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Source: Mico Halili, GMA News  

In a tournament dominated by elephants like Yi Jianlian, Hamed Hadadi, Ha Seung Jin and Joji Takeuchi, little Jimmy Alapag squeaked his way over, under and around taller defenders to be an end-game star. While Marcus Douthit, unmindful of his sprained ankle, tallied 25 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks, Alapag's performance against Japan likewise stood out. The Japanese can blame Marcus for losing to Gilas. They can also blame The Mouse.

People question a player's abilities. The player has no choice but to take it all in. Bakit siya ang PBA MVP? He's too old for Gilas. Why him? He can't play defense. Isn't he too small? I can name 10 players, based on statistics from the last PBA season, who can score more points, grab more rebounds and make more assists than Jimmy Alapag. I'm sure you can too. Redemption has no clock. A player can wait weeks, months, years before bouncing back from criticism. Redemption can also happen in a flash, as soon as a player is ready. Alapag, you see, is always ready. "I'm just here to do whatever is needed for the team to win," Alapag shared after he scored 15 points including three three-point shots against Japan. "The guys have worked so hard the last few years! We have a great chance." People I know, men with unquestionable character, say Alapag, as far as they know, has unquestionable character. You can go by what they know or simply go by what you see. There's Jimmy with a nice pass to Kelly Williams. There's Jimmy with a booming triple. There's Jimmy driving into the lane for a layup. There's Jimmy with three crucial free throws to seal the game. It made us forget about Jimmy's MVP season of 2011. It made us remember his gutsy performance in the FIBA-Asia tournament of 2007. "This experience is very different from 2007," Alapag admitted. "Different coach, system, and lineup, but both very good teams. I just wish we had Douthit in '07." Team Pilipinas didn't have Douthit then. Gilas has Jimmy now. I don't think Alapag wants to prove anything in Wuhan: that he deserves the PBA MVP trophy, or a spot in Gilas, or a place in the Philippines Basketball Hall-of-Fame, or our elusive admiration. Besides, we've seen this before. When the game is on the line, dikdikan ang laban, Jimmy wants to make the big pass, the winning play, the crucial shot. He's willing to be The Big Cheese. "I just try my best to help the Gilas guys on and off the court," Alapag said. "Any situation I see where I can be of help, I try my best to show them. They're great guys and the country should be proud of how hard they've fought the last three years." The Mighty Mouse was not a unanimous PBA MVP. But against Japan, he was certainly a FIBA-Asia winner. Ateneo Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said it best, "Ang Japan dinaga."