The NBA Addict!

No topic in mind...

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 14:21:00 +0000

But I feel the need to dust off some cobwebs off this blog.

And I don't want to do it via a meme.

So...

Hmm...

Jeez.

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Oh well. Back to Battle for Middle Earth. :)

With Lord of the Rings: BFME, Good doesn't always triumph. The game ALWAYS triumphs.

Shhh... They're On To Me.

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 14:51:00 +0000

I think our zealous MIS Comptroller is too keen on my online activities.

It all started with their ban on Yahoo! Messenger and its website. Next to go was Friendster. But I had no reason to be paranoid then, since everybody in the office was doing it. Besides, I'm not a heavy Friendster user.

But then they banned Newgrounds. But that ban coincided with me sharing the site to my other officemates, so that had a question mark. They banned my online source of anything and everything mobile as well (i-Phone Forums).

But then... they blocked everything and anything blog. At first it was just blogger.com. But after that, anything with the word "blog" in the URL got blocked out by our Internet gateway/proxy server.

No more Blogger!!! Why???

Which just means... even less time for blogging! Grr...

But that of course doesn't mean more productivity from me. They haven't banned my sports sites yet. :D And anyway, I'm not the type of person that can work 8 straight hours. I need breaks. Frequent breaks. And if I can't get that from blogs, well...

Sorry. Ramblings of an irate employee.

(Plus they might be reading this blog. Hi guys! :P)

New Toys

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 09:03:00 +0000

Delinquent Blogger I have been! I think I have a meme or two unanswered (sorry, abi!) that I'll get to in due time. But the worst thing about having little time left for blogging is that I get to read about you guys less and less :(

Things that are keeping me preoccupied:

1) New computer.

Pentiium IV 3.0GHz on an 800MHz ASUS Motherboard, 80GB Hard disk, Radeon 9200 video card. Pretty standard setup, though I do admit the processor speed is wasted on the relatively slow video card. But hey, it's a HUGE upgrade from my K6 desktop and my Intel Celeron laptop. Courtesy of my papi. Haha what a leech.

Currently "trying the system" out with Need For Speed Underground 2 (sluggish on the default video settings), Kult: Heretic Kingdom (Diablo type game which keeps on corrupting my games... arrrgh), and Armies of Exigo (Having trouble at stage 3. Will need to GameFAQ a cheat sometime soon).

2) New digicam

It's not the speediest, nor the smallest, nor the most high-tech of the cameras out there.. but I'm a sucker for freebies. It's a 4 Megapixel, 3x optical zoom camera that came with two 256MB SD cards and an MP3 player. Not bad for Php24,000 I think. :) Anyway, I split the bill with Happy. It's the first asset that we bought that we'll get to share :)

3) Newly-concluded term at La Salle

Getting an MBA sure eats up time. But it's fun to know that I still know how to cram :) I slept 2 hours last Tuesday because I had to run a simulation on Excel for a project for my Management Science Class. (For UP IE's out there, it's IE 141 + IE 142 + IE 181 crammed into 1 trimester) Of course, I was "trying out" the new computer at the same time, hehe...

4) New job responsibility

Apparently, now I am a purchaser on top of being a marketing assistant, operations assistant, copyboy, draftsman, driver, courier, and messenger. Gods. I wish I was kidding.

Anyway, what makes being a purchaser fun is that I just realized how large a marketplace the world is already. A person called me the other day out of the blue asking for my email address. Unfortunately, I can't speak Chinese. I can't even understand Chinglish. Anyway, she proceeded to give me a quotation for MP3 players but I was looking for MP3 GREASE! Jeez. The Chinese should learn how to read English. Or hire someone who does. (Anyone out there wanna hire me? Hehe.)

Or maybe I should start taking Mandarin lessons. Ah well.

*Just curious: is $146/pc cheap for an Apple IPod 4G? I guess you'd have to buy a hundred or so...

Megatrade! Megatrade!

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 09:41:00 +0000

Not the one in Megamall mind you, but (what else?) one in the NBA!

LB going to New York has not been enough to get my lazy ass to blog. But this has.

MIAMI (AP) -- In the largest trade in NBA history, Antoine Walker was dealt from Boston to Miami on Tuesday night in a transaction involving five teams and 13 players.
The Heat also acquired point guard Jason Williams and small forward James Posey from Memphis, while the Grizzlies received guard Eddie Jones from the Heat.

Holy carps!!!

Let's look at a team-by-team:

Utah gives up Curtis Borchardt, Raul Lopez and Kirk Snyder in exchange for Greg Ostertag.

Holy fuck. Ostertag is worth that much? I should be GM! :D

Memphis gives up Jason Williams, James Posey, Greg Ostertag and Andre Emmett in exchange for Eddie Jones and Raul Lopez.

The past 2 trades are more about personality conflicts between GM/coach and player, methinks.

New Orleans gives up the draft rights to Roberto Duenas in exchange for Kirk Snyder and Rasual Butler.

One unsigned unknown for two players. Why not. New Orleans needs the bodies.

Boston gives up Antoine Walker in exchange for Curtis Borchardt, Qyntel Woods, two second round draft picks from Miami and draft rights to Miralles.

They were gonna lose 'Toine to free agency anyway. And we can't expect Ainge to hold on to him if he's gonna go on a youth movement. I mean, if Walker teaches Al Jefferson to throw up unnecessary 3's this early in his career, it would be a colossal waste of talent.

Miami gives up Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, Qyntel Woods, two second round draft picks, the draft rights to Albert Miralles in exchange for Jason Williams, James Posey, Andre Emmett, Antoine Walker and the draft rights to Duanes.

