The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League was on the thick of the playoffs when the matches were indefinitely suspended due to the pandemic brought about by the COVID-19. At that time, both the North and South Division Finals were tied at 1-1. The do-or-die game 3 in the South will return to Davao while the rubber match up North will be decided in San Juan on a soon to be announced schedule.
Be that as it may, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season can already be decided based on the performance of the players during the elimination rounds. As we already know, the MVP Award is the highest individual recognition which a player can get in the sport of basketball. But how do we choose who should be the MVP?
One school of thought suggests that the MVP is the best player in the best team based on statistics. All you need to do is to determine which team posted the best win-loss record and who is the best player in terms of points, rebounds, steals, and assists production.
Meanwhile, another view is that the MVP is that one player who is so valuable such that if you remove him from a team, that team spirals to the bottom of the standings. It’s not much about statistics but rather about leadership and being the glue-guy.
If there’s one player who deserves to bag the MVP trophy, Mark Yee should top the list. He is only one of the very few MPBL players who are averaging a double-double for the season. On the offensive end, he leads his team on scoring with an average of 13.8 points per game which makes him a vital cog of the Davao Occidental Tiger’s attack. It is interesting to note that while he can back down his defenders one-on-one on the post, he can also turn garbage into gold with his putbacks using sheer hustle.
Interestingly, Mark Yee is considered as an undersized big man at 6’3 yet he found ways to dominate the paint. This could very well explain why he was shooting at a very efficient clip of 51% field goal percentage. He also demonstrated his ability to knock down three (3) pointers which made him more difficult to guard.
What is even more impressive is that Mark Yee can still bang bodies with the younger guys inside the shaded lane although he is already 38 years old. As a matter of fact, Mark Yee is the second leading rebounder in the entire league with an average of 11.4 each game, just .01 below Dhon Reverente’s 11.5 rebounds per game. His rebounding prowess is evident not only on the defensive end, but also on the offensive glass.
On average, Mark Yee grabbed 3.6 of his team’s missed shots which is roughly 23% of the team’s total offensive boards. At the other side of the court, he collected an average of 7.3 defensive rebounds a game which is 22% of the team’s total. On top of that, he was also very active on deflecting and intercepting passes given his wingspan and quick motor that allowed him to steal the ball 0.8 times each game. More importantly, his rim protection inside the paint proved to be useful for the Tiger’s internal defense as he recorded an average of 0.7 blocks per game.
Mark Yee vs John Wilson
Statistically, Mark Yee’s MVP bid is threatened by John Wilson’s equally impressive season. While Mark Yee is the second-best rebounder in the league, Wilson made the list of top 5 players in the scoring and steals department. He is the league’s number one scoring machine with an average of 19.8 points per outing while being also the second-best interceptor with an average of 2.3 steals each game.
Nonetheless, what sets apart Mark Yee despite the slight statistical advantage of John Wilson is his leadership and presence. Whenever Mark Yee is inside the court, his presence keeps the Tigers’ offense and defense stable. His value to the team becomes apparent whenever he does not play as his team struggled. Simply put, he is the glue that keeps the Tigers from disintegrating.
This became apparent when Mark Yee was injured in the second game of the quarter-final match between the Tigers and the Bicol Volcanoes. Without Mark Yee on that game, the Tigers were rattled like a headless chicken as they struggled against the Volcanoes who eventually even out the series.
In the do-or-die game three (3), Bicol almost stole the series from the Tiger’s had Mark Yee not been inserted in the game during overtime. Note that Mark Yee was still suffering from a mild ACL yet he contributed four (4) points, six (6) rebounds, and three (3) steals to help the Tigers seal the win and knock out the Volcanoes for good.
His leadership became more pronounced as you see him scold his teammates after the commit unforced turnovers or useless fouls. You can really see in his eyes that he is determined to lead his team to the promised land.
A sweet comeback
During the second season of the MPBL known as the Datu Cup, the MVP race was also a tight contest between Mark Yee and Gab Banal.
Unfortunately for Mark Yee, it was Gab Banal who bagged the hotly contested MVP award after getting the nod of the majority of the 26 coaches who voted. During that season, Banal posted averages of 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game as he led the Bacoor Strikers to a 13-12 record.
Nonetheless, Mark Yee had the last laugh on their eventual matchup as the Davao Occidental Tigers blasted in two (2) games the Bacoor Strikers during the semifinals of the South Division. Unfortunately, Mark Yee and the Davao Occidental Tigers fell short of the ultimate price after they were stunned by the San Juan Knights in a thrilling best of five (5) championship series, 3-2.
