THREE-POINT PLAY: While I was away (again)

while i was away due to my "engagement" last monday and three final exams in three days, here's what i missed in the basketball world: 

1. new york is lin-ning again

just when you thought that "lin-sanity" is over, that melo should be traded for messing up the team chemistry after those string of loses, and mike d'antoni deserves to vacate his post, the new york knicks are rolling one more with one win after another. now on their five game winning streak, the team from the city that never sleeps have beaten portland, indiana (twice on a back-to-back), toronto, and the 76ers. coach mike woodson has done a great job in taking over d'antoni's job by maximizing his bench and letting the players do their stuff. at 22-24, it's still my hope that they make it deep in the playoffs, but reaching the finals at this point is just unimaginable with miami and chicago lording over the east.

2. the golden state warriors and that bone-headed trade

the bay area fans have a lot of boo-ing to do, and i understand why. the golden state warriors traded monta ellis, a fan favorite and perhaps the most effective player in their roster, together with ekpe udoh and kwame brown (why is this guy still in the nba?!) for an injured andrew bogut (who could be out for the rest of the season) and stephen jackson (though later traded to the spurs for richard jefferson). it is obviously a bone-headed trade, knowing that they got an injured player in the place of an effective player in ellis (though he hogs the ball most, if not all of the time). it might be far from the most ridiculous trade of all time (pau for kwame and a bunch of fries from in-n-out burgers), but this trade, using the words of rick barry, is "doing a disservice" by "changing the franchise" from knocking at the door of the playoffs to staying in the draft lottery. only history can tell if joe lacob did the right thing. let's wait and see.

3. mick pennisi deserves an oscar

this has to be the best acting job i've seen in recent memory, and mick pennisi sold it pretty well. the lag between being hit by the ball and falling into the hardwood as if he had a concussion is just ridiculous. well that's a veteran move deserving of an oscar award. the night truly belongs to pennisi as he also hit his 700th three pointer of his career and helping deliver a victory for barako bull over petron blaze. i might as well give him the oscar standee we made for the senior's despedida last week. and for sure, that replay gave a smile on your face.