THE celebration will have to wait for Aldrech Ramos on the occasion of his 31st birthday.
The Magnolia back-up forward scored 14 points and shot four of eight from three-point land in a 102-74 romp over NLEX on Wednesday that enabled the Hotshots to clinch the No. 6 seed in the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.
Ramos, whose playing time has gradually decreased over the past weeks, said he had no time to celebrate his birthday considering the importance of the match against NLEX to the Hotshots' playoff position.
Magnolia needed the win in order to secure the sixth spot and a best-of-three affair against third-seed Ginebra, instead of a series against the top two teams where the Hotshots would've faced a twice-to-win disadvantage.
“Wala po eh dahil may laro,” said Ramos when asked how he celebrated his birthday. “Siguro uuwi lang tapos pahinga dahil may training bukas.”
“Saka na,” Ramos said.
Ramos' explosion off the bench came as a timely boost for the Hotshots, who hit 14 three-point attempts. Aside from Ramos, Paul Lee (26), Mark Barroca (14) and Ian Sangalang (10) also scored in double figures for the Hotshots.
“Siguro open shot lang po talaga. Tine-take ko lang. Luckily, sumu-shoot. Dahil siguro birthday. May ganun talaga siguro,” said Ramos.
“Lock in na kami sa playoffs. Magandang morale booster ito sa amin."
This early, Ramos and the Hotshots are bracing for a tough quarterfinal against Ginebra, even if they ousted the Kings during their last playoff series in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals a few months ago.
“Mabigat pero syempre, kailangan naming mag-prepare. Gawin namin ‘yung best namin. Nasa amin ‘yun pero Ginebra is Ginebra. Kaya dapat A game or A+ game,” said Ramos.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph