The injury bug continues to hound TNT, which has the opportunity to take a commanding 3-0 lead over Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
This time, it is RR Pogoy who has been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s Game 3 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Pogoy himself made his status known for the 5 p.m. affair, which will see the Tropang 5G bid for a chance to move on the cusp of advancing to the Finals, the last step in their historic quest to complete the sixth Grand Slam in PBA history.
“The doctor said that it’s day-to-day, but I doubt if I could give it a go on Sunday,” Pogoy said after being forced to sit the remainder of the 111-103 overtime win at Ninoy Aquino Stadium due to a hamstring problem.
Calvin Oftana was among those who stepped up for TNT with his 39 points, including the game-tying three free throws in regulation and the seven he scored in the extension where the Tropang 5G pulled away.
Oftana could have pulled off the win in regulation, had the league made the correct call of awarding him four free throws instead of three with 7.7 seconds left in regulation and Rain or Shine ahead 99-96.
PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro acknowledged the mistake on Saturday as it was deemed that Oftana was fouled in the act of shooting by Gian Mamuyac from beyond the four-point spot, based on videos that came out on several media outlets.
Castro said that the decision to give Oftana three charities was based on the available camera angles provided to the league. Nonetheless, Castro made it known that the league didn’t make the right call.
“Our official reviews are based on video feeds from our cameras from different angles. These serve as our sole basis for decision-making during in-game reviews. While we strive to provide accurate rulings, our assessments are inherently limited to the footage available within these camera perspectives,” said Castro.
“We deeply regret that this call was missed. This incident highlights that, despite the use of advanced equipment and multiple camera angles, blind spots can and do still exist within live game coverage.
“Our players, teams and fans deserve the highest standards of fairness and accuracy. We acknowledge this lapse and commit to continuously improving our review systems to minimize such occurrences in the future,” added Castro.
Good thing TNT was able to get the job done in the extension, not only because of Oftana, but also Jordan Heading, who got extended minutes despite his bad back and put up 13 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and two steals.
“We have no choice but to go to Game 3 with whoever we have,” said coach Chot Reyes, whose team is not only dealing with injuries to starters Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac, but is also missing reserve Brian Heruela, who suffered an injury during the quarterfinals against Magnolia.
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San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra break their 1-1 tie in Sunday’s other game at 7:30 p.m., with the injury status of June Mar Fajardo also expected to factor in once more.
Fajardo played just 17 minutes in Game 2, but others like Mo Tautuaa, Marcio Lassiter and Kris Rosales picked up the slack in securing a 100-83 rout, as San Miguel atoned for its Game 1 collapse despite an 18-point advantage.