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I started rooting for the Dallas Mavericks when they put up a great fight against the first team I’ve ever root for in the NBA – the Utah Jazz. My favorite player (John Stockton) was on the verge of retirement so I knew it’s very likely that I would be switching teams at some point. I haven’t been big on the idea of rooting for the supposedly best teams. When I was still watching the PBA (Philippine Basketball Assocation, for you you guys from overseas), I was a solid Shell franchise fan. The team never really won a lot of games, but I sure made an effort to be present for games and scream my lungs out to show my support. I root for teams that are slightly above average and are at the cusp of potential greatness.

Much of the Mavericks’ allure was due to their then-up-and-coming German power forward Dirk Nowitzki. To put it simply, I’ve never a seen a player like him and I doubt if I’ll ever see someone who plays exactly like him. He’s a 7-foot giant who could take three pointers. To a casual fan in his teens, that would be a great novelty. To Filipinos, centers with an outside shot are a novelty – only Benjie Paras and Jerry Codiñera were able to effectively add perimeter offense to their arsenal. Dirk also could blow by taller defenders on top of shooting over smaller players. Whether he makes shots or not, his skills set is something to be in awe of. His movements on the court is anything but fluid but his awkwardness is what truly makes it work. Continue Reading »

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The Maurice Podolof trophy will finally find its way to Kobe Bryant’s mantle after eluding him for the entirety of his twelve year pro career. Despite being widely viewed as the best player in the league, Kobe has seen the award slipped past him due to the dismal performance of his club. This year though, he was not to be denied. The Los Angeles Lakers finished with the best record in the Western Conference and for the first time in the post-Shaq era, the team is being seen again as a favorite.

According to the insiders who were already aware of the balloting result that occurred the day the regular season ended, Bryant beat the three other main contenders for the award. Since the All-Star break, it was widely speculated that the four people with a chance to clinch the MVP were Bryant, New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Boston’s Kevin Garnett.

Source.

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I rarely post anything related to the NBA on this blog because my emotional connection to my team. It’s gotten to a level where in could literally present with psychosomatic symptoms once they get eliminated out of contention in the NBA Playoffs. I’ve been rooting for the Dallas Mavericks since John Stockton retired. While it’s great that the team has won 50 games or more for the past decade, they’ve also had the most painful playoffs collapses in recent memory. Two seasons ago, they blew a 2-0 lead against the Miami Heat to lose the NBA Championship while last year, they threw away a historic 67-win season to fall to the eighth seeded Golden State Warriors.

This season, things have truly been shaken up. Jason Kidd is at the helm. Jason Terry is now coming off the bench and Harris and Diop are no longer there. The Mavericks aren’t even in the top half of the playoff draw. They finished seventh in the Western Conference and they drew New Orleans as their first round assignment.

Being the optimistic and absolutely biased fan that I am, I’m still picking them to win it all. Haha

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After finally getting added as one of Ethel’s friends at Multiply, I have mercifully gotten some of the pics that she took while we were at Puerto Galera. There were five of us who went to the popular summer destination – three of us, namely Yves and Cheng were also present during the Hundred Islands post-tournament escapade. Dammit, pictures of that trip has not been uploaded yet! Damn you Justin! Haha.

Believe it or not, three of us have not been to Galera yet. Ethel has been to places like Tuguegarao and Surigao, but she has yet to see how [un]fine the sand is across the Bay of Batangas. Cheng is also a first timer. Actually, this was supposed to be her first time in Punta Fuego. Yes, don’t ask. Move along.

The most notable Puerto Galera noob is of course, yours truly. I’m Batangueño and I lived roughly 10 minutes from the pier that has numerous trips to Puerto Galera daily. How did I find the place? This picture sums it up.

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And just like that, the Dallas’ Mavericks quest to be the second team to win 70 wins in the regular season comes to a screeching halt. The Mavericks yielded an eight point lead in the final quarter to lose by four against the Denver Nuggets, 75-71.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 while Allen Iverson chipped in 22 as the Denver Nuggets ended the Mavericks’ mission to be the first team to win 70 since the Michael Jordan-led Bulls won 72 in the early 90s. Dallas lost their second-leading scorer Josh Howard with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. He did not return.

Dirk Nowitzki shot the ball poorly and finished with 22 points. The second-best win-loss record was also achieved by the Bulls during the 1996-1997 season with 69 wins and 13 losses – a mark still within reach for the Dallas Mavericks.

Yes, it’s a disappointing loss, but its ridiculous how the spin doctors are painting the situation. The Mavericks failed to win 70 wins this season – big furry deal. All teams failed. Why single out Dallas and make it seem like not reaching 70 was a  monumental failure?

Note: I just found out about this Mavs Blog. It almost inspires me to make one myself. hehe

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If this wasn’t enough to make you reconsider your NBA plans, maybe this next clip would.

That.got.to.hurt.

I would’ve loved to translate that in Jorge’s native language (Spanish), but unfortunately, I’m not that familiar with the language – and I’m not that pretentious enough to pretend that I do. haha 

Jorge Garbajosa of the Toronto Raptors dislocated his ankle after a nasty fall during a game against the Boston Celtics. This is a big blow to the Raptors’ campaign considering that the 29 year-old rookie (yes, you read that right) is among their more steady players.

Did that make you sad?

Hopefully this  puts a smile in your face. Sometimes, it’s just way better to stop playing after the whistle, eh?

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