Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA
MANILA, Philippines—Tension filled the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night. But as the anxiety built throughout the historic dome that saw more than 23,000 hold their breaths as the last game of the finals went down to the last shot, James Yap hardly flinched.
Yap seemed impervious to pressure on his way to one of those nights only he could make look easy. He knocked in 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field to drag San Mig Coffee past hard-as-nails Rain or Shine side and into the record books with the first Grand Slam in 18 years.
“The guys just find ways [to win]. It’s been amazing to watch them,” marveled Mixers head coach Tim Cone, who became the first chief tactician in the PBA’s rich history to win two Grand Slams after guiding Alaska in 1996.
“Watch a guy like Ping (Pingris) who brings the energy every game and there are times where it seemed like he’s spent and you could see it in the game and then you’d think that’s it and you see him next game he comes back and he’s just everywhere and his ability to recover, and he continues to play,” Cone praised his hardworking big man Marc Pingris.
And while the Mixers have the dynamism of Pingris, whose unparalleled energy and intensity rub off on his teammates, there’s Yap, whose coolness emanates during pressure-packed situations that creates the balance within the team.
“And then the calmness of James Yap, we were talking about before the game where our guys were pumped up. Ping was jumping around, Joe (Devance) was jumping around, everybody was so intense and James is just over the corner kind of relaxed and I told the coaching staff that’s why he’s ‘Big Game’ James,” Cone said.
“Nothing fazes him. He just comes out and plays calmly and he’s able to withstand the big moments and tonight again he played that big moment.”
And the final game of the season with a rare Grand Slam at stake was Yap’s time. But as brilliant as he is in the 2014 Governors’ Cup Finals, the two-time MVP gave much of the credit to his teammates and Cone.
“Just really blessed. The last time a team won a Grand Slam was 18 years ago and I was just a little kid back then,” Yap, who equaled Talk ‘N Text’s Danny Seigle with the most Finals MVP awards with four, said in Filipino with his championship shirt soaked in champagne. The former University of the East swingman also bagged the Finals MVP award last conference.
“It’s not just me. Everyone worked hard for this. Just really blessed that I have a coach like coach Tim and I’m also blessed having teammates who support me fully,” added Yap, who scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
The 32-year-old Yap ended the season with three championships and two Finals MVPs but his road to get here was more of a steep climb than a straight path.
“When he sprained his elbow I kept on talking to him and I always tell him to let the game come to him and to not mind the fans who think you’re at the tailend of your career,” said Pingris, who share seven PBA championships with Yap, in Filipino. “So you could always see him every day in practice working hard on his shooting.”
The pressure was at its highest Wednesday night and there was Yap hitting one-handers from almost everywhere on the floor and sinking fade-aways with or without resistance. He held a plaque at center court that read Finals MVP and his name on it. And yes, he’s far from being done.