Paul Lee’s impact for Magnolia goes beyond scoring

Paul Lee was scoreless in Game 5 for Magnolia. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Paul Lee went scoreless but his impact remained significant in helping Magnolia win against Rain or Shine in the pivotal Game 5 of their Philippine Cup semifinals series.

Lee played 28 minutes and missed all of his eight shots from the field but the Hotshots were plus-11 when he was on the floor.

“Paul Lee knows that it’s not about the points. It’s his leadership. His presence is the most important thing for us—how he draws the defense, how he leads his team,” Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero said in Filipino after his squad’s 82-74 win for a 3-2 series lead.

READ: Magnolia closer to PBA finals return, overcomes Rain or Shine in Game 5

“I know Paul. He can score anytime but he wants his teammates to have confidence also. Now, Mark Barroca has that confidence, which he didn’t have the past games. Same with Rafi Reavis and Jio Jalalon so that’s big for us.”

The Elasto Painters used their bevy of guards to hound Lee but while they were able to shut down the star guard offensively, their collapsing defense on him left the Hotshots’ other players with some room to operate.

Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon each had 14 points and three assists while Rafi Reavis added nine points and 12 rebounds to lead Magnolia.

“It’s okay if I was scoreless because they were really trying to take my game away,” Lee said in Filipino. “But I kept reading the defense and looking for opportunities. They took me out of the game, but by doing that, they left my teammates open.”

“I ended up a plus-11 so I have no problems with being scoreless.”

The Hotshots look to close out the Painters in Game 6 Friday night at Ynares Center in Antipolo.