MANILA, Philippines – As Phoenix Super LPG prepares to play Magnolia in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series, Jason Perkins has more than one idea in mind.

The left-handed bruiser is excited to fight his good friend Calvin Abueva, even though he as well as the Fuel Masters haven’t given the impending fight their whole attention yet because they were initially preoccupied with Meralco.

After their 88-84 victory over the Bolts on the evening of Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in the decisive quarterfinals, he remarked, “I’m looking at the prospect of seeing Calvin.”

With his usual sense of humor, Perkins revealed that he intended to exact revenge on the “Beast” for what transpired during their most recent meeting.

“I’m going to hit Calvin once because he made fun of me during the last game,” he said in jest. “At this point, that’s all I can say for sure.”

As things become serious, Perkins is excited to play someone with whom he experienced success in Phoenix.

In the 2020 bubble as well as the 2018 Philippine Cup, both players were a part of Fuel Masters teams that advanced to the semifinals.

Now that they’ll be facing off against one other, though, it should be an intriguing matchup between two of the league’s toughest forwards.

In the forthcoming series, which begins on Wednesday, Abueva has the advantage.

On November 12 of last year, Magnolia defeated Phoenix 107 to 92 in the elimination round.

The 31-year-old admitted to being friends with the two-time BPC winner, Calvin. “I’m excited to play Calvin,”

Meanwhile, Phoenix wins the QF match thanks to Dennis Uy’s inspiration and quadruple bonuses

In Sunday’s PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal matchup against Meralco, Phoenix Super LPG exerted extra effort in a decisive matchup.

Witnessing his Fuel Masters play in their biggest game of the season live at the shopping center of Asia Arena in Pasay, team owner Dennis Uy was seated courtside.

And by defeating the Bolts 88 to 84, his wards proved to be more than worthy opponents.

He even had a conversation before the match. We were motivated to compete for him, athletic director Jamike Jarin said shortly after the game to Tiebreaker Times.

With the victory, the Fuel Masters were able to secure the final semi-final ticket, guaranteeing a spot in the Final Four for an independent ball club.

Being the last non-conglomerate club to make it to the semifinals, Jarin should be even more proud of his Phoenix team. When the squad was one victory away from reaching the Finals in the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble, it did so.

Not to mention, considering the scandals the business tycoon has been involved with lately, this should come as a tremendous relief to him.

The Phoenix team ignored the rumors and concentrated on their game, even though there had been talk of the team being sold not too long ago. They will now play in a conference semifinal that is heavily influenced by foreign players.

After the match, Uy was bursting with pride and promised to provide his Fuel Masters with three won-game bonuses.

Though the team’s work is not yet complete, they must now prepare for the top-seeded Magnolia throughout a best-of-five semifinal series that kicks off at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, January 24 at 4:00 PM.

They will, of course, be carrying the words of wisdom that Uy shared during their meeting with them.