Lakers draw first blood

Fact 1: The Los Angeles Lakers have been known as a team with a very potent offensive weapon with a system that creates more scoring opportunities

Fact 2: That system includes a good and sound defensive system that frustrates opponents, forces them to turnovers which eventually leads to instant offense.

Fact 3: The Lakers would have not made it to the finals if its only strength is its offense, its usually a mix but their defense is underrated.

Fact 4: The Los Angeles Lakers used their superb defense and impeccable offense to beat the Boston Celtics 102 - 89 in game 1 of the Best of 7 2010 NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant played his usual unstoppable role

Now it can be said, that the Lakers are for real, that their defense is much more underrated than their offense and for any team to beat them, they would have to go mano a mano against the man using the name Kobe Bryant. It was another all around performance for the best player on the planet as he scattered 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block to lead his team to victory. As I have mentioned in my previous blog entry, for the Lakers to be unbeatable, Pau Gasol should churn out monster numbers which he did - 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. It looks like Kevin Garnett will be outplayed again for the second series in a row. Pau was just cruisin by in the 2008 season as he was just traded to the Lakers back then and was just fitting in. Two seasons from that performance he is close to being called unstoppable.

Rondo was hounded by KB

Paul Pierce once again led the Celtics assault but unfortunately the supporting cast was far from how they played in the Magic and Cavaliers series. The Celtic offense was on its standard mode but it was what they did best that had an off night - their defense. It was only the fourth time that the Celtics allowed a team to score more than a hundred points on them and in all those occasions they lost. Ray Allen was in foul trouble and never really got going as he scored 12 quiet points and had no rebounds nor assists, Kevin Garnett scored 16 points but shot 7 of 16 (36.35%) which is not good as far as the finals is concerned. Lastly, Rajon Rondo was shut down! Kobe Bryant took on Rondo and he had a hard time penetrating as he was even rejected by Odom and Gasol. At the same time the transition defense specially on Rondo was great as his fastbreak points were limited. In the previous series Rondo usually gets points on the break at least 6 times but now it was checked by the Lakers. Lastly, the Lakers had 16 second chance points to none for the Celts and the Lakers had more rebounds 42 -31 which just shows the kind of effort the Celts put up.

Gasol outplayed Garnett big time

Now that the feeling stage is over both teams would definitely make adjustments to gear up to the second game of the series. There is no secret to the game of the Lakers its just that they move great and execute well and fast - before you know it they have scored on you. The Celtics on the other hand need to find the fire that gave them emotional victories against the Cavs and Magic. They are usually tops when it comes to effort and that attitude motivates them to play well. It looks like game 2 will be a better fought game - so Monday (Sunday in the US) is the day.

Coach Phil explaining the play

Renewed Rivalry - Revenge or Redemption!

As the curtain raises for another epic battle of the two most succesful franchises in NBA history, the world awaits how this battle will be fought. This time around the tables have been turned and the favored team now is the team that rose from the West - the Los Angeles Lakers. The other team, the Boston Celtics is definitely on a roll and are no pushovers. That is why this 2010 NBA Finals will determine who is the best since it is the battle of the 2008 Champion vs. the 2009 Champion.

The Lakers and their 2009 Trophy

Two years ago, the Boston Celtics rose to the occasion by beating the Lakers in 6 games which is still at the back of the minds of the Lakers since the final game was over with two quarters left as the Celtics won by 39 points. This time around the Lakers hold the home court advantage and have yet to lose at the Staples Center where their fans are guaranteed to help the team in purple get back at their 2008 tormentors - REVENGE!

The 2008 Champions celebrate

Last year the LA Lakers captured their 15th league title and Kobe Bryant's 4th with LA and 1st finals MVP. The Celtics on the other hand were without all-star center Kevin Garnett at the start of the play -offs but still managed to eke out a morale boosting series win against the Chicago Bulls but fell to another beast from the east - the Orlando Magic. This year, they fell off target when some of the key players got injured but got a big boost when the team became complete. Just like what they did in 2008 the Celtics are out to redeem themselves from their dismal 2009 season - REDEMPTION.

