Stephen Curry leaves Daniel Padilla speechless, basketball fans roaring at MOA arena in 1-day Manila visit

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry left the Philippines wanting for more of him, and indeed, he said this will not be his last trip to the country as he finished his one-day only trip to Manila for his Under Armour promotional tour on September 5, Saturday.

He capped the day with a media question and answer at Raffles hotel in Makati followed by an exhibition game with selected high school cagers at the Mall of Asia Arena in the afternoon. Philippine actor and teen heartthrob Daniel Padilla had a meet-and-greet with him in a VIP lounge at Raffles Makati. “That might have been the first time, I’m guessing, he was speechless”, said Curry in the media press conference. It was reported recently that Stephen Curry surprisingly  followed Daniel Padilla on Twitter because the actor posted his collection of the champion layers’ signature shoes and merchandise.

Asked by this reporter if there is pressure going into the regular season being the efending champion and reigning MVP, the baby-faced Curry said “We feel like we’re still the team to beat. It’s going to be a different challenge for us. We’ve never defended an NBA championship before so it will be a new experience for us. All eyes are on our team and every other team is trying to knock us off our throne, so we have to be even better than we were last year to get back to the top.”

Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II or popularly known as Stephen Curry was born on March 14, 1988. He is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6’ 3” tall, Curry plays the point guard position and is considered by some to be the one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.  The 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player and a two-time NBA All-Star, is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry. In this year’s NBA finals, Curry carried his team into the championship, something that the Golden State Warriors franchise hasn’t repeated since 1975.

Red Lions, Heavy Bombers quash foes in NCAA cage opener

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Six-peat seeking San Beda Red Lions and last year’s Final Four finalist Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers routed their respective rivals in the opening game of the 91^st National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Mall of Asia Arena, June 27 Saturday.

Sans San Beda big man Ola Adeogun and sharp-shooting guard Baser Amer due to injuries, the San Beda squad still managed to pound the host school Mapua Cardinals with a 102-89 victory. Art dela Cruz led all scorers with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists while Mapua’s Josan Nimes had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Mapua’s Allwell Oraeme also had a good game on the defensive end with 13 points and 16 rebounds, but was haunted with foul troubles in the later part of the second half.        

In the second game of the opener, JRU Heavy Bombers thumped last year’s NCAA finalist Arellano University Chiefs with a 78-61 victory.

Both teams struggled offensively with a 40-28   at the end of the first half, and Arellano with a measly 12-of-39 field goal shooting clip.  JRU finished with 30-of-77 or 39% field goal shooting, while AU had 32 % from 24-of-76 or 32% field goal shooting.

JRU’s Abdoul Poutouochi led all scorers with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 1 block while AU’s Michael Salado scored a team best 15 points. Two-time NCAA MVP and Mapua Alumnus Alvin Patrimonio graced the event and took the stage for his message to the athletes before the start of the opening games.

The Scores:

SBC (102) Dela Cruz 27, Tankou 18, Tongco 18, Koga 16, Solera 11, Sara 6, Mocon 2, Presbitero 2, Sedillo 2, Cabanag 0, Soberano 0, Reyes 0, Bonsubre 0.

MIT (89) Nimes 23, Stevens 13, Oraeme 13, Menina 12, Serrano 10, Villasenor 8, Que 3, Raflores 3, Brana 2, Dela Rosa 2, Biteng 0, Nieles 0, Aguirre 0, Layug 0.

JRU (78) Poutouochi 23, Teodoro 11, AbdulWahab 9, Lasquety 8, Sanchez 7, Dela Paz 6, Grospe 6, Pontejos 4, Cruz 2, Aurin 2, Astilla 0, Balagtas 0, Dela Virgen 0.

AU (61)   Salado 15, Jolts 11, Enriquez 10, Cadavis 8, Bangga 5, Gumaru 5, Jalalon 4, Nicholls 3, Meca 0, Ongolo 0, Ortega 0, De Guzman 0, Zamora 0, Tano 0.

Email the author at paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com or text 09184059751.

Lebron is power, Steph is brilliance: A classic matchup for an NBA finale

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Lebron James will return again in the NBA finals for the sixth time in his career, five straight years in a span of 8 seasons. While the Warriors, who had been dominant in the regular season (67-15) with stellar performances by Stephen Curry, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the league this season, will have their first taste of the NBA finals arena after 40 long years.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry are nothing but spectacular night in and night out, whether it is on the road or inside the loudest arena in the world today- the Oracle arena. In the Golden State Warrior’s series against the New Orleans Pelicans, Stephen Curry averaged 33.75 points per game, while their team has an average of 109 points per game. Against the grit-and-grind pack of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dubs averaged 97.83 PPG while Curry has his playoffs series low 24.5 PPG. With the Houston Rockets in their last four games, GSW averaged 110 PPG while Curry cooks 32.5 PPG.

