State of the Nation

     With President Aquino delivering his 2nd State of the Nation Address, the Filipino basketball world unexpectedly got one too, as the improbable Smart (NBA) All Stars vs Smart Gilas Pilipinas became a reality.  Here's my Basketball SONA, shortened, of course.

• Sunday's game was the first time the final pool of Smart Gilas players were suited up together.  Only Ranidel de Ocampo, who was injured, didn't play.  Question is, with 15 players in the pool, who is losing a roster spot?  Dylan Ababou and Jason Ballesteros are probably resigned to their fate, but who will be the last cut? Is Marc Barroca in trouble with Jimmy Alapag there or are Japeth's defensive lapses costing him a spot?  Is it simply too late to add Ranidel de Ocampo?

• Coach Toroman's system is good, reason # 243:  Despite the presence of bonafide NBA superstars, the Gilas players showed nothing but determination throughout the game.  They ran the same plays crisply and none were tempted to break from the system to showboat.  In fact, the only players who seemed star struck were PBA vets Don Don Hontiveros and Jimmy Alapag.

• It's unfair to think that the game was "scripted" or the NBA Stars "took it easy (pinagbigyan)."  Their play was way different from Saturday's dunk-a-thon against the PBA selection.  Kobe played a ton of minutes and went after every ball.  Chris Paul seemed to be in pain yet played until the endgame.  Overall, the NBA stars attempted less dunks and lazy 24 footers, and scored on plenty of offensive putbacks and post ups.  Even Javale McGee couldn't find the time to plank.  By the 4th quarter, veterans Derek Fisher and Chris Paul were complaining to the refs and hitting guards Jvee Casio and Marcio Lassiter.  Gilas executed well and played with a lot of gumption and they earned every bit of that 9 point loss.

• It's also unfair to say the PBA has become a bunch of has beens or "puro papogi (showboats)."  The PBA selection never had time to play together so they had no plays.  Resorting to one on one plays played right into the NBA's hands, hence the 26 point shellacking.  It is fair, however, to point out that that game is the perfect example of why the Gilas program must continue.  PBA selections may be loaded with talent, but they will never have the time to prepare for years and no one can force them to since the PBA is a private enterprise.

• Gilas players and coaches have all said it, and it is worth repeating.  The best part about the game is not that they got to play NBA stars or that we got to see them.  For 3 basketball minutes, the entire Araneta Coliseum was united behind Smart Gilas Pilipinas, chanting "Defense!"  Compared to the last time they were playing in the same venue, where PBA die-hards were booing them, the 4th quarter of that game was a heartwarming moment.  Those 3 minutes mean more to the Gilas players than people can ever imagine.

• The best closing argument to defending the Gilas program ironically comes from the mouth of a foreigner.  "You just have to support this team," says 5-time NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Kobe Bryant.  He called the team "talented" and he marvelled at their execution.  Judging from the way Kobe scored and defended, it is easy to believe he meant every word.

     Everyone's thanking MVP for the "gift" of bringing the NBA players here, giving the country a rare chance to see NBA stars in their prime.  We are better served to thank him for another thing too.  The Ultimate All Star weekend also showed us a sight that has become all too rare.  The weekend showed us a tough, strong, talented, and united National Basketball Team that will make us proud by playing the same proud and disciplined way, regardless of who the opponents are.

many thanks to united philippine basketball and rodney torres for the pictures

Peeking at the UAAP 2

     I've been quite candid that I'm not as comfortable blogging about the UAAP since I don't watch a lot of its games, but if I am blessed with more freebies like the one I got last Sunday (ahem, attention Aly Yap and Harvey Keh), I could do more.  In any case, here are some observations From the 50 Peso Seats.

• With Glenn Capacio leaving as FEU coach (probably due to health reasons), FEU wasted no time in shoring up its staff.  They now have at least 5 (!) assistant coaches.  While that is too many for my taste, I'm glad to see former greats Johnny Abarrientos and Vic Pablo coaching on the bench.

• Like I mentioned on Twitter, Ateneo was very lucky to get past Adamson.  Yes, Blue Eagle defense was tight in the 4th quarter, leading to a scoreless Falcons team in the home stretch, but Falcons did have 3 consecutive "in and out" shots in that stretch and the final turnover that killed them was by a too strong pass from Lester Alvarez.  Offensively, there was too much dribbling, especially from Bacon Austria and to a lesser extent Kirk Long and Tonino Gonzaga, leading to too many broken plays.  They need players ready to shoot upon Slaughter's kick outs.  Perhaps they miss Ryan Buenafe, who Tibibord wrote an excellent post about here.  Blue Eagles and their fans need not thump their chests just yet. They need a lot more work.

