It’s extremely rare to see Calvin Abueva fail to put the ball through the hoop in a game.
That was the case on Sunday evening, though. In the Alaska Aces’ match versus the Blackwater Elite, the Beast did not make a single shot out of the 10 he launched from the field.
“‘Di ako maka-score eh,” rued Abueva, who only scored three points, which all came from the foul line.
But even with such a frustrating shooting night, the 30-year-old forward still made a huge impact for the Milkmen.
Abueva made up for his bad night by collecting 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks to help the Aces tear the Elite apart, 93-74, to enter the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup win column.
“Dinaan ko na lang sa mabibigay kong assists sa teammates ko,” said the Kapampangan after the match at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Basta maka-score ang mga kakampi ko, okay na.”
Even Aces head coach Alex Compton gushed over the way the Gilas Pilipinas stalwart performed in the win, which was their redemption from Friday’s loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
“He played just like exactly what we’re looking for. He helped us on the rebounds, he got the loose ball, and he got a lot of shots for his teammates,” said the American bench strategist.
“If you noticed, I told Calvin, you helped us basically win this game, especially that part of the fourth quarter. He made so many extra unselfish plays that as coaches we love.”
“Pagpasok ko nung fourth quarter, dun ko binuhos aggressiveness ko,” said the 6-foot-2 utility forward, as he helped Alaska put the Elite away for good, as the latter turned a 30-point deficit to just seven in the fourth.
The six-year pro served as an anchor in the Milkmen’s 20-7 finishing blow that propelled them to an 86-64 advantage, and paved the way for their first win in the conference.
“Ayaw pumasok [ng mga tira ko] eh. Kaya pinilit ko na lang na pumasa at kumuha ng hustle points, hustle rebounds para sa mga teammates ko.”
