1992 was so long ago ...

and i miss my well-worn copy of Zander Hollander's Pro Basketball Handbook. he made the reader so familiar with these strange tall men. so we'll just say goodbye to Duck. sorry you ran into that certain Chicago God, er ... guard.

yeah, i had to wake up for this

breakneck pace in first quarter woke me up faster than a cup of joe. playing more of run n' gun, the Spaniards played right into the hands of this generation of Yanks who really like nothing better than to shoot.

speaking of the Spaniards, some of their jerseys read: "Rudy", "Ricky", "Marc", "Bernie", "Raul" etc. sounds like Menudo to me, if only Pau Gasol wasn't a familiar face. and on the topic of faces, i bet they wouldn't be (caught) making this face again. by the way, that kid Ricky Rubio is pretty good for a 17-year old.

As for the Americans, well ... this is the most likable group since the (now-legendary) 1992 Olympians. good thing they weeded out the malcontents (Starbury, Iverson etc.). their 69-61 halftime lead yo-yo'ed between 10 and 2 points, and they traded big shot after big shot with the tough Spaniards and held on for the 118-107 final score.

Redeem Team? sounds like born-again Christians.

no more "Coach L". no more "LeBronze". the USA is back.

and on that note, thank you, Beijing, for a great Olympics (even if that girl didn't really sing, and those gymnasts aren't really 16).

Antoine Walker, where are you?

am sure he still wants to be Green.

Celtics achieve what the Patriots can't.

Kobe is NOT better than Jordan.

Ray Allen has the last laugh.

Doc Rivers, championship coach? unbelievable.

Phil Jax may want to quit at 9.

Sam Cassell should shut up now and return to his Alien Mothership with 3 rings.

The Finals MVP should be shared by the Big Three: Paul Pierce, Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Boston thanks Kevin McHale, Glen Taylor and the city of Minnesota.

and on that note ... this is how you do it, Stephon Marbury!!! moron.

all you need to know today

that game was for the ages.

back to high school

1984-87 ... that seems so long ago. and even though i was a barely-than-casual NBA observer back then - it didn't become a full blown interest until Jordan won his 1st championship in 1991 - it was like these two were the only teams that mattered (Bird vs Magic, always, all the time). in a small town in a Third World country (of course, the 1992 Dream Team would usher in a new age).

looking back at it now, that period was split with two titles each for Boston and L.A. Boston leads in overall titles between them, but the Lakers can close that gap to 1. and they sure can.

Kobe seems to be at the height of his powers, and he has a better supporting cast that does not include someone named "Shaq". the Celtics, hailed early this season as a great team with heavyweights, lost some of that allure in the Playoffs by not convincingly beating Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit (playoff record 12-9). although the Lakers have not beaten the Celtics yet this season, that was before Pau Gasol's arrival via the Memphis fire sale.

being in New York City, i had misgivings; should i root for the Celtics because i am on the East Coast after all, or should i pull for the Lakers, because New Yorkers hate anything Boston sports-wise? (c'mon, the Patriots and the Red Sox are different circumstances) i'm happy for Kevin Garnett as his journey from the wilds of Minnesota have ended up here on the big stage, and even that alone puts me squarely behind Gang Green (and i never liked Kobe anyway - but i respect his talents). this is the Finals that i wanted, once the Playoff seeds were established.

one thing for sure, there's a lot of Pinoys who filed for absences from work for this one.

at the risk of being laughed at ... Boston, 4-3.

10 balls

ch-ch-changes.

1. goodbye again, Mavericks. 2008 COY Byron Scott exacts revenge against J-Kidd, Dirk is still looking for his heart, and Dallas is once again out in the first round. Mark Cuban, its time for the R-word. and i don't mean "reload". the Li'l General is on shaky ground too.
   
   
2. hello again, Orlando. back in the playoffs, i see. shed the curse of Shaq, why don't you?
   
   
3. speaking of Shaq ... bye-bye, Shaq. former MVPs O'Neal and Steve Nash could not stop the Suns from setting, and they may not prevent coach Mike D'Antoni from getting canned either.
   
   
4. Larry Brown takes over the Charlotte coaching chair, with blessings from His Airness The Tongue. how long is he going to stay this time? two years? or until Adam Morrison starts bawling?
   
   
5. let's also say goodbye to Pat Riley, who stepped down a few days ago after un-retiring in late 2005 to coach the Miami Heat to its only championship, effectively sabotaging and pushing out his protege Stan Van Gundy (no matter what the publicists say). now Van Gundy is chasing his own destiny 200 miles away in Orlando, while Miami gets a big chance to pick first in the 2008 NBA Draft due to its abysmal 14-68 record.
   
