NBA Tips Off: A Look at 2 Big Openers

NBA Tip Off, and we've had lots for today. There's the Wizards-Mavs opener with the return of Gilbert Arenas and the absence of Josh Howard, as well as the Rockets-Blazers game without Yao. But here are those that count the most:

Big Game Number One:

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers


Boston was able to pull off an outstanding first game performance when they shrugged off a 15-point slump and made their way in the second half to get past the newly designed Cleveland Cavaliers. They ended the game with 89-95.

-Shaq didn't make any difference in the game. All he had to contribute was post presence that didn' even assure an instant field goal. I think it would be better for him to come off the bench rather than start, because the Big Z could fill in as a true, legit, scoring teammate for James.

-LeBron James hasn't changed at all save his post play. We see on this first game how LeBron plays the post much better than last season. Perhaps with this skill, he could already play the number four position at times when they need it.

-Though with all the hate in the world, I would love the Celtics being complete for their first game, and I hope that this will last until most of the season. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce did it too well on the outside, and KG and 'Sheed seem to cooperate well. But then, it is surprising that they have to get over a slump in order to win. Is it age dragging them down? Or the Cavs are that hard to be taken over early in the game?

-Best move of the night: Jamario Moon receiving James' pass for the alley oop. Non-factor? Mo Williams

-The star stamp for the night would be for Paul Pierce. There is already a trace of determination to get back after months of trying to argue his way into Twitter that the Celtics will be better this season. But I seriously doubt it, considering that the first five (and even some members of the bench) are highly injury-prone. Yes, a double-double would be sweet for a first game.

-Seriously, I loved the way Boston beat Cleveland, even though I hated them both. This game is already a reason for bad blood to boil and loom over the two teams

And for Number Two (the better one actually):


The Lakers held off the Clippers' runs and was able to grab the first win in L.A. with 99-92. More important than these? The Ring Night, especially when you give one to the true Triangle Master: Tex Winter.

-Hey, can we say that this is a fair fight? Blake Griffin is absent, but so is Gasol. Thus, no extravagant big man performance included.

-It's surprising that this is not a big and grandiose opener for the Lakers since forever. Rather, many of them went back to the fundamentals (with the exception of Kobe Bryant and a few individual performances, of course). Basic passes, layups, and post-ups became the keys to winning.

-But Andrew Bynum remains to be the first-game factor. With his splendid performance in this game (26 points, 13 boards, and only 2 fouls for the game), he is groomed to be the next go-to big man of the Lakers, next to Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

-In spite of Ron Artest's speed, the Lakers still managed to set up running plays. I guess Ronron could somehow catch up and make remarkable offensive influence. He has made a substantial contribution to the team, not to mention the crucial baskets and stops he had made during the second half. And I dig his 'hawk design today. He came out well-behaved and well-disciplined. Good one, Ronron.

-The preseason groove still hasn't faded and made way for the regular season dibs. The Lakers gave up a lot of turnovers, and the bench was as soft as the cushion of the championship rings given earlier. They gave up an 11-1 run to keep the Clippers as close as 3. They should have owned the game a little earlier if not for this. But kudos to Josh Powell and Shannon Brown with their presence in the court (in spite of going -4 and -1 respectively in the stats). In the following games, I hope to see the bench becoming a better and more versatile force to replace the Lakers big five.

-Again, I'm giving the First Game MVP Award not to Lebron (in spite of his 38 point performance, with the rest of the game centered on him 80% of the time), but to Kobe (who had 33 points and gave way for Andrew Bynum to seize scoring opportunities). As for me, the Mamba is still above The Walkout.

-I don't feel the Kardashian Kurse on Lamar Odom today. Probably, she's the one for him, and the other way around.

-The first game kinda sets everything right. I hope that for the back-to-back champs, it does.

And never forget that it was ring night tonight. Probably next year, it will be the same in Staples Center... and Artest will finally receive one he could call his own.

'Mates?

i wouldn't put any personal comments here. you may find them @ http://thenobletruth.wordpress.com

PH 100 - Philo Seminar (Synthesis and Comprehensives)
-Fr. Nemy Que, sj and Dr. Guss Rodriguez

PH 118 - Contemporary Philosophy
-Dr. Ramon Reyes
-MWF 3:30-4:30pm

PH 131 - Epistemology
-Dr. Tonette Angeles
-TTh 7:30-9:00am

PH 103 - Philosophy of Religion
-Mr. Eddieboy Calasanz
-TTh 6:00-7:30pm

TH 141 - Theology of the Catholic Social Vision
-Ms. Rachel Sanchez
-MWF 1:30-2:30pm

Classmates? Just inform me. We could do something together to A them.