Ok, imagine this starting 5:
C: Shaq
PF: Walker
SF: Posey
SG: Wade
PG: Williams

Holy crapper! Dominant center, offensively potent PF, good defender and versatile forward, Dwayne Wade, and a (bit more) disciplined Williams. They still need a spark off the bench but it's looking good! Injury and chemistry remains the issue I suppose. In any case, they have 2 months to jell.

Cool. :D

War of the Selves; The Usual NBA Chatter

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 06:11:00 +0000

Damn, it's been a while since my last post. And all I have to blame is this. I wish I could say it was work, or school. But fish? I've gotta get my head straight. Blogging should be a priority. :p

It's not even Worlds of Warcraft. I hang my head in shame.

----------------

On the NBA - I don't know who the heck those people are that got drafted, but I'm quite positive all of them will be duds, in one way or the other. If the first pick of the draft, the supposed best player, is a white man, a product of the country who boast of other centers such as Chris Anstey and Luc Longley, well... One can't help but doubt, right?

---------------

More NBA - Are you feeling good about a Redd - LeBron tandem? I'm not sold on the idea. A better version of Rip Hamilton earning max money on a team desperate for depth. Well, better 5 years of Redd than 5 of Ray Allen I guess. I can't imagine paying a 35-year old Jesus Shuttlesworth almost $20M a year...

---------------

Watched War of the Worlds this weekend. It was exactly what I expected it to be. And since I'm a pessimist, that statement wasn't a thumbs up.

I turn you over to my two selves, Cynic and Critic.

***Spoilers may follow***

Critic: It was a great movie. This wasn't supposed to be a gang-bang, action-slamming affair. Spielberg's total remake of The War of the Worlds came off as a mirror of the human psyche, how we react in the face of adversity. And sometimes, the image in the mirror leaves you cringing. In other words, it's not Armageddon, but it is more of Deep Impact.

Cynic: Yeah, yeah, been there ,seen that. Face it, people watched it because of Cruise and Spielberg, not because of all that psychobabble crap you just spewed out.

Cr: But they came and watched, didn't they? Maybe it'll serve as a message for all the viewers...

Cy: ...to convert to Scientology?

Cr: ... No, to react more "human-ly" in case of extreme duress.

Cy: Uh-huh. Yeah, whatever. The thing is, the movie can be summarized so: Aliens attack, but forgot to innoculate themselves. Game over. As a movie, that plain sucks because its un-fucking-believable! Come on! A Tripod that can incinerate anything in its path and is impervious to missiles and it doesn't have heat sensors to detect hiding humans in basements?

Cr: Yeah but...

Cy: And can you excuse a movie not even having ONE token babe? NOT ONE??? (Unless Ms. Fanning caught your eye, you perv)

Don't cry Dakota... the movie's almost over...

Cr: ...

Cy: Game over. Case closed.

----------------------------

My recommendation: play Insaniquarium. It has aliens, it has earth life forms, but it's more fun.

And the 2005 NBA Champs...

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 06:31:00 +0000

Congratulations to the 2005 World Champions, the San Antonio Spurs!

They got it in 7, but I forgive them for screwing with my bracket. XD

Either He's Crazy or He's Crazy.

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 23:42:00 +0000

Or, he got blinded by the money. In any case, Phil Jackson coaching the Lakers again after all he's said against the organization (not to mention its only star) during his vacation time pumps a bit of life and hope into a moribund LA franchise. Will he succeed? If he does within the next 3 years (and I'm talking about success = championship here, however unrealistic that is), he would really become the best NBA coach of all time, period.

Plus, this is a situation that Jackson has never found himself in - coaching a team with gaping holes in vital areas of his style - ball handling, big men, and defense in general. At least this proves he didn't take the job to easily break Red's championship record. So did he take it to prove that he can win with spare parts? Or maybe he did it for Jeanie?

Also, just a side note - With a 3-year, $10M/season contract, he will make more money than any of his players except Bryant and Odom. That in itself shows respect should be forthcoming from at least the lesser guys in the team. But to get respect from Kobe, they have got to win. That's the only time Kobe will forget about all the "uncoachable, etc." comments Phil Jax made. If they continue losing, they will continue to have their soap opera.
------------------------------------------------------
NBA Finals update - Series tied 2-2. I predicted Spurs in 6. Before the season started I said Detroit will repeat. We'll see.

The NBA Finals, Firefox Woes, and the Dark Tower

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:12:00 +0000

Blogger and Firefox conspired against me today. I've had the system crash on me ~~thrice~~ four times while I was making a post.

Lesson: use Notepad.

Auxiliary lesson: The office PC cannot handle Firefox, YM, Nokia PC Suite, and 3 open 11MB MS Excel files at the same time.

------------------------------------------

I was supposed to post on the NBA matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs. But Firefox 1.04 crashed on me twice, and I've found myself writing a shorter and shorter take on the matchup. My first iteration was a full-blown analysis, with matchup comparisons and what-not. The second pass was a summarized version of that, but the Grey Box of Death did not allow me to save that. So, my take on the matchup that half the basketball world expected (the other half was in denial, wanting anything but a Pistons-Spurs Final):

Spurs too good right now. They'll take it in 6.

Jeez. That was just 10 words. And I was already at 600+ words in my 1st iteration.

------------------------------------------

Just downloaded the Dark Tower eBooks in RepliGo format (eBook reader for Nokia 6600). I've been waiting for it for quite a while and I'm quite happy that I finally have it. I guess I should be using a lot of exclamation points by now but I'm sort of guilty I didn't buy a book that I really wanted to read.

