ONE of the first orders of business of Magnolia coach Chito Victolero during the postgame press conference of Game Four was to praise Phoenix Super LPG for pushing them to the limit in the PBA 48th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
The Hotshots beat the Fuel Masters, 3-1, in their best-of-five semifinal series, winning Game Four, 89-79. The series may be lopsided at first glance, but the Hotshots earned every victory in the semifinals.
Magnolia had to overcome several comeback bids by Phoenix all series long that even saw the Hotshots lose Game Three, but the Hotshots showed their composure to clinch the series on Wednesday.
“I’d like to give credit to coach Jamike (Jarin) and the whole organization of Phoenix. They did a very, very good job,” said Victolero during his opening statement in the press conference where he also thanked Magnolia management for its support in the series.
Victolero said the Magnolia coaching staff also endured sleepless nights in studying Phoenix, especially its defense that has become one of the tops in the league.
“Actually, it was a battle. Walang tulugan. Akala lang natin, because hindi tayo sanay na Phoenix ‘yung Final Four, but they gave us a very, very good fight. Hats off to coach Jamike. Talagang pinag-isip niya ang buong coaching staff. It’s a learning experience to us. Dadalhin namin ito to our journey kung saan man kami makarating.”
Victolero said he has been a follower of Jarin’s career and he admires his defensive philosophy ever since he was a college coach in San Beda in 2016, and a few more Final Four appearances with National University.
“’Yun ‘yung strength ng Phoenix, they buy in to coach Jamike’s system which is, if you are a follower of coach Jamike in college, that is his strength. Different kinds of defense ang ibabato niya sayo. I’m a fan of coach Jamike also because we always talk about ‘yung kung papano ‘yung depensa na ‘yan. I watch a lot of games of Phoenix. ‘Yun ang strength nila. Mahirap ‘yung ma-disrupt nila ‘yung rhythm ng ibang team,” said Victolero.
Before Game Four, Victolero told his players to go toe-to-toe with Phoenix’s defense, expecting that it will be a difficult night for them on offense.
“Look at their grit and perseverance, look at their courage. They are also a very, very good defensive team because they only allowed us to score na parang 83 plus points din. It’s a battle of defense. Mahihirapan ka talaga because they throw you different kinds of defense. Zone, 1-3-1, 1-2-2, 2-3, and then sometimes they go man-to-man, they double. They disrupt the offense and it’s very hard for us to get the rhythm.
“That’s why we try to focus on our defense because we know we will have a hard time offensively. But our best offense is our defense. That’s why I told to my players na kahit anong gawin nila sa atin, ang importante naka-depensa tayo,” said Victolero.
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