2021 NBA Play-in Tournament TV schedule

First, the blog is back! The last post was when the president was an Aquino. So I've been wondering what to do with this blog. For the meantime, let's have all of your sports TV listings for Filipino sports fans. If you want to know where and when can you catch your favorite team, this is the blog for you.

Second, it's the Play-in Tournament! 101: #7 vs. #8, with the winner getting the #7 seed. The loser will play the winner of the #9 and #10 game, to be the #8 team. Sounds complicated? Just think of it this way: The #7 and #8 teams can lose once and still make it to the playoffs proper. The #9 and #10 teams have to win twice, with the second game on the road.

May 19, Wednesday

• 6:30 AM: Charlotte vs. Indiana
• 9:00 AM: Washington vs. Boston

May 20, Thursday

• 7:30 AM: San Antonio vs. Memphis LIVE @ NBA TV Philippines
• 10:00 AM: Golden State vs. LA Lakers LIVE @ NBA TV Philippines

May 21, Friday

• 8:00 AM: Indiana vs. Washington LIVE @ One Sports

May 22, Saturday

• 9:00 AM: Memphis vs. Golden State LIVE @ TV5 and NBA TV Philippines

2013 NBA Playoffs Philippine TV schedule

It's that time of the year where we are all waiting for "REAL" college basketball to start. In other words, it's the NBA Playoffs! On this space, you can find the TV schedules of all playoff matchups in Philippine TV.

Conference Semifinals

Game	#1 MIA vs #5 CHI	#2 NY vs #3 IND	#1 OKC vs #5 MEM	#2 SA vs #6 GS
1	May 7, 7AM at NBA Premium	May 6, 330AM at NBA Premium/Studio 23	May 6, 1AM at NBA Premium/BTV	May 7, 930AM at NBA Premium
2	May 9, 7AM at NBA Premium	May 8, 7AM at NBA Premium	May 8, 930AM at NBA Premium	May 9, 930AM at NBA Premium/BTV
3	May 11, 8AM at NBA Premium	May 12, 8AM at NBA Premium/ABS-CBN	May 12, 5AM at NBA Premium	May 11, 1030AM at NBA Premium/Studio 23
4	May 14, 7AM at NBA Premium	May 15	May 14, 930AM at NBA Premium/BTV	May 13, 330AM at NBA Premium
5	May 16	May 17, 8AM	May 16	May 15, 930AM
6		May 19, 8AM at NBA Premium/ABS-CBN
7		May 21, 8AM

Eastern Conference First Round

Game	#1 MIA vs #8 MIL	#2 NY vs #7 BOS	#3 IND vs #6 ATL	#4 BKN vs #5 CHI
1	April 22, 7AM at NBA Premium	April 21, 3AM at NBA Premium	April 22, 1AM at BTV	April 21, 8AM at NBA Premium
2	April 24, 730AM at BTV	April 24, 8AM at NBA Premium	April 25, 730AM at BTV	April 23, 8AM at NBA Premium
3	April 26, 7AM at NBA Premium	April 27, 8AM at Fox Sports	April 28, 955 at ABS-CBN (delayed)	April 26, 830AM at BTV
4	April 29, 330AM at NBA Premium	April 29, 1AM at NBA Premium	April 30, 730AM at BTV	April 28, 2AM at NBA Premium
5	MIA won series 4-0.	May 2. 7AM at NBA Premium	May 2, 8AM at BTV	April 30, 7AM at NBA Premium
6		May 4, 7AM at Fox Sports	May 4, 7AM at BTV, NBA Premium	May 3. 8AM at NBA Premium
7		NY won series 4-2	IND won series 4-2	May 5, 8AM at NBA Premium

Western Conference First Round

Game	#1 OKC vs #8 HOU	#2 SA vs #7 LAL	#3 DEN vs #6 GS	#4 LAC vs #5 MEM
1	April 22, 930AM at NBA Premium	April 22, 9AM at Studio 23 (delayed)	April 21, 530AM at BTV	April 21, 103AM at Studio 23
2	April 25, 7AM at Fox Sports	April 25, 930AM at NBA Premium	April 24, 1030AM at NBA Premium	April 23, 1030AM at BTV & NBA Premium
3	April 28, 930AM at BTV & NBA Premium	April 27, 1030AM at Studio 23	April 27, 1030 at BTV	April 26, 930AM at NBA Premium
4	April 30, 930AM at NBA Premium	April 29, 7AM at NBA Premium	April 29, 930AM at Studio 23	April 28, 430AM at BTV
5	May 2, 930AM at Fox Sports	SA won series 4-0.	May 1, 8AM at NBA Premium	May 1, 1030AM at NBA Premium
6	May 4, 930AM at NBA Premium		May 3, 1030 at NBA Premium	May 4, 930 AM
7	OKC won series 4-2		GS won series 4-2.	MEM won series 4-2

Date, time and channels are subject to change.

2012 NBA Playoffs Philippine TV schedule

It's that time of the year again! Sorta. This year's NBA Playoffs started about a week late. No worries we'd still have the schedules faster that you can say "Unibrow for London 2012 US team."

Some notes on last-minute reschedulings:
1. ABS-CBN and Studio 23 typically air games on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays (these are highlighted below). ABS-CBN usually airs games that start on the mid-morning as long as it does not preempt It's Showtime.
2. BTV is bound to have at least one playoff game whenever there are playoff games played on a day.

