ANTIPOLO — It proved to be so short a stint with Titan Ultra, but Calvin Abueva does not harbor any ill feelings whatsoever toward the neophyte PBA franchise.

In fact, he remains friends with his ex-teammates to this day, which was evident when Converge faced the Giant Risers in Wednesday’s Commissioner’s Cup tiff.

“Oo, close naman talaga kahit one [conference] lang ‘yung napagsamahan,” he said shortly after their 103-82 victory to stop a five-game-losing skid at the Ynares Center here.

“Siyempre, ‘di naman iba rin ‘yung mga tropa roon.”

It’s no secret that Abueva and Titan Ultra had a falling-out of sorts after their maiden conference together that was the Season 50 Philippine Cup, with the ‘Beast’ himself expressing his discontent through his social media pages.

That led to his trade to the FiberXers last February, marking the end of his stay with the Pureblends-owned team where he actually enjoyed a career revival, as proven by a BPC candidacy in the season-opening tournament.

It’s been two months already since both camps opted to part ways, but they crossed paths anew on Wednesday when the two teams met in this city.

Still, there was a mutual respect between the present-day Giant Risers and the one-time champion, who towed the club to its first PBA win in this venue–a 100-96 decision against Meralco last October 8 where he dropped 41 big points.

But it was business as usual for them once the ball tipped off, and Abueva himself would go on to deliver 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting on top of five rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench–all without a turnover.

(C) PBA Images

“Business eh. Kapag trabaho, trabaho. Sa court tatrabahuhin mo. Pero sa labas, magkakaibigan,” said the 14-year vet out of San Sebastian.

“”Pag nakipag-away ka diyan sa court, may fine tayo kay Kume. Ayoko na,” he added in jest, drawing chuckles from members of the media in the presser.

It was indeed a far better showing as compared to his Converge debut in a loss to current leaders Rain or Shine last week, where he only had five points.

“Tinrabaho ko ‘yung three days na ‘yun, bago ‘tong game na ‘to. And ang resulta, mas um-OK, mas gumaan, at mas naging agresibo ako,” he said.

There was, however, no personal vendetta for Abueva in going up against his ex-team, with his focus set not just on himself but on building better chemistry with a FiberXers team that’s become rich in Kapampangan talent.

“Siyempre, manyaman, sabi nga sa Kapampangan,” he said. “Maganda ‘yung ginawa namin. ‘Yung mga Kapampangan, makikita niyo naman kami ‘yung nakapagpaangat dahil doon sa press namin na ginawa.

“‘Yung spiritual na paglalaro namin as five doon sa loob, kakaiba ‘yung experience namin. Kapampangan eh,” he added.

“Hindi lang naman kami, ang team talaga ang pagbabasehan ng lahat ng mga pinaghirapan naming panalo.”

Now, Abueva is just hoping that Wednesday’s triumph would be the start of something for the rest of Converge, as they’ve finally remembered how to win.

“Sabi nga ni Coach, baguhan pa ‘yung team, hindi pa naaayos ‘yung gusot. Hindi pa nalalabhan, at hindi pa napaplantsa,” he said.

“Sana itong second win, dito na kami magtuloy-tuloy,” Abueva added. “Naputol na ‘yung losing streak namin, sana naman ‘to, winning streak naman.”

The post Calvin Abueva keeps it business as usual in reunion with Titan Ultra appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

ANTIPOLO — Gian Mamuyac seized the chance to take command in one of Rain or Shine’s timeouts in their eventual win over Terrafirma, Wednesday.

The Elasto Painters’ captain was shown on the broadcast sitting on the same stool that head coach Yeng Guiao sits at during huddles, with the tactical board in hand as he was mapping out a play while all of his teammates willingly listened.

It happened during the fourth quarter, and according to him, he was simply advising his squad about a certain adjustment being made by their foes.

“Sakto kasi, maaga natapos si Coach Yeng mag-explain,” related ‘Mamu’ moments after their 124-117 victory at the Ynares Center here to stretch their unbeaten run to seven in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.

“Nagkaroon ng opportunity; mahaba pa ‘yung timeout, eh. And may nakita ako sa defense na ginagawa ng Terrafirma,” added the Ateneo de Manila product, “so, ‘yun lang, sinubukan ko lang sabihin sa teammates ko.”

It sure was a sight to behold as it only spoke further of how much the team trusts and respects one another, something that Mamuyac is proud of.

“Ayun naman maganda sa team namin, lahat may boses,” the 27-year-old winger said. “Lahat may leeway na sabihin kung ano yung nakikita nila.

