New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

The Philippine Basketball Association is a commercial league (Teams are owned and branded by corporations). It is terribly rough and tumble, very low scoring as a result. Pretty boring.

I can say that more than the NBA, the PBA in its infancy thrilled me like no other sport. Mainly because it was shown on local TV so many times a week, while the NBA, being imported, was shown only weekly or even once every few weeks. I remember my mom hollering for dinner and I wouldn't budge from my seat and was willing to even skip dinner for the PBA games. There was this local rivalry between Toyota vs Crispa, much like the Celtics and the Lakers. That was the only time I ever bet money on a basketball game, and I was in high shool then. My lament on the present PBA is the same, boring, and the players do not show unique talents compared to the 70s and 80s players who thought not physically as honed as today's players, played their own styles which is pretty entertaining. Our local living legend Robert Jaworski is such a talent (he became a senator like Bill Bradley) and his patented 'barreling drive' always draws cheers from the crowd as his defenders dare not stay in front of him or 'flop' against him - they might end up in the hospital. LOL I have several basketball heroes in that era. And I stopped watching since Toyota disbanded.

 

[JackD201]

You were a Toyota fan? I was a Crispa fan! LOL!

For you non-Filipinos out there, the Toyota team was a half court team with really good snipers while Crispa liked to space out and liked to run. Sort of like the Celtics vs Lakers indeed. It seems Jadis and I have preferences that are consistent! LOL!!

 

[jadis]

You were a Toyota fan? I was a Crispa fan! LOL!

For you non-Filipinos out there, the Toyota team was a half court team with really good snipers while Crispa liked to space out and liked to run. Sort of like the Celtics vs Lakers indeed. It seems Jadis and I have preferences that are consistent! LOL!!

Hahaha. Opposing fields eh? I'm a what they call 'die hard Toyota fan, and your camp is called 'Crispa-natics'. LOL I should take my hats off to your coach who may have pioneered the 'platoon substitution' of players. 5 in-5 out. You have a Pistol Pete type of shooter in the person of Atoy Co, I think Larry McNeil, an ex-NBA player who played in the PBA called Atoy as 'Pistol Pete reborn'. Our guys look clean cut and your guys look like rough and tumble brawlers, but with excellent skills. LOL Those were the good old days, Jack. Our league was really patterned after the NBA, and we even invited then current NBA refs like Jim Capers and others to officiate and give clinics to our local refs. And suddenly, anyone who was behind a player during a rebound play is called for a behind the back foul, instantly.

 

[JackD201]

Hahahaha. Yeah you had the meztisos. That's right! You guys did the roughing up though! Jaworski was Jaworski even back then! The pain for us was Rudy Fernandez. That guy was smart.

Sorry for the OT!

Back to the NBA.

How about them all-star team lineups? You could probably send the West's rejects to the Olympics and still win gold.

 

[dafos]

Toyota fan together with all the assumption girls who used to stalk their San lorenzo house!

 

[jadis]

Hahahaha. Yeah you had the meztisos. That's right! You guys did the roughing up though! Jaworski was Jaworski even back then! The pain for us was Rudy Fernandez. That guy was smart.

Sorry for the OT!

Back to the NBA.

How about them all-star team lineups? You could probably send the West's rejects to the Olympics and still win gold.

West exploding with talents that even Damon Lillard is not in. Imagine KD and Westbrook are just reserves.

 

[jadis]

Hawks keep soaring. Beat Portland to run streak to 18 straight. Hmmm, when they get to 27, we'll keep an eye on them more.

 

[jadis]

Toyota fan together with all the assumption girls who used to stalk their San lorenzo house!

Pardon the OT as well, but am just glad to see someone finally on the same side on my bench at least locally. But it would be a stretch to assume that you're a Celtics fan.

 

[Steve williams]

The amazing Hawks are on a 19 game win streak and have the best record in the NBA with 3 more wins than GSW

 

[beaur]

It's amazing what getting rid of a $23M boat anchor can do for a roster. Will be interesting to see if they can translate their game into the playoffs.

The amazing Hawks are on a 19 game win streak and have the best record in the NBA with 3 more wins than GSW

 

[Steve williams]

It's amazing what getting rid of a $23M boat anchor can do for a roster. Will be interesting to see if they can translate their game into the playoffs.

