Awesome job, champs!

Ang Sarap Maging Atenista 4x

Talk about a season for the ages. 

13-1 elimination round record. 2 blue chip rookies in the mythical five. A PHENOMenal rookie of the year. Championship games = blowouts. A finals MVP who shot 78% from the field. And of course, a fourth straight championship.

Most people outside of the community either admire or get irritated with the way Ateneans these days bring that swag of being the champs of the UAAP. Even though I didn't end up studying at the LS for college, I maintained that same irritating passion for the team despite studying in UP. 

Why?

More than just spending 12 years of my life in blue, I was already in Grade School when it was the sports program's so-called "dark ages". There was a time when having a competitive game against the likes of the late 90's Archers or Growling Tigers was already a stretch. There was a time when Ateneo was almost a bottom dweller. Heck, I only knew about the Final Four format when Ateneo got pretty competitive in the year 2001 and were challengers for the UAAP plum. It was that bad.  

Who could not forget the time when the Joe Lipa-coached Blue Eagles were trounced by the Archers in 2001. That did sting so much as it piled on some frustration and who wants to lose a championship series to your arch-rivals? But at the same time, it was the start of a new era. Take note: that season became the third of a string of 13 straight Final Four appearances - wherein Ateneo was always at least a 3rd seed.

Since 2001, the team went to the finals 6 times and won 5 times. Talk about a high batting rate.

Coming from last year's considerably improbable championship (given that the team lost Rabeh, Nonoy and Jai all in the same year), Ateneans were in a giddy when the team recruited the likes of Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena. Basically, it was championship or bust.

Thankfully, they did deliver. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, your FOUR PEAT UAAP MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS.

Back in championship form

(photo from http://ph.news.yahoo.com/blogs/collegehoops/salva-tion-salva-explodes-eagles-crush-tams-104346302.html)

Ateneo went back to business today with a big win against the FEU Tamaraws. Despite 'struggling' in the past two games - as exaggerated by the media (yes you, TJ Manotoc), the blue eagles showed how they haven't lost any of their championship mojo. The guys played with so much composure despite a tight first half. Looking forward for them to close it out this Tuesday.

ONE BIG FIGHT!

The scores:

ATENEO 82 – Salva 24, Ravena 17, Slaughter 12, Monfort 11, Long 8, Erram 4, Tiongson 4, Chua 2, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0, Austria 0.

FEU 64 – Romeo 23, Escoto 12, Ramos 9, Garcia 6, Exciminiano 6, Tolomia 5, Pogoy 2, Cruz 1, Sentcheu 0, Bringas 0.

Quarters: 14-19; 33-33; 60-49; 82-64

Smart Gilas makes it to FIBA Asia Semi-finals

(photo from Smart Gilas Facebook account)

I've followed this team for the past three years and finally, all the work slowly paying off for Coach Rajko Toroman and his boys. Reaching this level is already a huge feat given the level of competition in Asia these days. But I know these Gilas boys ain't done yet. This year's championship is a wide open race. 

Gilas plays Jordan at 3:30 pm today. Looking forward to another solid game from Marcus Douthit and Ranidel De Ocampo. This time I'm hoping for a breakout game from one of the Gilas originals. We've beaten Jordan a couple of times this past year and they too are very well capable of running us off. This will be a very exciting game.

Focus of the team has been so high. I'm very hopeful that we'll reach the finals and steal the championship!

GILAS TO LONDON!

Bader Malabes tribute

Bader Malabes' stat line against China: 

17 points (15 in the first quarter), 4 rebounds, 1 assist and only 1 turnover.

Ibang klase. Speechless. Hehe.

Alex Nuyles playing for Ateneo??

After that monster game against my blue eagles, I've gained much more respect for Adamson's Alex Nuyles. His heart for his alma mater and for the game is undoubtedly at full swing. I wouldn't complain if he beat Greg for league MVP.

But wait, did he really play for Ateneo? Read the interesting story here.

UAAP Season 74 Play of the Year

UAAP S74 - Kiefer Ravena's No-Look Pass for Nico... by coldbluestar

One Big Fight

It was a last minute decision to watch this game. Almost regretted watching because I had to park so far from the Big Dome, almost didn't get a decent ticket and boy, did the real FEU team show up. That was all in my mind with 1 minute left in the game and Ateneo was down 6 points after reigning MVP nailed a dagger 3 from the corner.

But thanks to Sir Erick Salonga, I got an Upper A ticket, ended up seated right smack in the middle of the coliseum and watched one of the wildest comebacks in UAAP history.

One for the books. I'm just thankful I got to witness this miracle win.

