Calvin Abueva. photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
After two close games in the 2016 Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Calvin Abueva admitted that despite the assumptions of Alaska easily walking away with the title against an undermanned San Miguel, it still is a tall task to outlast the defending champions.
“It’s still not that easy. We almost lost there, but it’s a good thing we survived,” Abueva said in Filipino.
With the Beermen grinding sans two-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, the Aces had to eke out a 100-91 victory on Sunday and pulled the same escape act on Tuesday, 83-80.
Despite owning a 2-0 series lead, Abueva still isn’t getting too comfortable with Alaska’s chances especially that San Miguel has doubled its effort without the star center.
“The ball is round. Our focus is there. It’s really not easy to battle against San Miguel especially that they’re defending champions. They double on their defense especially that their big man is not there, ” he said.
And though Fajardo’s status for the next games remains uncertain, the energetic forward said that Alaska is just trying its best to stay composed and remain the gritty team it has always been.
“In game 3, there’s a chance their big man can play so we need to be disciplined on defense and offense. If their big man comes back, we’re going to push harder on defense,” Abueva said.