But in full rationalize-mode, I tell myself that I don't have the thousand pesos to buy the book with anyway. Plus, I was just going to borrow the books from a friend so I'll just look at it as a way to make the situation easier for all of us. Except Mr. King of course.

Piracy, smiracy. Personally, my rule is: Buy local, download (or buy pirated) foreign. ;-)

------------------------------------------

Random thought of the day: Kelan kaya iba-ban ulit ng MIS namin ang YM? Hmm...

------------------------------------------

Lastly, visit Joey's post on the extracurriculars that happen in a gym. Read through the comments. Then again, maybe you shouldn't get a sneak peek. Warned you.

Liz Has Passed Away...

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 07:11:00 +0000

Tiga-UP Eng'g ka ba? Bumili ka na ba dati ng bluebook, corn bits, cloud nine, yellow pad, atbp. sa IE Department? Dapat kilala mo si Liz.

Patay na siya. Biglaan.

As written by Dangs in her email:

felizardo bernal (our friendly dept "secretary") passed away this morning. hinimatay daw sya sa dept, and then the faculty brought him to the infirmary. nag-lock jaw pa daw ata. di naw daw sya na-revive. this happened around 11am.

Damn.

Death waits for no one. And claims its own in its own time.

We wish you well, Liz. The IE department would never be the same without you. Kung hindi man natuloy ang mga balak mo sa buhay, sa ngayon naman sigurado kami na nakamtan mo na ang kaligayahan na makukuha sa piling Niya.

The Musical Baton

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 31 May 2005 01:00:00 +0000

So what do we call these latest incarnation of chain mails and forwarded emails? Chain-posts? Forwarded blog entries? Blog-wards? Err...

Total volume of music files on my computer:
Less than 1GB on my office hard drive. Pathetic, I know. But that doesn't count the MP3's on the shared HD on the server. Wehe.

Last CD I bought:
The latest album by Nina methinks.

Song playing right now:
Mr. Jones - Counting Crows

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:

No Such Thing by John Mayer - Aside from having a resemblance to me (according to some people) and having a voice that's well within my singing range, I just love the melody of Mayer's songs. And the lyrics? A simple sample:

Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
And the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
Is still hiding up my sleeve

Coolness.

For You by Duncan Sheik - I always loved songs that has the vocalist effectively expressing his emotions through his song. When you feel that his emotions could extend from his voice, to the CD/MP3, to the speaker of your radio, to your ears, to your heart. That breed is rare nowadays, ever since we've been subjected to the poptarts on the radio that seem to just mechanically produce sellout songs. But when I heard this song last year, it blew me away. Made me go "Awww" and "Whoa" at the same time. Barely Breathing was cool but this was just.. sweet.:) Plus factor in me liking the song? It wasn't overplayed on the radio. :)

Wishing Wells by Eraserheads - Probably the best anthem for fantasy heads who wish that they can "go back to those fairy book tales, forget the real world a while and seek the seas of the talking whales." Or seek places where no man has gone before. Or simply just explore the nooks and crannies of Prontera. Oh, but I forget: Rokers already have an anthem - "Chicksilog". :p

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam - Because of 3 things:

Because Pearl Jam rocks;
Because Versus rocks; and
Because its long-ass title rocks.

Rave Stomp by DJ Dero - Just kidding. Kung di ka Camia, or di ka Pisay at naging teacher si Mijares, di mo gets to. 3 words: Lab gown boys.

You by the Carpenters - Because it's our song. 'Nuff said.

Five people I'm passing this to:

In random order -
Jaz
Abi
Logs
Kiven
Marden

Conference Finals!!! Plus: The Ultimate in Cell Phone Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Sun, 22 May 2005 23:56:00 +0000

San Antonio over Phoenix in 5.

Detroit over Miami in 6.

Give or take a game. :)

****************************

Just watched parts of the 4th quarter of the Suns-Spurs game... and I have to say, Horry still has it. He still has most of his talent, with double the maturity. If only he was this mature when he was younger...

****************************

My perception of Phoenix? The bull that charges at its opponent, overwhelming them with brute force, speed, quickness. I'd say the Spurs are the matadors, picking their spots, playing the bull's game..

On Heat vs. Pistons: Lakers with Shaq, Kobe, GP, Malone, Phil Jax, and soap opera drama vs. Pistons with current starting 5, plus better bench players- Pistons in 5. Heat with Shaq, D-Wade, the ghost of Eddie Jones and Mourning, plus better chemistry vs. Pistons with current starting 5, missing some key bench players from last year's run - who would you pick? Unless I'm underestimating the Heat chemistry, I still say Pistons in 6.

****************************

Current cell phone addiction: vNES - the Symbian Phone NES emulator. Which means I get to TRY to beat Mr. Sandman after failing miserably when I was 10. Nope, not doing any better nowadays either. Click on the link to download! Then just search for "NES ROM [name of game]" on your friendly neighborhood Google, and you're on your way :D.

Oh, and did I mention that the 2-player via Bluetooth works? Sweet.

Now remember the old mantra: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start. Now go kick some alien ass. 8-)

edit:

~~Pardon the menu on the side.~~ Replaced the screenshots with something cleaner. Screenshots as promised:

And he winds up...

One-hit knockdown? You betcha!

Classic gaming? This has got to be at the top of the list of any 80's kid.

(Screenshots from my Nokia 6600)
****************************

Phoenix vs. San Antonio - SA wins the series 4-1. Prediction tally? Both winner and number of games! :)
Miami vs. Detroit - Miami leads 3-2.

Is it the Year of the Phoenix?

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Wed, 18 May 2005 05:59:00 +0000

First, Steve Nash won the MVP award.

Next, Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni won the Coach of the Year Award.

