2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM

Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM
3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM
Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM
3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM
Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

ESPN
Sky Cable 31
Destiny 82

The Adamson Soaring Falcons' Kenneth Bono is the Most Valuable Player for UAAP Season 69! Bono led the Falcons to their first Final Four appearance, though they fell short against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The rest of the awards:

Mythical Five

C -- Kenneth Bono, Adamson Falcons
PF -- Jervy Cruz, UST Growling Tigers
SF -- JC Intal, Ateneo Blue Eagles
SG -- Jeffrei Chan, FEU Tamaraws
PG -- Marvin Cruz, UP Fighting Maroons

Rookie of the Year -- Woodward Co, UP Fighting Maroons

Special Awards

2006 PS Bank Maaasahan Player -- Kenneth Bono, Adamson
2006 Gillette Vector Plus Breakout Player -- JC Intal, Ateneo

UAAP Fans, fret not.

The UAAP Men's Basketball Finals between UST and ADMU will resume tomorrow, Saturday, September 30, 2006, 4PM at the Araneta Coliseum. This is after by the Ateneo Eaglets vs. the Far Eastern Baby Tamaraws Juniors Crown Finals at 2PM, and the UST Tigresses vs. the FEU Lady Tamaraws at noon.

The main game is preceded by Awarding Ceremonies at 3:30PM. ADU's Kenneth Bono and ADMU's John Intal are the primary draws for the MVP plum, hotly contested between the two.

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A few points:
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Just for kicks.

You may want to try your luck by answering these questions about the NBA from ESPN.com.

Gotta work on my NBA trivia-answering skills....

Good news to all basketball fanatics!

Now, there is a new channel that is ALL BASKETBALL. Got this news last night from the special edition of Solar Sports Desk where they featured the launch of this basketball channel. It'll air on Channel 34 starting October of this year and will be called BTV.

It was mentioned during the show that the NBA games, the US NCAA Tourneys, FIBA-sanctioned competitions, and other local basketball leagues are some of those which will be regularly aired. The upcoming 2006 Champions League will be one of the initial programs to be broadcasted.

Bad news is...

We will now be certified couch potatoes come October...

What a world of difference a second makes...

The Growling Tigers were just one second away from snatching the first game of the title series. Playing solid basketball for 39 minutes and 59 seconds, UST succumbed to a momentary lapse on defense. And that momentary lapse cost them the game.

Coach Norman Black designed an excellent play --- Escalona to inbound the ball. Kramer to provide a pick for Tiu, who, in this case, played as a decoy. Intal to act as a secondary decoy by sliding to the sideline. Kramer, after the pick, to slide hard towards the basket. Allan Evangelista, after giving us a superb turnaround jump shot against a towering defense by Kramer, opted to go for the double against Tiu... and paid dearly for it.

The Blue Eagles executed the final play to perfection. Escalona lobbing a perfect pass to Kramer, who was all alone under the basket to put in that marginal bank shot.
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The San Beda Red Lions are once again kings of the hill!

The Red Lions won their first championship in 28 years in the NCAA Season 82 by eking out a 68-67 win over the valiant PCU Dolphins in a game which, in my opinion, was the season's BEST.

The first two games were both blowouts, the first by SBC, the second by the Dolphins. Game 3 looked like it was headed in the same direction, with the cagers from Mendiola leading by 20 early in the fourth canto.

Then came a stirring, unbelievable, astounding rally by the never-say-die Dolphins.

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To wit:

1. Jervy Cruz - That boy got game. He got rebounds. He got putbacks. He got more rebounds. He's the guy who snatches the ball away from the top of your head when you think you've got the ball. You know what I mean, when you're about to rebound and it's on its way toward you then suddenly someone just jumps in out of nowhere to grab it and youre standing there looking like a shmuck? He's also in the position (FWD), which hurts the Ateneans (who hate rebounding) most, and he's healthy! Thank God for the UAAP/NCAA. We can watch future stars (no one will doubt he's a future star) still in his prime with his knees still intact. My money is on this kid.

2. They're Peaking - I believe in the 'peaking' phenomenon, where teams get better or worse in a slow upward or downward spiral. I don't credit Pido Jarencio, though. I'm counting on the high they're probably still on from their last win, so as young teams often do, they'll ride on that.

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In no particular order or disorder, herewith is the PBA Biggest Disappointments List.

I wouldn’t want to use the strong word bust, but this list is somehow that.

Reasons maybe because of injury, tough luck or just random circumstance.

Regular Category

Alex Araneta

Career Highlight: Hordes of women giggle in delight as he enters the game for Alaska. Only Steven Seagal sets his hair better.

