Calvin Abueva admitted that he felt a bit too excited in his return in Magnolia’s eventual win over Converge in Saturday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup affair.
The “Beast” made his Season 48 debut after sitting out in their first nine games due to a hemorrhoidectomy and saw himself in the middle of heated moments, one of which was with opposing guard Alec Stockton during the second quarter.
Both men were assessed with technical fouls but the vet was proud to have kept his composure in that situation — and the rest of the night.
“It’s part of the game,” he said moments after their 88-80 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. “Pinakamaganda roon, nasa focus ako nung time na ‘yun.”
As he stayed laser-focused, Abueva played a key role in Magnolia’s huge fourth-quarter to take down the FiberXers, joining hands with Tyler Bey and others for the 14-0 run towards a 79-65 lead that kept them in control all the way.
The 35-year-old went on to finish with six points, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block in the 12 minutes he played off the bench.
“Maganda na natapos namin ‘tong year na ‘to na nanalo kami para next year, mapag-prepare namin ‘yung playoff mentality na kami,” he said.
Thanks to the spark he provided, the Hotshots improved to 9-1 in the standings, in the process booking a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
But the two-time BPC refuses to get too high about it, for the only thing that matters to the rest of the squad is striking gold at the end of the tilt.
“Wala pa kaming nararating … pero mas maganda kung masusulit namin,” he said. “In the end dun natin masasabi na siguro, itong conference na to para sa amin, pag napunta na kami roon sa level na makuha namin ‘yung trophy.”
