Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Is there a double standard when it comes to the referees handing out technical fouls?
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao couldn’t help himself from thinking as such, claiming Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone escaped ejection for throwing fits on Sunday.
“That’s the rule. Sinabi na sa amin yun na if you cross the hash line, that’s an automatic technical. That’s why I was asking the refs why he could do that. They stated the rules very clearly.”
With 53 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the best-of-three quarterfinals series between Rain or Shine and Ginebra, Cone was whistled for a technical foul for crossing the half-court line, complaining about an out-of-bounds play stemming from LA Tenorio’s block on Jeff Chan.
The Grand Slam coach, then, crossed the center line anew to confront the referees and the officials.
Guiao felt Cone deserved another technical for violating the same rule but the second one never came.
“Maybe you could get beyond the hash line by two or three steps, but he was already on our side. I don’t think there’s any question about a technical foul there,” he said.
Guiao is no stranger to getting called for technical fouls. He got ejected after picking up two technical fouls after protesting an offensive foul called on his rookie guard Maverick Ahanmisi.
“If I did as much complaining as he did, I would’ve been given another technical foul and got ejected,” the fiery mentor. “Bakit pag ako, ang bilis ng dalawang technical? Pag sila, bigay na bigay?”
Guiao further explained that if not for his prodding to the referees, the first technical would have never been made.
“Kaya lang tinawagan ng technical yun kasi sinabihan ko yung referee na, ‘Pwede ba yan?’ Kung hindi ko pa pala sinabi yun, hindi pala ite-technical eh,” he said.
That call affected the outcome of the game, as Chan converted on the freebie that gave the Elasto Painters an 86-84 cushion. Rain or Shine won, 88-84, to move a win away from entering the semifinals.
Scribes tried to get Cone’s side but the Ginebra coach had already left the venue.