1-0 lead by Painters

Rain or Shine played like a champion team in its first-ever finals game, hardly showing jitters as the Elasto Painters walloped the B-Meg Llamados, 91-80, in the opener of their PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven title playoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Elasto Painters displayed character that produces championships, fighting the Llamados toe-to-toe in the first half before pressing their bid and finishing with a flurry for the emphatic win that could well give them positive vibes for Game Two.

A crowd of nearly 12,000 braved the stormy night and witnessed the finals debutants frustrate the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champs.

To his frustration and disappointment, coach Tim Cone committed a flagrant misconduct in throwing a monobloc chair on the court for an outright ejection with 7:23 left in the game.

Jamelle Cornley, Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood and Ronjay Buenafe fired at least 10 points each and the whole RoS team hit at an impressive 51.5-percent clip to win the game convincingly.

It also helped that they played well on the defensive end, holding down Marcus Blakely to just 12 points and seven rebounds.

"I'm really proud of the way the boys handled the pressure and the way we played our defense in the second half," said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

"We had problem with our rebounding in the first half. Once we got settled down and able to soak up the atmosphere, we played our regular game and we’re okay from then on," Guiao added.

The RoS mentor thought they enjoyed the advantage of being fresher in setting out for this game.

His B-Meg counterpart, however, said it’s not about tiredness but the over physicality of the game.

"We're not tired. It's more of we got frustrated with all the stuffs that’s going on out there. We'll break down the video and present our case to the commissioner," said Cone.

"That's their style of play. You have to respond to it, but I'm afraid people might get hurt when you do that," Cone added.

The physicality of the match was evident right in the first half where three technical fouls were called. JR Quinahan committed a technical infraction versus Marc Pingris while Jamelle Cornley and Yancy de Ocampo incurred a double "T."

The Elasto Painters did handle themselves well in the battle, establishing control in the third quarter and going on to dominate the final period.

Norwood scored on a jam and rifled in a trey in a 10-1 run as the Elasto Painters broke the back of the Llamados, 80-65.

Cone did his stunt after the Elasto Painters made it a double-digit spread at 74-64 on back-to-back baskets by Norwood and Cornley.

Picking his shots, Cornley went 11-of-14 from the field and led all scorers with 25 points that went with 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Lee, Norwood and Buenafe bombed away two triples each and finished with a combined total output of 34 points. James Yap paced the losing team with 19.

Jonas Villanueva sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer as B-Meg took the half at 39-35.

The battle was as tight as it was rugged with neither team leading by more than five in the first 24 minutes of play.

The opening quarter, 18-16, belonged to the Elasto Painters as they drew eight points from Lee on perfect 3-of-3 field shooting coming off the bench.

NOTES: Gary David, Mark Caguioa, Marc Pingris, James Yap and Paul Lee are the official candidates for the Best Player of the Conference award to be handed out before Game Two Wednesday. The BPC winner in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup, Caguioa is a strong bet for the same award in the season-ending tourney with a total of 449 SPs as against Yap's 392 and David's 363. In terms of average SPs, David is No. 1 with 33.00 a game, followed by Caguioa (29.93), Pingris (27.69), Yap (26.1) and Lee (26.08)…..Air21 beat Alaska Milk in the lottery for the first pick in the coming PBA Rookie Draft. The coveted draft rights, however, will go to Petron by virtue of the previous trade deal between the Boosters and the Express.

The scores:

RAIN OR SHINE 91 – Cornley 25, Lee 14, Norwood 10, Buenafe 10, Belga 8, Ibanes 8, Chan 7, Arana 4, Quinahan 4, Cruz 1.

B-MEG 80 – Yap 19, Blakely 12, Pingris 12, Simon 9, Gaco 8, Barroca 6, Villanueva 5, Reavis 4, Urbiztondo 3, De Ocampo 2.

Quarterscores: 18-16, 35-39, 66-59, 91-80

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/07/23/12/painters-shine-over-llamados

All bark, no bite?

NATIONAL University (NU) was brought back down to reality by a defending champion Ateneo side that was all but itching to recover from an ugly loss three days ago.

The Bulldogs were nowhere near the form that gave them a 35-point demolition of University of the East as they absorbed an 89-65 drubbing from the Blue Eagles in the main game of the 75th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on a rainy Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Ateneo’s win left Far Eastern University (FEU) as the only unbeaten team in Season 75 as the Tamaraws pulled off another escape, this time against De La Salle, 48-46, also on Sunday to claim their second-straight win for the solo lead.

The Blue Eagles and the Green Archers are now tied with 2-1 records heading into their much-anticipated encounter on Saturday.

