Category: NBA

With an average of 14 players per squad multiplied by 30 teams, that’s roughly 420 total players today. Out of that number, a select few — the ‘Navy Seals of the NBA’ — make it to the All-Star game. Only 24 players, or six percent of 420, play in either the West or the East All-Stars teams. This Sunday, the day after Valentine’s, is the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game.

The East, who won last year 163-155, will be led this weekend by Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver (who replaces the injured Dwayne Wade). Their head coach is from the Atlanta Hawks, Mike Budenholzer.

The West, who trail the all-time win-loss record with 26 wins versus 37 losses, are manned by Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Stephen Curry, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard (who replaces Blake Griffin), and DeMarcus Cousins (who replaced Kobe Bryant). The Warriors’ Steve Kerr will be head coach.

The All-Star game is not the only attraction this weekend. It’s the culminating activity but there are plenty of festivities.

New York City is hosting the Feb. 13 to 15 spectacle. The two NBA teams — New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets — will be spitting the venues.

Last Dec. 16, I had the chance to be inside the Madison Square Garden, the venue of the All-Star Game this Sunday. MSG is one of the world’s most iconic of coliseums, hosting concerts (John Lennon’s final appearance was there) and the hockey team, the New York Rangers. It also hosts, sad to say, the NBA’s worst-performing team: the Knicks, who carry a 10-42 win-loss record.

Tomorrow (Friday), the weekend kicks off at the MSG with the Celebrity Game, featuring movie stars and celebrities. Over at the Barclays Center (home of the Nets), it’s the Rising Stars Challenge. According to NBA.com, “The league’s annual showcase of premier young talent will debut a format that pits 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world.”

On Saturday, all in Barclays Center, there’s plenty. The Shooting Stars. The Skills Challenge. The Three-Point Contest with Curry, Thompson, Harden, Irving, Korver, Marco Belinelli, Wesley Matthews and J.J. Redick competing. Finally, the Slam Dunk contest featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Mason Plumlee and Zach LaVine.

On Sunday, there’s the D-League All Star Game at the Barclays Center and, to cap the action, MSG’s hosting of the All-Star Game (for us, it’s scheduled at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 16).

Plus, there’s something new: the first-ever All-Star Fashion Show. No kidding. Just because we see these men all-sweaty and wearing knee-high socks, baggy shorts and high-cut Nikes, it doesn’t mean to say they don’t dress well off-court.

Produced by LeBron James himself (under his Springhill Production Co.), the “NBA All-Star All-Style” will not be purely a simple “paso-paso” (walk) like those leggy models. True to their competitive spirit, it will be a fashion competition.

Klay Thompson, James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins are expected to join others in this contest that will have an actual winner. Said the AP report: “It will have three rounds: dressing for the boardroom, a night out and attire worn to the game. The competition will start with eight players, with four advancing to the second round and the top two competing in the finals.”

Why this new concept? “NBA athletes are legitimate fashion icons, with various stars (e.g. Russell Westbrook) and notable players (e.g. Nick Young) becoming notable not just for their play on the court but their sartorial impact,” wrote Eric Freeman for Yahoo! Sports. “Some players will show up on basketball blogs just as often as they appear in the pages of GQ. Personal style is part of their public image and brand.”

On-court and on the ramp, it will be fun watching the stars.

NEW YORK — Jasmin, Jana and I watched the New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks game the other week (Dec. 16). We sat in Row 225 inside Madison Square Garden. This arena is iconic; built in 1968, its tagline reads, “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

Today, MSG hosts over 300 sporting events each year and is home to three pro teams: the Knicks, the NY Rangers (hockey) and the NY Liberty (women’s NBA). For basketball, the seating capacity is 20,000.

Entering the coliseum, I was expecting a derelict facility (given that it’s 46 years old) but was surprised to see a spanking world-class arena. Newly-renovated last year, MSG was comfortable; the seats were cushioned; on top of the basketball court was a gigantic HD screen that endlessly projected slow-motion replays, up-close shots of the players and other highlights.

