ITS repeated failure to find the winning line in the endgame has admittedly cost Magnolia dearly in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
The Hotshots now have a heightened sense of urgency when they kick off their campaign in the new year against Terrafirma Friday, 5:00 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
"Backs against the wall na kami. We have five remaining games so we cannot afford to lose any of them," said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero, whose team ended 2024 with a 2-5 card.
"Ang pinag-uusapan namin dito, if we can win all of those, much better. Pero ang goal muna namin is to take them one game at a time starting with that one on Friday," added Victolero.
At first glance, the Hotshots seem a cinch to rack up that much-needed win since they are up against a side that has lost all its first eight matches and is now on the verge of elimination.
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There should be no room in his team for complacency, insisted Victolero. "Kahit nag-i-struggle Terrafirma, may mga instances na they can put produce 30-plus points in any given quarter so dangerous pa rin iyan," he said.
"Ang problema lang, madalas na they can get off to a good start pero parang nawawala sila, usually sa second half. Pero hindi sila p'wedeng i-take lightly dahil nga baka ma-tiyempuhan ka."
Besides, Victolero pointed out, his team has its own concerns from within that caused it to lose by an average of three points. "If you look at the numbers, nasa upper half kami in terms of points for and points allowed," he said.
"Ang problema namin is the endgame. Hindi kami maka-close out ng game, which is parang nakakabigla kasi iyun 'yung strength namin before because we're a good defensive team plus the fact that we have players who can close the game, mga clutch players."
The likes of Mark Barroca, Ian Sangalang, Zavier Lucero, Jerom Lastimosa and Ricardo Ratliffe should be assuming such a role since Paul Lee is injured with his spot in the rotation taken over by rookie Peter Alfaro, at least in the meantime.
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One thing giving Victolero some measure of optimism is the overall attitude of his players. "All the lessons learned from our mistakes, failures, unlucky breaks ng game, gagawin na lang naming mga positives iyon for these coming games," he said.
"Positive naman mga players, although ayun nga, masakit mga talo namin," added Victolero. "Saka our destiny remains in our hands. Sabi ko nga sa kanila, try to dig deep and grind it out in our next games and let's see." (NC)
