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The end felt so abrupt for Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok. One minute they were the hottest team in the league with six straight wins and looked great going to seven, the next minute they found themselves shaking hands with Phoenix Super LPG after they were sent off from the PBA Philippine Cup. 2020 due to a Matthew Wright. running triple.
The Hotshots were finalists in the last two editions of the all-Filipino conference. They were one basket away from claiming the title last year against the San Miguel Brewers, making them one of the favorites heading into the PBA Bubble.
However, the long period of inactivity devastated everything. There were no more favorites, no more losers. Teams that got in shape and got their chemistry first would have the best chance of advancing in the tournament.
Unfortunately for Magnolia, they entered the bubble with a loss in the first game against the Beermen. They scored an early win against NLEX but suffered back-to-back losses to Alaska, Meralco and Phoenix, games they could have won if a couple of breaks had gone well.
His six-game winning streak was the best streak of the conference, but his period was stopped with an 89-88 loss to the Fuel Masters on Saturday night.
They started packing when they got back to the Quest Hotel and left on Sunday afternoon. Still, the team was all smiles on their way out. Although they may have wanted to stay a bit longer, they choose to see the positives of their season here.
“Our team was one of the happiest inside the bubble. I’m sure they noticed that we were always happy even during games,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero in Filipino. “There was a lot of pressure. A lot of us weren’t fit, but in the middle of the tournament, we regained our chemistry and it was all because we started having fun again as a team.”
Victolero could only imagine what might have happened if some of his key players were not injured with Ian Sangalang and Rome Dela Rosa missing a game and Kyle Pascual not even seeing action inside the Angeles University Foundation Arena.
“Our key players had some injuries and those injuries happened when we were really fighting. We suffered a couple of regrettable losses and if we won one of those games it would have been very different for us. We have achieved.”
When Victolero talks about achievements, it is not about wins and losses. A quarter-final exit will never be enough for a storied franchise like Magnolia. Instead, he is talking about the improvements within the bubble that will make permanent changes to his team in the future.
“More than the results of the matches, I think that what we could take away from this experience was the bond of the team,” Victolero said. “We have some new players, but now I can say that we have really become a team.”
In the future, Victolero knows that he will continue to trust his usual suspects. Paul Lee was amazing throughout the conference and will only get better with his newfound slim physique. He will still be surrounded by fellow point guards in Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon, Chris Banchero and Justin Melton, with Sangalang being his primary option in the shaded area.
Victolero saw great potential in rookie Aris Dionisio, who showed flashes of brilliance in his debut conference. The Hotshots will also be looking forward to next year’s PBA Rookie Draft, which could be very interesting due to the expected changes in requirements. Another thing Magnolia can look forward to is the return of veteran Marc Pingris, whose leadership and fighting spirit was certainly missed on his bench.
“Right now, I’m not thinking too much about the future,” Victolero said. “I am excited to go home and see my family and I am excited to eat the food that they prepared for me. We do not know when the next conference will be and when we will be allowed to practice as a team again. What we learned from this experience is that we have to work early. “
