San Miguel consultant Leo Austria downplayed the verbal exchange between him and Chris Ross during their loss to Converge on Friday night.
The decorated coach said they had already patched things up after the two were caught on camera in a heated exchange early in the third quarter.
“We’ve patched things up,” Austria told reporters as he exited the Ninoy Aquino Stadium following their 114-100 defeat, which forced their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series into a Game 5.
“Balewala na ‘yon.”
A short video posted by the league on its official Facebook page showed Austria and Ross arguing at the end of the Beermen’s bench, with Simon Enciso and Vic Manuel stepping in to diffuse the situation.
Austria did not go into detail about what triggered the altercation. However, Tiebreaker Times learned from sources inside the SMB camp that Ross was unhappy about being subbed out at the 10:29 mark of the third quarter.
Starting the game, Ross played barely two minutes in the quarter before being replaced by Terrence Romeo. He was not subbed back in, finishing the night with only a rebound and two turnovers in eight minutes and 27 seconds of playing time.
San Miguel eventually succumbed to a 14-point defeat, placing them on the verge of being on the wrong side of history as Converge rallied from a 0-2 series deficit to force a decider on Sunday.
It will be intriguing to see how the incident between Austria and Ross might impact the Beermen in the win-or-go-home duel, as adjustments are expected to be made in an effort to salvage their campaign.
However, Austria maintained that the matter is now water under the bridge between him and one of his key players from the Death Five era.
“Wala na ‘yun. Tapos na ‘yun,” Austria said, adding that such things often happen in competitive environments.
Tiebreaker Times attempted to get Ross’s side on the issue, but he had already left the venue following his brief chat with Austria.
