Hotshots far from satisfied

Magnolia safely made it to the quarterfinals of Philippine Basketball Magnolia secured a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup with a 112-93 victory over Barangay Ginebra, but head coach LA Tenorio stressed that the team’s ambitions extend beyond the playoffs’ opening round. Leading Group B with a 6-3 record, the Hotshots aim to maintain their momentum and build confidence ahead of their final elimination-round game against Rain or Shine on 21 October.

Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup following a convincing 112-93 win over Barangay Ginebra late Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hotshots head coach LA Tenorio, however, is still far from satisfied.

“For now, it’s a good achievement for us once again. But again, we want to get over the hump. The goal is not really just to enter the quarterfinals,” Tenorio said.

“This game was really big for us to clinch a quarterfinals berth. But our goal is much bigger than the quarterfinals.”

After failing to advance past the quarterfinals in the previous Commissioner’s Cup, the Hotshots started strong, winning six of their nine games to grab the lead in Group B of this season-ending conference.

They have one game left in the elimination round — a clash with second-running Rain or Shine on 21 October at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City — and Tenorio instructed his wards to go all out so they will enter the playoffs oozing with confidence.

“From here on, we have the momentum. Hopefully, we can continue that momentum and, most especially, hopefully, the players will be healthy going into the quarterfinals, the homestretch of this conference,” said Tenorio, whose wards have yet to make it past the quarterfinals since the Commissioner’s Cup in 2024 when they lost in the best-of-seven finals series to San Miguel Beer in six games.

“Again, we still have the Rain or Shine game. It’s an opportunity for us. It’s another challenge for us.”

Forward Zavier Lucero echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying the break before the playoffs presents both an opportunity to recover and a challenge for players who prefer to stay in game rhythm.

“I think there are pros and cons. We get a good amount of rest and a good amount of time to work on our stuff as a team. But as a player, it’s always nice to be playing games,” Lucero said.

“Sometimes, if you have a bad game or whatever, it’s easy to move on when you have another game. Anyone who had a bad game on Friday can come into this one, and there’s no time to think about it.

“But when you have two months to think about it, it’s a little bit different.”