Hotshots rule

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

ANTIPOLO CITY—Closeout games are the hardest ones to play. Magnolia simply made it look easy.

Unloading 12 straight points right after tip-off, the Hotshots gave the Alaska Aces no glimpse of hope and carved a 102-86 victory Wednesday night in Game 6 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at Ynares Center here.

It seemed all over from that point, with the Hotshots, intent on shutting down the series, repulsing every rally the Aces could muster to ice a 4-2 series victory.

“I didn’t know that this is how it feels to win a championship in the PBA,” said head coach Chito Victolero in Filipino above the din of the celebration at center court. Victolero snared his first title as a PBA coach in his second Finals stint.

“I think the chemistry was the biggest factor,” added Victolero. “This has the best among the teams I’ve been in.”

Romeo Travis came up huge for Magnolia, which got big contributions from its locals when things got sticky. Back in the venue where he came up with a dramatic 50-point performance that knocked Ginebra out of its throne in the semifinals, Travis finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds this time around.

“We had a great start [and] we sustained it,” said Victolero. “Still, hats off to Alaska. It was a great series. My boys just wanted it more.”

The result was Magnolia clinching a 14th franchise victory—the first since the 2014 Grand Slam season of the squad—and completing a triple crown of sorts for the San Miguel Corp. conglomerate. San Miguel Beer won the Philippine Cup, followed by Barangay Ginebra’s conquest of the Commissioner’s Cup.

Mark Barroca, who got into a bit of a controversy in Game 4 after a hit on Alaska’s Chris Banchero that cost him a P50,000 fine, was named Finals MVP after averaging 11 points, 3.2 rebounds and a little over three assists per game in the series.

“I wouldn’t have won this if not for my teammates,” Barroca said in Filipino. “I thank them for their efforts and this award is also for them.”

Barroca had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists in Game 6 to backstop Travis and embody the kind of effort Magnolia put into the series.

“We always talked about going ahead, 1-0, and before this game, we said this was going to be the last 1-0,” Barroca added. “I have to commend my teammates and their efforts because that’s what we talked about, making sure we put in the effort to get those 50-50 balls.”

Barroca, Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang and Jio Jalalon took turns providing a local flavor to the Magnolia offense, shutting the door on every Alaska rally.