FOR someone who knew Calvin Abueva like the palm of his hand, Ian Sangalang is aware his Magnolia teammate just needs someone to talk to.
And he more than lent his time and listened to his long-time buddy.
Sangalang related talking and lending an ear to Abueva following the incident involving ‘The Beast’, Mo Tautuaa, and their respective wives minutes after Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals between Magnolia and San Miguel.
The two sides have since patched things up after being summoned by the Commissioner’s Office, with Abueva eventually being slapped with a hefty P100,000 fine.
But amid the hullabaloo, the 32-year-old Sangalang was there to commiserate with his longtime teammate and kabalen.
“Kinausap ko si Calvin. Nung time na yun, ang dami niyang stories. Alam ko naman yung mga stories na yun about dun sa mga nangyari,” shared Sangalang.
“Ang alam ko lang kay Calvin may gusto lang siyang tao na makausap, na ginawa ko yun para kumalma siya.”
As Abueva finally unloaded his burden – not to mention the impact of the fine meted on him – the product of San Sebastian showed up a different player come to the next two games of the title series, which the Hotshots leveled at 2-2 following the Game 4 win Friday night, 96-85.
Since the incident, Abueva has raised his numbers and averaged 7.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists - a huge jump from his 4.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in the first two games of the finals.
“And nakita mo naman nung game na pagbalik niya, wala talaga siyang ano…as in focus siya, yun sarili niya kontrolado niya,” said Sangalang. “Even sa game ngayon (Game 4), nakita ninyo kung paano niya kontrolin yung sarili niya.”
Sangalang has also come alive for the Hotshots in the finals, averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while constantly holding his own in the middle against San Miguel’s seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.
With the finals now down to a best-of-three, the Magnolia big man advised his good friend to continue keeping his focus on the rest of the title series.
“So yun talaga si Calvin. Alam naman natin marami siyang antics. Pero ngayong finals kailangan niyang maging ganun throughout this series.”
And if Abueva still wants to unburden himself after the finals, Sangalang remains more than ready to lend an ear again.
“After finals, dun natin pag-usapan, mag-inuman tayo sabi ko,” he said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