Eastern Conference Finals:
(2) Miami Heat vs. (4) Boston Celtics 
Game 1: May 29, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 2: May 31, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 3: June 2, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 4: June 4, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 5: June 6, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 6: June 8, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium

Western Conference Finals:
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder
Game 1: May 28, 830AM @BTV, NBA Premium
Game 2: May 30, 9AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: June 1, 9AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium Game 4: June 3, 830AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 5: June 5, 9AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium
Game 6: June 7, 9AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium

Eastern Conference Semifinals:
(4) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
Game 1: May 13, 8AM @ABS-CBN (Delayed)
Game 2: May 15, 7AM @BTV, NBA Premium
Game 3: May 17, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 19, 330AM @NBA Premium
Game 5: May 22, 7AM @BTV, NBA Premium
Game 6: May 24, 8AM @NBA Premium
Game 7: May 27, 8AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Indiana Pacers
Game 1: May 14, 330AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 16, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 18, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 21, 330AM @NBA Premium, Studio 23
Game 5: May 23, 8AM @NBA Premium
Game 6: May 25, 8AM @NBA Premium

Western Conference Semifinals:
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Game 1: May 16, 8AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 18, 7AM @NBA Premium, BTV
Game 3: May 20, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 21, 330AM @NBA Premium, BTV

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1: May 15, 930AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 17, 930AM @NBA Premium, BTV
Game 3: May 19, 1030AM @NBA Premium, Studio 23
Game 4: May 20, 1030AM @ABS-CBN, NBA Premium
Game 5: May 22, 930AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium

Eastern Conference First Round:
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
Game 1: April 29, 1AM @BTV Game 2: May 2, 8AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 5, 8AM @NBA Premium & Studio 23
Game 4: May 7, 1AM @NBA Premium
Game 5: May 9, 930AM @BTV
Game 6: May 11, 7AM @NBA Premium

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks
Game 1: April 29, 330AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 1, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 4, 7AM @NBA Premium & BTV
Game 4: May 7, 330AM @NBA Premium
Game 5: May 10, 7AM @ESPN

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Orlando Magic
Game 1: April 29, 7AM @Studio 23
Game 2: May 1, 730AM @NBA Premium & BTV
Game 3: May 3, 730AM @NBA Premium & BTV
Game 4: May 6, 2AM @BTV
Game 5: May 9, 7AM @NBA Premum & BTV

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Game 1: April 30, 7AM @Studio 23
Game 2: May 2, 730AM @NBA Premium & BTV
Game 3: May 5, 730AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 7, 7AM @ BTV
Game 5: May 9, 8AM @NBA Premium
Game 6: May 11, 8AM @BTV

Western Conference First Round:
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz
Game 1: April 30, 1AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 3, 7AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 6, 10AM @NBA Premium & Studio 23
Game 4: May 8, 8AM @NBA Premium, BTV

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Game 1: April 29, 930AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 1, 930AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 4, 930AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 6, 730AM @Studio 23

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
Game 1: April 30, 330AM @NBA Premium
Game 2: May 2, 1030AM @NBA Premium
Game 3: May 5, 1030AM @ESPN
Game 4: May 7, 930AM @BTV, Studio 23
Game 5: May 9, 1030AM @NBA Premium
Game 6: May 11, 1030AM @NBA Premium
Game 7: May 13, 1030AM @NBA Premium, BTV

(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Game 1: April 30, 930AM @BTV
Game 2: May 3, 930AM @ESPN
Game 3: May 6, 430AM @NBA Premium
Game 4: May 8, 1030AM @NBA Premium
Game 5: May 10, 930AM @NBA Premium
Game 6: May 12, 1030AM @ESPN
Game 7: May 14, 1AM @NBA Premium, BTV

If you're into nostalgia: 2011 NBA Playoffs Philippine TV schedule, 2010 NBA Playoffs Philippine TV schedule.

Xmas coast to coast opening day hoops!

Some say the NBA should just ditch the first 2 months or so of the regular season since nobody except for hardcore basketball fans care on what happens in the early games. Well... don't people ignore the first part of any season of any league? Unless it's the UAAP and its ilk since there are only 14 games to go around.

So thanks to the lockout, it finally happened. The NBA starts its season on Christmas. By the end of the season, the players are dog tired... then it's the Olympics. So while we wait for the abbreviated season to breeze through us like a back-to-back-to-back, let me give you the Top 10 stories we'd have to look forward to this coming new year of hoops, that doesn't include player movement.

10. The rise and fall of the Spurs
The Spurs rose to the top at the now much-discussed 1999 season, when they won the title in 50 regular season games. Phil Jackson, who was tending in garden, shouted blasphemy just as he shouted the same thing when Barry Bonds broke the home run record. Heck some say it started with their elimination by the Teddy Bears last season; I say it started when Tony Parker screwed Brent Barry's wife.

9. Timberwolves: Barangay tagay of the NBA?
Not on the sense that Kahn has instilled a never-say-die attitude on the northernmost team in the league. It's just that Kahn has a point guard fetish. Maybe he's following Jong Uichico's philosophy of hauling guards (not necessarily points) just as fantasy owners haul big men like Lindsay Lohan hauls girls that look like dudes.

8. Fan backlash?
It's a long shot, but what's a longer shot are teams painting "Thank you fans on their hard courts just as the NHL did when they robbed Canadians of their national sport.

7. The fall and rise of the New York Knicks
While the Spurs were able to sustain into pseudo-dynasty their pseduoasterisked 1999 championship, their Finals opponents at that time weren't able to replicate the feat. I blame Isiah.

6. Swan song for Stern?
Fans show their David Stern love every draft when they enthusiastically boo him just like Bieber fans squee when they see the name "Bieber" on their tickets. Fans accused his regime of fixing games, favoring bigger market teams, favoring the LA Lakers, favoring the LA Clippers, and just being the overall suckjob that he did. Stern saw the expansion of the game into a full-fledged global sport, made the league big in China (although this will be tested with Yao's retitement) and by giving the Miami Heat the 2006 title to piss of Mark Cuban.

