Joaquin Henson Journalist/Broadcaster, Philippines A popular Philippine sports columnist and broadcaster, Joaquin Henson has covered seven NBA Finals and seven NBA All-Star Games on site for Philippine TV. NIcknamed "The Dean" for his scholarly approach to the game, Henson has also received several honors, including the first-ever Olympism Award from the Philippine Olympic Committee for excellence in journalism in 2004 and the first-ever Philippine Catholic Mass Media Award in the sports column category in 2005. He is the only journalist to be inducted in his school's Sports Hall of Fame.

Joaquin Henson :  Nov 26 Martin comes of age Martin comes of age Kings guard torches Sonics SEATTLE (11/24/06). With two starters sidelined and fresh from back-to-back losses, the visiting Sacramento Kings were supposed to be easy prey for the Seattle SuperSonics in their NBA game at the Key Arena here Friday night. But the highly-favored Sonics, coming off two wins in a row, never bargained for an explosive performance by 6-7, 185-pound third-year offguard Kevin (K-Mart) Martin who's an early pick for the league's Most Improved Player award this season. I happened to be in town visiting my brother-in-law Robert and his family after covering the boxing match between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Erik Morales of Mexico in Las Vegas. The flight from Las Vegas to Seattle is only two hours long. I don't get to witness a regular season game too often so this was a treat. I owe a debt of gratitude to the NBA for making the coverage possible----NBA Asia's Sau Ching Cheong, Kam Hung Ip and Flora Tong and of course, the NBA's Terry Lyons. Martin, 23, is a long-armed, elongated sweet shooter in the Reggie Miller mold. He's quick on the draw and a blur on the court. K-Mart wears No. 23 and it's no coincidence he's playing like a Michael Jordan for the Kings. He may not be as effective defensively as another play-alike Tayshaun Prince but with Denver's Kenyon Martin out for the season, the only K-Mart to hog the headlines is the man from Sacramento. Against the Sonics, the Kings were badly crippled. Forward Ron Artest sat out the action with a lower back strain while center Brad Miller is nursing a partially torn plantar fascia in the left foot. New coach Eric Musselman used only eight players, opting to bench rookie Quincy Douby, five-year pro Jason Hart, 10-year pro Vitaly Potapenko and nine-year pro Maurice Taylor. Five of the eight Kings logged at least 32 minutes of playing time, meaning Musselman kept his rotation tight. It was close in the first half as the teams battled to nine lead changes and six ties. The Kings led, 53-52, on a last second steal and breakaway dunk by offseason recruit John Salmons. Then, Martin took over in the third period as he hit 14 points, including 10 straight, to silence the homecrowd of 16,757. He went on to knock in 10 more points in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high 35 on 12-of-19 from the floor and 7-of-9 free throws. Sacramento erected an 18-point lead on Corliss Williamson's basket, 97-79, with 6:20 left and coasted to a 109-100 victory. Watson buried a triple at the buzzer to end the massacre. Seattle coach Bob Hill's thick white hair grew even whiter as he just couldn't figure out how to stop the Kings' second half juggernaut. When the Sonics went small, the Kings took advantage by pounding the ball inside. When the Sonics went big, the Kings brought the offense to the perimeter. Seattle assistant coach Detlef Schrempf said the Sonics don't play as tough with a small lineup and it was evident against the Kings who dominated the matchups in the frontline and the backcourt. Sacramento had more points in the paint, 54-46, and more triples, 9-6. Hill sent in two point guards Watson and Luke Ridnour in a late experiment to try and save the game. He put Watson on Bibby and kept Ridnour in the mix because of his firepower. Ray Allen was assigned to Martin, leaving Ridnour in a mismatch against the burly Williamson at the three-spot. The result was disastrous. The game exposed the Sonics' weakness in the middle. Kings frontliners Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas and Williamson scored a combined 40 points on 19-of-29 field goals and 2-of-6 free throws. They also grabbed 27 rebounds. The night clearly belonged to Martin who increased his scoring clip from 2.9 as a rookie in 2004-05 to 10.8 last campaign, marking the third highest rise in the league behind Boris Diaw and Mike James for a minimum of 40 games. Now, he's averaging 24.7 points and turning heads around. "Kevin had one of those nights where he needed a half an inch and it was on its way," moaned Hill. "And he was making them. Ray had a tough time guarding him. Damien (Wilkins) had a tough time guarding him. Earl had a tough time guarding him. We even put (Mickael) Gelabale on him. Kevin just had one of those nights." Martin, a Western Carolina sports management major who was the Kings' first round pick in 2004 as a junior undergraduate, was modest in the wake of his eruption. "I guess you could say I was in a bit of a groove," he said shyly. "It's still Mike, Ron and Brad's team. I'm just playing my role." Martin showed his versatility in offense and the Sonics just couldn't keep in step. When the Kings stuck close to him outside, K-Mart put the ball on the floor and drove against the Sonics interior defenders. When they sagged off, Martin knocked down jumpers from long distance. Jon Naito of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer marveled at Martin's performance. "He worked his game outside," wrote Naito. "First, showing off his prodigious outside shooting touch. Then when they ran at him, he ran past them, right to the basket. Three-pointers from the wing. Three-pointers from the top of the key while losing his balance. Layups with defenders in his wake. "Kevin Martin made them from everywhere. Pick a spot on the floor and chances are the Kings guard made a bucket from that mark." Hill was hard on himself in absorbing the Sonics' eighth loss in 14 outings, moving the club to last place in the Northwest. Schrempf, who was in Manila for an Adidas coaching clinic a few years ago, said he felt "terrible" after the loss. "Our defense was like a sieve," said Hill. "We couldn't keep anyone in front of us. Sideline pick and rolls were okay but we were a step behind them all night. No excuses, they deserve a lot of credit and we were bad." The Kings raised their record to 6-5, good for third in the Pacific. Fans will hear a lot more from No. 23----K-Mart (and he's not Kenyon Martin)----before the season's over. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Nov 26 2006 8:00PM Red was green all the way Tribute to Red Auerbach Arnold (Red) Auerbach is gone and the entire basketball world mourns his passing. He was one of a kind. Fans loved him in Boston where he turned the Celtics franchise into a dynasty in the NBA. Auerbach coached the Celtics to nine NBA titles, including eight in a row, from 1950 to 1966. Then, he moved to the front office and guided the team to seven more titles, the last in 1986 with K. C. Jones at the helm. More than his coaching ability, what made Auerbach such a legendary figure in the NBA was his astute backroom wheeling and dealing. Auerbach did the unthinkable in 1956 when he traded two popular All-Stars, "Easy" Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan, for an untested first round pick who turned out to be Bill Russell. He did it again in 1978 when he chose Larry Bird in the draft even if the Celtics had to wait a year before the Indiana State star could play. Five other teams had a shot at Bird but none took the chance that Auerbach did. Auerbach worked his magic once more in 1981 when he dealt the first and 13th picks for Robert Parish and the third overall choice who wound up to be Kevin McHale. Auerbach wasn't the conventional, back-slapping general manager of a professional basketball team. He was merciless in pouncing on the enemy. He relished the thought of the Celtics opponents biting the dust and squirming in despair. He lit a cigar when victory was imminent as if to rub salt on the Celtics victims' wounds. It was easy to understand why he was hated as much as he was loved. Auerbach wasn't only shrewd. He was gruff and often rumbustious. He loved to win by outsmarting his foes and made sure they knew it. I watched Auerbach coach his last game during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland in 1997. He was tapped to coach the East team against Red Hozlman's West in the rookies game. Since the league celebrated its 50th anniversary that season, Auerbach and Holzman were "reactivated" from retirement as a tribute to their contributions as legendary coaches. Auerbach wore a red sweater and chomped on his cigar during a team practice that I covered. He was clearly hands-on as he personally walked the players through patterns. That was nine years ago and it was my first and most memorable All-Star Weekend experience. I snapped a lot of photos of Auerbach up close and I will treasure those forever. Of course, Auerbach wasn't let down by his players. The East won, 96-91, as Allen Iverson took MVP honors with 19 points and nine assists. Antoine Walker and Marcus Camby also shone for the East. Kobe Bryant led the West with 31 points and eight assists. The first of Auerbach's trade coups involved Russell. Rochester had the first overall pick in the 1956 draft and Boston, the sixth. Auerbach was determined to pick Russell, no matter what. Rochester didn't like Russell's price tag of $25,000 a year and went for Sihugo Green. St. Louis had the second pick and Minneapolis, the third. Auerbach knew Minneapolis was interested in Russell so he deftly worked out a deal with St. Louis. He offered Macauley, who was born in St. Louis, and agreed to include Hagan in the deal. St. Louis owner Ben Kerner liked the two-for-one proposition and signed on the dotted line. That season, the Celtics faced St. Louis in the finals and Boston clinched its first-ever title via a 125-123 double overtime win in Game 7 where Russell compiled 19 points and 32 rebounds. The rivalry between Auerbach and Kerner was so intense that after a close game during the finals, they came to blows. Auerbach ironically punched the man who paved the way for the Celtics dynasty. That was just how Auerbach was. On the bench, Auerbach used every trick in the book to gain an advantage. He was the first to use the gimmick of baiting the referee to eject him on two technicals as a way to fire up his players. "Red's greatest talent was knowing how to motivate men in a game situation," said Lee Iacocca. "He would curse, coddle, enrage or do anything he thought would make his team perform better. Red would do anything within the rules to win. And if that wasn't enough, he was perfectly willing to bend those rules to give himself that little competitive edge that spells the difference between winning and losing." Harvey Araton and Filip Bondy, in their book "The Selling of the Green," said Auerbach was "always looking for an edge, obsessed with the idea of influencing the outcome of the game (as) the pioneer in the ref-baiting business." As the promoter of Celtics pride, Auerbach was perceived as the walking embodiment of the poor sportsman, wrote Araton and Bondy. But his arrogance was just a psychological ploy to throw off the opposition's mental balance and make it easier for the Celtics to win. Former Celtics player Tom Heinsohn said Auerbach's strength was in management, "being in control." He created the Boston mystique and parlayed it into a Celtics dynasty. Auerbach was also a man of vision. In one of the seven books he authored, "MBA----Management by Auerbach," he predicted the foreign invasion of the NBA in 1991 and even cited the Philippines as a future source of player talent. Today, the NBA employs 83 international players from 37 countries----more than twice as many as 10 years ago. As for his prediction about the Philippines producing an NBA player, that still has to happen----maybe, sooner than anyone thinks. Once the leading scorer of George Washington University, Auerbach earned a master's degree in education from the school. His wife Dorothy died in 2000 after 59 years of marriage. Auerbach died at the age of 89 in Washington last Oct. 28. He is survived by two daughters, a granddaughter, a great grandson and two great granddaughters. The Celtics are dedicating this season to him. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Nov 4 2006 11:21AM

