Bulls-Heat 2013 NBA Playoffs Preview

  

What do you expect from a team playing without their star point guard for the entire season, 2 starters out due to injuries, a starting center playing with plantar fasciitis and 2 key reserves also dealing with injuries, playing in a pivotal Game 7 on a hostile crown in Brooklyn.

I’d probably say, “What else could go wrong? Look at the bright side, at least we reached Game 7 despite missing our key cogs.”

Think again folks. As the saying goes, the basketball is round my friend.

No one ever see this coming. Not even Nostradamus could predict this turn of events.

It’s not about talent and payroll. It’s about heart and will.

Bannered by the hurting Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls played with great desire and passion despite their backs behind the wall to win Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Down and battered, the Bulls were never rattled and proved their identity as warriors all over again.

When the going gets tough,the tough gets going. Given the odds of playing without a true point guard for the most of the series, Noah carried the team on his shoulders as he delivered an epic performance in his hometown. Dubbed as spoiled and immature, Noah silenced his critics as he gutted his team out of peril and now face a new challenge in Miami Heat.

It would be interesting to see how the role players of Chicago, some of which has limited playoff experience fare against the King in Lebron James and his robin-batgirl tandem in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

This is also the redemption of 2 aging veterans of Chicago to make their mark in the playoffs. Carlos Boozer and Nate Robinson, who both shared criticism from the past now found themselves in the perfect position to turn it around. Labeled as choker during last year’s playoffs, Boozer came out with a vengeance by emerging as the focal point of offense for the Bulls. Robinson meanwhile, who has been known as being wild and immature, steps in for 2 injured point guards to provide stability and scoring punch for the injury-prone Bulls

Chicago bucked the odds against Brooklyn. This time around, they need more than heart but perhaps luck and the help from the basketball Gods.

After winning his fourth MVP plum, Lebron James also has his eyes on the prize for the second straight year. The enormous odds are on Miami’s favor, with home court advantage plus the fact Chicago is playing short-handed and James draws the sophomore Jimmy Butler as his assignment.

Lebron will be Lebron. His numbers will continue to fascinate us fans on how we will remember him as probably the greatest player that ever played the game. The questions remain how the Bulls will contain the other role players of Miami. Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Shane Battier will have their hands full against the emergence of Marco Belinelli, Nate Robinson, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler.

Will over talent. This is the battle cry of Chicago in the first round. This time though, they have a simple request. Let the lady luck be on their side and hopefully have the stars aligned for them in order to dethrone the King and his muggles.

With their $94 Million star guard in Derrick Rose out for the playoffs, this will the Bulls testament whether they could get past Miami without their star guard. We’ve seen warriors from the past, Willis Reed to Michael Jordan, to Paul Pierce and to David Lee, and even Joakim Noah. But with the decision of Rose to sit the entire playoffs despite being cleared to play, it just questions Rose’s motive as a franchise player.

It’s hunger and will against talent and payroll again. The question that hangs in the balance is: who wants it more? Who is hungrier? Can over-achieving team in Chicago survive and advance to Eastern Conference Finals against the well-predicted-to-win-it-all in Miami Heat.

To make this series even better, it’s a battle between two sci-fi characters look-alike. It’s Gollum(Noah) versus King Kong(Lebron). 

Kidding aside, let the battle of ugly looking… err.. change that…. Battle for a slot in Eastern Conference Finals begin.

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NBA Basketball: Giant Killers

2 years ago, the Memphis Grizzlies made headlines by becoming the fourth number 8 seeded team in the playoffs to upset the number 1 team, which was the San Antonio Spurs back then.

They were considered as a Cinderella team back then as they were able to push OKC Thunder to seven games before bowing out.

This year, history is repeating itself. Memphis Grizzlies is making some noise in this year’s playoffs.

