Magnolia's Lee rues coming up short in PBA Finals on birthday

MANILA, Philippines -- “Probably, the saddest birthday.”

On Wednesday, February 14, Magnolia Hotshots guard Paul Lee turned 35 years old.

Despite the jubilant mood of the day, Lee and the Hotshots were in a somber mood after letting go of a double-digit lead and dropping Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, 104-102, against the San Miguel Beermen.

The guard, who finished with a team-high 25 points in Game 6, was gloomy, to say the least.

“[This is] probably the saddest birthday,” the sharp-shooting guard told reporters after the game.

Despite the loss, he underscored that there are things to remain positive for.

“But we still have a lot of things to be thankful for. First, we finished the game without anyone getting hurt. And, I also finished a series that some say I could not do because of my injuries,” he said.

“So, these are the things that I am thankful for. Credit to San Miguel, they really wanted it tonight. We move on, tomorrow is another day,” he added.

After trailing 0-2 in the series, Magnolia won back-to-back games to tie the series up.

The Hotshots then dropped Game 5, 108-98.

And, in Game 6, Magnolia led by 11, 90-79, in the fourth quarter, but the Beermen clawed their way back to the victory.

“We lost our focus. We can really say that we were dominated by San Miguel in the last minutes,” he said.

“Of course, they have a lot of players who have a lot of experience, like Chris Ross. So, that’s the championship experience as a team.”

For his part, Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero said that the team had mental lapses in the last minutes of the game.

He also cited Mark Barroca’s fouling out as a big factor down the stretch.

“Maybe we had some mental lapses in the last six minutes of the game. I think, the turnovers in the last six minutes of the game [killed us,] but Mark Barroca fouling out is very crucial for us,” Victolero told reporters in a separate interview.

“[Barroca] gave us stability, and that is what we missed in the last three or four minutes of the game,” he added.

But, despite the loss, the coach still lauded his players for putting up a fight.

“We lost but I’m still proud of my players. We’re still there until the end of the game, I’m