Shame on me. Shame on me for imagining the existence of a sibling rivalry between James Yap and Peter June Simon. There are two super scorers in one team. It's only normal. One can score 20-plus points. The other can too. And B-Meg Derby Ace was lucky to have both. When Yap struggled in the elimination round, Simon carried the Llamados. When Simon was no longer as explosive in the semi-finals, Yap placed the team on his shoulders. Unfortunately for B-Meg and fortunately for Talk 'N Text, Yap and Simon couldn't score 40 points at the same time. There was no rivalry. I wonder, though, if B-Meg Derby Ace could've benefited greatly from the existence of one. I asked around, "May healthy competition ba between James and PJ?" After all, it's logical for a guy with two MVP trophies to feel unsettled by a guy who can score 42 points. My hunch was obliterated by coaches and players. The confident response, "Wala." It wasn't an unsure "Wala" or a defensive-sounding "Wala" or a "Wala" with a naughty grin or a "Wala" that clearly didn't sound like "Wala" and obviously meant to hide the fact na "Meron". They were certain. I was convinced.
"Sibling rivalry? None at all," Don Allado stressed. "Those guys are so down to earth. We're all very competitive but the way I see it, James and PJ complement each other. If James is locked up, Peter June Simon is there to save the day. If they have different personalities, that’s going to be like Shaq and Kobe, fighting for the ball, fighting for stardom. That's not the case."
What if the non-existent enmity between two was exactly the kind of what-James-can-do-Peter-can-do-better attitude B-Meg desperately needed? Wouldn't it have been better if Simon relented less, became less a willing sidekick and more a get-out-of-my-way scoring alter-ego for the constantly-hounded Yap? Could it have helped if Simon secretly, maybe even not-so-secretly, hoped for Yap to see double-teams all night, then, as a natural consequence, take over as soon as Yap wrestled with the oncoming Talk 'N Text entourage?
The Kobe-Shaq rivalry helped the Lakers win championships, after all. On the other hand, it also led to the Lakers' implosion later on. While everyone wants to win, no one wants to implode. A team already thin on manpower (sorry for the pun Señor Maierhoffer), a team bereft of post-season talent (clearly Kerby Raymundo and Rafi Reavis were missed all conference long), must ask itself: what do they gain from Simon maliciously upstaging Yap? Where will they go after the remnants of an already depleted team go up in flames?
To say Simon floundered in Game 6 is giving Simon, and Talk 'N Text's grade-A defense which didn't allow Simon to score impact points, too little credit. In all likelihood, a misplaced rivalry between Yap and Simon would've given the Llamados more issues to address and fewer opportunities to overachieve. And in the end, we would've said, "Sayang. What a shame."
Mico Halili, GMA News TV
