Unlike James Yap, Paul Lee will celebrate his birthday this week with some heaviness in his heart.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, Wednesday, Lee and his Magnolia Hotshots absorbed a 74-75 heartbreak at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, no thanks to Yap’s vivid showcase of his end-game magic.
“It’s all right. Hindi ko pa naman birthday ngayon, bukas pa. Pero ‘yun nga, tough loss,” said Lee, who had actually put Magnolia up by two before Yap completed a three-point play to win it.
“We thought sa amin na ‘yung game, then ‘yun nga, si James.”
The loss drops Magnolia to a 0-3 start into the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup. This comes a surprise, since they are coming off a title run in the 2018 Governors Cup, where they defeated the Alaska Aces in six games.
But Lee, a three-time champion, doesn’t want to dwell on their record. Instead, he’d rather keep working until they get back their groove.
“‘Di na lang namin titingnan na parang negative. Kailangan kung ano ‘yung nasa harap namin, doon kami mag-focus, kasi baka lalo lang mapasama kapag inisip namin ‘yung zero-three kami,” said the eight-year pro out of UE.
“Pero ‘yun nga, laging nire-remind ni Coach Chito [Victolero] na ‘yung sense of urgency, kailangan andyan na talaga. Kasi ‘yun nga, mahirap malubog talaga. Kailangan next game, talagang next game pilitin namin na makuha ‘yung panalo.
“Kasi, parang do-or-die na sa amin ‘yun,” furthered Lee.
“It’s much better compared to our last two games. But you know, talo pa rin. But I’m very happy doon sa nilaro namin because we expect that grind-out game eh. We expect that defensive battle,” said coach Chito Victolero, on the other hand.
“Alam ko naman mayroon nang sense of urgency, and natutuwa naman ako sa players kasi yung depensa, andyan na, bumalik na.”
The loss may be tough to fathom for now, but the gunslinging combo guard refuses to dwell on it. And even if it he did not get a win for his birthday, having his daughter to celebrate with him is more than enough.
“Oo ayun, ‘yun ang pinaka-maganda dun, ‘yung magbi-birthday ako na may baby. So, wala ng mas okay pa doon. ‘Yun na ang pinakamasarap na feeling, na birthday ko na mangyayari.”
