When James Yap flashed his vintage form en route to 27 points last Thursday to help the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters reach the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, the target on his back just became bigger.
The two-time league Most Valuable Player put the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on notice with his showing, and that prompted the Gin Kings – the hottest team in the league right now – to prepare for Yap defensively.
One of their plans meant putting Justin Brownlee on him.
And that scheme worked, somehow. Brownlee – who’s just a few inches taller than the 6-foot-2 Yap – played a huge role in the latter’s sour shooting night, as the 14-year league veteran shot just 5-of-18 from the floor for 16 points.
Brownlee admitted, though, that guarding someone like Yap had been tedious. But given the outcome, it’s safe to say he aced the test.
“Guarding him is pretty tough because he shoots the ball very well. He has a high release, so it’s hard to block and hard to contest. He also can dribble, get in the lane, and create scoring opportunities for himself,” said Brownlee.
“It’s definitely gonna be a challenge, but not only me but whoever’s guarding him. He’s an incredible player,” added the six-year pro.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge in the coming games.”
With the clamps down not just on Yap but on the Elasto Painters as well, the crowd favorites are now up 1-0 in the race-to-three series, thanks to their dominant showing that led to the 102-89 victory.
Brownlee was at the forefront of the triumph with yet another solid performance of 35 points, 14 rebounds, and nine dimes in 43 minutes.
“It’s very important (the win),” he said. “Every time we start the season, coach [Tim Cone] has emphasized about Game One. That’s the biggest thing you got to do in a playoff series, you know, try to win Game One by any means necessary.
“Today, we got off to a good start, we had a good rhythm, we had a couple points where we – maybe – veered away from our game and the way we wanna play. But I think overall it was a great team effort.”