Nico Salva led Ateneo with 21 points, while Kiefer Ravena and Greg Slaughter added 17 and 14, respectively for the Blue Eagles, who bounced back from a 71-70 loss to University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Thursday.

“The [concentration] is to focus playing for 40 minutes. Against UST, we played good in the first 20 minutes but we relaxed in the second half,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black.

“We reminded the players that there’ll be ups and downs in our offense but our defense must be consistent in case our offense is not clicking,” he added.

Both worked as the Blue Eagles took a 55-34 half-time advantage and never allowed NU to mount a serious rally.

Bobby Ray Parks had a team-high 22 markers to lead the Bulldogs before fouling out in the fourth. Emmanuel Mbe and Dennice Villamor netted 14 and 10 points for coach Eric Altamirano.

Ateneo led by as many as 27 points, 87-60, in notching the victory, the ninth straight by the Blue Eagles over the Bulldogs. In those Ateneo wins, seven were by 20 points or more and the two also in double figures.

In the FEU-De La Salle duel, Michael Tolomia hit the marginal step-back jumper over rookie Green Archer Jeron Teng with 47.6 ticks left. De La Salle tried to steal the win but Almon Vosotros’s three-point heave bounced off the rim.

FEU’s Terrence Romeo was the only player in the game to hit double figures with 10 points.

“Maganda depensa ng De La Salle. Nata-trap sila Terrence at RR [Garcia] kaya kay Tolomia ko na lang binigay kasi ’yun ang weakest defender nila,” said Tamaraws head coach Bert Flores.

“Naka-tsamba rin kami kasi wala si LA [Revilla]. Last two games nila, si LA ang nagdadala. Kaya nag-adjust na lang ulit kami.”

Revilla sat out the game because of tendonitis.

Posted: SUNDAY, 22 JULY 2012

REPORTER: joel orellana

source: http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/sports/30262-all-bark-no-bite

RAIN OR SHINE vs. B-MEG: WHICH IS THE REAL UNDERDOG?

HAVING made it to the Finals for the very first time since joining the PBA in 2006, Rain or Shine
hope to take its dream a step further and go all the way to clinch a championship as well.


B-Meg head coach Tim Cone, on the other hand, has his sights trained not only on leading the
Llamados to a second straight title but, on a personal note, he is bidding to tie a league record.

These are the scenarios present as Rain or Shine and B-Meg clash for the championship of the season
ending PBA Governors Cup. Game One is set Sunday night at 6 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters enter the series opener a bit fresh after coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao
decided to give his wards a two-day break. On the other hand, B-Meg had to go through the wringer
and beat Barangay Ginebra, 74-72 in a sudden-death playoff Friday night for the second finals berth.

“Alam kong magiging bugbugan itong Finals so I gave my boys the chance to rest,” said Guiao.
“Doon man lang ay magkaroon kami ng kaunting advantage.”

Rain or Shine made it to the Finals for the very first time since joining the PBA back in 2006 by
routing the Llamados, 92-82 last Wednesday. The Elasto Painters are hoping to go all the way to the
top and win a championship.

“We’re the underdogs kahit nauna kami sa Finals. Pero malay natin makatsamba kami,” added
Guiao.

But Cone thinks otherwise. After all, the Llamados have not beaten the Elasto Painters in two
meetings this conference. Prior to losing last Wednesday, the Llamados were also waylaid by the
Elasto Painters in overtime, 100-94 in the elimination round last May 27.

Cone is actually bidding to tie Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan as the winningest coach in PBA history.
Dalupan has 15 titles under his belt while Cone won his 14th when he led the Llamados to the
championship of the recent Commissioner's Cup.

“We really have a problem matching up with Rain or Shine especially in the backcourt. Our guards
are smaller,” admitted Cone. “We have to get good performances from Josh Urbiztondo, Mark
Barroca and Jonas Villanueva if we are to put up a good fight.”

The three guards are pitted against bigger guys like Gabe Norwood, Ryan Arana and prized rookie Paul
Lee.

Additionally, Cone said, “Rain Or Shine has a strong import in Jamelle Cornley. Marc Pingris gives
away 40 pounds against him. Rafi Reavis gives up more. It’s hard to stop Cornley.”

Other Elasto Painters to check are Jeff Chan, Ronjay Buenafe and big men Beau Belga and JR Quinahan.

Cone is hoping that two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap would erupt consistently. With B-Meg
making it to the Finals for the second straight conference, Yap now has a big chance of winning his
third MVP award.

Yap will be working with tireless import Marcus Blakely along with Peter June Simon and Yancy de
Ocampo.

