MANILA – He may be on his 14th season in the league but James Yap proved he can still deliver clutch performances for Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Yap, 36, showed this once again during their game against Phoenix Fuel Masters over the weekend. Their 108-106 victory catapulted Rain or Shine (8-1) to solo first place.
A two-time PBA MVP, Yap drained 8 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including 6 straight that allowed Painters to tie the scores for the first time after trailing by 19 at the start.
With under seven minutes left, the Escalante City, Negros Occidental native made a 3-point play and a 3-point conversion from the right side to let Painters tie the scores 96-all before going on to win the match with baskets from Reginald Johnson.
“Ready lang ako,” said Yap, who was coming off the bench for Painters head coach Carlos Garcia since being traded from Purefood franchise last year. “’Pag tawagin ni coach name ko, ready lang ako.”
“Aaminin ko masarap pero siyempre si coach Caloy may diskarte naman e. Nirerespeto ko diskarte niya at kung ano ang takbo ng game. Basta ako ready lang,” he added.
Yap hopes Painters will continue its winning ways this conference, with two more games – against powerhouse teams Meralco Bolts and TNT KaTropa – remaining on its schedule./PN
