The Final Score: Alaska understands what it means to be number one

Is Calvin Abueva the personification of today's Alaska?

Abueva annoys the heck out of imports, opponents, everyone. On one hand, he symbolizes Alaska's new shock-the-world spirit. On other hand, he works like smokescreen. Focus on Calvin and one might believe that the Aces are reckless, impatient sons of anarchy. But in Alaska's rise to the top, they've actually used less craziness and more control.

[Related: Alaska snaps Ginebra's six-game win streak]

If Abueva is truly the personification of today's Alaska, they're all wagging their tongues, pushing each other, flopping against walls, annoying everyone they can annoy as soon as they clinch the number one spot in the playoffs. May karapatan na. May narating na. Basketball as one big heavy metal concert. Boo all you want. Call them names. Send nasty tweets. Whatever. They're rocking out because they can.

Or something as placid as this happens instead:

Alaska beats Ginebra in a grind-it-out game. The Aces break Ginebra's six-game winning streak and clinch the top spot in the next round. Alaska is número uno. Without Tim Cone. Without LA Tenorio. Without Willie Miller. Without Kenneth Duremdes. Without Johnny Abarrientos. Time to bust out Guns 'N Roses right? Not exactly. Alaska's dugout after the game hardly sounded like a frat house. It sounded like a library. A big win is celebrated with hushed tones.

"No one wins a championship during the elimination round," Alaska Assistant Coach Alex Compton says.

What does it mean to be assured number one status at the end of the elimination round? No banners. No t-shirts. No balloons. Despite Alaska's rugged new image heightened by Abueva's reputation, veterans like Dondon Hontiveros, Sonny Thoss, Tony Dela Cruz, Nic Belasco and Cyrus Baguio understand that the only "number one" that counts is the "number one" at the end of the Finals.

"It feels good to finish first sa elims and have that twice-to-beat incentive," Hontiveros, who hit a pivotal three-point shot against Ginebra, shares. "Pero we have a lot of things to work on kasi other teams will step up their games come the playoffs."

The coaches scan the locker room at the end of a victory, so far the team's biggest victory of the tournament, and like what they see. They see the healthy balance of excitement and experience, caution and confidence. They see a team yet to be satisfied by the label 'number one.' While many fans dwell on Abueva's tongue-wagging during the game, it is his silence after the game, the kind of calmness fostered by guys like Dondon, the kind of restraint only coaches can see, that represents Alaska's progress.

It's fun to watch Abueva's motley ways. But it's just as fun to watch Jvee Casio display the kind of control that wins games. At the end of an exciting contest, I understand why their coaches are excited over the team's sensible lack of excitement.

Compton adds, "We've got a great group of guys who know we have a long way to go." - AMD, GMA News