Paul Lee’s Wednesday night started off on the right foot, as he hit four triples in the first quarter alone before dazzling in a 15-point run in a brief four-minute stretch.
That put the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters ahead, 38-24, entering the next period. Lee went on to hit another basket in the second quarter, as it appeared Rain or Shine had Game 6 in the bag.
But the fun was postponed momentarily, as Lee picked up his third personal foul just moments after scoring his 17th point. Lee was subbed out and was forced to watch the rest of the first half from the sidelines.
And yet Lee’s faith did not waver. Considering all the hardships he’d had to endure prior to returning to his deadly form, foul trouble wasn’t going to break him down this time.
Lee eventually captured the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals MVP on that night after the Elasto Painters closed out the series with a 109-92 win in Game 6, cementing his return to top form.
With how seamlessly Lee has transitioned from being a role player, averaging just above 10 minutes in the elimination round, to being the leader of the franchise and doing the usual damage that he does in the playoffs, one has to wonder if he had saved such performance for the finals.
But the 27-year-old backcourt gunner said it has been no easy task, recalling all the struggles he’d had to overcome before going back to the ‘Paul Lee’ basketball fans have known for so long. All the sensational performances people have seen from him throughout the finals are a product of his never-ending dedication to his craft.
“Noong una, hindi talaga madali. Grabe yung pressure sa akin lalo na noong bumalik ako. Hindi ko alam yung expectations sa akin ng management and ng fans ng Rain or Shine. Mataas eh,” Lee shared.
“Everytime pumapasok ako sa court, alam nila magdedeliver ako pero ilang games akong three points, four points, wala eh.”
Lee missed the elimination round of the Philippine Cup due to an injury in his left knee. He returned during the semifinals, but was clearly not in his usual self. Worse, he re-injured his left knee, which forced him to sit out again until the early part of the Commissioner’s Cup elimination round.
“Sobrang struggle talaga. Tuhod yung nainjure sa akin eh. Bumalik ako tapos hindi pa pala magaling. Disgrasya ulit,” he said.
Lee even admitted he had even come to a point where he’d had doubts about himself.
“Nagkaduda rin ako sa sarili ko eh. Minsan pag matutulog na ako, parang ano na ba nangyari sa ‘yo? Basa ka ng mga sinasabi sa ‘yo, anong nangyari sa ‘yo, wala na yung dating laro mo,” Lee shared.
But having experienced many heartbreaks in the past, Lee knew it was just another hurdle, and he chose to overcome it instead of folding. Lee has drawn strength from his teammates, who have supported his recovery process every step of the way, no matter how difficult and exhausting it was physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“Masakit para sa akin na may mga ganoon, pero wala namang tutulong kundi sarili mo lang, mga teammates mo, sina coach Yeng, Talagang nagtiyaga sila sa akin hanggang makabalik ako,” he said.
“Yun yung sitwasyon na sinabi ko kay coach Yeng, and siya na bahala nagbalance sa minutes ko. Hindi mo na maibabalik lahat eh. Tinyaga ko lang talaga. Kumapit ako, kumapit ako sa teammates ko, kina coach Yeng, sinasabi ko sa kanila sitwasyon ko. Ngayon nagtiyaga ako, maganda naman ang naging resulta. Nagtiis lang talaga ako, ito ang resulta.”
What had made it difficult for Lee in the past was his tendency to believe it was already his time to seize the spotlight. After all, he’d have brilliant runs in the past conferences which he could have capped with a title. But he kept finding himself on the wrong end of those runs, with the most recent setback being the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup.
When the Elasto Painters lost the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup title to Talk ‘N Text, Lee immediately texted head coach Guiao and apologized for not being able to carry the squad to the podium. Lee had missed crucial shots in the double-overtime Game 7, making that experience even more heartbreaking.
“Maraming nangyari sa akin. Dito sa PBA, ang dami naming finals na hindi kami pinalad. Yung (last year) ang pinakamasakit talaga. Sana back to back Commissioner’s Cup champion kami kung nakuha namin yun,” Lee shared.
“Noong natalo kami sa back to back overtime (Game 7), tinext ko si coach, humingi ako ng sorry, natalo tayo.”
But Guiao told Lee not to worry about the situation, because his time will eventually come. He reminded his all-star guard not to rush things and keep waiting.
“Sabi niya wag ka magalala, hindi pa dito natatapos. Darating din ang time namin. Ito yung time namin. Talagang kailangan mo lang maghintay. Hindi lahat maipapanalo mo,” Lee recalled.
Now after a year, and after a long, draining process, Lee’s time finally arrived.
“Siguro kahit na hindi namin pagusapan yung mga runner-up sa nakaraan, alam ng teammates ko na nakakasawa maging runner-up. Nagkaroon kami ng team lunch before Game 6, nagusap-usap kami. Maganda naman ang resulta. Proud ako sa buong team,” Lee shared.
Looking back at all the obstacles, experiences, and criticisms from left and right, Lee said there is nothing more satisfying than finally being able to win a championship series where he was at full-strength.
“Hardwork lang. Pinaghirapan ko rin eh. Talagang therapy. Tanggal yung fluid sa tuhod ko, then balik sa laro, then tanggal ulit yung fluid sa tuhod ko,” he said.
“Sobrang tamis ng championship na ‘to. Natapos ko yung series kahit may nararamdaman ako. Kahit hindi 100 percent, tiniis ko. Wala na akong hihilingin pa. Ito na yung pinakamatamis na nangyari sa akin sa PBA.”
Lee couldn’t have scripted it any better; it was indeed perfect timing, and a fitting way to make everyone know that indeed, he’s back.
