Big game from James Yap earns him finals MVP plum

Finals MVP James Yap shows the fruit of his labor. August dela Cruz

MANILA, Philippines—He didn’t produce overwhelming numbers, but James Yap’s contributions in San Mig Coffee’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup conquest were hard to miss.

Yap, true to his “Big Game James” monicker, always came through in big situations for the Mixers in the last four games of the finals—from that game-winner in game 3 to that clutch triple in game 4.

“He had the 2 really biggest shot in the series,” San Mig Coffee head coach Tim Cone said Thursday night as they wrapped up the best-of-five series with a 100-91 title-clinching win.

“That 3-point shot that he hit, that was his shot of the day, that broke Talk N’ Text’s back. He was responsible for 2 of that 5 wins. I’m really happy for him.”

The two-time league most valuable player was silent for three quarters as Talk N’ Text tried to bury San Mig Coffee with its hot three-point shooting.

But when the Mixers saw an opening, Yap didn’t hesitate to strike as he poured all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter including a dagger three that put San Mig up 93-89 with two minutes to play.

He averaged 11.5 points in the entire series, registering his best scoring night (17) in game 1 where the Mixers snapped the 13-0 winning streak of the Texters.

Yap’s solid performance earned him the finals MVP plum, his third time to bag such citation.

The multi-titled Cone, who admits to be riding Yap the hardest during training, couldn’t help but feel happy for his trusty gunner’s success on and off the court.

“I love to see it when everything smooths out for him. His shots are falling, his personal life is doing well, it’s a good time for James. I’m real proud of him.”