It was time for Paul Lee to prove he’s up to the honor as the Best Player of the season-ending Governors’ Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.
With Magnolia struggling to hold off Alaska down the stretch after blowing a 17-point lead late in the second quarter of Game 5 of their tight and bruising seven-game series for the championship, Lee pulled off an assist and a jumper in the dying seconds that lifted the Hotshots to a 79-78 squeaker.
Mike Harris, who had earlier justified his Best Import award by almost singlehandedly giving Alaska a 2-2 tie in the series, missed a hurried fadeaway jumper at the buzzer for the final count. He had given the Aces the lead for the last time with two free throws, 78-77, time down to 11.4 seconds.
Lee’s heroics in a game where Magnolia import Romeo Travis scored only 10 points moved the Hotshots within a win of claiming their first title in the last 15 tournaments this Wednesday at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
If Alaska, also winless since the 2012-2013 Commissioner’s Cup, forces a Game 7, it will be held on Friday.
After beating Kevin Racal for possession following a Harris block on a driving Travis, Lee, who has struggled with his shots in the finals, dribbled once and delivered his only basket in the second half from the right side with 1.3 seconds left. Lee, who joined Magnolia in 2016 from Rain or Shine in a trade for James Yap, finished with just 11 points.
Racal earlier capped a 10-point run that wiped out a 74-66 Magnolia lead midway in the last quarter, but Lee’s fastbreak pass to Ian Sangalang resulted in a three-point play and a 77-76 lead for Magnolia with 18.7 seconds left.
Again, the three-guard combination of Lee, Jio Jalalon and Mark Barroca gave Alaska a big headache as the three combined for 38 points. While Harris fired a game-high 28 points, only Simon Enciso among the Alaska guards mattered with 13. The Aces also drew little scoring help from Chris Banchero, JV Casio, Jeron Teng and the injured Vic Manuel.
After winning the first two games of the series then losing the next two, Magnolia, despite Travis’ shooting woes, threatened to blow the Aces off court in Game 5 by storming to a 51-34 lead that Alaska managed to reduce to 53-40 at the half. But the Hotshots grew cold in the third as the Aces came up with a 20-2 run to forge ahead at 60-55 before Magnolia settled down to regain the upperhand at 65-62 and pave the way for the thrilling finish.