TIMEOUT: On Missed Shots

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"When you miss a shot, never think of what you did wrong. Take your next shot thinking of what you must do right." 

- Tony Alfonso

Happy Birthday, David Robinson!

2-time nba champion. 
1995 most valuable player. 
1990 rookie of the year. 
10-time nba all star. 
multiple all-nba and defensive team citations. 
one of the four players in nba history to achieve a quadruple-double. 
one of the 50 greatest players in nba history. 
2 olympic gold medals.
inducted to the basketball hall of fame. 

the admiral. 
the epitome of class and sportsmanship in the nba.
one of the greatest centers in nba history.
 
i still have my david robinson basketball card collection that i started to build since grade 5.
i wore #50 in the minor seminary in the minor seminary because i looked up to him as my most favorite center of all time...
... and my most favorite nba player not named michael jordan.

Happy Birthday, Penny Hardaway!

when i was in the minor seminary, one of the most coveted numbers in a basketball jersey is number 1 because of anfernee "penny" hardaway.

hardaway was one of the exciting young combo guards of the mid to late 90's in the nba. his height and explosiveness were distinct qualities that made him more than the traditional point guard. his game somehow revolutionized the perspective of point guards as distributors and ball-handlers to dynamic scorers. thanks to his team-up with then-rising star shaquille o'neal, the orlando magic had deep runs in the nba playoffs, even reaching the finals in 1995 only to be swept by hakeem olajuwon and the houston rockets for the championship. despite the return of michael jordan and the re-establishment of the chicago bulls dynasty, the magic went far in the playoffs because of hardaway's solid performance on court. unfortunately, his career took a bump after suffering a knee injury. despite his several attempts of coming back into the game, penny was never the same player that he used to be. if not for that injury, he could have had a great run in the nba and perhaps winning a championship along the way.

besides his game, one of the most memorable facets of hardaway in the nba is his shoes. besides michael jordan, he had an iconic collection of signature shoes with nike which includes air go lwp, air up, air flight one, air max penny 1, air penny 2, air penny 3, and air foamposite one. however, because of a career cut short due to knee injury, his signature line of basketball shoes also entered into retirement. but with the emergence of hybrid models, penny's shoes were given a new face through the half cent and zoom rookie. and lately, the return of retro models also ushered in the comeback of his signature line in the market.

i'm quite fortunate to own several models from his shoe line. i never thought that a shoe made for a combo guard like penny was quite comfortable for someone who played forward/center most of the time. when i was in high school, my next valuable pair of kicks besides the air jordan 12 cherry was the air penny 3 blackout. air penny 2 has to be one of the most comfortable gaming shoes i ever worn. i haven't tried how air max penny 1 feels on foot but the performance would surely be close with the other models.

Steve Nash :(

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steve nash. my cousin who lives in phoenix puts the word "freakin'" in between his first name and surname. he is one of my favorite basketball players in the league. as a "frustrated point guard", i look up to the play of quick ball-handlers who are willing to share the ball first before make the shot when the situation dictates. besides, having been a phoenix suns fan since the days of kevin johnson and charles barkley makes nash fit the bill perfectly.

his journey as a basketball player has been an unconventional one. besides basketball, he played other sports like soccer and ice hockey, which were quite instrumental in developing the footwork he's known for in the sport. he went to santa clara for college after major universities in the united states did not recruit him to play basketball for their school, and led his college team to upset victories in the ncaa. he was known as a scorer, passer, and consistent free throw shooter in college before taking his game to the next level.


he got drafted 15th overall in the 1996 nba draft, together with other future nba stars like kobe bryant, allen iverson, and ray allen. he first played for the phoenix suns, where he played as back-up to kevin johnson and jason kidd. he surely learned from these two top-caliber point guards.

after two seasons with the suns, he was traded to the dallas mavericks, where he, dirk nowitzki, and michael finley became a formidable trio that made the mavs a playoff team yet often fell short against other western conference powerhouses. nonetheless, he became a perennial all-star and one of, if not the best passing point guard in the nba.


he returned to phoenix in 2004, ushering the era of run-and-gun basketball in the valley of the sun. with amare stoudamire, shawn marion, and joe johnson on the court and mike d'antoni giving the go-signal for a high-tempo offense, he led the suns to a the best record in the nba and even a decent playoff run in the next few years. despite departures and injuries to key players, the suns enjoyed success behind nash's unselfish play and ability to make his teammates better. he was often criticized for his lack of defense, but he still won the most valuable player award in 2005 and 2006. he continued to lead the suns to the playoffs despite changes in the roster through the years.

