Magnolia remains hungry and focused despite its long string of victories in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Hotshots coach Chito Victolero said they will not get carried away by their winning streak that started during the PBA On Tour on 26 July and is still ongoing in the early stretch of the Commissioner’s Cup.
All in all, the Hotshots have yet to lose in 15 straight matches, making them the hottest team in this season-opening conference.
“When we started the new season, we knew it’s 0-0,” Victolero said.
“The preseason tournament is over and it’s not an official PBA game. But it definitely helped us in our buildup for this season.”
Victolero said he never had the luxury of preparing for the long stretch since he took over the coaching helm six years ago.
But with the league shortening its calendar to give way for Gilas Pilipinas’ participation in the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 19th Asian Games, the Hotshots gained a chance to recover and come up with a solid buildup for the new season.
Victolero said they trained with an intact lineup as nobody from their roster was tapped to represent the country in the World Cup and the Asian Games, making it easier for them to develop chemistry both inside and outside the court.
“Our injured players were given time to recover their bodies and heal their injuries,” Victolero said. “On the other hand, it allowed us to develop chemistry and it’s more important for us since we have new guys coming in like Abu Tratter, David Murrell and our import, Tyler Bey.”
“The fruits of our long preparation are now being rewarded, but we can only hope to get better.”
Still, Victolero believes that the solid preparation and long winning streak will be worthless if they don’t end up winning the title.
