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.

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Flores picks Westbrook; Paliangayan selects Curry for MVP

Why Russell Westbrook should be this season’s Most Valuable Player?

By: Paul Daniel Flores

Russell is currently averaging 27.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists; stats better when compared to his other MVP competitors. He has been better since the start of the season, and is not stopping on getting better. He has fulfilled his role as the leader of the team following KD’s absence and shown superiority on both sides of the floor.

He has won the All-star MVP after scoring 27 points in the first half, an all-star game record, and a total of 41 points (5 assists), 1 point shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 42 points.

He also suffered three injuries this season. (Knee, metacarpal hand, and face, respectively) But he has shown significant endurance to injuries, coming back even more stronger than ever. Compared to point guards that have multiple injuries, like Derrick Rose, Westbrook is not fragile, he always came back to make up for the games he missed with incredible stats.

He has made 4 straight triple-doubles this season, the last one to make that was Michael Jordan in his 88-89 season with 7 straight triple-doubles. The stats don’t lie:

Russell Westbrook – The Last 4 Games:
• 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 10 Ast.
• 39 Pts, 14 Reb, 11 Ast.
• 40 Pts, 13 Reb, 11 Ast.
• 49 Pts, 16 Reb, 10 Ast.

Has anyone in the MVP race done that? None. When it comes to the team needs, Cavs can win without LeBron, Warriors can win without Curry, and it is unsure if the Rockets can win without Harden. But I am sure, OKC cannot pull off a string of wins without Westbrook. And that is the importance of Westbrook to the team. His value is conditional to the team success.

When against the other point guard in the West, most people prefer Curry over Westbrook. Well, I prefer to reconsider. Westbrook IS BETTER than Curry. Curry can shoot the three-ball better, I can say, but Westbrook can layup, dunk, pass, and defend better. Russell can even play one-on-one better. Russell has better defensive stops on the floor. He performs better every single day.

I believe, he should be this season’s MVP. The Masked Marauder.

Who says white men can’t jump? Stephen Curry is the real deal

By: Tom Joel Paliangayan

If I have the power to cast a vote for the NBA regular season MVP as of this writing, hands-down I will pick Stephen Curry.

First, the length of his magnificent performance wasn’t just the spark of the month, but at the very beginning of the season, he already solidified his chances in the MVP ladder talks. In January, he is at the top of the ranks while Lebron James is at fourth spot, and Westbrook was then tied with team mate Kevin Durant at 10^th place. That is why it is called MVP of the Regular season, and not just for a month or two. There should be consistency and I believe Steph delivers.

As of now, Stephen Curry is averaging 23.8 points on 48.4 percent shooting from the field to go along with 7.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. When it comes to carrying his team, it is a no brainer why I pick Curry to be MVP as of this writing. Golden State Warriors is the Western Conference’s best team at 49-12. Where is Oklahoma City Thunder? Ehem, there at the 8^th spot. Yes, the Cavs are doing better but consistency is their nemesis. They are no. 2 in the East for now, but their winning streak seems to be on the rocks.

Let’s get to individual performances. Yes, that four straight triple doubles are a feat that is commendable. Yes, Lebron is amazing his year but only quiet lately. He is not as dangerous as he was three or four years ago. Stephen Curry’s amazing 51-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks is just the latest testament why he continues to top the list in the MVP race. Curry’s work as a prolific scorer and facilitator has been unmatched. And by the way, I just saw it now against the Clippers, my idol Stephen Curry dribbled around his back and through three defenders, (yes, three defenders) stepped behind the arc and lofted an off-balance 3-pointer from the top of the circle that swished. His moves and shots are just out of this planet. Now, try topping that.

* Paul Daniel Flores is a 4th year high school in Infant Jesus Montessori Center while Tom Joel Paliangayan is a grade 8 high school student in Liceo de San Pedro. Both are English Sports Writers in their campus.