NBA- Butler to the Bucks

(Photo Courtesy of clippers.topbuzz.com) I've always been a fan of the man known as "Tuff Juice". He's recently been dealt to a Bucks team with a glut of guards and forwards. Here's to hoping he can stay healthy and provide some leadership to a young team in flux. #tuffjuice #onceamaverickalwaysamaverick

Quick Hits-Harlem Harlem Harlem

Here's a shot of the Harlem Globetrotters' Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

If we were to choose 5 Nba Players from today's league who could pass as Globetrotters, the final list would probably look like this:

Lebron James, Heat- There is no one else in the Association who so gracefully combines power, fundamentals, and showmanship better than Lebron. Like Michael Jordan, the King makes dominance look so, well, effortless to execute. Give this man a hand, please.

Chris Paul, Clippers- Paul gets the point guard nod over Steve Nash due to the age factor, over Deron Williams because of better health and consistency, and Ricky Rubio because of overall experience. Come to think of it, it's the young bucks that tend to make being reckless look like an art. I may have to give a lightly silver-plated medal to Rubio on this one. I must admit that on the level of somersaults and jumping through hoops, Rubio can come insanely close to winning this one. 

Kevin Durant, Thunder- Much like James, he can make things look smoother than mousse on cake. George Gervin may have been the "Iceman"- but this kid's a bona fide smoothie. His 3 point stroke- save maybe for Ray Allen's- is the best and most beauteous in the business. 

Derrick Rose, Bulls- Torn Acl aside, this Chicago product is the most explosive point guard in the NBA. Unlike contemporary Russell Westbrook, Rose mixes highlight reel material with enough poise to pull off the stuff that makes taking over entire ballgames possible.

and finally...

Blake Griffin, Clippers- I know, this one is a controversial pick. I realize that I have teetered on whether my selections have been more based on style or substance. In Griffin, you get a jewel of a power forward whose best is yet to come. His athleticism, mixed with a bit more polishing on fundamentals, could make him the Dominique Wilkins of his generation, or at worst, the Larry Nance of his era. On a time wherein there has to be one guy who gets paid solely to fire the cannon so to speak, Blake fits right in. Like I said, he has the potential to fire the cannon now and actually be the cannon later. That must count for something.

No, this isn't jetlag from the US back to the Philippines talking. 

MC

So Migs, How've You Been?

It's been an eventful week for me personally, and it terms of my love for sports. 

First, the Fiba Asia Championship featured a silver medal finish for the Philippines. The tourney made even bigger stars of pro ballers like Marc Pingris, Gary David, La Tenorio, and, the man most people see as our best hope for the Nba, Jason William (Castro). From there, we hop over to a rockin', albeit non-hoops event in Wwe's Summerslam Event. I had the privilege of actually watching Wwe's Flagship Pay-Per-View live at the Staples Center. I would like to thank my friends from AbsCbn and Studio 23 network for the rare opportunity to see an international Wwe Ppv live. I must say, I marked out during Cm Punk and Daniel Bryan's bouts. Can't say I did not see that coming.

Finally, we have the comebacking UAAP Season 76 games. Ateneo De Manila overcame a sluggish start versus the Adamson Soaring Falcons to nab their fourth straight win. With their recent triumph, and a recent UE Red Warriors loss to Feu in a double overtime thriller, Ateneo now shares the last Final Four slot with the same Red Warriors from Recto. Most supporters of the 5 time defending Uaap Champions have written them off for this year. Honestly, this observation has much logical basis, but then, with the standings so tight and the competition so fierce, it really is tough to totally count out any handful of teams.

Further on the UAAP, this seems to be the first time in a while that we will see a UAAP MVP Award given to player who leads the league in scoring, and in turnovers. Terence Romeo is undeniably a gifted athlete, but his penchant for turning the ball over is something that must be mitigated. Coach Nash Racela has clearly given the Anime-haired phenom the green light to shoot, but he could stand to pass a bit more, and make good passes when he does pass. Like many of the great scorers, I believe that he will learn to give up the rock and share the wealth more as his career progresses. In a league where it can be tough to find a gray area between uber team play and extreme one-on-one theatrics, Romeo can fit right in. I am not out to light a fire under what already was a heated (and rather outlandish) Twitter war between the Feu standout and former Ateneo cager Nico Salva, but rather, to point out that a gold-standard player's luster could shine even more with a bit of tweaking.