Mavs to rule this season Fearless forecast of what to expect in 2006-07 The NBA is back with a bang and for the first time in a long time, soothsayers can't seem to confidently put their fingers on a team that's destined to win the championship. Defending champion Miami returns with a virtually intact lineup that is older, slower and less hungry. Coach Pat Riley decided to give it a shot at two in a row but isn't likely to succeed even if Dwayne Wade is now being hailed as the second coming of Michael Jordan with due apologies to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Shandon Anderson are all in their 30s. If Miami's future is in the hands of Earl Barron, Jason Kapono, Udonis Haslem and James Posey acting as Wade's choir boys, the Heat is in big trouble. Riley is obviously not thinking long-term because he doesn't figure to coach many more years. He's looking at the dividends he can reap here and now without thinking of what's next. O'Neal, Mourning and the rest of the aging cast are right on Riley's wavelength. If it ain't broke, why fix it, they chorus. Last year's losing finalist Dallas, in contrast, made dramatic lineup changes in the offseason to retool and regroup. Coach Avery Johnson got a vote of confidence from owner Mark Cuban with a contract extension and is hoping the Mavericks get the job done this time. Dallas was two wins short of clinching the NBA title last season and came tantalizingly close to cooling the Heat in the Finals. Gone from the Mavs roster are Darrell Armstrong, Adrian Griffin, Marquis Daniels and Josh Powell. Devean George, Austin Croshere, Greg Buckner and Anthony Johnson were recruited as veteran backups for the nucleus of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris and Josh Howard. In its December 2006 issue, Slam Magazine picked Miami and Dallas to advance to the Last Dance for the second straight year with the Mavs winding up on top. "Dallas will be much improved with their experience," said Slam's Lang Whitaker. "The key players have now been to the Promised Land as has Avery Johnson. This season, they'll make it again and this time around, they'll bring back the one thing money can't buy----history." Slam's picks to top their divisions in the regular season were New Jersey in the Atlantic, Detroit in the Central, Miami in the Southeast, Denver in the Northwest, Dallas in the Southwest and Phoenix in the Pacific. Sports Illustrated (Oct. 23, 2006) ruled out a Dallas return to the Finals and predicted Phoenix to win the title with Miami the loser in the title playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the weekly magazine chose Miami over New Jersey and in the West, it was Phoenix over Dallas. The choices to lead their divisions were New Jersey in the Atlantic, Cleveland in the Central, Miami in the Southeast, Utah in the Northwest, Dallas in the Southwest and Phoenix in the Pacific. Player and coaching movements make for an unpredictable season. With so many shifts and a gruelling 82-game grind, anything can happen until the regular season ends on April 18. Three new head coaches are in the spotlight. Don Nelson returns to Golden State in Mike Montgomery's place. Isiah Thomas bumped off Larry Brown at the New York helm and Eric Musselman took over from Rick Adelman at Sacramento. Coaches in line to lose jobs in midstream include Milwaukee's Terry Stotts, Toronto's Sam Mitchell, Atlanta's Mike Woodson, Portland's Nate McMillan and New Orleans/Oklahoma's Byron Scott unless they drastically reverse their fortunes. Major player transfers involved Shane Battier to Houston, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff to Boston, Peja Stojakovic to New Orleans/Oklahoma, Tim Thomas to the Los Angeles Clippers, J. R. Smith to Denver, Derek Fisher to Utah, Speedy Claxton to Atlanta, T. J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic to Toronto, Ben Wallace and P. J. Brown to Chicago, David Wesley to Cleveland, Flip Murray and Nazr Mohammed to Detroit, Al Harrington to Indiana and Charlie Villanueva to Milwaukee. If Miami and Phoenix are favored to battle in the Finals, darkhorse contenders are New Jersey and Detroit with Chicago as the sleeper in the East and San Antonio and Denver with Houston as the sleeper in the West. The Nets should crowd Miami in the race to the top of the Eastern pile. Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson are a formidable threesome and center Nenad Krstic can only get better. Whether they'll be healthy the entire stretch is a question mark. The Pistons were eliminated by Miami in six in last year's playoffs and coach Flip Saunders is ready to bring the Motor City squad back to the top with Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. The Bulls might just steal the thunder from the favorites with Wallace, Kirk Hinrich, Brown, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng in the trenches. Orlando is a long shot but if Dwight Howard lives up to his billing as the next David Robinson and Grant Hill is healthy for 82 games, coach Brian Hill might be in luck. The Spurs are still a force to reckon with even as Tim Duncan's numbers aren't as awesome as before. Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Michael Finley are back but coach Gregg Popovich's problem is the hole in the middle because Francisco Elson just isn't the answer. Carmelo Anthony makes the Nuggets a legitimate title threat. If only Kenyon Martin's head is in place, coach George Karl could take Denver to a rocky mountain high. Houston is a sleeping giant with Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Battier, Bonzi Wells and Vassilis Spanoulis in the mix. As for the rookies, it doesn't look like anyone will shake up the league like LeBron did in his first year when he averaged 20.9 points in 2003-04. Top draft pick 7-foot Andrea Bargnani isn't likely to impress in Toronto which is parading a slew of foreigners, including 6-8 Jorge Garbajosa and 6-3 Jose Calderon of Spain, 7-0 Nesterovic and 6-10 Uros Slokar of Slovenia and 6-10 Pape Sow of Senegal. No. 2 pick 6-11 Lamarcus Aldridge will at least get playing time at Portland as will another freshman 6-6 Brandon Roy. 6-8 Adam Morrison, the third overall choice, is forecast to become a designated three-point gunner in the Steve Kerr mold at Charlotte whose new managing member of basketball operations is Michael Jordan. Other rookies to watch are 6-4 Randy Foye of Minneosta, 6-9 Rudy Gay of Memphis, 6-9 Shelden Williams of Atlanta and 6-9 Tyrus Thomas of Chicago. My fearless forecast? I pick Detroit and Dallas to figure in the Finals with the Mavs clinching in five or six. On this blog, I predicted Detroit to win the title in 2004, the East to win the All-Star Game last February and Miami to capture the championship last season. I was right on the money each time. But in 2005, I chose Minnesota to win the crown before the season started and the Timberwolves didn't even make the playoffs. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Oct 30 2006 12:50PM

Back to the Drawing Board Why US lost to Greece It was supposed to be a campaign for redemption but the US Dream Team, made up of all-star pros, floundered in the hunt for gold at the World Basketball Championships in Saitama. The US hasn't struck paydirt in the quadrennial tournament since 1994 when Shaquille O'Neal, Joe Dumars and Reggie Miller saw action for the Stars and Stripes. After the US tumbled to sixth place in 2002 and dropped to third at the Athens Olympics two years ago, there was a determined effort to regain American pride in the sport that was invented in a YMCA training school in Massachusetts in 1891. The first US Dream Team was formed in 1992 after FIBA cleared the way for pros to play in the Olympics and the World Championships. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan formed the backbone of the star-studded team, coached by Chuck Daly, that took the gold at the Barcelona Olympics. The second Dream Team won the world title in 1994 with Don Nelson at the helm then Lenny Wilkens coached the third version, powered by O'Neal and Karl Malone, to the gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Rudy Tomjanovich piloted the fourth Dream Team----starring Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter----to the 2000 Sydney Olympics gold. The winning streak was snapped in 2002 as George Karl's fifth Dream Team fell to sixth at the World Championships despite a lineup bannered by Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion and Mike Finley. Larry Brown's sixth Dream Team settled for the bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. Last March, US cage officials announced the formation of a 23-man pool from which to choose players for the national team until the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The idea was to generate chemistry among the cagers over a two-year period. Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski was picked to coach the US in Saitama and became the first collegiate mentor to call the shots for a Dream Team. He was presumed to be more familiar with the nuances of the international game than coaches in the pros. In choosing the final 12 to play for Dream 7, Krzyzewski retained only James, Wade and Anthony from the Athens Olympic cast and appointed them co-captains to tone down their tendency to upstage each other. Krzyzewski surrounded the trio with role players including Shane Battier and Elton Brand who were his boys at Duke. The prognosis was Dream 7 would be unbeatable in Saitama because a lot of thought went behind assembling the team. But as Greece showed in dealing the US a 101-95 drubbing last Friday, the Americans will need more than a well-thought-out plan to march back to the top. They need to understand playing NBA-style hoops just won't do in the international game. Here are seven reasons why Greece beat Dream 7. O The Greeks were more cohesive. Nine of coach Panagiotis Giannakis' charges played on the team that took fifth at the Athens Olympics and 10 saw action on the title squad at the European Championships last year. Familiarity was evident as Greece played more team ball than the US. O Krzyzewski had no adjustments in defense. The Americans went man-to-man from start to finish. Greece took them apart with classic pick-and-rolls. When the US dropped back to defend the area near the basket, the Greeks bombed from outside. The quickness of Greece's big men left the US a step behind in drives to the basket. Curiously, there was never an attempt to press or trap. O The US couldn't break down the zone. With a stationary offense, the Americans found it difficult to penetrate the zone and settled for contested shots from the perimeter as the shot clock ran out. O The US played too much one-on-one. The Americans may be more athletic than the Greeks in that they jump higher and their hang time is longer. But the Greeks were more polished in terms of playing skills----they all knew how to dribble, move without the ball, shoot the three and cover for each other. O The US lacked patience. With the Greeks methodically running patterns on nearly every possession, the Americans lost focus. The US grew impatient trying to disrupt the offense and couldn't wait to score on the other end. The impatience was magnified in transition. O The US struggled in adjusting to the international game. The pros are used to more timeouts, more fouls before disqualification, no ball interference whatsoever above the rim and more minutes a quarter. They seemed lost when Greece took control of the game by dictating the tempo in the third period. O The US shot itself in the foot. The Americans missed 14 free throws and lost by six. Anthony, Wade and James were a combined 13-of-23 from the line. James was 0-of-4 from the three-point arc and point guard Chris Paul, who averaged 8.7 assists in his first three games, had only two dishes. Brand was scoreless for the first time in the tournament. Krzyzewski, 59, never fired up his troops when Greece began to pull away. He was too laid back. Coach K also had his lapses, particularly in benching Dwight Howard late in the game. Howard had 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes but never got the call down the stretch. What embarrassed the US was 6-9, 255-pound Greek center Sofoklis Schortsianitis' dominance in the interior. Schortsianitis, 21, was the Los Angeles Clippers second round pick in the 2003 NBA draft but never made it to the majors. The overweight slotman, whose mother is from Cameroon, shot 6-of-7 from the field and scored 14 points. I remember reading an article about Schortsianitis by Marc Berman in the New York Post in 2003. The story came out during the NBA Finals just before the draft that year. The half-African, half-Greek behemoth was then 17 and weighed close to 300 pounds. At the time, his agent was Marc Fleisher of Connecticut and his physical trainer was former New York Knicks assistant Steve Clifford. Berman reported that Schortsianitis was scheduled to strut his wares in tryouts with at least 12 NBA teams, including Boston and New York. "I am very strong," said Schortsianitis, quoted by Berman. "I watch Karl Malone and see how he plays. I have a jump shot. I wasn't able to use it because my team, they don't want me to be outside. Because I'm so big, they want me around the basket." Schortsianitis' mother reportedly stood 6-4 and his grandfather, 7-2. According to NBA records, "Baby Shaq" was born in Tiko, Cameroon, and made his Greek league debut as a 15-year-old kid. He was the MVP of the All-Star Game in Greece this year and named the league's Most Improved Player. Three other Greeks played key roles in trouncing the US. Theodoros Papaloukas compiled 12 assists, Vasileios Spanoulis (who will play for the Houston Rockets next season) erupted for 22 points and Michail Kakiouzis scored 15 points in 27 minutes. Dream 7 was a terrible nightmare for the US last Friday. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Sep 1 2006 10:19PM

