Just My Opinion: The 2014 NBA All-Star Game

2/20/2014 7:20:21 PM

Perhaps, here’s something that I am doing for the second straight year: my take on the NBA All-Star Game.

Wait a second; have you noticed that during the past few years, three of the host cities in the mid-2000s were the same ones who got a chance to host another All-star weekend event?

If you hadn’t... well, I did. First, it was Los Angeles (2004 and 2011), then Houston (2006 and 2012), and now... New Orleans (2008 and 2014).

The Punk’s Revenge

11/4/2013 8:19:25 PM

I think he just got his revenge.

And this time around, vengeance came in full force.

I’m talking about Paul Heyman’s eventual defeat over the Best in the World CM Punk.

How did that happened?

LeBron or Kobe? 'Nuff Said!

7/26/2013 5:53:56 PM

Two superstars, they used to square up against each other on that 96 x 50 feet basketball court for at least three times each year. They may have blocked shots, dunked, throw thee pointers and even pin-point passes against each other. Well… okay, now what?

I don’t see anything in this comparison. Why on earth these sports fans will compare these two guys against each other?

Panalo!

10/18/2013 9:31:00 AM

Hindi ko alam ha? Pero hangang-hanga ako sa litratong ito.

 Photo from abs-cbnnews.com

Blaming Game?

10/15/2013 2:49:44 PM

Okay. So olats ang mga Tigre, nang dahil sa kapalpakan ng isang manlalaro nila? Ang daling husgahan ang mga pangyayari no?

Sabagay, ikaw ba naman kasi ang magkaroon ng dalawang malaking pagkakamali sa mga huling minuto ng laro e. Ikaw na nagmintis ng tira sa duluhang bahagi ng fourth quarter kaya umabot sa overtime. E libre ang bine-buwenas na si Jeric Tengpara i-panalo ang laban. At ikaw din ang nagbato ng isa sa mga pasa na hindi nasalo ng kakampi niya sa huling mga segundo ng overtime.

At ikaw rin ang maging subject ng mga ganito: ang sigaw ng pagkadismaya ng coach mo, ang pagkabadtrip ng crowd ng mga Tomasino sa iyo, at ang maging subject sa pangbabash nila sa Twitter.

Tigers With An Upset

9/30/2013 12:34:07 PM

And yet again.

Just when you thought that one university from the streets of Jocson in Sampaloc, Mania will end their championship drought, their España-based brothers (in UAAP) had a different plan – that is to steal their hopes and literally crush their spirits.

Okay, forget the cheer dance sport that they ruled for a very long period of time (and the bitter fact of going over several slumps on their stunts). University of Santo Tomas is back on the “big dance” stage of basketball, and they will face La Salle for that matter.

Basketbrawl

09062013 | 1217PM

Isang physical sport ang basketball. Natural na ang mga pisikalan. Natural na ang may nasasaktan, at natural ang makakasakit, kahit halos lahat ng dahilan ng mga ito ay "laro lang."

Oo, halos lahat nga lang. Dahil hindi rin maisasantabi ang ilang beses na intensyon ng isang tao na may maitim na balakid sa court, mapanalo lang ang laban.

Double Take: Basketbrawl

09062013 | 0555PM

Last week, dalawang bugbugan sa hardcourt ang naganap.

Throwback: 13 in 35

08292013 | 08:42AM

Tracy McGrady, once a prolific scorer in the National Basketball Association, has officially retired from the league after 16 years.

As the said news item came out from his Twitter account, some sports pages asked: What it your favorite T-Mac moment?

And here is my answer: an epic clutch performance during the final 35 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center.

Historic Win

8/16/2013 1:14:41 PM

Noong isang linggo, nasaksihan ng karamihan ang labanang ito.

Sixth Man

8/10/2013 11:48:26 AM

Gaano kahalaga ang home crowd sa laban ng mga manlalaro ng Gilas Pilipinas sa kasalukuyang FIBA Asian Championship? Napaka-importante lang naman sila. Sa isang basketball-crazed nation na tulad natin, isang malaking karangalan ang maging isa sa mga pinakatanyag at pinakatalentadong koponan sa larangan ng naturang palakasan.

Nariyan ang mga matitinding suporta ng crowd, mga talaga namang passionated na fans. Walang tigil na sumusuporta sa kanilang bet na player o team para lang ipanalo ang laro. Meron nga dyan ay may dala-dalang paraphernalia tulad ng banner o streamer, mga placard na gawa sa samu’t saring klase ng papel o karton, tambol (bagay na usong-uso sa mga cheerleading suqad ng mga collegiate leagues), clapper, at ang kanilang presensya o boses. Maliban pa yan sa iilan na nang-aasar sa kalaban. Matinding satisfaction ‘to para sa kanila.