unfortunately, the suns cannot rely on nash alone, and he cannot win a championship with that roster from last season. it wasn't working. he needed a change. but never did i expect him to go to the team i like the least and share the ball with the player i hate the most.


i was in holy orders class when i got the news over twitter that steve nash will be going to the los angeles lakers as part of a sign-and-trade deal for future picks, cash, and a lifetime supply of vitamin water. it felt like he was defecting to the "dark side." no love lost for nash, but honestly that move makes me hate kobe all the more.

as @NotBillWalton said over twitter: "Lakers now have a PG that doesn't believe in defense, a head coach that doesn't believe in offense, & a SG that doesn't believe in passing."

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but i won't burn my collection of his jerseys even if he transferred to the team i hate the most. steve nash is no lebron james to deserve that kind of treatment.

no one wants to end one's career like barkley, karl malone, john stockton, reggie miller, and all other greats who retired without a ring on their fingers.

steve nash continues to work hard and surely deserves to win a championship. and if this is the only way for my idol to win a championship, so be it.

THREE-POINT PLAY: BEST NBA DRAFT CLASSES OF MY GENERATION

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the 2012 nba draft has just concluded, and it seems to me that this is one of the "deep" draft classes where future marquee stars and diamonds-in-the-rough may come from. we'll have to see them strut their wares in the coming nba season by the end of october.

on this occasion, i thought of blogging something about the best nba draft classes of my generation, or even perhaps of all time. looking at how the rookies back then have gone far in their careers and left an impact in the league and in basketball in general is just amazing. some players are still around, others have gone into retirement, but this generation has perhaps seen quite a level of talent from these draft classes.

3. 2003 draft class

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perhaps the most recent of the draft classes we're reviewing, the 2003 draft class features the superstars of today's game like lebron james (first pick), dwayne wade (fifth pick), carmelo anthony (third pick), and chris bosh (fourth pick). other notable players from this batch are david west, chris kaman, kirk hinrich, david west, mo williams, kendrick perkins, tj ford, boris diaw, leandro barbosa, mo williams, and josh smith. most of them are still playing in the nba, but so far the prominent members of the batch who have won an nba title are james, wade (also got a title in 2006), and bosh of the controversial miami big 3 who finally got one this year, kendrick perkins with the 2008 boston celtics. but the first one to get a title was darko milicic, the much-maligned 2nd pick of the draft, who was part of the 2005 detroit pistons team that upset the los angeles lakers that included shaquille o'neal, kobe bryant, karl malone, and gary payton.


2. 1996 draft class

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this was the batch of nba players that were quite well known when i started collecting nba cards towards the end of my elementary years and during my first year in the minor seminary. deep and talented, the batch includes former most valuable players allen iverson (first pick), kobe bryant (thirteenth pick), and steve nash (fifteenth pick). those who have won a championship from the batch are bryant and derek fisher (lakers 2000-2002, 2009-2010), ray allen (boston 2008), antoine walker (miami 2006), peja stojakovic (dallas 2011), and even undrafted ben wallace (detroit 2005). other well-known class members include marcus camby, stephon marbury, shareef abdul-rahim, zydrunas ilgauskas, and jermaine o'neal. the caption at the right side of the picture somehow summarizes how decorated this batch has become through the years.


1. 1984 draft class

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the caption in the picture says it all: 4 hall of famers, all-time leaders for blocks, assists, and steals, olympic gold medals, most valuable players, all-stars, and everything else. 1984, besides being my year of birth, gave rise to the most memorable players that set their foot in the basketball court, including michael jordan (third pick), hakeem olajuwon (first pick), charles barkley (fifth pick), and john stockton (sixteenth pick). all four of them would soon be inducted in the naismith memorial basketball hall of fame. other prominent names include alvin robertson, sam perkins, kevin willis, and rick carlisle (coach of 2011 nba champions dallas mavericks). the batch though includes sam bowie, who until now is considered one of, if not the, biggest draft busts in the nba history. nonetheless, the 1984 draft class will be remembered for its accolades, and on a greater sense, the influence that its batch members gave to the game.

