staff was yung bola was straight and entered the ring. Regardless kung may tamaan siya na part ng ring, the fact na nahila niya yung ring pagbaba is a violation of the rule. Considered as an offensive basket interference,” stressed Castro.
San Miguel officials were left fuming after the contest with no less than team governor Robert Non confronting the table officials as the buzzer sounded.
As for the timing of the change of the call, Castro said it took until the last six seconds of the game to announce the change because there was no immediate dead ball situation after that.
And even in the event that there was no dead ball until the final buzzer, the technical committee would still review the play and adjust the score of SMB even if it meant changing the outcome of the contest.
“In the event that there was no dead ball at natapos yung game with the score, under our rules, we can still correct it. So the possibility of TNT winning the game at the end, minus the correction, because walang dead ball, mangyayari yan,” he added.