JAMES Yap is taking one step at a time as he looks to sustain his vinatge form for Rain or Shine throughout its title defense of the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
The 35-year-old ROS star poured in 26 points - his best output in over three years - to lead his team to a 113-105 win over NLEX at the start of the team's title-retention campaign on Friday night.
But Yap is well aware it's just the first game of the conference.
"Malayo pa eh," Yap said. "Wag lang mag-relax. Kung ano yung ginagawa mo at the start of the conference, tuloy lang. Di na masyadong hard, bawasan na lang ng konti para di ka masunog.
"Malayo pa 'to, marami pang pagdadaanang giyera," he added.
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Yap admitted he couldn't play at his best in his first conference for the E-Painters as he was still recovering from a minor arthroscopic knee surgery.
"Yung time na naoperahan ang knee ko so di pa masyadong malakas at inaalalayan ko pa ng konti," he admitted. "Mahirap maglaro pag may inaalalayan ka.
"(Pero) nung offseason, nung na-out kami, pahinga ng konti at balik work out, he added.