When we arrived at 7:45 p.m., the players were warming-up. As the Mavs and Knicks stars were introduced, the last man to be called was the most “sikat:” Carmelo Anthony. He wore an orange bandana that was the same orange color that spread across the Knicks uniforms.

Finally, the announcer says, “Let’s… play ball!” All the lights were off. The girls danced an intro number. After the players stood ready, Margot Bingham was called to sing the national anthem. Like we see on TV, once the song reaches those last few lines, everybody sings along. Someone screamed, “Let’s go New York!” It’s wonderful to see Americans so proud of their song, people, nation.

Game on! New York had possession after the jump ball. But, like an ominous sign of the bad things to come, they didn’t even fire a shot: they were penalized after a 24-second shot violation. Bad sign! Seconds later, Tyson Chandler was lobbed an alley-hoop pass which he barreled into the ring. A slam dunk for the Mav’s first two points. Shot after shot, the Mavs wouldn’t miss. They converted on their first six attempts. No miss. After four minutes, the score was lopsided: 19-7. Chandler had one more dunk. And another. Three dunks in five minutes.
Dallas is an amazing offensive team. They lead the NBA in points, averaging 113 per game. It was evident that night: after six minutes, they amassed 27 points. Moments later, the score was 29-11. Led by Dirk Nowitzi, the Mavs led from the first minute until the last. From beyond the arc, they buried 15 of 33 three-point attempts. This wasn’t a ballgame, it was a New York massacre.

You know Americans; they’ll let you know in your face how they feel. They’re blunt and direct. And the New Yorkers let their players know how they felt. They booed. They turned quiet. The initial atmosphere of excitement was replaced by oh-no-here-it-comes-again…. another beating.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 36-24. At that point, the Mavs made 79 percent of their field goal attempts. Amazing statistic. As bad as the Knicks were, the Mavs were unstoppable — they were possessed when they possessed that ball.

The Knicks weren’t a team of five players on-court; they’re a one-player squad. Carmelo Anthony led with 26 points but that was it; everybody else was lousy. This is nowhere near the team that won the NBA crown back in 1973 (their last win) that had Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas and Phil Jackson, now the Knicks president.

But as lousy as the Knicks were, the entertainment was fantastic. Plenty of celebrities watched. Golfer Jason Dufner. Actor John leguizamo. Devon Kennard of the Giants. Even John Starks came to watch.

During timeouts, they have what’s called a “Dance Cam” where they find spectators who’ll dance and they’ll showcase their moves on the large screen. One man juggled balls. They also had these “machine guns” where they’d fire t-shirts to the crowd. One shirt was fired towards us and Jana caught it. They had a Tic Tac Toe game played by two men. They had all these side entertainment gigs to make the lousy game fun. In all, it was fun despite the Knicks losing by 20.

First District Representative Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, Jr. is now in the U.S. There for a short break to visit family and friends, the 29-year-old congressman is excited for the twin events that will happen next week.

On November 11, he’s watching the game between the Golden State Warriors and the reigning NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs. This will be at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Two nights after (Thursday next week), he’ll return to the same stadium where the Warriors will face the New Jersey Nets. I’ll get the first-hand experiences of Samsam after next week but, before that, I asked him to comment on the current NBA season.

“Overall, it is just GOOD to have high quality basketball back,” said the team manager of the University of the Visayas basketball squad.

Exciting NBA teams? Now that he’s in San Francisco, he talked about the Warriors: “New coach, new system; it showed in the first three games.” GSW is 3-0. In the Western Conference, they trail the Houston Rockets (5-0) and Memphis Grizzlies (4-0) as the only teams to sport undefeated streaks. In the East, only one team has not lost a game — and they’re playing without LeBron James. That’s the Miami Heat at 3-0.

“I like the Hornets. Bringing the name back was a great idea,” said Gullas, of this team that was previously named Bobcats. “Plus, having Michael Jordan sit on the end of the bench makes you think… Will he enter the game with 3 seconds left?”

On LeBron rejoining his former team, “It’s great to see him back home,” he said. “It’s what I thought he would do. It was the right decision.”

I next queried about the worst-performing team in the league today (0-5); a team name that is synonymous with championships and is one of the most recognizable sporting brands in the world: the Los Angeles Lakers.

