2018 Com. Cup Semis Prediction ROS vs BGSM: King James is back?

(c) PBA Media Bureau

King James Yap was rejuvenated in their last quarterfinals game and Brgy. Ginebra is hitting their peak! 

Is there a better match to ask for, then, than a Rain or Shine versus Ginebra in a 7-games series?

So, which team will succeed in game 1? Let us see.

KEY FACTORS
Three-Point Shooting
James Yap
Assists

One of the main weapons of Rain or Shine is their ability to hit threes. They attempt the 2nd most threes in the league. In their semifinals-sealing win against Globalport, they connected on 15 out of 39 attempts.

Ginebra, on the other hand, relies on efficiency. They managed to hit 9 of their 21 attempts from beyond the arc in their game 2 against Meralco.

Don't expect James Yap to score 27 in this semifinals series after you saw him do that in the quarterfinals. His skills and his body is not on the elite level already.

But he will be provided a lot of shots and opportunity to create because of his experience against Ginebra and his pedigree. 

Passing is a hallmark of the offense of coach Tim Cone. They averaged the 2nd most number of assists per game. Just in their last game, they have three players who recorded five or more assists.

PREDICTION
I am really intrigued if coach Tim Cone will take James Yap seriously. There is a good chance that they will let him take the shots and tighten their defense on the other four with him.

The size of Reggie Jackson should help Rain or Shine alleviates their size disadvantage. But, they need to be crisp in their execution to hit enough threes. 

Overall, I think Rain or Shine will play excellent ball in game 1. Ginebra will play well too, but Rain or Shine will hit enough threes to start the series with the lead.

Prediction Record: 4 Corrects, 3 Mistakes