Yap played just 13 minutes for the Elasto Painters, spending all 12 minutes of the second quarter, before watching the rest of the contest that saw them miss the chance of ending the Beermen’s winning run in the season-opening conference.
The two-time Most Valuable Player, who was acquired in the offseason from the Star Hotshots for Paul Lee, admitted that he had the itch of wanting to play in the crucial stretch of the contest, but reiterated that he sees no problem with coach Caloy Garcia’s decision.
“Diskarte ni coach e, di ko rin alam kung bakit,” Yap said after the game. “Masarap sana pumasok, pero siyempre respect ko na lang yung diskarte niya,” added Yap, who only had three points for Rain or Shine.
For his part, Garcia said the benching was more of a strategic move, as he had wanted to play an uptempo game to keep San Miguel guessing. It almost led to a win, if not for squandering a six-point lead with two minutes left in regulation after the Beermen’s Alex Cabagnot forced an extension with a contested jumper.
“Medyo gusto ko tumakbo kanina. I wanted to try to get San Miguel tired, and since we were playing well – Gabe was playing the three and four position just to change the tempo of the game, and it was working, so I just stuck to the people who were really working hard on both sides,” said Garcia.
Garcia is hoping to utilize Yap more in succeeding games, as Rain or Shine looks to bounce back from that horrific loss. “Sa case naman ni James, we’ll try to get him more involved in the next game.”
