Sta. Lucia v. Purefoods – The Deserving Team Won!

I admit I'm not the best person to review the Sta. Lucia Purefoods championship. That honor is reserved for John Dacanay my partner in crime. However, it's still basketball, so I'll give it a shot:

• The series' title might as well be 'Young and Hungry vs. Talented and not - so hungry': Yes Purefoods fans are gonna eat me alive for this, and yes, I agree Peter Jun Simon's performance is far from 'not-hungry', but as a collective, Sta. Lucia appeared far more energetic and fluid than Purefoods which appeared staid and old - inspite of the fact that man for man, I'd give Purefoods the upper hand anytime of day.
• James Yap is the Philippines' best player (depending on Purefoods).: The man has a stroke like genius and is unstoppable when he gets going, but that doesn't mean he's also gonna win championships. This has been the case from his UE days till today. He is God's gift to Philippine basketball in every sense, fantastically gifted, tall and good-looking to boot. He is the perfect salesman for whichever team he's playing for. In signing him up, Purefoods not only gets a great talent, but also a model for their products. He is the complete package. But can he bring championships? For sure he'll work himself to the bone trying, but definitely the challenge is on management and coaches to put him in a situation where he can best deliver wins. And that's a tall order, almost as hard as finding gems like him. It's a case of having a superstar but not maximizing his worth, a situation oft-repeated in highly competitive leagues.

(more...)