Winning the MVP trophy this time around will surely be a sweet comeback for Mark yee, and it will even be more meaningful if the Tigers will eventually end up as the Lakan Season’s National Champions.
Be that as it may, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season can already be decided based on the performance of the players during the elimination rounds. As we already know, the MVP Award is the highest individual recognition which a player can get in the sport of basketball. But how do we choose who should be the MVP?
One school of thought suggests that the MVP is the best player in the best team based on statistics. All you need to do is to determine which team posted the best win-loss record and who is the best player in terms of points, rebounds, steals, and assists production.
Meanwhile, another view is that the MVP is that one player who is so valuable such that if you remove him from a team, that team spirals to the bottom of the standings. It’s not much about statistics but rather about leadership and being the glue-guy.
If there’s one player who deserves to bag the MVP trophy, Mark Yee should top the list. He is only one of the very few MPBL players who are averaging a double-double for the season. On the offensive end, he leads his team on scoring with an average of 13.8 points per game which makes him a vital cog of the Davao Occidental Tiger’s attack. It is interesting to note that while he can back down his defenders one-on-one on the post, he can also turn garbage into gold with his putbacks using sheer hustle.
Interestingly, Mark Yee is considered as an undersized big man at 6’3 yet he found ways to dominate the paint. This could very well explain why he was shooting at a very efficient clip of 51% field goal percentage. He also demonstrated his ability to knock down three (3) pointers which made him more difficult to guard.
What is even more impressive is that Mark Yee can still bang bodies with the younger guys inside the shaded lane although he is already 38 years old. As a matter of fact, Mark Yee is the second leading rebounder in the entire league with an average of 11.4 each game, just .01 below Dhon Reverente’s 11.5 rebounds per game. His rebounding prowess is evident not only on the defensive end, but also on the offensive glass.
On average, Mark Yee grabbed 3.6 of his team’s missed shots which is roughly 23% of the team’s total offensive boards. At the other side of the court, he collected an average of 7.3 defensive rebounds a game which is 22% of the team’s total. On top of that, he was also very active on deflecting and intercepting passes given his wingspan and quick motor that allowed him to steal the ball 0.8 times each game. More importantly, his rim protection inside the paint proved to be useful for the Tiger’s internal defense as he recorded an average of 0.7 blocks per game.
Mark Yee vs John Wilson
Statistically, Mark Yee’s MVP bid is threatened by John Wilson’s equally impressive season. While Mark Yee is the second-best rebounder in the league, Wilson made the list of top 5 players in the scoring and steals department. He is the league’s number one scoring machine with an average of 19.8 points per outing while being also the second-best interceptor with an average of 2.3 steals each game.
Nonetheless, what sets apart Mark Yee despite the slight statistical advantage of John Wilson is his leadership and presence. Whenever Mark Yee is inside the court, his presence keeps the Tigers’ offense and defense stable. His value to the team becomes apparent whenever he does not play as his team struggled. Simply put, he is the glue that keeps the Tigers from disintegrating.
This became apparent when Mark Yee was injured in the second game of the quarter-final match between the Tigers and the Bicol Volcanoes. Without Mark Yee on that game, the Tigers were rattled like a headless chicken as they struggled against the Volcanoes who eventually even out the series.
In the do-or-die game three (3), Bicol almost stole the series from the Tiger’s had Mark Yee not been inserted in the game during overtime. Note that Mark Yee was still suffering from a mild ACL yet he contributed four (4) points, six (6) rebounds, and three (3) steals to help the Tigers seal the win and knock out the Volcanoes for good.
His leadership became more pronounced as you see him scold his teammates after the commit unforced turnovers or useless fouls. You can really see in his eyes that he is determined to lead his team to the promised land.
A sweet comeback
During the second season of the MPBL known as the Datu Cup, the MVP race was also a tight contest between Mark Yee and Gab Banal.
Unfortunately for Mark Yee, it was Gab Banal who bagged the hotly contested MVP award after getting the nod of the majority of the 26 coaches who voted. During that season, Banal posted averages of 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game as he led the Bacoor Strikers to a 13-12 record.
Nonetheless, Mark Yee had the last laugh on their eventual matchup as the Davao Occidental Tigers blasted in two (2) games the Bacoor Strikers during the semifinals of the South Division. Unfortunately, Mark Yee and the Davao Occidental Tigers fell short of the ultimate price after they were stunned by the San Juan Knights in a thrilling best of five (5) championship series, 3-2.
Winning the MVP trophy this time around will surely be a sweet comeback for Mark yee, and it will even be more meaningful if the Tigers will eventually end up as the Lakan Season’s National Champions.
-----------
Like our official Facebook Page MPBL RESULTS