Letran Sends Defending PCCL Champions De La Salle Home

JP Belencion scored 10 three pointers to end with 36 points and lead Letran to the Elite 8 of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League. Belencion and Alas led the Knights attack in the first half as the duo scored in double-digits in the half, while Joshua Webb kept the squad from Taft in the game at the half by scoring 15 markers.

Then come in the 3rd canto, Belencion continued his shooting barrage, extending Letran's lead to double-digits and never looked back. This puts the Knights on the quarters, awaiting for the winner of the San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Univeersity of San Carlos match as their next opponent.

In the ensuing game, the UAAP champs Ateneo Blue Eagles kept the Lyceum Pirates at bay, winning the game 73-63. The Pirates actually held the lead in the early moments of the game, before the Eagles' full court pressure helped them back in the game and built a big lead before the Pirates tried to make a one last dash, hence the final score. The Eagles will await the winner of the Jose Rizal University and University of Santo Tomas game in the Elite 8.

Far Eastern University and San Beda College are the other teams that had advanced in the Elite 8 as they have beaten Arellano University and San Sebastian College-Recoletos Cavite respectively.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the University of the East will face off against the University of Cebu, runner-up of the CESAFI. UC will be touting their 6' 9" Junmar Fajardo against UE, as the Mapua Institute of Technology will be squaring off against the CESAFI Champions University of Visayas, who will be led by 6' 11" Greg Slaughter as these teams duke it out for the 2 more slots on the Elite 8.

CJ Giles not in Gilas Anymore

According to Quinito Henson, CJ Giles is reportedly booted out of the Smart Gilas National Developmental Team because of showing up to practice with a hangover from drinking.

Now, this could be a big blow, as for months, Giles is already somewhat a part of Smart Gilas, participating in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2009 while putting up great numbers for the team. This means the team is now looking for another import replacement to suit up for the national team.

On the other hand, this could also give the team a boost, and when I say boost, it means that guys will not have to rely on C.J. Giles or an import for now, and this gives the big men an opportunity to have playing time and hone their skills while preparing for 2011. This also means guys will have to step-up, especially the big men like Al-Hussaini, Slaughter, Ballesteros, Aguilar and Ramos.

Playing with the other teams definitely will help as these guys will gain experience playing on the court against various teams. Considering that height is not a big disadvantage anymore, especially with these bigs, honing their skills for international basketball will be even more critical at this point, especially if Smart Gilas does not get a suitable import to replace Giles, especially as time is not on the side as to the naturalization process.

Now that the distraction is out, I hope something positive comes out of this and Gilas boys be rejuvinated and start anew as they refresh their preparations for 2011.

Dwyane Wade Shows LeBron James How It Is Done.

This has been rounding the internets in a while, but this dunk is so symbolizing and sequential, it should be spread out even more!



In a twist of irony, LeBron James tries to stuff a dunk against Jermaine O' Neal, but LeBron failed to make the dunk, and then Dwyane Wade, sensing an opportunity, attacks the basket, with Cavs Forward Anderson Varejao protecting the basket, but was overpowered by Dwyane as he welcomes Anderson Varejao to his Kodak moment according to Reggie Miller and showing LeBron how it's done.

Even more symbolizing is that Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player ever apparently chose Wade to wear his Air Jordan shoes for its 25th anniversary and is watching at the sidelines with Miami HEAT President Pat Riley. Good Choice Mike!

Basketball Weekend Happenings

In the PBA Friday, the bottom feeders give the front-runners a tough time, as Talk n' Text Tropang Texters just eek out a win against the Barako Bull Energy Boosters, 93-90 while Rain or Shine Elasto Painters upset the league leading Alaska Aces, 86-81 as Don Dulay scored 20 points to lead the Painters in their first ever win. Meanwhile, the Smart Gilas National Team lost to a heartbreaker against Santa Lucia Realtors, 96-95 after leading by as much as 17 points in the game.

Basketball Saturday, still in the PBA, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings held on a furious rally from Burger King Whoppers, 83-79.

Also happening is the Bantay Bata 163 NCAA-UAAP All-Star game, as the NCAA gets a double win with the NCAA Juniors just squeezing out a win against the UAAP Juniors, 84-83 and the NCAA Seniors continued that rally as they dominated the UAAP Seniors, 76-60, with NCAA MVP John Wilson and NCAA Finals MVP Jimbo Aquino leading the way with 14 and 17 points respectively. Jimbo Aquino won the All-Star MVP Honors as he racks up his achievements in his last stint of his collegiate career.

In the side events of the Bantay Bata All-Stars, Allein Maliksi of University of Santo Tomas won the Slam Dunk Contest, with a score of 46 while in the 2-3 Ball Father and Son event was taken by Joel and Ael Banal with 70 points. NCAA MVP John Wilson of Jose Rizal University took the 3pt shootout honors by scoring 19 points.

In the Asean Basketball League, the Singapore Slingers took a close call against Indonesia Satria Muda Britama, 61-59 to solidify their first place card with a 5-1 record as the Indonesians fell to 3-3. Brunei Barracudas took their first win in the league as they defeated the Thailand Tigers 91-86.

As the weekend wraps up, the PBA will feature a Sunday double-header with San Miguel Beermen taking on the Barako Bull Energy Boosters to be followed by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

In the Philippine Collegiate Championship, the De La Salle Green Archers sweep the PCC South-Luzon-Metro Manila Zonals to secure the last PCC Sweet 16 slot, as the 15 teams already secured the PCC Sweet 16 slot.

1. Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles - UAAP Champions
2. San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags - NCAA Champions
3. University of the East Red Warriors - UAAP 2nd Place
4. San Beda College Red Lions - NCAA 2nd Place
5. Far Eastern University Tamaraws - UAAP 3rd Place
6. Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers - NCAA 3rd Place
7. University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers - UAAP 4th Place
8. Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights - NCAA 4th Place
9. University of Visayas Lancers - CESAFI Champions
10. Arellano University Chiefs - Vis-Min A Zone Winner
11. University of San Carlos Warriors - Vis-Min A 2nd Place
12. University of Cebu Webmasters - Vis-Min B Winner
13. San Sebastian College-Recoletos Cavite Baycats - Vis-Min B 2nd Place
14. University of Manila Hawks - North-Central Luzon-Metro Manila A Winner
15. Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals - North-Central Luzon-Metro Manila B Winner
16. De La Salle University Green Archers - South Luzon Metro Manila Winner

The San Sebastian Stags Shocks San Beda Red Lions to Win The 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Division Crown

Back on Number 1. Indeed, the winning tradition of the Stags is back on track. After 6 years of not fighting for the crown, here are the Stags, with a bunch of stepping-up rookie players and a rookie coach in Ato Agustin, renews their assertion in Men's Basketball of the NCAA.

Nobody saw this Finals matchup coming, not even I. This writer thought that it will be a JRU-SBC Finals again, as things looked pretty bleak for the Stags as they lost 3 games in a row in a span of just one week. It seems that they started faltering when the games mattered the most during that time, however, looking back, it was a blessing in disguise for the Stags, as they experienced those setbacks where in they would be able to assert themselves and fight back to their winning ways, and this time, they pulled off 3 straight games in one week to win the NCAA Final Four and the Crown.

Game 1 was a closely fought contest, especially in the 4th quarter. where the Stags started faltering again as the Red Lions chimp-in that 8 pt lead and held the Stags to only 13 points in the 2nd half to force overtime. They were not executing their plays and turning the ball over a lot of times.

It seems that the Stags are into doom again. With Bambam Gamalinda of the Red Lions hitting back to back three's as the Red Lions took the roll at the start of overtime. However, the Stags held their composure and fought back, to force a second overtime. This time around, they maintained their composure and with Rookie Sensation Calvin Abueva hitting clutch free throws and getting 23 crucial rebounds for a 72-68 victory and a 1-0 series lead.

Heading into game 2, Coach Frankie Lim took some adjustments and was able to establish a lead into the 1st half and holding the Stags to only 28 points in the first half as the Red Lions scored 38 for a 10 point lead, along with a mammoth Red Lion crowd behind them expecting for a game 3. More importantly for the Lions, they held Jimbo Aquino to a single point and made Abueva to commit 3 fouls and limit his production. However, Gilbert Bulawan kept the Stags alive, as he made timely contributions with the two main man of the Stags not getting into the groove of the game.

But, the Stags will have none of it, as they started to run and forced turnovers, as they scored 26 points in the 3rd quarter and trimmed the lead to two, 56-54. Jimbo Aquino started to explode, hitting big shots and three pointers, as Abueva was benched the whole quarter due to foul trouble and with Coach Ato Agustin wanting to save Abueva for last.

Come the final canto, the Stags held the Red Lions without a field goal pretty much the whole quarter, and the Stags slowly started to build up the lead, with Jimbo Aquino hitting a timely three-pointer to give the Stags an 8-point lead with 5 minutes left into the ballgame. Things started to falter for the Red Lions this time, as they got into unforced turnovers, and with time on the Stags' side, the Lions pretty much sealed the deal on themselves, as the Lions kept fouling the Stags trying to keep their hopes alive, but they could not convert any field goal at all and this blew the final score to 76-61.

This stopped the 3-year dominance of this year's hosts, the San Beda Red Lions as the San Sebastian Stags finally captured the Men's Basketball Crown again since 2002, which ironically, the San Beda was also the host of that season. The graduating scorer of the Stags, Jimbo Aquino was named Finals MVP of the series, with coach Ato Agustin and his young boys taking their first crown. The Stags will be looking to defend their crown in 2010, in which they will be that season's host and try to break the curse of the host winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Crown.

The NCAA Finals Matchup

It all boils down to the number 1 and number 2 team after all, and so my Final Four prediction is only half-correct, as the San Sebastian Stags upsets the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers in a blowout in the second game, as the San Beda Red Lions gets a 6-day break preparing for the Finals.

San Beda College Red Lions vs San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags

The Red Lions stayed pretty much in the number 2 slot the rest of the elimination round. However, after their loss against the JRU Heavy Bombers that put the Lions down at the number 3 slot, the Red Lions went on to win its last remaining games and forced a playoff against the number 1 team for most of the eliminations, the San Sebastian Stags, and won that game to seal the number 1 seeding.

Riding on a winning streak and with plenty of rest heading into the Finals, the Red Lions looks as prepared as ever on capturing their fourth straight NCAA crown for the decade, although things look rough in their Final Four encounter against the Letran Knights, San Beda has the edge when it comes to Finals experience as well.