Ad Auds, September, Four Major Papers, and NBA 2K13 (and how they "come together")

for those asking me what i want to "receive" this coming september (and beyond), besides "you know what" and the "items" that come with it (of course, these count as "priorities" above all), i honestly want a ps3 and a copy of nba 2k13 (well, it releases on the first week of october, so the ps3 can come together as a pack). it can come as a "comfort" gift too, or even a "reward" for getting into fourth year theology or for being a good boy so far. i can also wait until christmas. rest assured that i will take good care of it and use it in between writing my four major papers, i mean, properly.

until then, i have to hurdle the ad audiencias confessiones examination first.

Lebron James: Ringless no more

make no mistake about it: i am still not a lebron james fan.
he was all-hype when he entered the nba in 2003. he was a special athlete, with a body made for basketball and moves that would surely scare the hell out of every opponent.
he transformed the cleveland cavaliers franchise, even leading it to the nba finals in 2007 but was swept by the san antonio spurs. some say he was too young, that his time would come, that the king will definitely have a ring in the future.
he was dominant in both ends of the floor, winning most valuable player in 2009 and 2010 but often fell short in the playoffs. maybe he didn't have enough support, maybe his team mates did not deliver, or maybe he was not yet ready.
he took his talents to south beach to join forces with dwayne wade and chris bosh in 2011. his new team even had a celebration to mark the entry of the king, a celebration that ended up premature as they lost in the finals to the resilient dallas mavericks.
he started the 2012 season eager to win. the heat were silent yet dominant in the league, yet haters abound and their noise just got louder. he was often castigated for controlling the game for three quarters only to disappear in the fourth. and when playoffs came, no one really paid the same hype as the heat did in the previous year.

but perhaps lebron james learned his lesson.
he stepped up when it mattered the most.
the miami-boston series showed his maturity, his coming of age, his readiness to finally claim what he has been chasing for the past nine seasons.
they might have lost the first game of the series against the oklahoma city thunder, but just like a soldier, he just kept fighting.
and all the fighting paid dividends in game 5 as they closed out their opponents at home to finally claim his first nba championship.
it could be the first of many.

he promised "not just one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven titles."
we would have to wait until the next few seasons to see if he truly lives up to his promise.
but for now, he deserves to celebrate.
he deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
he deserves to savor what he has worked for throughout his career.
he deserves to be ringless no more.

congratulations lebron james and the miami heat for winning the 2012 nba championship!

1996 Chicago Bulls win their 4th title... on Father's Day

one of, if not the most dominant nba teams of my generation is the 1996 chicago bulls. with michael jordan coming out of retirement and dennis rodman joining the team, the bulls finished the regular season with a 72-10 record, something that i think will be quite hard to break in this time and age in the nba. the bulls, behind the trio of jordan, rodman, and scottie pippen, only lost once (to new york) in their road to the finals, where they faced the seattle supersonics led by the dynamic duo of shawn kemp and gary payton. despite the injuries of pippen and ron harper, the bulls won the title in 6 games, which was the first championship of their second three-peat. the video above features highlights of that memorable game that i had to watch in the priest's television room in the minor seminary when i was in first year high school.

this championship was special to michael jordan, who dedicated the game and the championship to his father james jordan jr. his father was murdered a month after leading the bulls to their first three-peat against the phoenix suns in 1993, which was one of the factors behind his two year retirement from the game. coincidentally, game 6 of the finals happened on father's day of the same year.

on this day, we remember our fathers who have been there for us through our ups and downs, supporting us in our own paths in life, teaching us valuable life lessons, reminding us of what is truly essential, and inspiring us to be the best that we can be. more importantly, our fathers reflect us the face of our loving and merciful father in heaven. happy father's day!

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

while i was away due to my eight day silent retreat from may 31 until june 8, here's what i missed in the basketball world: 

1. teng's three rescues la salle from an ateneo victory


honestly, the ateneo-la salle game in the fil-oil pre-season cup occupied one of my prayer periods during the retreat. and why not? perhaps the game would serve as a preview of the upcoming uaap season, especially with the blue eagles pushing the pedal to the metal for their "drive for five" and the green archers looking ways to "deprive the five" with a revamped coaching staff and key additions from the rookie class including former xavier standout (and my former student) jeron teng. interestingly, teng was key to la salle's victory over ateneo with his clutch three pointer that sent the game to overtime and giving the green archers five more minutes to seal the win. a view of the things to come? who knows? the uaap season is just around the corner.


