MANILA, Philippines—Barangay Ginebra made its do-or-die Game 3 against Magnolia interesting in the fourth quarter when it trimmed the Hotshots’ 21-point lead down to single digits.
But Gin Kings’ chief playmaker LA Tenorio felt the story of the game was the third quarter, where they got outscored, 28-13.
“I think they came out really aggressive in the third quarter and I think that was it. The third quarter was the game,” a glassy-eyed Tenorio told reporters after a long pause.
“We were caught off guard in the third quarter like we didn’t know what hit us. That was it,” added Tenorio, who struggled offensively with five points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field though he did have seven assists and two steals.
The third quarter seemed like a blur for Tenorio, who was at a loss for words, but really, Paul Lee happened in that pivotal period.
Lee scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter, where the Hotshots widened their gap to 20, 70-50, heading into the final frame.
“It’s always a tough game. It’s always a 50-50 game whenever it’s Manila Clasico. It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup,” Tenorio said. “Whoever is the more aggressive teams always have a better chance at winning.”
With the early exit, Ginebra now sets its sight on defending its crown in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Tenorio, however, said the Gin Kings have a ton of thinking to do leading up to the next conference.
And it has a lot to do with solving the Magnolia puzzle.
“I think they’ve already figured out the formula on how to beat us. We just have to be more aware or prepared with they’re doing against us,” he said.
“We just got to be better this time around when we face again especially in a playoff series. Before they couldn’t figure us out but now it’s the other way around. Now we have to figure out how to beat them because we cannot win the championship if we cannot beat a team like Magnolia.”