It was indeed the sweetest of Sundays for Calvin Abueva. He will be celebrating his birthday with plenty of joy, as he and the Alaska Aces completed a comeback and downed the GlobalPort Batang Pier in overtime at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“Oo syempre [ayaw ko matalo sa birthday ko],” said Abueva moments after their 105-98 victory — their sixth consecutive. “Tsaka actually, binigay Niya ‘to. Talagang binigay na namin lahat dito sa game na ‘to.”
Abueva was clearly the anchor of the Aces in the win, finishing the night with 12 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. And for the six-foot-two forward, what he had just showed was the Beast 2.0.
“Sa’kin, yung ginagawa ko, natural na talaga yun,” said the 30-year-old.
“Yun talaga ako eh, Calvin Abueva.
“And then nagpalit na ‘ko number (88) kaya mas pinursigi ko yung sarili ko na doblehin pa yung effort ng ginagawa ko,” the proud son of Angeles City furthered.
The Milkmen now have the best winning streak in the 2017-18 Philippine Cup — and they are also undefeated this year. But Abueva still wants to see improvements within the team, particularly in the way they play in a game’s first 24 minutes.
“Yung mabago namin yung first half namin na struggle kami tapos biglang babawi sa second half,” the five-time All-Star opined. “Sana yung first half namin, kung ano pinapakita namin sa second half, doblehin pa namin para lumayo kami.”
But for his birthday wish in particular, Abueva only has one thing in mind.
“Birthday wish ko, maging buo akong tao,” said the six-year pro Abueva, who is in the midst of a personal problem. “[At] Mapakita ko na nakatayo ako sa sarili kong paa, walang iniisip, walang kung ano-ano man.
“Ang importante makasama ko yung mga anak ko, kahit dito man lang sa birthday ko. Pero baka sometime next week.”
