MANILA, Philippines – Payback time.
Magnolia finally got back at TNT with a gritty 96-93 win in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday, February 11, in a rematch of the previous Philippine Cup finals.
Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero did not shy away from admitting they wanted vengeance after they were beaten in five games by the Tropang Giga for the all-Filipino crown earlier this season.
“It was one of our motivations, that they beat us in the finals,” Victolero said in a mix of Filipino and English. “I told them to use it as one of the motivations.”
Not only did Magnolia exact revenge, it also stayed unbeaten in four games to claim the solo lead in the standings.
On the other hand, TNT fell to 2-3, a far cry from its dominant Philippine Cup campaign where it won 19 of its 24 matches and compiled an impressive 10-1 record at the end of the elimination round.
The win, though, did not come without a major scare as the Hotshots saw their 19-point lead vanish to thin air, with the Tropang Giga almost stealing the victory if not for a couple of endgame errors.
“I told them at the start of the game that we cannot expect the result right away. We need to prepare possession by possession,” Victolero said.
Fortunately for Magnolia, Paul Lee and Mark Barroca hit the marginal free throws, while import Mike Harris delivered from start to finish, chalking up game-highs of 41 points and 18 rebounds.
“Good thing is the players stepped up, they committed on every single possession, on our execution, on our defense. I’m very happy and proud of these guys.”
Up next for the Hotshots is NLEX, which is coming off back-to-back losses, on Wednesday, February 16. – Rappler.com
