Not best way to end year, but Lee happy with Star’s record
BOCAUE – Playing in his first “Manila Clasico,” Paul Lee said that he wasn’t really overwhelmed with the magnitude of the duel or even the size of the world-class stadium like Philippine Arena.
“It was OK. It was the same game,” he quipped.
True enough, Lee didn’t shy away from the spotlight as he racked 20 points and five rebounds in a losing effort as Star fell to rival Ginebra, 86-79, on Sunday.
Despite keeping toe-to-toe with Ginebra all game-long, Lee said that the offensive rebounds led to the team’s downfall late in the game.
“Marami kaming breakdowns sa offensive rebounds. Doon kami nayari,” he said.
Though both teams registered the same number of offensive rebounds with 17, Ginebra emerged as the aggressor when it comes to cashing in on those opportunities with 19 second chance points compared to only 14 for Star.
Despite the defeat that snapped a three-game run, Lee was still satisfied with how Star has been fairing to even its standing at 3-3, still tied for sixth place with Ginebra, Alaska, and Phoenix.
“Kung titingnan mo, bago pa rin ang team. I’m still happy na bago natapos ang taon, 3-3 kami. Yun nga lang, di lang sa gusto namin na way na mangyari to end the year,” he said.
“After our 0-2 start, we were 3-1 in our last four games. We’re still ok, but we have to go back to practice and improve on the things we need for the long haul.”
Star springs back to action on January 11 against Alaska.
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