Jalen Rose: "Walis, walis!"

BroomDoom: NBA analyst Jalen Rose brandishes a Filipino "Walis" on ESPN during the half time break of Game 4: GS Warriors-NO Pelicans alluding to the imminent Warriors' sweep of the Pelicans.

Foul Shot: "No. 3! Chauncey!"

 Technical Foul: Stephen A. Smith drops the ball and bungles NBA champ Mr. Big Shot's jersey number on ESPN's First Take - "No. 3! Chauncey!"

Bank Shot, Best Shot

When it comes to putting the ball through the hoop, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the best in the NBA today.

What separates him from the rest, though, is the way he makes circus shots easy and effortless; He makes the impossible possible and the difficult beautiful.

NBA Grapevine: Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups involved in potential 3- way trade

There are rumors on the NBA grapevine that an imminent deal is on hand involving three parties- the Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons.

The Carmelo Anthony situation in Denver is becoming untenable day by day ever since the All Star forward indicated that he wants out of the Mile High City and the Nuggets are pushing hard to get as much value in return if they are to part with their prized player.

The deal is said to involve shipping the Nets' Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two first round picks to the Nuggets, who will then send Anthony and Billups to New Jersey in return.

The deal will also send disgruntled Pistons guard Rip Hamilton to the Nets in exchange for power- forward Troy Murphy and his $8 million expiring contract which will be shouldered by the Pistons.



Photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America

Hot & Cold: Ray Allen

After earning the record for the most three- pointers made in an NBA Finals game by hitting 8 from beyond the arc in hostile territory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics sharpshooter, found himself on the other side of the spectrum at home as he fired blanks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Allen, who owns one of the finest shooting strokes in basketball, did not find himself at home at the TD Garden, their home court in Boston, as he clanked his shots over and over again as he finished 0 out of 13 from the field, one miss shy of the NBA Finals worst shooting record and scored just two points in pivotal Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thus, the Lakers regained their home court advantage they had lost in Game 2 and put the pressure on the Celtics to win the next two games at home and avoid themselves from digging a huge hole that they may not be able to recover from.

What a turn-around from the league’s best pure shooter after a night of accolades and fanfare, his world turned upside down in what many characterized as a shooter’s worst nightmare- he just could not buy a bucket.

And we can only commiserate with the soft- spoken Ray Allen on his Game 3 debacle on the hardwood but knowing him and his mentality that if given a slight opening in a Game 4, he will not hesitate to shoot.

Kobe's Best Shot of the Game

When the game is on the line, Kobe Bryant shines.

That's what happened earlier tonight when once again the Black Mamba showed Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat how dangerous and venomous he is in the dying seconds of the game.

Kobe Bryant is simply the best end- game operator in the NBA today.

Oh What a Circus!

Kobe Bryant once again showed us why he is currently considered as the best basketball player in the planet in his game against Oklahoma wherein he stole the thunder from Kevin Durant & Co. when he mesmerized the LA crowd with his brand of Showtime basketball.

The Black Mamba has proven time and time again that he is well above the current crop of players in the NBA. His complete arsenal of high- flying wonders, dazzling moves and unbelievable shot making is worthy of Tinseltown's adulation.

As teammate Lamar Odom would attest-

“You see him do things just fooling around with all kinds of shots in practice that you won’t normally see."

But you expect the impossible, because he’s not scared to take any shot from anywhere on the court.

So that’s why that’s the result. It’s never a bad shot to him. That’s his mentality. He’s not afraid to shoot it. He understands touch, getting the ball up and staying focused. His concentration is incredible.”

Here are the highlights of the said game wherein they shellacked Oklahoma en route to a 101- 85 rout highlighted by an unbelievable behind the backboard shot reminiscent of the shot that the great Larry Bird made about two decades earlier.

Looking Back: Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is 50 years old and dang, I am old. He-he.

