The tension that was quietly simmering underneath had escalated into a full-blown war with Magnolia star Calvin Abueva challenging San Miguel forward Mo Tautuaa to a fight following a heated Game 2 of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven finals series on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Abueva, who doesn't shy away from altercations, was spotted having a heated exchange with Tautuaa's wife — Aida — after they absorbed a bitter 85-109 loss that put them two games away from getting swept.

Aida claimed that the 36-year-old Abueva smirked at her as they were walking past each other on their way to the restroom, sparking an altercation that was witnessed by a handful of league officials, team staff and even members of the media.

Aida, however, said there was no physical attack but Abueva got under her skin.

"To set the record straight, Calvin did not physically attack me," he said in a social media post a few hours after the incident that added tension and color to the series featuring two teams under the San Miguel Corporation umbrella.

"I had to walk past him to go to the restroom. He smirked at me, nodding his head up and down and said 'yeaaa' laughing. I said 'wtf is wrong with you?' and kept walking. He walked after me and literally got into my face."

Abueva, however, strongly denied the accusation of the wife of his former Gilas Pilipinas teammate.

"Bakit nya ako ginanun? Hinintay ko asawa ko tapos gaganunin nya ako? Bakit nya ako babastusin ng ganun?" Abueva said while talking to his wife, Sam, during the confrontation that was caught on film.

"Nag-smile daw ako sa kanya? Ta***a, sino sya?"

It took a handful of security personnel — and San Miguel consultant Leo Austria — to restraint Abueva and prevent him from aggressively charging at the 6-foot-8 Tautuaa.

"Hey Mo! Anuhin mo yang asawa mo! F**k you! Gusto mo sapakan tayo!?"