Magnolia snared their second straight victory at the expense of Columbian on Wednesday night, and guard Paul Lee hopes this heralds good tidings for the Hotshots.
But Lee, ever a cautious cager, says it won’t be easy considering the the caliber of the teams waiting for them as they push through with their elimination round campaign—especially the schedule just around the corner.
“We’re always reminded that all of our wins would be for naught if we can’t pull through on the Sunday game,” Lee told reporters in Filipino shortly after a 109-83 decision over the Dyip in Araneta.
Magnolia faces Manila Clasico rival Barangay Ginebra this Sunday at the same venue. And a loss would put in peril the Hotshots’ bid for a comfortable place in the playoff round.
Right now, Lee and the Hotshots sit on the Philippine Cup’s 7th spot with a 3-4 record. Their four last remaining games should propel them higher in the standings and could get them off the crosshairs of whoever secures the second spot, which will be enjoying a twice-to-beat incentive come quarterfinals.
“We need to be ready, we need to prepare,” Lee said of their game against the Gin Kings, who improved to a 4-3 slate after a gritty stand against league-leading Phoenix Pulse.
“I know that they want to exact revenge,” he added, pointing to Magnolia’s semifinal win that dethroned Ginebra in the previous Governors’ Cup.
Lee also rued Magnolia’s shaky start into the conference, but said that the team’s focus sights now zero in on its remaining tasks.
After the Gin Kings, the Hotshots will face the unpredictable NorthPort Batang Pier. Then, they proceed on taking on the current doormat Blackwater Elite, and the NLEX Road Warriors.
“It’s a bummer,” he said of their 0-3 skid that opened the all-Filipino campaign. Magnolia narrowly lost to the Fuel Masters and the second-best team Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
“The breaks of the game didn’t just go our way,” he said.
“We just have to learn from all that. This is the situation now and we just have to be primed for whoever is up ahead.”
But first things first: the showdown with the crowd darlings, which Lee knows by heart, is going to be “a battle.”