Even after the Alaska Aces made it a 2-0 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup finals series, one of the team’s leaders, Calvin Abueva, is wary that the San Miguel Beermen are still dangerous, and they have to be extra cautious.
“Konti pang disiplina sa depensa tsaka focus pa rin talaga sa depensa namin. Kung bumalik man yung big man nila, mas iigihan pa namin,” Abueva said Tuesday after Alaska took Game 2, 83-80.
The Aces were again tested by an eager San Miguel squad who played without June Mar Fajardo. Alex Cabagnot was in take-charge mode, scoring 23 points to lead his team, although bad breaks were costly for San Miguel in the end.
Still, Abueva knows how tough the Beermen are to beat in a seven-game series.
“Game 3, lalo na, out of town, hindi natin masasabi. Bilog ang bola talaga, hindi naman talaga ganoong kadali kalaban ang San Miguel. Defending champion sila, tsaka hinihigpitan namin yung depensa namin kahit wala big man nila,” Abueva said.
‘The Beast’ also shared how Alaska had prepared for San Miguel from the start, knowing they would likely face the Beermen if ever they made it to the finals.
“Nung start pa lang, pinaghandaan na namin talaga. Di kami ganoong kakumpiyansa pero dinahan-dahan namin kaya umabot kami dito,” he said, adding it would have been more difficult with Fajardo in the lineup.
“Yung depensa namin, kung nandun si June Mar, mahihirapan talaga.”
While it is still unknown if Fajardo can suit up for the upcoming games, Abueva said that having him return could be an advantage for the Aces, as Fajardo may have a tough time getting a feel of the game.
“Di ko masasabi pero baka advantage sa amin yun kasi kababalik niya lang tapos isasalang mo agad. So kami siguro mas makakakuha ng momentum kung ipapasok siya,” he said.
Either way, the Aces are prepared to take on the challenge.