5. Rise up, Clipper Nation!
Clipper Nation. It's like the TNT Tropa. The Ube Republic. Women who watched the Azkals because of the football. It doesn't exist. Will it exist now? Would we see the rise of Lob Angeles after decades of neglect?

4. Mavs' title defense
The Mavs are of the unlikeliest NBA champions in a long time. They're also most underrated defending champion since the 1999 Chicago Bulls. Well, if you'd exclude the 1999 Bulls, you'd probably have to go back to the 1995-96 Rockets since Michael Jordan will cream the opposition, although the Rockets may have been highly-rated to be the West's representatives in 1996. Aside from those two, you've got to ask the elders on what was the most under-rated title retention campaign in the NBA.

3. Last hurrah for Tinseltown hoops?
Would this be the last time the Lakers would be seen as a legitimate title threat? Kobe's not getting any younger, their starting five is not as deep as last season's, and the Clips just arseraped them in two preseason games... well that's not the first time that happened.

2. Would the players really get tired?
Let's face it, basketball is not baseball. In baseball, the ratio between doing something productive and throwing up is 9:1. In basketball, you'd only throw up when you want to piss Metta World Peace off.

1. Miami Heat: 2012 NBA asterisked champs?
Let's face it. If they win, some people will cry blasphemy. Phil Jackson skipped the season after the lockout; and while he's not as young as Santa Claus, will he come back next year to correct on what could be the wrongest thing ever done to basketball? Aside from the Decision?

And now... let's jinx the upcoming season!

Per division rankings:
PAC: 4. LAC, 5. LAL, 8. PHX, 12. GSW, 14. SAC
SW: 2. DAL, 3. MEM, 6. SA, 10. HOU, 15. NO
NW: 1. OKC, 7. DEN, 9. POR, 11. UTA, 13. MIN
CEN: 2. CHI, 7. IND, 9. MIL, 10. DET, 15. CLE
SE: 1. MIA, 4. ATL, 6. ORL, 12. WSH, 14. CHA
ATL: 3. BOS, 5. NY, 8. NJ, 11. PHI, 13. TOR

Playoff forecast:
West: OKC def. PHX, LAC def. LAL, DAL def. DEN, MEM def. SA, OKC def. LAC, MEM def. DAL, OKC def. MEM
East: MIA def. NJ, NY def. ATL, CHI def. IND, BOS def. ORL, MIA def. NY, CHI def. BOS, MIA def. CHI
Finals: MIA def. OKC

Mavs SWEEP Lakers!

Good triumphed over evil!
Mavs vanquished the Lakers!

Next: Victory over Japan Day -- Mavs win vs. the Heat

Eff the "experts"

Curiously, not one guy said "Mavs in X." Or do these experts know what David Stern is in store for us? Not a single... maverick?
Here some more predictions, all from the Lakers:
Kurt Helin said the Lakers would win in 6.
Probably Quinito said the Lakers would win in 7 and inserted a La Salle is bullied by the UAAP reference.
Probably Chino forgot to make a prediction and just greeted his neighbors.

It's crunch time!

NBA: Where David Stern is a star player happens.

Where David Stern is the star player happens: Top 10 stories of the 2011 NBA Playoffs 1st Round

This may have been the best first round of the NBA Playoffs ever, and to think no series went to seven games. But what should be more surprising is that the series that we expected to suck generated the most drama while those just deserve a "meh" reaction.

And how about them Solar Sports, giving us the games nobody wants to watch. Hey at least in the Conference Semis, they have no choice but to show something, considering there are fewer games to dump into NBA Premium, where nobody watches happens.
#10. The Heat ain't crying yet
You know, this is the undercard in one of those Pacquiao fights were Chino and Quinito just greet everyone, with Quinito kissing the ass of Ambassador Danding.

#9. KD dominating the Nuggets
Ever since Melo left, they've been stripped off the Thuggets monicker and still suck.

#8. Thorny Rose?
Fact: The only game the Pacers won, D-Rose did not achieve game-high in scoring.

#7. Unbounded Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler might be the missing piece in the Mavs championship puzzle -- a dominating big man. But would he be enough? The Mavs weren't able to stop David Stern the Blazers in their game 4 comeback, so that's one problem they should solve -- against the Lakeshow.

#6. End of the road for the Spurs?
Big question: Is it time for the Spurs to take drastic measures? Sell Duncan? Tank next season to get the #1 pick? Spank Richard Jefferson until training camp? Make sure Tony and Eva get back together again?

#5. Chris Paul: First Round MVP?
It's as if Pido was coaching the Hornets, with his three Ps philosophy: Puso, Pass the ball to Paul. Too bad Emeka thought he was still in Charlotte, and Kobe thought the Finals came in April.

#4. Swept away by Leprechauns.
Baseball has the Red Sox and the Yankees, but the basketball version was anticlimatic. Melo and STAT succumbed to injuries, and MSG wanted to bring Balkman back (nah). At least it's not Isiah.

#3. "Damn Kobe"
That phrase trended in Twitter. In situations where Pau Gasol is thinking of SOFT pillows, Lamar is thinking of Kim Kardashian and not Khloe, and when Andrew Bynum should've been paying for his hospital bills, Kobe does something.

#2. Memphis won, and then some.
The Grizzlies made a lot of firsts: such as making sure "Z" does not only mean "Zydrunas Ilgauskas." Now the franchise is in uncharted territory, and somehow, Mike Conley is earning every cent of his salary... well maybe still not.

#1. Orlando Magic: Disappointment of the season?
It doesn't help when your coach threw himself under the bus and lived to tell about it.

