After two long years, the Star Hotshots have finally made it back to the semifinals of the Philippine Cup.
The Hotshots broke the curse at last on Monday evening as they drubbed and knocked out the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 91-71, in Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinal series at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Purefoods franchise’s semifinals trip in this year’s All-Filipino tilt will be their 19th appearance overall, which dates back to their league debut in 1988.
The feat was an unexpected one for Star, who were deemed to be at a rebuilding stage after losing long-time franchise face James Yap in the off-season through a blockbuster trade with Rain or Shine, in exchange of guard Paul Lee.
But now, the term “rebuilding” can be safely debunked after Monday’s morale-boosting achievement. And starring in the win was the newly-acquired guard from the Elasto Painters, who had norms of 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in the eliminations.
The six-foot-one combo guard led Star with 17 points despite nailing 5-of-13 from the floor. Lee also displayed his playmaking skills, dishing out a team-high nine dimes. He had four boards in another all-around effort.
With the triumph they scored that propelled them to the next phase, Lee feels nothing but elated.
“Very happy kasi we commit to each other,” declared Lee.
“Goal namin from the start chemistry namin, buti nag-commit kami sa gusto mangyari ni coach Chito [Victolero].”
And that commitment started with defense — something that Victolero has been preaching ever since he took over the reins from Jason Webb.
Currently, the Hotshots are second most stingiest team in the league (86.0 opponent ppg), forcing their opponents to shoot just 42.4 percent from the field (6th).
This focus on the defensive end has helped Star into the semifinals. And Lee firmly believes that their defense will be a vital piece in their run, especially with the fact that they will be facing tough teams in either Alaska or Ginebra into the next round.
“Sa depensa namin [kami sasandal] kasi pag maganda depensa namin yung opensa namin gumaganda eh,” Lee said. “‘Pag dumipensa kami, malayo yung mararating namin.”
And for Star to be able to play at their best, the former Gilas Pilipinas stalwart believes that all they need to do is to play as themselves.
“We need to be ready lang. We need to play Star Hotshots basketball. Wala kaming kailangang gawing kakaiba. Basta trust each other lang. Trust the system, and we need to play hard,” vowed Lee.