2. thunder wins 4 straight to stop "nasty" spurs


again, another matter that occupied prayer periods (with emphasis on the plural) throughout the eight-day silent retreat was the oklahoma city-san antonio western conference finals series. before i entered into silence and solitude with the lord, the spurs were playing ageless basketball and went on a 20 game winning streak to put the thunder on a 2-0 hole. their own big 3, tim duncan, manu ginobili, and tony parker, together with key acquisitions boris diaw and stephen jackson, young guns gary neal, kawhi leonard, and daniel green, and the rest of the spurs looked dominant and poised to show the young thunder team the door. but then again, every game, every possession, every basket counts. leads were overturned, runs were made, and the thunder won four straight games to enter the nba finals. kevin durant lit up the score board, russell westbrook channeled his inner "turtle power", serge ibaka went 11-for-11 on the field on game 4, and the rest of the scott brooks-mentored team contributed in their own way to a ticket to the nba finals. upon learning about this victory, i just said "wow." and i have to admit that they were part of my prayers during the retreat. maybe the god of the eight-day retreat was a kevin durant fan too.

3. miami-boston goes to a deciding game 7


like the oklahoma-san antonio series, my retreat began with the miami heat in control of the eastern conference finals with a 2-0 lead over the boston celtics. just when i thought the miami big 3 of lebron james, dwayne wade, and chris bosh were young and dominant enough while boston big 3 of kevin garnett, ray allen, and paul pierce were headed towards the sunset of their careers, i was wrong. the celtics surprisingly won 3 straight games to grab the 3-2 series lead. as the lebron critics and miami haters came out making some noise, the "king without a ring" had other things in mind. immediately after silence was broken to signal the end of the retreat, i got the news that lebron james scored 45 points to bring the series back to miami for a seventh and deciding game. looks like lebron has learned from all his fourth quarter disappearances, and this could be an indicator of how he will perform in the finals, if they get past the celtics in game 7. for now, we will have to wait for sunday (before the pacquiao-bradley fight) to see if the heat returns to the nba finals of the celtics have something left in the tank for a final push to the larry o'brien trophy.

Top 10 Dunks of the NBA 2011-2012 Season

three blake griffin dunks (two of them over pau gasol, the other with perkins getting mozgov-ed), lebron jumping over lucas, kd to skeletor, and gerard green flying and flushing the windmill with those concords.

dunks. that makes basketball better than football.

Thunder sends the Lakers to vacation

i've got nothing more to comment on this game. as long as kobe does not get another championship this season, i'm a happy man. and yes, that "balibag-tae" shot of russell westbrook was just plain tsamba.

Oops, they did it again!

when you're 13 points down in the final quarter, more often than not you think that the game is over. perhaps you start thinking about making adjustments for the next game, or just play better then. in a similar situation on game 4 of the western conference semis, the oklahoma city thunder had other things in mind. with russell westbrook eating the defense alive and kevin durant hitting the go-ahead three pointer to erase the deficit and come from behind once more to win against the lakers. deja vu of game 2? that effort erased kobe bryant's 38 point performance in their bid to tie the series after winning game 3 on a rare back-to-back night at staples center. sorry, kobe. they did it again. hope they eliminate your team next game!

Coming from behind to win = Sweet and Satisfying

one at a time. that's how you rally from a lead in the dying seconds of a game to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. down by seven with a little over two minutes left in the game, thunder unzip nine straight points to beat the lakers. again, another satisfying victory especially if it is at the expense of kobe bryant. they should have equalized the series but they let this one go. as the series shifts to staples center for games 3 and 4, i hope they snatch one there and return to oklahoma to advance to the next round.

Rolling Thunder zaps "Lost" Angeles Lakers

it's always satisfying for me to see the los angeles lakers, especially kobe bryant, lose big against any team. the oklahoma city thunder just did that in game 1 of the western conference semis, beating the lakers who look lost throughout the game. i hope kevin durant, russell westbrook, serge ibaka, and the rest of the gang from "loud city" eliminate the lakers in five games.

