As PBA remains suspended, unbeaten Magnolia making the most of lull

The Magnolia Hotshots are all raring to return to the hardwood to pick up where they left off in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.

The Hotshots are currently leading all teams with an immaculate 4-0 record.

But for now, the wards of head coach Chito Victolero are settling with online workouts as the league remains suspended due to the threat posed by COVID-19 and the Delta variant

"We are taking it (the PBA suspension) positively rather than negatively," Victolero told GMA News Online in an interview.

"We just want to make the most of every opportunity to train and of course, we hope to continue our momentum once the league returns."

Magnolia was red-hot when the league called off the games last August 3.

They opened their campaign with an 80-73 victory over the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters followed by a narrow 84-82 win against the Alaska Aces.

They also dominated archrival Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in their Manila Clasico showdown, carving out an 89-79 win, before dispatching of the Terrafirma Dyip in lopsided fashion, 105-83.

Victolero shared their hopes that their fiery start will help them leap into the championship round and possibly win their first title since their success in the 2018 Governors' Cup.

"I believe we can [win the championship] this time around because compared to last conference, we had more time to train this year and our chemistry is also doing great," Victolero said.

"I can also say that Calvin [Abueva] fits into our system which is why we're doing good so far."

—JMB, GMA News