Short of labeling as one-sided officiating, Brian Goorjian and his Bay Area Dragons could not hide their frustrations after Brgy. Ginebra came from behind to snatch Game 3 (89-82) to take a 2-1 lead in the Com’s Cup best of seven finals series.
As a result of their rants against PBA game officials, Com. Willie Marcial slapped a P100K fine on Myles Powell (who was not even playing because of injury) and P75K on Hayden Blankley who both made comments on the social media.
“The refs are making a difference,” wrote Powell, noting the big disparity in free throws between BAD and Ginebra.
Blankley was fined for his comment that officiating was “cooked,” which in our native dialect would mean “lutong Macao,”
Actually, I would not blame them for reacting the way they did but I thought Goorjian and his boys should stop abusing our well-known native hospitality.
When BAD agreed to take part in the Com’s Cup, they submitted themselves fully to the PBA rules, which meant that they were adequately briefed on PBA officiating and all that jazz.
PBA fans are wise enough to know when officiating is one-sided and they will not condone the stupidity and moronic (if I may say) actuations of game officials when they witness them.
The “kampihan” mentality does not exist anymore in our contemporary society because we have a new generation of young Pinoys who observe and follow the golden rule.
A visiting team should show its respect for the host tournament organizer (the PBA, that is) because as what has been seen and heard, the narratives coming from the Dragons do not speak highly of their appreciative values.
Yes, they want to win the championship trophy (and I think they are capable because the Dragons qualified for the championship series) but a big amount of goodwill should accompany their participation.
By criticizing the refs, don’t they know that Goorjian and his boys are actually “bad mouthing” their host?
If I were the BAD coach, I would advise my players to refrain from unnecessarily commenting on the officiating but instead focus on their performance on the court.
It appears to me, that even at this time, the Dragons are already telling PBA fans that Ginebra is going to win the title by its “home court” advantage and not because the Gin Kings are far superior as a team.
This leaves a bad taste in the mouth, doesn’t it? (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