My friends and I grew up watching the Showtime LA Lakers in Bicol. We watched in amazement as Magic weaved his magic on the court with his dribbling skills, his shooting ability and his passing wizardry. That’s why I became a Laker fan because of Magic. And of course, you can add Kareem, Worthy and the rest of the boys.

I remember their epic championship battles with the Boston Celtics in the 80s even if they were on a much delayed basis. You see, we live in a remote town in Bicol and cable TV was unheard of back then. Also GMA and RPN, the two TV stations in the province, did not have the NBA on their regular programming.

Good thing, there were some enterprising people from Manila who visited the town twice a month to deliver the games and other films to the local video center who in turn rented the tapes to us for 10 pesos a pop.

Those were the days. And they were damn good old days.

Detroit Pistons' Spare Tires

The once proud and mighty Detroit Pistons were once again bamboozled and humiliated by Lebron James and Co. in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

I will not be surprised if ever the Cavs will run over the hapless Pistons and sweep the series since the spirit and enthusiasm of the Detroit players were absent all season. Gone are the swagger of a confident and proud team. They're ripe for the taking by a very hungry and determined team.

So, what can a Pistons fan do?

Well, we need to take the ass-whipin' on the chin and look at the bright side. No, we're not talking here about the next season. We're talking about a way to cope with the embarassing decline of the franchise.

Thank God for the Pistons All- Male Cheerleaders, the Spare Tires, We Pistons fan can still have a good time.

So here's Hooper and his Spare Tires

Will Allen Iverson be the Answer to the Detroit Lions’ rotten football season?

No, we're not talking about practice. We're not talking about basketball either. We're actually talking about Football here.

The NFL’s Detroit Lions at 0- 12 as of this writing are winless and are on track of finishing the worst season in franchise history. It is the laughingstock of the football world and is the butt of all kinds of jokes in their football- crazy hometown.

I can still remember vividly what the driver of the Ford Rouge Factory tour bus had said when we passed by and pointed at the Lions’ training facility in Allen Park on our way to the F- 150 factory in Dearborn, “that’s the state of the art training center of the Detroit Lions, they got all the beautiful high tech toys and gadgets in there. If only they learn how to win a game, my world will be better.”

Yes, the Lions, the odd-man out in Detroit’s highly- successful Sports franchises is so pathetic that many people in Motown are actually clamoring for Allen Iverson to ditch the Pistons and lead the hapless Football team as its starting Quarterback.

Now, of course that’s just one of the silly prepositions and the current outrageous joke circulating in various sports bars and tail-gating venues, that maybe, the Answer, who once played QB back in high school (and even won a state title back then) could be the answer to the team’s woes even for a day.

But with the current rot that the Lions are in, I really think that it's worth a try.

Oops…


Anyway, here's AI playing QB and leading his team in High School...

Trading Places: The Answer for Mr. Big Shot et al

My home team, the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets have made the decision to exchange point guards. Allen Iverson will wear the Pistons jersey for at least a year while it will be a homecoming of sorts for Denver native Chauncey Billups and original Nugget Antonio McDyess (who was added together with reserve center Cheikh Samb to sweeten the deal and create some salary cap rooms in the Pistons locker).


The Pistons are looking to Iverson to finally Answer the riddle why they always end up stuck in the Eastern Conference Finals the last four years despite going all the way to the championships in 2004 while the Denver Nuggets are looking to Mr. Big Shot’s shots in the crucial stages of the game to finally get over the hump which is the First Round of the NBA playoffs.

Whether this blockbuster trade will work out and benefit both teams remains to be seen. At least for now, both teams are happy and think that they made the right decisions to make their teams better and their fans happy. But one thing’s sure; these players albeit in the waning years of their careers will have a sudden impact in their new teams.


Hoop Notes: If the Nuggets will waive him off, just let McDyess go back to the Pistons, the guy just has class and still got some game left in his 34 year old body. But only if the Nuggets will once again decide to part ways with him for the third or will this turn out to be the third time’s a charm for him in Denver?

