Paul Lee. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Paul Lee has been Star’s unquestioned go-to guy down the stretch and he has delivered so far to lead the Hotshots to a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven showdown with the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.
Lee, however, doesn’t see himself as the sole reason for Star’s success.
Despite his clutch shots in Games 1 and 2, Lee is attributing the Hotshots’ victories to their defense.
READ: Hotshots slip past Gin Kings for 2-0 lead
“Since day one when coach Chito (Victolero) arrived he implemented that if we want to go far, we need to play defense. Not just me, but everyone in the team has to commit to it,” said Lee.
The 27-year-old Lee has been his team’s hero in the semifinals. He had 18 points in Star’s 78-74 win in the semis opener on Thursday before following it up with 17 in a 91-89 victory in Game 2 on Saturday.
Lee said defense was the answer to Ginebra’s fourth-quarter rally and it has to be Star’s calling card the rest of the way especially on Monday when the Gin Kings try to avoid a 0-3 hole.
READ: Lee, Star bracing for tougher defensive battle vs Ginebra
“We just need to do what we have to do and that is to play defense,” he said. “They’re going to be aggressive next game because it’s a very important game and we need to match their aggressiveness and follow coach’s game plan.”
“We need to stay together because there are going to be ups and downs like what happened tonight when they made a big run and we just held on to each other.”