Aces just want equal treatment

[Watch the Alaska Aces battle the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 3 at the Araneta Coliseum in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup championship.]

The Alaska Aces, trailing the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 0-3 in the best-of-seven championship series of the PBA Philippine Cup, are not asking for special favors from the referees officiating the matches. They just want equal treatment.

Gusto lang namin parehas, said veteran center John Ferriols. Bakit noong kay Kerby (Raymundo) tinawagan ng foul si (Joe) Devance sa Game 2? Bakit noong same situation kay Willie (Miller), walang foul na tinawag?

Kerby Raymundo, who attempted the final shot for Purefoods, was given two free throws after a touch foul was called on Joe Devance who nudged Raymundo in the dying seconds of Game 2. Raymundo split his charities to send the Giants to an 86-85 victory and a 2-0 lead.

Willie Miller, who attempted the final shot for Alaska, was hammered in the face and sent sprawling to the floor by Marc Pingris in the dying seconds of Game 3. No foul was called even as a frustrated Miller stood up with blood dripping from his nostrils. The Giants went on to post a 79-78 victory and a 3-0 lead.

Masyado naman kita ang bias ng referees, said Ferriols. Kitang kita ang foul kay Willie sa Game 3. Dugo nga ang mukha niya. Pagkatapos, walang foul. Hindi parehas ang tawagan ng referees.

The Aces may be trailing 0-3 but all the games have been competitive up to the bitter end.

The Aces lost Game 1 by four points, 81-77. They lost Game 2 by a point, 86-85, after Kerby Raymundo was awarded an undeserved free throw in the dying seconds. The Aces lost Game 3 by a point, 79-78, after Miller was hammered, bloodied and sent to the floor but not awarded by a call by the referees.

Rey Hugnatan said the series has been very competitive with the teams battling on even terms for the entirety of the three games.

Dikit naman ang laban sa lahat ng games, said Hugnatan. Talagang sa huli lang nalalaman ang nanalo. Hindi naman sila angat sa amin ng malaki. Talagang breaks of the game na lang kaya sila nananalo.

In Game 3 Sonny Thoss got into foul trouble early, played an ineffectual role due to minimal minutes on the floor and eventually fouled out.

He would only score 12 points and grab four rebounds. But more than the minimal points and rebounds Thoss could only play 22 minutes on the floor a huge drop of more than 10 minutes from his average.

Without Thoss inside, the Purefoods big men of Rafi Reavis, Marc Pingris and Kerby Raymundo dominated their Alaska counterparts.

Thoss has been ineffective the past three games due to early foul trouble.

Ang play kasi nila (Purefoods) kapag si Sonny ang nasa loob inaatake nila, said Ferriols. Kasi maganda ang laro ni Sonny sa semifinals, kaya siguro nila inaatake ang depensa ni Sonny every time.

Ferriols said he plans to be more aggressive in the offensive end. He wants to pick up his share of the scoring load.

Tina timing timing ko lang rin naman, said Ferriols. Ang ginagawa ko tinutulungan ko ang mga teammates ko sa depensa, sa rebounds. Ang hirap mag rebound kasi ang hahaba ng mga kalaban. Pero gusto ko ring makatulong sa scoring. Nag-iisip na rin ako sa puntos. Bina balanse ko na lang.

The Aces lost Game 3 but not before a titanic struggle with the Giants escaping with the decision.

Joe Devance missed a drive but Miller and James Yap ended up entangled and the referees called a jumpball with 3.9 seconds to go. Miller won the jump, tapping the ball to LA Tenorio who promptly called a timeout with 2.6 seconds on the clock.

After being hammered by the Purefoods defense Miller missed his last attempt allowing the Giants to escape with the victory.