Winning Best Player plum least of Cabagnot’s concerns

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

It may have a come as a surprise to some, but Alex Cabagnot’s ascent to the top of the Best Player of the Conference race this 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup wasn’t that shocking for the whole San Miguel squad.

“I think you can see that he’s always in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists for our team,” said coach Leo Austria. “He’s very consistent on his job and I hope come the semifinals, he can continue what he’s doing because I know what that award would mean to him. I think that’s one motivation he has right now.”

June Mar Fajardo, a perennial BPC contender, agreed with Austria’s observation.

READ: Cabagnot leads BPC stats race; Ratliffe paces imports

“It’s not surprising because you can see it in his stats. He has been playing good this conference and I’m happy for him,” said the reigning MVP.

Cabagnot rose up the leaderboards as he averaged 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in the elimination phase to wound up with a league-best 34.7 statistical points.

But the 34-year-old playmaker said that winning the plum is the least of his concerns.

READ: ‘No excuses’: Masked Cabagnot shrugs off pain

“BPC is the ‘June Mar Fajardo award,’ in my opinion. I’m just glad that we won,” he said after the Beermen’s 115-96 victory over Phoenix on Tuesday as they punched their ticket to the semifinals.

The goal in Cabagnot’s mind is clear: to help San Miguel cop the crown in the Commissioner’s Cup, something which over the years has seemingly been the achilles heel for the powerhouse crew.

“I haven’t been in the Finals in the second conference, and that’s what we’re striving for, to get to the Finals,” he said.

Cabagnot, though, won’t shy away if the honor gets bestowed on him, as he could possibly add the hardware to his already gaudy trophy case.

“As long as we’re playing hard and we’re winning, the accolades will favor us more cause it’s a team sport. I’m happy, but that’s not the overall goal,” he said while touching the crucifix. “Hopefully, God-willing, we win.”