B-Meg will continue to miss the services of Joe Calvin deVance and JC Intal due to injuries. (BP)

source: http://www.pba.ph/news/entry/1729

NBA DRAFT 2012

The stage is set. The NBA draft is ready to go. Some picks remain mysteries, others are pretty certain.

The crowd booed Commissioner David Stern. They booed the Miami Heat. But hey, it's Newark, N.J., and it's the NBA draft. Get ready for more of it.

Stay here and follow the draft as we provide instant analysis and grades for each pick.

The draft starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, but that first pick will almost certainly be Anthony Davis of Kentucky. Who else gets picked? Check out our latest mock draft and review team needs while you wait.


Here's the draft order:

======FIRST ROUND======

1. New Orleans Hornets: Kentucky forward Anthony Davis

The crowd gave him a warm but anticipated reaction, as you might expect, and no one looked particularly surprised when Stern made his announcement. We've known about this pick since the lottery last month, but in that time, there have been no reasons to doubt it. Davis should be a franchise player as he continues to improve his offense. Defensively, he's a once-in-a-lifetime player. The Hornets could use the help in the paint, too. And Davis can dress for success. Grade: A

2. Charlotte Bobcats: Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

In an NBA draft first, college teammates go first and second. Kidd-Gilchrist was a bit of a surprise with this pick, but he may be the safest pick in the draft other than Davis. Kidd-Gilchrist will provide the Bobcats with stability on the wing. But he may not be the scorer the Bobcats lack. Grade: B+

3. Washington Wizards: Florida guard Bradley Beal

This pick was inevitable when Kidd-Gilchrist went second, as the Wizards need a shooting guard to pair with point guard John Wall and had been rumored to want Beal enough that teams were considering trading up to No. 2 to get the former Gator. Beal should be a good fit, but he may have been a bit of a reach if he can't improve on his college production. He draws comparisons to Ray Allen, but he shot 34% on three-pointers in his one season at Florida. Grade: B

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Syracuse guard Dion Waiters

This pick fills a need, clearly. Waiters will be a nice partner for last year's rookie of the year, point guard Kyrie Irving. He rose up the board after spending the season as the Orange's sixth man. Waiters has a lot of talent, but the pick seems to be a reach with Thomas Robinson and Harrison Barnes on the board. He dealt with maturity issues in his freshman year before stepping up as a sophomore. But he's a plug-and-play guard who should score well. Grade: C-

5. Sacramento Kings:

6. Portland Trail Blazers:

7. Golden State Warriors:

8. Toronto Raptors:

9. Detroit Pistons:

10. New Orleans Hornets:

11. Portland Trail Blazers:

12. Houston Rockets:

13. Phoenix Suns:

14. Milwaukee Bucks:

15. Philadelphia 76ers:

16. Houston Rockets:

17. Dallas Mavericks:

18. Houston Rockets:

19. Orlando Magic:

20. Denver Nuggets:

21. Boston Celtics:

22. Boston Celtics:

23. Atlanta Hawks:

24. Cleveland Cavaliers:

25. Memphis Grizzlies:

26. Indiana Pacers:

27. Miami Heat:

28. Oklahoma City Thunder:

29. Chicago Bulls:

30. Golden State Warriors:

======SECOND ROUND======

31. Charlotte Bobcats:

32. Washington Wizards:

33. Cleveland Cavaliers:

34. Cleveland Cavaliers:

35. Golden State Warriors:

36. Sacramento Kings:

37. Toronto Raptors:

38. Denver Nuggets:

39. Detroit Pistons:

40. Portland Trail Blazers:

41. Portland Trail Blazers:

42. Milwaukee Bucks:

43. Atlanta Hawks:

44. Detroit Pistons:

45. Philadelphia 76ers:

46. New Orleans Hornets:

47. Utah Jazz:

48. New York Knicks:

49. Orlando Magic:

50. Denver Nuggets:

51. Boston Celtics:

52. Golden State Warriors:

53. Los Angeles Clippers:

54. Philadelphia 76ers:

55. Dallas Mavericks:

56. Toronto Raptors:

57. Brooklyn Nets:

58. Minnesota Timberwolves:

59. San Antonio Spurs:

60. Los Angeles Lakers:

source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/live-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-analysis-as-it-happens/1#.T-zwRRfCCkw

Donaire has to look good against Mathebula if he wants to stay ahead of Rigondeaux in popularity

By Chris Williams: I don’t know if WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (28-1, 18 kO’s) has been taking any notice, but WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KO’s) is quickly turning into a star in the United States after only 10 fights.


