All in a day’s work

Rafi Reavis played his best game in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday night, logging a double-double in an 86-82 Game 3 win to help Magnolia seize a 2-1 lead over four-time defending champion San Miguel Beer.

Having been through 17 seasons and notching 11 championships along the way, Reavis has seen a lot and said he cares only about notching one statistic: a win.

“I don’t really have any, to tell you the truth,” he said when asked to comment on his performance which earned him the citation as the game’s best player. “I’m just trying to do my job. I’m just trying to take what comes with it, and also hoping its a ‘W.’”

“The thing with me is—one point, 15 points; two rebounds, 10 rebounds, nothing—it’s all the same to me,” he added. “The only difference is the W and that’s all I care about.”

Reavis’ performance in Magnolia’s Game 3 win at the Big Dome was a vast improvement from his showing in the prior contest, where he ended up scoring only two points and grabbing six rebounds.

Compounding matters for him was that the Hotshots took a lopsided 108-101 loss.

For coach Chito Victolero, though, Reavis is one of the team’s barometers for winning.

“He’s our veteran and he’s the best matchup for June Mar (Fajardo) and Arwind (Santos),” he told reporters during the post-game interview. “Whenever Rafi gives us a good game, we have a good chance [at winning].

Aside from Reavis’ 16-point, 15-rebound Game 3 line was his defense against the five-time Most Valuable Player Fajardo, who ended up with just 17 that night after scoring 35 in Game 1.