On the east side, Lebron James, four-time NBA regular season MVP, 2-time finals MVP, and five straight NBA finals attendee, is truly a force of nature to reckon with by the young and neophyte finals team of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. James and the Cavs dispatched the number 7 seed Boson Celtics in the first round, stopped the rampaging Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls four games to two in the East semis, and then swept the East number 1 seed Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Finals.

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are 2-2 when they met this season, with each winning on its home floor. Lebron James sat out in Golden State’s 112-94 win on Jan. 9 in Oakland, while King James scored a season-high 42 points in the Cavs’ 110-99 win in Cleveland on Feb. 26.

Some facts about this year’s finals: This will be the first time since the NBA’s inaugural season (1946-1947, then known as the BAA) that two first-year coaches will face each other in the finals. LeBron James will appear in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals. He’s the only non-member of the 1950-60s Boston Celtics to play in five straight finals. Stephen Curry will have faced every other All-NBA First Team member in this postseason (Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, James Harden, and now Lebron James). He is the first player to do this in league history. None of the Warriors’ players have been to the finals. The 1991 Chicago Bulls are the last team to win without a player with finals experience.

Here are some of the predictions of NBA basketball fanatics:

Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James is at his best. — Adriane Paul Manipol, PMMS student.

Kyrie Irving is my idol and I choose Cavs.— Ajay Khatri, basketball player at Enderun Colleges, Taguig

I think the Golden State Warriors will win the finals.– Tristan Josh Mapanao, basketball player at UPHSD Molino campus.

I was right on my first prediction…. Cavs vs GS -,finals, my next prediction would be Cavs winning 4-3…– Garret Consignado, Plaridel National High School teacher and basketball coach.

Even though I’m a fan of Curry. I think Cavs will win the crown. James isn’t alone, they are also loaded with gunners especially Smith and Shumpert. Warriors will have a very hard time defending Lebron.–Tom Joel Paliangayan. Sports Writer from Liceo de San Pedro

I am going with my hometown Golden State. Stephen Curry is also amazing this season–Lorenz Gerard Viajar, basketball player at University of the East Manila

email the author at paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com or text 09184059751

Austin Rivers runs through it: Doc’s son steals show in Clippers win

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Chris Paul returned, Blake Griffin had another double-double night, JJ Redick had the game best 31 points, but it was Austin Rivers who wrote the story for the Clippers’ emphatic win against the Rockets, 124-99.

At Staples Center where we watch history unfolds as the first NBA player to play for his father, a rare player-coach tandem in NBA history. Austin Rivers scored 12 points at the end of the first half, and coming off the bench substituting for point guard Chris Paul, the son of LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers electrified the crowd in the third quarter with a blast from the three point line and an impressive and-1. The crowd even rose to its feet at some point of the third canto, with chants of Rivers’ name. He finished with 25 points off the bench on a 10-13 field goal shooting.

In game 1 of their best-of-seven series against the Houston Rockets, Austin Rivers fired 17 points, while in game 2, he chipped in 10 points. Chris Paul even told coach Doc Rivers, “This is one time you can be a dad and not just coach.”

 

Austin James Rivers was born on August 1, 1992. He was drafted with the 10th pick in the NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans), playing three seasons there before being traded to the Clippers. On January 16, 2015, Rivers became the first player in NBA history to play for his father, coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers.

If he plays with this kind of grit and aggressiveness on the court, and with the guidance of his father, he definitely has the potential to curve a niche in the sports’ pantheon of greatness. Well, the playoffs can really be a good start.

email the author at paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com or text 09184059751

Kiefer Ravena look-alike is sports writer and football player

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Meet Earl William R. Miguel, a graduate of UPHSD Molino Campus in Cavite and is now studying at PATTS. He was born on January 20, 1998 in Sampaloc, Manila. He stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and at 16 years old, he has won several games with his team as a football player. He plays either striker midfielder or defender but for his school, he plays center back or last man.

Earl is not only a football player but a man who wears many hats as he is a perennial topnotch in class. He is also a sports writer in Filipino and competed twice in the Regional Schools Press Conference for the Cavite province Division.

“I enjoy doing a lot of things in my academics and sports. I do believe that when you know how to balance things and manage your time properly, you can overcome difficulties” said Earl, who continues to be a good role model for young student athletes.