3-0 asam ng Hotshots

MANILA, Philippines -  Tangan ang 2-0 bentahe, target ng Star Hotshots na umusad palapit sa Finals sa kanilang muling paghaharap sa Barangay Ginebra Kings sa Game Three ng best of-seven semifinal series ng 42nd PBA Philippine Cup ngayong alas-7 ng gabi sa Mall of Asia Arena sa Pasay City.

Sa pangunguna ni Paul Lee na nag-average ng 17.5 puntos, 4.5 rebounds, isang assist at isang steal sa dalawang laro ng semis, nagwagi ang Hotshots, 91-89 sa Game Two noong Sabado kasunod  ng 78-74 panalo sa Game One noong Huwebes para palawakin ang kanilang bentahe sa serye.

Ngunit hindi pa kumportable si coach Chito Victolero ng Hotshots at inaasahan din nila ang pagbabalik  ng Gin Kings sa susunod na laban.  

“We’re happy to be 2-0. But we need to win four games to win this series. We know the character of Ginebra. We all know coach Tim Cone. We know Ginebra will not give-up, we  are expecting them to bounce back strong. So we’ll continue to prepare hard,” sabi ni Victolero.

Ayon kay Victolero  ang mahabang serye ay tungkol sa mental toughness lalung- lalo na sa execution ng kanilang game plan.

“The series is about mental toughness, this is about execution of game plan. This is about heart, desire and aggressiveness. The team that can execute their plays will win the game,” dagdag ni Victolero.

Para naman sa 16-year veteran na si Jayjay Hilterbrand, naranasan na nilang naiipit sa ganoong mahirap na sitwasyon sa buong conference at nalampasan rin nila ang sitwastiyon.

 “We always do it the hard way. We’ve been doing it the hard way the whole conference. It’s not over. We’re down two games, but it takes 4 to win. We’re not gonna give up, just keep trying. It’s been a close game. It’s not like they’ve been dominating the series. We could have won Game 1 or Game 2,” sabi naman ni Hilterbrand ng Ginebra na nagkampeon sa nakaraang Governor’s cup.

Ayon kay Ginebra guard Sol Mercado, iiwasan nilang matalo sa Game Three dahil magi-ging do-or-die na sa kanila bawat larong matitira.

“When you’re down 0-2, you can’t go down 0-3, so it’s definitely a must win next game. But we’re still confident.  We haven’t played our best game and we’re still just one possession  away from winning the game, so we continue to believe that we can do this, and take it for next game,” paliwanag ni Mercado.