Paul Lee surely knows how to slay the Gin Kings by himself.
The gunslinging guard was at it again on Wednesday night. He was at the forefront of his Magnolia Hotshots’ 85-72 win over the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, which catapulted them to the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Lee had 25 points, including the big trey he sank with ease with 2:45 left in the game. His shot doused the Barangay’s run, as the crowd darlings had knocked within just nine, 69-78, after going down by 22 early in the fourth.
“Siyempre, happy. Pero ‘di naman natin alam kung mananalo ulit kami, kung makakatapat namin sila. So everytime na makakatapat namin yung Ginebra sa ganyan, ‘di ka nakakasiguro na kaya mo sila ulit talunin ng ganun,” the 6-foot combo guard said.
“Maganda lang yung game plan namin, nag-commit lang lahat dun. And the good thing is yung series, maiksi lang.”
The Hotshots’ entry into the semis is success in itself, given their slow start to the conference when they lost three straight games. For Lee, he’s simply proud of his team’s character.
“Pinakita ng team yung character, kung anong merong character yung team na ‘to,” the eight-year pro expressed. “Nagtulong-tulong lang kami. Napag-usapan namin na [yung] kailangan lang namin is yung chance, and nabigyan kami ng chance nung elimination.
“So, ginrab lang namin kahit na yung start namin 0-3. Hindi pa rin kami nawalan ng tiwala sa isa’t isa. Ayun yung maganda dun, positive pa rin kami.”
Coincidentally, waiting for Magnolia in the best-of-seven semis series are Lee’s former team Rain or Shine. The Elasto Painters entered the playoffs as the second-seeded team after going 8-3 in the elimination round.
It will be the second time that Lee will face the Elasto Painters in the playoffs since being traded to Magnolia back in 2016. The first happened in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup quarters, where the Hotshots swept Rain or Shine.
But Lee made it clear that the upcoming series is not between him and RoS, whom he helped win two titles.
“Hindi naman eto yung laban sa akin at ng Rain or Shine,” admitted the pride of Tondo. “But for sure magiging magandang game. Kasi last time na nakalaban namin sila quarterfinals ata at may import, pero iba yung All-Filipino.
“Kailangan ko lang maging ready and maging ready yung buong team.”