NBA Ambassadors in Manila Igoudala and Frye spice up NBA Madness In their first trip to Asia, visiting NBA players Andre Igoudala of the Philadelphia 76ers and Channing Frye of the New York Knicks said they enjoyed learning about Eastern cultures and interacting with their fans from across the globe. Iguodala and Frye recently flew to Manila from Taipei to promote the NBA. They spent two weeks away from home as the NBA's goodwill ambassadors and were the star attractions of the last leg of the Philippines' month-long NBA Madness Mall Tours which culminated in a Celebrity Jam program of games and music in Manila's largest stadium. The NBA Madness is the Philippines' mini-version of the Jam Session which is a traditional side attraction during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Barely three hours after landing at the Manila airport, the NBA cagers said they couldn't wait to be tourists. Frye candidly admitted he looked forward to meeting Filipina girls. "Before I came over, all I heard about the Philippines from friends was the beautiful Filipina girls," beamed Frye. "From the moment we arrived, we saw what Filipino hospitality is like--it's great. During my stay, I'd like to live like a Filipino, see the sights and know about the local culture." For his part, Iguodala said coming over gives him a chance to thank the Filipino fans who support the NBA. The 6-11 Frye averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 65 games as a Knicks rookie last season. For a big man, he shot a creditable .825 from the line. Hitting free throws is all about repetition, he explained. "When you're on the line, you think about the 20 to 30 free throws you made in the gym," said Frye. "You think about taking a whiff of fresh air. It's a mental thing. Of course, practice makes perfect. I used to spend hours working on my form until my arm hurt. You've got to believe you can make the shot. I think Shaq (O'Neal) just needs to focus and believe he can hit his free throws." Frye said he's comfortable playing either power forward or center. "I'm what you call a tweener," he noted. "If I play together with Eddie (Curry), we can be like David Robinson and Tim Duncan. I don't really care what position I play. I'm just out to play my best." Frye said he got his baptism of fire matching up against the likes of Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, O'Neal, Elton Brand and Dwight Howard but the player whom he found toughest to defend was Detroit's Rasheed Wallace. Frye said his closest New York teammate is David Lee and singled out former Knick Antonio Davis as the veteran who took him under his wing. Frye played four years at the University of Arizona before turning pro and is just a semester short of earning a degree. He said he'll finish up his studies next summer. It was a difficult season for the Knicks who wound up second to last in league standings with a lowly 23-59 record. Coach Larry Brown was fired as a result and Isiah Thomas took over the reins last month. Frye said he'll be a better player after experiencing a harsh rookie season. "Our focus is fine," he said. "It was a character-building start. We've got a good nucleus and our draft picks will help. Isiah coached us in the summer league, where I hurt my ankle, and he's doing a good job of getting us all back together." Frye anticipated no problem with Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis on the same squad. "We've got good chemistry and things are working out," he said. "We're communicating." Frye said he owes his upbringing to his parents who are both accomplished. His father Thomas is co-founder and co-president of Education Solutions and Services which offers office support to public and private charter schools. His mother Karen is an Emmy-winning former reporter and producer for a TV station and CEO of Southwest Dimensions. His grandfather John Mulzac served in the segregated Tuskegee corps of the US Air Force during World War II. The corps never lost a pilot. His brother Logan, 16, plans to become a lawyer. "My parents taught me to have an open mind about the future," he said. "If things don't work out in basketball, I'll do something else and move on. Education is something you can always fall back on." With the Sixers, the 6-6 Iguodala is matched up against the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Vince Carter and Cuttino Mobley. None of his rivals has ever given him nightmares. "I'm confident of my skills," said Iguodala who was runner-up to Nate Robinson in the league's Slam Dunk contest last season. "Guys like Kobe, Wade and Carter are so good, you can't really shut them down but I've held my own." Iguodala was once a star high jumper and placed second in the state high school track championships. Then he concentrated on basketball, enrolling at Arizona. He left school after only two years but hopes to reenroll to earn a degree, perhaps in religious studies or sociology. This past season, the Sixers -- like the Knicks -- failed to advance to the playoffs and posted a 38-44 record under coach Maurice Cheeks. Iguodala averaged 12.3 points. Philadelphia's previous coach was Jim O'Brien. "I like both coaches," said Iguodala. "I learned defensive principles from Jim and Mo let me loose offensively. Mo is a players' coach and quite laid back." Iguodala said he enjoys playing with Allen Iverson. "He's out there playing 110 percent every game," he said. "Iverson plays with pure heart. As for Chris Webber, his experience is a big plus. He's not the same Webber as before but he'll still give you big numbers like a 20-point, 11-rebound game. The player to watch on our team is Sam (Dalembert). When he entered the pros, Iguodala said former Sixers guard Aaron McKie helped to break him in. To this day, he keeps in close touch with McKie. Iguodala has played and started 82 games the last two seasons and is the first Sixer to accomplish the feat since Clarence Weatherspoon in 1992-94. Conditioning is what sets Iguodala apart from the rest. "I've been blessed without suffering any injuries," he said. "The key to staying healthy is not to overdo your workouts. When I'm not playing, I go to the gym for two hours in the morning and two hours at night. I don't focus on any one aspect of my body. I work the whole body." Asked if he'd play for the US in the Olympics or the World Championships in the event of an invitation, Iguodala said he wouldn't hesitate to sign up. "I'll definitely play," he said. "It would be a great honor. I could help show the world the high level of basketball we play." Iguodala is actively involved in social work. Last April, he donated $500 per point, rebound and assist he chalked up in a game against New York and turned over $19,000 to aid tornado relief victims in his Springfield, Illinois, hometown. He has also raised $42,000 for schools in Springfield and hosted a drive to collect over 2,000 new children's books for a Philadelphia community. At the Rookie Challenge during the All-Star Weekend in Houston last February, Iguodala was named MVP for compiling 30 points, six rebounds and three assists. He's the first rookie in Sixer history since Jim Tucker in 1954-55 to post a triple double in 2004-05. Iguodala and Frye played two seasons together at the University of Arizona where a teammate was Luke Walton, the Los Angles Laker who visited Manila last year with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Another Arizona teammate Matt Brace flew in with Iguodala and Frye for their first Asian trip. Brace averaged 14.6 points for Central Arizona Junior College in 2002-03 and cracked the Arizona varsity lineup as a walk-on the next season. He was the first Tucson player to make the team since John Ash in 1996. Brace's grandfather Lute Olson is Arizona's coach. Iguodala left Arizona after two years to turn pro while Frye completed his four-year NCAA eligibility. There were six San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers who accompanied Iguodala and Frye to Manila for the NBA Madness Celebrity Jam. They were Ashley Gonzales, Jemina Brown, Laura Castillo, Melissa Jones, Tina Zamora and Vanessa Castaneda. Their choreographer Raquel Torres-Garcia arrived with them. Over 200 hopefuls attend grueling tryouts every summer for 16 slots on the Silver Dancers squad. Veterans and newcomers alike battle for jobs on a yearly basis. The Dancers said it's an unbelievable experience to perform for the Spurs and they get a chance to watch all their regular season and playoff games. Asked who their NBA crushes are, one of them singled out Spurs guard Tony Parker while two others pointed to Iguodala and Frye who, by the way, were within hearing distance. Also in the traveling party was Harry The Hawk -- feathers and all. In a recent interview hatched somewhere in his Highrise Nest home at the Philips Arena rafters, the Atlanta Hawks mascot said he plays the center (of attention) position, insists he was picked first in the NBA draft over Larry "Bird" and Pat "Ewing" and says his dream is to receive a championship "wing." Harry said his hobbies include stair-sledding, taking and making the half-court shot, dancing with kids playing musical chairs, pulling pranks on NBA referees and creating havoc wherever he goes. On a serious note, Harry said being an NBA mascot is physically demanding. "I ride a unicycle," said Harry who has four children and logs about 40 to 50 hours a week as a mascot. "I juggle basketballs. I spin basketballs and shoot half-court shots. I made about 50 percent of my half-court shots last year." During the NBA Madness tour, NBA Asia managing director Loron Orris said his dream is for a Filipino to someday play in the NBA. There have been Chinese, Korean and Japanese players in the NBA but not yet a full-blooded Filipino. Raymond Townsend, a Fil-Am born in the US with Batangas roots, saw action for Golden State and Indiana in 1979-81. NBA Asia senior manager for marketing partnerships Carlo Singson said the theme of this year's NBA Madness was "watch, play and jam." The watching began with the live telecasts of the recent NBA Finals then the playing started with the first of four-weekend Madness Mall Tours and the jamming was the climax at the Araneta Coliseum. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Aug 10 2006 11:41AM

Heat of the Moment Shaq takes back seat to Flash DALLAS. For a change, Shaquille O'Neal was not the MVP on the team that won the NBA championship. Dwayne Wade was named the MVP in the Finals that recently ended in Game 6 as the Miami Heat came back from a 0-2 series deficit to crush the Dallas Mavericks. While NBA commissioner David Stern awarded the MVP trophy to Wade, the Big Diesel cheered like a Big Brother proudly cheering his Little Brother. For three straight years, O'Neal was voted the Finals MVP in the Los Angeles Lakers' title wins over Indiana in 2000, Philadelphia in 2001 and New Jersey in 2002. He had plenty of help from Kobe Bryant but there was no question Shaq Daddy was in a class of his own. O'Neal ewentually wanted out of the Lakers stifling environment when owner Jerry Buss chose Bryant to take over as team leader after Los Angeles bowed to Detroit in five games in the 2004 Finals. O'Neal then moved to Miami where Wade was being groomed to be the Main Man. Right off the bat, there was chemistry between O'Neal and Wade even if they were 10 years old apart. It looked like they were meant for each other. O'Neal never liked teaming with Bryant, whom he once accused of being selfish, although they were good for three crowns. O'Neal was so impressed by his youthful teammate that he nicknamed him "Flash." In the just-concluded Finals, O'Neal took a back seat to Wade who never hesitated in putting the Heat on his back. Dallas came out smoking to take Games 1 and 2, leaving Miami biting the dust. Wade shot 28 in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2. Then came the pivotal Game 3 where Wade fired 42 points in Miami's 98-96 victory at home. Storming back from a 13-point deficit with 6 1/2 minutes left, the Heat leaned on Wade's 15 points in the fourth period to pull off the squeaker. In Game 4, Wade poured in 36 points as Miami trounced Dallas, 98-74. He shot a playoff career-high 43 in Game 5 and netted 36 in the Game 6 clincher. Dallas coach Avery Johnson tried every trick in the book to contain Wade or at least limit his touches. He zoned, trapped and doubled. Adrian Griffin, Devin Harris, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels took turns trying to shackle Wade----all to no avail. Wade threw up jumpers over the shorter Harris, drove past the slower Griffin, went to the pick-and-roll to throw off the taller Howard, ran rings around the older Stackhouse and exploited Daniels' inexperience. Wade left his imprint on the championship trophy when he scored four free throws in a row to stake Miami to a 95-90 lead, time down to 17.7 seconds, in Game 6. Howard's two charities closed out the scoring. Wade hit 11 of his 36, grabbed six of his 10 rebounds and dished off three of his five assists in the fourth quarter to ice it for Miami. Miami coach Pat Riley showed his confidence in Wade when with 9.1 seconds left in Game 5 and Dallas up, 100-99, he worked a play for the "Flash" to get the inbounds pass. Wade took it in the backcourt and dribbled up the court, eluding at least three defenders, to fish for a foul with 1.9 ticks to go. Wade calmly knocked down the free throws as Miami eked out a 101-100 win in overtime. Wade said he wouldn't have succeeded without his teammates. The 6-4, 212-pound Wade played two years at Marquette University and was picked by Miami on the first round of the 2003 draft after LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. A deeply religious family man, Wade wears No. 3 as a testament to his devotion to the Holy Trinity. He donates 10 percent of his annual salary to the Christian ministry Blood, Water and the Spirit. Wade, whose motto is "fall seven times, get up eight" as in his shoe commercial, played on the US team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Wade met his wife Siovaughn when he was 11 playing near his father's house in a Chicago suburb. They became high school sweethearts after he broke up with his girlfriend in his freshman year. In 2002, they were married. Their three-year-old son Zaire is lefthanded and will probably be a basketball player, too. Wade is a fashion plate who models for Sean John. He was recently named the NBA's best-dressed player by Gentlemen's Quarterly. Wade has two older brothers and a 29-year-old sister Tragil whom he considers his father and mother for bringing him up. In the Finals, Wade gained a reputation for his fearlessness and humility. Wade's scoring average has increased from 16.2 as a rookie in 2003-04 to 24.1 to 27.2. His career highs include 48 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Jun 26 2006 5:17AM