Aftermath Of A Loss

8/5/2013 1:28:59 PM

Pag-usapan nga natin ang nangyari noong Sabado, Agosto 3, 2013. Natalo ang Pilipinas sa Chinese Taipei, ang isang laro sa FIBA Asia Championship na tula may halong pamumutika ang tingin ng magkabilang bansa. Come from behind ang resulta pabor sa CT, 84-79. Yan ay sa kabila ng palitan ng malaking kalamangan sa pagitan nila sa unang tatlong quarter.

The King's Ascension To The Throne.

11:54:22 PM | 6/24/2013 | Monday

It was for all the marbles. It’s more known as the do-or-die match, or sudden death, or much simpler term, “the decider.” This is the Game 7 of the Championship series of the National Basketball Association between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. The very last game of the 2012-2013 NBA season. One last game to play. One last game to watch. To witness the last two teams standing at that point.

One will rise and one will fall. One will earn a legitimate bragging right, one will lose it. One will rise in the history, while the other falls and will end their season on a broken note, as both legacies will be on the line. There’s no such thing as “records,” “statistics,” and even the so-called “winning tradition.”

Clutch Game

11:49:29 PM | 6/20/2013 | Thursday

Of all the games that went on for this year’s NBA Finals, this seems that the Game 6 was the best of them all so far.

Look, Tim Duncan played the first half as if he was not on his 37-year-old self. How about a 25-point and 8-rebound effort, for the 15 year veteran? And that stat was before halftime, by the way.

Second half, we saw the old LeBron, the more energized one, the one that really carried the team on his shoulders like the way he did on his stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers? He scored more than 20 of his 32 points came on the second half and overtime, despite committing huge mistakes down the stretch. He had a triple double to accompany his usual large number of markers.

Heat Wave (The Miami Heat’s Road to the 2013 NBA Finals)

1:47:39 PM | 6/20/2013 | Thursday

(Author’s note: The Miami Heat may emerged as the 2013 BA Champions if they will win the Game 7 on Thursday night in Miami, Florida (or Friday morning time at Manila, Philippines).

Miami Heat had come a long way to go before assembling big stars with talents and earned that bragging right to be labeled as one of the “champions” in the National Basketball Association. Yes, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was the second team to be branded as “the Big Three” in the league’s recent era. 2 years after the Boston Celtics’’ own version of triumvirate was made with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Defensive Dominance (The San Antonio Spurs' Run To The 2013 NBA Finals)

11:16:51 PM | 5/28/2013 

Author's note: (re-updated 6/19/2013 2:32:57 PM) as of this writing, the Spurs are on the verge of winning the NBA title if they will win Game 7 at Thursday Night in Miami (Friday morning, Manila time)

They’re quiet, they worked under the radar, and more than being either the “underdog” or “dark horse,” they will just surprise you with their winning ways. Perhaps very rare number of people, if not “nobody,” talked about this team, which defied signs of aging, just to compete and win games… yes, even if they’re one of those few teams that are already been mainly treated as the “elders” at the current NBA generation. I am talking about this defense-oriented team by the name of the San Antonio Spurs.

Vintage: Manu Ginobili

3:11:37 PM | 6/17/2013 | Monday

Dwyane Wade’s a la ’06 effort was matched up well with Manu Ginobili’s epic act during the 2005 Finals.

He struggled on his shooting during the previous playoff games. And he’s on very usual off-the-bench roles. More than that, he’s been a huge disappointment for some of the fans, just 34 percent on his shooting and averaged just 7.5 points prior to the fifth contest.

That went on until Greg Poppovich adjusted something that went into the Argentinean’s favor.

Vintage: Dwyane Wade

2:30:51 PM | 6/17/2013| Monday

Vintage – that is the word to describe Dwyane Wade’s epic performances against the Spurs in Game 5. And for the third time though, it appeared to be another blowout game after the other for the NBA Finals as the Heat leveled their series to 2 apiece after that 106-93 victory at the Alamo city.

Statement Block

2:00:37 PM | 6/13/2013 | Thursday

Miami heat level the series last week before that huge game 3. Let’s take a lookback though. How on earth did that happened?

4th quarter story, just like any other big games during the previous part of the 2012-2013 season, both regular and post season wars.

The first three quarters appeared like a deja vu sequence for both teams in Game 1. Close fight. But if the game 1 turned in the visitor’s favor. This time, it went on the home team. We saw the last few minutes of the third quarter swindling into the side of Miami Heat. They had a 10-point lead after 36 minutes of action.

But then, just in the middle of the scorching run by the Heat, so was this emphatic block by one of their superstars in Lebron James.

3s for Game 3

2:13:41 PM | 6/12/2013 | Wednesday

How did San Antonio won Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals? Check out this video.

So, there you go. 16 long distance shots made by the San Antonio Spurs in this third game against the Miami Heat in the championship series. That’s already a wrecking record, as they broke the previous mark of 15 3-point shots set by 3 teams before them. And take note, they’re making those shots quite accurately, as they’re shooting 50 percent from there (16-of-32). How about that? You always hearing the guys like Mike Breen of ESPN goes “Green from downtown! Bang, that’s good!”