 With recent knockout wins over Teon Kennedy and Rico Ramos, Rigondeaux is closing in on Hayward, California star.
Just when Rigondeaux is blowing out one fighter after another with superb body shots, Donaire is struggling in his last two fights against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Omar Narvaez. The timing of Donaire’s mediocrity and Rigondeaux’s excellent performances re doing a good job of raising Rigondeaux’s stock and sinking Donaire’s standing with the boxing public. Donaire doesn’t seem to be willing to take responsibility for his poor performances, and instead has blamed it on his opponents Narvaez and Vazquez Jr. not wanting to come to fight. Oh, they came to fight already, but they didn’t come to just stand in front of Donaire as stationary targets like many of the guys that Donaire’s promoter Bob Arum has matched him up against during his career.

On July 7th, Donaire is fighting IBF super bantamweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 KO’s), a 33-year-old title holder from South Africa, who few boxing fans have ever seen before. In the brief clips that I’ve seen of Mathebula, he seems like a good stationary type fighter that Donaire should be able to beat in an impressive fashion on July 7th. Technically, Mathebula is a world champion. However, with all the world titles floating around in every division causing the talent to be watered down dramatically, I see Mathebula as more of a bottom 25 to bottom 30 fighter. I don’t see him as being talented enough to be a top 20 fighter, and definitely not top 10 or top 5. In other words, this is a fighter that Donaire should be able to beat impressively so that he can end his streak of poor performances.

It’s going to have to be an exceptional performance from Donaire, though, if he wants to keep a distance between him and Rigondeaux. I don’t think Donaire can, however, because Rigondeaux is clearly the much more superior fighter of the two. Talent has a way of floating to the top, and Donaire is about to be surpassed by the rising Cuban star.

It is interesting that Donaire has shown zero interest in wanting to fight Rigondeaux. Instead of taking on Rigondeaux, we’re seeing Donaire face little known Mathebula. Rigondeaux keeps calling Donaire out, but is ignored by him. It wouldn’t be an issue if Donaire was facing really quality fighters, but by taking on Mathebula, it just looks like Donaire is dodging Rigondeaux to avoid having his hype train stopped dead in it’s tracks.

source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2012/06/donaire-has-to-look-good-against-mathebula-if-he-wants-to-stay-ahead-of-rigondeaux-in-popularity/

LeBron James finally gets it

LeBron James got to hold his first NBA championship trophy after coming to grips with his own reality.

Miami's star has experienced quite the journey to earn his first NBA championship

