Aging great players had great games left in them. Take the case of two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap, who unravelled his vintage form while steering the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters straight to the championship round.
Yap, considered as one of the best shooting forwards the league has ever produced, knocked in seven triples while carrying the Elasto Painters to the Final Four. It was simply his best performance while donning a Rain or Shine uniform.
For the past few games, Big Game James was able to stepped up his game.
It all started during the All-Star Game where he shone the brightest during the Three-Point Shootout competition. There, Yap was able to announced his return with a big bang as he picked up his second title in the long-distance competition. He won the event in 2009, yet he was able to rediscovered his vintage form.
On the road to the playoffs, Yap was even better.
The explosiveness that made him as one of the most remarkable small forwards has definitely returned.
No wonder, his old coach, Tim Cone, attributed Rain or Shine’s resurgence this conference to the big plays of Yap.
“There are reasons Rain or Shine is the no. 1 seed. One of course, is (Reggie) Johnson, a smart, mobile big-bodied big man, and another is the play of James Yap. James has always been good at supplying what the team needs whether it being scoring or sacrifice. Rain or Shine is just such a savvy basketball team with guys like James, (Gabe) Norwood, (Beau) Belga and (Chris) Tiu, and because of that, they don’t beat themselves,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Rain or Shine owner Raymond Yu told BusinessWorld that James had rejuvenated his confidence, which is vital in his team’s title campaign.
One of the reasons why Yap was playing so well, according to Yu, is his health condition.
“When he’s healthy, he can do a lot of things. With the team healthier now, we know we are capable of going it all the way,” added Yu.
Yap had certainly gotten his second wind and as the old saying goes, don’t write off great players.
Rey Joble has been covering the PBA games for more than a decade. He is a member of the PBA Press Corps and Philippine Sportswriters Association.
reyjoble09@gmail.com
