Narvasa says referees to stay consistent in finals

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa said yesterday there will be no change in the officiating philosophy for the Governors Cup finals between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco as he reiterated his position of consistency with regard to the referees’ calls from the start of the conference.

The temptation of tolerating more physicality and allowing “playoff fouls” was brushed aside by Narvasa who said the league’s group of 15 referees will be available for every game in the best-of-seven finals. Only one referee was struck out from the pool that opened the conference. Narvasa assured that at least two veterans will be assigned to each game on the usual four-referee rotation. Three referees will be on the floor with a fourth on standby as a substitute – a Narvasa innovation that could spark a trend in global basketball.

Narvasa said the incidence of game interruptions because of fouls, free throws and viewing of tape to evaluate a flagrant call has decreased as the conference progressed with the players adjusting to the officiating philosophy. From the onset, Narvasa has cracked down on hand-checking, arm-bars and other forms of illegal physical contact. His goal was to diminish a referee’s discretion or subjective judgment in order to form a standard basis of evaluation using a grading system. The evaluation will be the basis of determining a referee’s ability to continue his work in the league. Narvasa said he plans to introduce adjustments in officiating norms largely to conform to FIBA while retaining certain PBA “house rules” next season.

“Players have adjusted (to the officiating philosophy) and also the coaches,” said Narvasa. “If you notice, the teams that adjusted well were in the semifinals. Now, the two best teams are in the finals. Again, no change in the way the referees will call the finals. I will simply not allow it.”

The PBA expects a large turnout for every game particularly as Ginebra hadn’t qualified for the finals since the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup and it’s Meralco’s debut in the championship playoffs. The last Ginebra title came in the 2008 Fiesta Conference with Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand the only holdovers from the championship squad that was coached by Jong Uichico. Now, the Fast and the Furious are in a position to play on another title squad in the twilight of their careers. Helterbrand will turn 40 on Oct. 14 – when Game 4 of the finals is scheduled at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Caguioa will turn 37 on Nov. 19, the day before the next season begins.

Attendance in the semifinal series between Ginebra and San Miguel Beer provided an indication of how the turnout will be in the finals. Game 3 of the Ginebra-San Miguel duel brought in 14,253 fans while Game 4 packed the Big Dome with 22,196 on a Sunday. The clincher took in 20,374 on a Tuesday.

The finals will be a battle for the ages with two Grand Slam coaches Tim Cone of Ginebra and Norman Black of Meralco on opposite corners. Cone has won 18 titles in 29 final appearances while Black has captured 11 in 17.

Meralco’s ascent was as magical as Ginebra’s return to the finals in Cone’s first season with the Barangay. In the Philippine Cup this season, the Bolts finished dead last with a 1-10 record. But Meralco has rebounded like a phoenix rising from the ashes of defeat. The Bolts went to the semifinals in the Commissioner’s Cup and now, are in the finals for the first time in franchise history. Black has rebuilt Meralco from a cellar dweller to a title contender with a mix of veterans and young blood.

“The Meralco team is very excited to be in the finals for the first time,” Black told The Star. “We know that most people will think we are the underdogs but we are focused and ready to go to war. I have great respect for Tim and what he has accomplished as a coach and we know that he has won more titles than any other coach. So I will just concentrate on what I need to do to prepare my team to win this series because what we have done in the past is not going to help either one of us right now.”

For his part, Cone said he owes Ginebra’s march to the finals to the fans. “It really meant a lot to the players, coaches and management to bring Ginebra back to the finals for the fans,” he said. “Because of the uniqueness of the support, the fans are truly our driving force and to be able to reward them with a stint in the finals is a very special feeling. But, it’s only half the job. Our difficulty is going to be getting over the feeling that we accomplished something already. That’s the natural problem of an underdog winning a series. That will be a problem for Meralco as well after knocking out the No. 1 seed (TNT).”