Playing with a sense of urgency after being quickly down 0-2 against the Clippers, Memphis came back roaring, winning the last 4 games to advance to Western Conference Semifinals and earn a rematch with Oklahoma Thunder. Their physical type of game worked harmoniously, outrebounded the Clippers the last 4 games and their key guys finally went to work.

Z-Bo and Marc Gasol went back to work, simple as that.

They could as well thank the basketball gods as Blake Griffin suffered a high ankle sprain during a freakish incident during practice prior to the crucial Game 5.

From that point on, things have never been the same for the Clippers. Seems like destiny smiled upon Memphis.

Not only did they crush the best season in Clippers’ franchise history, they also nixed and jeopardized the contract extension of star point guard Chris Paul, whom since day one has declared he wants to play for a winner.

Now, they face a team who was considered to win it all this season. They face a dilemma knowing that this was the team that pushed them to the limit and broke their hearts 2 years ago. They will also face the same team without their star point guard, Russell Westbrook.

Again, could it be the basketball gods are smiling upon them and the term “destiny” is beginning to preach itself?

When the Grizzlies decided to dump the contract of Rudy Gay and traded him to Toronto in a three-way trade last January, fans expect that this team will be on a fire sale and their downfall is on the horizon. Yet, things turned out better as they were able to unload a ball-hog with a hefty contract in exchange for a veteran who was known for his humongous block on Reggie Miller during 2004 Eastern Conference Finals in Tayshaun Prince.

Prince turned out to be the defensive catalyst that the Grizzlies needed. They decided to let O.J. Mayo walked prior to the start of the season and hoped to develop Jarred Bayless and Quincy Pondexter into the role of a scoring shooting guard.

Yet, it worked.

Not to mention the brilliance of Lionel Hollins, whom he incorporated his system into one fitting NBA team which resembles the term “Giant Killer”. With a dominating presence of Marc Gasol to the impending talent of Zach Randolph, to the development of floor general in Mike Conley, Memphis has finally matured and has become an elite basketball unit on the court.

This is their dance. On the grandest floor which is the playoffs, this is the perfect time for them to show what they’re really made of. Years of frustration are now behind them and their looming future looks bright thanks largely to the improved play of Gasol and Conley.

“We don’t bluff”. This is the statement that the Grizzlies have handed out in their towels.

Indeed they don’t bluff. After what we’ve seen the past few games, it makes us wonder which giant they’ll take down.

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Get Your Big-Boy Pants On !

Another cat and mouse affair has transpired in the season of LA Lakers. Beside losing and coaching change, the controversial theme for this week falls on Pau Gasol.

Gasol struggled mightily for second straight game and was benched the final minutes of the game against Orlando, which they lost 113-103. Afterwards, Kobe Bryant calls out Gasol, adding fuel to the fire on what has been a beleaguered season for the Lakers.

Via CBS Sports:

"Pau has to make some adjustments, obviously, to his game. He might not be posting up as much as he likes, but he just has to adjust. 

"The reality is, I've adjusted. I've never run this many screen-and-rolls in my entire life. But I've worked on it. I've worked on handling the ball; worked on coming off screens and making plays. I'm used to being in the post much, much more. You have to adjust; you have to master what it is we're trying to do here. Pau's talented enough and good enough to be able to do that." [...] 

"Put your big-boy pants on," Kobe said with a trace of disgust in his voice. "C'mon ... just adjust. You can't whine about it or complain about it. Heck, I'm 34 years old, and I'm running screen-and-rolls out there because Steve is out, and my ass is running up and down the court more than I ever have in my entire career. But you have to adjust to it."

Put your big-boy pants on” Another ranting from the franchise player. A combative call-out directly intended for Gasol to wake up a sleeping giant.

It’s evident that Gasol have struggled adjusting to D’Antoni’s system. His run-and-gun, up-tempo offense doesn’t suit the style the Lakers are currently running. Gasol is a smart player. He plays finesse basketball and has been proven efficient on his post moves. With the run and gun style of D’Antoni plus limited post touches in the post simply puts a dent on the struggling season of Gasol.