For a long time, LeBron James had it easy. And that's what made it so hard. The NBA hadn't really seen a player with such a mix of talent, size and a willingness to being the ultimate team player. So much of this was natural. Not just James' athleticism, either. James had a personality that made him want to be well-liked by his teammates, not just by the public. Those are the ingredients of a champion. And they were identified early and coveted by every team in the league. Now James has finally reached that pedestal after nine long years of trying. No one thought it would take this long, especially James himself. For years, James' career had been all about potential and the mostly stress-free rewards of acclaim, fame and cash. Then something changed -- potential gave way to expectation, and it was a blow to James' ego and a reputation he was both unprepared for and slow to accept. That burden and the relief from it was what made lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy on Thursday night so liberating. James didn't just have to learn the hard way, he had to be hurt the hard way: in front of everyone. He didn't just have to grow up as a player, he had to do it with millions breaking down his mistakes. It created one of the most fascinating and polarizing plots in history, an arc that finally reached a climax with the Miami Heat's NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I just think it's a normal process that, not just LeBron, but anybody has to do to learn to be a champion," said Mike Krzyzewski, James' coach for Team USA. "But in LeBron's case, because he's recognized as one of the great players, he had to learn out in the open. And so a great player will get criticized as he's learning." [+] Enlarge David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty ImagesLeBron's first trip to the Finals in 2007 ended in a Spurs sweep. When James first made the Finals, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, it was received with commendation, even though he'd played terribly by his standards as the Cavs were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. At age 22, he was ahead of the curve, and excitement surrounded future trips to the Finals. In one of the more memorable moments of James' early career, he was embraced by Tim Duncan in a hallway after Duncan had won his fourth title. Holding the O'Brien trophy in one arm and with the other around James, Duncan whispered into James' ear: "Some day the league is going to belong to you." As James walked away from the Finals that night, he did so with a smile at the thought of that. The warm blanket of potential serves as a shell that deflects criticism. This turned out to be fleeting. "A lot of people said we were the worst team to ever make the Finals and LeBron really used that as motivation," said Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone, who coached James as an assistant with the Cavs for five years. "He went out and made himself an MVP after that; he really worked on his game. But it still felt like a tease because he could see where he wanted to go, but we just couldn't get there." Twice in Cleveland, after he'd won MVP awards, James played on teams seeded No. 1 in the playoffs. These teams were different than the overmatched team of '07. The Cavs' payroll spiked to $100 million as they brought in teammates for him, players such as Mo Williamsand Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs were not loaded with All-Stars, but they didn't have to be -- the MVP was supposed to carry the group just as he'd done before, back when it was all about potential. Now there was demand. But he wouldn't reach the Finals again with the Cavaliers. When he went to the Heat, it was to join two of the best players of his day, the sort of stars he never had with him in Cleveland. But when he walked away from the Finals again in 2011 without a title, even with the help of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, no one dared think about potential. The last scraps of potential for James were buried in the two-day period in July 2010 when he announced his decision to sign with the Heat and then projected the number of championships he planned to win into a microphone the next night. Now, all was expectation. That embrace is much colder. It wasn't just the expectations of the basketball-viewing public and his sponsors and his new teammates. It was the expectations that James had placed on his own shoulders with his words and his actions. Even if James could take back the line that stays attached to him like a tattoo -- "Not one, not two ... " -- the expectations would be smothering to him. "When he went to Miami, I sent him a text and told him that this was going to be the hardest thing he's tried to do in his life," said Paul Silas, who coached James for two seasons in Cleveland. "I think he thought it might be easy. And they might have had it all as a team. But he was still going to have to put them on his shoulders, and it took him a while to understand that." James' understanding of how tough it was going to be was stunted by emotional bruises. After a poor playoff series against the Boston Celtics in 2010, he deflected its effects by saying, "I spoil a lot of people with my play." When it happened again last year on a higher-profile stage in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, James again snapped back at the consequences of living with expectations. “ I can finally say that I'm a champion. ”-- LeBron James "All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today," James said, angry in defeat. No smile this time. No hug from Duncan. No safety net of potential to rely on. Coming to grips with all of this has been one of the great challenges of James' life. Right up there with improving his jump shot, asking for the help of others like Hakeem Olajuwon, and understanding that being a leader is more than just scoring a lot of points and making a fiery speech before a big game. It took humility, self-evaluation and soul-searching. "I was very immature," James said this week, looking back on it all. "I played to prove people wrong instead of just playing my game, instead of just going out and having fun and playing a game that I grew up loving and why I fell in love with the game. One thing that I learned, and someone taught me this, the greatest teacher you can have in life is experience. I've experienced some things in my long but short career, and I'm able to make it better of myself throughout these playoffs and throughout this whole year, and that's on and off the court." James could've said things like that in the past and maybe even thought he meant them. But now, nine years into his career, there are actions to back them up. James' statistics in leading the Heat to this trophy were fantastic, but his statistics always were. His highlight plays were incredible, but that's been the case since he was 18. James realized that to manage expectation, to meet expectation, he had to remove himself from expectation. These entire playoffs -- in fact, most of the season -- have been one long exercise in doing so. And for the first time in years, he's been able to call it a success. Now, for a little while, he can forget expectation. And focus on celebration. "It was a journey," James said. "Everything that went along with me being a high school prodigy when I was 16 and on the cover of Sports Illustrated to being drafted and having to be the face of a franchise and everything that came with it. I had to deal with it and I had to learn through it. No one had gone through that journey and I had to learn on my own. I can finally say that I'm a champion."

source: http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8082762/nba-finals-lebron-james-lives-expectations

Live Updates: NBA Finals - game five

Kevin Durant of the Thunder (R) blocks LeBron James of the Heat - Source: Reuters

LeBron James and the Miami Heat look to take the opportunity to seal the NBA title at home. Pre-game When LeBron James was picked first straigh out of high school in the 2003 NBA draft, nobody thought it would be nine years before he would get his first championship ring. Two teams, three MVP titles and eight All-Star appearances later, James is closer than ever to gaining that elusive championship. Since losing the first game of the series to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, the Heat have looked comfortable throughout the Finals, with James and his supporting cast of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and even Mario Chalmers, combining brilliantly to claim three in a row. The Thunder are a young team in their first NBA finals and have to fight for their chance to take the series back to Oklahoma and do what no team has done in a seven game NBA Finals series - come back from 3-1 down. Russell Westbrook was huge in a losing effort in game four, but one feels that if the Thunder are going to win this game three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant is going to have to take more shots and own the game more.

Date Posted: June 22, 2012

source:http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/live-updates-nba-finals-game-five-4942148