It’s been awhile since El Granada Gary David came through with an explosive performance.
On Sunday, the veteran cager and the multiple-time scoring champion played true to form, scoring 13 fourth quarter points that nearly carried the Mahindra Floodbuster to a win against Rain or Shine.
At one point, David was able to shoot in front of two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap, who couldn’t do anything but watch the streak-shooting swingman hit a tough three-pointer despite contesting the shot.
“China-challenge ko naman eh. Pumasok pa rin. Dapat siguro hindi ko na lang i-challenge eh,” Yap told sportswriters.
For Yap, David always had a great game each time he was facing him.
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“Sabi ko nga kay coach, sa akin pa talaga natapat ah. Parang nanlalaki yung mata niya kapag nakikita niya ako eh,” he added.
Playing against Yap was like playing with a chip on his shoulder for David, who was best remembered as the scourge of the B-Meg Llamados in the 2012 Philippine Cup.
David would help the eighth-seeded Powerade Tigers team to an upset win over the no.1-ranked Llamados, then bannered by Yap and being coached by Tim Cone, who was handling the team in his first conference that time.
For two games in the quarterfinal round, David was like a man possessed, hitting baskets from almost every part of the court and showing his hot hands that made wonders for his team’s Cinderella Run.
In his second game back after recovering from a knee injury, David was in vintage form, but Yap believes it has something to do with the knee procedure he underwent before the start of the conference.
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“Nagpapakundisyon naman siya. Nakikita ko sa Instagram niya. Work hard talaga. Ganyan naman ang mga players eh. Kahit na anong pagpapakundisyon mo kung wala kang oras, paano mo maipapakita yung kundisyon mo?,” added Yap.
“Before siya nagpalinis ako muna. Tinanong niya ako kung kamusta yung procedure. Kasi due na rin siya eh. Tinanong niya ako kung hindi ba delikado, sabi ko hindi kasi after ko naoperahan nakalakad kaagad ako eh. Strengthening lang para mabawasan yung sakit. Workout,” he added.
Andrei Villanueva