On the other hand, the season started strong for the San Sebastian Stags, winning their first 15 games to set an NCAA record for the best start in the eliminations, before being booted out of first place in a playoff encounter against the Red Lions.

Leading scorer Jimbo Aquino losing his cool in the playoff game, things look pretty bleaked on the Stags as they faced-off last year's finalist, the JRU Heavy Bombers. The Stags fought hard and fended off JRU's challenge as they move into the Finals for the first time since 2003.

Lately, the Red Lions got into the Stags' number, beating them in back-to-back games at the end of the season, and more importantly, holding and frustrating the Stags' leading scorer, Jimbo Aquino. Coach Frankie Lim would like to continue that trend with Jake Pascual limiting Aquino's touch and space to frustrate him and with John Hermida and Garvo Lanete pestering opposing guards Pamboy Raymundo and Raymond Maconocido.

Also, the Red Lions would like to slow the tempo down and force turnovers to get easy points. With their experience in the Finals, the Lions could afford to make the series into a half-court game, as this limits the Stags' running game and the Lions would not want to fall into the fast-paced game of their opponent. The Lions also needs to get back on defense quickly to prevent the Stags' hi-octane offense.

For the Stags', their losses against the Red Lions would have not come at a better time, as the Stags would learn a lot from those two games that they lost. In fact, those losses could be a blessing in disguise for the Stags, as these losses gave them an idea and will surely make their work cut-out for them to prepare for the adjustments they needed against the Lions.

The guards of the Stags are the important factor in this series, with Pamboy Raymundo and Raymond Maconocido must break the opposing press and make the right decisions on setting their team's play. Also, Jimbo Aquino must not force things and let the game come to him. The Stags would not want to be too predictable in their offense by letting Aquino do all the work, as the Stags have enough fire power on their team to create a balanced attack.

Also, it is very important for the Stags' frontline to get defensive rebounds and force turnovers to fuel their fast-paced game. The Stags needs to create opportunities for their fast-break game and convert on these easy-points as much as they can, as this will be crucial for them as surely, the Lions will try to force them into a slower-paced and more physical ball game. The Stags must keep their composure and do things that led them to win 15 straight games.

Prediction: Seeing the way the Stags manhandled the Heavy Bombers, the Stags might eek this one in three games. They have the talent, especially with their rookies, but will the Stags maintain their composure come crunchtime? I think they will.

The NCAA Final Four Matchup

My UAAP Finals prediction was close, but no cigar. However this is what makes blogging about basketball fun, and this time around, it'll be for the NCAA Final Four.

It has been finally settled. After all the delays and the playoff game, the defending champions San Beda Red Lions takes the Number one seed as they face of the Rey Guevarra-less Letran Knights as the San Sebastian Stags fights with the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers.

San Beda College Red Lions vs Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights

The Red Lions are at an all-time high this season, taking the number 1 slot with consecutive victories after their loss to the Heavy Bombers by winning their last remaining games and forcing a playoff game against the Stags, who led the much of the season.

Meanwhile, things look pretty bleak for the Knights, as one of their leading scorers and Smart Gilas Stalwart Rey Guevarra will not play due to a knee injury sustained from their game last time out against the Red Lions.

Coach Frankie Lim would have to make sure his players do not get overconfident and need to maintain their composure against the very physical Letran Knights. The Red Lions must maintain their game of penetration and scoring on easy buckets and open jump shots. The guards of the Red Lions will have to perform as usual with John Hermida and Garvo Lanete leading the Lions' offense, and Sudan Daniel has to focus and do the dirty work inside. Dave Marcelo and Pascual must help Daniel inside and be assertive.

Meanwhile on defense, the Lions must limit RJ Jazul's production, as surely he will be the focal point of the Knights' offense and they must make sure they shut down the Knights' frontline and make it tough for them to score, as their scorings options is now down to a few players.

Coach Louie Alas has pretty much his work cut-out for his team, now that the Knights will not have Rey Guevarra in their matchup against the Lions, the focal point of the offense will surely be with RJ Jazul, and every little help he could get from his teammates will be much appreciated. Kirk Del Rosario must step it up a notch and so does John Foronda and Kris Alas must avoid foul trouble if possible as the Knights' frontline is not as deep compared to the Lions.

On defense, the Knights could take advantage of Daniel's moody character, and with the physical play of the Knights, this is pretty much possible. If they are able to make Daniel get the focus out of the game, then the Knights' frontline could take that advantage to score inside. They must also limit the production the Lions will make from their guards and shut down the passing lanes from their penetration.

Prediction: SBC will take this one, unless a miracle happens and someone from the Knights step-up.

San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags vs Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers

The second matchup is interesting, with the Stags ending on a losing skid from the eliminations and the playoff game heading into the matchup with the Heavy Bombers going easy and preparing for the Final Four.

Unlike their neighbors in Mendiola, the Stags are at an all-time low this season, getting back-to-back defeats for the first time this season against the Red Lions, and aside from that, Jimbo Aquino will most likely be suspended for what he did against San Beda's Jake Pascual.

On the other hand, things look good for the Heavy Bombers, having a long break preparing for the Final Four and even though they have to beat the Stags twice to advance to the Finals, their opponents are pretty much tired from two exhausting and close games against the Red Lions.