Postscript: It's interesting how the Conference Semis matchups look like. While not advocating for reseeding as it is done in the (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs, the massive regular season push by the Spurs and Bulls gave us a couple of interesting matchups: Mavs vs. Lakers and Celtics vs. Heat. The demotion of the Lakers to the #2 seed, and the Bulls causing the Celtics and Heat meet one round earlier than expected can make a pretty bland Conference Finals before things pick up once more in the NBA Finals, assuming David Stern does not screw up things.

For the Mavs, it's Dirk and Kidd. For the Lakers, it's...

Lakers vs. Mavs. Epic matchup. It's the Mavs vs. the NBA.

2011 NBA Playoffs Philippine TV schedule

Time to watch the team we love to hate weep! Let's go MIAMI sHEAT!

And what's this "NBA Premium"? New way to scam hoops fans? BTV ain't enough? Sports+ all over again? They need some dough to pay Riki and Jinno?
June 1, 9AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Miami
June 3, 9AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Miami
June 6, 8AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Dallas
June 8, 9AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Dallas
June 10, 9AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Dallas*
June 13, 8AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Miami*
June 15, 9AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Miami*
*if necessary

Previously aired games:

April 17, 7AM @Studio 23: Atlanta vs. Orlando
April 17, 930AM @NBA Premium: Portland vs. Dallas
April 18, 1AM @NBA Premium: Memphis vs. San Antonio
April 18, 330AM @NBA Premium: New Orleans vs. LA Lakers
April 18, 7AM @Studio 23: New York vs. Boston
April 18, 930AM @BTV: Denver vs. Oklahoma City
April 19, 7AM @NBA Premium and BTV: Indiana vs. Chicago
April 20, 7AM @NBA Premium and BTV: New York vs. Boston
April 20, 930AM @NBA Premium: Portland vs. Dallas
April 21, 8AM @NBA Premium: Denver vs. Oklahoma City
April 21, 830AM @BTV: Memphis vs. San Antonio
April 21, 1030AM @NBA Premium: New Orleans vs. LA Lakers
April 22, 7AM @BTV: Chicago vs. Indiana
April 22, 1030AM @NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Portland
April 23, 7AM @ESPN: Boston vs. New York
April 23, 8AM @NBA Premium and BTV: Orlando vs. Atlanta
April 23, 930AM @ABS-CBN, NBA Premium and Studio 23: LA Lakers vs. New Orleans
April 24, 230AM @NBA Premium: Chicago vs. Indiana
April 24, 730AM @NBA Premium: San Antonio vs. Memphis
April 24, 8AM @ABS-CBN: Dallas vs. Portland
April 24, 10AM @BTV: Oklahoma City vs. Denver
April 25, 8AM @ABS-CBN: Boston vs. New York
April 25, 930AM @BTV and Studio 23: LA Lakers vs. New Orleans
April 26, 830AM @BTV and NBA Premium: Portland vs. Dallas
April 26, 1030AM @NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Denver
April 27, 730AM @BTV and NBA Premium: Atlanta vs. Orlando
April 28, 7AM @BTV: Philadelphia vs. Miami
April 29, 730AM @BTV and NBA Premium: Orlando vs. Atlanta
April 29, 8AM @ESPN: LA Lakers vs. New Orleans
April 29, 1030AM @NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Portland
May 2, 1AM @BTV and NBA Premium: Memphis vs. Oklahoma City
May 2, 330AM @Studio 23 and NBA Premium: Boston vs. Miami
May 3, 8AM @NBA Premium: Atlanta vs. Chicago
May 3, 1030AM @BTV and NBA Premium: Dallas vs. LA Lakers
May 4, 7AM @NBA Premium: Boston vs. Miami
May 4, 930AM @BTV, NBA Premium: Memphis vs. Oklahoma City
May 5, 8AM @BTV, NBA Premium: Atlanta vs. Chicago
May 5, 1030AM @NBA Premium: Dallas vs. LA Lakers
May 7, 7AM @BTV, NBA Premium: Chicago vs. Atlanta
May 7, 930AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium: LA Lakers vs. Dallas
May 8, 5AM @NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Memphis
May 8, 8AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Boston
May 9, 330AM @NBA Premium: LA Lakers vs. Dallas
May 9, 8AM@ @ABS-CBN, BTV and NBA Premium: Chicago vs. Atlanta
May 10, 7AM @NBA Premium: Miami vs. Boston
May 10, 930AM @NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Memphis
May 11, 8AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium: Atlanta vs. Chicago (delayed on BTV)
May 12, 7AM @NBA Premium: Boston vs. Miami
May 12, 930AM @BTV, NBA Premium: Memphis vs. Oklahoma City
May 13, 8AM @Studio 23: Chicago vs. Atlanta
May 14, 9AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Memphis
May 16, 330AM @Studio 23, NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Memphis
May 16, 8AM @ABS-CBN, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Chicago
May 18, 9AM @Studio 23, BTV, NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Dallas
May 19, 830AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Chicago
May 20, 9AM @Studio 23, BTV, NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Dallas
May 22, 9AM @Studio 23, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Oklahoma City
May 23, 830AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Chicago vs. Miami
May 24, 9AM @Studio 23, BTV, NBA Premium: Dallas vs. Oklahoma City
May 25, 830AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Chicago vs. Miami
May 26, 9AM @Studio 23, BTV, NBA Premium: Oklahoma City vs. Dallas
May 27, 830AM @ABS-CBN, BTV, NBA Premium: Miami vs. Chicago

Meet me halfway: NBA Playoffs mid-point

It's the Conference Finals and you know what that means: We are past two rounds of the playoffs and are at the halfway point. So what better way to celebrate than by having a totally random Top 10 list? Thanks, Dave.