The Keys from The Keys Five Pat Riley moves that worked MIAMI, June 15 -- It didn't seem like Miami could pull off a win as Dallas surged to a 13-point lead, its biggest, at 89-76, with 6:34 to go in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena here Tuesday night. But coach Pat Riley refused to give up and gambled on several critical decisions in the fourth period. First, he sat down Dwyane Wade for two crucial minutes before the Flash -- nursing five fouls -- returned, time down to 6:47. Wade made good use of the respite to score 13 of his 15 points the rest of the way. Second, he played reserve James Posey the entire 12-minute stretch, leaving Antoine Walker on the bench. Posey shut out Josh Howard and scored four points, including a triple that highlighted a 12-2 run that reduced the Mavs' lead to three, 91-88, with 3:36 left. Third, he sat down Shaquille O'Neal in the last 1:03, sacrificing his interior presence, because the Big Diesel would've been a target of fouls down the stretch. O'Neal was a combined 2-of-16 from the line in Games 1 and 2. Miami assistant coach Erik Spoelstra later said the decision to sit O'Neal was prompted by Dirk Nowitzki's shift to center with Dallas playing a 'small' lineup of three guards. Fourth, he put his trust on Gary Payton to knock down a 21-foot jumper, with 9.3 seconds remaining and the score tied at 95-all. The Glove didn't disappoint Riley. Before the shot, Payton was 1-of-8 from the floor in the series. And fifth, he stayed with Udonis Haslem, nursing a strained left shoulder from Game 2, to crash the boards and shadow Nowitzki from 8:53 to go up to the end. Haslem stole the ball and sank two free throws with 1:03 left as the Heat took the lead, 94-93, for the first time since the 5:12 mark of the third quarter. There appeared to be another gamble in the last 1.4 seconds as Wade looked like he deliberately missed his second free throw with Miami ahead, 98-96. The ploy ate up .4 of a second and forced Dallas into a catch-and-shoot situation off a 20-second ceasefire. If Wade converted, the Mavs would've called a timeout and set up a last play, with 1.4 on the clock. A fraction of a second could make a difference in executing a play. Spoelstra and Posey told me Wade did not deliberately miss the second free throw. It would've made sense to perhaps miss the foul shot if the Mavs had no timeout left. As it turned out, Wade deflected Nowitzki's inbounds pass which was supposed to be an alley-oop play for Howard and preserved the Heat's two-point margin. Riley knew his first unit was near exhaustion and with no confidence on his bench beyond three relievers, rolled the dice in a bold bid to avoid a black hole in the Finals. A loss would've pushed Miami on the brink of elimination as no team ever has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the championship. Riley would've been chastised for his decisions if Miami lost. He survived the test of brinkmanship and has now guaranteed a Game 5 in the best-of-7 series. Miami is set to host Games 4 and 5. One more win for the Heat and the teams go back to Dallas for sure. Last season, San Antonio raced to a 2-0 series lead over Detroit but needed a Game 7 to repulse the Pistons. Only two teams in history recovered from 0-2 to win the title -- Boston over Los Angeles in 1969 and Portland over Philadelphia in 1977 -- but both feats came when the NBA still used the 2-2-1-1-1 format, not the 2-3-2 which was instituted in 1985. The Heat fed off the energy from the sellout home crowd of 20,145 to stage the emotional comeback in what should rank among the most exciting games in Finals history. Riley said the Heat won because the players believed they could do it. Miami missed 14 free throws but had the edge in rebounds, 49-34, turnover points, 28-13, and second chance points, 16-11. Wade carried the Heat on his back and fired 42 points in 43 minutes to lead the charge. O'Neal compiled 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to redeem himself from a disappearing act in Games 1 and 2. If Riley hopes to work another miracle, he'll need a lot more rabbits than just Wade to pull out of his hat. **** The seating capacity of the American Airlines Arena is supposed to be 19,600 but in Game 3, the attendance was announced as a sellout of 20,145. How the Heat squeezed about 500 more fans into the packed stadium had to be a stroke of genius or some kind of magical engineering feat. The Heat faithful came in full force, dressed in white like the color of Don Johnson's favorite sportscoat in TV's 'Miami Vice.' Wherever you looked in the stands, all you saw was a sea of white -- almost like a gathering of angels. The local celebrities showed up to support the Heat. Singer Enrique Iglesias, whose father Julio is listed as a limited partner in the franchise, was in white, too, with girlfriend Anna Kournikova. Gloria Estefan wore white from her bandana down to her shoes. Jack Nicklaus and Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees were other celebrities in the cast. Our broadcast position was high up in the rafters, near where Michael Jordan's giant replica No. 23 Chicago Bulls jersey is hung. Unlike in Dallas where we had our own booth, we were lined up in a row of coverors beside the Star Sports panel. Solar vice president for production Erick Tam, broadcaster Vitto Lazatin and I were a bit cramped in our seats but we didn't mind. Just being there to cover what turned out to be one of the most exciting Finals games ever was more than enough to compensate for any discomfort. Solar has the exclusive TV rights to broadcast NBA games in the Philippines and sent a three-man team to the US to cover the Finals from start to finish. The team is headed by Tam. Lazatin and I are the broadcasters. Miami hasn't lost too many games at home this season. Clearly, the homecourt advantage is a big boost to the Heat as a 'sixth man.' In the regular season, Miami was 31-10 at the arena. In the playoffs before last Tuesday's Game 3, it was 8-1 with the only setback in the series opener of the New Jersey duel in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Nets paid dearly for embarrassing the Heat as they lost four in a row after drawing first blood. But Dallas is known as a road warrior and has closed out its three previous playoffs series away from home, finishing off Memphis, San Antonio and Phoenix on their courts. Six of the Mavs' 14 wins so far in the playoffs were fashioned on the road. If Dallas beats Miami in Games 4 and 5, the Mavs will close out the Finals on the road, too. Miami's win over Dallas in Game 3 snapped the Heat's seven-game losing streak to the Mavs dating back to March 26, 2004. Now, the monkey is off the Heat's back. It was the second time that Miami has rebounded fiercely from being humiliated by the Mavs. Last Feb. 9, Dallas pulverized the Heat, 112-76, despite Shaquille O'Neal's 23 points. That lit a fire under Miami and triggered a 10-game win skein. "It made each one of us look at each other in the face and come together and find the right answers to make this team a better team," said reserve center Alonzo Mourning. Coach Pat Riley said something positive came out of the defeat. "It embarrassed us enough on national television to start really coming together, doing the things that we were talking about doing, not worrying about who was shooting, who was playing, what the rotation was," said Riley. "A lot of things changed that day." The same thing happened last Tuesday. Miami came off a woeful 99-85 loss in Game 2 where the Mavs enjoyed a 27-point cushion in the third period. The blowout was so severe that Riley opted to sit out O'Neal in the last 15 minutes to preserve his energy for the next outing. Sure enough, the Heat wouldn't be denied a win, no matter how close, in Game 3. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Jun 15 2006 3:10PM

Rodman predicts Spurs to win it all The Worm is coming to Manila with NBA legends It was Dennis Rodman on the line, calling from Los Angeles yesterday. And he spoke from the heart. Rodman, 44, phoned to confirm his arrival in the Philippines next month with five other NBA All-Stars to play two games against a Filipino pro selection from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Project promoter Mario Whitmire, a former US Navy serviceman, said the plan is to reinforce the six NBA veterans with four to six pro prospects and possibly, two to four Filipino non-pro players. PBA commissioner Noli Eala said two lineups composed of local pro stars will be formed to play Rodman's team on April 27 in a southern city, Cagayan de Oro or Iloilo---depending on where the PBA All-Star Weekend will be held---and on May 1 at the 17,000-seat Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila. Rodman will be joined by 7-0 Kevin Willis, 5-9 Calvin Murphy, 6-7 Alex English, 6-4 Otis Birdsong and 6-11 Darryl Dawkins in the team coached by five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief. The 6-7, 230-pound Rodman is arriving with assistant Thaer Mustafa and a bodyguard. "I don't know much about the Philippines except that I've got a relative living there," said Rodman, referring to his estranged father Philander who resides in Angeles City. "I guess he'll probably want to see me. All I want to tell him is to respect my privacy and individuality. I don't know if I'll talk to him but if I do, it'll be as a friend, that's all." Rodman's father abandoned his wife Shirley and three children when the NBA star was only three. He was later stationed at Clark Air Base in Angeles City where he married his second wife, divorced and now lives with several women and over 10 children. Rodman was surprised to learn that former Chicago Bulls like Dickey Simpkins, Scott Burrell, Dennis Hopson and Jojo English previously played in the PBA as imports. "Absolutely, I could play as an import but I wouldn't play the whole season, maybe, two or three games like I did in England," said Rodman. "Playing overseas is different. Fans watch your every move and want to see how much more you've got. I just play as hard as I can, even if I'm up against guys who are 25 or 26. It doesn't matter how old you are as long as you can run up and down the floor, play competitively and play to win." Rodman said at his age, he can still play at a high level. "The fans in the Philippines shouldn't expect too much but, hey, I still got 23 rebounds in a game in London," he added. As for making a comeback in the NBA, Rodman said if it happens, it happens. "At this stage of my life, I don't need the NBA to keep going," said Rodman. "I'm doing fine doing what I'm doing. I have nothing more to prove or achieve. I'm happy. My kids love me, my wife loves me. I've achieved enough for a lifetime." In a 14-year NBA career, Rodman led the league in rebounding seven seasons and in field goal percentage once. He was named Defensive Player of the Year twice and played on five championship teams, two with Detroit and three with Chicago. Rodman played in the 1990 and 1992 All-Star Games. He retired after the 1999-2000 season with career-highs of 34 points, 34 rebounds and 10 assists. Rodman played for Detroit, San Antonio, Chicago, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas. On why he was a success in the NBA, Rodman said it's because he did the dirty work, the little things most players don't like to do. "I didn't mind being a role player," he went on. "I played defense, I rebounded. I did what I had to do to help my team win." Rodman said the teammates he enjoyed playing with included Joe Dumars and the Detroit "bad boys" for teaching him the ropes and of course, the Bulls from the Chicago dynasty era like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the others. He singled out Pistons coach Chuck Daly for his outstanding work on the bench. About what color of hair he'll wear for the Philippine tour, Rodman promised "something crazy." Which team will win the NBA title this year? Rodman predicted two of his former teams, San Antonio and Detroit, will advance to the finals with the Spurs eventually bagging the crown. Whitmire said the NBA veterans are coming to kick butt. "Otis is guaranteeing an average of 30 points and Dennis told me he's playing at least 20 minutes a game," said Whitmire who is being assisted by associate Michael Halbrooks and his 27-year-old son Eric in the project. "Darryl is working hard to get into shape. Calvin and Alex can still shoot the ball. And Kevin just finished playing in the NBA last season. Otis is picking four to six reinforcements, possibly from the NBA developmental league. So we expect a highly-competitive team to play against the PBA's best." Willis, 43, played for seven teams in 21 NBA seasons and was on San Antonio's 2003 title team. Murphy, 57, averaged 17.9 points in 13 seasons and holds the league's single-season record for highest free throw percentage at .958 in 1981. English, 52, led the NBA in scoring with a 28.4 clip in 1982-83 and played for four teams in 15 seasons. Birdsong, 50, averaged 18 points in 12 seasons and played in four All-Star Games. Dawkins, 49, played for four teams in 14 seasons and was known as "Chocolate Thunder" for his rim-rattling dunks. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Mar 22 2006 2:05AM