“When the Lakers signed Kobe to a 2-year, $40-million plus contract, that was the beginning of the END,” said Gullas. “On the Lakers part, was it a decision to win more championships or just to get fans in Staples because of Kobe’s presence? Kobe is Kobe. Some people hate him and others praise him but he himself should have known, his contract won’t bring anyone to LA. He could have followed what Dirk did. Taking less money so they could sign Parsons.”

How about the rumor that’s circulating in the internet, of Kobe Bryant, all of 36 years very old and having stayed with the L.A. Lakers his entire career since 1996 — the gossipmongers whisper that he’ll move east to New York?

“It would be nice to shake up the East even more,” said Gullas. “Question: Will the Knicks have to trade their First Five minus Melo (Carmelo Anthony) to get Kobe? This is a rumor but I strongly believe that the Zen Master has called the Lakers about this.”

This story has inflamed excitement because of these possibilities: uniting Melo and Kobe in one doubles team plus reuniting the trio of Kobe, Derek Fisher (Knicks head coach) and Phil Jackson (Knicks president) in the Big Apple.

Gullas cites one player among the league’s hundreds. “People hate him for his aggressive style of play but I have always loved Russell Westbrook’s game. Saddened with his injury but I really thought he’d be an MVP candidate this year. By the end of the year, he’d replace Curry and Paul as the best point guard in the NBA.”

As to the top contenders, Samsam likes the Cavs/Bulls and “maybe even the Heat” for the East. As to the West, he picks Houston, Thunder, Dallas, Clippers, Memphis and, maybe he’s biased because he’s in San Francisco now and will watch their games next week, “the Warriors will be in the 2nd round or even finalists.”

The Spurs? “Always!” Final prediction: Warriors/Thunder/Spurs VS Cavs for the 2015 NBA championship.

Greg Slaughter is the Tim Duncan of the PBA. No wonder, when I texted him yesterday asking for his prediction, this was his reply: “Hey John! I think the spurs will win because they want it more this year.”

Makes sense. After that unbelievably painful experience 12 months ago when, in Game 6 of The Finals against Miami, the Spurs led by five points with 28 seconds left and, soon after, were 10 seconds from winning the NBA title before Chris Bosh rebounded a LeBron James miss then tossed the ball to Ray Allen for a three-pointer to force the overtime … which led to Miami not only winning Game 6 but also snatching Game 7 when Tim Duncan missed a layup in the final minute — ouch, that’s hurtful.

But, like any champion, defeat makes one better, not bitter. “Our guys, they actually grew from the loss last year. They showed an unbelievable amount of fortitude,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “If I can compliment my own team humbly, to have that tough loss — especially the Game 6 — and not have a pity party, and come back this year and get back to the same position. That’s fortitude.”

That’s scary — for Miami. Given that nightmare, the Spurs want it more. They’re hungrier. Plus, who knows if this will be the final year for the 38-year-old Duncan whom Greg Slaughter, in his message yesterday, calls “the ultimate efficient winning machine.”

Said Duncan in a prelude to Game 1: “We’re happy it’s the Heat again. We’ve got that bad taste in our mouths still.”

Game on! So, who’s your pick? When I meet friends and ask, the answers are varied. Some prefer the Spurs because “we want to see another team win.” Those who choose SAS agree with this analysis from NBA great Jerry West: “The Spurs are the prettiest team in basketball to watch because of their ability to pass the ball, the way they play together and the efficiency of the way they run their offense.” True. But, when I query friends, more tilt towards Miami Heat. That’s understandable; they’re more flamboyant and they possess the one-man-MJ/Magic Johnson of today. And, of course, there’s a Pinoy in the mix, Erik Spoelstra.

You know why this series is so compelling? Let’s start with Duncan. A 17-year NBA veteran, although he still has one more year to go in his $10 million contract, if he wins this month he might opt to retire.

The Big 3. There are two sets: Wade-James-Bosh and Parker-Duncan-Ginobili. Our hope is that all of them will be injury-free during the contest, especially Parker and Wade.