The Battle of Lepanto and the Battle of Araneta

A few days ago, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Rosary, and it made us recall the miraculous battle of Lepanto, where the Spanish Armada halted the invasion of Rome.

And after a hundred years, one territory was defended, but now a day after the feast of Our Lady. That territory was that which belonged to champions.

Again, another victory of another Marian squad of the 21st century. It's for your white and blue, mama.

One big fight.

Ateneo goes back-to-back!

We were nervous, but we were expecting the same thing. Confirmation came by the middle of the third quarter.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles grabbed their second straight championship by beating UE in the do-or-die game, 73-51. The Katipunan destruction squad played perhaps their best team game, shrugging off the 88-68 Game 2 loss and did a good job on both sides of the court, even declaring the game over a little beet sooner than expected.

And of course, we had to congratulate everyone from Coach Norman to the sixth men and women of Ateneo, both inside and outside the Coliseum. First dibs goes to Rabeh Al-Hussaini, the main man of the game who garnered as well the Finals MVP Award, who kept his cool in the game and scored when it mattered most. And there is Jai Reyes whose treys kept Ateneo very much afloat in the second half, as well as Nonoy Baclao who did his role as the defensive brick wall of the Eagles. As much as they are leaving, the incoming role players of the Eagles have already asserted their roles. Upcoming King Eagle Eric Salamat was there with his same pesky antics (including crucial steals and one And-1 spin move that brought Ateneo basketball fans wild). Kirk Long (in spite of two missed reversals, one coming from an alley oop attempt) with a good job defensively, Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva who provided extra firepower, and of course the rest of the team whose presence lifted the spirits of everyone. Credit also goes to the loud cheering team who shouted their hearts out in every moment of the game, from the jump ball to the last ball (with special mention to the loud and proud Blue Babble Battalion who led the Loyola Heights crowd in providing the best support possible).

And what did the team exactly do? Nothing save good ball rotation, timing, scoring, and proper execution of the zone. They scored important treys, scored points off turnovers and second-chance points, and held the Red Warriors back. Surprisingly, Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas were non-factors in the game, while Paul Lee's scores were only out of fastbreaks, and Val Acuna couldn't make much. A bad day for UE perhaps, and also good defense for Ateneo. Such perfect gameplay merits not only the championship, but the cheers of everyone in the blue crew (not Mike Baldos alone, no pun intended), plus a five-minute garbage time.

One big fight! See you all in the Saturday bonfire!

What? Game Three?!

Actually, it's hard for us Ateneans to take a deep breath now and say that "everything's gonna be damn fine." It was just our second loss of the whole season, and yet this was the one that left us aghast.

The Eagles left Araneta Coliseum with such heavy load after suffering from a humiliating 88-68 loss against the UE Red Warriors, all in Game 2 of the Finals, something that most of us expect as a game which would bring home the bacon.

Remember Season 70? When Ateneo battled a rookie coach, Pido Jarencio? The Eagles fortunately took Game 1, was dumped in Game 2, and broke down in Game 3. Now, only one has not yet happened. But we all wish that it wouldn't.

Totally, it was a shocker, and it's something that we never expect. Now we have to take the long road to the crown, perhaps the longest one for Season 72. Now, the pressure is on us. The top team now faces the underdog on almost equal grounds. Will we stage a comeback and eventually win it, or will we give in to the pressure and break down at this very essential moment?

But of course, we need to see things and circumstances that will greatly affect the outcome.

Ateneo wins if:
-it shrugs off the pressure and continue to play their A-game
-Rabeh al-Hussaini will do his job
-the treys will keep on clicking
-they check Elmer Espiritu and prevent those alley-oops
-keep Val Acuna cold from behind the arc
-Eric Salamat will continue to poke through significant steals and spark scoring runs
-the bench will step up and keep the game afloat, most especially those who are expected to take major roles next year (I'm talking about Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva)
-Paul Lee will be locked and down for good (defensively, I mean)
-they play the same team game that they have always done season long

On the other hand, UE wins if:
-they are consistent inside the paint
-Paul Lee and Val Acuna get their hands hot on shooting
-Elmer Espiritu is all over Nonoy Baclao
-they checked al-Hussaini, Reyes, and Salamat
-ball handling will be as efficient as game 2
-the hole in the zone will be discovered
-they could run breaks without being stopped
-Rabeh was kept at foul trouble
-they are afloat by the fourth period

So much reasons to either keep the faith or give it up. What will be yours?

One big fight.

--
*again, thanks to NFP for the picture

The waves of "Ondoy"

This storm might not be prove to be the strongest one in the recent decades, but it sure left great damage leaving everyone startled and unprepared. Oh wait, maybe it was since 1967.