Little guy steals show Robinson wins slam dunk title A little guy stole the show at the recent NBA All-Star extravaganza in Houston and the David versus Goliath storyline couldn't be more dramatic in the Land of the Giants. New York Knicks rookie guard Nate Robinson, who stands 5-9, won the $35,000 first prize by outdueling 6-6 Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia, 6-9 Josh Smith of Atlanta and 6-9 Hakim Warrick of Memphis in the Slam Dunk competition---the highlight of the four skills events on the eve of the 55th All-Star Game. Never mind if Robinson had 13 miscues in the process. In the eyes of the public, that was forgivable because Robinson worked with a handicap. He enjoyed the sympathy of the crowd and used it to sway the votes of judges Clyde (The Glide) Drexler, Elvin (The Big E) Hayes, Moses Malone, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kenny Smith---all NBA veterans. Robinson, the oldest of seven children, wanted to win the crown badly and follow in Spud Webb's footsteps. The 5-7 Webb outslammed heavily-favored Dominique Wilkins in the 1986 finals and is Robinson's inspiration. It was Robinson's teammate Jamal Crawford who suggested tracking down Webb to give pointers on how to win the title. Robinson and Webb finally met at a Knicks game a few weeks ago. They hit it off because they had something in common---they're both miscast in a big man's game. "I watched all of Spud's dunks on tape," said Robinson who was traded to New York by Phoenix after the Suns picked him on the first round in last year's draft. "I talked to him about what his preparations were going into the dunk contest. He just said he practiced a couple of days before. That's what I did. I practiced for two weeks." Celebrities came out in full force to witness the Slam Dunk proceedings. At courtside were Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Raven Simone, Snoop Dogg, Gabrielle Union, Russell Simmons, Ice Cube and Jermaine Dupri. Robinson was spectacular in his first attempt. He made a high bounce pass to himself then spun 360 degrees in the air before throwing down a two-handed slam. The dunk drew a score of 49 points with only Smith denying a 10. In the second round, Iguodala tallied a 50 with the five judges turning in a unanimous decision. He deserved it. Iguodala's teammate Allen Iverson stood on the outside endline where photographers usually sit and bounced a pass off the back of the board. Iguodala caught the ball, floated in mid-air and turned completely around the hoop to slam it in on a two-handed reverse. After two rounds, Iguodala had 95 points and Robinson, 93, to enter the finals. Warrick tallied 86 and Smith, 81, to walk away with $16,125 each---sort of like their appearance fee. Iguodala and Robinson were tied, 94-all, after two dunks in the finals. Robinson brought the house down and got a unanimous 50 on his second dunk in a teamup with Webb. He walked over to Webb at courtside and handed him an Atlanta Hawks No. 4 throwback jersey. It was a replica of the jersey that Webb wore to win the Slam Dunk crown 20 years ago. Webb put on the uniform and walked onto the court. He stood about five feet from the basket and bounced the ball high as Robinson sprinted from midcourt, grabbed the ball in mid-air and jumped over him for a one-handed dunk. A sudden death "dunk-off" settled the outcome. Robinson's last dunk wasn't as stirring as the leap over Webb. He raced from the backcourt, threw the ball underhanded against the glass and caught it to move the ball through his legs for the slam. That merited a 47. Iguodala tried a between-the-legs reverse down the baseline, missed and in his second attempt, dunked a one-handed windmill reverse for a 46. "We practiced it and he cleared," said Webb of Robinson's high-wire act. "It's nice to see a guy who's humble and down-to-earth to win an award like this because God gives us a gift to jump that we try to use to the best of our abilities and he does." For his part, Robinson said: "It's a great honor, a great privilege to be in my shoes. I just thank God because without Him, nothing would be possible. I thank Spud for helping me out because I think that put me over the hump, just to make it to each round then have a tiebreaker for the first time in history." Robinson's father Jacque was a University of Washington star tailback who won MVP honors in the 1982 Rose Bowl and the 1985 Orange Bowl. His mother Renee Busch manages a beauty salon in Seattle. Robinson soared for his first-ever dunk when he was in the eighth grade. As a senior at Rainier Beach High in 2001-02, he averaged 17.9 points to lead the varsity to a 28-1 record. A younger brother Deron Isaish died in 1997 of SIDS. Before the season started, Robinson impressed the Knicks coaching staff by averaging 16.5 points and 28.1 minutes in 10 summer league games. The showing convinced New York coach Larry Brown to make room for the rookie in the roster. "At that size, to get to this level, you have to have incredible speed," said Knicks president Isiah Thomas, referring to Robinson. "You've got to have incredible intelligence. It's speed, basketball IQ and toughness to go inside and take a lick." Brown and Thomas can't complain about Robinson's performance so far. He's averaging 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 19.4 minutes for the Knicks this season. With the Slam Dunk title under his belt, Robinson is now known not just as a little guy but as a little big man---an inspiration, like Webb, to undersized players trying to make an impact in the game. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Feb 26 2006 12:17PM

I told you so---defense wins it for East Saunders in paradigm shift HOUSTON. They don't usually play defense in the NBA All-Star Game where the accent of play is offense by tradition. But last Sunday night at the Toyota Center here, the East rewrote history and put on a gritty display of hard-nosed defense to eke out a 122-120 win over the West. Leading the charge were East coach Flip Saunders' reliables from Detroit---Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups who provided the defensive push that eventually broke the West's back. The MVP trophy, however, went to Cleveland's wunderkind LeBron James who poured in 29 points, 13 in the third period when the East trimmed a 21-point deficit to three. James' selection was true to form because in the All-Star Game, offense is still what fans enjoy the most. Saunders took over as the Pistons coach from Larry Brown this season and has so far done a masterful job on the bench. Detroit is the league's leading team with a 42-9 record. Next in line is Dallas at 41-11. If the NBA ended its regular season today, making the playoff cut in the East would be, in order, Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, Cleveland, Indiana, Milwaukee, Washington and Philadelphia and in the West, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers. Saunders, who turns 51 on Thursday, was unceremoniously kicked out as Minnesota coach in the middle of last season. The Timberwolves were in a state of confusion with a 25-26 record and although Saunders wasn't to blame, he was made the convenient scapegoat. Minnesota's loss turned out to be Detroit's gain. In the press conference after the All-Star Game, Saunders paid tribute to the East players for rolling up their sleeves, getting down to business and playing tough defense in repulsing the West. He said the effort down the stretch made the difference as the East preserved a 10-point lead with 3:29 to go to edge the West by two. With the game on the line, Saunders called on Allen Iverson to play the point instead of his Detroit quarterback Billups. He assigned James on Tracy McGrady and Dwayne Wade on Kobe Bryant. Rasheed Wallace was the center and the only East player to log all 12 minutes in the period. Vince Carter was the fifth cager on the floor for Saunders. The lineup appeared to be unwieldy, what with four guards on the court. But Saunders gambled on quickness to get the jump on the West, defensively. The trick worked. Saunders said with the score tied at 120-all, time down to 16.6 seconds, he picked Iverson to take the last shot instead of James because of his speed advantage over Steve Nash. The Answer had an open look but missed a 15-footer. Then, from out of nowhere, Wade grabbed the offensive rebound and sank a floater. Wade's crucial rebound was the ultimate irony because the West controlled the boards from start to finish. The West wound up with 68 rebounds to the East's 49 and hauled in more offensive boards, 25-11. There was still a lot of time for the West to equalize or win the game outright with a triple. Saunders knew West coach Avery Johnson would set up either T-Mac or Bryant for the final stab so he reminded James and Wade to stay home from the inbounds pass. The ball went to McGrady who uncorked a 20-footer that missed badly. He insisted James clipped him and there should've been a foul called. The ball fell short of the target and appeared to have been deflected. Kevin Garnett, who had just checked in for Ray Allen, plucked down the rebound to give the West another chance. Bryant got the ball. Only seconds earlier, he buried a difficult 20-foot fadeaway to knot the count. All game long, there was a concerted West effort to give McGrady every chance to shine so he could walk away with the MVP trophy before the Houston homecrowd. Bryant unselfishly gave up shots to pass to T-Mac. But as the clock wound down, Bryant knew it was up to him to bail out the West. Alas, the East knew that, too. Three defenders crowded Bryant on his dribble and he lost the handle under pressure. Defense did it in the end as if scripted by Saunders. Bryant, incidentally, finished with eight points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes. Only two players failed to score. Pau Gasol was scoreless in three tries but collected a game-high 12 rebounds in 14 minutes. Ben Wallace missed a field goal and two free throws in 24 minutes. Big Ben compensated with eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. McGrady would've been the MVP if the West won. He fired 36 points, including 4-of-10 treys. On the downside, T-Mac had no rebound and flubbed 5-of-7 free throws. Saunders' defense was the key to victory as the East held the West to .455 from the floor and forced 24 turnovers which resulted in 31 points. In contrast, the East shot .505 from the field and committed 16 miscues. By the way, I predicted the East victory in this space last week. I almost ate my words after the West erected a 21-point lead in the third period but the East wouldn't be denied a second straight win---both on the road---in the greatest basketball show on earth. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Feb 21 2006 4:22AM

