The PBA has suspended a referee and a table official who served in Game Seven of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between the Magnolia Hotshots and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Sunday.
The league slapped suspensions on referee Sherwin Pineda and table official Carlo Santos for the controversial sequence that marred the game, which the Hotshots won, 63-60.
Pineda will have to sit out for two game days. Meanwhile, Santos, the operator of the shot clock, is suspended for just one.
The issue haunting Sunday’s game was Rome Dela Rosa’s three with 2:58 left in the game. The Elasto Painters contested the shot, asserting it shouldn’t have counted as the shot clock had expired.
League commissioner Willie Marcial himself confirmed on Monday in the pre-Finals press conference that the shot should not have counted after re-watching that particular sequence.
Marcial also said that the missed call was a result of miscommunication between the ref and the table official, and that it could not be reviewed as it did not happen inside the two-minute mark.
Still, the amiable executive said that they are looking at revising the rules should such instances happen again.
