'King' James carries Giants to 2-0 Finals lead

James Yap rallied Purefoods from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit before Kerby Raymundo nailed the game-winning free throw in the Giants’ thrilling 86-85 come-from-behind victory over the Alaska Aces Friday in their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals. The former league most valuable player (MVP) came through with a new conference high of 32 points behind an 8-of-9 shooting from the foul line and 4-of-6 from the three-point range. Two of those booming treys came at the height of a big Purefoods onslaught as the Giants fought back from a 78-64 deficit in the final five minutes of a tense match that saw an Alaska fan fall unconscious just as Game 2 is nearing its climax at the rocking Araneta Coliseum.

The last of Yap’s game-high output finally put the Giants on top, 85-84, as Joe DeVance fouled the former University of the East stalwart while going baseline in the final 14 seconds. Raymundo then preserved Purefoods' big comeback victory as he sank the front-end of his two free throws caused by another DeVance foul with 1.7 seconds to make it 86-85, before intentionally missing the second one that resulted in a mad scramble for the rebound as time expired. Just as pandemonium broke inside the Big Dome, coach Tim Cone and team manager Joaqui Trillo stormed into the side of the league’s technical committee, angrily confronting officials and the referees for making that crucial, game-deciding call with the outcome of the match on the line. Coming in the heels of their 81-77 win in the opener, Purefoods now leads the best-of-seven series, 2-0. Game 3 is set Sunday also at the Big Dome, with the Giants seeking a sixth straight win, counting the three consecutive they pulled off in their semifinals series with the San Miguel Beermen. "We can’t afford to relax. We must never let up since the series is far from over," said the popular Purefoods shooting guard after the game. Rafi Reavies, one of the unsung heroes in Game 1, came through big-time with 17 points while Raymundo added 14. His five-point cluster, including a clutch trey, helped the Giants overcome a six-point deficit inside the final two minutes to close to within, 84-83. The Aces were paced by L.A. Tenorio’s 19 points as the brilliant playmaker went 5-of-6 from three-point range. His soft jumper at the two-minute mark gave Alaska an 82-76 lead. De Vance finished with 12, including the Aces’ final three points. His split charities with 11 seconds to go tied the game for the last time at 85-all. GMANews.TV