ANTIPOLO CITY – Magnolia has been in this situation before early in the PBA Season 47 that he’s not about to push the panic button.
But yes, there's some sense of urgency after the Hotshots dug themselves into a 0-2 hole in the Governors’ Cup on Friday night.
See Jersey swap sends Lassiter, Cabagnot to trip down memory lane
“Not panic. It’s a sense of urgency siguro. We really have to do something,” said coach Chito Victolero after the Hotshots went down against the TNT Tropang Giga, 93-85, at the Ynares Center.
“I explained to them that this is maybe a short conference. Mabilis lang, e,” he said. “We have back-to-back games and next week we will have another back-to-back games. So we need to prepare hard for our next game. Mentally siguro yung ang kailangan namin kasi for the last two games, yun ang kulang namin, yung mental aspect.”
Magnolia also began last year’s Philippine Cup behind with a 0-2 record after losing to TNT and Converge, but found iits bearings and made it as far as the semifinals, where it lost to the Tropang Giga.
Victolero is keeping the fate the Hotshots’ campaign in the season-ending meet will take the same path as the All-Filipino Cup.
To do that, the Hotshots should start making their move.
“We have that sense of urgency right now siguro,” said the Magnolia coach, noting how the team faced the top contenders early in its schedule, with a game agianst unbeaten San Miguel set on Sunday.
“Pero sabi nga nila mas mahirap, mas masarap. We need to have that sense of urgency now gaya ng sinasabi ko kasi we can’t afford (to go down) 0-3. Medyo mahirap bumangon, although there’s a chance dahil nangyari na rin naman yan sa amin. Pero mahirap, mahirap na nakabaon ka doon.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