FIRST 5: While I was away (again)

while i was away due to the social action internship program of the diocese of legazpi, here are five things that i missed in the basketball world: 

1. college basketball season's "soft" opening

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it's the time of the year when rivalries are rekindled and rookies are introduced as college basketball holds its "soft opening" with summer leagues such as filoil flying v preseason tournament and the fr. martin's cup. the former opened on the day i was about to leave for legazpi, with two games to boot: ateneo blue eagles vs. letran knights and de la salle green archers vs. san beda red lions. interestingly, both games involved teams who have rivalries in their respective collegiate leagues. what was expected to be a walk in the park for ateneo almost ended as an upset for the muralla-based dribblers, but the defending pre-season tournament champions held on to win, 55-51. the second game served as the "debut" of highly-touted jeron teng for la salle against the defending ncaa champions. the red lions survived a late game push by the green archers to pick up the win, 69-63. with recruits out to find their niches and teams determined to climb to the top, the plot will surely thicken as the games go by. and of course, this is the time to calibrate and rev-up ateneo's engines for its "drive for five" in uaap season 75.

2. road to the pba finals

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i have been a fan of the pba especially during the mid til late 90's, but somehow lost interest on it because of college basketball. but because college basketball was on hiatus and i don't have basketball tv or nba premium on tv, and pba is still basketball after all, i tried keeping track of pba games again. the first professional basketball league in asia has witnessed some sort of renaissance lately, as fans seemed to have new-found interest on the rivalries, players, and the games themselves. carrying over the intensity from the previous conference, the commissioner's cup has been interesting so far, as fan favorites ginebra and b-meg (i still prefer to call them purefoods), powerhouse talk n' text, and unlikely contender barako bull are jockeying for position towards the finals. what makes it more interesting is how fans begin comparing players to anime characters, naming monikers, and using social media to turn on some heat to the games. this should be good.


3. phoenix suns lose the eighth seed


one of the teams i adored the most is the phoenix suns - from the days when kevin johnson was point guard, "thunder" dan majerlie was rattling the rim, and sir charles barkley was not yet a basketball analyst to d'antoni's high octane "basket in seven seconds or less" system anchored on steve nash, amare stoudamire, shawn marion, joe johnson, and leandro barbosa, and even until now even with superstars walking on the twilight of their careers. what kept me believing in the suns is the way nash brings the team together and makes individuals better with unselfish play. everyone was counting them out of the playoffs but the improved play of grant hill, jared dudley, and rookie markieff morris through nash's leadership has given them a shot to go to the postseason and take things from there. unfortunately, the suns lost what was the biggest game of their season to the utah jazz, who unseated them from the eighth seed of the western conference with a gutsy win at home. well, that is truly disappointing for any suns fan, but nothing to be ashamed of as they virtually overachieved this season. but where would nash go after this? as much as i want him to stay in the desert, he might have to go somewhere else to taste what former suns have yet to achieve: an nba championship.


4. ron artest is back?!



ron artest, now known as metta world peace, is back. what? in his "celebration" over a dunk, he "inadvertently" elbowed james harden, sending him down to the hardwood and eventually to the hospital for a concussion. the celebration has obviously gone overboard and even if he did not intend to hit harden with an elbow at the back of his head, who in the right mind would swing an elbow outward for a celebration? i know and saw how fists can fly on a celebration to the point of hitting someone else (that's "the truth"!) but the elbow is one of the hardest parts of the human body, and hitting someone with an elbow could just be aggravated assault. oh well, welcome back to the pack, ron artest!

p.s. here's "the truth" and the foiled-basket-celebration-gone-wrong



5. second is not a winner

for the third time in four seasons, team kevin durante will receive a bridesmaid's finish in the annual xavier school faculty and staff fantasy basketball league as i failed to defend my title to a very worthy opponent, adrian dy (aka "the best armchair coach in san juan"). what was a sizable lead dissipated as i tried saving games and my best players got injured one by one. i think my team peaked too early while adrian got his making the stats when in mattered the most. it has been a tough fantasy season for me as i did not do well in the student head-to-head leagues (picking derrick rose this year should be the biggest fantasy mistake). well, october is around the corner (after college basketball season, that is), but in the end, second is not a winner.

