I look at Ginebra and San Miguel and I see two franchises with a commitment to winning. Ginebra is the defending champion of the Fiesta Conference. San Miguel, meanwhile, is appearing in the PBA Finals for an unprecedented 29th time. After finishing the elimination round as the top two teams, you can’t help but feel that they ought to be in the Finals. Both teams, well-stocked in gifted players, enter a sure blockbuster of a series which begins Wednesday night (tonight, July 1) at the Araneta Coliseum. Read the rest of this entry »

I respect men brave enough to embrace the perilous profession of coaching. The Head Coaching job is a throne of vanity and valor. In an instant, a regular Joe, once he leads a basketball team to victory, becomes General Douglas McArthur, Moses, and Messiah all at once. Based on the final score or a team’s winning record, the Head Coach morphs into the following: a) The paragon of leadership b) A man to save the people from the throngs of bondage c) The chosen one who holds the key to eternal salvation.

Yet in the same week, upon slipping into bitter defeat, the same Head Coach is suddenly crucified. The assembly, who just days ago venerate him like he was Gandhi reincarnate, returns to vilify him like he was Mussolini, Hitler and Sanjaya rolled into one. Admirers become aghast while devotees become doubters all in the speed of a basketball minute. Read the rest of this entry »

During our broadcast of the Lakers-Magic series in Orlando, I once mentioned the significant number of Laker fans inside the Amway Arena. By simply spotting the gold and purple shirts scattered in the venue, one can conclude that Laker Love is alive in downtown Orlando. I added that surely thousands more cheer for the Lakers back in the Philippines. In response, my broadcast partner the venerable “Dr. J” Andy Jao quipped, “Marami din kasi tayong mga kababayan na nakatira sa L.A. so there is a natural connection with the Lakers.”

With all due respect to Dr. J, I think Laker Love in the Filipino context is more than just a discussion on geography and mass immigration. Read the rest of this entry »

For the first time in my life I am taking Berroca twice everyday.

About three weeks ago, I went to Cebu for the weekend and as I was waiting in line to enter my plane, the girl in front of me sneezed. I never realized how scandalous sneezing could be as the people in line looked at the girl with much dismay. I myself am guilty. Thoughts about the consequences of that sneeze ran through my head . As I was going home from an Independence Day trip to my home province Tarlac, I got a text about a friend who tested positive for that flu they always seem to be mentioning in the papers, news, television and discussions. Pandemic? Flu breakout? A1H1? Swine Flu? Whatever it is, the threat is imminent. For the longest time, the swine flu was a reality that I pushed aside. Now, that people close to me are actually getting it, I can’t help but be paranoid and take the necessary precautions .

Yes, the flu is in the air and it is a madness that we are all susceptible to.However, Swine Flu or A1HI is not the only one up there as basketball madness is likewise taking center stage. This month has been a very busy month for all of us basketball and sports aficionados. The recently concluded NBA Finals is a testament to how crazy, exciting and unpredictable basketball could be. All hail the Kings as Kobe, Phil and company has once again reign supreme. However, the Lakers rise to the top wasn’t given on a silver platter. They won it amidst talks of King James finally taking stage but as we all found out, the Cavaliers fell short and it was all talk after all. Boston, my sentimental pick for this year, were not able to defend the championship, as age and nagging injuries doomed their campaign. No KG meant no championship.

A pleasant surprise was the Orlando Magic. This year’s runners up proved that a steady outside shooting along with a dominating big man in Dwight Howard is the real magic behind their successful campaign. Although, Dwight, Hedo, Rashard, Rafer and company fell short, the Magic’s gave us enough buzzer beaters and come from behinds to make these years playoffs a very exciting one. Adding spice to their run will be the unending debate of should or shouldn’t have they played Jameer Nelson over Rafer Alston. Whatever the answer, the fact remains that if they had won their two overtime loses, they might even be the Kings of this years NBA season.

