AS the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup Finals progresses and the series now down to a best-of-three, Alaska and Magnolia further dived into a physical battle for the season-ending crown.
Aces Head Coach Alex Compton called the attention of the league after his prized guard, Chris Banchero, was caught rolling in pain as Magnolia’s Mark Barroca hit him in the groin area late in the fourth quarter of Game Four on Wednesday night.
That action prompted the PBA Office to slap Barroca a P50,000 fine. The cat-quick guard, though, escaped suspension and will still be available for Game Five at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Compton, obviously disgusted on the incident, aired his frustration over the play he labeled as “dirty basketball.”
“If we’re getting punched multiple times, and there aren’t calls or suspensions, I’ve got problems with it. Jio [Jalalon] punched us, somebody punched Mike [Harris] and Chris in the testicles…that’s dirty basketball,” Compton said.
“To call it anything else would be a lie, and I’m not a liar,” the furious coach added.
The comments did not sit well with the league and fined Compton an undisclosed amount.
As action resumes at 7 p.m for Game Five on Friday, tempers are expected to rocket anew as both teams try to get the upperhand in the critical stage of the race-to-four series.
Harris lived up to his billing as the Best Import when he registered 34 points and 22 rebounds as Alaska pounded Magnolia, 90-76, on Wednesday.
Banchero added 17 points, while Jake Pascual and Kevin Racal combined for 17 points.
Apparently, Banchero wasn’t the only one who got hit. Romeo Travis of the Hotshots sustained a cut in the bridge of his nose from an unintentional elbow of Harris on a drive in the third quarter. He finished the game with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Best Player of the Conference Paul Lee had 14 points for Magnolia.