(PBA image)
Holiday breaks often slow teams down. For RJ Abarrientos, it became fuel.
With Barangay Ginebra navigating the tension of a twice-to-beat quarterfinal against a dangerous Converge side, Abarrientos emerged as the steady hand that kept the Gin Kings composed and alive.
While fans will long replay Stephen Holt’s buzzer-beating three that sealed the series, it was Abarrientos’ sustained excellence across both games that quietly tilted the matchup in Ginebra’s favor.
That consistency earned Abarrientos the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week citation for the period of December 25 to 29, after averaging 27.5 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and shooting an ultra-efficient 57 percent from the field in the two victories that pushed Ginebra into the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.
Abarrientos was at his most lethal from deep, drilling eight of his 14 three-point attempts over the stretch. His second-half shooting burst on Christmas Day broke Converge’s resistance, allowing Barangay Ginebra to pull away for a convincing 105-85 win and force a sudden-death decider despite holding the playoff advantage.
“I reminded myself that I couldn’t disappear or fail to contribute,” Abarrientos said. “Kami-kami na lang ang inaasahan dito.”
That mindset carried into the do-or-die finale. After a quiet opening half, Abarrientos adjusted, knocking down timely outside shots and attacking the lane when defenders overplayed the perimeter.
His all-around impact kept the Gin Kings within striking distance until the final possession, when the defense collapsed and Holt found daylight for the now-famous game-winner.
The dramatic finish may have belonged to Holt, but the body of work belonged to Abarrientos.
In the weekly voting, Holt finished second behind Abarrientos, with strong consideration also given to San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo and Meralco’s Chris Newsome. Yet the nod ultimately went to the Ginebra guard who thrived not in one moment, but across the grind of playoff basketball.
As the semifinals loom, Abarrientos’ Player of the Week honor serves as a reminder that championships are rarely built on single shots alone, but on players who consistently show up when the margin for error disappears.