This will be coach Ato Agustin's first ever Final Four appearance, and also for the Stags in a while. However, their leading scorer Jimbo Aquino will not be with them for the first game of the Final Four therefore, Calvin Abueva, and Ronald Pascual must step-up and taking the scoring slack for the Stags. The guards Anthony Del Rio and Pamboy Raymundo must trigger their high octane offense that has been missing against the Red Lions and setup Ian Sangalang and Gilbert Bulawan on the inside for those easy buckets.

On defense, they must limit the outside shooting of MVP candidate John Wilson and Marc Cagoco while keeping the pressure inside. Abueva also must make his presence felt inside, along with Sangalang and Bulawan to matchup against the frontline of James Sena, John Njei and Marvin Hayes and make sure that they keep the game close.

Meanwhile experience is on the Heavy Bombers' side, being a finalist a year ago and most of the core of that lineup intact, the Heavy Bombers will rely again on John Wilson's all around game while Marc Cagoco must make sound decisions on the court. James Sena must step-up in this game and assert himself inside. Marvin Hayes and John Njei will do the dirty work and grab those second chance points for the Bombers. The Bombers must limit their turnovers too to prevent those fastbreak points for the Stags.

On defense, Njei and Hayes must prevent those easy baskets for the Stags' frontline and grab those defensive rebounds. The guards of the Bombers must pressure the Stags' backcourt and make them earn their points or forces some turnovers and take advantage of the fatigue factor from the get go.

Prediction: JRU will take this one, with the inexperience and fatigue factor for the Stags and the experience JRU has, this will be a learning experience for them and also, for their coach Ato Agustin.

Basketball Happenings in the Last 7 Days

- San Beda forges a playoff for the number 1 seed against San Sebastian, 71-67. The two teams will play again on Wednesday to settle the Final Four positioning.

- PBA started its 35th season with Japeth Aguilar playing for Burger King, however, his Burger King debut was not the way he would like it to be, losing to Purefoods 93-80.

- Ateneo won the UAAP Championship for the second straight year for the seniors and the Eaglets also won the Juniors crown.

- Also, another basketball league is born, the Asean Basketball League, where different countries from South East Asia battles for basketball supremacy in the region, and the game started off between two rivals, the Philippine Patriots and the Indonesia Satra Muda BriTama with the Philippines getting the first ever win of the league, 76-69.

- Speaking of Asean Basketball League, this is a great league for Filipinos, as it gives more opportunities for Filipino Basketball players to showcase their skills as some of them are playing as imports for other countries like Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore, where Rensy Bajar, Don Camaso and Al Vergara plays as an import.

- Also, Congratulations to Firequinito.com for winning the Best Sports Blog at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards. Keep up the good work and best wishes for defending the crown on 2010.

Smart Gilas National Team Pawns Powerade Team Pilipinas

The Future looks bright.

This is after seeing the Smart Gilas destroying the Powerade Team Pilipinas 98-69.

The Smart Gilas led by CJ Giles showed their offensive prowess against the Powerade squad, attacking from inside and outside and showed no signs of slowing down.

Seeing the game, CJ Giles dominated the game with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks, showing how he will help the National Teams' cause in the next FIBA Qualifiers by showing the hustle plays and the defensive prowess he could give that the other RP teams lack.

Also, the Gilas guards showed tremendous playmaking that the Powerade was criticized for, by having more than twice the Powerade's assists as a whole.

And more importantly, the Gilas made three point shots, even with the bigs like Japeth Aguilar, and Aldrech Ramos which will be crucial as this opens up the defense of the opponents.

Seeing this game, it just shows how things look good for Gilas and more importantly, this builds the confidence of the Players as they head on to the PBA All Filipino Cup on a high note.

CHARITY HOOPS DOUBLEHEADER SLATED ON MONDAY

from pba.ph

A doubleheader featuring the best and brightest local amateur and pro hoop stars entitled “Pinoy Basketball: Kakampi N’yo” will raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy this coming Monday, October 5 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) headed by president Manny V. Pangilinan, is spearheading the move backed by all of its principal stakeholders – namely the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), the Liga Pilipinas, the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

The game will be presented by the SBP and the PLDT/SMART Foundation in cooperation with the Araneta Center, which is making the Big Dome available for this endeavor for free.

The first game at 5 PM will feature a combined UAAP-NCAA selection against a team composed of PBL and Liga stalwarts while the second game at 7:15 pm pits the SMART Gilas National Developmental Team against the PBA-backed Powerade-Team Pilipinas.

Ticket prices are P200 for patron, P100 for lower box and P50 for Upper A section while entrance to the Upper B and general admission sections will be made open to the public in exchange for donations in the form of footwear which will then be given to the victims of the most recent calamity that had affected so many of our countrymen, some of whom even lost their lives. Among those who perished was Tony Chua, the former PBA chairman and Barako Bull team manager/board representative in whose memory the winning team’s trophy shall be awarded.

Help our Kababayans out there by donating to Red Cross

Using our mobile phones, we can donate to the Red Cross by typing in RED amount and send to 2899 (Globe) and 4483 (Smart). The Service only accepts 5, 25, 50, and 100 amounts. Please let's do our share to the community. Below is an example of the format.

ex. RED 50 send to 2899 or 4483 (depending on your mobile provider)

Letran Deals San Sebastian their First Loss This Season

It was just a matter of time. The Letran Knights, led by their two Smart Gilas staltwarts, RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra as the patented full court press defense of the Knights was used to stop the San Sebastian Golden Stags 80-63, as the Knights improve to 12-5 and deals a blow to an automatic ticket to the Finals for the Stags as they go 15-1.