Basketball Sunday

Today was another great day for Philippine basketball. This hoops crazy country was lucky to witness games at all levels - collegiate, professional and international.

UAAP Games:

1PM UST vs UP, 66-49.

3pm ADMU vs FEU, 69-49.

Jones Cup:

7pm PHL vs TWN, 90-78.

PBA Governor's Cup Finals:

7pm Petron vs Talk n Text, 89-88.

Thank you Danny I, for ending this day with a bang! Kudos!

Smart Gilas stuns Iran

photo from http://www.fibaasia.net

The scores:

SMART Gilas-Pilipinas (73) – Douthit 24, Barroca 13, Casio 11, Baracael 8, Aguilar 6, Tiu 4, Lassiter 3, Hontiveros 2, Taulava 2, Lutz 0, Ababou 0.

Iran (59) – Haddadi 25, Kamrani 18, Davarpanahfard 7, Sohrabnejad 3, Veisi 2, Kardoust 2, Nabipoor 2, Davari 0, Davoudichegani 0, Barogh 0.

Quarterscores: 17-12; 37-30; 54-38; 73-59.

http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/smart-gilas-pulls-off-king-size-upset-over-mighty-iran

The GUIDON – One year off: Ryan Buenafe’s mea culpa

The GUIDON – One year off: Ryan Buenafe’s mea culpa

Battle of Katipunan 2011 Edition

It brings great pride and honor whenever UP and Ateneo take the spotlight at any stage. Coming from both schools, I can't deny how proud I am to be an alumnus of arguably the top two schools in the country.

When it comes to basketball, I've been a big fan of the Blue and White since I was probably 6 years old. Watching UAAP games isn't something new to me so WIN or LOSE, I'll be right there cheering for the Hail Mary Squad. So please don't be surprised if you see biased comments on this blog. Sometimes I get carried away!

Now that I'm also part of the Maroon side of things, I had to be creative. So for the Battle of Katipunan, I wore my PE uniform from way back in High School that was maroon! :P Cool huh?

Watching a game between these two schools can be stressful. Don't know who to cheer for. Whenever Ateneo executes oh so flawlessly, can't help but be proud! Whenever the Maroons fight hard and catch up with the lead, can't help but hope for the best! Nevertheless I observed the game a lot (77-57 for Ateneo) and here are my thoughts:

photo from goateneo.com

1. Ateneo is on top but the team still has long ways to go.

The Eagles boasts of the best combination of rookies, transferees and holdovers in years. A lot of attention has been given to Kiefer Ravena and Greg Slaughter but analysts actually highlight the fact that the trio of Salva, Long and Monfort has been as formidable as any Big Three in the league - averaging 12-10-8 ppg respectively. In this particular game, all five starters had double figure scoring - with the 17-year old Ravena top scoring for the game with 15 points.

Yes, Ateneo definitely showed that its a class of its own - weathering the Diliman explosion early in the game. Ateneo showed a lot of discipline in playing defense and being organized on offense. Screens, decoys, re-posts - they did it almost mechanically.

But had the game been against top caliber team, Ateneo would have had a hard time winning. Why? Because for one, the bench hasn't been performing - even choking at times. Whenever Coach Norman cleared the starters off the floor, it takes a lot of time for Ateneo's 2nd stringers to settle in as a line up. Erram/Chua + Oping + Bacon + Gonzaga + Tiongson - not bad huh? And two, Kiefer and Greg still need to improve. They have not shown their true potential as of yet.

The Blue Eagles have yet to show their Championship form.

2. The UP Fighting Maroons isn't all about Mike Silungan

You guys might think that this is a knock on Mike - whose potential UP is banking on. This guy shot the lights out when he played in the summer leagues a year ago. But now, the team has a solid point guard in former Eaglet Mike Gamboa, Super Soph Jett Manuel and transferee Jelo Montecastro. Combine this with Mbah's presence inside and the leadership of Captain Miggy Maniego (who's actually a former classmate back in Ateneo Grade School), and we've got ourselves a solid team.

I'm not saying that his team is contending for a Final Four slot. I hate to say it but the Fighting Maroons need to mature under a system. It sounds like a oft-used excuse - considering the fact that the Woody Co-Martin Reyes-Migs De Asis era ended with a 0-14 season. But then again, they had 3 or 4 coaches in a span of 5 seasons.

This is why these Maroons need to buy into Ricky Dandan's system and flourish as a team. What I see is they're having a hard time executing plays and end up playing isolation. A lot of forced shots and mishandled possessions.

I'm projecting a late season run for these Diliman boys. A 4-10 record is pretty much possible. UP fight!

3. Greg is like pre-championship Pau Gasol

Tall. Skillful. but very SOFT.