Now, they have reports that Phoenix Suns president Bryan Colangelo has been named NBA executive of the year.

Kulang na lang Championship. (All that's missing is the championship) Well, congratulations. Surely well-deserved honors for turning around a lottery team into a championship contender in one season.

But if they win it all, I'm looking at it as a conspiracy by the league to promote their highly entertaining way of playing games. :p

-----------

2nd Round Update:
Miami Swept Washington. Winner prediction? Check. Number of games? Nope.
Detroit over Indiana 4-2. Winner prediction? Check. Number of games? Check.
San Antonio over Seattle 4-2. Winner prediction? Check. Number of games? Check.
Phoenix over Dallas 4-2. Winner prediction? Check. Number of games? Nope.
Running prediction test score: Winner 4/4, number of games 2/4.

Nash Is MVP?

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 10 May 2005 03:19:00 +0000

Jason Kidd deserved it more in '02. Should've been the Big Daddy this year.

But that's just me. Sorry Trebs.

NBA Playoffs - Round 2!

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Mon, 09 May 2005 00:29:00 +0000

In my previous foray into the fortune-telling business, I got 5 of 8 winners correctly, with 2/8 finishing in the number of games predicted. I overestimated on Van Gundy, underestimated the Wizards, and failed to account for JO and Tinsley returning from injuries. My prediction numbers were failing scores in my point of view, but does that prevent me from pretending to be an expert once again? Heck no! Heheh.

MIAMI (1) vs WASHINGTON (5) - Unless the Wizards' bench gives a miraculous contribution, the Heat is too experienced to be fazed by Washington. The backcourt is fairly evenly matched, but the bigs of the Wiz are far overmatched by Shaq's posse. In the meantime, expect Coach Stan to find more minutes for Zo in anticipation of the Detroit tussle. Miami in 5.

DETROIT (2) vs INDIANA(6) - Well, well, well, the NBA pulled it off - they got the playoff match that everyone wished would happen, post-Palace brawl. But these guys faced off last year, and it didn't end favorably for the Pacers. Granting that they're missing Artest now, they'd probably just duplicate last year's feat at best. Detroit in 6, and my money is on Stephen Jackson getting suspended by Game 4 of this series. :p

PHOENIX (1) vs DALLAS (4) - Wow, all that firepower should make for an entertaining series right? I'd say matchup nightmares abound against Dallas. If Dirk struggled against T-Mac, how would he fare against the Matrix? Who's gonna guard Amare? Also, how inspired will MVP Steve Nash be, once he plays in Dallas? Could Avery Johnson shift gears instantly from playing against a 2-man relatively-disciplined team to a run-and-gun, helter-skelter 5? Phoenix in 5. But if the Mavs figure the Suns out and use their depth, good luck Suns.

SAN ANTONIO (2) vs SEATTLE (3) - The Spurs will beat them, the question is in how many games? I'd say in 6. You?

Damn, there are no upsets in my predictions! Oh well.

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 06:23:00 +0000

I love the silence between us.

We don't have to say anything, You know that I love you, and that you love me too.

I've become a better person with you. With you I've become a bit more sociable, more patient, and more understanding of others around me.

I'm an infinitely better person with you, I know that from experience.

I love you, and I would like to be with you forever.

Too Much T-Mac, Too Little D

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 06:55:00 +0000

Or so most headlines would read. While his near triple-double (22, 8 and 10) and his shot with 2.2 remaining was key, the Rockets were allowed to make more than half (54.8%) of their shots, led by Yao's monsterrific 13-14 FG. Granted, the guy is 8 feet tall, but Coach Avery must be chewing his team out right now. So much for the defense first makeover of the Mavs.

Of course, Houston didn't really do good on the defensive end either (they let Howard penetrate too easily, and the Mavs shot 50%) but Nowitzki was 8-21 with [insert name of Rockets SG] guarding him. That's not too shabby. Jeff van Gundy's D - ploys is still the difference maker here, IMO. Never mind that I might be wrong on the 6-game prediction. Go Jeff my man!

And dang, just 3 days into the playoffs, and 3 of my bets to win the first round seem to be in jeopardy. Blech. But you gotta love Miller. Yeah!

First Round Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 05:53:00 +0000

Heavy oficework dumped on me because of a Boracay-halved workweek will not deter this NBA Addict, no sir, from posting thoughts on the playoffs. I've had 14 long hours to think about it, you see, since I took the MV Virgin Mary for the trip home. Anywhoo, because of time constraints and my (virtual) pile of files on my desktop, I'll be limiting my prediction analysis to 2-3 sentences per matchup. After which, I'll be towing the company line as sad as LeBron practicing his 3-pointer while watching Wade and Melo (and Darko!) in the Gund arena Jumbotron.

PHOENIX (1) vs. MEMPHIS (8) (Suns lead 1-0) - Phoenix in 5. Fratello will figure them out by game 4, but it'll be too little too late for the Grizz. This series surely will be watched by Avery and Van Gundy, no doubt.

DALLAS (4) vs. HOUSTON (5) (Houston leads 1-0) - Houston in 6. Just because I trust Van Gundy more.

MIAMI (1) vs. NEW JERSEY (8) (Heat leads 1-0) - Miami in 4. As if there was any doubt.

CHICAGO (4) vs. WASHINGTON (5) (Chicago leads 1-0) - The "Who's watching?" playoff match of the season, da Bulls will get theirs, in 7 games. This will be a home-court playoff series.

SAN ANTONIO (2) vs. DENVER (7) (Nuggets lead 1-0) - I HONESTLY thought before the playoffs started that the Nuggets will get one game. I just didn't think it would be Game 1. That said, I'm revising my original Spurs in 5 prediction to... naaahhhh.