The game started with 2 technical fouls with 8 minutes left into the first canto, as both teams accounted for 9 technical fouls in the first half, as the rivalry of the Knights and the Stags gets a revival as both teams implied tough defense in the first half with a low scoring game of 30-25, in favor of Letran.

Letran started to breakout in the third, as they have pushed the lead as far as 12 points but Calvin Abueva made sure that did not happen, as he led the Stags comeback and keeping the game in striking distance as the Stags trailed by 9, 53-44 heading into the fourth.

By then, fatigue and frustation showed into the Stags as Letran showed their experience and pulled away in the fourth and frustrated San Sebastian hotshot Jimbo Aquino. The Stags felt the pressure and physicality as they shot poorly from the free throw line.

With the Stags losing, this means the spot for the number 1 of the standings is still open, as they face two opponents who would want to get on top of the eliminations, Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers on September 28 and San Beda Red Lions on the last game of the eliminations on October 7. Both of these teams are at 14-2 and this means that the rankings in the Final Four is still not settled.

The UAAP Finals Matchup

It has been three games of Final Four basketball. Four teams fought for two spots, and now the positions are settled, as the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles takes on the University of the East Red Warriors for the 2009 UAAP Basketball supremacy.

The earlier matchup was pretty much spot-on, as Ateneo took only one game as they beat the UST Tigers to get into the Finals while UE punches their ticket to the Finals after two hard fought games against the FEU Tamaraws.

Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles vs University of the East Red Warriors

One is out there to prove its domination, while the other is to prove to remove the stigma of being chokers and to win it all. The Blue Eagles heads into the finals having an 11 game winning streak, while the Red Warriors heads with an 8 game winning streak.

The Fatigue Factor: The UE Red Warrioirs fought two close games with the FEU Tamaraws as coach Lawrence Chongson used a very tight rotation of using around 7-8 players, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles drubbed the Tigers as coach Norman Black used a more balanced rotation of his players. The Ateneo Blue Eagles gets a 1-week rest to prepare for the Finals while the UE Red Warriors gets a two days break to prepare for the Finals. Obviously, this is in favor of Ateneo as UE just finished a tough battle heading into the Finals.

Heading into the match-up of the teams, the Blue Eagles will be spearheaded by Eric Salamat and last year's MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini. This time, it looks like Salamat will be the leader of this Ateneo team, as Al-Hussaini at times loses his composure and complains a lot to the referees.

Coach Norman Black would like to have an inside-outside game for the Blue Eagles as Rabeh and Nonoy Baclao mans the paint while Eric Salamat creates for his teammates and make sure Jai Reyes, Ryan Buenafe, Eman Monfort and Kirk Long to his those three's. The Blue Eagles needs to make sure Rabeh asserts himself on his inside and perimeter game and not let the defense frustrate him.

On defense, the Blue Eagles must keep Paul Lee in check, as they have done so this season against the Red Warriors. Salamat will be keeping his San Sebastian buddy on the perimeter while on the inside, Al-Hussaini and Baclao mans the paint and wait for Lee to prevent him from scoring bunches inside and creating for his teammates. The Blue Eagles must also keep Val Acuna in check at the perimeter to prevent the Red Warriors outside game from exploding.

Meanwhile the Red Warriors will now ask for Paul Lee to step up his game against the Blue Eagles as he and his UE teammates prove that they are capable of winning it all this time around. Backing Lee will be Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas

Coach Lawrence Chongson will still let his players go on the flow of the offense, but this time, with the toughest defensive team in the league and the defending Champions their facing, it will not be east for UE hotshot Paul Lee to breakdown the defense and create opportunities for the Red Warriors. Elmer Espiritu must keep doing what he does best by getting second chance points and hitting crucial mid-range jump shots, as Llagas must assert himself inside the paint. The others must also step up as guys like Val Acuna and Rudy Lingganay hit those outside shots.

On defense, Llagas and Espiritu must keep the composure they did against the Tamaraws on the Blue Eagles and make sure to get those defensive boards and prevent the Eagles from getting second chance points. Meanwhile Lee must prevent his buddy Salamat on creating shots for his teammates and the Red Warriors must shut down their outside shooters. The Red Warriors could also take the opportunity to frustrate Al-Hussaini and use Rabeh's hot-headedness to their advantage.

Prediction: UE will take this one, but this will go down the wire in three games.

Bizarre Moments in the PBA this Decade

The decade is now ending, and we'll take a look back on some of the bizarre moments in the PBA from 2000-09.

1. Chot Reyes calls a timeout for a shooting clinic - This one happened in the 2006-07 Philippine Cup Finals, when Chot Reyes, who was coaching the San Miguel Beermen was furious that his players are missing free throws, and decided to call a timeout and dictated his players to practice their free throws during the timeout!

2. Yeng Guiao elbows Dondon Hontiveros - During the 2006-07 Philippine Cup Semis, Hontiveros, who hit a three in front of the bench of the Red Bull Barako was running to get back in defense when Guiao, coach of Red Bull back then give Dondon some with his elbow and this triggered exchanges of furious words from SMB Assistant Coach Pido Jarencio and Guiao. Here is the video link to the incident.

