Magnolia forward Calvin Abueva. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines — Calvin Abueva is on track to claim his second Best Player of the Conference award, but he made it clear that he’s only keen on winning the ultimate prize.
He continues to lead the BPC race heading into the Philippine Cup Finals with an average of 34.2 statistical points.
“For me, it’s just going to be like a bonus,” Abueva said in Filipino during the pre-finals presser on Tuesday via Zoom. “My number one priority is to make the finals and to win the championship.”
The 33-year-old forward played an instrumental role in Magnolia’s return to the finals.
With Abueva a consistent force, the Hotshots closed out the Meralco Bolts in six games in the semifinals and arranged a title duel with top team TNT in a series expected to go the full distance.
Like Abueva, his teammate Ian Sangalang and Tropang Giga’s prized rookie Mikey Williams who are also strong candidates to cop the plum, also share the same sentiments.
“I got here in the bubble not expecting to be a candidate [for BPC], I went here to return to the finals and I just played my game throughout the season,” Sangalang, who is third in the race with 33 SPs, said in Filipino. “[The BPC] will just be a bonus.”
“I came in just to fit in and do what I do to help the team. But the only goal i have for the year is to win the championship,” said Williams, who is just behind Sangalang with 32 SPs.
Game 1 is set on Wednesday at 6 p.m.