No harm done, right? 

And with that, I am out- just like Dwight Howard is in La La land. His jerseys were on sale at 30-50% off at Lids and Adidas in LA! 

MC

Hoopsscoop Hoops Break- Live from Wwe Summerslam

Your resident hoops guy coming to you LIVE from WWE Summerslam! 

LA is a hoops town, but man, Californians love their wrestling, too! 

This is my first time to watch a WWE PPV in the US, and my goodness, has this been an awesome experience or what? 

What do LA hoops and WWE have in common? Tune in to find out. 

Brock vs Punk ongoing. Amazing stuff.

MC

How Smart Gilas Pilipinas Has Changed Philippine Basketball By Miguel Cortez

Years ago, when Pinoys competing on basketball’s world stage was nothing more than an afterthought, I turned to my father- a fellow basketball junkie- for his thoughts on what the powers-that-be ought to do to try and give the Philippines a fighting chance with regards to the halcyon days of Philippine Basketball come to the fore once again. “Kailangan ng malaki, and shooters (we need big men and shooters)” my dad exclaimed. “ The shooters are of particular importance, because what we lack in height, we can compensate for by spreading the floor through a torrent of 3s.” I have grown up in an era where the Philippines has had on its international basketball rosters players whose ethnicity has been half Filipino, half something else. This era has also been a bit of a “Twilight Zone” for bigs, one which has featured 6,6” or 6,7” cagers- formerly lumbering big men good for banging, rebounds, and chippies near the rim, going coast to coast for dunks, and, flying and zipping by opposing players as, err, guards. Suffice to say, Juan Dela Cruz’s brand of hoops has evolved more than we ever thought it could. Enter the recently concluded 27th Fiba Asia Championship, and what you get is the evolution of Filipino basketball as a case-in-point. China failed to qualify for the Fiba World Championship, as Chinese Taipei’s hot shooting and freewheeling style shocked them like a bucket of ice water on a summer’s day. Perennial favorites Iran won the entire tournament, but, was given a run for its money in the final by a gritty Gilas squad. Ranidel De Ocampo- all 6,7” of him- did its best to outwit, outplay, outlast, and yes, box out, a 7 foot, 2 inch behemoth of a man known as Hamed Hadadi. Jimmy Alapag was steady in the dying minutes of games, and was as clutch as one could ever be. Japeth Aguilar, while still noticeably lacking a consistent midrange game, was a pogo stick on defense- blocking or altering shots, clouding normally sunny days for shooters and slashers with Kevin Garnett-like efficiency. And Marc Pingris. How can we say enough about Ping’s heart? On a bum ankle, and filling in for Marcus Douthit in spots against much larger opponents, Pingris dove for loose balls, knocked in some key floaters, and displayed the grit and determination of a lion and the guts of somebody who “just doesn’t give a damn” about artsyness and flair. With Pingris, it was all hard work, and all about results. A silver medal sparkles not like gold would, but, it sparkles nonetheless. This is a huge development for a country whose basketball program has been marred by controversy, heartbreak, and a plain lack of size (not skill). Our basketball genes have evolved as would an animal species. “Life (has) found a way”, as Scientist Alan Grant from the film Jurassic Park once commented upon seeing hatched dinosaur eggs in an all-female dinosaur park. Pinoy Hoops has found a way to prevail over political, and physical, challenges. The victory has “flipped the stove open” so to speak. It has instilled a sense of confidence that normally makes people say- “Hey, I didn’t know we could get things done like this.” Suddenly, people are talking Olympics, talking medals. Some say we’re aiming way too high. I say we aim high, risk it all, take it from the top. That’s the way to go. After all, nobody ever won the “big one” without knowing all about the pain that defines failure. Jordan’s Bulls against the Pistons, the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the 1990’s, the Philippine National Basketball Teams of eras past (over the last 20 years especially). Murals line some parts of Metro Manila with “pride statements” such as “Janitor po.” and “Cashier po.” Instead of declarations of identity that are said with one’s head down, such as “Janitor lang po.” Basketball is headed that way for the Philippines. It’s on the upward slope of the hoops parabola. Might as well ride the wave. A renewed confidence has been infused into the hearts and minds of our country- undoubtedly one of, if not, the most basketball-mad nation in the world. Here’s to hoping, too, that the greed and myopic perspectives of some don’t get in the way of progress. Somewhere, an adult who can’t play the game anymore because of age, or other circumstances, suddenly rekindles his passion for the game. Jersey and kicks on, reenactment of an endgame situation in full swing. Somewhere, a little kid is picking up a basketball for the first time, thus, starting yet another hoops odyssey, another unwavering basketball dream. MC