3. Mark Caguioa announces to run naked - Ginebra star guard Mark Caguioa announces in Philippine Television that if Ginebra does not make it to the Finals, he will run naked along the roads of Roxas Boulevard. Caguioa said that it was just a joke that should not be taken seriously. Ginebra subsequently lost to Red Bull during its quarterfinals encounter after having a big lead and well, it was just a joke.

4. Yeng Guiao instructs his players to walkout - Another incident regarding Guiao. This is still from the same SMB-Red Bull series in 2006-07, and this time, Guiao, not happy with officiating decided to take matters into his hands, this is by taking all of his players out of the playing court. Subsequently, after the long wait, the game was restored and Red Bull, along with Guiao was fined worth half a million pesos.

5. Eala overturns Talk n' Text Game 1 Finals victory to Ginebra - Asi Taulava, who was just recently cleared by the Department of Justice that he is indeed a Filipino Citizen, played as they take on the Kings during the first game of the 2004-05 Philippine Cup Finals. Ginebra decided to file a protest since Taulava was still suspended and not allowed to play during that time. Noli Eala overturns the decision and Taulava was never allowed to play in the entire series.

if you have your bizarre moments to share this decade, share it here!

Stags Re-writes History as they beat the Chiefs to go 15-0 in the NCAA Eliminations

The San Sebastian Golden Stags drubbed the Arellano University Chiefs 100-66 as Ian Sangalang led the Stags with 28 markers as the Stags writes history for a 15-0 record, the longest winning streak in the NCAA which also puts Rookie Head Coach Ato Agustin with the best start as a coach ever in the NCAA.

The Stags just dominated the game. not giving the Chiefs a single chance of making a comeback as Calvin Abueva added 12 points and 8 rebounds while giving a suffocating full-court press defense against the Chiefs as the Stags aim to get away from the rest of the pack and get that perfect sweep in the Eliminations to get an automatic Finals berth, but this will not be easy as they will face on the the Letran Knights, the JRU Heavy Bombers and the SBC Red Lions in their last 3 games of the Eliminations.

Meanwhile in the first game, the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals beats the Emilio Aguinaldo Generals 87-69 to improve to 4-12 as the Generals fell to 5-12 record.

Games on Wednesday will be the Angeles University Foundation Great Danes taking on the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers at 2pm as the College of Saint Benilde Blazers take on the San Beda Red Lions at 4pm. The Heavy Bombers and the Red Lions aim to win as both teams fight for that 2nd place and that twice-to-beat advantage heading into the Final Four.

Paul Lee leads the Red Warriors' 2nd ever UAAP Final Four win

Paul Lee waxed hot in the last 5 minutes of the game on his way to 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists as the University of the East Red Warriors beat the Far Eastern University Tamaraws.

Val Acuna started the three point barrage of the Red Warriors as he scored 11 of his 17 points in the 1st quarter. Parry Llagas asserted himself inside as he posted 19 points and 12 rebounds to help the Red Warriors get their 2nd ever Final Four win in the UAAP since the format was started in 1994.

Meanwhile, Aldrech Ramos and RR Garcia went on to score 12 points and 16 points respectively, as Paul Sanga tried to carry the Tamaraws with his outside shooting en route to scoring career-high 22 markers.

It was a close fought game until the 5 minute mark of the 4th, where Lee started his shooting barrage and the Tamaraws were never able to recover again as they were overshadowed these past few days with their former superstar guard and Smart Gilas co-captain Mark Barroca controversy regarding game fixing allegations.

The Red Warriors will face the Tamaraws again on Thursday as to see who advances to the UAAP Finals to face either the Ateneo Blue Eagles or the UST Growling Tigers, as the Blue Eagles and the Tigers start their Final Four encounter tomorrow, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The NCAA Pre Final Four : Who says the NCAA is not as good as the UAAP? II

The UAAP Final Four starts this Saturday, and while the NCAA's season is still running, the Final Four teams of the NCAA is now settled, San Sebastian Stags, Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, San Beda Red Lions, and the Letran Knights are in the Final Four. Although it seems the Final Four teams are now clinched, it does not mean the remaining games of the NCAA have no bearings and pretty much boring games, in fact it is the opposite, especially with the four teams in the Final Four and the Arellano University Chiefs, the most successful of the three guest teams this season. Let's have an outlook at each team's remaining games and see their chances in the Final Four.

1. San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags - If there were no guest teams this season and this was a usual conventional season of the NCAA, the Stags would have been in the Finals already with their 14-0 card. The Stags were not seen to be this big, but Rookie coach Ato Agustin was able to form this team and build on the last season's good campaign to revive the Stags' winning tradition. Although they are set on going 18-0, it will not be easy, as the face the top 5 teams in the last 4 games. They are set to take on Arellano, Letran, Jose Rizal and San Beda in the final game of the season. This is no easy task if the Stags wants a ticket at an outright Finals berth but if the Stags will be able to write history, this is something that could never happen again in a long time for Philippine Basketball, especially with a Rookie Head Coach in Ato Agustin.

2. Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers - After beating the Red Lions to regain the number 2 slot, the chances of securing the number two slot seems bright for JRU, as they warm up against the Angeles University Foundation Great Danes to prepare for the big matchup against the undefeated Stags, which will be crucial to both teams placing in the standings for the Final Four. This is a big game for JRU if they wish to maintain a top two spot this season, they must get this one against the San Sebastian Golden Stags. The Bombers will end the Eliminations against the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, as they have this big chance of securing the number two slot with a lighter schedule than the Red Lions.