I'm saying this because I don't want him to end up like EJ Feihl - who was more known for dominating just because of his height. Greg has a lot of upside but if there is one thing that he needs to improve on - its on toughness. Even if he scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, he didn't dominate. He freakin' shoots like a lady. He was even blocked by Mbah during the first quarter.

On the defensive end, he was blocking and changing shots here and there but he wasn't as active. He was letting small guys blow by him for easy fastbreak layups. Again, he didn't really dominate per se.

Now I know why he didn't end up on the final roster of Smart Gilas despite his size.

Good thing is he's buying into Norman Black's system - where the team concept is heavily preached. It's not like the team dumps the ball to Greg then let's see what happens. You'll see how he looks for the right time to post up, shoot, pass or even dribble.

I'm just waiting for this guy to peak. Wait for him to run up and down the floor just like Rabeh. He finishes well. There's a reason why other teams envy how Ateneo develops their big men.

4. The effects of two 0-14 seasons in 4 years is just bad for any team

I like the fact that the Maroons have been playing their hearts out every single game. I see the effort and determination. One thing is that when the team is pounded by a superior squad, sometimes you can see some signs of discouragement.

What's worse is that fans have tagged the team as perennial bottom-dwellers. When UP led the game early on, people were jumping up and down as if the team has won. Some fans even took pictures of the scoreboard - because they all thought it would not happen after a long time and Ateneo will catch up sooner or later.

It's just sad but true. I'm hoping that the Fighting Maroons break out of this slump - similar to how NU is now tagged as the league's darkhorse.

5. There's a lot of respect between UP and Ateneo

There's a reason why games between these two schools is called the Battle of Katipunan. Despite the obvious gap in basketball, their games are always easy to market and well-attended. For one, there's that age-old rivalry in terms of academics. Yeah, you can always debate which school is better and all that. Most of them will say it's UP but I'd beg to disagree as both schools are pretty much top-caliber and has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Just in case you didn't notice, a lot of Eaglets have ended up playing for the Maroons. Mike Gamboa used to rule the Juniors division with Bacon Austria. Paolo Romero used to shine along side Kiefer and Von Pessumal. Martin Pascual, I heard, came from the AHS Prada team. Mikee Reyes and Miggy Maniego used to strut it out for the AGS basketball teams. *got these facts straightened out from http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/2011/07/games-that-play-us-first-five.html *

For some reason, UP and Ateneo games are always interesting. Best of luck to both teams!

One Big Fight! UP Fight!

Kobe Takes Manila; NBA Not Invited by Rafe Bartholomew

How the Philippines became the first stop on NBA players' lockout tour

Read the article here:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6812753/kobe-takes-manila-nba-not-invited

Classic Kobe

photo from Balitang Sports Pilipinas Facebook

Champ to Champ

Oh I'm so proud to be Pinoy.

photo from: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/sam_amick/07/24/amick.notebook/index.html?eref=writers

Phenom Dunk

Still not sold on Kiefer? Take a look at this!

Aaron Atayde put it best. "Yung ginagawa nya sa Juniors, ginagawa nya rin sa Seniors."

He used to dominate the Juniors division this way. 1 year detached from High School basketball, he's slowly dominating the Seniors division as well!

Watch the video here: http://yfrog.com/mbvd0z

Hottest ticket ever.

photo from twitter.com/tonyatayde

Oh how I wish I could score just one ticket.

Overhyped?

Photo from: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/five-things-we-learned-after-ateneos-round-one-defeat-of-la-salle

The Phenom has arrived.

Check his stat line: 24 points (22 in the first half), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. He torched Simon Atkins for god's sake.

Overhyped? I don't think so.

Maroons win!

photo from interaksyon.tv

Had the Final Four start today, the Fighting Maroons would have made it. haha

Cheers!

The Black Mamba's back!

photo from http://www.interaksyon.com/article/8324/kobe-lands-in-manila

Truth about college ball

They say that in college basketball, you've only got 4 or 5 years to play and you're done. After that, you either move on to the pros or pursue a career outside of sports. That's one harsh reality - you don't have franchise players who can stay for the rest of their careers/lives. This is one of the reasons why college ball is so competitive and full of school spirit.

I watched the Ateneo game today against Adamson, which by the way was won by the Katipunan team with 7-foot slotman Greg Slaughter anchoring the Eagles. Before the game, key losses to the team were discussed - like the graduation of Erik Salamat and Jumbo Escueta, Ryan Buenafe sitting out and Art Dela Cruz transferring to San Beda. During the game, even if it was an ugly one, with both teams struggling towards the end, these losses were not as evident because of the stellar play of Greg - thus, the win.

