Magnolia guard Paul Lee. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines — For all of Paul Lee’s accolades, he has yet to get his hands on the coveted Philippine Cup trophy which has eluded him ever since he entered the league a decade ago.
Lee has had several cracks at it—first with Rain or Shine in 2014 and again in 2018 and 2019 with Magnolia where the Hotshots lost to the San Miguel Beermen on both occasions.
In the finals rematch with the Beermen, Lee and the Hotshots came just a shot away from winning it all in Game 7 where they lost by a point on a game-winning basket by Alex Cabagnot.
“Until now it’s still painful every time because that was our biggest chance. It was the closest we got. We were one basket away from winning the all-Filipino championship,” Lee recalled in Filipino Tuesday during the pre-finals presser on the eve of Game 1.
“It’s my 10th year in the PBA and until now I have yet to win the all-Filipino,” said Lee, who has won the Governors’ Cup title twice and Commissioner’s Cup crown once.
Back in the finals for the third time in four years, Lee believes it’s Magnolia’s time now to reclaim the prestigious title it last held in 2014 as part of its Grand Slam run under Tim Cone.
“Our run right now, it’s a different group but our core is still intact. And we have Calvin now and he does so much for us. He provides a big impact on our team,” he said, referring to Best Player of the Conference frontrunner Calvin Abueva, who was acquired by Magnolia during the offseason.