PBA Fastbreak: Big Game James’ dagger puts Ginebra down in game 5

San Mig Super Coffee over Ginebra, 79-76

The Best: Prior to his final field goal attempt of the ballgame, James Yap missed 12 of his 14 shots from the floor. He had just 7 points along with 3 turnovers. In short, the Man with a Million Moves wasn’t exactly having a millionaire’s afternoon in Game 5. Yap, however, isn’t a percentages kind of guy. He likes the big moments, hence his other moniker — Big Game James. He lived up to it here, nailing the game-winning three-point shot over Mac Baracael with around 13 seconds left. This made up for his potentially game-tying miss in Game 4. Big time moments call for big time players, and, this time, Yap delivered. 

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The Worst: When Jay-R Reyes is the only starter to score in double-digits for your team, that’s a sign that something is amiss. Reyes shot 5/6 from the field to drill in 11 points as he started in place of the struggling Japeth Aguilar, who finished with 9 markers off the pine. The other starters — Greg Slaughter, LA Tenorio, Mark Caguioa, and Mac Baracael — all encountered difficulty finding the bottom of the hole here, combining for a total of just 29 points. No one out of the four scored more than 9 points. They shot a combined 11/42 (26%) from the field. Ugh. 

Standing Tall: No one really thinks Rafi Reavis is among the best big men in the country, but the fact is, at least in terms of numbers, he’s pretty solid. He averages around 5.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action per game. He shoots 59% from the field and plays strong defense while averaging just over 2 fouls per game. Again, he’s solid. In game 5, he shone, too, shooting 5/6 from the field (including a key under-goal stab in the dying minutes) to finish with 10 points on top of 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks (did you see that clean one against Greg Slaughter late in the fourth?). – Rappler.com