2009 Champion and finals MVP Kobe Bryant

The Lakers have the best offensive weapon in the league under the name Kobe Bryant. That weapon averaged 24 points in the first round, 32 in the second and 34 by the conference finals. There is nothing on earth that can stop this guy from scoring. The difference of Kobe and Lebron James is that Kobe is a better shooter and has a better supporting cast. One key contributor is Pau Gasol whose inside presence has improved tremendously since he is now being described as unstoppable. For the Lakers to win he has to be in the 20 points 12 rebounds mode and not the 13 points 4 rebounds player as seen in their game 4 loss against the Thunder. Ron Artest is the defensive guru who can put the cuffs on Paul Pierce. He is out to seek the truth and put an end to his scoring onslaught and as we know where the truth goes, Boston follows. Lamar Odom, the man everyone calls as lucky will play a big role because when he plays good it takes the load off Bryant. Another factor is Andrew Bynum, after being a force against the Thunder by coming out with 21 pts and 11 rebounds in their game 5 win, he scored 2 points and pulled down 2 rebounds in their Game 3 loss to the suns. Another thing to wait for is for Derek Fisher to sink another game winning three pointer! The supporting cast should step up to get those important wins. For the Lakers to win the series they have to be the same offensive team in the Suns series and run the ball against the aging Celtics. The Lakers has not lost a game at Staples Center and by just defending their court, it will give them the back to back.

The Celtics: Team Redeem

Rajon Rondo is definitely the fourth weapon and the most important Celtic in the roster. He has put all the intangibles on the floor and now the veterans are following his lead. In 17 games in the first three rounds he has averaged close to 17 points per game, dished out an average of 10 assists per game, stole the ball at 2.1 times and had a rebounds average of 5.6 per game. A very rare find this Ragin Rajon Rondo. Kevin Garnett was outplayed by Dwight Howard and is ready to give Gasol some headaches. Paul Pierce should be ready to find ways to score since Artest will most probably get his goat. On the other hand, Ray Allen is the silent worker whose loaded gun seems unstoppable when he is on a roll. The beauty of this CEltics team is that Doc Rivers can count on anyone from the bench to step up any given night may it be Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, Tony Allen or Nate Robinson. For the Celtics to win, their signature defense should go to work by shutting down the other Laker scorers and tire out Bryant in the end. Come crunch time, 4 veterans against 1 superstar would be hard to beat.

Ray Allen will play a big role for the Celtics

When all has been said and done, it is usually the things not talked about that determines the winner so do sit back, relax and enjoy this series. This renewed rivalry will determine who is more determined, the team that is out for revenge or the team seeking redemption. Take your pick!

Charice's Hit Video - PYRAMID

As I listened to this song all the while I thought it was sang by an American vocal artist. But when I saw the video and saw it was Charice singing I was just impressed more by the way she sang the song. The video is nearing eight million hits and its nice to note that there is another Filipino brining honor to the country.

Sudan's Tatoo

While watching the STI vs Letran game, San Beda's foreign center sat beside us. I noticed that on his right leg was a tatoo of a prayer. Lo and behold it was an excerpt of what they call The Deer's Cry or prayer which is a prayer for protection.

The DEER's CRY
A prayer for protection

I arise today

I ask that
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me
God's haste to save me
in this world
Alone and as an individual.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

Prince of Persia is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. Through the various titles, the series has been developed and published by many different companies: the first two games in the series,Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the flame, were developed by Brøderbund; in recent years Ubisoft has developed the games, starting with Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Originally it was primarily a side-scrolling platform video game; the franchise has evolved to three - dimensional action-platform games, and has spawned the movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time released in May 2010, by Disney.

I liked the movie because of the story and the characters that each actor played was just like a marriage made in heaven. Jake Gyllenhaal takes the lead as he looks great all bulked up. Jake plays Dastaan a street smart kid adopted by the King of Persia, he eventually becomes a Prince. His adventures include having to deal with the nagging Princess Tamina of Alamut which is played by Gemma Atherton. Just watch the movie I guarantee that you will love it

Jobslive Interview

The interview came out four weeks after the event! It seemed so odd that the video came out late but like what they say better late than never!

