ALEX Cabagnot once again solidified his claim to being one of the best closers today as he drained the biggest baskets in San Miguel’s 104-99 closeout win over Alaska in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Sunday.
The Crunchman definitely lived up to his nickname after hitting two clutch baskets which doused cold water on every attempt by the Aces to spark a rally.
Cabagnot answered a Simon Enciso three-pointer with a jumper to give San Miguel some breathing room, 96-90 with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. Cabagnot then followed that up by hitting the killer blow - a step-back three-pointer with 34 seconds left- to give the Beermen a 100-92 lead.
But for Cabagnot, it’s never about him. He’s just thankful to get the win for his team.
“First and foremost, I’m just very thankful na nanalo kami and maganda yung pinakita namin tonight. Just looking forward to the finals,” said Cabagnot.
“We can’t celebrate too much. We have to stay on an even keel because maganda rin yung opponent namin whoever it’s gonna be – Rain or Shine or Ginebra,” he added.
The veteran guard also gave credit to his coaching staff for coming up with the necessary adjustments after Alaska pushed the series to Game Four with a 125-104 win.
“I have to give the credit to the coaching staff, the management, all the support staff for re-adjusting our game plan and refocusing on what we have to fix. I’m glad we fixed it today,” said Cabagnot.
One of those adjustments was for Cabagnot to come off the bench as coach Leo Austria opted to put some firepower in the second unit.
Though he’s used to being a starter, Cabagnot showed that there’s no issues for him coming in as a reliever as he finished with 18 points and nine assists.
“Actually, I came off the bench when we played Phoenix. It’s the same thing too, we won that game. Coach is gonna put me where he’s gonna put me,” said Cabagnot.
“It’s not gonna motivate me any less or more. I’m gonna play my game and I’m gonna help my team as much as possible – either coming off the bench or playing starting five.”
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