Yeng Guiao: Paul Lee got fouled. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—As far as Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao is concerned, Paul Lee should have been awarded three free throws in the last possession of Game 1 of the 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Tuesday night.
“I just thought Paul got fouled in the last play. It was a 3-point shot and it would’ve given us the chance to tie the game and at least go into overtime,” Guiao told reporters shortly after his Elasto Painters blew a 17-point lead they built in the third quarter and ultimately the game, 101-104.
Guiao was referring to the game’s final possession where he believed San Mig Coffee’s Marc Pingris should’ve been whistled for a foul after the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay went for Lee’s shot fake and grazed the ROS guard’s body as time ran out.
But it seemed as if it was Lee, who initiated the contact when he leaned over to Pingris as he took the potential game-tying triple.
“AZ Reid got the same called and because they thought the game was over, they gave him the three free throws. When Paul got fouled they thought it could change the result of the game and they didn’t give the foul. So I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles as they say. But that’s just too big a break to lose in this situation,” the fiery Guiao added.
Guiao also cited other instances during the game wherein he thought the calls didn’t go their way.
“Another thing is, Paul Lee got called for a foul jockeying for position against Sangalang but he was the one pushed and they called the foul on him. He was just trying to fight for position at that point,” he pointed out.
“So this is going to be a close series, there are going to be close games but if the referees don’t do their jobs as they’re supposed to, I think it really diminishes the beauty of the series.”
On the other hand, Mixers head coach Tim Cone, who moved just two wins away from becoming the only coach to win two Grand Slams, couldn’t tell if Lee really got foul just before time ran out.
“I don’t know whether that was a foul or not, I’m too far away from the… okay I have to look at the video and see it. You guys probably know more than I do,” Cone said, who was at the side of the court when the play transpired.
Despite the end-game drama, Guiao and his Painters are keen on keeping their focus for Game 2.
“We’ll just have to go to practice tomorrow and prepare for the Thursday game. We just have to put this behind us. But we’re an underdog team and we need every break we can get and supposed to be, that was the break we deserved and we did not get it.”