PBA Controversy: Is Magnolia battling a 8 VS 5 disadvantage?

 

There is no denying that the ongoing semifinals of the PBA Governors' Cup is very interesting to talk about.

While the two series are still in play, there are more eyes towards the Magnolia-Meralco series because it is a much closer match.

And the biggest talking point about this series now is the controversies surrounding its officiating. Of course, the entire PBA universe is aware now of the 24-seconds violation that was not called against Meralco. Actually, the referees during that game already suffered a suspension.

So, the question now is, is Meralco being favored by the referees?

Looking at the numbers, the team that attempted more free-throw attempts has been winning the match. Magnolia attempted more during game 1. While Meralco attempted more during the last two games. They have 19 more freebies than Magnolia.

Other than fouls, the referees are also in charge of calling turnovers. Although, the difference is actually in favor of Magnolia.

Magnolia has a -7 advantage in turnovers. That means Meralco was called seven more turnovers than that of Magnolia.

Although, if we add that blunt mistake in not calling that shot clock violation in game 2, we called conclude that Meralco may have gained more with the way the referees were calling that much.

Although, if you watch carefully, you can also see that the defense of Meralco is actually doing pretty well against Magnolia. 

Number-wise, the biggest reason for the current 2-1 disadvantage of Magnolia is their bad three-point shooting. They shot 20% in the last two games.