CALVIN Abueva felt bad Alaska blew away another golden opportunity in another failed bid to win the PBA Philippine Cup title.
“Masakit,” said the enigmatic forward while hurriedly leaving the Smart Araneta Coliseum after the Aces were ousted by the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 108-97, in their sudden-death game for a berth in the semifinals of the all-Filipino conference on Tuesday night.
Abueva played his best game for the Aces this season, finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists. He was 11 of 21 from the field and played for a team-high 32 minutes.
But all those went for naught as the second-seeded Aces failed to take advantage of their twice-to-beat edge again the Kings, who were seeded No. 7 heading to the playoffs.
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Alaska’s early ouster despite enjoying a twice-to-beat incentive came just a year after the team also had a meltdown in the same tournament when it wasted a commanding 0-3 lead in the finals and allowed the San Miguel Beermen to pull off the greatest comeback in PBA history.
The 29-year-old Abueva, a native of Angeles, Pampanga acknowledged the experience and talent Ginebra had in its disposal, but at the same time, hinted about likewise getting a lot of the breaks during the game.
“Siyempre alam naman natin na malakas yung kalaban,” he said. “Malakas pati sa taas, eh wala na tayong magagawa.”
[See Ginebra overcomes twice-to-beat Alaska, sets up semis classic vs Star]
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