But another thing was very evident. Ateneo had a new courtside reporter. Nothing against Jaz Reyes, but Jessica Mendoza has unfortunately used up her "eligibility".

When the role "courtside reporter" comes to mind, three names come to mind, Patty Laurel, Lia Cruz and ofcourse, Jessica Mendoza. These girls have definitely captured the attention of not just Ateneo fans but by the other schools as well. They have provided the blue-print for courtside reporting - and have all moved on to careers in broadcasting.

photo from iggyesque.multiply.com

Jessica Mendoza has definitely lived up to exceedingly high expectations to the delight of all UAAP fans. She even spent 2 years doing this for the Ateneo!

photo from Jessica Mendoza Facebook Fan Page

Jessica, you will be missed.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

It wasn't necessarily the best time to hold the Opening Ceremonies at an open sports complex. Nevertheless, kudos to my alma mater, Ateneo.

That was still one heck of a production.

UAAP Season 74 here we go!

photo from @whatsupban twitter

UAAP Season 74 1st round schedule

UAAP 74 FIRST ROUND MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Official-ABS-CBN-Sports-Page/283004042268

Sunday, Jul 10

Araneta Coliseum

12:30pm Primer

1pm FEU vs DLSU

3pm ADMU vs AdU

Thursday, Jul 14

Araneta Coliseum

1pm NU vs UST

3pm UE vs UP

Saturday, Jul 16

Araneta Coliseum

11am AdU vs FEU

3pm DLSU vs ADMU

Sunday, Jul 17

Araneta Coliseum

1pm UP vs NU

3pm UST vs UE

Thursday, Jul 21

Araneta Coliseum

1pm ADMU vs NU

3pm FEU vs UE

Saturday, Jul 23

Araneta Coliseum

1pm DLSU vs UP

3pm UE vs ADMU

Sunday, Jul 24

Philsports Complex

1pm NU vs FEU

3pm UST vs AdU

Thursday, Jul 28

Philsports Complex

1pm AdU vs UE

3pm NU vs DLSU

Saturday, Jul 30

Araneta Coliseum

1pm UP vs ADMU

3pm UST vs FEU

Sunday, Jul 31

Philsports Complex

1pm DLSU vs UE 20

3pm AdU vs NU

Thursday, Aug 4

Araneta Coliseum

1pm UP vs FEU

3pm ADMU vs UST

Saturday, Aug 6

Araneta Coliseum

23 1pm UE vs NU

3pm DLSU vs AdU

Sunday, Aug 7

Araneta Coliseum

1pm UST vs UP

3pm FEU vs ADMU

Thursday, Aug 11

Araneta Coliseum

1pm UP vs AdU

3pm UST vs DLSU

NBA Lockout FAQs

(source: http://sportige.com/the-nba-lockout-draws-nearer-as-owners-and-players-wait-for-tuesday/)

Frequently Asked Questions On NBA Lockout

By Steve Aschburner, NBA.com

Q. What happens in a lockout?

A. All contact between NBA players and the teams ceases. No communication. No use of team facilities. No contracts signed. No free-agent shopping. Players still owed salary for the 2010-11 season will continue to receive payments but other benefits (insurance) are suspended.

Q. What are the most important issues holding up a deal?

A. The NBA owners are seeking changes in both the financial split of league revenues dedicated to player compensation and the structure of the system. In the expiring collective bargaining agreement, players received 57 percent of basketball-related income. The owners - citing combined losses approaching $300 million last year, with 22 of 30 teams in the red - had offered a 50-50 split in their latest proposal. The owners also want to function under a "flex" salary cap that the players interpret as a hard cap similar to those in the NFL and NHL, as opposed to the current "soft" cap.

Q. How far apart are the two sides?

A. A chasm at the moment. Besides the dispute over cap structure, the players - whose latest offer was a 54.3 percent split to 45.7 for the teams - contend the owners' 10-year proposal would lose them about $7 billion over its term (allowing for projected growth in league revenues).

By the way, both sides traditionally take their most recent offers off the table once a work stoppage commences, so the above numbers might not be the starting points the next time the parties talk.

Q. When is the next negotiating session?

A. TBD. When the two sides broke off talks in July 1998, they did not meet again until early August - and then for only 90 minutes, without progress. The owners and the players did not exactly sequester themselves heading toward the June 30 deadline this year, with just three meetings - totaling about 12 hours - in the final two weeks.

Q. What does this mean for 2011-12?

A. There are no dates chiseled in stone by which a deal must be struck for next season to escape unscathed. But if history is a guide, a lockout in 1995 lasted 74 days - into September - without changes in preseason or regular season schedules. In 1998, the NBA cancelled preseason games once the lockout reached Sept. 24. On Oct. 13, the first two weeks of the regular schedule were zapped.

