PBA nullifies Tautuaa's basket, TNT beats San Miguel 99-96

Game 1 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals ended controversially when Mo Tautuaa's crucial basket was nullified due to 'basket interference', resulting in a 99-96 victory for TNT over San Miguel Beer on Sunday.

San Miguel Beermen were trailing by one point, 97-98, with only 56 seconds left when Tautuaa attempted a dunk that initially missed but eventually went in, leading him to express his disagreement with the ruling.

The PBA technical committee later ruled it invalid because Tautuaa caused the backboard to vibrate and grabbed the ring during his attempt, which is considered a violation under FIBA rules.

On Monday, PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro reaffirmed the decision in an interview, stating that the integrity of the game must be maintained regardless of whether it's an elimination or finals match.

San Miguel officials decided against filing a formal protest after considering clarification from Castro and opted to focus on understanding the ruling due to limited review time during the game.

Despite maintaining their stance that Tautuaa’s dunk should not have been nullified, San Miguel Beer elected not to push through with a potential lodging of a formal protest over the reversal, citing an exercise in futility after the league held a press conference.