By REYNALD MAGALLON
So close yet so far.
Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero couldn’t fully describe what exactly he was feeling after his team came up short once again of winning the elusive PBA crown and ending the franchise’s five-year title drought.
While the veteran tactician tried to console his team with the gallant stand they’ve had, the Hotshots felt like the title was within their reach but just couldn’t get enough lift to finally get it.
“We proved that we can challenge them and I think yun yung medyo nakakaano lang, nakaka-disappoint or nakaka-ano ba yung tawag na word? Hindi ko masabi kung ano e,” said Victolero in the aftermath of the sorry 104-102 Game 6 loss that put a bitter end to their once promising run.
A sweep of the PBA on Tour and a top seed finish in the eliminations – all indications point to a possible title run for the Hotshots until they tangled against the Beermen who proved to be a tough nut to crack.
And even in Game 6 where they already looked poised to dragging the series to a winner-take-all Game 7, SMB still proved to be mighty enough to erase a double-digit disadvantage in the final frame and came out with the narrow win.
“But yun nga, we were one rebound away, or one stop away, or one execution on offense away from the Game 7. Maybe we just need to learn yung how to finish the game, maybe next time, on how to become composed when the pressure is here,” said Victolero.
After leading by 11 points thanks to Paul Lee’s explosion, the Hotshots simply found no answer to a barrage of late three pointers from the Beermen. Jericho Cruz drilled one before another trey from Chris Ross gave SMB the lead.
Fittingly, CJ Perez, the Finals MVP, nailed the dagger triple that made the title conquest look more apparent for the Beermen and the Hotshots’ hopes of becoming champion again slowly fading.
Still nothing is to be ashamed of according to the Magnolia tactician.
“We lost but I’m still proud of my players. We’re still there until the end of the game, I’m proud of the effort,” said Victolero. “We just need to rest and let’s bounce back hard in the next conference.”
