Rafi Reavis himself could no longer remember the last time he earned Player of the Game honors after being bestowed with such in Magnolia’s crucial win over Terrafirma in PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup action on Friday.
The 47-year-old paused for a while and tried to think of it but ultimately couldn’t recall as much, for all that he cares about in his career are wins.
“Not really. Because again, I don’t really care about Best Player, or points. I care about wins, championships,” said the veteran center during the postgame presser of their 108-100 win at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Reavis was invited to the press podium after turning back the hands of time in helping the Hotshots clinch a quarterfinal seat against the Dyip.
Fielded as a starter, he logged 26 minutes and 10 seconds and finished with 10 points on a 5-of-5 shooting clip and 13 rebounds with a steal.
He was key in repelling Terrafirma’s late-game comeback attempt through his sneaky cleanups and shots from the perimeter, making things all the more difficult for the opposing frontcourt that also had to worry about Ian Sangalang.
Reavis would eventually earn his first Player of the Game citation since Game 3 of the 2019 Philippine Cup Finals versus San Miguel where he had 16 points and 15 rebounds in an 86-82 win, per PBA stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
The Fil-Am cager, though, offered that it was just pure luck.
“I think I just got lucky, really. If I’m open in some spots, I try to make the best of that,” he said.
“If you’ve been following me over the years, you know I don’t really care about points. If one of my teammates score, we all score. So I’m just trying to play with a sense of energy and be a leader to my team on and off the court,” he added.
Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero was, of course, proud to see his former MBA teammate deliver in an outing so important, which for him represents how huge of a figure the 6-foot-8 Reavis is for the whole team.
“Rafi is a big factor for us, not only on the court, but outside the court,” said the champion mentor. “He’s our leader, he’s our captain. We talked about being consistent on everything and he’s the one taking care of the team.
“He talks to the players. Matagal na kaming ganoon. I want him to be my coach doon sa mga players. It’s another key factor, yung contribution niya ngayon. He’s a veteran, experienced. He knows what to do.
“The other young guys, I told them na we need to copy what Rafi did because he’s here for 20-plus seasons. So he knows what to do,” he closed.
