PBA: Dillinger says he has ‘nothing against’ Abueva

MANILA, Philippines – Calvin Abueva is relied upon by the Alaska Aces to be their ‘energizer bunny’ whenever they are losing steam, out of sync, or simply being out-hustled by their opponent. 

But against a well-oiled Meralco Bolts on Friday, January 10 Abueva’s hustle and energy led only to unnecessary fouls, heightened emotions, and an altercation with Bolts forward Jared Dillinger. 

In the early goings of the payoff period, as Alaska was attempting to climb back into the game, Abueva and Dillinger got entangled after the sophomore forward blocked a shot by a driving Dillinger.

Momentum seemed to get the better of the two as they went crashing into the barricade, but not without some pushes and pulls from both cagers, who had already been going at it all game long. 

Dillinger was the first to crash and did not hesitate in retaliating as he quickly pinned Abueva on the barricade in what initially appeared to be a choke. However, looking at the video replay, Dillinger could be seen holding Abueva by the collar and hollering at him. 

Referees and teammates rushed to the scene to restrain Dillinger before the situation escalated. 

For the veteran Dillinger, the scuffle was all but inevitable in a crucial game for both teams who were fighting to stay alive. 

“Both teams knew the importance of this game so both teams played it like it was a playoff game,” explained Dillinger, who emerged from the scuffle with a bleeding nose that was quickly patched up. “So the rift between me and Calvin was two men going after the ball and emotions were flying and the importance of the game was on the line.”

With Meralco defeating Alaska, 74-65, the Bolts now hold a 5-7 win-loss card and are tied at fifth place with Barako Bull. While the Aces sport a 4-8 slate falling half a game behind San Mig Coffee at eighth. 

Dillinger further stressed that it was nothing personal and that it was just a product of the intensity of the game. 

“I’ve nothing against him. He was going hard, I was going hard. Sometimes emotions overflow and there’s no hard feelings.”

In his young two-year PBA career, Abueva has already garnered a reputation as a player who tries to get under the opponent’s skin whenever he can. That, along with the occasional flop, is common knowledge for Dillinger, who noted that those are part of what makes Abueva a good and dangerous player. 

“Well, Calvin is known to be a bit of a flopper here and there, that’s part of his game,” Dillinger said. “We have to realize that’s what he does. And if he does want to flop then so be it. We just have to not let it affect our game. We have more important things to worry about.”

Dillinger and Abueva were each slapped with a technical foul as they immediately reconciled with an exchange of high fives and taps on the back. 

But that may not be the end of it just yet. 

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud issued the following statement via the PBA’s official Twitter account on Saturday, January 11. 

“I will review the incident in my office first thing on Monday (January 13) and make a determination as to the sufficiency of the technical fouls assessed against both players for their actuations. If the penalties given on court are found to be proportionate to the acts in question, then I will consider the matter closed. Otherwise, I will invite the players involved to hear their side and thereafter mete out the commensurate sanctions.”

MERALCO ROUNDS A CORNER

Putting aside the altercation, it was a dominant win for the Bolts who have bounced back in the New Year with two straight wins. 

Throughout the contest, Meralco simply played better basketball than Alaska as they worked on consistently running good plays, not settling for outside shots, and moving the ball around. They also played it smart when it came to their tempo, realizing when to push the ball for a fast break or use up the clock and set up their offense. 

Dillinger credits this more composed style of play to the arrival of veteran center Danny Ildefonso as well as the good rhythm of shooting guard Gary David. 

“With Danny I. out there, it makes the game really simple. It’s really easy to play when he’s there,” said Dillinger. “And right now Gary (David) is hitting his momentum. It makes it easy for the guards when Gary’s playing really well and hitting shots.”

For head coach Ryan Gregorio, defense was the biggest factor for the Bolts to grab their fifth win. 

“We like this win with they way we defended,” Gregorio said. “I just told the players that they (Alaska) cannot score in the high 60s. So what happened was we limited them to 65 (points). That’s what you call tenacity on defense.”

With the playoffs waiting just around the corner, Dillinger believes his team has also rounded a corner after a dismal 4-game losing streak capped off by a heartbreaking loss to Barangay Ginebra at the close of 2013. 

“So our guys are starting to turn the corner and really just gaining some momentum.” 

He says that at this point in the competition, and with a good start to their year, all they need to do is to focus on what is right in front of them. 

“We just gotta stay focused and don’t get too ahead of ourselves and just focus on one game at a time.” –Rappler.com