Udoy Belmonte

Career Highlight: Subbing for a superstar heavy guard rotation at San Miguel.

Johnnedel Cardel

Career Highlight: Being continuously tagged as the next Jojo Lastimosa. Then Lastimosa, almost out-lasted him by a decade. Joined a slam-dunk contest against the likes of Vergel Meneses during his amateur days. From tabloid Balita, I then cut a clipping of his 180-degree slam then showed it off to my female classmate at high school to get close to her, to impress her. She then was infatuated with Cardel and not me. Loser!

Apet Jao

Career Highlight: Played for a remarkably good tasting but short-lasting ice cream bar, the Tivoli.

Brixter Encarnacion

Career Highlight: Being called The Brick by some genius commentator just because his name happens to be Brixter. Knowingly that the word “brick” in basketball parlance suits Jason Webb and Paul Artadi’s jumpshot end results.

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The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles steamrolled their fellow avian hoopsters, the Adamson Falcons, while the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers upset the UE Red Warriors in two straight nail-biting games to arrange the final showdown of the UAAP 69th Season.

The UAAP Finals will begin this Sunday, September 24, at the Araneta Coliseum. Blue Eagles and Growling Tigers, give us one BIG FIGHT to remember!

*Many thanks to Ia for the graphics!

Defense wins championships. Defense is the best offense.

Name all the basketball cliches on defense all you want... San Beda just showed me how defense ought to be played last night. And the best person to epitomize the Red Lions' brand of D was the 2nd Rookie-MVP himself, Mr. Sam Ekwe.

I'd like to call him Mr. Ekwe from now on.

If you saw game 1 of the 82nd NCAA Championship, you will just marvel at how Mr. Ekwe committed himself to playing defense ALL NIGHT. He simply chased ALL of PCU's shots that came in sight. In the early moments of the 1st quarter, Mr. Ekwe chased Castro, who was streaking for a layup, and caught the ball flush on the board. Castro already had a headstart, but Mr. Ekwe made sure that there were no "gimmes" for the night. When I saw that... I knew he was deserving of the award. Nigerian or not.

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Looks like our poll respondents got it right -- the Nigerian behemoth is this year's Most Valuable Player, Sam Ekwe of the San Beda Red Lions!

I'm blogging just right before the SBC-PCU Finals game, and here's the rest of the awards:

Rookie of the Year -- Sam Ekwe, SBC
Defensive Player -- Sam Ekwe, SBC
Most Improved Player -- Boyet Bautista, Letran

Mythical First Five:

Khiel Misa, UPHDS
Jason Castro, PCU
Gabby Espinas, PCU
Floyd Dedicatoria, JRU
Sam Ekwe, SBC

*Just a quick thought: I thought San Beda's Yousif Aljamal should've been in the First Five (he slid down to the 2nd team). He *is* the leader of San Beda, and he was actually my pick for MVP. The commentators just mentioned seconds ago that Aljamal finished 6th in the race.

Nowadays, things don't look so good. Our President has zero credibility, the US continues to maintain troops in Iraq, and the Pope has mouthed off a speech that threatens to plunge the world into a Holy War like we haven't seen since the Crusades.

But who cares?

Channel 23 - September 17, 2006
2pm ADMU vs. ADU
4pm UST vs. UE

So warm up your sets, chill the beer and order the pizza. Today's gonna be a good day.

There are two routes to glory in a best of 3 championship series --- 1st, via sweep. 2nd, via a rubber match. Obviously, if one team wins the first and, then, the second game, they win via sweep.

What my fearless forecast means --- If both teams split the first and the second game, then the team that wins the second game, wins it all.

Both San Beda and PCU are deserving to be crowned as champions. San Beda is having a stellar season under coach Koy Banal and has won 13 straight games going into the series. PCU, on the other hand, has shown remarkable consistency as a team, figuring in the NCAA Finals for 3 seasons in a row (under 3 different coaches!).

Here are, in my humble, non-expert opinion, the reasons for winning for each team:
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After having watched the news two days ago, a grave injustice has come to my attention.

Apparently, Efren 'Bata' Reyes, our Esteemed Great Athlete, Pride of the Philippines and undoubtedly, The Greatest Billiards Player Ever, has come back home sans fanfare, after having garnered the World 8 Ball Championships in Las Vegas Nevada.

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NCAA Season 82 Finals, here we come!

*Many thanks to Ia of Qwerky for the graphics.
Tags: ncaa, san beda, pcu

Here's an oldie but a goodie, with gary payton, steve nash, tony parker and jason kidd. For more great videos, check out our Videos section.

Oh UP... Oh UP... when will you be? when will you be?

