Leo Austria has no doubt whatsoever that Alex Cabagnot would’ve made it even harder for San Miguel to beat Terrafirma in their post-Christmas meeting in the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup, Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Definitely,” said the champion mentor,
The Beermen overpowered the Dyip, 100-88, for their third win in a row. They faced, however, a squad that did not have the 39-year-old, who’s likely done for the season after suffering an Achilles injury versus NLEX last December 18.
Cabagnot has only played for four games with his new team, who got him via trade in exchange for Simon Enciso. But in so short of a time, he showed how big of a factor he is with averages of 12.0 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.5 rebounds.
That seamless transition with Terrafirma plus his vast knowledge of his former ball club’s scheme of things, according to Austria, are just some of the reasons why SMB would find it more difficult to deal with them had he played.
“It will become harder for us to beat them because Alex, alam niya what’s going on in our team — alam niya ‘yung mga plays, ‘yung mga strategy. And he’s playing well with his team, and he has good chemistry with his teammates.”
That’s not to say, though, that San Miguel had it easy. Though they were able to lead by as many as 23, the Beermen still had to buck a minor scare in the endgame as the Dyip came within six with less than two minutes.
Cabagnot would’ve been a problem at a time like that, Austria said.
“He will be a problem especially down the stretch,” said the 63-year-old, as his old guard is a proven killer in the clutch.
“Because he’s proven that to his team na he’s a big factor, ‘yung impact niya sa team ay really big e.”
It would’ve been a nice reunion between Cabagnot and SMB had it not been for his injury. Still, Austria is praying for the best for the 16-year veteran, with whom he shared a total of eight PBA championships.
“I hope what happened to him is just minor,” he said. “I know Alex for a fact na every time he suffers injuries, he’ll be back stronger. I’m happy for him he’s playing well, unfortunately that incident, it’s beyond your control e.
“I’m praying for him to recover well because there’s a lot of fans wanting him to play.”
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