Prior to sinking the winning follow-up in the final 4.1 seconds of his Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters’ 93-92 overtime win over the Meralco Bolts in their 2019 PBA Philippine Cup debut Wednesday night, Abueva had only converted on one of his 12 attempts.
But the way he made up for it in other aspects wasn’t pure luck. The 6-foot-4 forward finished the game with a team second-best 13 rebounds, nine of which came from the offensive end – the last one, of course, led to the game-winner.
Prior to overtime, however, Abueva had gone a nightmarish 0-of-11 from the field. He had to calm down, and he looked to the stands to find inspiration.
“Inappease ako ng anak ko.
“Bad game, bad start ako. Pero yung last shot siguro yun ang swerte ko,” shared Abueva.
“Yung mga ginagawa ko pa rin yung mga dapat kong gawin. Kung anong maitulong ko sa team, yun ang ginawa ko,” added the 30-year-old.
“Rebounds, pag-depensa, andoon eh. Sa field goal ko, malas ako. Fourth quarter, overtime doon lang ako naka-score. Overtime, parang lumakas na ang loob ko. Yung mga nagawa ko, offensive rebounds, nakatulong sa akin.”
Phoenix have taken some revenge on the Bolts with the win. Meralco were the team that blew their win-once incentive in the 2018 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals. Though it’s sweet, Abueva said that they’re more keen on the present.
“Siyempre, oo nakabawi kahit isa. Pero tapos na yun. Dito naman yung panimula,” he said.
Wednesday night’s victory serves as a fitting debut for the new-look Fuel Masters in the new all-Filipino conference. And it’s another reason to smile for Abueva, who has just recently patched things up with his wife.
“Panibagong buhay at siyempre sa mga anak ko. May bagong lalabas siguro,” quipped the Beast.