Olympians beat Letran Knights

Cedric Ablaza towers over the others

Defense is a way of making your opponents create mistakes through the system you design for them to commit these mistakes. This was the scenario at the Father Martin's Cup when the STI College Olympians forced the Letran Knights to numerous errors that paved the way to STI College's 64-49 victory over the multi-titled NCAA squad. This was a very important win for the Olympians whose Head Coach Vic Ycasiano just arrived from a trip from the US with the RP Nokia 18 and under team.

Cedric Ablaza on the drive

The Knights started the game like a house on fire as they raced to a commanding 24-11 lead in the first quarter as they asserted their strength over the former NAASCU Champions. After figuring out what the Knights have been doing, the Olympians countered with a pulverizing run that did not sit well for the Intramuros based squad. The Knights were limited to just two second quarter points as the Olympians led by second year forward Cedric Ablaza equalized 26 – all after the first half.

Abby Chavez on the reverse

Come the third quarter, the knights were in to more trouble as the Olympians not only played good defense, but translated their defensive gems into baskets. NAASCU Mythical five selectee Jerald Bautista was the recipient of most of the fastbreak points as he torched the Knights in every chance that he had. Bautista would end up scoring 14 points as he joined hands with Ablaza as the top scorers.

Henri Betayenga on the drive

By the time the fourth quarter was on its last five minutes the Olympians were on its biggest lead at 54-46 and the only thing the Knights can do was bring down the lead. The Knights leaned on Kevin Alas, Jaypee Belencion and Jam Cortes to bring the lead down to a more respectable margin. It was a total team effort for the Olympians as their swarming defense, pressure defense and man to man coverage proved to be something that the Knights had a hard time handling. New Olympian recruit Henri Betayenga scored 8 points but hits presence was felt more on the defensive end as the Knights who were driving to the hoop found it hard to elude his long limbs that resulted in botched jumpers and lay ups.

Jasper Melano controlling the ball

There are still forty days to go before the opening of the 10^th NAASCU and the Olympians are starting to show the stuff that made them rule the NAASCU. But then again its too early to speculate. This is the fourth win of the Olympians in the Fr. Martin’s Cup and their first win ever against Letran.

Boxscores:

STI COLLEGE (64)

Ablaza 15, Bautista 14, Henri 8, Sabellina 7, Melano 6, Ihalas 5, Chavez 4, Alcantara 3, Gabo 2, Villadoz 0, Morales 0, Labrador 0, Po 0, Daguplo 0,

LETRAN COLLEGE (49)

Cortes 12, K. Alas 10, J. Alas 8, Dysam 7, Belencion 6, Espiritu 4, Belorio 2, Taplah 0, Rodil 0, Almazan 0, Pantin 0, Ang 0, Alejandro 0.

Quarterscores

11-24, 26-26, 44-36, 69-54

Lakers follow suit

Flashback, game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns, with 1 minute to go and with just a three point lead, Ron Artest missed a jumper that Pau Gasol rebounded. Gasol brought out the ball by passing it to Ron Artest who in turn took an open three pointer that rattled off the rim once again. After that play the Suns equalized after Jason Richardson sank a three pointer with less than 4 seconds remaining. The Lakers then went to their superstar Kobe Bryant who missed the jumper, luckily the unlucky Ron Artest who only scored two points, got the rebound and miraculously sank the field goal that gave the mighty Lakers the pivotal win to get into their third consecutive NBA final appearance.

As if scoring the winning basket was not enough Ron Artest came out scorching hot in Game 6 as his early exploits in the first half was more than what the doctor ordered. The Phoenix Suns employed a modified Zone defense to challenge the shooters of the Lakers. The unlikely shooter in Ron Artest suddenly emerged as he sank 3 three pointers enroute to a 17 point first half. That 17 points gave the Lakers a 13 point half time lead - the Suns never recovered as the Lakers went on to win 111-103 and enter the NBA finals for the third consecutive year.

Ron Artest was egged on to shoot by the Phoenix zone defense as he was often left open and he gamely obliged as he scored 25 points, the most he has scored in a play-off. Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire failed to lift the suns again as Nash became the leader in games played without making it to the finals. It seems as though the Suns will have their hands filled in trying to get Stoudemire back since he will be a free agent come July 1.