   
6. Black Mamba ... Black Mamba ... Black Mamba ...
   
   
7. holy crap! Atlanta has reduced playoff series with the mighty Celtics to three games?! Bill Simmons and his pop must be squirming right now.
   
   
8. how long before Denver trades Carmelo "I Think I'm Untouchable" Anthony?
   
   
9. T-Mac seems to have woken up eh? do we still call him "The Big Sleep"?
   
   
10. CP3 ... CP3 ... CP3 ...
    

dribble, dribble

first of all, kudos to my man KG for winning the DPOY award. i still keep my TWolves cap, for old times' sake (God forbid i get targeted by Mike Bibby or worse, the local crowd) - he's the only reason i bought it anyway. Lakers-Celtics for Finals! bring back my early high school daze.

second of all, and the best basketball event so far: Isiah has been fired, and good riddance.

looking back at my predictions last Friday, seems like i'm on track for most of it.

Boston is up 2-0, so is Cleveland and Orlando. i still think the Pistons will whup the Sixers; it just might take the full seven games. i'm rooting for my sentimental favorite, the Magic men, to get past Detroit if that's the 2nd round matchup.

i'm stumbling over with my West side bets, as Phoenix and Dallas are getting schooled and winless through two games. considering that these two traded for past-their-prime superstars (Shaq and JKidd, respectively), it looks like that experiment is going to blow up in their faces. Manu is the Sixth Man of the Year and a damn good x-factor, and Chris Paul is running rings around the Mavs.

Utah and the Lakers are handily winning - a Yao-less Rockets team and a dysfunctional Denver one wont be around much longer. i want a Utah-L.A. Western finals but that doesn't seem possible because of the seedings, unless the Hornets get upset and the Jazz whip the Spurs, probably.

since i don't have cable channels that show the games, i'm content with just checking the scores online. that's okay; there's a lot more to do anyway.

hoops there it is

2008 NBA Playoffs begins tomorrow.

too bad we're at the NYCC this weekend.


do i have to ... oh well, alright ...

East:
Boston vs Atlanta ... Celtic revival parade will run over the Hawks
Cleveland vs Washington ... Gilbert Arenas will be 0-3 in career series with Bron Bron
Orlando vs Toronto ... i'm guessing it won't be Andrea Bargnani's coming-out party
Detroit vs Philadelphia ... can i imagine a Philly upset? naaahhh.

West:
LA Lakers vs Denver ... really? against an energized Laker team? nope.
Utah vs Houston ... T-Mac will still not get out of the 1st round
San Antonio vs Phoenix ... Shaq vs Duncan? the x-factor will be The Argentinian (sorry, Bill Simmons)
New Orleans vs Dallas ... time to see what Dirk's really made of



fire Isiah! fire Isiah!

get the dustpan out ...

... 'cause the sweeping's about to start!

i wonder how Isiah can still manage to think he's going to survive this one. is he preparing the dirt on Jim Dolan right now? or has Dolan secretly bribed all media outlets not to accept any material from Thomas? the next four or five days will be interesting, but more so for the pundits and journalists and talking heads who need to be the first to get the scoop.

one thing good that came out of the Knicks (and the Nets') dismal season - we don't need to spring for NBA playoff tickets this year. gotta save those dollars for other important stuff.

Thomas in doubt

finally, someone in the New York Knicks finally displayed some sense and brought in Donnie Walsh to run the basketball operation.

this means current coach and suddenly ex-team President (and all-around sneaky character) Isiah Thomas is now on shakier ground, his atrocious two-year .341 winning percentage not winning any games or fans, turning the once-respected Knicks into a joke. Peter Vecsey has correctly observed that Thomas is now a man without a city.


Thomas used to coach the Indiana Pacers when Walsh was in charge of that team. when Walsh brought in Larry Bird as Prez of Basketball Ops, the Hick from French Lick canned Thomas immediately (even if it wasn't with Walsh's blessings, he sure didn't pose any roadblock).

the first test of the Walsh administration would be what to do with Thomas.

it could happen as early as later today, tomorrow ... Bird fired him the next day, didn't he?

(if this happens, you can imagine Walsh and Bird celebrating in some swanky restaurant weeks later)

there might still be hope for the Knicks, after all.

(no, Ticketmaster, i still hate you)

hire Clyde!!!

