Calvin Abueva beat the buzzer by swishing a halfcourt heave to end the first half of Magnolia’s 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup debut against Terrafirma, Wednesday.
But it wasn’t just the Hotshots themselves who celebrated that wild of a shot. Some fans inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum erupted in joy as well.
That, for Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero, was truly a welcome sight to see after playing in empty arenas for the last two conferences.
“We experienced it in the bubble. May mga game-winner si Calvin pero kami-kami lang ang sumisigaw,” he said. “Pero first half pa lang, na-experience na natin yung buzzer beater niya. Ang daming sumigaw ng fans.
“‘Yan ang nami-miss ng mga players. We love to play for the fans, especially Calvin, masayahing tao yan, talagang gusto niya maglaro for the fans.”
Wednesday marked the first time that the league had a live audience in the stands amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This is something that the PBA and its people have longed for after playing in restricted bubble set-ups — the first in Clark where the 2020 Philippine Cup was held, then in Bacolor for the 2021 edition of the all-Filipino wars.
Magnolia itself, according to Victolero, was really excited heading into its conference debut as there were spectators, at last.
The Hotshots were one of those who last experienced playing in front of fans before the global health crisis struck. They battled rivals San Miguel Beer in the Season 46 opener also at the Big Dome last March 8, 2020.
“Super excited. ‘Yun nga ‘yung sinabi ko sa mga players ko eh. It’s okay to be excited, but we need to control that excitement. From the start, even me, talagang sabik kaming makita ‘yung fans,” he said.
That eagerness translated well onto the court. Magnolia beat the Dyip, 114-87, thanks to a well-deployed attack led by Mike Harris and Calvin Abueva.
“It adds to the motivation, to the fire, our energy, and aggressiveness. Masarap pakinggan nang may sumisigaw, talagang naglalaro kami ng basketball,” he said. “Kahit naman maglaro ka sa kalye eh, mayroon pa ring nanonood.”
Now, the 2018 Coach of the Year hopes that fans will become a regular fixture in games moving forward, and more to be allowed to troop to venues.
“Hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy lang at madagdagan ‘yung mga fans natin. ‘Yung suporta ng mga fans sa PBA, lahat ng teams, sana makabalik yung fans at madagdagan at ma-feel ulit natin yung sarap ng laro sa PBA.”