The league kept pushing about a month out in terms of cancellations, until NBA commissioner David Stern issued a Jan. 7 drop-dead date to stage even a 50-game game season. Free agency, training camps and two preseason games were crammed into a period of less than three weeks once the new agreement was ratified.

Repost: 12 on the 12th - Ateneo wins its first title of 2011

Text and photos by Rick Olivares (Source: http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=27&aid=9954)

Sometimes I wondered if the stories I used to hear from the adult folk were war stories. Yep, war stories not sports ones.

As a kid in the Ateneo Grade School, the first sport you ever play is football and that explains this eternal fixation with the beautiful game. Baseball, I inherited from my grandfather and I played it extensively all the way to first year college.

Hoops. Now that was something I heard about when my dad, his classmates, friends, and officemates gathered around a case of beer and whatnot. I never really played it until well after college.

One of my dad’s best friends was a red-blooded Bedan. My Tito Ramon went to school in Mendiola for his entire school life. Plus, he was a cheerleader. That meant he saw the entire ruckus up front.

When people talk about Ateneo-San Beda games (it’s usually the 1960s & 70s NCAA matches because they were around for those), it’s many things --- Caloy Loyzaga, Rusty Cacho, three-peat after three-peat, rumbles, broken windshields, and well, more rumbles. Sometimes even school officials joined the fray! Imagine that.

For me, what comes to mind is 1977. It’s as if 1975 and 76 – back-to-back title years for the Blue Eagles in the old NCAA in case you were born yesterday – never happened. Some people, including those on the Ateneo team who played in 1977, live in a time warp.

The loss, in a closed-door match at the Araneta Coliseum, remains a painful memory and even overshadows the back-to-back crowns. In recent years, I sat down with many players from both sides who participated in the finals of that year. For the Bedans, it was a huge victory as they time and again kept the Ateneans from replicating a three-peat. For the Ateneans, some shake their heads at it while ruing the time when three players were on national duty. That game was against San Beda. It was the one loss in the elims. Had they swept it then it was bonfire time. Instead, it went to a finals series where Ateneo lost in the final seconds of play.

I’ve seen the game tape and when I think of that match, I always see Pons Valdez with his head hung low and Padim Israel sitting on the floor in shock.

So, much is made about the first finals meeting in a tournament between the two college teams since that year.

Heading into the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup championship match at the San Juan Arena, aside from all the flotsam of other people’s memories, I thought of two other things, oddly, an Ateneo-Letran match way back in 1987, and the first match of this year’s same Filoil tourney.

Now what does an Ateneo-Letran game over 20 years ago have to do with Ateneo-San Beda? Well, after both squads won their respective league titles in 1987 (Letran was led by Dong Libed and Jing Ruiz who is an assistant now to Leo Austria in Adamson), they met in the Reunion of Champions at the ULTRA. At that time, Ateneo and Letran was number one and two respectively in total NCAA hoops crowns and they had not met in a long time.

The game was over after a four minutes as the Blue Eagles dropped a 14-0 bomb on Letran. The Knights never got close.

When the current boys in blue and white opened their summer campaign, they faced off against the lads in red and white. The result was a heart-stopping win over San Beda in the final play with Kiefer Ravena and Greg Slaughter starring in the win.

Once more, this time in the final game of the summer, the two teams met and it’s for a title. Since the end of last season’s college wars, people have been trying to get the two to meet in a battle of champions. It never materialized for one reason or another. But I guess some things are fated to happen.

In a way, both squads weren’t whole. San Beda was missing Sudan Daniel and Anthony Semerad while Ateneo lost newbie Mark Tallo who went home disgusted after the lack of playing time. They were also tired having played several games over the past few days including a loss to NU in the semifinals of the Fr. Martin Cup the day before.

But no matter. They were here to play.

If you think the Blue Eagles played their best basketball against FEU in the semis, this time around, they played great on both sides of the court for the first time all summer.

After the first eight minutes of the game and the score at 21-6 in favor of Ateneo, I thought of the Ateneo-Letran game of long ago. Then-center Alex Araneta, Ateneo’s second-string center hit some huge shots in the early goings of the game before Letran sued for time. Cut to today, Kirk Long shadowed gunner Garvo Lanete enough to find out his deodorant brand and Greg Slaughter outmuscled Ola Adeogun inside. With outside-inside combo initially stopped, it was up to Dave Marcelo to get the Red Lions on the board.