East will win again Fearless forecast of 2006 All-Star Game All roads lead to Houston for the NBA All-Star Extravaganza this weekend. I'll be flying from Manila via Las Vegas to join anchorman Jude Turcuato on the TV panel for the satellite coverage of the All-Star Game. The contest with our commentary will be aired live in the Philippines on Monday morning. Jude is a knowledgeable basketball commentator who also happens to be vice president for marketing of Solar Sports, the franchise holder of the NBA TV rights in the Philippines. I'll be attending my sixth All-Star Weekend. My first was unforgettable---the 1997 edition where the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary in Cleveland. I also covered the All-Star Games in New York in 1998, Oakland in 2000, Los Angeles in 2004 and Denver last year. Each All-Star Weekend was a unique and memorable experience. For me, the All-Star Weekend is the greatest basketball show in the world. I predicted the East to win last year and sure enough, Allen Iverson and company took a 125-115 decision. The triumph snapped the West's three-game win streak. This year, the East should win again, what with coach Flip Saunders harnessing the services of four of his Detroit mainstays---Chauncey, Rip and the Wallace boys. West coach Avery Johnson won't enjoy the same luxury of leaning on a nucleus quite as solid. NBA commissioner David Stern picked Gilbert Arenas to replace Jermaine O'Neal in the East roster. O'Neal was voted to start but won't be able to play because of a groin injury. The rules empower the commissioner to name a sub. Saunders will name a replacement for O'Neal in the starting lineup and his choice has to be Rasheed. Not just because he's a Piston but because he deserves it. Sheed is averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 35.6 minutes and will be making his first All-Star Game appearance as a Piston. He previously represented Portland in two All-Star Games. Besides, who's a better choice? Chris Bosh? Saunders' team is fully loaded at every position. Chauncey will be AI's backup at point guard. Then he can rotate Rip, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter and Dwayne Wade at two-guard. LeBron will start at the three-spot but he, too, plays two. Shaq and Big Ben will take care of the middle while Bosh and Sheed will be awesome at the four-spot. If Saunders goes with a three-guard alignment, the East will run the West to the ground. Steve Nash will try to keep things in synch for the West. His backup Tony Parker is making his All-Star Game debut. Kobe is in the mix so you can expect him to jack up a lot of shots which won't make him too popular with his teammates, particularly T-Mac and KG. The West has an extremely tall lineup with Yao, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, KG, Elton and the Matrix. With Kobe firing at will, Ray Allen might not find too many opportunities to score. Johnson will try to motivate his All-Stars to play as a unit but that's easier said than done. Johnson has done a masterful job getting things organized in Dallas but he's far from gaining the stature of a Riley or a Jackson. The way I see it, the East will try to outrun the West while the West will play slow and deliberate to take advantage of the size mismatch. Yao and Duncan make a formidable Twin Towers combination. So do Pau and KG. But the East has the speed and athleticism to run rings around them. My pick is the East to win in a scorcher. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Feb 12 2006 11:29PM

Clippers on right track Overachieving team outplaying crosstown rivals They're not laughing at the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA anymore. This season, the Clippers are far from laughable. Coach Mike Dunleavy's charges are outplaying their crosstown rivals, the Lakers, and finally, oddsmakers are taking them a little seriously. Of course, it's too early in the season to shower Dunleavy with superlatives. But one thing's for sure, the Clippers are on the right track. They're running second in the tough Pacific Division with a 16-11 record, 10-3 at home, while the Lakers are third at 15-14, losing their last three. They've faced each other once so far with the Clippers claiming a 97-91 decision. They square off again on Jan. 7 at the Staples Center, their common homecourt. The Clippers posted a 6-2 preseason record and lost only to Sacramento and Seattle. They won their first three regular season games and for a while, showed the way in the Pacific. But truth to tell, the Clippers' early season schedule hasn't been too difficult. Some of their wins came at the expense of lowly clubs like Atlanta, New York and Toronto. But they did manage to beat Cleveland, 102-90, Miami, 99-89 and Phoenix, 101-91. And they didn't look too bad in losing to San Antonio, 95-87, in overtime. The Clippers haven't qualified for the playoffs in the last eight years so they've got a lot of catching up to do. The franchise started out as the Buffalo Braves in 1970-71 then became the San Diego Clippers in 1978-79 before moving to Los Angeles in 1984-85. In 35 seasons, the team has made it to only six playoffs and in those six playoffs, it advanced past the first round only once. The Clippers' history of futility is unenviable. While the Lakers enjoy a rich championship tradition, the Clippers are perennially the butt of jokes in LaLa Land. In the book "You Don't Say---Over 1,000 Hilarious Sports Quotes and Quips" compiled by Hartley Miller (I bought the book at the San Francisco airport during a recent US trip), there are several classic jokes about the Clippers, including the following: "October 31 is the night (when) people dress in bizarre, outlandish outfits and then make children and old people scream in horror. In most of the world, this is known as Halloween. In Southern California, it is the start of the Clippers' season."---Comedian Jerry Perisho. "Paying full price for a Clippers ticket---that is March Madness."---Los Angeles comic Jenny Church. "They assumed he was smashed out of his mind because he allegedly was at a bar saying that he would love to play for the Clippers."---Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg after Dennis Rodman was arrested in Newport Beach on suspicion of public intoxication. "Happy April Fool's Day. This, of course, is the day we honor people who bet on the Clippers."---Jay Leno. "We're surprised he didn't ask the Clippers to move to Eagle, Colorado."---Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun on reports that Kobe Bryant asked the Clippers to play 10 to 12 home games a season at the Arrowhead Pond, which is closer to his home, as a condition of signing with them. "Until there's a settlement, there'll be no three-pointers. No slam dunks. No alley oops. No fast breaks. For the Clippers, it means business as usual."---Comedy writer Alan Ray on NBA owners locking out the players. "It wasn't all bad news. In a joint press release, the club announced it was lowering expectations."---Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times after the Clippers raised ticket prices following their 11th consecutive losing season. By the way, the Clippers haven't registered a winning season since Larry Brown, who took over with 35 games left in the campaign, piloted the team to a 23-12 mark enroute to a 45-37 record in 1991-92. Two stars are averaging at least 20 points a game for the Clippers this year and they've been leading the charge. Elton Brand is norming 25.5 points and 10.9 rebounds while Corey Maggette is hitting at a 21.7 clip. Veterans Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley are averaging a combined 31.1 points to provide firepower from the backcourt. Although the Clippers could barge into the playoffs this season (they're No. 6 in the West at the moment), they won't go far because seven-foot starting center Chris Kaman (averaging 9.1 points and 8.6 rebounds) is not a serious post threat and Dunleavy's bench is suspect. The Clippers relievers---including Shaun Livingston, Quinton Ross, Zeljko Rebraca, Chris Wilcox, Howard Eisley and Walter McCarty---just aren't shakers. If things prosper for the Clippers, they'll be having the last laugh at the end of the season. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Dec 29 2005 3:02AM

Blazers in a shambles McMillan under pressure to deliver PORTLAND, Oregon. The date was Dec. 11, 2005, and the Houston Rockets were at the Rose Garden to play the host Trail Blazers. I was curious to see if Tracy McGrady, back in harness, would do a number on Portland. I was in town from Manila to watch the game and interview Blazers guard Sebastian Telfair. With McGrady sidelined because of a strained back, the Rockets went nowhere and posted a 0-8 record. But with T-Mac in uniform, Houston had won two straight and three of its last four outings to move to 6-12 this season. As expected, it was T-Mac who made the difference in the Rockets' 100-86 win over the Blazers. He poured in 35 points, including 11 in the fourth period, and grabbed seven rebounds to disappoint the home crowd of 12,886 fans. The Rockets rolled to their third win in a row. McGrady's thundering dunk boosted the Rockets' lead to 15---their biggest in the game---at 72-57 early in the fourth period. Telfair played only seven minutes in the first half due to a sprained right thumb but came back with a vengeance in the payoff quarter as he tried to take charge down the stretch. The six-foot sophomore fired 14 of his team-high 17 points in the last eight minutes to no avail. Houston center Yao Ming fouled out with five minutes left but neither Joel Przybilla nor Ha Seung Jin could take advantage of his absence. Both bumbling Portland centers are not legitimate post threats. Portland coach Nate McMillan tried to slow down the tempo in a defensive tactic to prevent the Rockets from pulling away early. The trick, however, backfired as the Blazers struggled in the halfcourt with Telfair issuing brilliant passes only for his teammates to miss. What made matters worse for the Blazers was their sloppy play. Portland was slapped 14 turnovers to Houston's seven. Compounding the Blazers' woes, the Rockets scored more points off turnovers, 21-7 and fastbreak points, 18-9. Portland shot only 38 percent from the floor compared to Houston's 45.6 percent. Portland star Darius Miles, sidelined with a knee injury, was not on the bench. He attended the funeral of Quentin Richardson's brother in Chicago and was excused. Miles was due for minor surgery the coming week. Yao got into early foul trouble and wasn't much of a factor, finishing with nine points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. Luckily for Houston, reliever Dikembe Mutombo stepped up to compile seven points and nine rebounds in 17 quality minutes. Yao showed up wearing a bandage over his right eye. In a game against Boston the previous week, Yao suffered a cut that took eight stitches to close from a Brian Scalabrine elbow. For a while, Telfair and McGrady---both Adidas endorsers---faced off in a scoring duel during a torrid exchange in the fourth period. Telfair hit a driving layup off Yao to trim Portland's deficit to eight at 74-66 with eight minutes left. McGrady countered with a baseline incursion then Telfair buried a triple. McGrady replied with a field goal and Telfair stripped Luther Head of possession to sink a fastbreak layup, cutting the margin to seven at 78-71. It was the closest the Blazers got to the Rockets count the rest of the way. Telfair, a big McGrady fan, wore the Adidas T-Mac 5 pair during the game. He said he'll wear the Adidas "intelligent" shoe---featuring a microprocessor chip---if picked to play in the Rookies versus Sophomores game at the All-Star Weekend in Houston in February. It was the Blazers' seventh loss in the last eight games and McMillan, who took over from Maurice Cheeks in the offseason, is under severe pressure to produce. Ironically, McMillan was just named an assistant coach on the USA men's team that will play at the World Championships next year and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The US head coach is Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski. Aside from McMillan, the other assistants are Syracuse University's Jim Boeheim and the Phoenix Suns' Mike D'Antoni. The Blazers seem far from playing as a cohesive unit. With Miles out, McMillan is hard-pressed to find a go-to guy. Neither Zach Randolph nor Ruben Patterson can be considered fit for the job. Telfair thrives in an up-tempo game but McMillan is forced to play a deliberate style to accommodate his slow-footed forwards. As a result, the team is in a shambles. Chemistry is sorely lacking and McMillan doesn't know if the Blazers are coming or going. Unless something magical happens, it looks like a long and frustrating season ahead for the Blazers. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Dec 22 2005 3:24AM