But this year is all about the LA Lakers. Experience, teamwork, solid coaching from the zen master, and of course, Kobe Bryant won it for them. Denied by the Boston Celtics in last year’s finals, the Lakers would not be denied this year. They maintained the core of last year’s team and finding added support from healthy players in Ariza and Bynum. No matter how you look at it credit should really go to the Star of the team, Kobe Bryant. Kobe, gifted with immense talent is simply a true competitor, he clearly was the heart and soul of this championship team, proving to us that Kobe Bryant is a chip of the block of the Michael Jordan winning formula.

As the LA Lakers were marching to their championship, news of a vaccine for the Swine Flu came out. If it will be the answer to this flu breakout remains to be seen, but what we are sure of is that the LA Lakers found the right vaccine to counter last year’s lost to Boston. The vaccine is actually that particular disappointment. Kobe and company hurt by the lost, came in this season wounded, disappointed but hungrier and much wiser. Losing was enough motivation for them to go all out and struggle to win it all this year. All hail Kobe, all hail the Lakers.The playoffs are over but the basketball madness seems to be growing just like Swine Flu.

Today, the PBA will start its semifinals stage. My team, Ginebra will go up against the young and hungry Rain Or Shine, while the talented San Miguel faces giant killers, Burger King. If this is not enough, in a few weeks time college basketball will take off. Once again teams from the UAAP and NCAA will figure in the drama called college basketball. With all of these, I say, the madness is definitely in the air. That’s all for now, time to take my calamansi juice and eat my oranges.

(Los Angeles, CA) - Phil Jackson, when asked about his mind-bending motivational tactics, often echoes one of his favorite lines from a Rudyard Kipling poem about the rules of the jungle that, in essence, says, “The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” Fortunately for Jackson, the wolf wears #24 and the pack is headed for a championship party in Los Angeles.

The strength of the Lakers is Kobe. Kobe’s strength is the Lakers. Critics question this synergy partly because Kobe, at times, displays impatience and impunity when he works with individuals who are neither as talented nor driven as he is. The wolf gets testy with the pack. The pack, in turn, distances from the wolf. With any two-way relationship, like a business partnership for instance, the road is never obstacle-free. Ironically, Kobe’s stubbornness and legendary single-mindedness might have helped the Lakers grow from what felt like an insipid blind date in the first post-Shaq season to a winning give-and-take relationship in 2009.

As such, I don’t understand how Kobe’s greatness rests on his ability to win a championship on his own. Bill Russell has Bob Cousy. Magic Johnson has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Michael Jordan has Scottie Pippen. Yet no one demands that Russell, Magic and Jordan win a title without assistance to validate their immortality. Great things are rarely achieved singlehandedly. Lennon wouldn’t be Lennon without McCartney. Bono wouldn’t be Bono without The Edge.

But as Kobe gets tantalizingly close to becoming, not just the next Jordan, but  the new Jordan, people threatened by the impending paradigm shift launch a preemptive strike and swiftly question Bryant’s ability to lead, win, score, share, love and hate. It is unfortunate that in the post-Jordan era, greatness comes with impossibly steep expectations. Suddenly, being great isn’t enough. One has to surpass the very notion of excelling in team sports. If Kobe wishes to be the new Jordan, throw him into the murderous gauntlet and make him prove his worth.

With all this pessimism and scrutiny thrown his way, what other recourse does the wolf have? He grinds his teeth. He abandons congeniality in favor of rancor. He loses the ability to smile in order to develop a scowl. Bryant’s 40 point outburst in Game 1 sends the message loud and clear: The wolf is out for blood so dare not impede his path. He elbows Jameer Nelson. He drags Dwight Howard into first row. He makes Courtney Lee, Mikael Pietrus and JJ Redick, Orlando’s designated Kobe stoppers, look like sheep offered for slaughter.

Compelled by Kobe’s ferocity, the pack responds. Pau Gasol unleashes a brilliant performance armed with finesse and force reminiscent of Kevin McHale. Lamar Odom, bad back and all, becomes the primary assassin off the bench. Derek Fisher nails two three-pointers in Game 4 that basically clinch the series and does it with a fiendish smile. Trevor Ariza uses quiet fury to steal, stab and slam the opposition in the most critical times.

The strength of the pack is the wolf. The strength of the wolf is the pack.

The strength of the Lakers is Kobe. Kobe’s strength is the Lakers.

And the wolf finally gets his NBA championship. MH