PBA reprimands Bayno

PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino reprimanded and warned Talk N Text American coach Bill Bayno yesterday for slamming game officials in a post-game interview following their 98-96 victory over Sta. Lucia Realty last Thursday.

No fine was imposed on the American coach since he was unaware of the league procedures and systems.

In a meeting Monday, Bernardino said Bayno apologized for his outburst, claiming he made the comment "out of frustration and not directed at you and your office."

Despite the victory over Sta. Lucia, Bayno hit the officiating and hinted a conspiracy was in the works against him at the expense of his team.

"I don’t know if it’s me or the BCAP (Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines) thing, but all I’m asking is for them to treat my kids fairly," said Bayno.

Bayno took note of the 17 free throws awarded to the Realtors as against five given his team in the first half of the game.

"Not once in my 17 years (in coaching) have I said anything about officiating. This is the first time," he said, adding "I’m not imagining things."

Curiously, it was Talk N Text which got the big break in the contest with debuting Sta. Lucia import Mark Davis assessed his fifth and final foul with over 14 minutes left to play. Davis was called for a dubious offensive infraction.

Meanwhile, Purefoods presses its bid for an early passage into the Samsung PBA Governors Cup playoffs, seeking a fifth win in six outings versus sister team San Miguel Beer in the Makati Coliseum today.

Halfway through the eliminations, the Hotdogs are on the threshold of the quarterfinals following victories over the Talk N Text Phone Pals, the Barangay Ginebra Kings, the Alaska Aces and RP Selecta.

San Miguel is two full games behind Purefoods with a 2-3 win-loss card, but the Beermen are expected to give the Hotdogs a tough fight coming off back-to-back victories over the Shell Turbo Chargers and the Airfreight 2100/FedEx Express.

The Beermen have improved a lot with NBA veteran Mario Bennett taking over from Keith Hill. Bennett has given San Miguel more teeth offensively and defensively, averaging 21.3 points and a league-best 17.3 rebounds in his first three games in the league.