Little Big Man in the Land of the Giants Talking with Telfair in Portland PORTLAND, Oregon. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy and Portland Trail Blazers sophomore Sebastian Telfair is living proof that an undersized high school graduate with no college experience has to overachieve to make it big in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Telfair, 20, is a six-foot, 160-pound point guard who went straight from Lincoln High School in New York to the NBA last year. No doubt, the kid is talented but in the rough-and-tumble world of the NBA where giants lord it over, it's an uphill climb for Bassy to stardom. What makes the road even tougher for Telfair is he's being asked to take control of a team that's still in the process of jelling. Worse, he's got to rein in veterans like Zach Randolph and Ruben Patterson whose history of unpredictable behavior---on and off the court---is unenviable. Randolph, for instance, lost his starting job in a recent game against New Orleans for picking up his third late slip for practice this season which is only a month old. He was late for two shootarounds in the preseason so promptness is clearly not one of his virtues. Blazers new coach Nate McMillan, a strict disciplinarian, isn't about to let his players get away with their shenanigans. He's made it clear that there are no sacred cows in the team. McMillan won't hesitate to lower the boom on anyone who crosses the line---whether he's a star or benchwarmer. The talk is when the Blazers practice, you can hear McMillan bark at his underachieving players two blocks away from the gym. "Yeah, he can get very loud when he makes a point," said Telfair during an interview at the Adidas Village in Portland last Saturday. "Coach is a good teacher. If you don't do right, he'll make sure you know how he feels." Telfair himself has not been spared from McMillan's uncompromising approach. In Portland's 98-96 overtime win over New Orleans at the Rose Garden here last Friday, Telfair was benched the entire fourth quarter and the five-minute extension because his reliever Steve Blake appeared to be more in synch. Still, McMillan's long-term vision is for Telfair to take over the team like Steve Nash with the Phoenix Suns. Telfair said his development as the Blazers leader is a work in progress. "In my first year, I looked up to Damon (Stoudamire) and Nick (Van Exel) and they taught me a lot," continued Telfair. "Now that they've gone to other teams, I still talk to them every day for advice. In my second year, with Damon and Nick gone, I'm responsible for controlling the offense and I'm learning to be the leader of our team. Once we get things together, the points and assists will come." Telfair said if he had a choice, he'd love to play with Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. But that's wishful thinking. He said another dream is to play alongside a two-guard in the mold of either Paul Pierce or Michael Redd. For the draft next year, Telfair said the Blazers could use a backup for Randolph at power forward. Telfair noted that a highlight of this season so far was when he torched the New York Knicks for a career-high 27 points at Madison Square Garden last month. He was matched up against cousin Stephon Marbury and their families were in the stands watching their duel. "I was challenged by Stephon and everything was falling in for me," recalled Telfair. "It was really inspiring for me since I was back home in New York." Telfair said although he's barely out of his teens, he's not letting his status as a celebrity athlete make him lose focus. He proudly mentioned that last month, he did something special---he took his mother out of the projects in Brooklyn and bought her a new house in New Jersey. But even as Telfair isn't the type to indulge in unnecessary luxuries, there was one excess he couldn't resist. He bought himself a brand new white two-door Bentley which retails for about $230,000. "When I was in high school (that wasn't too long ago), I saw this picture of a Bentley in a magazine and told myself someday, if I can afford it, I'll buy myself that car," said Telfair. It seemed like an impossibility at the time considering Telfair was just a kid living in the projects. Impossible is nothing, said Telfair as he drove away from the meeting with this blogger in a white Bentley. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Dec 12 2005 2:48PM

Boston in rude awakening Spurs bring Celtics back to earth Nerve-wracking is the only way to describe the Boston Celtics' first four games this season. In the Celts' opener, they beat New York, 114-110, in OT. Then, Boston lost an 82-81 cliffhanger to Detroit as Rip Hamilton sank a 20-foot jumper on a catch-and-shoot off an inbounds pass with only 0.8 of a second left. The Celtics went on to bow to Charlotte, 107-105, in OT and came back to nip Memphis, 99-98, on Ricky Davis' jumper with no time left. Boston's 2-2 record could've easily been 4-0 or 0-4, depending on how you view the guys in green. Of course, the string of close endings was snapped unceremoniously by the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in Boston last Friday. The Spurs were merciless in crushing the Celtcs, 103-82. San Antonio's biggest lead was 26. Coach Gregg Popovich ran a clinic on both ends and exposed Boston's weakest link---a shallow bench. Center Mark Blount was clearly no match for Tim Duncan who finished with 29 points and 12 boards. Poor Mark sheepishly walked away with only three points in 16 minutes. Al Jefferson, the sixth man, had a more decent performance with 12 points. The game showcased San Antonio's frightening depth and Boston's lack of it. You're not going to scare the Spurs with players like Brian Scalabrine, Justin Reed, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green and Dan Dickau off the bench. Reactivating injured veterans Tony Allen and Marcus Banks won't make much of a difference either. Against the Spurs, Paul Pierce and Davis kept the Celts' flag flying in the first half as Boston came back from 16 down to tie it at 39-all. The Spurs were on top by only three at the turn. But in the third period, San Antonio buckled down to work as the Spurs opened a 22-point lead shooting 71 percent from the floor and limiting the Celts to only 26 percent. That did it. Tony Parker shone brightly with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists. Delonte West just couldn't keep up. Pierce was held to 20 points, nearly 10 below his average. If there were hopes that Boston might surprise as a serious contender in the East after a strong start, they were dashed by San Antonio. Boston shot only 44 percent from the floor and San Antonio, 56 percent. The Spurs also won the battle of the boards, 50-37. Coach Doc Rivers has his work cut out for him. If the Celts are to win consistently, he's got to make up for his inferior cast with brilliant coaching. Otherwise, it'll be another frustrating season for Boston. By the way, the Celts haven't advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons. The legendary tales of Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, Cowens and Bird must be haunting Rivers like a recurring nightmare. Rivers has big shoes to fill and a rich tradition to uphold. Unfortunately, Doc hasn't been a source of inspiration lately. Take, for instance, the Celtics' loss to Detroit. With 0.8 of a second to go, Doc instructed his five players to watch the lob and clog the lane. Nobody bothered the inbounder as a result. That kind of defensive formation allowed the Pistons to line up bodies for a multiple screen. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out who among the Pistons will take the last shot in that situation. The inbounds pass went safely into Rip's hands as he turned the corner and he popped it in as time expired. The Boston fans were in shock. Doc threw a win out the window because he failed to think out an effective defensive plan for Detroit's last play and didn't anticipate what the Pistons would do. And to think, before the game, Doc was interviewed on TV and said what the Celtics must guard against is Rip coming off screens to shoot. I wonder if he heard himself talking? Doc's redemption came two games later when Davis did to Memphis what Rip did to the Celtics. The Grizzlies blew an 18-point lead and Boston stole the verdict on Davis' last gasp. The Celtics won, 99-98. Pierce led the Celtics in scoring for the fourth straight contest with 29. Pierce is off to a sizzling start this season and undoubtedly headed for the All-Star Game in Houston. If Doc doesn't get his act together, the other Celtics will be headed for oblivion. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Nov 12 2005 3:39AM

Heat will sizzle Fearless season forecast In the NBA, the strong got stronger as the balance of power continued to teeter between the West and East. Defending champion San Antonio is expected to dominate the West with a lineup that not only boasts the return of last year's championship nucleus but also the arrival of highly-touted offseason recruits Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Argentina's Fabricio Oberto. Coach Gregg Popovich has upgraded the talent in his personnel to a level that is by far unmatched in the league. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Nazr Mohammed, Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry and Rasho Nesterovic are back for another run at the crown. Finley will provide firepower off the bench at the two spot and Van Exel, stability as Parker's backup. Oberto, a poor man's Arvydas Sabonis, will fight for minutes behind Mohammed and Nesterovic. Popovich lured shooting doctor Chip Engelland from Denver to move in as assistant coach with the chief responsibility of improving Parker's stroke. Parker shot only 65 percent from the stripe and 27.6 percent from three-point distance last season. The consensus is the only team that can derail the Spurs' plans for a repeat is San Antonio itself. But experts aren't inclined to predict an implosion because of overconfidence. "With Popovich on the bench and Duncan on the court, complacency won't be an issue," said Athlon Sports. "And each year, they manage to pump in just enough fresh blood to keep everyone hungry. This year should be no different. It's the Spurs' title to lose and chances are they won't." Denver and Phoenix are expected to crowd San Antonio in the race for the Western leadership. The darkhorse is the Los Angeles Lakers but their chances hinge on whether comebacking coach Phil Jackson and rebellious star Kobe Bryant can work together again. The Nuggets are the league's No. 1 fastbreaking team. If coach George Karl has his way, they'll run every team to the ground. Karl was hired out of limbo when Denver sputtered to a 17-25 start last season and promptly delivered a 32-8 record that propelled the team into the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony should be more mature in his third year as a pro and his ability to lead the charge like Michael Jordan used to for Chicago is key to the Nuggets' climb to prominence. Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Voshon Lenard, Nene and Earl Boykins comprise a sturdy supporting cast. The Suns will be without top scorer Amare Stoudemire for four months as he recuperates from a knee surgery but coach Mike D'Antoni isn't too worried because he operates a system that thrives on teamwork. Phoenix posted the league's best record, 62-20, last season and was the No. 1 team in offense, averaging 110.4 points. The Suns also shattered the NBA's single-season record for most triples. But they were the worst defensive team, allowing 103.3 points an outing, and the worst rebounding squad. MVP Steve Nash is back but Joe Johnson, Bo Outlaw and Quentin Richardson are gone. To compensate, D'Antoni brought in Raja Bell, James Jones, Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant, Eddie House and Boris Diaw. Thomas, Bell and Grant will slow down the Suns attack but they'll make the team tougher on defense and under the boards. The Lakers missed the playoffs last season and that's why they've rehired Jackson. With Shaquille O'Neal out of the picture, Bryant has become the team's undisputed leader by default because nobody has a larger ego. Jackson will attempt to transform the Lakers into the Bulls of the Jordan era by surrounding Bryant with role players like Lamar Odom as Scottie Pippen and Chris Mihm as Luc Longley. Lack of depth is Jackson's biggest problem. Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Brian Cook, Devean George and Luke Walton aren't tipped to create ripples. In the East, Miami fortified its fences like San Antonio. Both the Heat and the Spurs had 59-23 records last season so it's not like they had to rearm themselves. Miami nearly made it to the Last Dance and blew a 3-2 edge to lose to Detroit in the East Finals. Shaq is more determined than ever to bring Miami to the top and prove a point, now that Jackson has reunited with Kobe in L. A. Coach Stan Van Gundy moved out Eddie Jones, Keyon Dooling, Rasual Butler and Damon Jones and welcomed Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey and Gary Payton. The key is Shaq's partnership with Dwyane Wade. If they play beautiful music together, the Heat will sizzle. Van Gundy is under pressure to produce. Pat Riley is breathing down his neck and may just step in if things don't work out. Detroit is a worthy challenger. The Pistons were a win why of retaining the NBA title last season but Larry Brown, transplanted to New York, is no longer in charge. New coach Flip Saunders was unceremoniously kicked out of Minnesota when things turned sour with Kevin Garnett and company but now has his chance for redemption. Saunders is a players' coach, a nice guy and an easy-going type who likes to hang out with the gang. The problem is Saunders doesn't fit the team's character. The Pistons are known to be rugged, hard-nosed, defense-oriented, blue-collar workers. Saunders is an offensive coach whose freewheeling style might make Ben Wallace the square peg in a round hole. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are back to keep the engine humming in Motor City. Another East team to watch is Indiana. Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal make a formidable 1-2 punch. Reggie Miller has retired but Lithuanian sharpshooter Sarunas Jasikevicius is on board to pick up the slack. Last season, Indiana was 6-1 with Artest and 38-37 without. Now that he's been reinstated from the delinquency list, Artest is out to recover lost ground. How far the Pacers will go depends on Jamaal Tinsley's ability to orchestrate from the backcourt. Coach Rick Carlisle has his work cut out for him. In the Finals, it will be San Antonio versus Miami for all the marbles. For a change, the Heat will win the NBA title. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Nov 3 2005 1:30AM