I wonder if Sir Charles feels they are for real yet. Last I saw he said they wouldn't be in the finals

 

[jadis]

Here is a team that has no bonafide superstar, with the biggest salary guy being Al Horford at $12m, with their other regulars all under $10m. And they perform consistently and effectively. We have a cinderella team in the East.

 

[jadis]

Hawk's streak finally over. Pelicans took them out. But a franchise record run for the Hawks which few expected.

 

[JackD201]

I really like this team. I'm praying that they don't suffer the All Star Break meltdown the Pacers had last year. Well, I wouldn't wish that on any team.

 

[jadis]

I really like this team. I'm praying that they don't suffer the All Star Break meltdown the Pacers had last year. Well, I wouldn't wish that on any team.

Just like the Pacers a couple of years ago, no bonafide superstar, nor $20m-5 yr contract player. But full of hard-working team oriented players. I think Ainge should build on that formula.

 

[jadis]

Adam Silver says the NBA has 'to make a change' to its playoff format


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...-change--in-its-playoff-format-232835099.html

Silver:

“Ultimately we want to see your best teams in the playoffs. And there is an unbalance and a certain unfairness. There is a proposal (from one of the broadcasters)… where the division winners would all automatically go into the playoffs and then you’d seed the next 10 best teams. I think that’s the kind of proposal we need to look at. There are travel issues of course, but in this day in age every team of course has their own plane, travels charter. I don’t think the discussion should end there. And as I’ve said, my first year I was studying a lot of these issues and year two is time to take action. It’s something I’m going to look at closely with the competition committee. I do think it’s an area where we need to make a change.”

 

[jadis]

It's now the Cavs with a streak. 12 games running. Tonight up 10 over the Clippers. They're looking good. JR Smith and Shumpert are good additions. And the coach is 'sinking in'.

 

[WLVCA]

It's now the Cavs with a streak. 12 games running. Tonight up 10 over the Clippers. They're looking good. JR Smith and Shumpert are good additions. And the coach is 'sinking in'.

Clippers are having a tough road trip. Lost to New Orleans (with Anthony Davis out with an injury). Beat San Antonio by 20 (and got my hopes up). Lost to Brooklyn - not good at all. Now behind the Cavs by 23 at the half with Cleveland shooting 60% from the field.

Doc's kid got picked clean by Iman Shumpert and CP3 was called for a flagrant on Mosgov tonight.

From my perspective its a very disappointing season for the Clippers - team hasn't made any progress over last year and actually looks worse to me now.

 

[jadis]

Clippers are having a tough road trip. Lost to New Orleans (with Anthony Davis out with an injury). Beat San Antonio by 20 (and got my hopes up). Lost to Brooklyn - not good at all. Now behind the Cavs by 23 at the half with Cleveland shooting 60% from the field.

Doc's kid got picked clean by Iman Shumpert and CP3 was called for a flagrant on Mosgov tonight.

From my perspective its a very disappointing season for the Clippers - team hasn't made any progress over last year and actually looks worse to me now.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm beginning to feel that Doc's system is not working well with the high octane energy of his players. Doc is making them play deliberate half court offense ala Celtics of his days and it seems to be choking the 'talents' who were successful with lob city. Blake's low post plays are inconsistent, and they are just relying of Crawford and Paul for the outside shots. They do miss Redick. The Clippers are only 6-shallow, even with Redick back.

 

[WLVCA]

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm beginning to feel that Doc's system is not working well with the high octane energy of his players. Doc is making them play deliberate half court offense ala Celtics of his days and it seems to be choking the 'talents' who were successful with lob city. Blake's low post plays are inconsistent, and they are just relying of Crawford and Paul for the outside shots. They do miss Redick. The Clippers are only 6-shallow, even with Redick back.

Those are excellent observations, Phil. The old basketball adage says you have to play half court basketball to win in the playoffs - that must be what Doc is thinking.

Blake definitely isn't as active inside and it appears his favorite shot is a long two-pointer, just inside the 3-point line. Last I heard that was the the worst percentage shot in basketball. Every time i see him take that shot I scream at the TV and tell him to take a step back to get behind the arc. My wife is so tired of hearing me say it she tells me (usually politely) to shut up.

We'll see what happens the rest of the way but a few teams have passed by the Clippers this year - the Warrior, the Grizzlies and the Hawks. Looks like the Cavs have, too, since they have beaten the Clippers twice already.