SEATTLE (3) vs. SACRAMENTO (6) (Sonics lead 1-0) - Hardest to call, but I'll stick with the Sonics. Hot team, relatively gelled lineup, and too little C-Webb for the Kings. Sonics in 6.

BOSTON (3) vs. INDIANA (6) (Boston leads 1-0) - Much as I'd love for the Pacers and Pistons to meet in the second round, Boston is just too focused and too deep to lose this series. Boston in 5, only because Miller will put on a fireworks display at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

DETROIT (2) vs. PHILADELPHIA (7) (Pistons lead 1-0) - Sticking my head out, but Detroit in 4. This should be a statement series for the defending champs, and a message to Miami.

Cavs or New Jersey?

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 01:41:00 +0000

As of today, the Eastern Conference's last seed in the NBA is the only thing not set in stone. It comes down to two teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets. They are tied at 40-40 (as of blog time) with two games left. New Jersey has the tiebreaker.

I don't know which team to root for.

Ok, recap: The New Jersey Nets seemed to start the season on a rebuilding mission: they traded away K-Mart for draft picks, they traded away their starting 2-guard (Kittles) for a 2nd round draft pick, and their 2nd string shooting guard (Harris) for 2 heads of cabbage. In seeming retaliation, Jason Kidd chose to rehabilitate his knee at the start of the season. They were a lottery team for a third of the season. But then a very strange thing happened. The Nets management turned around, publicly said they regretted trading one of their all-stars, and got Vince Carter. And, despite a season-ending injury on Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd got back just in time to tag-team with Carter and lead this rag-tag team of NBDL players to a .500 record (the first time this season for the the brink of a postseason appearance.

It's quite different with the Cavs. First came "Boozergate", but GM Paxson immediately made up for that by getting Gooden and Vajerao. They got Eric Snow, a nice rotation PG. Unlike the Nets, they were winning at the start of the season. Life was good. But then a new owner came around. Coach Silas had problems with his PG McInnis AND GM Paxson. And faster than you can say "Bamboozled", it went downhill for the Cavs. The addition of Jiri Welsh was not the fix-it that they had hoped for. It was even worse after Silas was canned. Poor Bronnie couldn't carry his team because he needs better support than this.

So who do you cheer for: A team with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and possibly Richard Jefferson, or a team with LeBron James and Z?

A team with management that turned it around and somehow made up for its preseason blunder moves? Or a a team with transitional management that probably didn't know any better?

A team with an inspired (or should I say, not uninspired) Vince Carter carrying the team in scoring, hurting Raptors fans everywhere because he didn't even try in Toronto? Or a team with management that has made personnel blunders left and right, firing Silas, failed to reach the playoffs with LeBron last year, and is threatening to do so again this year?

Who do you pick to have the rights to get massacred by the Miami Heat in the first round?

Stay tuned.

Update: It looks like both are 41-41 after today. New Jersey's next opponent: the revamped Celtics. The Cavs' opponent?

The Toronto Raptors.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe the Raps will tank this game, just to spite New Jersey and VC. But if New Jersey wins vs. the Celts tomorrow, its all moot since they own the tiebreaker.

But personally, I wish the Cavs make it somehow, even though the odds are against them. LeBron James deserves better than the situation he is in. Plus, a LeBron-Wade matchup in the playoffs could be the first meeting between two rivals in the future. But it doesn't matter either way, because Miami will chew any of them up in 4.

No Such Luck

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 08:39:00 +0000

Sunday - Woke up to CR-V with one front tire deflated and the other also nearly so. Had to spend close to an hour changing one tire. Not really how you want to spend a weekend morning. Had to bring the vehicle to the local neighborhood vulcanizing shop to get the 2 tires fixed. As the guy was returning the just-fixed tire, he unadvertedly pushed the CR-V, it rolled backwards, the jack fell out from under the CR-V, and the only thing that kept the CR-V from the ground was a just-fixed tire propping the vehicle up. That loosened the mudguard, but it is still attached to the vehicle.

I paid Php100 and kept my silence, just repressing my initial anger, thinking that the vulcanizing helper-guy would never be in any position to pay for a thousands-peso realignment and fix-it job. Of course my father was pissed when I told him about it. Well that's me: never angry when I should be, unnecessarily angry at the most inappropriate times and things. But that isn't my point. The CR-V incident looks like the start of a dreadful week.

Monday - I knew I brought my glasses, I even remember taking them out of my car the night before and placing them in my bag. But, in line with this week being a wonderful week, it (most likely) dropped out of the bag, leaving me with a day-long migraine while working and cramming for one of my 2 papers due this week for my MBA.

Tuesday - I thought oversleeping in the FX, forcing me to take a Php20 tricycle ride back to my house, was my bad luck for the day. (Incidentally, how is it fair that an airconditioned ride for 20km costs Php40, but it cost me Php20 to ride in a lousy tricycle for 1.5km?) Well, it could be argued that this time, it wasn't bad luck, but just plain stupidity, but here goes: I was hungry and was looking for a midnight snack to help keep me up while I was cramming for a paper. I raid the ref and saw a penoy. Apropos, I thought, pampatibay ng tuhod, not to mention that it was my topic for my industry paper - poultry, I mean. Anywhoo, I plopped it into a glass of water, popped it into the microwave, set it for a minute, waited, then BOOM! With a flash of light, I saw the egg explode inside the microwave oven. Strangely enough, the egg was still intact, and would've been possible to eat had it been NOT stale. But now, the microwave oven is broken.

Wow, bad luck, irony, AND stupidity in one paragraph. Story of my life, it seems.

