Bennie Boatwright was just too much to handle, though. At least for Game 1 of the Finals.
Calvin Abueva is not one to shy away from the biggest challenges night in and night out.
Friday’s game was no exception.
Abueva asked for the daunting job of containing Best Import race leader Bennie Boatwright in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals opener between Magnolia and San Miguel.
“Yes. Gusto naman ni Calvin,” Chito Victolero said when asked whether Abueva asked for the task after the 103-95 loss to SMB.
From the moment he set foot on the parquet floor at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Abueva, in true Calvin Abueva fashion, pestered the prolific American reinforcement.
Though at times it looked like The Beast was succeeding in getting into Boatwright’s nerves, the 6-foot-9 sweet shooter tried his best to shrug that off and did everything for the Beermen.
Boatwright wound up with game-best 28 points but was 2-of-12 from the three-point area. He also had 16 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks in over 45 minutes of action.
But don’t expect The Beast to back down from the same challenge when Game 2 commences on Sunday. Gametime is set at 6:15 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
[RELATED STORY: Calvin Abueva bares extra motivation as Magnolia tackles Beermen in Finals]
Victolero remains upbeat even after ceding the head start in the best-of-seven final, especially after his third group staged an uprising that cut a 94-74 deficit to five in the final minutes.
“We're still positive, this is a series--not a do or die game. So we just try to apply adjustments siguro, mga mali namin titignan siguro,” Victolero said.
“We played very good defense in the second half, and titignan namin kung ano pang pwedeng gawin doon.”
[RELATED STORY: College teammates Ian Sangalang, Calvin Abueva eye to lift first title in PBA together]