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Jeff Chan was adamant that he got fouled on his last gasp 3-pointer, which could have tied the game at 154 late.
“Foul talaga yun. Nagalit nga si commissioner eh. May fine daw yung referees,” Chan said in jest.
With the North All-Stars clinging on to a 154-151 lead in the final 5.2 seconds, South coach Leo Austria drew up a play, which saw Jericho Cruz find his Rain or Shine teammate Chan on the left wing.
The veteran gunner went up for the shot, but North’s Paul Lee, also his fellow Elasto Painter, hit him in the arm which caused him to double-pump his attempt. That shot didn’t even hit the rim as North escaped with a thrilling victory.
Chan said that he still got a chance to have a little exchange with Lee as the game came to a close.
“Sabi ko kay Paul, ‘Hoy, foul yun!’ Sabi niya, ‘Oo nga.’ Eh yung referee tumakbo na eh,” he said.
Lee admitted he fouled Chan while attempting the 3-pointer.
“Merong foul. Inaamin ko, meron talaga. Pinalo ko talaga yun,” he said.
Teammates for the longest time in Rain or Shine, Lee knows how deadly of a sniper Chan is. That’s why he didn’t hesitate on committing the deed, regardless if the referees would blow their whistles.
“Mahirap na eh. Sniper yun. Finoul ko naman pero hindi tinawag. Instruction kasi ni coach Yeng (Guiao) i-foul, pero hindi tinawagan. Tinry ko lang yung referee kung tatawag o hindi. Eh hindi tumawag, so ayun,” he said, while playfully putting the blame on the officials.
“Kasalanan ng referee. Ipapatawag sila ni commissioner sa Monday. Ayaw na atang mag-overtime ng mga referee. Suspended yung referees sa next All-Star,” Lee joked.
Despite the ending, Chan said that the important thing was the players were able to give the fans a show.
“Okay lang, ganun naman talaga. At the end of the day, masaya naman lahat tapos napasaya natin yung fans,” he said.