A Special Announcement

A special announcement... For the next few days, hoopscoopno1.blogspot.com will be part of a special coverage of an event in a hoops town which, ironically, is not hoops related. It will be epic nonetheless. Stay tuned for more. MC

Fiba Asia Final: Gaping Hole

Gaping hole in the middle for Gilas. Gilas now feeling absence of Marcus Douthit inside. Hamed Hadadi dominating every play. Iran by 14 with 7:35 remaining. 

4th Quarter-- Fiba Asia 2013 Final

Smart Gilas is having a tough time getting through Iran's zone. Shooters covered. Size advantage to Iran. 

Final period on now.

MC

Fiba Asia- Korea Takes The Bronze Medal

Korea has nabbed the third spot in the 27th Fiba Asia Championship to the tune of 75-57 over the hotshots from Chinese Taipei. Kim Minguo paced Korea with 21 points, while the Koreans' athletic bigs stifled Taiwan's shooters into going on their second straight sour shooting night. 

The bronze medal finish guarantees the Koreans a spot in the 2014 Fiba World Basketball Tournament in Spain. 

Up next- Smart Gilas Pilipinas vs Iran. Can Gilas contain Hadadi inside? Can Gilas continue its hot shooting? How bad are the injuries to Marcus Douthit and Marc Pingris? 

History is set to unfold- again.

Back in 58.

MC

FIBA ASIA: Philippines Makes History

For the first time decades, the Philippines has qualified for the FIBA World Basket Tourney and has put itself in a position to become Asia's unanimous basketball champion. 

As a Filipino, I must say that I got goosebumps. One Nation, One Team. Amazing. Proud to be Pinoy. 

Today, do excuse me for not even trying to be an impartial blogger- today more than any other.

In the Fiba Asia Finals, a mighty Iranian team awaits. Tall order (literally and figuratively), but after today, it feel like anything is possible with this Gilas Team- easily this edition of the Fiba Asia Tournament's Cinderella squad.

#LabanPilipinas

FIBA ASIA, match 1-- Iran, Iran. Iran

Iran has size, length, shooting, defense. This team's complete. 

Taipei's been umbrella-ed all game long. No easy shots. No swing passes for 3's.

And oh, they have Hamed Ehadadi. 

One wall to dominate basketball. 

Enough said.

MC

FIBA Asia: A Nip and Tuck Affair

A lights out shooting display by Kim Ming Guo has brought Korea back. 76-74 lead.

Fiba Asia Semifinals: Korea leads at Halftime

After 2 quarters, Korea leads Team Pilipinas to the tune of 39-36. 

Observations:

1) Korea is winning the pick and roll, quickness battle: Double screens, dribble handoffs, baseline back cuts- Korea is making Gilas eat its dust off of sets and long misses. With its bevy of shooters and slashers, its actually within 3 at halftime.

What's kept Gilas in the game its hustle in the paint and its ability to draw fouls off of shots. 

What's kept Gilas on the outside looking in would be its slow rotations, and its predictable offense. Once to the well too many times for dribble handoffs to the right. Douthit's knee injury has not helped Gilas' offense that has stagnated (after a 32 point first period versus Kazakhstan) because of reliance on one-on-one forays to the hoop and 3 point shooting. 

3rd quarter underway.

MC

FIBA Asia- Korea vs Gilas Pilipinas : History's Door Ajar For the Philippines

Tonight- a chance at history for the Philippines as it embarks on its quest for its first Olympic berth in over 30 plus years.

