Magnolia hasn’t totally forgotten all about the pain Phoenix Super LPG had inflicted in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals back in 2020.
So, it couldn’t get any sweeter for the Hotshots when they finally exacted vengeance on the Fuel Masters by way of a dominant 127-88 thrashing to give them the boot in the 2021-22 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, Friday evening.
And how ironic that one of the players who dealt them damage during that Clark bubble encounter — that foiled their bid for a third straight Finals appearance — was already on their side, and even helped them in the blowout.
“Ni-remind ni Coach Chito yung last bubble, 2020, tinalo namin Magnolia, twice-to-beat kami, tapos ‘yun nga nasilat namin sila,” said Calvin Abueva after the match at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Nireverse namin anong nangyari last bubble.”
The ‘Beast’ was part of that celebrated Phoenix crew that drew the admiration of many in that extraordinary season, owing to the magical run that saw them fall just one game short of reaching the championship bout.
At that time, much of the attention was also on the 33-year-old, since he was just reinstated by the league from a 16-month suspension. But he didn’t show any rust whatsoever that he even vied for the BPC plum.
His time as a Fuel Master, however, came to an end shortly after. As fate would have it, he was traded to Magnolia for star guard — and ex-teammate — Chris Banchero in a blockbuster deal that also involved future draft picks.
Abueva didn’t have a hard time fitting in with his new team, leading them to the 2021 All-Filipino Finals while snagging his second BPC award.
Now, this. The Hotshots are headed into the Governors’ Cup semis for the first time since 2018 — which they eventually ruled — at the expense of his former team in one of the most lopsided playoff results in years.
Photo by PBA Images
“Nagkataon, Phoenix kalaban,” said Abueva, who was one of the eight double-figure scorers in the win with 12 points and nine rebounds.
More importantly, though, the bruising 6-foot-2 winger is back in the fold for the perennial contenders after missing a significant amount of time due to a calf injury. And he’s simply glad to finally be playing again.
“Kahit na kababalik lang natin [after] many games na wala tayo, at least yung momentum at yung diskarte sa court nandon,” said Abueva.
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