Being in the 2021 finals of the Philippine Basketball Association is a special thing for Calvin Abueva.
This is because the sacrifices that his team went through since their training bubble in Batangas last June is finally paying off, not just for the 6’3” Abueva, but for the entire Magnolia Hotshots’ squad, as well.
“Pinaghirapan ito, simula noong nag-praktis sa Batangas for two weeks, tapos lumipat sa Pampanga. Hassle at sakripisyo. Sacrifice kasi, nakikita mo sa dulo ang bunga ng mga pinaghirapan,” said Abueva before the start of the Hotshots’ best-of-seven final series with the TNT Tropang Giga.
The 33-year-old Abueva said that all the hard work has been worth it, now that he has been able to firm up his bid for the Davco-PBA Best Player of the Conference honors.
Abueva has stayed on top of the race for the Philippine Cup top individual honor by the end of the semifinals.
And this is after he accumulated an average of 34.2 statistical points when the Hotshots barged into the best-of-seven finals after eliminating no. 2 seed Meralco Bolts in six games.
“Ngayong nasa finals na kami, bawi na lahat ng mga sacrifices namin dito,” added Abueva.
In the 19 games that Abueva played in his first season with the Hotshots, the ‘Beast’ averaged a double-double of 15.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, while adding 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 block shots.
Abueva averaged 16.09 points, 9.33 rebounds, and three assists at the end of their best-of-seven semis series against the Meralco Bolts.