James Yap hits key shots as San Mig Coffee tabs 1-0 lead

JAMES Yap (right) of San Mig Coffee tries to drive in last night’s Game 1 of the Governors Cup Finals at Mall of Asia Arena. Both teams were playing at presstime. EDWIN BELLOSILLO

MANILA, Philippines — James Yap drained two big-time jumpers in the stretch Tuesday night and San Mig Coffee pulled out a controversial 104-101 decision of Rain or Shine for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series for the PBA Governors’ Cup—the last jewel missing in the Mixers’ Grand Slam chase—at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Yap first hit a triple with 57.8 seconds remaining for a 99-98 lead that completed the Mixers’ comeback from a 17-point, third-quarter hole.

He hit a tough jumper just 40 seconds later to make it 101-98 and moved San Mig within two more wins of PBA immortality.

“Those are the two toughest shots in basketball and he (Yap) made it look easy,” San Mig coach Tim Cone said. “He made them when we needed them the most.”

But the victory was tainted somewhat by a crucial noncall inside the final 3.6 seconds, when Paul Lee, who was going for the potential game-tying three-pointer, was bumped by Marc Pingris.

“It’s always tough when a game is decided with a [non] call like that,” Cone said, recounting a similar experience that didn’t go his way against Purefoods, now San Mig, while he was with Alaska.

It was a bitter loss for the Painters, who failed to hold on to a 69-52 lead, but coach Yeng Guiao believes a call on that Lee shot could have changed the game’s outcome.

“I just thought that Paul got fouled in that last play,” said Guiao, adding that the referees called a foul on PJ Simon on practically the same situation that sent Rain or Shine import Arizona Reid to the line for three shots.

“[The referees] gave AZ (Reid) that same foul [in the previous play] because they thought the game was already over. But that play by Paul could have changed the outcome that’s why they did not call it. We deserved that call.”

Meanwhile, Globalport, after winning just a combined seven games this season, won the lottery for the first pick in the coming Rookie Draft.

Meralco will pick second, but will cede that to Rain or Shine because of a previous deal.

The scores:

SAN MIG COFFEE 104—Simon 18, Pingris 14, Yap 14, Blakely 13, Barroca 11, Maliksi 10, Devance 10, Sangalang 7, Reavis 5, Melton 2, Mallari 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 101—Reid 35, Chan 17, Lee 12, Belga 11, Norwood 7, Almazan 6, Arana 5, Cruz 2, Tiu 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2, Rodriguez 0.

Quarters: 24-29, 46-57, 71-78, 104-101