Wednesday and Thursday - I have 2 final exams and 2 papers due on these days. Nuff said.

Friday - I'm quite sure something *will* happen this day...

Saturday - A housewarming party of one of my ex-officemates, sure to be complete with alcohol, beer, food, and hard drinks, is in conflict with a previous commitment with my girlfriend.

This is not my week.

NBA Update: Lakers are Out!

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:04:00 +0000

As my new blog acquaintance paningit commented on my previous post, the Lakers are now statistically out of the playoffs. Now their history reads: 2003-'04: NBA Finals. 2004-'05: Lottery. Congratulations, Lakers. Congratulations, Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss. Congratulations Kobe. Woot.

-----------------------------------

With less than 10 games to go into the season, the Cavaliers are still on a freefall from the standings. Just over one month ago they could've been facing fellow playoff newbie Wizards if they held on to their seeding. Now? courtesy of a 7-14 record since last month, they slid all the way to 7th, where they will face 2nd seed, battle-ready Pistons. Firing Coach Silas was a mistake. And current 6th seed Pacers, #8 Sixers, and the Nets are not letting up.

-----------------------------------

Speaking of the Pacers, how about Rick Carlisle as Coach of the Year? Sure, Mike D'Antoni (Suns) made fastbreak basketball in vogue again, Nate McMillan (Sonics) and Scott Skiles (Suns) did a nice job in breaking all expectations, and Mike Fratello (Grizzlies) and George Karl (Nuggets) did a great job turning things around for their teams. But did any of them lose 3 of their starters at the same time due to suspensions for more than a month? Was any of them subjected to the same media / court circus, post-Palace brawl? Man, Carlisle even had to handle a *lot* of injuries, most notably J-O'neal's season-ending injury. But where are the Pacers now? 6th seed and no signs of slowing down. That's gotta be worth a mention.

-----------------------------------

As a last aside, I would just like to say that I hate Channel 9. First it was the commercials from the Paquiao fight that broadcasted the actual "live" coverage on a 3-hour delay. All a jackass had to do was surf the internet and spoil the results to everyone (which happened on some radio stations, I believe). That I understood, because, lets face it. This is the only time that RPN-9 can earn money. Let's cut them some slack.

What got me was when I was watching the L.A. - San Antonio match last Sunday. With 6.7 seconds left, the score was SAS 95, LAL 94. Laker ball. You know what was going to happen. And you watch NBA games because of these situations: the last second, clutch, game-deciding shots by the stars. And none better than Kobe to do it, right?

So I waited the commercials out.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Channel 9 kept on showing these inane promote-your-own-syndicated TV show crap, something like Trading Spouses, for at least 3 times. And that's just one commercial.

And when the game finally came back on, what they showed was:

San Antonio Spurs 95
LA Lakers 94
Final

WHAAATTTT??? Where the fuck did the 6.7 seconds go, which I waited 2++ minutes for ???

Damn. They should be sued. I was robbed.

Just to promote a show named Trading Spouses, they cut the climax from the basketball game.

That was beyond carelessness. It was imbecilic. >:-I

Wish List for Blogging NBA Players

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Sat, 02 Apr 2005 03:16:00 +0000

That blog of Phoenix Suns' Paul Shirly got me thinking: Who'd be my top current NBA players that I'd like to see blog their thoughts down? I mean blogs that shows what they *really* wanted to say (and not like a blog that seems heavily edited, and contains only all the right words. See these guys for example. Wait, those blogs look as boring as my NBA blog entries. Oh well.

Anyway, without further ado:

Darvin Ham. Who he? The Defending Champs' 11th off the bench (in front of Darko Milicic), that's who! I chose him over Darko because a)he's more experienced; b)I'm not so sure if Darko can carry a blog (changing your hair color and privately ranting at playing time can only be interesting for so many blog entries); and c) this little news bit. Come on, click it.

Back with us yet? OK. One, two, three.

NYAHHAHAHAHAHA!!! I thought that only happened here, as reported by tabloids!! To read that it happened to a 6'-7", 240lb forward of the NBA... I'm sorry if I'm being mean but... dang. And ouch. Wehehehe. Of course, if his wife happened to be Zheng Haixia, WNBA Chinese phenom, I wouldn't wonder so much.* Google her and you'll probably agree. Anyway, just imagine the blog entries: "I just went home from practice. I was berated by Coach for not putting my all, but I'm more scared of my wife than of him!" Hmm.. maybe I'd rather not read that blog.
Kevin Garnett. Maybe his blog will read like, "I tried to carry my team again today, but Sam Cassell became injured yet again after chasing after that blasted "precioussss" of his, Latrell was suspended because he tried to choke Coach McHale during practice, the Kandi Man's just that - a big, overgrown candy, Trenton (Hassell) and Wally (Szcwhateverbiak) have their playing time issues.... Jeez. I may be a super basketball player, but even I can't carry these blokes to the playoffs!" I'd really like to hear KG rant about his teammates. He deserves it, and it makes for good reading ;) And while were at the topic of dysfunctional teams...
Rafer Alston. Or any other member of the Toronto Raptors, for that matter, that had a front-row seat to the (alleged) slugfest between Coach Sam Mitchell and Skip-to-my-Lou(what the HELL does this nickname mean?). Rafer has been a timebomb all season, and although the rift seems to be mended a bit nowadays, its always interesting when two people are at loggerheads with each other.
Any member of the Portland Trailblazers. Come on... do you think the "housecleaning" by the Blazers management really cleaned their house up? They drafted a guy named Outlaw, for cripes' sakes. They've got Ruben Patterson there, a personality in himself. There's Telfair, a New York playground legend. What do I mean by that? Here are other playground legends: Ron Artest, Stephon Marbury, Rafer Alston. I may be generalizing, but still... Also, there's Darius Miles, a poster child for preps-to-pros bad examples. Add Damon Stoudamire, pot sessions, pit-bull fighting, ~~DIY's~~ DUI's... man, come on. Their blog would be a fun read. And maybe grounds for the arrest of the whole team :)
Kobe Bryant. Come on. Who else? I guess this guy would be first in your mind for anyone coming up with this list. His thoughts on playing the LA Clips group, Phil Jackson, Shaq? If his thoughts make the World Wide Web unedited, you'd probably recieve em as forwarded email in a matter of seconds.