Keys to the Game:

1) Quick Perimeter D: This is where Japeth Aguilar and Gabe Norwood can and will likely shine. Aguilar's length should bother any Korean excursions to the hoop, and ocassionally, should be able to negate open looks from 15-20 feet. Norwood's ability to play a Shawn Marion-esque role by locking down the opposing squad's top scorer, has been invaluable in the 27th Fiba Asia Tournament. Tonight, he should reprise his role as Gilas' top perimeter defensive ace amidst Korea's drive and kick motion offense. 

2) Long Toms: Larry Fonacier and Jeff Chan are Gilas' top gunners from 3 point land, and for us to beat Korea, we need stellar shooting games from them. Our offense is predicated on a bevy of picks and kick outs from traps on our bigs so, to put it simply - no trey, no way. 

3) Maintain a Slow Pace to the Game: This should help establish Marcus Douthit down low. Douthit may be nursing a minor knee ailment, but the former Lakers draft choice still has the ability to create in the low post. In case Gilas' perimeter shooting goes off kilter, then we dump the ball to the big man inside and hope for chip shots and points from the line. 

4) Man to Man D: We went Zone with Chinese Taipei, which allowed their quicker, sharper, perimeter guns to go semi-automatic on us. Korea plays a similar style, and so, the only way to prevent wide open treys would be to play honest man-to-man D, which I believe we can do quite ably. What we lack in speed, we can make up for with decent box outs and discpline on footwork on rotations. 

5) El Grande, Mucho Gusto: Gary David's 22 points against Kazakhstan should not be an aberration. His ability to create off the dribble and on shots going to the rim and off of screens is crucial in ensuring that Gilas does not go through offense droughts like they've had the tendency to have especially towards the ends of halves and the ends of first quarters.

History COULD be made tonight. 

This is going to be a slugfest. 

Korea and The Philippines up in a bit. 

#LabanPilipinas

MC

Halftime: Gilas leads Kazakhstan

Gilas leads. Shooting's on. Drive and kick and swing to perfection. 

This could be our first step to the title!

#LabanPilipinas

Fiba Asia: Taiwan upsets China

In a stunner, Chinese Taipei has defeated defending Fiba Asia Champion, China, 96-78. Chinese Taipei is now set to play Iran in the seminfinals. 

China's twin towers lineup lorded it over the Taiwanese in the first half of the match. In the 3rd period, Taipei cut into the Chinese's lead with three point shooting, stifling zone defense, and quick slashing to the basket. 

Quincy Davis led Taipei with 26 points, while China was paced by former NBA-er Yi Jianlian. 

54 minutes and change before Gilas Pilipinas plays Kazakhstan. It's win or go home time! 

Winner plays Korea or Qatar in the Semis. 

#LabanPilipinas

RP over HK in a thriller- Fiba Asia 2013

The Philippines prevails over Hong Kong in a come from behind victory, 67-55. 

Big win for the Nationals, who improve to a 4-1 slate. 

Improvements over the course of the ballgame:

-Gilas finally realized late the 3rd that with poor shooting, comes a need to take the ball to the rack. LA Tenorio started the rally with some big plays by drawing defenses to one side of the paint then making nifty passes, or knocking in timely lay-ins. Marcus Douthit came up huge off of low post excursions, at times scoring at well against a clearly undersized Hong Kong frontline. 

Smart decision- Gilas lessened the outside swing passes, and instead cut more to the hole. 

They could benefit from slightly reduced isolation plays though, with taller and more fundametally sound players from Iran and China lying in wait.

-More aggressiveness going to the hole. When the perimeter game goes sour, sweet forays to the hoop always create for more primary conversions and second chance points. 

Here's to Gilas' continued success!

#LabanPilipinas

MC

halftime- Fiba Asia Hk vs RP

At the half of the middle game of the Evening Session of the FIBA Asia Championship, upstart Hong Kong finds itself leading over the Philippines, 33-28. 

Observations:

-Hong Kong's pick and roll game has saved them from a poor perimeter shooting game. Center Duncan Reid has scored on several easy excursions to the hoop courtesy of sharp passes of the former British Territory's guards. Hong Kong's wingmen have also scored on a few easy swings to the basket. These kinds of conversations are cardinal sins in a game as low scoring as the one we have tonight.