He did but didn’t get much help. The cushion in the meantime was large enough to fend off the Bedan rally to come. After all, they had the weapons and talent to make it happen. But that first quarter was an incandescent one where almost every shot taken by Ateneo was in the flow. Everyone was in a zone offensively and defensively. That even caught Norman Black by surprise because they team felt flat in the last 15 minutes of the match against NU the day before. “We saved our energy for this,” he later quipped.

If there was anything that I thought would take the Blue Eagles out of their rhythm it was the bigs getting into foul trouble. Justin Chua picked up two quick ones and never returned. Ditto with Frank Golla, JP Erram, and Slaughter.

By the second quarter, SBC began to find their rhythm as Lanete and Adeogun, who reminds me of a young and raw Hakeem Olajuwon, chipped at the lead. And come halftime, they launched into a rousing rendition of the Indian Yell, perhaps the best yell in Philippine scholastic competition.

When the teams came out of their respective dugouts for the second half, the Red Lions had their game faces on. With their halftime show still ringing in their ears, the Bedans renewed their assault. After Dave Marcelo scored underneath, the score was 40-35.

When Slaughter went in for a two-handed stuff but was blocked from behind by Adeogun, the red army went nuts. Seated along the baseline. I looked at Greg’s face. He didn’t change his expression and instead ran back down on defense. I thought to myself, okay, he’s locked in and he’ll get back at Adeogun.

But it was Long who gave Ateneo breathing room when he nailed a triple at the apex of the rainbow for a 48-35 lead. I thought that Long struggled with his shooting throughout the summer and against the Tamaraws, it was his treys in the first quarter that propelled Ateneo to a lead they never surrendered.

Now that trey and two free throws later (after he got nailed by Lanete on the head ala Three Stooges out of frustration when Long poked the ball away for a turnover) put Ateneo up by 49-37. By third quarter’s end and the score at 54-41, I knew that the Blue Eagles had taken the best Red Lion chance of overhauling the deficit.

Looking at the Red Lions, I’ve seen them throttle teams en route to the finals. Now I could be wrong here but I think the missing pieces here (is not Sudan’s absence) are Rome de la Rosa and Kyle Pascual. Both have been turning up in a missing persons reports (sorry Coach Chot, I gotta borrow that).

In NCAA Season 86, I thought they were just as crucial to San Beda’s campaign. They turned in quality minutes and some great scoring sock. This summer, they’ve just not been there.

One guy who made an impact was Juami Tiongson. Gotta feel for the guy with all the hullaballoo about Ravena and Tallo coming in. Four point guards in the Blue Eagles lineup? I was beginning to worry that I might have to borrow La Salle coach Dindo Pumaren’s quip about his guard-laden team being a security guard agency. But Juami, the at-times forgotten Eagle, played great (apart from his eight-second backcourt violation). He made shots, was solid at QB, and he played great defense when Emman Monfort hobbled a bit. Juami had the second best stat line for the Eagles where he shot 50% from the field (4-8) and 100% from the line (4-4) while pulling down 5 boards and serving up 2 assists.

The best stat line, of course, was Greg’s. He scored 14 points, hauled – as in literally hauled them down over that crack Red Lions frontline of Adeogun, Marcelo, and Jake Pascual – down 11 boards to go with 2 assists and 1 block. That’s like a bucket for every two minutes on the floor so you know that his teammates are trying to work the ball over to him. When Greg rattled in that line drive from the right corner elbow with 3:18 left and Adeogun rushing out, I thought that was huge. About a minute later, he even hung in the air – is that possible -- to field a last second pass by Ravena and make an equally tough shot over the outstretched arms of Lanete for a 71-53 lead.

Those were back-to-back baskets that put away a tough foe.

As Pau Siarot made one free throw in a cameo appearance and JP Erram dribbled out the clock for a 75-56 victory, Ateneo’s first ever Filoil Flying V Premier Cup win was in the bag. Norman marveled at how his team was able to hold the offensive juggernaut that is San Beda. “They normally average 70-plus points a game. When you hold them to 56, that means you played great defense on them,” said the coach who has now won a championship in every Metro Manila-based tourney. There’s the PCCL, UAAP, Nike Summer League, the Uni-Games, and now the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.

In case you have not been counting that’s a total of 12 trophies since 2007; the 12th title coming on the 12th day of June. The Blue Eagles began their summer campaign that seemed like eons ago against San Beda. And they closed out their pre-season games with a win over a tough and ancient foe. How’s that for perfect symmetry?

Oh, hey. He has 10 titles won in the PBA as well. And I do not know anyone coach with that kind of impressive haul (outside another Blue Eagle legend in Baby Dalupan who won 15 titles with Crispa, Great Taste Coffee, and Purefoods; 12 with UE; and 2 with Ateneo).