Come to think of it, almost any NBA player would have an interesting blog, if it contained the risque part of their job, the things they aren't allowed to say. But these 5 first came to my mind first.

*credit goes to Renee, Sports Guy Intern Finalist for the Zheng reference

Random Babbling - The Holy Week, Baguio, and an Entertaining NBA Blog

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 01:48:00 +0000

Fan of basketball? Want to know what benched players *really* think? Nothing to do? Read this:

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/shirley_blog.html

I never thought an NBA.com article could be this entertaining. And truthfully brutal :D Just read on!
-----------------------------
Anyone noticed that MYMP's "Love Moves In Mysterious Ways" was pulled out of the airwaves when Nina released her version of the song? Kawawang MYMP... they had a decent cover of the song but Nina blew them out of the water. Now they *had* to release "Constantly" because Nina also has it in her album. Beating her to the punch, so to speak.
-----------------------------
Is everyone this scared of Meningococcema (sp) or is the beach suddenly in vogue because everyone wants to flaunt their South-Beached body? Baguio probably had a 40% occupancy rate. Except for SM Baguio, the places were strangely uncrowded, and traffic wasn't bad at all!
-----------------------------
An inane brother of my brother-in-law (How do you call a brother of your bro-in-law?) posted this question:

If Jesus Christ died on Good Friday, why was it called "Good"?

Stumped me for a good while.
-----------------------------
Just finished reading the second of 2 e-books on my cellphone: "The Da Vinci Code". Not the best book to read while renewing your faith during Holy Week, to say the least. But it was entertaining, and it kept me up one night during vacation. Always a good experience in my book, heheh. Ü You just have to read it knowing there are facts in the book, but know that the facts were interpreted by a sci-fi writer. Consider it your warning.
-----------------------------
I finished "The Alchemist" 2 weeks ago. Thank goodness for RepliGo. If you find yourself in line or in traffic often, or just want to read without lugging around that heavy hardbound, this is a must download. Ayos pamatay-oras. You can get e-books here (free registration required).
-----------------------------
Went to Hundred Islands in Pangasinan. I thought there was an improvement made in their facilities. Di namin siguro napuntahan yung beach na may improvements, nasa Governor's Island(?) lang kami e. Andami pang tao. Mga jologs pa wiset. Nung nakita nila yung ate kong naka-shorts at naka bikini top, sumigaw ba naman ng "Pare, may hubad!" Shet. Ngayon lang nakakita ng naka-bikini. Dapat talaga sa secluded area na kami nagpadala e.
------------------------------
Ah, and what trip to the beach would be complete without kodakan :p

One of the Hundred Islands - almost as big as my nose

Para naman masabing hindi ako self - centered -- I did notice that it is nice out there ;) Good place to listen to the heart of the land and the sea, to paraphrase The Alchemist

Not at the beach, but in Baguio. Look not at me, but at the cuuute little butterfwy on my hand. Yeech.

Mannnny Paaacqqquiaoooo!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 02:56:00 +0000

Manny Pacquiao lost! Some people were lamenting that if it weren't for the head cut, we would've had the chance. Irregardless, the fact is that Manny was outfoxed and outboxed from Round 1. Yes, he was aggressive, and yes, he did land some punches and won a few rounds, but Morales was hardly fazed and was steady. He was infinitely more prepared than the other Mexican that Pacquiao felled, Barrera. Pacquiao was well scouted by Morales' camp. But would this be the last PPV for Pacquiao? Heck no! Did you hear the crowd in the MGM grand through your TV's? If only based on that, We'll be sure to see the Pac-man again.

Better prepared physically and more importantly, mentally next time.

We still applaud the effort you gave, though. If anyone was going to lose a boxing match, let it be that way... not by a lousy bonehead mistake in judging.

GSB Night (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:43:00 +0000

Graduate School of Business Night-capper
(continued from Part 1)

10:18 - To be fair, Merk’s was the first place that we saw with 2 adjacent vacant tables. The tables were not inside the bar, which had its pros and cons.

Pros:

Fresh air
A better view of the party happening at neighbor Absynth. Plus we get to listen to the sounds next door.
A bit more distance + a glass wall dividing us from the septuagenarian crowd inside.

Cons:

No aircon
Since we didn’t have to see over a crowd, we had a better (side) view of R.J. Jacinto playing guitars with a woman (in her late 30’s?) wearing a bra top and leggings dancing around with a tambourine. Reminded me distinctly of Margie in Ray: she was enlisted as a backup singer, but her gyrating onstage showed that she was there primarily to add a female presence, IMO.
We are constantly reminded (ok, envious) of the neighboring alternative place where the people were more our age level.
I had to constantly wish and pray that no one I knew would walk by and see me at Merks’. I would’ve died on the spot if anyone did. I don't need this...Jeez. I am uncool enough as it is.

