Jason Perkins.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—After helping Phoenix advance on Sunday, Jason Perkins quickly shifted his focus on the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals against Magnolia–specifically Calvin Abueva.
Perkins and the Fuel Masters moved on to the Final Four after holding off Meralco, 88-84, and set up a best-of-five series against the top-seeded Hotshots–led by import Tyler Bey–beginning Wednesday.
“I haven’t thought about him (Bey) yet but I’m not intimidated, I’m sure he puts his pants on the same way I do. I’m looking forward to playing Calvin… He was making fun of me in the last game so I’m definitely going to hit him one time so that’s all I know for sure right now,” said the lefty forward. “He made fun of my weight… I’m just kidding,” he added in jest.
Abueva used to be teammates with Perkins for three seasons at Phoenix before the tireless forward was traded to Magnolia in February 2021 and the two have built a solid bond.
“Calvin’s a friend of mine and I look forward to playing him,” Perkins said.
As for going up against Bey, Perkins is unfazed knowing Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin will have something up his sleeve on the defensive end.
“With Tyler Bey, he’s a good player. We haven’t discussed anything yet, we don’t know the matchups, we don’t know what we’re going to do but coach Jamike’s a defensive savant,” Perkins said.
“He (Jarin) comes up with a lot of crazy defenses so even me, I don’t know what to expect until he starts game planning.”
Perkins came up big for Phoenix with 19 points and 13 rebounds in the do-or-die duel against Meralco and the Fuel Masters will need the former La Salle standout to keep piling up the numbers if they are to beat the Hotshots three times for a slot in the finals.