• How good is Smart Gilas training? Observing Aldrech Ramos and Greg Slaughter at work, any basketball fan will know their dominance has as much to do with their height and talent as with their training and experience.  There was an aura of calmness in both players, in their scoring, defense and passing, as they led their respective teammates to victory.  They never took bad shots, found open teammates and most impressively, jumped straight up (with arms raised up) whenever trying to defend.  It seemed like they were playing at a different (aka superior) level and speed.

• R.R. Garcia and Terrence Romeo have continued to show why they are the valedictorians of the Allen Iverson School for Non-Passing Point Guards, which is sad considering they have arguably the best all-around big man in Aldrech Ramos.  Lester Alvarez, L.A. Revilla (DLSU) and Emman Monfort (ADMU) seem to be trying their best to catch up in the non-passing achievement.  I miss Jun Reyes, TY Tang and Olsen Racela.

• It was painful to watch DLSU play.  They were like an army equipped with cannons but then used pocket knives to fight.  They have tremendously talented big men yet they end up dribbling the shot clock away and shooting from the outside or worse, throwing the ball away.  They're young but they can do a lot better with someone better on the bench. They need better direction and better plays.  It's time the Archers let go of the Pumarens.

• UAAP fills me with hope.  Hope is brought by players like Norberto Torres, Arnold Van Opstal, Oping Sumalinog, Lester Alvarez, Alex Nuyles and R. R. Garcia, young ballers dripping with talent and a coach away from greatness.  It will be interesting to watch their development.

• UAAP also fills me with chagrin.  Chagrin is brought by players like Bacon Austria, Frank Golla and Joshua Webb.  I mean why do these guys have uniforms anyway?  These dudes need to do more positive things than dribble, use up the clock then cause a broken play on offense.  Love their intensity, but they need to rein it in and contribute more. 

many thanks to aly yap, bekshoot.wordpress.com and inboundspass for the photos.

Drawing Interest

     The groupings of the upcoming 26th FIBA-Asia Championships have been drawn and much has been said about how the Philippines got a favorable draw.  Here are other interesting tidbits about the draw.

• China, as the host (yet again), had their choice of groups and they picked Group D where the Philippines is.  Coach Rajko Toroman says it's because our group is the easiest and it's good for the Philippines, since we won't meet China in an elimination game until possibly the finals.  I say it works the other way around too.  Since 1990, China has never really blown away the Philippines in a knockout game, with leads averaging 9 or 10 points.  Now with Marcus Douthit and Toroman, they may want to avoid us in the knockout stages too.

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The Hardest Skill

     The great thing about athletes is how quickly they learn things.  Natural athletes pick up skills, not even necessarily in their chosen sport, a lot faster than normal people.  There is one, though, that some athletes, even some of the world's best cannot seem to pick up.  That skill is called losing gracefully.

Admission of Weakness = Revelation of Strength

    Rafael Nadal has emerged as one of history's greatest tennis players and reaching yet another Grand Slam final at Wimbeldon recently, he carried with him a winning streak of 20 matches at the All-England Club.  This year, though, he ran into a buzzsaw named Novak Djokovic, who has only lost once the entire year.  As Djokovic exercised his recent domination of Nadal to defeat him yet again, Nadal nevertheless showed his strength.

     "I had to play better to win, and I didn't today.  He (Djokovic) played better than me. For that reason he is the champion here," admitted Nadal.

     That statement alone credits Nadal's character, but put into consideration that he was injured and he didn't let it even come up in the discussion, makes him one of the most admirable athletes in the world.

Bringing Up Excuses = Bringing Down the Legacy

     In complete contrast, David "Hayemaker" Haye made a complete fool of himself last Saturday.  I'm not even talking about the fight itself.  After insulting the Klitschko brothers, calling Wladimir a fraud and a robot, and promising the world he would destroy them, Haye basically ran and flopped inside the ring.  Losing to Klitschko via unanimous decision (judges' scores were 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110), Haye then proceeded to bring up an excuse for his pathetic performance.

     "I broke my toe three weeks ago. As it turned out, I was unable to explode off that back foot and throw that right hand," babbled Haye.

     Rightfully so, former boxers and writers crucified him after that.  Boxing promoter Frank Warren said it best, "He shouldn't be in the fight if he broke his toe.  Why be a crybaby after the event? It’s ridiculous.”  The worst part of all that is, Haye himself claimed he hates, "when boxers make excuses after the fight."  After all that trash talk, all that preening and all that bravado, the final image Haye left for sports fans over the weekend was of an excuse-making coward who's only interested in the money.

     Sometimes, athletes and fans alike forget about what sports really mean.  Every sport may become a competition, but they all start out as games people play to bring fun and friendship in their lives.  Sports may have opponents to conquer but it always starts as a means of conquering and improving oneself.  Sometimes, the best way to show one's strength and win is to lose properly. 

photos courtesy of Getty Images and quotes courtesy of Yahoo! Sports