Kobe delivered this message for one reason: Play basketball. Adjust what is given to. Gasol is way too good of a basketball player not to adjust. He thrived in Memphis. He even excelled under Phil Jackson and there’s no reason why he can’t adjust to D’Antoni. Despite the age and health, Gasol remains one of the best power forwards ever played the game and there are optimisms among fans that he will revive to his old dominant self.

Lakers always find a way to lose. From shooting horrendous from the foul line (thanks Dwight), to allowing opponents to score 40 points in the fourth quarter and to benching one of their key cogs, Lakers should stop finding excuses and work harder. Chemistry is the name of the game and clearly, they don’t have it.

For the Lakers to succeed, they should bend-over-backwards. Do whatever it takes to win, even sacrificing their game for the sake of the team. Come hell or high water, Lakers should stick together, find their flaws and stop calling out people.

Or better yet, start shooting better from the foul line. The mellow drama of Lakers just continues to roll.

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New York Knicks: Dawn Of A New Era

The New York Knicks have been in the NBA industry for 6 decades. 60 years of hard playing basketball and with only 2 championship titles to show for. Yet, despite it’s futility, it’s hard to imagine how these fans were able to embrace the culture of this team.

History and highlights will never be short for this franchise. From Willis Reed’s gutsy limping appearance during the Game 7 of 1970 finals wherein he shouldn’t play due to severe thigh injury, to the Allan Houston miracle floater to lead the number 8 seeded Knicks eliminated the number 1 seed Miami Heat in 1999 playoffs and well to the frantic Reggie Miller’s 8 points in a span of 8.9 seconds to beat the Knicks in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Led by Patrick Ewing, the Knicks were winning back then. In 1985, He led a rebuilding franchise into one of the most feared teams to reckon with. During the 90’s, Ewing was considered as one of the best centers ever played the game and has led the Knicks into playoff contention every year. Sad case, Ewing wasn’t able to give Knicks the desired championship after playing 15 seasons. Despite the setback, Knicks remained as competitive as ever. 

But in 2003, the biggest culprit in franchise history has been born.

Dark age had come to New York.

It was a period of chaos and travesty. The Knicks have hired Isaiah Thomas as president of basketball operations. Thomas dealt for high-profile players in Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis which all went for naught. He signed fringe players such as Jerome James, Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries to a head turning, eyebrow raising and God-knows-why contract only to see these three players sat on the rotted bench. Who would also forget Thomas decision to draft Ronaldo Balkman ahead of Rajon Rondo?

  

Well, Thomas did help the Knicks something. They have the highest payroll in the league during the 2005-2006 season wherein they also have the second worst record in the league.

Sarcastic? So much for the saying, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Even Spiderman would be disgusted on the ghastly decisions of Thomas.

After 5 gruesome years of losing, Knicks management has seen enough. In 2008, Donnie Walsh was hired to replace Thomas. Walsh laid out a plan to revive a dying franchise. He without delay traded high-profile players for expiring contracts hoping to clear significant salary space. And yet he did. In 2010 and his biggest signing, Walsh signed Amare Stoudamire to a $100 Million for 5 years. In that same year, he traded for Chauncy Billups and Carmelo Anthony. That was the last move of Walsh before resigning.

From that point, the Knicks were a playoff-team again.

After 2 seasons of 1^st round playoff exit with only one win to show for, it’s back to the drawing board. Knicks just pushed the panic button. Despite the hype of Linsanity, they’ve decided not to resign Jeremy Lin. Instead, they signed a bunch of aging veterans in Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace. Knicks are hoping these veterans could provide leadership and guidance to a fast-rising young team.

But the early stage of 2012 season’s saga started bleak with Stoudamire starting the season on the injured list.

The result? No problem. The Knicks are winning again. Thanks largely to the regular season MVP leader in Carmelo Anthony.