Telfair inherits mantle Recent Manila visitor reviews career With the NBA season only a few days away from getting off the ground, Filipino fans are eagerly awaiting Portland Trail Blazers guard Sebastian Telfair's coming of age as a superstar. Telfair, 20, was in Manila for a five-day visit last summer to grace the Adidas Asian Streetball Finals. He was mobbed by fans wherever he went. Because he's barely six feet tall, Telfair is making fans sit up and take notice of his emergence as the Blazers' new leader. In the Las Vegas Summer League last July, Telfair gave fans a preview of what to expect by averaging 20.8 points and 6.6 assists. He topped the league in both categories. Among the other high scorers were J. R. Smith, Chris Kaman, Travis Outlaw, Kevin Martin, Dwight Howard, Leandro Barbosa, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and Antoine Wright. Entering his second pro season, Telfair has inherited the mantle of leadership at Portland from Damon Stoudamire and Nick Van Exel. The Blazers missed the playoffs the last two years and hope to rebound with new coach Nate McMillan. A massive offseason revamp saw the exit of not only Stoudamire and Van Exel but also Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Derek Anderson. "We're a young team but we still have veterans like Zach Randolph, Darius Miles, Ruben Patterson and Travis Outlaw," said Telfair in an interview. "Our rookie draft pick Martell Webster is going to be a great player. We'll just have to step up and take over the roles of those who are no longer with us." Telfair said he'll be up to the task of leading the Blazers. "I put a large amount of pressure on myself," he went on. "No one puts pressure on me. I've always been a winner. I'll be the person to bring us to the playoffs and make us a strong team that can compete for the championship. In my rookie year, I played for coaches who were guards, Maurice Cheeks and Kevin Pritchard. With coach Nate who was also a guard, it won't be a big adjustment for me. He's a great coach and he'll make it easy for us to win." Telfair predicted that Portland will top the West and Detroit, the East in the NBA this season. I didn't bother to ask his prediction on which team---Portland or Detroit---would go all the way. As for his rookie year, he said he was excited to just be in the NBA. "I didn't get a chance to play a lot in the first half of the season but got the opportunity to play more later," said Telfair who started in 26 games. "I gained a lot of experience which will help me going to my second year." Although Telfair went straight to the pros from high school, he said education is important and he will definitely pursue a degree. Shaquille O'Neal and Vince Carter are among several NBA stars who earned their degrees during their playing careers. Telfair would've gone to college and skipped the NBA draft if not for an incident that happened during his senior year at Lincoln High. Two young men were gunned down outside the Telfair family's apartment, prompting his decision to turn pro so he could earn a living and take his mother out of the New York public housing project. Telfair's inspiring story was made into a documentary that was shown at Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Film Festival in New York last April. The film, "Through the Fire," was bought by ESPN and will be shown in November. A DVD will be issued in March. "It's about my life," said Telfair. "I met John Hock of New York City when I was a high school senior. He produced the And 1 tapes. He followed me around my senior year, filming me going to school, playing and finally turning pro." Telfair grew up with nine brothers and sisters, two of whom were adopted by his mother. "We have a huge, loving family," he said. "As a kid, I always had someone to look up to and go to for problems." A brother Jamel Thomas played briefly in the NBA and is now an import in the Greek league. Telfair said he has visited his brother in Greece. The Philippines is the only other country he has traveled to. Before coming to Manila, Telfair was made aware of the Filipinos' passion for hoops by friends who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Telfair said Portland teammate Richie Frahm and New York City playground legend Lenny Cooke told him about basketball's popularity in the Philippines and how Filipinos love the game. Both Frahm and Cooke saw action in the PBA as "imports." "They have fond memories of the Philippines," said Telfair. "I was really looking forward to coming over. I'm very excited to experience the Asian basketball culture. I just want to share my passion for the game with the young basketball talents in Asia." At the Adidas Asian Streetball Finals, top high school boys and girls from China, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea and the Philippines played the extreme half-court game of 3-on-3 where the winner is the first team to score 15 points in 20 minutes. Telfair said "undersized" players from Asia shouldn't lose hope of playing big-time basketball. He's the perfect example of a player who defied the odds and now stars in the NBA. "I go up against a lot of big guards like Stephon Marbury and Baron Davis who are bigger than me," said Telfair. "They try to use their size to push me around but I'm quicker so I just go around them. It's all about playing with a lot of heart if you love the game. Don't back down to anyone, have fun playing and it'll all come easy, no matter whom you're playing against." Telfair said the NBA's No. 1 point guard today is Marbury who happens to be his cousin. Posted by Joaquin Henson - Oct 29 2005 1:53AM

BWB goes to China Filipino teener thrilled to join camp Varsity star Rogermar (Ogie) Menor leaves for Beijing tomorrow (July 14) to represent the Philippines in the 15-nation "Basketball Without Borders Asia" camp, organized by the NBA and FIBA. Menor and another Filipino collegiate prospect Jervy Cruz were nominated by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) to attend the camp on July 14-17 at the Beijing Olympic Training Facility. But only Menor was allowed by his school to attend. The inaugural "Basketball Without Borders" camp was set up in Europe four years ago. The program branched out to the Americas in Buenos Aires last June 30-July 4. The fifth "Basketball Without Borders Europe" will be held on July 28-31. The second "Basketball Without Borders Africa" will return to Johannesburg on Sept. 7-12. So far, more than 440 players in the 19-and-under age bracket from 72 countries have participated in the program which now covers four continents. Menor, 18, is a perfect choice to carry the Philippine colors in Beijing. He was named MVP in the NCAA juniors last season and MVP in the last Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) juniors tournament. Menor is from Isabela province, north of Manila. Two older brothers Romar, 24, and Rolly, 23, used to play in the NCAA and are Philippine Basketball League (PBL) veterans. The PBL is a commercial league for players a notch below the pros. Menor's father Roger is a mini-bus driver and mother Marilyn, a beautician---that's why his first name is Rogermar. When he was a high school freshman, Menor took a 10-hour bus ride to Manila to watch his idol Romel Adducul---now a star in the Philippine pro league---play for the Philippine team in the SEABA tournament four years ago. That was when he met San Beda High School coach Ato Badolato, known for his keen eye in spotting budding basketball prospects. Badolato was introduced to Menor and invited him to show up at the San Beda practice the next day. Menor impressed Badolato at practice and was recruited to play for the San Beda junior varsity starting his sophomore year. This season, Menor is a rookie on the San Beda College seniors squad in the NCAA. His coach Nash Racela predicted a bright basketball future for the 6-3 forward. "I think he'll make it big in college basketball as a wingman," said Racela. "He just needs time to mature. He's very aggressive and he goes hard every game but has to work on his defense. He's coachable. He's open to correction and he admits he has a lot of things to improve on." "I'm happy I was chosen to represent the Philippines," said Menor. "It was (BAP secretary-general) Mr. Graham (Lim) who recommended Jervy and me. Then, FIBA sent me a letter confirming my participation and my plane ticket. Too bad Jervy couldn't make it. I was originally scheduled to leave on Wednesday but postponed it to the next day because our team had an NCAA game to play. I'll arrive in Beijing in time for the welcome dinner." Menor said he texted his father in Isabela to share the good news. "He's very proud that I'll be representing the Philippines in Beijing," beamed Menor. A highlight of the trip for Menor is meeting his favorite NBA players. He said he can't wait to learn from the NBA stars who will act as camp coaches. Another thing on his mind is to take a photo with them---as a memento for this once-in-a-lifetime treat. Last year, Menor was picked with three others to join the five-day Nike All-Asia Camp in Beijing. He played three full-court games with players of other countries and said the experience was a treat. The other Filipino players in the camp were Jai Reyes of Ateneo, Mark Agustin of Adamson University and Alvin Umali of Far Eastern University. Pro coach Alfrancis Chua accompanied the players with Nike's Auty Villarama and Rely San Agustin. Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce graced the occasion. A key goal of "Basketball Without Borders Asia" is to explore, develop and nurture promising stars. The camp's 50 players, including Menor, will be divided into four teams (Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs) regardless of race and nationality. The campers will share living quarters with their new teammates and participate in daily seminars that promote education, leadership, healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention. They will also attend morning clinics to brush up on fundamentals in passing, shooting, dribbling and one-on-one techniques. What they learn will be put to test during competitive afternoon games. China has the biggest delegation in the camp with 14 players. Korea is next with five. Chinese-Taipei, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan and Lebanon are represented by four players each. India is sending three players and Kyrgyzstan, two. The Philippines, Singapore, Qatar, Malaysia, Jordan and Hong Kong are bringing in a player apiece. Camp coaches include Rockets center Yao Ming, San Antonio guard Tony Parker of France, Philadelphia teammates Samuel Dalembert of Haiti and Kyle Korver and New Orleans' Bostjan Nachbar of Slovenia. NBA coaching staffers Chad Forcier, Marc Iavaroni, Melvin Hunt, Steve Silas and Dean Cooper will also be in Beijing to help in organizing the clinics and games. "'Basketball Without Borders' is one of the cornerstones of the NBA's global outreach efforts," said NBA China managing director Mark Fischer. "This program not only brings young people together from all over Asia for basketball training but also provides an excellent platform to learn about leadership, life-skills, healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention." The China camp will be highlighted by extensive community outreach activities, including the dedication ceremony of the "NBA Legacy Project" at the Hui Lei School for children of migrant workers. The project involves the building of a new Reading and Learning Center facility consisting of a multi-media room and a library with 50 computers and over 2,500 books, and the construction of a basketball court on campus. NBA Community Relations Ambassador Felipe Lopez will supervise the outreach activities. "We are happy that the 'Basketball Without Borders' camp will take place for the first time in Asia and we are sure that the partnership between FIBA and the NBA will help the sport grow in a basketball-loving continent," said FIBA development manager Zoran Radovic. "The camp will instill knowledge, commitment and leadership in its participants. This program is an example of how the basketball community unites for the good of the sport and it will help benefit national basketball federations across Asia." Last year, Johannesburg hosted the camp which branched out to Africa. Dalembert, a Haitian, enjoyed himself so much he volunteered to join the Asia camp and brought along Korver, his 76er teammate. Dikembe Mutombo was in the Africa camp and donated $100,000 to upgrade the standards of a nearby school for poor children. The school has since been a beneficiary of generous NBA coach