In the second half, the other MVP went to work as the man they called Kobe Bryant took it upon himself to score when needed to close out the Suns. It was evident that the Lakers are raring to go since the day before their historic win, the Celtics have already booked themselves to the finals and are waiting for the Lakers to dispose the Suns. His 37 point explosion moved him ahead of Jerry West and is now in a tie for second place for the most 30 point playoff games scored at 75, Michael Jordan holds the all-time mark at 109.

As predicted, the NBA Finals will feature the two best teams in the NBA, the two most winningest franchise and the two teams with the most fans worldwide. Wait for the NBA to erupt, its gonna be Purple vs Green and the fun starts just right now. A fitting title for the finals could be Rivaly Renewed: Revenge or Redemption!

Celtics - first to enter the finals

Where Paul Pierce goes, the Celtics follow! After not controlling his cross over move in Game 4 that eventually made him lose the ball that resulted in him not being able to put up a shot at the buzzer - the Magic eventually got it done in overtime. In game 5 he scored 16 first half points and only 2 in the second half- this game resulted in a rout in the Magic's favor. The Celtics were suddenly rejuvenated after Kendrick Perkins was reinstated and Glen Davis recovered from a freakish concussion. In this game, Paul Pierce was all business as he fueled the Celtics first quarter run that caught the Magic napping once again.

Pierce shot 9 of 15 from the field including a near perfect 9 of 10 from the free throw line and four three pointers to lead all scorers with 31 points as he led the faltering Celtics to a lopsided 96 - 84 victory. If Pierce was the leader of the Celtics then today's spark came from the little dunking master, Nate Robinson. In game 1 it was Rasheed Wallace who provided the spark with 13 points, in Game 2 Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins made up for the subpar shooting of Ray Allen with 25 and 10 points respectively. In Game 3 it was Glen Davis who provided the spark as he topscored with 17 points as the Celtics ran down the Magic. This time its Nate's turn to sizzle as his offensive onslaught in the second quarter gave the Celtics the enough time to stem the tide as Robinson scattered 13 points in the 8 minutes that he played. By the half the Magic were quite exasperated that everything was going the Celtics way.

A rejuvenated Magic squad brought down the mighty Celtics in two straight games and talks about a monumental collapse were on hand following their game 5 loss at Orlando. Ray Allen was the other spark plug who fended all Magic rallies as he ably backed up Pierce with 20 points as Kevin Garnett scattered 10 points while Rajon Rondo had 15 points. It was a sorry loss for the Magic squad who never really got things going in the series, just when their play was coming into place the Celtics shut them down. After averaging 107 points in the series against the Hawks, the Magic were put down by their 90 ppg average in this series.

Dwight Howard did all that he can in this game as he scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Vince Carter had 17 points and Jameer Nelson 11 points, a far cry from the 23 point and 24 point output he had in their twin wins. He was the spark that the Magic sorely missed since the team's offense flows better when he is shooting good. Another Magic cager who is was missed in this series is Rashard Lewis. He literally disappeared as he averaged 8.2 points in the series, a far cry from his 15 ppg in the Bobcats series and 17 against the Hawks. So far so bad for someone who was counted upon by the Magic to bring them out of their rut but unfortunately bombed out for two consecutive seasons when it mattered the most.

For the Celtics - its on to the finals and a good time to rest since the championship starts Thursday. Stay tuned.

Gary Coleman (1968 -2010)

As a Dark kid growing up in the Ateneo, most of my classmates would kid around and call me Garrido Coleman! Back then, one of the more popular television shows was Different Strokes which starred one of the promising child actors in the 80's - Gary Coleman. I myself was amused by the genius and comedic timing of Gary Coleman. Unfortunately after his childhood he literally never grew up because of an ailment. Gary suffered from a congenital kidney disease which halted his growth at an early age - he was 4 feet 8 and even as an adult still looked like a child. Even as a kid he still underwent two kidney transplants in 1973 and in 1984 which requires him daily dialysis. Gary suffered epidural hematoma after falling and hitting his head at his home. He was in coma and eventually died. Its just so sad to hear that another idol of mine has died.

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