In a game perceived to be a team game, superstars nowadays are forming allegiance to win the elusive championship ring. Lakers have their avengers, Fantastic 4 invades Miami and Clippers suddenly became Gotham City with their batman and robin tandem. As for the Knicks, they have their Man of Steel.

Less is more. Having one potent offensive threat and a bunch of role players has finally solved the formula for a losing franchise. It’s a common misconception for managers to stack their rotation by having two or more potent offensive guys to improve the team yet it always turned out to be a bust.

Anthony has an uncanny way of leading this Knicks team. His game has finally matured. His mantra is to score yet try to look open teammates for better scoring opportunity and rarely forces bad shots. 14 games into the season, Anthony is averaging close to 27 points per game and shooting 46% from the field. In 3 seasons with the Knicks, this is his best year number-wise.

Chemistry. This is what Anthony’s game has been telling us. He doesn’t need Stoudamire in his Knicks team. Him being the focal point of the offense is enough, evident to what he had equally done in Denver. Despite Anthony and Stoudamire claims that they could co-exist with one another, they just can’t. In their case, 2 negatives can’t be a positive. Now that Stoudamire is injured, Anthony is delivering that statement in a bold way and that is leading Knicks to victories.

Anthony has relish in his bite-off-more-you-can-chew role in New York. In some way, he has a paradox way of playing basketball. Fans have labeled him as a selfish player, ball hog and a terrible teammate whenever they lose. However whenever they win, Anthony is a matinee idol for basketball, star player, great competitor and many more. One thing that drives Anthony this year is the fact his 3 buddies in his draft class and teammates in US Olympics team have won the elusive championship. Wade has won twice while Lebron and Bosh won theirs a year ago.

Starting the season 6-0 with victories over powerhouse teams in Miami and San Antonio, Anthony had given Knicks fan a sigh of relief. The Isaiah Thomas tenure is over. The rising impatience of Knicks fans has settled down and a once beleaguered franchise is on the rise once again. For every wins the Knicks mustered, it was a step further from repenting what Thomas caused them during his tenure. This was the reward that Walsh expected when he took the job and lastly, this is what Ewing envisioned after deciding to call it a career.

Quoting from an Alicia Keys song, “In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do. The lights will inspire you”. Yes, in New York, this is the place where Carmelo Anthony will place his legacy, which is why he wanted to be traded here in the first place.

This is the new era, the Carmelo Anthony era.

One fact is certain: Spike Lee will be on the courtside supporting his beloved Knicks.

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PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ 4: The Primer

After 3 blockbuster fights, 36 rounds and 108 minutes of pound-for-pound boxing, the debate on who is the better fighter between Pacquiao and Marquez remains to be unseen.

Enter the fourth part of the Pacquiao-Marquez saga.

Manny Pacquiao will face Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012(December 9, Manila Time) at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The two fighters continue their colorful rivalry that has been considered as one of the longest and fiercest this decade.

All three previous fights have been intriguing and controversial. In their first fight dating back last May of 2004, the fight was ruled a draw despite the fact Pacquiao knocked down Marquez thrice in the first round and winning majority of the rounds. To add fuel to the fire, judge Burt Clemens later admitted that he scored the knockdown incorrectly and that Pacquiao should have won that fight.

4 years later, their second fight was more intriguing. Pacquiao won the fight via split decision. Pacquiao floored Marquez once on the third round and it was all it takes to give Pacman the win. Despite the fact that numbers favor Marquez when it comes to percentage of punches landed and thrown, analysts said that Pacquiao still won the fight. It was also this night that Pacquiao has shrugged off the idea of another Pacquiao-Marquez rematch.

Lastly, their third fight was the most intriguing. Pacquiao won via majority decision that led to negative reactions and speculations from boxing analysts all over the world. Even our own boxing experts, Ronnie Nathanielsz and Ed Tolentino shared the same opinions, as they thought Pacquiao should have lost the fight and that Marquez was robbed off of his victory.