#10: Brandon Jennings
So why did not get into college and why did he have bad stats in Europe???

#9: Suns shining brightly
This the Suns' best chance since like forever. Suns-Celtics to relive the Greatest Game Ever Played?

#8: What do they put in the water in Denver?
First, the head coach got cancer, then the assistan has kidney stones. Now the Nuggz are eliminated. Chauncey is pissed.

#7: D-Wade needs help
Maybe he can sign some Dolphins linebackers to scare the hell out of the opponent when he drives to the basket.

#6: Mavs first round woes
Hollinger was right. Mavs suck. LeBron we need you.

#5: The Truth: When we're healthy, we'd win
Thw Truth certainly speaks the truth. Just like when he said he twitched his knee in the 2008 Finals. The Celtics trainer must give puppy kibbles to the players to make them healthy.

#4: Magic's "Fo, fo..."
Once thing's sure: the Magic won't go 16-0 in the playoffs with an arse-raping against the Celtics.

#3: LeBron loses, again
Lakers fanboys the world over got so happy when the Celtics eliminated the Cavs in the semifinal for the second year running. Despite legit backup, LeBron failed to lead his team back at least to the Conference Finals. They did even better in 2007 when they had Boobie Gibson as their starting PG.

#2: Thunder made impact.
Kevin Durant had a baptism of fire, but he responded like a a priest becoming a bishop: like a time-tested pro. He and the Thunder, which never made any major moves, made sue the Lakers won't get in easy.

#1: Teh Playoffs were boring.
Like seriously, sweeps in the Conference Semifinals, blowouts by the Orlando Magic, then they got blew out. Even Lakers games are predictable even it went the last shot: they'd still win.

Like seriously, hockey's better. #8 vs. #7 in the Conference Finals? Red Wings eliminated? And Hossa still in the playoffs only to cry at the end? This year's Stanley Cup Playoffs is epic.

2009 yearender: Top 10 international sports stories

International sports fans had a delight of sporting events and the sports scene didn't let up with highlights worth a second look:

#10: Who thought draws were boring?
As long as Charlize Theron hosts, I can tolerate it.

#9: The curse: Pittsburgh steel one from Kurt Warner as he ALMOST wins one
He won one at St. Louis and he almost led another franchise worth scrambled eggs to the Super Bowl. Too bad the people at Pottsville, Pennsylvania cursed the hapless Cardinals. What better team to beat the Cards: a team from Pennsylvania: BR-7's Pittsburgh Steelers.

#8: Spain barely qualifies, then bamboozles
Spain started the EuroBasket 2009 on a bad way -- losing to Serbia by 9, then had a virtual elimination game against host Poland to even qualify for the quarterfinals. They they had to beat unbeaten France in the QF, which they handily did, and they also won the next two games two, including the rematch with Serbia for the championship, where they blew out the hapless Serbs by 22.

#7: Thank God Tim Tebow's mom did not abort him...
Or else Urban Meyer would have sleepless nights on whether to retire or not. Meyer's probably imitating another champion Florida coach -- Billy Donovan.

#6: Tyler Hansbrough wins one for the curly white dudes
Who said white men can't jump? They still can't, but Tyler doesn't need to jump to bring a home crowd of 70,000 at the Ford Field to cry.

#5: Thrilling finish at San Juan
No USA? No problem -- Brazil, Argentina and Puerto Rico gave a Americas Championship to remember. The Puerto Ricans saw the next generation of hoops players Carlos Arroyo is more than happy to leave behind. Too bad they lost by a measly point, but they qualified anyway to the World Championship so... it's still bad. Spain, China and now Puerto Rico were beaten at the Final of their continental championships. I wonder why SBP insists on bidding for one.

#4: Kobe claims what's his, and lets LBJ gets the consolation prize
"Yo LeBron, get that MVP trophy, I'd rather see Bill Russell give me the golden trophy with a ball about to go to the rim -- just like your shots, they never get in."

#3: This SIX it: FC Barcelona
Purists won't call it a sextuple, but those six shiny trophies are the envy of fans around the world. Especially Manchester United and Real Madrid fans.

#2: If you're not into Canadian football...
Just watch:


#1: Mayweather is back, and then some
I dunno if Juan Manuel Marquez wanted a beatdown of epic proportions, but at least he earned big when he made himself Floyd Mayweather's punching bag.

Top 10: 09-10 NBA countdown

Ah the top 10. You can be sure these ten teams would make it past the playoffs, heck even up to the Conference Semifinals, unless something catastrophic happens, like Kobe joining AI in Memphis. Or T-Mac high-fiving Oden at some sauna in Quezon Ave.

In this Top 10 edition, each team is associated with a Disney song. To make us all happy and perky this coming NBA season.

#10: Atlanta Hawks

While Josh Childress is on his way too extended Greek Holiday, the Hawks are at a crossroads. Young bigs, and Mike Bibby who is more famous for making non-aficionados mix him up with Doug Christie (both are white, bald and wear headbands). At least it's not as bad as MSNBC's Contessa Brewer.

#9: Denver Nuggets

Last season was "So Yesterday." But it's a brand new year, and Melo still must have a hangover. Wake up, Melo, the Nuggets are in for a long ride. At least Chauncey thinks he'll have John Elway's powers when he wears his number.

#8: Portland Trail Blazers

The present-day Jail Blazers are "Stranger" at the top. They haven't been there, and they almost went there, but due to tiebreaking complications even David Stern can't explain, they got the #4 seed, which meant a showdown with the T-Mac-less Rockets, which meant the Rockets would advance. Now that they had their baptism of fire, or should I say rocket exhaust, Brandon Roy and Daboy must break away from the "Stranger" label and show the West the will to win.

