Mas madali ang buhay ko pag nandiyan si Rafi Reavis
It was the sentiment echoed by 13-year league veteran Marc Pingris and shared by the entire Star Hotshots.
Reavis, who made his Philippine basketball debut 17 years ago, is still providing quality minutes for the Star Hotshots. And his presence is greatly felt in the on-going best-of-seven Philippine Cup semifinals series pitting them against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“We knew that it was going to be a grind out series. Ginebra’s is really a good team, they have a lot of experience. We know how coach Tim [Cone] prepares his team,” Reavis, who has been part of 10 championship squads, told Tiebreaker Times.
“The last two games are a testament to that.”
The first two games has been a grind for both squads. Buckets were hard to come by while the rebounding skirmishes have been physical. The games itself have been close and have been decided by a total margin of just six points — both going in favor of the Hotshots.
Safe to say, every possession matters in this series.
That’s why Reavis, who is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game in his career, is flourishing in this series. And his effect in the game is beyond the stats, helping stop Japeth Aguilar in 54 total minutes of game time.
“I’m a defensive person. This is what I do, this is why I am on this team.
“I’m just doing my job and just trying to play my role as a leader and as a defensive presence,” the 6-foot-8 Filipino-American said.
And when it matters, he can still deliver. Back in Game Two and with Star up by just a solitary point with seven seconds to go, Ginebra was able to force Paul Lee to a tough, contested shot. Fortunately for the Hotshots faithful, Reavis was there to clean up the miss, resulting to charities that sealed their 2-0 edge.
Pingris, who has been teammates with Reavis for the last eight years, did not hide his relief that Reavis was playing on his side. But for the New York-native, he is just glad to relieve some of the pressure off of the two-time Finals MVP.
“Well, maybe because we have been together for quite some time now. That’s another thing I’m glad he said. That’s just another aspect I bring to this team,” the second overall pick in the 2002 draft shared. “Ping is like one of our all-time greatest scorers but he shouldn’t guard the best player on the other team.
“We have 14 guys but someone has to do the dirty work. I don’t mind being that guy.”
And even at age 39, Reavis is showing no signs of slowing down.
