Calvin Abueva feels greatly motivated by the chance to do something special once again with the PBA playing in Pampanga for the second year in a row.
“Dito, hometown ko, very excited. Last bubble kasi, semis tapos na-disgrasya,” recalled the 33-year-old native of Angeles.
“Then ngayon, at least second chance na makapunta ulit doon.“
Abueva, of course, was referring to Phoenix Super LPG’s magical campaign in last year’s Philippine Cup bubble in Clark that saw them reach the semifinals of the most prestigious conference for the second straight season.
And the ‘Beast’ was, indeed, a major key with his BPC-worthy figures, given the fact that he had just returned from a lengthy suspension. Unfortunately, the Fuel Masters fell short of reaching the Big Dance.
Now, he has a shot of replicating, or perhaps surpassing, that remarkable run, this time with Magnolia in the ongoing 2021 Honda Philippine Cup.
On Wednesday, the Hotshots got back to their winning ways by outlasting Jericho Cruz and NLEX after two overtimes, 112-105.
Abueva prematurely exited, as he fouled out with 2:52 left to play. Still, he had already done enough damage. He left with 23 points and 12 rebounds for a conference-leading fourth double-double performance.
The nine-year pro said that climbing up to the Top Two was the primary motivation for the squad. And they’ve accomplished as much, since they’re now in second place in the standings with a 6-2 record.
“Sabi nga ni boss, ni Coach, buhos na kasi bala ‘di na rin tayo magtatagal dito sa bubble, baka makabalik na tayong Manila. Pero dito pa lang, trabahuhin na natin. Kasi this is our chance na maka-top two,” he said.
“Kaya ayun, ginawa naman namin,” he added. “Nakipag-communicate naman guards namin lalo na ‘sina Jio [Jalalon], si [Mark] Barroca, lalo na si Ian [Sangalang]. Ang bench namin, nandoon, nagbibigay ng energy.”
Abueva may well be on his way to reaching that personal goal of his, though it isn’t lost on him that it won’t be a walk in the park.
“Sana makuha namin ‘to. [Pero] Hindi namin madaling makukuha ‘to eh,” he warned. “Ang ano namin dito, paghihirapan namin.
“Halos aakyatin namin ang Pinatubo para makalusot kami dito sa mga team na ‘to.”
