Paul Lee definitely knows a thing or two about redemption.
The 33-year-old made sure that Magnolia won’t suffer the same fate it had against NorthPort three nights ago, turning in a sterling performance to lead his side to a 104-87 victory over San Miguel in the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Lee finished with 26 big points. He went 4-of-8 from three-point distance after going just 1-of-6 against the Batang Pier, which saw the Hotshots absorb their first loss of the conference by way of a 101-103 decision.
The star gunner actually had the opportunity to win the game when he was found wide open by Jerrick Ahanmisi at the right-wing, but his shot hit the front rim. It could have completed their comeback from 19 points down.
But he showed how much he wanted to bounce back from that night. His first three-pointer against the Beermen with 5:16 left in the second period actually came almost at the same spot that wasn’t kind to him the last time out.
Photo by PBA Images
“Ginawa lang naming motivation,” Lee said on that defeat to NorthPort, who is now in the midst of a three-game winning streak.
Head coach Chito Victolero has always known that Lee would go on to come out with a solid showing right after subpar performances.
“Si Paul naman talaga, ‘yang batang ‘yan, talagang pinapaano niya ‘yung Batang Tondo siya. Laban ‘yan e,” said the 2018 Coach of the Year.
“Sobrang ready si Paul e. And alam ko ‘yung mental toughness ng mga batang ‘to e, matagal na kaming magkakasama. I know sa practice pa lang, alam ko na sila kung papa’no sila maglalaro sa game, and they’re ready.”
Lee, however, didn’t take all the credit to himself, lauding how the Hotshots as a whole picked themselves up after Thursday’s defeat.
“Medyo masama ‘yung laro namin, nag-gather kami together, pinagusapan namin kung ano ‘yung kulang namin. Buti maganda yung pinakita ng buong team ngayon,” he said as five Hotshots scored in double figures.
Victolero echoed his guard. “I’m very proud of my players because we talked about bouncing back, we talked about the last game, we talked about the proper mindset, the playoff mentality. So ‘yan ‘yung pinakita nila.”
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