#7: Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose would've said, "Our Time is Here," and this crew will crack the Boston-Cleveland-Orlando axis at the top. That First Round performance last year wasn't a fluke. If that team started the season with THAT lineup, they could've been battling the big 3 at the top.

#6: Boston Celtics

For the Celtics, there is no yesterday, no tomorrow; only "Tonight." This is perhaps their last time to win a championship with the core of Allen, Garnett and Pierce. Next year will be the beginning of the end, and Rondo might be on the way out. There's no tomorrow for this team. It's tonight or bust.

#5: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are due for a championship. They alternate with an Eastern Conference team, and last year didn't happen, so Pop got injected in fresh blood so that hoops fans will be bored with "Here We Go Again" gameplan that has endeared the Spurs to the people of San Antonio, and no one else, except perhaps really old guys.

Note: At this point, you're probably looking for "one" team that went way too up the order.

#4: Cleveland Cavaliers

"Don't Forget" what happened last year. LeBron and his pals failed miserably on their quest to make David Stern's eyes transform into dollar signs. Stern must've been oh so pissed. He probably did that to make it appear that the NBA is not fixed. He can always do that this year.

#3: Orlando Magic

Ah, the "Magic" Kingdom, the home of Walt Disney World, Mickey Mouse, Dwight Howard and the half man half amazing half a decade ago Vince Carter. Would Carter destroy the magical fun that is Stan Van Gundy's always constipated but it really is not face? Was Hedo a better fit? Perhaps these questions won't matter as the Magic would shoot more threes than the Grizzlies shoot bricks.

#2: Dallas Mavericks

Lemme put it simply: the Mavs will bring the hoedown throwdown to their opponents.

#1: Los Angeles Lakers

Ah, the honeymoon stage, it's that time you supposedly give up what you've held for yourself for oh so long. Ah who am I kidding. Lamar and Khloe must've brought it on even before they got married. With different partners. Ah, the "Lovebug," Kobe wants to return to Eagle, Colorado.

LBJ: Witnessing the Disney Finals at home

So before you yell at me, this is a Conference Finals postmortem, not a preview of the 2009 NBA Finals. We've seen several truths at the concluded Conference Finals: Mike Brown only has one play, and Kobe has a better supporting cast than LBJ. Gotta blame the larger L.A. market for that, though. Or Stern. Blame everything on him.

On the West, the Lakers and the Nuggz were embroiled in the Western shootout ABC were not so happy to broadcast, mainly because Jeff wanted to bash his brother on-air personally, but at least he'd be able to do it this weekend.

The 2009 Western Conference Finals will primarily remembered by hoops fans by this simple metric: the day where Trevor Ariza woke up on the right side of the bed, the Lakers win. On Game 1, he intercepted an inbounds pass to make the Lakers hold on to the lead and defeat Denver. On Game 2, he committed a turnover to led to the Nuggets retaining the lead and tie the series. On Game 3, Ariza deflected another inbounds pass to win the game for the Lakers.

Another thing worth remembering is the emergence of the Birdman. It's like Mulawin, only that he has tattoos. If only Karl gave him a bit more playing time. And yes, he should've gave Sonny Weems (remember him? That Nuggets waterboy during the Slam Dunk Contest) playing time too.

(And as being the #1 Sonny Weems fanboy this side of the ocean, here's the official NBA.com Sonny Weems widget:

Now you can follow Sonny Weems through out the Finals right here!)


A lot has been said about Billups rejuvenating the Nuggets, and even the Nuggets rejuvenating Billups, but when the time needed it -- at the start of the third quarter in Game 6, the Nuggets failed to respond on Chauncey's -- who was wearing John Elway's #7 -- pleas. Maybe Josh Howard and Melo would hook-up on the off-season for some extra-curricular activities.

Back in the East, everyone thought the Magic were lucky to face a Celtics team without KG, even luckier they escaped Game 7 as the Garden with a blowout, but they turned the doubters into middle-of-the-roaders after exhilarating Game 1 win. Hedo made sure Turkey was well-represented well after October. But LeBron wouldn't allow a home-sweep loss by converting that trey that would've been remembered for ages, if things went his way the next few days.

So in Orlando, everyone was expecting the Cavs to steal win, most likely Game 4. As expected, Game 3 was a Magic win, but Game 4 would've cemented the Magic's berth in the Finals: an OT win with Dwight Howard scoring on like 5 dunks making Varejao forget that he was supposed to flop. Maybe the Game 6 refs failed to get the memo. LeBron wouldn't let his team be eliminated at home, with Coach of the Year instructing his team, with the season on the balance, with the simplest of game plans, if ever it deserved to be called as a "game plan": stretch the floor, and give the damn ball to LBJ! It's like Princeton offense only that the man driving through the middle has to do everything.

That "strategy" may work in Cleveland, but in O-Town, the stars must've written the outcome as the Cavs fell flat after the first quarter break, as the Magic pulled away and clinched their first NBA Finals appearance since Shaq was still 300 pounds lighter.

I've always thought that Danny Ferry had done a fine job in Cleveland, with Quicken Loans in bad shape and all, but it seems that the Cavs are one big man away from the title. Mo Williams wasn't the one that they needed, and Szczerbiak and Pavlovic, despite being labeled as shooters, and Europeans, at that, can't shoot consistently.

On the contrary, I thought giving Rashard Lewis an amount of money that can feed the Gambia was too much, but it was a stroke of pure genius: surround Dwight with shooters, and let him wreak havoc at the shaded lane. Jameer Nelson getting lost for the rest of the season was a big blow, but the Magic front office followed it up with a trade that sent Skip To My Lou to Central Florida. It's like Mitch Kupchak only better.

