Hotshots eye return to PBA throne

MANILA, Philippines – With the Magnolia Hotshots firmly in the semifinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, they are looking at possibly going all the way to the promised land.

Magnolia barged into the semifinals after dominating the TNT Tropang Giga, 109-94, on Wednesday.

And they are hoping to take home the championship once again, a feat they last accomplished back in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup.

"Hopefully this time, we go all the way. We have to prepare hard for the next series," Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero told reporters after the win.

He said that they are nowhere near satisfied with what they reached, and have just achieved about 75% of the job.

"We just get the 50%, we got to the playoffs. That's another 25%, now we go to the semis. So, we target the other 25% again, which is going to the finals," Victolero underscored.

Led by import Tyler Bey and the well-balanced lineup of locals that include Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Calvin Abueva, Jio Jalalon and Ian Sangalang, the team is the favorite to reach the finals.

However, they still need to power through either the Phoenix Fuel Masters or the Meralco Bolts in the semifinals.

The two teams will be facing in a sudden-death match on Sunday, January 21.
With these, Victolero said that his team should focus on things a day at a time.

"We need to prepare one day at a time. I don't want my players to look at the big picture but just stay in the present, make sure we have that mental preparation," he said.

"We have the experience from the previous seasons. We are here, but hopefully, with the help of this guy [Bey], we can go all the way," he added.

The last time Magnolia went to the finals was in 2021, when they fell to TNT in the Philippine Cup finals.