-The Philippines is being horribly late on defensive switches. Furthermore, the Philippines has not been all that diligent on cutting to the basket. Perimeter thermometer reads ICE COLD, so the Nationals would be best served to exploit the slashin prowess of Jason Castro and Gabe Norwood of off Marcus Douthit double teams. 

-Draw fouls. Take hits. Gilas needs this.

Box out box out box out. 

-Winner will be the higher scorer in a race to 65. 

MC

Hoop Dreams: Rinse, Repeat

I remember reading articles recently about who the best basketball players in the world had looked up to growing up. 

In rhe case of Yao Ming, it was Shaquille O'Neal, the 4 time NBA Champion who was a behemoth on the court, but not so much so as a rapper and actor. For His Airness, Michael Jordan, he grew up watching David Thompson. No surprise, then, that Jordan, whose clutch exploits were overshadowed only by his high flying gymnastics at the rim, would somehow take on some of Thompson's moves both as a collegiate star in North Carolina and as a member of the fabled  Bulls teams of the 90s. 

We all have our hoops heroes. In my case, it was Larry Bird, and current Dallas Mavericks franchise forward Dirk Nowitzki. Bird played a style that always flustered his opponents. Just ask Xavier McDaniel. The Hick from French Lick, who could jump a wee bit off of the floor, had a shooting form akin to a shotput toss, and a determination that saw him play through back injuries, and countless bumps and bruises incurred on the parquet floor of the old Boston Garden, outhustled and outplayed most of his opponents- from fringe to flounder to fast blowing breeze. He evolved into one of the best- even if at first glance, he didn't quite look it. 

Dirk Nowitzki came into the NBA fresh off of a promising McDonalds World Basketball Tourney which featured him playing stellar ball for his native Germany. As a gangly, long haired rookie on Mavericks team that had hanging on its back a culture of losing, Dirk struggled through his first few years in the league. Seemingly outsped, outmatched, and overwhelmed, Dirk, accounts say, constantly thought of quitting and taking the next flight home to the land of Audi and Schublig. 

Fast forward to the present day, and Nowitzki is an NBA Champion, former league MVP, and the Dallas Mavericks' all time leading scorer. Someone chop off some granite off of a mine, please, and save the chunk for a Dirk statue, will ya? 

Basketball often teaches us that nothing is impossible when you are fueled by a dream, and when you have a heap of the right kind of guidance in your ingredient book. The cycle followed by those who have reached hoops nirvana has been a constant- inspired, desire, perspire, execute, inspire. It is a beautiful thing. 

Rinse. Repeat. Now doesn't that make for quite the squeaky clean story? 

MC

FIBA Asia- Chot's Apology, etc.

In recent FIBA Asia Championship action, the Philippines lost in a heartbreaker to a sweet-shooting Chinese Taipei squad, 84-79. After the game, Coach Chot Reyes offered an "apology" to Filipinos in Taiwan who have suffered as a result of souring relations between the Philippines and the country that produced Fong Pang Chao (see billiards reference). Whether this was a sincere apology, and/or a way also to help console his wards after losing a match they could and perhaps should have won, Coach Chot, in my view, should make this more about hoops and not an international relations standoff. Most people may view him as one who is adding "fuel to the fire", when in fact, he may just be trying to play motivator. Truth is, Smart Gilas Pilipinas needs to find more ways to score as opposed to living and dying by the 3 point bomb. Jason William (Castro) has managed to score on forays into the paint, and so has steady big man Marcus Doughthit, but then, Gilas could stand to run a bit more. Pacing was also an issue in the last game, with cagers like Chan and Tenorio getting minimal action especially during crunch time. Fatigue, I think, played a role in the loss as well, with Gilas jacking up ill-advised shots in the last 3 minutes along with losing out on a couple of salvageable rebounds. Furthermore, the Chinese Taipei team killed Smart Gilas on drive and kicks to open shooters. Perhaps a shift from a Zone Defense to a Man-To-Man scheme would have suited us better in the final few minutes of the game. Whatever the case, it is the consensus belief that the Philippines still has a strong shot at making it all the way to the end. Irony is that, the more even the field, the greater the chance we play top-seeded teams like China and Iran. The current Philippine National Team, however, seems to be the best/most balanced/seasoned one we've had in years, so, the odds are that the next few days could end up being historical for the Pearl of the Orient. #LabanPilipinas Miguel