So it's ABC's Dream Finals. Walt Disney World vs. Disneyland (yes, they are two different places). And Jeff can now get to bash Stan on live international TV. And I'll be watching the Red Wings make the Penguins wish they were in the Arctic Circle.

NBA Finals: Where Mickey Mouse grins happens.

Teh jinx

It may not be my intention, and I apologize to all concerned, especially Cavs fans, but not you, David Stern, that my poll jinxed the Cavs-Lakers Finals.

As a result, I won't be commenting about the NBA Finals for their duration, even on my Twitter updates. Let's see how long can I hold out. Maybe WTP can say something. Maybe.

The War Zone at the Office: Lakers-Rockets VII

When Yao Ming crashed and burned on Game 3, everyone thought that Houston had a big problem (yes, that was a poor play at the pun), but Shane Battier and Ron Artest made sure Kobe won't have another day at the office and they forced the deciding game 7.

Which team would win? Would Bill Walton come out of his broadcasting retirement to push for Luke to be on the starting 5? Would the the Western Conference Finals of the NHL (Detroit-Chicago) would have better ratings if Houston won?

Houston Rockets	Dept.	Los Angeles Lakers	Verdict
Aaron Brooks	Point guard	Derrick Fisher	If you thought another Derrick would win the hearts and minds at the point, you are sorely mistaken. And aside from Vujacic, Fish must've been the most hated player by fans on the roster.
Ron Artest	Shooting guard	Kobe Bryant	Here are Kobe's point totals after Game 3: 15, 26, 32. That 30+-point explosion in Game 6 came from his 9/10 FTs, which means Ron had a bad defensive night. Artest shouldn't have a bad defensive night two games in a row or else...
Shane Battier	Small forward	Trevor Ariza	Ariza has always been described as the next best thing. Betcha Bill Walton has a better punchline than that.
Luis Scola	Power forward	Lamar Odom	The revelation of the series? Luis Scola. Everytime he plays at least 32 minutes, they'd win.
Whomever Adelman starts	Center	Pau Gasol	Despite all of the accusations of being soft, if he does log at least 42 minutes, the Lakers' record is 0-3. But heck, without Yao, Gasol and Bynum are free to camp at the shaded lane. Just don't tell the refs.
Brian Cook	Sixth man	Andrew Bynum	This is one subplot no one cares about: the revenge of Cook against the Lakers! And he'll make Bynum pay.
Rick Adelman	Coach	Phil Jackson	Phil just has to hold a sign saying "Remember the 2000 Western Finals" and Rick will cry.
Joey Dorsey	12th man	DJ Mbenga	Just a few seasons ago, Mbenga was being trashed by Lakers fans for being too stupid. Gotta thank Kupchak for this signing.
Tracy McGrady	Secret weapon	Sasha Vujacic	To atone for this, I dunno, 100 first round exits, Adelman will insert T-Mac into the lineup if victory is all but secured, only to find out they'll forfeit the game, or something.
3	Result	6	If there's one thing David Stern absolutely hates, it is the NHL out-rating the NBA in the spring, so make sure Stern pulls out all of the stops, and perhaps bailing out Tim Donaghy from the feds, to make sure the Lakers and the Celtics win. Like if you were to choose, which would rather watch: Detroit vs. Chicago or Denver vs. Houston?

Game 7 is at Monday, 3:30 am at BTV. Those who don't live on the European time zone can catch the encore at C/S9 right after Game 7 of the Magic and the Leprechauns.

NBA Western Conference Playoffs, 90015

With the Eastern Conference teams done with all of the bitch-slapping from K-Fed (who got second place in a bowling tournament... can you believe that? Second place? Him?), it's time to shift our attention to the left-coast, the left-leaning liberals who'll make sure every animal has more rights than unborn babies. Better get your teabags ready, kids!

So the usual, the eight playoff teams as their 90210 counterparts. Only that they play lacrosse. And the team from Kansas that went to California didn't qualify. Aw, shucks.

Idea "inspired" from The Dagger, the Yahoo! Sports NCAA blog.

Guidance Counselor Kelly Taylor
You know, the hot guidance counselor your school didn't have.
Portland Trail Blazers. Last seen at the playoffs three years after the original 90210 went off-air, the new-look, clean-cut, we're not jail blazers anymore Portland Trail Blazers will make sure Bill Walton will itch for a comeback, like Silver's sister.

Brenda Walsh
Hey at least I have some career of some sort.
Utah Jazz. Guess who's older? Shannen Doherty or Jerry Sloan? If you guessed Jerry, then prepared to watch the whole run of "Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty", which is reportedly more exciting than Utah Jazz basketball.

Ethan Ward
Everyone loves the jock. Even boys.
Houston Rockets. Everyone seems to have soft spot for the Rockets, well if you ignore Ron Artest. Everyone wants them to achieve a breakthrough. But like Ethan who won't make it to season 2, the Rockets would not make it to round 2, if T-Mac plays. Hah.

Dixon Wilson
Everyone's BROTHA!
New Orleans Hornets. What's similar with the Hornets and my brotha Dixon? They are both adopted, Dixon adopted by the Dixons, and the Hornets adopted by New Orleans after their hasty exit at the hallowed grounds of One Tree Hill.

Erin Silver
I'm so cool, I'd give you death stares just for the heck of it.
Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant is ice cool, check that ice cold, he made more game-winning shots than Roel Gomez? Roel who? Exactly.

Principal Harry Wilson
I'd bust every thug in this school or bust!
San Antonio Spurs. Every odd-numbered year since 1998 save for 2001, the Spurs have been champs, and they have a legit claim to the title with the Southwest Division... nah, they'd just bring the Oakland Raiders defense to make the Mavs cry.