3. San Beda Red Lions - Losing to the Heavy Bombers does not help their campaign this season, especially on getting that crucial second spot for the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. The Lions have a chance to get back on winning track as they face the College of Saint Benilde Blazers, but then things will start to get rough as they next face the Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights, and the San Sebastian Golden Stags. The Red Lions' schedule is tougher than the Heavy Bombers but this will be a test of their character as a team heading into the Final Four as they aim to get that number two spot.

4. Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights - Well well well, the Chiefs have shot themselves in the foot, and this means the Letran Knights have clinched the Final Four slot. Now, the Knights has a very very slim chance for the number 2 slot if the Heavy Bombers or the Red Lions lose their three remaining games, which is very unlikely as these two teams are fighting to win games to get that number 2 seed themselves. The Knights face off two of their biggest rivals, the Golden Stags and the Red Lions to end their season and to prepare for their Final Four encounter.

5. Arellano University Chiefs - I take back what I said on the first article, they did not show any heart and passion on the game against the Mapua Cardinals as they ended their Final Four chances by losing to the Cardinals badly, 74-59. What seems to be a successful first apperance is now starting to become a disappointment, as the Chiefs are now on a 4 game losing skid and this streak might extend to 5 as they face on the San Sebastian Stags next. They can still duke it out on the last two games against the University of Perpetual Help Altas and the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals to end the season on a winning note.

The NCAA Pre-Final Four : Who says the NCAA is not as good as the UAAP?

The UAAP Final Four starts this Saturday, and while the NCAA's season is still running, the Final Four teams of the NCAA is pretty much settled, while guest team Arellano University Chiefs are keeping their hopes alive, San Sebastian Stags, Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, San Beda Red Lions, and the Letran Knights are in most likely in the Final Four. Although it seems pretty much settled, it does not mean the remaining games of the NCAA have no bearings and pretty much boring games, in fact it is the opposite, especially with the five teams in contention for the Final Four. Let's have an outlook at each team's remaining games and see their chances in the Final Four.

1. San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags - If there were no guest teams this season and this was a usual conventional season of the NCAA, the Stags would have been in the Finals already with their 14-0 card. The Stags were not seen to be this big, but Rookie coach Ato Agustin was able to form this team and build on the last season's good campaign to revive the Stags' winning tradition. Although they are set on going 18-0, it will not be easy, as the face the top 5 teams in the last 4 games. They are set to take on Arellano, Letran, Jose Rizal and San Beda in the final game of the season. This is no easy task if the Stags wants a ticket at an outright Finals berth but if the Stags will be able to write history, this is something that could never happen again in a long time for Philippine Basketball, especially with a Rookie Head Coach in Ato Agustin.

2. Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers - After beating the Red Lions to regain the number 2 slot, the chances of securing the number two slot seems bright for JRU, as they warm up against the Angeles University Foundation Great Danes to prepare for the big matchup against the undefeated Stags, which will be crucial to both teams placing in the standings for the Final Four. This is a big game for JRU if they wish to maintain a top two spot this season, they must get this one against the San Sebastian Golden Stags. The Bombers will end the Eliminations against the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, as they have this big chance of securing the number two slot with a lighter schedule than the Red Lions.

3. San Beda Red Lions - Losing to the Heavy Bombers does not help their campaign this season, especially on getting that crucial second spot for the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. The Lions have a chance to get back on winning track as they face the College of Saint Benilde Blazers, but then things will start to get rough as they next face the Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights, and the San Sebastian Golden Stags. The Red Lions' schedule is tougher than the Heavy Bombers but this will be a test of their character as a team heading into the Final Four as they aim to get that number two spot.

4. Colegio de San Juan Letran Knights - They pretty much have secured the number 4 slot, but it will still not be easy as their last two remaining games will be against the top 3 of the league, the San Sebastian Golden Stags and San Beda Red Lions. The Knights will be hoping that the Golden Stags will finish off the Arellano University Chiefs to secure their Final Four slot, as the chiefs will be having a pretty much light schedule. So unless an upset happens and the Knights and Chiefs will battle for a playoff spot, it is likely that the Knights will be at the number 4 slot come the end of the Elimination round.

5. Arellano University Chiefs - The guest team of the NCAA this season is making sure that their appearance in the last Philippine Collegiate Championship top 8 is no fluke, by having a 7-7 record and still having a slim chance at making the Final Four while wishing for Letran to lose its final two games, the Chiefs pretty much have a chance at it, as they start off against the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals, and then the crucial game against the San Sebastian Golden Stags, and in case of an upset and they beat the Stags, they pretty much have a light schedule as they face the University of Perpetual Help Altas and the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals to top off a successful first season appearance in the NCAA.

The UAAP Final Four Matchup

It's been two rounds of basketball, 14 games involving 8 teams, and now only four remains after all the drama, upsets and jubilance, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, Far Eastern University Tamaraws, University of the East Red Warriors, and the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers will square it out for the battle for the 2009 UAAP Basketball supremacy.

The ADMU Blue Eagles and the FEU Tamaraws have a twice to beat advantage against the UST Growling Tigers and the UE Red Warriors respectively. However, with the on-court drama and even off the court, this is starting to heat up between the participants and it is time to breakdown the matchup of the Final Four teams.

Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles vs. University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers

A reminiscent of the 2006 Championship. Similarly to the 2006 Championship, the Tigers are fighting for survival as the Blue Eagles have a twice-to-beat advantage. The Tigers have never lost a do-or-die game under coach Pido Jarencio's tenure with the team, but the Tigers are not looking so well heading into Sunday, as they have lost 3 straight games to finish the Eliminations at 6-8, as the Blue Eagles dominated the Elimination round with a 13-1 slate.

As the defending champions, the Blue Eagles will be spearheaded by Eric Salamat and last year's MVP and Smart Gilas member, Rabeh Al-Hussaini. Unlike in 2008 where they had Chris Tiu stepping up in the crucial moments, the Eagles will be expecting Salamat to carry them this time around, as his scoring and defense will surely of big help to the Eagles' cause. Meanwhile, Coach Norman Black will want Rabeh to be dominating the paint with Nonoy Baclao against the thin frontline of the Tigers. While it is expected that Salamat and Rabeh will carry the scoring load, it is crucial for the Blue Eagles' shooters Jai Reyes, Eman Monfort and Kirk Long to hit the long three's, while Baclao and Al-Hussaini needs to assert their presence inside and take advantage of their height to keep the Tigers out of their game, especially Ababou, Mirza and Teng. It will be best for Ateneo to slow the tempo down and not be tempted to the Tigers' running game, as the Blue Eagles does not want to give Ababou, Mirza and Teng a spark on their offense and running game.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will be led by the Smart Gilas member and MVP candidate Dylan Ababou, Khasim Mirza and the uprising rookie Jeric Teng. As for the Tigers, Pido Jarencio needs to make sure Ababou, Mirza and Teng gets it going on offense, while the team must double its effort on defense, particularly on Al-Hussaini and Salamat while closing out the shooters of Ateneo to have themselves a chance. It is also crucial for Chris Camus to avoid foul trouble, as the Tigers' frontline is not as deep compared to the Blue Eagles. The Tigers also has to make sure they get the defensive boards and not let the twin towers of Ateneo to score on putbacks and second chance points, and by getting rebounds, this could ignite a fastbreak opportunity to spark their offensive game. For the Tigers to have a better chance of defeating the Blue Eagles, Jeric Fortuna and Camus must play their hearts out, and Fortuna needs to make smart decisions on the court and hit the threes, as Camus needs to assert himself inside to make Al-Hussaini and Baclao feel that this will not be a walk in the park inside.

Prediction: Blue Eagles beats the Tigers on first try.

Far Eastern University Tamaraws vs University of the East Red Warriors

When I said earlier that even off the court, there is drama, I mean this. Mark Barroca goes out of FEU campaign this season and will focus on Smart Gilas and his studies instead due to game-fixing allegations on him. Looks like Barroca did not like the accusation, and decided to quit altogether in the middle of the season, which means this puts a dent on the Tamaraws' campaign after they finished the eliminations with a 11-3 record and opens up a chance for the Red Warriors to get a Finals slot this season, who ended with a 10-4 slate.

Now that the Tamaraws' will not be expecting Smart Gilas co-captain Mark Barroca's services, expect Glen Capacio's players to shift their offense with RR Garcia and Aldrech Ramos. Garcia needs to create plays for his teammates and himself to keep the Tamaraws' offense flowing, and the defense will be kept in check with the presence of Reil Cervantes and Ramos inside. JR Cawaling needs to step up his offensive game and Paul Sanga needs to hit those three point shots while Ramos should keep his game by moving without the ball and scoring on putbacks or pick n' rolls and Reil Cervantes must assert himself inside. For the Tamaraws', their chances now depends on Garcia, and partly on Jens Knuttel to step-up on playmaking duties, and while the Tamaraws' might be shocked that Barroca just quitted, this could be Garcia's chance to shine on the biggest stage of the season.

Meanwhile, Barroca's absence means the chances of the Red Warriors looks as good as ever. The free-flowing offense of coach Lawrance Chongson is starting to bloom, as evidenced by beating the Tamaraws' in their second meeting and by having a 6-game winning streak heading into the Final Four. Paul Lee, Pari Llagas and Elmer Espiritu will surely carry the Red Warriors offense. Lee needs to maintain on doing good decisions on the court while being more consistent on his scoring, as Llagas, like Cervantes needs to assert himself inside the court, and Espiritu's job will be similar to Ramos, by moving off the ball and aiming for those offensive rebounds and get second chance points. The battle of the frontline of the two teams will be interesting as Llagas-Espiritu and Cervantes-Ramos plays similar roles. Val Acuna needs to make sure that he uses the opportunity Paul Lee will be creating for him and score in bunches. The Red Warriors also has to make sure to stop RR Garcia, as most likely be the focal point of the Tamaraws' offense now that Barroca is out of the Tamaraws' lineup. This will be a battle of who wants to win more as teams are pretty similar in talent, although the favor now shifts slightly to UE after the Barroca debacle.

Prediction: UE will take this one, but this will go down the wire.

James Yap Interview on China, FIBA Asia 2009

Well, since I am still taking my time to post something on this blog, will post one of the more popular players in Philippine Basketball being interviewed during the FIBA Asia 2009 in Tianjin, China, James "Hotdog... You know hotdog?" Yap

Click the url below to see the interview.

http://sports.qq.com/a/20090812/000432.htm

This is quite late but.. better late than never!