After our semestral feedback giving session, we experienced a black out, and it was only then that calls for help along Pentecost and Marikina were heard and heeded. Being the older ones, our theologians responded to the call of going to Katipunan and Barangka to reach out and help in the affected areas. Meanwhile, we collegemen were instructed to do 3 things :1) keep track of the radio reports, 2) help in the kitchen to prepare food not only for the community but also for those where we will reach out, and 3) secure the house by checking the open windows, bringing in things that could get wet due to the heavy rains.

Before doing so, we decided to go up the fourth floor, and lo and behold, we saw a sunken Marikina. Seen from that point where we were, we saw that almost half of Riverbanks was submerged. All of us were startled, surprised that the rain that continued to pour for more than 12 hours has brought this.

Afterwards, we then decided to get the job done. We agreed on several radio shifts and take down notes just to see what areas are heavily affected, what do we need to know from the government, and any other information that might be helpful as we stand by. We learned that along the expressways both North and South, there were hundreds of vehicles stranded and areas submerged. Various places in the Metro were badly affected, and people are actually calling radio stations just to search for their loved ones.

Also, we were able to pack up old but usable clothes, which were sent through the theologians responding to the call in Barangka. We stood by until 9:00pm, for we were called to rest just in case anything would come up early in the morning .

All of us woke up late at Sunday, thankful that there was no more grave situation called for. I peeked in the window and saw Marikina still with waters, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard rescue choppers in the sky. While the theologians helped out in cleaning the house of the Paulinian Sisters in Barangka, we cleaned our house and checked if there were any damages caused by the heavy rains (we discovered that there were two areas with very minor leaks). We also took over portering assignments as we kept watch over the battery-powered radio for new updates concerning the storm. There was still no electricity in the seminary, since we are connected to the Barangka line, and the power can't be turned on because people would be electrocuted, since the waters were still quite high. So during the afternoon, we went to the college campus to charge our laptops and cell phones, for we think that they will be useful later on.

After hours of charging up, we thought of going to McDonald's in Katipunan to have dinner. We spent the rest of the time playing Call of Duty as a way of relieving ourselves from all the pressures brought about by the typhoon.

I woke up early morning of Monday and was glad that electricity finally returned in Barangka. I also peeked through my window and saw land (very much like the Noah experience) in Marikina. We spent Monday morning resting and saving up on energy, while the afternoon was spent for the Task Force Ondoy, held in the Ateneo CovCourts. We caught up with some of those we know and helped in packaging clothes to be deployed to the affected areas.

The next day was supposed to be a day for studying, as we expected that there will be classes starting Wednesday. However, during the afternoon, it was announced that there will be no classes until Saturday. Instead, students are to make up for classroom hours by helping in the relief operations. So during the afternoon, we already proceeded to the covered courts, even reaching up until 12 midnight. Not only did we do the usual packaging and taking part in the assembly line, but we also helped out in deployment of goods in different areas. We also helped shut down the operations by 12mn, which will resume the next day at 6am.

Wednesday was very different for us, as we went to Calumpang, Marikina to check on our blockmate whose house was submerged in the floods. We helped out in cleaning the house, and we delivered goods not only to their family but to the neighbors as well. Indeed, bayanihan at its best. After resting for a while in the afternoon, we went back at about 930pm to deploy goods in a far-flung Novaliches area (which were unfortunately left unnoticed by their government officials) and to Barangka, Marikina. We turned over the goods to the San Jose Manggagawa and then headed straight home to San Jose Seminary.

If you thought that this was already hardcore, then Thursday became a tougher day for us. During the morning, we went down to Provident Village and drove by the mud-filled areas in order to reach the Holy Family Chapel and do some clean up there. It was literally a mud party. We went down to the streets, made our way through thick layers of mud until we reach the chapel. Using simple cleaning materials and a single hose, we cleaned up the floor of the chapel, washing the mud away. We finished at about 11:00pm, though we weren't able to get the job fully done because we really can't do using those simple materials (it's even a good thing that 2 shovels were donated to us, but it really didn't do much because we lacked the water to wash all the mud away). We paused operations for a while to give way to AdMU-UE game 1 (which ended with a victorious note for us, fortunately) and the SJS Community Mass with the Carmelite sisters at Gilmore to celebrate the feast of St. Therese. We just spent the rest of the night resting and praying the rosary with the hopes that the next typhoon won't hit that hard, and this is our way of closing our full-time relief operations, for we would be busy for the next two days.

Well, perhaps there were still a lot to do, but I believe that we did all we can to at least extend a little help to those affected by the floods. And perhaps that after all these, all that we can do now is to pray for those hit by Ondoy. This flood had shocked us and left us unprepared, and all we can do now is to lend a hand even a bit.