Powell, Blankley fined over rants

The Philippine Basketball Association slapped Bay Area players Myles Powell and Hayden Blankley with a combined P175,000 fine for their ugly remarks following their 82-89 loss to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 3 of their Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven finals series late Wednesday.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial made the confirmation to Daily Tribune, saying that Powell was penalized with a P100,000 fine while Blankly got P75,000 for their rants over officiating.

They were also summoned to the Commissioner's Office on Thursday to explain their sides.

Powell, a former National Basketball Association star, took to Twitter his disappointment over officiating, stressing that the free throw disparity in Game 3 was mind-boggling.

"You all saying we shot 21 free throws in Game 2 and you only shot five proves exactly my point. Something ain't right clearly. The refs make the difference between who wins or not when it should just be a fair-called game," Powell said.

In Game 3, it was the Dragons who were whistled more for fouls called.

A total of 28 fouls were slapped to the visiting squad, allowing Ginebra to shoot 38 free throws and make a total of 24.

In contrast, Bay Area only shot 10 times and made only four.

The disparity in free throws led to Blankley to share his thoughts on social media as well, insinuating unfair officiating in Game 3.

"I've got nothing but love for the Philippines and its people, but at this point, it's obvious. Just let it be a fair game, please. As the local word would say – it's 'cooked,'" Blankley posted.

Marcial said both players showed up in his office to apologize for their statements.

"We talked and both players apologized on behalf of the team, so we accepted the apology," Marcial said.