My 2012 NBA Playoffs and Season Awards Predictions

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Here are the 2012 NBA playoffs and season awards predictions of your resident NBA fantasy league commissioner and liga de barangay commentator:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1ST ROUND
CHICAGO BULLS (1) vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (8)
- Chicago in 5

BOSTON CELTICS (4) vs. ATLANTA HAWKS (5)
- Boston in 6

INDIANA PACERS (3) vs. ORLANDO MAGIC (6)
- Indiana in 6

MIAMI HEAT (2) vs. NEW YORK KNICKS (7)
- Miami in 6
 
2ND ROUND
CHICAGO BULLS (1) vs. BOSTON CELTICS (4)
- Boston in 6

MIAMI HEAT (2) vs. INDIANA PACERS (3)
- Miami in 6

CONFERENCE FINALS
CHICAGO BULLS (1) vs. MIAMI HEAT (2)
- Miami in 6


WESTERN CONFERENCE
 
1ST ROUND
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (1) vs. UTAH JAZZ (8)
- San Antonio in 5

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (4) vs. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (5)
- Memphis in 6

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (3) vs. DENVER NUGGETS (6)
- Los Angeles in 6

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2) vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS (7)
- Oklahoma City in 7

2ND ROUND
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (1) vs. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (4)
- San Antonio in 7

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2) vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (3)
- Oklahoma City in 7

CONFERENCE FINALS
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (1) vs. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2)
- Oklahoma City in 6


NBA FINALS
MIAMI HEAT (2) vs. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2)
- Miami in 6
 

SEASON AWARDS
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Serge Ibaka (OKC)
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Jeremy Lin (NYK)
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: James Harden (OKC)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kyrie Irving (CLE)
SEASON MVP: Kevin Durant (OKC)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Greg Popovich (SAS)
FINALS MVP: Dwayne Wade (MIA)

Looks like it's the time for the King to finally have a ring and KD to be MVP!

Air Jordan 12 Playoffs

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after all the frenzy that made air jordan xi the hottest kicks last december, another jordan favorite hits the shelves with the air jordan xii playoffs. he wore these kicks during the playoffs of the 96-97 nba season, leading the chicago bulls to their second consecutive (and fifth of six from the two three-peats) championship.





released for the first time since 2004, this is one of the "original" colorways of the j12, together with the taxis (white-black), cherrys (white-red), obsidians (french blue-white), and breds (black-red, also known as "flu games"). "the greatest of all time" wore these joints most memorably during the first game of the 1997 nba finals where he made the buzzer beater over byron russell (yes, the same guy he swiped in making the "last shot" a season later). i can still remember watching that game on our way to subic for a field trip way back second year high school!

the 12's are my first pair of jordans. i got the cherrys and used them way back second year high school. it was durable, i even used it until fourth year high school! my classmates owned other colorways mentioned above, but my favorite of the colorways was the playoffs. i like the balance of the black and white in the shoe. and of course, it's a jordan... who wouldn't want to wear jordans in a basketball-crazy minor seminary?

unfortunately, because of prior commitments (read: social action internship in legazpi), i missed the release of one of my anticipated kicks for the year. with price ranges from resellers zooming up to php 9495 (that's + php 2000 from the srp of php 7495), looks like i will have to wait for the next release of the same model (obsidians are coming in july, i think) or wait for a kind-hearted reseller who will sell it to me on srp. i can treat him to a meal in kfc as a plus. haha!

UPDATE (may 10, 2012): i finally copped my pair... in malaysia! thank god for countries where basketball is not much of a hit. next up: air jordan 11 breds! i have until christmas to save for them!

AND 1: Lebanese scores 113 points. Wow?

a lebanese player by the name of mohammad el-akkari recently scored 113 points in a fiba-asia game. he was 40/69 from the field, 32/59 from the three point area (mostly made on corner and uncontested three balls), and 1 free throw for a grand total of 113 points. an article in yahoo sports' "ball don't lie" blog actually named two filipinos who broke into the 100-point scoring mark: lou salvador (who scored 116 points in the gold medal game of the far eastern games way back in 1923) and jeron teng (who scored 104 points in a game i personally witnessed last year). but that's another story.

hearing someone score more than 100 points is truly awesome. of course, you don't see it done normally except if you play nba 2k12 using rookie mode. but seeing the game on video made be draw back my "wow" for the feat. uncontested threes, lax defense, and no ball rotation just made me ask, "is there something wrong with this game?" sure, he scored a ton of points and he shot the lights out, but then again, it was like playing nba 2k12 using rookie mode. it's just that he did it live. it's still hard to shoot from that range with accuracy on a long game, but it gets easier without defense.

before scoring 113 points, he was averaging above seven points per game. that piggy back ride at the end of the video is something that he somehow deserves for his consistent shooting, and of course for bringing his team to victory. in this event where the opponents would rather play chess than to get into contact with their defensive assignments, and with a stroke like that, it wouldn't be a wonder if kobe bryant would even score 200 in this kind of a ballgame.

