The heartbreak it suffered in last year’s bubble play is what pushes Magnolia to do better in the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup.
It could be remembered that the Hotshots bowed out of the quarterfinals to the second-seeded Phoenix, losing in such a painful manner as Matthew Wright drained a one-legged trey in the final seconds for the 89-88 result.
That stinging defeat ended not only their spectacular run in Clark that saw them win six straight to earn a spot in the playoffs, but also their bid to reach the All-Filipino Finals for the third consecutive season.
“Very motivated,” said head coach Chito Victolero. “We know what happened. Kumbaga last shot eh. We were there, we had a six-game winning streak, but bumagsak pa rin kami sa number seven. 7-4 kami pero grabe yung standings noon.
“It boils down to the breaks of the game. It adds to our motivation, ‘yung preparation for this season,” added the champion mentor.
Top big man Ian Sangalang, meanwhile, said that last season’s outcome only made him and Magnolia work even harder.
“‘Yung pagkatalo namin last bubble, sobrang sakit nun e.
“Dun kami natuto na hindi kaming pwede patayo-tayo lang, parelax-relax lalo na nung offseason — hindi kami pwedeng hindi gumalaw,” the 6-foot-7 slotman said.
The Hotshots on Sunday showed how much they’ve learned from that experience, beating Rain or Shine 81-70 to draw first blood in the 2021 Philippine Cup best-of-three quarterfinal battle.
Sangalang was glad to see the work they’ve put in lead to a playoff win that brought them a victory away from the semis — something that they haven’t done since the 2019 edition of the all-Filipino conference.
“Kailangan mo talagang magtrabaho,” said the 29-year-old, who had 19 points and 13 rebounds in over 35 minutes.
“Kailangan mong magtrabaho nang magtrabaho para manalo sa game na ‘to. ‘Pag hindi ka magtrabaho, hindi mo makukuha ‘tong game na ‘to.”