This title, of course, does not ease the pain on ’77 after all, we do not hang championship banners for tournaments outside the NCAA and UAAP. The old warhorses will continue to spin those yarns of three-peats and failed ones, of fights and rumbles, and of a great rivalry. But at least, we’ll have something to talk about. Until the UAAP Season 74 gets underway.

2011 NBA Finals Game 6 Mini Movie

2011 NBA World Champions

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for winning the 2011 NBA Championhip!

To Dirk and J.Kidd, well-deserved!

Source of photo: NBA Facebook Fanpage

Setting expectations for the Blue Eagles

This season will serve as a banner year for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Coming in as 3-peat champions, there is no doubt in my mind that this team is expected once again to contend. More than that, the team boasts of perhaps the most sought after class of rookies. Make no mistake about it, the team is coming back with TONS of expectations from the school, the rest of the league and even the whole basketball community but do keep in mind that despite all these HYPE, there are things that everyone should consider coming into this season:

1. With so many new players and technically only Eric Salamat and Jumbo Escueta leaving the team, incorporating these new players into Coach Norman's system may take time. Only Greg and Kiefer have played significant minutes in the summer leagues among the 5 newcomers. Expect Coach Norman to seldom use the Tallo + Capacio + Pessumal triumverate this year.

2. Between Greg and Kiefer, the phenom seems to have already found his role smoothly. Greg is just HUGE but right now there seems to be some uneasiness with him in the fold - especially on offense. Versus DLSU, Greg overwhelmed 6'8 Van Opstal on the boards and on defense but the Ateneo offense couldn't get its flow when he was down under. Expect him to dominate on the boards and on defense this year. Other than that, don't expect him scoring 30+ points per game just because he's a 7-footer.

3. Seems like Finals MVP Ryan Buenafe and Beda Boy Art Dela Cruz won't be seeing action at all this season. Or maybe never. That's a statement I'd rather not speculate on because of the rumors but yeah, expect these two guys not to appear on this year's roster and that gives us a big hole at the 3 position. Captain Bacon Austria is expected to be on the floor more often and Nico Salva just might spend more time at the three position.

4. Ryan Buenafe was Ateneo's "finisher" last year. Who'll clean the Blue Eagles mess or basically bail them out whenever necessary? Who's going to be Dirk? HAHA! Expect Nico Salva and Kiefer to fill in for this. That pick-and-roll between them will be deadly and unpredictable.

5. Lastly, despite all these "Ateneo domination" proclamations, expect this year's season to be even more competitive than last season. Expect UP to steal some games versus top-caliber teams. Expect NU to make the final four. Finally, expect FEU to top the eliminations with Ateneo following - just like last year. Let me know if this doesn't happen.

So here we are again. It's June and we're a month away from UAAP's opening day. Coming from the blue side, yeah, I see Ateneo as my own sentimental favorites. But wait, I see FEU dominating the year once again.

Predictions

Final Team Standings

1) FEU

2) Ateneo

3) NU

4) Adamson

5) DLSU

6) UST

7) UP

8) UE

Final Four

FEU in 2.

Ateneo in 1.

Finals

Ateneo in 3.

I'm no expert but this is the way I see it.

One big fight!!!

NBA 2K12: Back with a Vengeance

Can't wait for this to roll out!

We have a series

Nowitzki rallies Mavs to win that ties NBA finals

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP)—Any pain in Dirk Nowitzki’s(notes) left hand wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much as a 2-0 deficit.

So he put the ball there—torn-up finger and all—and hoisted the shot that gave the Dallas Mavericks new life in the NBA finals.

Nowitzki shook off an injury to his non-shooting hand and made the tie-breaking layup with 3.6 seconds left, and the Mavericks roared back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to stun the Miami Heat 95-93 on Thursday night and tie the series at one game apiece.

“You can just sense it in us that we weren’t going to give up, we were going to be resilient,” Dallas guard Jason Terry(notes) said.

Capping a furious rally by scoring Dallas’ final nine points, Nowitzki made two late baskets left-handed—despite a torn tendon on his middle finger. He finished with 24 points, saying the finger felt fine.

“Definitely a huge comeback for us and we never gave up, and that was big,” Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki was hurt in Game 1 when he slapped at the ball trying to make a steal from Chris Bosh(notes). He fiddled with various braces and splints over the last two days before settling on a small one that sat lower on the finger and allowed him to keep a good feel of the ball.

Dwyane Wade(notes) had 36 points for Miami, but his desperation 3-pointer was off at the buzzer.

Game 3 is Sunday in Dallas.