10:30 – Hirits of the night:

“We’re sitting here??? Wait, I gotta fetch my parents …”
“They’re playing my parents’ theme song!”
[Upon hearing yet another 60’s song] “OK, uwian na. Tara!”
(After Father claps after a performance) "Father, aminin mo na, di ka na nakatiis, nag-eenjoy ka e!" And he promptly stops in mid-clap, and sheepishly replies, “Courtesy lang sa nagpeperform…” (yeah right :D )
"Edra, kapanahunan mo!"

All spoken while totally disregarding the fact that Richard Merk was sitting on the table right beside us at one point.

10:37 – Wow, someone ordered food! Oh, well. Let the torture continue. I thought we’d just drink one beer then get out of there but NOOO… I was hoping that I could get away from the place sooner rather than later…

10:40 – RJ announces that they’ll be playing a song that was a huge hit.

10:41 – As expected, we did not recognize the song. Wow, hit na hit talaga! Unless alam sya ni Father. J/K…

10:45 – When you hear “Blue Suede Shoes" during your gimik, it’s time to pack up. Seriously. So why am I still here? My parents brought me up to be too nice to just leave ‘em here. Waargh.

10:47 – Wow, RJ just played the guitar solo by placing the guitar at the back of his head! If it wasn’t so OLD school I’d be cheering.

10:52 – Just saw a grandma take her blazer off to reveal a bustier. Wanting to spare my eyes and sanity, I looked away – and was granted a view of a cute female in a see-through blouse and bra top.

Maybe I already have died and gone to purgatory.

11:21 – Just saw a 50 to 60 -something dad do an Eddie Guerrero/Antoine Walker shimmy shake. Good thing his kids weren’t here. If he was my dad I’d probably tackle him so that he’d stop his inanity. Gods, will this never end??

11:40 – Someone has answered my prayers! Nope, its not the end of their set. Nope, they didn’t have an alternate.

Someone in our group asked for the bill. :D

12:01 – I’m finally on my way home. Passed by McArthur Highway to spare myself the Php42 toll fee, cheapskate that I am. Bakit ba, wala namang trapik e…

Disclaimer: Merk’s is actually a cool place to be in IF you're a member of their target market. I obviously am not. Not yet anyway...

Till the next, peeps! :)

GSB Night (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (the NBA Addict) — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 03:32:00 +0000

After failing that Business Econ exam, I needed a break. And what better way than to attend a party that grants its attendees a plus-10 in their exams? The bad part is we had to fork over Php450 to attend it. The ugly? Php450 was too much to pay. We'll get into that later. On to my first "real-time" blog entry...

Getting There
6pm - Call time on the invite said 6pm. Naturally, I left Bulacan at that time to get there a bit late, but early by Filipino standards^_^

6:20 - Traffic at EDSA. What else is new? I knew I should've taken C-5! Wait, maybe I could. Lessee... East Ave --> QC Circle --> Katipunan --> Libis --> C-5....

6:45 - ...where now I am in a worse traffic jam than before. :-/ At least I get to see the traffic intersection (Kalayaan - C5) that Binay and BF are squabbling over. U-turn scheme or stoplight? Kids, stop arguing and build a freakin' flyover to get it over with! Jeez.

The GSB Night Proper
7:30 - Finally, the NBA Addict has returned to the RCBC tower! Ok, if you aren't a fan of the WWE/The Rock, you wouldn't have gotten that.

7:30 - Ticket says 40th floor, RCBC Tower. Sounds promising! So I got on the elevator, making sure that I was courteous with the people I rode the elevator with just in case one of them was the wife of the owner of the tower (can't have another Gretchen-esque scandal :p). Pushed "40". Waited a few moments - "ding!"

7:33 - Door opens to a largely unadorned building floor space, with its pipings and electricals jutting out of the ceiling, with minimal decors to cover-up the effing thing. Imagine your office floor without the walls, furniture, walls, nor ceiling. What you have left is a floor with an elevator in the middle and nothing else. Got it? Add a few banner ads, monoblocks, and buffet tables on one side, and a makeshift stage, a projector screen, and lightings on the other. Would've been OK but the bare (sometimes unpainted) walls distracted me too much. Obviously I was not impressed with the "warehouse party" look. This is what I get for my Php450?? And to think that price already came with a 10% discount. Jeez.

7:40 - At least the food was marginally good. And there's beer! Pale pilsen, not San Mig Light, but it'll do. :D

8:00 - The program started, finally. Acoustics are lousy in this place - it limited any conversation about the program to: "What did he say?" "Ano daw?" "Si Ma'am Rena na ba yung binibigyan ng award?" "Cute yung host! Pero yung suot nya palda lang.. na ginawang tube!" :p

8:30 - Prof. Rena de la Cruz was presented with an excellence in teaching award. Congrats Ma'am! Don't forget our bonus points! >:D And now that we've done our secondary objective for the night (namely provide our teacher with "pala" or a cheering squad of sorts), its time for the primary objective: socialize with classmates.

9:40 - After a modeling show, some talking, drinking, kibitzing, and camwhoring (check out Jaz's flickr), we decided to screw the raffle, say goodbye to the USB thumbdisks and Php10k watches, and decided that we should just hang out somewhere else. Our section split into groups, and the group I was with headed for Greenbelt 3, Coffee Beanery.

GSB Night-capper
9:55 - Hmm.. The Coffee Beanery is full. And it's even worse at Starbucks and Seattle's Best. So off we go to the second floor to find a more suitable place...

10:18 - Buddha Bar? We just ate at RCBC... Red Box? Naah. Not everyone was a singer in the group. Absynth? Too crowded and noisy for some of us. So where is it in GB3 that the noise level low enough to support a decent conversation, the prices are decent, and (most importantly) would still have a vacant table for a group of 8? We found a place.. and it was at...

...horror of horrors...

Merks'.

(To be continued)