ANTIPOLO, Philippines—Winning three straight games wasn’t enough momentum for Magnolia to dispense Rain or Shine in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.
In what could’ve been the Hotshots’ closeout game, the Elasto Painters instead took a convincing 91-81 win and forced a Game 7 on Sunday.
Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero said Rain or Shine simply wanted it more than them especially in a fourth quarter that started off in a level playing field.
“They outworked us, they were more aggressive than us, they wanted it more than us,” said Victolero Friday at Ynares Center here. “It’s a good thing there’s a Game 7 so we’ll just try to watch film and look for what we can do better. We’ll be ready by Sunday.”
Rain or Shine and Magnolia were tied in heading into the fourth quarter until the Elasto Painters slowly pulled away taking a 75-69 lead off of Rey Nambatac’s three-pointer with 7:14 to play.
Nambatac then buried the Hotshots with two straight long bombs for Rain or Shine’s 83-71 lead with 3:57 remaining in the fourth.
Victolero said the key to a Game 7 victory won’t rely much on the team’s adjustments but on the players’ desire to advance to a second straight finals appearance after winning the Governors’ Cup in December of 2018.
“We just have to make minor adjustments, but basically it’s all about the will and the desire of the players,” said Victolero.