If Miami wins, the “Heat Three-Peat” will elevate their status as among the league’s best squads. Remember that this three-straight-wins feat has not been achieved since 2002 (by the L.A. Lakers). Plus, only two franchises have reached four straight NBA Finals, the Lakers and Celtics. “We don’t take this for granted,” said Wade, “and hopefully our fans in Miami, our supporters don’t take this for granted, neither. This is not something that happens every day.”

With LeBron, here’s an interesting fact: He can win Trophy No. 3 before he’s 30. (He turns that age this Dec. 30.) As comparison, MJ was a few months older when he did the Bulls 3-peat.

Michael Wallace of the Heat Index Blog added: “While it’s pretty much established that LeBron, at age 29, is already one of the top five talents to ever play the game, this series can fortify his legacy more than any he’s played to this stage. A win, and LeBron has done something his idol, Michael Jordan, and his biggest contemporary co-superstar, Kobe Bryant, have achieved with a three-peat. A loss drops LeBron-led teams to a 2-3 record in the Finals.”

In every one of the five Game 1s (NBA Finals) that San Antonio has played, they’ve won. On the flip side, every single Game 1 that LeBron has played on the road — he’s lost. He’s 0-7. Which means that the Spurs are sure to win tomorrow, right? Right. But if they don’t.. that’ll be a huge first punch to San Antonio. It’s a must-win for the team from the Wild, Wild West.

Of the 30 NBA teams, 29 reside in the U.S. while the Toronto Raptors are, obviously, from Canada. The 2013-14 season started last Oct. 29. Now, seven months later, it’s down to the last four.

It’s No.1 vs. No.2, in both conferences. This hasn’t happened since 2005 — when the top four seeds advanced. In fact, during the first round last month when five of the eight match-ups reached Game 7, we thought there’d be some upsets; but no, the best squads advanced.

LeBron James. Is there any doubt who’s the best? Ha-ha. Yes. There’s Kevin Durant, the undisputed MVP. But when the Playoffs arrive, nobody rises higher to the expectations than Miami’s No. 6. In the first two rounds, the Heat scored 8-1. And this was the Florida-based team that was criticized for being weaker than their previous two years? “On the outside, there’s more doubt,” said Udonis Haslem. Well, after compiling a 54-game winning record in the regular season (12 less than last year), it’s understandable for fans to be insecure. But there’s no one more secure than the South Beach players. “Within here,” adds Haslem, “we’re still confident in one another. We still know what we can do.”

It’s a rematch. Pacers-Heat. During this time 12 months ago, they reached Game 7. Twenty four months ago, Indiana led Miami in the playoffs, 2-1. But they couldn’t overtake Dwayne Wade’s team. Now it’s different. Why? Right after their Game 7 loss last year, Pacers coach Frank Vogel huddled his downtrodden players and vowed to accomplish a mission: grab the No. 1 seed and gain that home-court edge over the Heat. Mission accomplished. Will their goal to “Beat The Heat” be realized in the coming weeks?

Let’s see. What we can foresee is another nail-biting series. With games 1, 2, 5 and 7 to be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, this changes the dynamics of the contest. The question is: Which Pacers will show up? At the start, they won 16 of 17 games. Unbeatable, the journalists proclaimed. But in the end, they sputtered, closing on a 10-13 collapse and barely escaping Atlanta in the first round.

Miami is great, that’s a given. This is NBA’s version of “The Avengers.” If Indiana, led by the erratic plays of Paul George and Roy Hibbert, don’t elevate their game, it will be a routine six-game-series win for the two-time defending champs.

“In their fourth season together, the Heat know exactly who they are,” wrote John Schumann in an NBA.com piece. “They have the best player in the league, who draws the attention of the entire defense. He doesn’t force anything and he trusts his teammates. As a group, they take what the defense gives them. More importantly, the Heat don’t panic. And when you have talent, teamwork and resolve, you win big games.”

