CHITO Victolero admitted Magnolia’s bubble experience against Phoenix gave them an extra motivation heading to their PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals showdown on Friday.
The 46-year-old coach said his pre-game talk revolved around how the Fuel Masters ended the Hotshots' campaign in the in the first round of the playoffs of the 2020 Philippine Cup in Clark, Pampanga .
It likewise added fire to their eyes the words of Phoenix star Matthew Wright suggesting how the Fuel Masters once eliminated the Hotshots and that repeating it remains very possible even if Magnolia happens to be the top seeded team and has a twice-to-beat advantage.
“Actually, Matthew Wright reminded me about it,” said Victolero in the post-game presser after the Hotshots formally clinched a semis berth with a 127-88 blowout of the Fuel Masters.
“It’s one of my motivation also to my team and actually that’s my pre-game reminder. So it helped us motivate during the game.”
Paul Lee and the Hotshots cruise to the round of four.
The Hotshots never took a chance and tried to separate their way with the Fuel Masters as early as the first half.
With veteran guard Paul Lee already with 20 points at halftime, Magnolia already sat on a huge 66-46 lead which it padded to its biggest at 120-75 during the fourth period.
The Hotshots’ 39-point winning margin was their biggest since a 124-77 rout of KIA in the 2018 Philippines Cup, while dealing the Fuel Masters its second worst defeat in franchise history after a 123-79 setback to the same Purefoods franchise in the 2016-17 Philippine Cup.
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