Annie Wilson
"So perky-people-hate-me-because-i'm so plastic-and-as-thin-as-a-cracker"
Denver Nuggets. If there's a Western Conference team that should make the breakthrough, it's the Nuggz. Which makes them so perky they squee everytime George Karl breathes. And I betcha instead of Gatorade, they drink Dr. Pepper at practice. Hmmmm, tastes like Gran Matador!

Adrianna Tate-Duncan
The drugged girl turned preggy girl
Like come on, you should see this coming a light year away. The Dallas Mavericks deserve to be Adrianna for the simple reason that Josh Howard is playing at the highest level since God knows when. Expect Josh to take it a notch higher as the playoffs continue, and reach it to the highest possible level during the off-season, where he does... his off-season "extra curricular" activities.

What the world cares about the NBA Playoffs

Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Orlando Magic on Wikirank

The top 4 teams of the NBA: the Cavs, the Lakers, the Celts and the Magic. Seems that the Lakers are the still the most popular (or the most hated team out there.

And since Orlando is a small-market town, so is their popularity. Will it change at the course of the playoffs? Or would KG end faking his injury (You can NOT trust them especially what happened with The Truth™ last year.)?

Bonus: NBA Playoffs vs. the Stanley Cup (NHL) Playoffs:

2009 NBA Playoffs and 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs on Wikirank

Graphs c/o Wikirank. Licensed under the GFDL.

The Truth™ on what happened on Game 1...

...is that Paul Pierce aka "The Truth™," aka the best nickname since "Tom 'I'm Gisele Bundchen's errand boy' Brady", just got the script from David Stern's office. And in a Tony Award-winning effort, with props to Best Supporting Actor Kendrick Perkins (who was injured legitimately later), Pierce went down to Boston Garden's parquet floor, grimacing in pain. We thought that we should say bye-bye to Game 1, to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, to Danny Ainge's GM job, and most especially to David Stern's $$$.

Four-fifths of the Celtics bench stood up, carried their captain to the bench, then eventually Pierce had to go to the dressing room. Then Kobe and co. made a couple of turnovers, Lamar got high suddenly, and the Celtics were now ahead by one.

Meanwhile, in the locker room:
Celtics trainer: Hey Paul...(The Truth™ interrupts him)
The Truth™ Please call me The Truth™.
Trainer: The Truth™, can you still play? (Apparently, he didn't get the script)
The Truth™: I speak The Truth™ and I can play.
Trainer: Really? Are sure? That was a bad fall, and Kendrick is a heavy g.... (The Truth™ interrupts him again)
The Truth™: What? Look, I can backflip like Carly Patterson on the 2004 Olympics. (Demonstrates the backflip a la Carly Patterson)
Trainer: Whoa. I never saw you do that, even in practice.
The Truth™: Hey, I'm The Truth™, I can do anything. Besides, its the Finals, if Ryan Malone can play with a bloody nose, AND THAT'S HOCKEY, sure I can do a backflip. Wanna see me on parallel bars?
(Assistant coach Eddie House enters the room)
Eddie House: Hey Paul...
The Truth™: Call me The Truth™.
Eddie House: And call me House, M.D.
Brian Scalabrine: LOL. (Apparently, Scalabrine was reserved in case the game extends into three overtimes.)
Eddie House: Enough of that, my telepathic powers tell me the "fall" wasn't that bad and you can play. We've even stolen the lead!
The Truth™: Sure, go and tell Doc I'm coming.
Eddie House: Sure. Might as well tell the music guy to cue in the "Rocky" song.
(House, M.D. leaves)
The Truth™: Time to return to make Chino Trinidad and Quinito Henson cry. Those bloody Kobe fanboys. Good thing I watch ABC. Jeff and Mark are hella funny. Too bad they didn't place Erin Andrews, if only I was at Kansas right now...

Next on the NBA on ABC: The Truth™ speaks of his admiration to Willis Reed, the "There can only be one" commercial featuring Bird and Magic debuts, and Doc's version of Red Auerbach's how-to's of basketball home video. Plus an exclusive interview from Katelyn Faber, live from Denver, Colorado, by a drunk Carmelo Anthony and directed by Josh Howard on pot.

And the NBA on RPN? Quinito digs up dirt on the players to find out their connections to the Philippines. Plus, Chino guests a cardiologist to expound on the anatomy of the "puso." And Vito arrives from Manila(!) to host the halftime report to show the physics of fade-away jumpers. Only on the NBA on RPN, where we watch because Sky hates us happens.

Top 10 reasons why the Lakers are in the Finals

As the #47854784784 Lakers fan, I'd might as well give my tribute on my new favorite team.

See also: Top 10 reasons why the Celtics are in the Finals


10. Because in the NBA, trades that no freaking way happens except in the PBA happens.
9. Because Vanessa Bryant is so much hotter than the L.A.'s resident WAG. (Go ask David Beckham what "WAG" means.)
8. Because, seriously, who watches the L.A. Kings? The Ducks kick ass. They even made a movie about that great hockey team.
7. Because Joe Torre will carry his Yankee magic to the Dodgers and they won't make it past the NLCS.
6. Because the L.A. Angels are so not in Los Angeles.
5. Because there are no NFL teams in L.A.
4. Because "I come to L.A. to escape the Mormons in Utah" happens.
3. Because they have Jack Nicholson. Even Utah's Zanessa can't beat that. Take that, Sharpay... and your gay brother/sister.
2. Because the Laker Girls have a lot more history than half of the NBA franchises.
1. Because David Stern won't accept the NBA having NHL-level TV ratings. Heck, even a horse race pre-empts the NHL Finals. No way would David Stern allow that.