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San Miguel's Mo Tautuaa in action. PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel coach Leo Austria believed Mo Tautuaa would bounce back stronger following the drama that transpired in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
A clutch dunk by Tautuaa was deemed a basket interference, nullifying two points from the SMB side—in a game that TNT eventually won by a thread, 99-96.
Despite this, Austria expressed full trust in Tautuaa and even let him start in Game 2.
"We just let him play," Austria said. "Naiintindihan ni Mo, that's why before the start of the game, pagdating niya dito sa dugout, ako pa nagtanong sa kaniya, 'Mo, if it is okay, I will start you tonight. Sabi niya, 'Yes coach', at biglang nagbihis agad. Nag-warm up."
"Kaya sabi ko, this is a sign, I know he will bounce back. He is a good help to our team."
READ: PBA looking to 'preserve integrity of the game,' says official after Game 1 controversy
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Not dwelling on what happened, the Beermen recalibrated just in time for Game 2 to tie the PBA Finals at 1-1, 98-92, at the Big Dome.
Austria said they did not talk about it that much, referring to the dunk and the interference call.
"'Di namin masyado pinag-usapan what happened sa dunk niya, makikita mo naman tonight nag-dunk ulit siya—nag-miss ngayon," said Austria, drawing laughter during the postgame press conference.
READ: San Miguel shakes off Game 1 drama, holds off TNT to tie PBA Finals
Austria asserted that more discussions could have led nowhere, that's why they did not spend energy on what happened.
"That's how we handle those kinds of situations, hindi kailangan ma-pressure," he said. "Alam naman natin mga player, kapag marami kang naririnig, marami kang sinabi, parang maraming analysis, nagiging paralysis."
Tautuaa eventually provided his squad with the spark, firing 16 points and four rebounds as the Beermen equalized in the championship round.