Hack-a-Shaq

Shaquille O’Neal, the behemoth NBA great who aside from his massive inside presence in the basketball court is also known for missing his free throws like no other. He is also widely- known for his notorious motor mouth that has given him troubles in the past because he never fails to speak his mind out.

At the end of the season last year, he lashed out at coaches for employing the infamous Hack-a-Shaq strategy on him and had some harsh words for Coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, one of the leading proponents of the trick calling it as a “coward move."

So, in the first game of the season between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs last night, what did Coach Popovich do?

He gave the big fella a rare variation of the trick when he instructed Michael Finley to hack Shaq, just 5 seconds into the game.


The reactions that followed from the commentators and players alike including Shaq himself regarding the said foul when they finally realized the reason behind it--

PRICELESS.

Nets' Devin Harris STUnned

The New Jersey Nets' point guard Devin Harris was STUnned and STUpied by a guy named Stuart Tanner during a one-on-one pick- up basketball game in a playground in the United Kingdom recently.

This guy Stu showed some great ball- handling skills and deft moves as he blitzed pass a game Harris on the way to the basket, embarrassing the NBA point guard in the process.

Of course, the good- natured Harris just laughed it off but to Stuart Tanner, it was another story added to his lore as a playground legend in the UK.

But it will be another story had it occurred in a real NBA game but for entertainment purposes; it was good while it lasted.

Watch the short clip below and enjoy-






Read the story from Basketball 24/7- Here

Thunder Shootfest

The NBA team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics moved into new territory this year and has now evolved into the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But there’s no sonic boom here since many fans think that the new name doesn’t fit its new home at all.

Many are also not quite happy with the design of the team’s logo; to put it mildly it was nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, it was mediocre to say the least, even a fifth- grader well- versed in computer graphics could do better than what the people behind the franchise are trying to sell to us basketball fans.

Don’t get me wrong since I do collect NBA jerseys although I hate the monochromatic Spurs’ jerseys; still there are plenty of things to cheer about in San Antonio with Duncan, Ginobili and Parker still around and dribbling.

But to grab a jersey with a very dull color combination and corny design from a team who will never make the playoffs for years to come or at least until they bring in the much needed help to Kevin Durant, I’d better stick to my tried and tested Royal Purple instead.

No, Oklahoma, I think I'll pass on that jersey this time.

Hoops Gold

The United States Men’s Basketball team who went undefeated finally achieved its goal when they bagged the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics that eluded them in international competition for eight long years.

The NBA- backed powerhouse team led by league MVP Kobe Bryant steamrolled over their opponents by beating their opponents by an average of 30 points in the early goings of the tournament but had to put an extra effort to subdue a game and tough Spanish team 118- 107 for the coveted championship.

Thus, USA Basketball regained its rightful status and to quote Carmelo Anthony, “on top of the world!”

PISTONS prove they are worthy of Title

The Detroit Pistons officially are the new king of the NBA.

They steamrolled and ran over the favored Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the 2004 NBA World Championship Series at the Palace of Auburn Hills. They brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to the Motor City after 14 long years when Isaiah Thomas and his bad Boys won back-to- back titles in 1989 and 1990.

The road back to glory is not paved in gold and roses.

They took the road less traveled and persevered against the odds. The press wrote them off early as mere pretenders to the throne reserved only for the NBA’s royalty.

They were labeled as a crop of big-time chokers once and were pronounced just lucky to eke out a win over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Championships.

Many said the series would be lopsided in favor of the mighty Lakers and the Pistons would be lucky to win even once against them.

Instead, the Pistons did not roll over and die in the series. Their engines and batteries did not conk out as most people predicted them to. They showed the world that they’re made of much sterner stuff than what many of their detractors believed.

The 100- 87 final score in Game 5 said it all and showed their dominance of the series that left the Lakers stunned and the people in awe.
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The News- Herald
A Heritage Newspaper Michigan, USA
C2004