That’s in the East. Over at the West, it’s a repeat of the 2012 confrontation. It’s Tony Parker vs. Russell Westbrook; Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant. “The Spurs don’t make mistakes and instead capitalize on their opponents’ all the time,” said Adi Joseph of USA Today. “They will look to divide and conquer, forcing Westbrook and Durant onto islands without help scoring while attacking the Thunder’s inconsistent role players on both ends.” He believes that’s the key for San Antonio, who have the home-court advantage. Plus, Serge Ibaka is injured.

Still, Oklahoma has to be confident, having passed two tough rounds against Memphis (4-3) and the Clippers (4-2), including the distractions swirling around racist Donald Sterling.

“Durant and Westbrook are two of the five-or-so best players in the world,” said Adi Joseph, this time arguing in behalf of the Thunder. “No one on the Spurs can match them individually, and Leonard is the only player on the team with hopes of defending either one-on-one. The Spurs have struggled against elite athleticism this season, and the Thunder are chockful of that.” As evidence of the Spurs’ struggles, they lost all four regular season games against Durant & Co.

In all, this will be another amazing few weeks for the NBA whose slogan reads, “Where Amazing Happens.”

Play ball! After 82 regular-season games per team that started last October 29, the Sweet Sixteen of the NBA have been selected. It’s the Playoffs, beginning today! It’s two-months-long and eight of the best squads per division (East and West) have advanced. It’s a best-of-seven series per contest. The playoff format is 2-2-1-1-1. This means that games 1, 2, 5 and 7 go to the one with the home-court advantage. And, starting this season, this format (not 2-3-2) will also be used for the NBA Finals.

Can Miami win three in a row? Who will be upset in Round 1? In the KD vs. LBJ contest for the MVP crown, who wins?

I asked Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, the former team manager of the UV Green Lancers, for his thoughts. Here’s our Q & A:

What surprised you the most with the NBA’s top 16? “Charlotte Bobcats and Al Jefferson finally playing to his true potential. He finally found a team that he truly fits in. Too bad they’ve got to face the defending champs in the 1st round. New York’s bad record also surprised me. They were one of the top seeds in the East last year and were prepared to make a splash this year. It just never worked out for the Knicks. Carmelo should go the Bulls.”

Who are strongest entering the playoffs? “Miami heat. LeBron will always be a different player when it’s the playoffs. It seems like with every playoff series LeBron’s legacy will always be on the line. He’s just that good that everyone believes he will win the Larry O Brien trophy every year and a Heat exit will be a failure on his part. The Spurs are very strong contenders as well. I believe with great coaching, teamwork and great star play from Parker, Duncan and Ginobli, it’s OKC or Spurs out West.”

What do you think of the first round match-ups; which ones will be the most exciting? “I love great 1on1 match-ups especially GSW and LAC. That’s two of the best point guards of the league going at it in the first round of the playoffs. Houston and Portland seems like a very good matchup as well. Those teams are complete and play with the same mentality. They are well coached and both possess great 1-2 punches. Harden and Howard vs Aldridge and Lillard.”

Predictions? “East is an Indiana-Heat final with Heat winning in six games. They have to because if it’s game 7 on Indiana’s home floor. I don’t like their chances.”

Who are the dark-horse teams? “In the East don’t count out the Chicago Bulls. They are very good defensively and when the game starts to slow down like it does in the playoffs, I believe Chicago even without Derick Rose will give the Heat and Pacers a run for their money.”

MVP: looks like Durant has it locked up? “Locked up, no doubt. He was definitely the most valuable player for his team in the regular season. He carried the load with Westbrook out. Scoring has gone up. Assists are up. And rebounds are up. While shooting close to 50-40-90 from the field.”

What are Miami’s chances to three-peat? They’ve had the ‘worst’ regular season record compared to the previous two years. “I was disappointed that Miami didn’t lock up that number 1 seed. I hope it won’t haunt them if ever they face pacers and the series reaches game 7. But I will never count out a team that holds the best player in the planet. Heat will win against OKC or Spurs in seven or 6.”
For me, I’d always been a star-player fan. When Michael Jordan ruled the air, I was a Bulls follower. When LeBron arrived, I rooted for the Ohio-native. And, the past three years, it’s been Miami. Come June 5th when the NBA Finals begin, I’m hoping for a mano-a-mano face-off between Kevin Durant and LeBron James.