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Lethal Star
(Photo credit to the owner)

Paul Lee has always been special.

It was just rather unfortunate that it took being traded to the Star Hotshots for everyone to finally take notice. Real basketball fans know who Lee is and how cold-blooded he is, specially in the clutch. But the casual fans, those who see the points and face value more than the game? Those who don't pay attention to stats and efficiency and all the other nerdy things that make basketball so much fun? Not so much.

How could they cheer for a guy who goes by the moniker "Angas ng Tondo" anyway? Bald head, goat-tee, gangsta-look and all? How could they cheer a guy who barely smiles to the crowd or even notices his own fans, casually shaking-off game winners like it's just something he does regularly, like breathing? Check the tape. Most guys would throw a fist, howl, scream, run to the crowd and go "THIS IS MY HOUSE"-- anything.

Lee?

#putakalma

Even that hashtag of ours, which suits Lee's approach to the game well, isn't for everyone.
Right now Lee has helped the Hotshots to a 2-0 semifinals lead versus favorites Barangay Ginebra. He has "helped" by way of making baskets here and there, enough to douse water in any Ginebra run, and, in the end game, just making the right plays to help eek out the win.

He's taken over by not really taking over.

Lee knows that the Hotshots have won (and big) without him. This is probably why we see Lee being okay with not having the ball all the time, and even being completely ignored by backcourt buddy Mark Barroca on offense. He lets Justin Melton have his day. He watches Marc Pingris dribble the life out of the basketball in the post. He just shrugs off the times when Allein Maliksi foolishly goes one on three.

He also knows that despite all of the Hotshots' combined greatness, together with Coach Chito Victolero, that this team is in need of a closer. A role that suits him well. Yap is now gone while PJ Simon is on the decline. Allein Maliksi is still green and makes bad decisions from time to time while Mark Barroca , though great, has never been mentioned in the same breath as "clutch."

Lee?

Check the Ginebra game-winner during his rookie year. Versus Rudy Hatfield.

The ice-cold, medal game winning play AND free throws he sank versus China IN China.

That last second play versus Tim Cone's San Mig Coffee years back which was all Lee.

The pulot game winner last season's PBA Finals.

Game 1 and 2 of this current series versus Ginebra.

Yes, he's THAT clutch. Now some of you might be going "oh, we didn't know that" or "we only knew about the Gilas one" and that's all mostly because Lee played in a "small" team- RoS, with a relatively "small" fanbase when compared to that of the Hotshots'.

Do RoS fans hate Lee for leaving?

No. Hell no.

We knew that this kid, in his first year even, was just too good to be playing for JUST max money. It's completely hush-hush, but for a player of Lee's caliber, you bet your ass that teams should be paying him the max, plus throwing all sorts of freebies and discounts.

Sino mabubuhay sa isang libong lata ng pintura, bes?

We saw it early on. The kid even released a rap album. Rap. And had a fans' day somewhere East. We knew that he wanted to chase PBA super-stardorm, and we wanted him to go get it. When Coach Yeng Guiao left for NLEX, it pretty much told us that Lee was also on his way out. We just wanted him to go somewhere where he could still be Paul Lee, maybe even better.

Ngayon max money na. Siguro libreng hotdog, margarine, beer, gin, at kung ano ano pa ang meron si idol

It took a while for Hotshots fans to warm up to Lee. Most of them associated him with Rain or Shine's hooliganism. He didn't exactly perform up to par early this conference as well.

Hindi ka na nga pogi, mukha ka pang gangster, tapos 5+ turnovers pa ginagawa mo kada laro. Buti kung sing pogi mo si Chris Ellis.

But once Lee started to get back into playing form (and maybe adjusting both to his teammates and all the weight he lost), they started to figure out what many RoS fans already knew since day one:

Paul Lee is quiet confidence personified.

Paul Lee is lethal.

Paul Lee is a star.