Pacquiao will always be remembered as one of the best, if not the best pound-for-pound boxer of all time. He is currently a 7-time champion, was named fighter-of-the-decade and has been ranked as one of the greatest boxers ever existed along with the most arrogant, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao has the power, speed and stamina. He is also a smart boxer and chooses his punches carefully. Speed has been his greatest arsenal coupled with a terrific footwork and perfect timing for counterpunches that made him very dangerous. He is very patient on the offensive end and has a high tolerance of pain that also makes him hard to knock out. His left hook still remains to be his knockout punch and he still has enough power to put anyone to sleep at any given ring.

But the question remains: how long will Pacquiao be able to do it?

Pacquiao is now at the tail end of his career. He’s 34 years old and has repeatedly said that this will be his last 2 fights before he hangs his gloves and retire. We’ve seen his performance dipped. His power and speed might still be there but we all know there’s a decline in those two categories. He was not the same fighter that he once was, knocking down anybody on short notice (Hello, Ricky Hatton) and was always predicted to win the fight via knockout in 6 rounds or less. In his last 5 fights, he was not able to knock down his opponents. It’s either winning by unanimous or majority decision. His weakness has somewhat been exposed. Opponents play full defense on him, meaning backing up and refusing to engage with Pacquiao on a jab-for- jab, free-for-all boxing thus eliminating his chances of a knockdown just like what Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley and Timothy Bradley did.

Juan Manuel Marquez, meanwhile, was described as one of the best Mexican boxers of all time, joining him in the ranks of Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Chavez, Erik Morales and the golden boy himself, Oscar Dela Hoya. Nicknamed as “Dinamita”, it’s safe to say that he is considered as one the best counter punchers of the game. His career started in the featherweight division and has been circling around super featherweight, welterweight and lightweight division. In 2009, he climbed to the welterweight division to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. He eventually lost that fight but came back strong by winning his next 3 fights against Juan Diaz, Michael Katsidis and Likar Ramos, 2 via knockout before losing to Pacquiao on their third bout last year.

Facing Pacquiao for the fourth time might just do the trick. It’s evident that Marquez is desperate to fight and beat Pacquiao. Who wouldn’t after coming up short thrice, and to make the matter even scintillating is that Pacquiao has yet to hit the floor in 36 rounds of their fights. The mere fact that Marquez is a counter puncher while Pacquiao is more of an attacker shows that these two fighters has contrasting styles which makes us wonder who has the bigger advantage. It’s like an X’s to the O’s, a superman to kryptonite and a fire to an ice combination. What Pacquiao loves to do, Marquez can neutralize it. This has been going on for the past 3 fights so it’s interesting on what these two fighters have in store for us.

We’ve witnessed their bouts and it’s pretty clear to say that when these two fighters first met, we had no idea that this fight could go this far. In 2004, we’ve seen two aggressive fighters going at each other, punching like their own careers are on the line in just one fight. 8 years later, here they are again but this time closing on a their respective chapters of their careers. In their fourth and possibly the last battle, let us just hope that this fight is as good as the first three. There were no guarantees given despite the fact that age has caught up with them. Pacquiao is 34 and Marquez is 39 and their aggressive trading punches might not be as good compared to their previous fights.

Given the odds, there’s a big chance that this fight would go the distance again. 12 rounds of rough house beating between these two famed fighters. It is also worth seeing how Pacquiao bounces back from a loss. This is the perfect time for Marquez to finally get the monkey off his back and get the first and probably the last win against Pacquiao. Lastly, this is the perfect scenario for Pacquiao to prove to everyone that he’s not done yet.

Regardless of what will happen in this fight, these two fighters have given us a wonderful show in their previous bouts and it’s just fitting that these two deserves to have a colorful ending. This is their legacy towards the finish line of their successful careers.

Come December 8, we’ll get another taste of what Pacquiao-Marquez hype is all about.

But as early as now, I can’t wait for Michael Buffer to say the words “Let’s get ready to rumble!” because I’m dead ready for this fight.

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