(i said, Ticketmaster, i still hate you)

whooops

Mr. Gallo, you slay me. i don't think the Bostonians would like to be reminded of that. now am in a bit of a pickle myself - root for the Celts (and burn my Timberwolves cap) or keep on my side of the fence in the NYC-Boston rivalry?

what we'd like to see ... (part 2)

so here we are, Game 1 of the 2007 NBA Finals. just was too busy to make another collage of sorts, just like the crappy one i made last year. plus writing one seems to have an adverse effect on the team i would be rooting for (Exhibit A: Dirk "Just Leave Me Alone" Nowitzki). sorry, Mark Cuban - the Mavericks cap i bought back in 2003 was when Steve Nash was still with the team. i officially (and sadly) am putting it in mothballs. and you're putting up a new football league, you say? good luck with that.

a few notes on the Playoffs: since most of the games are usually not on public cable TV, i missed out on some of the great moments of this season's run - like the Dallas meltdown. i managed to download the much raved-about Bron-Bron's East Finals Game 5 performance, but i can't watch it on my DVD player or PS2 because it was recorded off a DVR. this means i can only watch it on my PC. all the teams i pegged or wanted to reach the promised land (Phoenix, Chicago) went by the wayside. and even in the East Finals, i predicted Detroit would win. given my impeccable skills in prognostication, i will now go on record to say that the winner of the 2008 US Presidential Election will be ... Ru Paul. oh wait, his name is Ron Paul? sheeesh.

the other feel-good storylines, apart from the rise of the Cavaliers and the ascension of King James, are the resurrection of Bay Area basketball (but could be just a blip because Don Nelson might just leave the Warriors again) and the maturation (of sorts) of the Utah Jazz. i'm still disappointed Jerry Sloan hasn't won the ultimate coaching accolade, but i expect the Jazz to be contender for years to come with the Deron Williams-Carlos Boozer combo. Boozer in particular, seems to have refurbished his rep after that mess he left in Cleveland. even i soured on him and thought the Jazz should trade him, especially during his injury streak. if he never left Ohio, would he be playing with LeBron right now? that would have given the Cavs a greater chance against the Spurs.

so now in just 4 years, King James has brought the Cavs to the Promised Land, where they've never been before, even back in the Mark Price/Brad Daugherty days, thanks to someone named Michael Jordan. now they have someone cut from the Jordan mold (although more Magic than Michael), and i can only imagine the frustration and dejection and deja vu in Detroit, after their short reign/dynasty has been ended (again) by a player whose last name starts with a 'J' (note to Joe Dumars: time to reboot).

the one big thing going against the Cavs is the Spurs' experience (3-0 in three Finals, Tim Duncan, great supporting cast), and odds are they will be celebrating another championship down the Riverwalk this month (which means, ugh, more Eva Longoria sightings, and Bill Simmons picking up the razor blade for the umpteenth time). for all the Spurs (and Duncan's) contributions to the greatness of the game (fundamentals, teamwork, winning tradition), it may all be backfiring against them because audiences want sexy back. TD is not sexy, he's the Big Fundamental. people want insane point makers, alley oops, crafty passing and last-second game winners. the Spurs are easily the bad guy in this series (hello, Bruce Bowen). but do they care? hell, no. not when they have three championship rings and you don't.

it's no secret that the NBA's ratings have been steadily going down the drain, and LeBron's rise may be the only way to stem that tide. problem is, LeBron is not MJ, and if he ever wins the championship, it will be because he controlled the game, not dominating it a la-MJ. he's not going to score 48 points every night. but you have to admire his body of work, which has just begun. this is the only way he'll be gaining that experience that the Spurs have in heaps.

so prepare to be disappointed, but don't dismiss the thing altogether. after all, you never know what you might witness.



so what am i predicting ...? despite the crappiness of the Eastern Conference overall, they've won 2 out of the last 3 Finals. so let's see them make it 3 out of 4. Cavs in 7, blind faith.



by the way, Melo fans, its your guy's move.

---

breaking news: Parasite Hilton just got out of jail. probably because she freakin' HAS to be in San Antonio tonight for Game 1. justice in this country is a sham (are you listening, Alberto Gonzales?).

what we'd like to see ...

... starting tomorrow night.

copa cubana

and that's how you do it, Mav-Wrecks!

Spurs-Jazz could be boring (unless a superbrawl could happen ... nah, not with Timmy D ... hey look, we can reconfigure Duncan's nick as Timi-D, as in shy). which is why I have been rooting for the Suns to get to the Finals. if they don't get screwed over again (David Stern isn't reading this, so I won't get a time-out like he did Dan Patrick). or they're already really screwed and tonight's Game 6 is where the Spurs clinch.

on the Left Coast, the Bulls are gone (get KG, dammit!!!!), and since i'm not too sold on the Cavs or the Nets to get to the Finals, that leaves the Pistons. well, that shouldn't be too bad.