(c) PBA Media Bureau
How much trust will you put in a 36 years old body with a very long list of injuries? Personally, I may not even give him 20 minutes of play.
Fortunately, coach Caloy Garcia doesn't think like me. He provided 55 minutes of playing time to James in their first two games in the semifinals.
And King James responded with 33 total points and 11 total rebounds.
What made James Yap truly popular was his ability to hit big time shots. Earning him the nickname Big Game James.
And he showed that in game 2. He connected on a very long three and managed to get another field-goal, to seal the tie in the series.
With a clutch player now on the team, I think Rain or Shine is now a real threat to eliminate Brgy. Ginebra.
In basketball, having "killer" in the last few minutes is as important as having a stopper for the whole game.
Basketball is a hit and miss league, even with an effective game plan and 100% effort, a team may still find themselves in a close game.
That player who can make shots when the game is on the line is a great insurance to seal a win.
The effect of having James is more than that. Coach Tim Cone was so worried about him that he put Justin Brownlee on him in game 1.
With his age, you cannot really ask James to be a playmaker anymore. What coach Caloy can exploit is the attention of the best defender to James.
With Reggie Johnson's size, Rain or Shine has a lot of ways to distort their line-up and take advantage of any cracks in the defense of Ginebra.
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