Seemingly out of the game when the Heat led 88-73 with 7:15 remaining, Dallas held the Heat to just one field goal from there, a 3-pointer byMario Chalmers(notes) with 24.5 seconds that tied it just 2 seconds after Nowitzki’s 3 had made it 93-90.

But after a timeout, Jason Kidd(notes) ran the clock down before getting the ball to Nowitzki, who drove into the lane, spun back to the left and made the layup.

“We’re a veteran team and we don’t get too high with the highs and too low with the lows,” Nowitzki said.

Terry, largely silent since the first half of Game 1, fueled the comeback with a couple of jumpers and finished with 16 points. Shawn Marion(notes) had 20 points for the Mavericks, who had lost four straight finals games in Miami since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 series.

They were about to go down 2-0 this time before Nowitzki, who insisted his injured finger wouldn’t hinder him, led a rally even more amazing than the one that won Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, when the Mavs trailed Oklahoma City by 15 in the fourth quarter before pulling it out in overtime.

“Just a different series, but we always believe we can come back regardless of the score,” Marion said. “The game is over when the final buzzer rings.”

LeBron James(notes) scored 20 points for the Heat.

He and Wade were running by and over the older Mavs for three quarters, and it appeared the only thing that could slow them down was that big trophy they would soon be holding.

Not so fast.

Wade angered the Mavs, particularly Terry, when he held his follow through after his 3-pointer from the corner with 7:15 left capped a 13-0 run and made it 88-73. Though the Mavs said they were bothered by the Heat’s actions, James and Wade—who have already endured plenty of criticism for premature partying— denied that was the case this time.

“There was no celebration at all,” James said. “I was excited about the fact that he hit a big shot and we went up 15.”

The Heat suddenly went cold, holding the ball too long on possessions and forcing James and Wade to attempt long jumpers with the shot clock winding down, instead of playing to their strengths and driving into the lane.

“We just didn’t execute down the stretch,” Bosh said. “There’s no shock. There’s disappointment. But the reality is the reality. We might as well get used to it and focus on the next one.”

A series of those missed jumpers eventually ended with the Mavs getting possession, and Nowitzki making a layup that tied it at 90 with 57 seconds to play.

The Heat lost for the first time in 10 games at home in the playoffs and will have to win at least once in Dallas to force the series back here.

“That’s about as tough a fourth quarter as you can have,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “When it started to slide, it just kept on going.”

The Heat held the Mavs, whose offense was so precise in their victories over the Lakers and Oklahoma City, to one of their worst performances of the postseason in Game 1. Yet Miami didn’t expect to shut down Dallas the way it did Boston and Chicago in the last two rounds, with Spoelstra saying before the game the Mavs would “hit back.”

But Miami weathered the early storm and appeared to have nothing to worry about in the second half.

A 29-10 burst spanning halftime showed off the Heat at their athletic best: A dunk by James, a dunk by Wade, and a long alley-oop pass from Wade to James on the fast break that turned a 51-all halftime tie into a 57-52 lead.

And just when Dallas got it down to four late in the period, James drove right for a powerful slam that leftTyson Chandler(notes) throwing his hands up in the air as if to say “How do we stop that?”

Eventually they did.

And they turned the tables on the Heat, who pulled off a stunning comeback of their own to spark the turnaround in the 2006 series. Dallas had a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 of that one, Wade brought Miami back, and the Heat never looked back.

Considering he has more help now with James and Bosh, the Heat’s inability to put this one away is even more amazing.

“We didn’t play the way that we normally play, so they deserved it and we didn’t,” Wade said.

The focus was back on the Heat’s stars in a finals where some attention during Wednesday’s off day was diverted to a former Heat player when Shaquille O’Neal(notes), the center on their 2006 team who announced on a Twitter video he was retiring from the NBA. Also a teammate of James in Cleveland, O’Neal posted another video Thursday encouraging the duo to “go get that ring.”

The Heat played a video tribute showing some of O’Neal’s highlights in Miami during a first-quarter timeout and received nice applause, but not a standing ovation.

The offenses showed up for this one after neither team found a flow in the opener. Mike Bibby(notes) quickly got in the act with two 3-pointers for the Heat after he and fellow starter Joel Anthony(notes) were scoreless in Game 1 and it was tied at 28 after one.

It got heated late in the half and Miami appeared set to lose its cool, with Mike Miller(notes) called for a technical but Wade spared one, when after appearing to be fouled by Chandler on a layup attempt, he bumped Chandler while trying to get at the referee to protest.

Yet down nine and with James on the bench with three fouls, the Heat held the Mavs scoreless the final 3 minutes and tied it at 51 on Wade’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds to go.

source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AlQyWL790SyEKYvHQITkxgG8vLYF?gid=2011060214