FIRST 5: While I was away

while i was away due to the module on spiritual direction and retreat giving at sacred heart novitiate, here are five things (used to be three, but three won't be enough) that i missed in the basketball world: 

1. battle of two kevins

the name kevin has come and gone in the nba. among the well known kevins were kevin mchale of the boston celtics, kevin johnson of the phoenix suns, kevin garnett of the minnesota timberwolves/boston celtics, kevin martin of sacramento kings/houston rockets, and more. in this time and age, we have kevin durant of the oklahoma city thunder and kevin love of the minnesota timberwolves. and who would have thought that these two kevins would engage in a battle of statistics and game winners to claim the victory for their respective teams. love, reigning three point shootout winner and nightly double-double machine, scored a whopping 51 points, 21 of them from beyond the arc, and 14 rebounds. but durant, reigning nba scoring champion, all-star game mvp, and a favorite to win the most valuable player award for this season, finished with 40 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and the win for the thunder over the t-wolves. games like these are always fun to watch, unfortunately i missed a shootout between two namesakes of mine.

2. four overtimes!

for the first time in 15 years, an nba game needed four overtime periods to determine the winner as the atlanta hawks edged out utah jazz, 139-133. the game lasted for 3 hours and 17 minutes (tied for third longest game in nba history), had 4 potential game winning shots missed by the jazz (two each from paul milsap and devin harris), and 14 players from both teams scoring in double figures (five of them had double-doubles). it's always a treat watching marathon games like these, with the game on the line at the dying seconds of the game. too bad i missed it. 

3. andrew bynum for three... and rides the bench

as a rule, big men should play in the paint. well, the nba is changing as big men learned to make outside shots. dirk nowitzki is a classic case for a power forward shooting a three. the pba has mick pennisi, but that's another story. but when you see a 7 foot 285 pound guy who jacks up a three pointer with 15 seconds left in the shot clock, you must be shaking your head so hard that you can feel it's about to fall off. andrew bynum did and got benched for it. what more can we say? let our head shaking do the talking.

4. linsanity over?

jeremy lin, the taiwanese-american phenomenon that swept the nba by storm with his unbelievable play with the new york knicks, will sit out for six weeks after electing to have injury for a small, chronic miniscus tear in his knee. he was averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 assists before the injury, where he sparked new york's resurgence this season. it's not much of a problem in the knicks roster as they are stacked with point guards in baron davis, mike bibby, and toney douglas in the line-up. but with amare stoudamire out indefinitely with a bulging disk in his back, new york might have a hard time to push for a better seeding or even a playoff spot when the season ends this month. 

5. the boat is sinking!

i was having quite a comfortable lead in the xavier teachers fantasy basketball league. i've been on top for most of the season, and in a few days time i lost a seemingly insurmountable lead and am currently trailing by 5 points. it was coincidence perhaps that my return to sacred heart novitiate paved way to losing those points. but it seems to me that the time for the injury bug to bite me has come. with a few more playing days left, i have to save up on my games and try to get the lead back. the boat might be sinking yet my title defense is surely far from over.

AND 1: The Art of the Bank Shot

returning to sacred heart novitiate reunited me with its basketball court. this is where i learned to use the backboard (well, in this case a metal backboard) in shooting from mid-range. i was able to bring this to tuesday basketball at xavier during regency and even in afternoon basketball upon returning to the seminary. knowing how to use the glass as a weapon is surely a plus especially for an undersized big man like me (height-wise, that is! haha). it's quite helpful especially if i have no chance in hell sneaking a shot with a bunch of beanpoles in the paint.

i saw this video featuring current nba players who uses the glass often to make their shots. it's interesting to know that zach randolph, a resident fantasy basketball player in my rosters, and tim duncan, one of my favorite big men of all time, also use the glass as part of their arsenal. other players featured in this video were luis scola and dirk nowitzki.

i suppose using the glass in offense has been a lost art, as ballers prefer the sweet swish on the net rather than the hard hit on the backboard. even in lay-ups, there's a tendency to let the ball find its way to the hole than using the bank as insurance for the shot. well, it all boils down to what the player finds useful in the game. on my part, if the bank is open, i'd gladly cash in the shot.