Calvin Abueva looking to pass off the inbound. –SCREENGRAB/PBA
The PBA said on Saturday that there was no five-second inbound violation committed by Calvin Abueva during the dying moments of Magnolia’s 96-95 victory over Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of their Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series.
Deputy commissioner Eric Castro made the clarification after some fans argued that Abueva should have been penalized for the infraction with 5.1 seconds left of the thrilling contest that ended on a buzzer-beating bank shot by the Hotshots’ Paul Lee.
“There was no five-second violation. Manual counting was done by our trail referee,” Castro explained in a text message.
Videos from the PBA’s broadcast partner One Sports and its own social media accounts appeared to have supported Castro’s explanation.
PAUL LEE. CARDIAC. FTW!
Magnolia takes game 2, 96-95 to even the semis series at 1 apiece. #PBAGameTayoDito pic.twitter.com/koEDTVjc24
— PBA (@pbaconnect) December 16, 2022
Lee’s basket, which came after retrieving the ball which he lost when his pass to a cutting Abueva was deflected by Jamie Malonzo, allowed Magnolia to avoid a dreaded 0-2 hole in their best-of-five affair.
Ginebra had taken the lead on the previous possession on a triple by Stanley Pringle, before Lee rescued Magnolia from the jaws of defeat.
Both teams break their tie on Sunday at the same venue, with potential clincher in Game 4 set Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.