“Tulong-tulong din naman ang basketball, eh. Ayun. Nagkataon lang na ako yung nakakita nung adjustment na ‘yun, and ‘yun, mabuti na lang nakapag-adjust naman kami.”

Playing as a cohesive unit has truly been the bread-and-butter for easily one of the PBA’s most exciting teams today, and their conquest of the Dyip shall be another solid proof, as all but one of the 16 players scored at least two.

Mamuyac himself contributed nicely in the balanced attack with 11 points off the bench, which he laced with four assists and three of the team’s 14 steals.

They also finished with 31 assists, which enabled the crew to shoot so well, especially from deep, as they finished with a total of 23 triples, setting a new franchise record and tying the PBA mark for most threes in a single game.

“We’re staying to our system,” offered Mamuyac about their success in this midseason conference thus far. “Palagi naming binibilisan ‘yung bola, ‘yung ball movement namin, and talagang tulong-tulong namin ginagawa.

“Hindi kami nagre-rely sa individual personnel,” the former fifth overall pick added. “Tulong-tulong kami, balanced scoring kami. Iikot at iikot yung bola, kung makikita niyo iba iba halos ang nagpe-Player of the Game.”

“Ganun lang din talaga ‘yung kagandahan ng system namin and hopefully magtuloy-tuloy. Lahat lang nag-buy in sa system.”

The post Gian Mamuyac flashes coaching chops in Rain or Shine’s win over Terrafirma appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

ANTIPOLO — Rain or Shine made it rain from downtown and sank Terrafirma further in the standings, 124-117, to extend its franchise-best start in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center here, Wednesday night.

The Elasto Painters erupted for 41 big points in the second period to post a huge 67-45 lead at the half, thus putting them ahead for good in an offensive assault predicated on hot three-point shooting, as they drained a total of 23.

It actually equalled the league mark for most threes made in a single game, with rookie Deo Cuajao knocking down the record-tying shot with 25 seconds left, which also helped stave off the Dyip’s endgame stand to secure the victory.

The crew would go on to nab their seventh win in as many games, which not only kept them atop the standings but pulled them closer as well to the playoffs.

(C) PBA Images

“Happy with the win, but we can’t relax on defense,” offered Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao after the match. “We gave up 117 points. That’s not our standard. But when we’re making 23 from outside, we’re tough to beat.”

Five players finished in double figures in the triumph, with Jaylen Johnson leading the pack with a rare triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, with his last dime leading to the aforementioned trifecta by Cuajao.

Anton Asistio fired 18 as well behind a 4-of-6 clip from the first arc. He scored 15 of his points in the second chapter to lead the breakaway. The combo guard also had two rebounds, three assists, and two steals without a turnover.

“They were leaving me open, so I just kept shooting. Coach Yeng always tells us to let it fly when we’re free. Tonight, they just kept falling,” said Asistio.

Jun Roque made 15 points and four rebounds. Adrian Nocum supplied 13 points while captain Gian Mamuyac chipped in 11 markers for the Elasto Painters, who even led by as many as 26 points, 71-45, during the third canto.

(C) PBA Images

But of course, Terrafirma showed some pride in the fourth with Guiao emptying his bench to give the reserves some exposure, but time wasn’t enough.

As a result, the crew of Coach Ronald Tubid succumbed to their fourth straight loss and dropped below .500 in the standings after a 3-0 start to the meet.

Mubashar led his side with 32 points, albeit on 32 shots, alongside 19 rebounds. Jerrick Ahanmisi had 21 points and seven assists while Brent Paraiso finished with all-around numbers of 16 points,10 rebounds, and six assists.

Joseph Eriobu made 16 points and seven rebounds. JM Bravo chipped in 10 for a team that continued to miss Maverick Ahanmisi and Paolo Hernandez.

The Scores:

Rain or Shine 124 – Asistio 18, Johnson 18, Roque 15, Nocum 13, Mamuyac 11, Cuajao 9, Tiongson 7, Santillan 6, Villegas 6, Belga 6, Lemetti 4, David 3, Clarito 2, Manaytay 2, Caracut 0.

Terrafirma 117 – Ali 32, J.Ahanmisi 21, Paraiso 19, Eriobu 16, Bravo 10, Catapusan 7, Umali 5, Zaldivar 3, Chiu 2, Hanapi 2, Garcia 0.

Quarterscores: 26-27, 67-45, 96-73, 124-117.

The post Rain or Shine torches Terrafirma with PBA record-tying 23 threes, stays unbeaten at 7-0 appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.