By REYNALD MAGALLON
Just how much a two-day break can change one’s chances of winning? A lot if you’d ask a team like Magnolia.
The change was very much evident in Game 3 of the 2023-’24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals as the Hotshots got some sort of fresher legs, this time, and rediscovered their defensive fangs that keyed their 88-80 win over the San Miguel Beermen.
For one, the Hotshots looked a bit quicker and feistier on defense which proved enough to reduce a juggernaut Beermen offense which poured 106 points in the first two games to a pulp in Game 3 with only 80 points to show.
“The key factor is the two-day rest. Medyo nakarecover yung body namin with that two-day rest,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero.
“We had a hard time doing our defensive scheme. I don’t want to make excuses but they are only humans, talagang nakakaramdam ng pagod. But the good thing is we had that rest nagawa namin yung defensive mentality namin and that is to limit our opponents under 88 points,” added the veteran coach.
In retrospect, SMB’s offense has never been this dismantled since the arrival of Benny Boatwright who anchored his team’s franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak.
The Beermen’s output was the lowest the team produced since they were limited to just 90 points by – guess who – the Hotshots in their elimination encounter.
And the formula to beat San Miguel and get back into the series was also becoming clearer for Victolero after the Game 3 win.
“Every time they score 100 plus points, they have a better chance of winning the game but if we limit them under 90 points we have a bigger chance of winning the game,” pointed out Victolero who lauded veteran guard Mark Barroca and Tyler Bey for leading the Hotshots’ tough defensive stand.
Bey might have struggled offensively but that was only a little sacrifice to ensure that Boatwright won’t have his regular looks from the field. The SMB import did manage to put up 27 points but had to take 29 shots to reach his output.
Lassiter who was a huge factor in the two wins only finished four points and could only launch one try from deep against Barroca’s defense in 35 minutes of play.
“Talagang siya nagsimula ng defensive energy namin and also Tyler Bey. he did a good job on Boatwright but everyone stepped up defensively,” added the one-time champion coach.
