ALEX Cabagnot may have lost what would've been a first Best Player of the Conference award to teammate Chris Ross – but life has a way of rewarding people who work and strive hard.
Not only is he a champion yet again, Cabagnot also claimed his first PBA Press Corps Cignal Finals MVP award after one hell of a showing in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals against TNT KaTropa.
Cabagnot capped his splendid series with a triple-double, scoring 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Beermen to the clinching 115-91 victory on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I think that was just the blessings, our prayers just answered. I just prayed for us to win. I guess God just blessed me with a little bit more than expected,” said Cabagnot, who finished with averages of 20.3 points, eight rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals for the series.
“I didn't expect it no more. I didn't expect anything talaga,” he added.
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But more than the accolade that he has received, Cabagnot is happier in seeing his partnership with Ross grow as they continue to collect trophies and rings.
The two talked about sharing the BPC before, and though it didn’t really materialize, Cabagnot is just thankful that they were both recognized before this conference ended.
“We were teammates at Coke. If we would’ve stayed a little bit longer together, we were feeling it out over there. When we came back together again, we already knew how each other plays. The difference, is like night and day. Chris Ross does his thing and I do my thing, it’s totally night and day,” said Cabagnot.
“I think I’m one of the biggest Chris Ross fans. You guys just see probably 48 minutes of him. I see a lot of him and I know the transition that he’s made and I know the work he’s put in so I’m happy that he’s coming together. I’m one of those kind of guys that want to see guys work hard and reap the benefits of that,” he added.
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That’s just one of the things which pushes Cabagnot to play on a high level at age 34.
The happiness he gets from playing alongside brilliant players, like Ross for example, pushes him to strive harder and harder as years pass.
“Just being happy. Never dwell on your selfish side. Alam mo naman mga mangyayari kung ganito ganito. Just dwell on those things. There’s too much stuff to be happy for and I think, just be happy. Try to be as happy as possible.”
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