It turns out the Magnolia Hotshots’ locals were extra motivated in their matinee showdown with the TNT Tropang 5G. It certainly helped that they had an import—Clint Chapman—who understands the bright lights and isn’t fazed by them.
That proved to be a winning combination as the Hotshots posted a wire-to-wire 106-94 victory over the Tropa on Tuesday.
“I challenged them (Hotshots). This TNT team, malaki ang utang sa kanila bago pa ako dumating. So it’s an extra motivation for them,” said Tenorio. “Ano pa bang motivation ang puwede nating makuha, di ba? ‘Yun ang extra motivation na sinabi ko sa kanila. And they responded.”
The “utang” Tenorio was alluding to was the two quarterfinal losses TNT handed Magnolia in back-to-back Philippine Cups.
The first came in the season-ending tournament of PBA Season 49, when Magnolia—still under longtime coach Chito Victolero—locked up the third seed but was booted out by the Tropa after two stinging defeats. A conference later, in the Season 50 Philippine Cup, the same scenario unfolded, only this time Tenorio was manning the Magnolia sideline.
Clint Chapman, the Difference-Maker
True enough, the locals did their part, with Mark Barroca, in particular, putting up a steady 15-point, 12-assist double-double, and Zav Lucero playing his usual stout defense.
Magnolia also got a huge boost from import Clint Chapman, whose 42 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks all but offset counterpart Bol Bol’s 53 points and 13 rebounds. The 37-year-old American also threw down a massive dunk in the waning seconds of the third quarter that jumpstarted a crucial 7-0 spurt for Magnolia after TNT had cut the lead down to 74-72.
Not that Tenorio is at all suprised.
“He knows how important our games are,” Tenorio said of Clint Chapman. “He’s a vet. That’s why we got him. He shows up on the big stage.”
Clint Chapman did, in fact, show up on the big stage. And, as it turns out, he was extra motivated himself against TNT, as he was showing out in front of his family.
“My family’s here in attendance, my mom and brother [are] here, what else kind of motivation do I need?” he said postgame.
Indeed, there was plenty of motivation going around for Magnolia on Tuesday. Now, Tenorio can only hope there’s a lot more of it heading into the quarterfinals.