Season 69 of the UAAP marked the 20th year since UP last won a championship. That long eh? Yep, that long...

The woes of UP Basketball continued this Season despite a rather promising first game win over UST. (De Asis torching the Tigers from beyond the arc. The fastbreak machine blazing through the hardcourt. Cruz knocking down the game winner after a well-executed pick by Nestor David.)

Well, I didn't see the game live on TV. It was just narrated to me, blow-by-blow, via SMS by a very good friend of mine from UP. Undoubtedly, sensing something different with this batch of UP Maroons playing in the UAAP plus the fact that the legendary coach was at the helm, this friend of mine sent me this text message after that first game --- "The future looks bright for our UP Maroons."

Knowing all too well to not rely on first game results for positive trends for the Season, I had to put it bluntly and make a bet on what I believe will be the outcome for the Maroons... "It was just a flash in the first-game-pan... our lamentation will continue..."

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Let me tell you how I feel whenever I watch the UAAP Cheerdance competition. Year after year, no fail, ever since God-knows-when the Cheerdance competition started getting really serious (as opposed to the early years when some of the teams usually put up some haphazard, pathetic attempt), the Cheerdance competition almost makes me cry.

Why? I'll tell you why. For me, the Cheerdance competition, especially in the later years, tell me that there is hope for the country. That's right. I know it sounds melodramatic. It sounds absurd even. But as I sat in front of the TV this afternoon, watching the competition, the awards, and the throngs upon throngs of people at the venue, making the most amount of energy and noise you can hope to hear from any crowd at any event, and doing it annually at that, my hair stands on end, a lump starts in my throat, and I feel so proud of these young people.

Let me try to list the reasons down:

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Coach Ryan Gregorio of the Purefoods Chunkee Giants is the PBA Press Corps' pick for Best Coach this year. The youthful coach led the Giants to a championship and runner-up finish in the season's two conferences (Philippine Cup and Fiesta Cup, respectively).
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Yesterday's NCAA matchup between the league-leading San Beda Red Lions and the defending champions Letran Knights bore witness to what could be one of the greatest games this season. It also saw how the game became downright ugly.

Sure, the Lions emerged victorious, 54-44, in a game of pride and intensity. After Letran had the upperhand on a 14-point lead in the second quarter, San Beda fought back inch by inch, which eventually got them the lead and the win. Yousif Aljamal and Pong Escobal led San Beda to a late surge by the Red Lions. Bedans gave it all in the fourth: hustle, hustle, hustle...and finally a good shot selection. Though the San Beda five was firing blanks from outside, they took advantage of their dominating inside presence by grabbing offensive boards and taking the carom strong to the hole. This caused three Letran big men to foul out as well as have 29 fouls compared to San Beda's 11. The daggers that sealed the win for the Red Lions were the ejection of Letran's head coach (and a possible suspension) from the game and the wing three made by Ogie Menor that extended the lead and fortified the victory for the Red Lions in the last minute of the game. I wouldn't give a damn had the Lions lost to the Knights because it was a no-bearing game for San Beda. Basically, we had nothing to lose but more to learn.

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Wazap sports fans! The interview with T-Mac came out yesterday at PDI's 2bu section, so I can now share with you the full transcript below. The interview lasted a full 30 minutes, much longer than anyone expected, and Tracy even mentioned it in his blog here, when he referred to Coach Joel Banal, whom I did the interview with along with 3 of his sons, as the 'Philippine version of Phil Jackson'.

Some errata: The article mentioned my name as Gabby Mercado, a common error. I also mentioned a video I saw of him at Hallstrengths.com, but the article failed to mention the website was his trainer's, Wayne Hall. Finally, I would have wanted to ask him to name his First Five, plus Van Gundy's 'Rowdiest Fan' contest, as requested by Benie of Hideyourmonkey, but I really ran out of time and 30 minutes was long as it is. Also, there are some minor details removed to save space, but for the most part it's complete. Here it is!

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Everybody's got one, that one team you'd yell your hearts out for, the one team that makes your day when they win, the one team that makes you cry like a juvenile when they lose. Heck, some of us even have one such team for every basketball league we keep tabs on!

Here are my picks:
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Spain has just won its first FIBA world title courtesy of a 70-47 drubbing of previously unbeaten Greece. Spain played without NBA star Pau Gasol, who suffered a foot injury in the previous semifinal game against Argentina.

From FIBA news:

Spain played their hearts out for injured hero Pau Gasol and captured their first world title with a 70-47 mauling of Greece on Sunday.

Gasol, their superstar power forward who led the team in scoring and rebounding as they went undefeated in the build-up to the FIBA World Championship and the tournament itself, suffered a partial fracture of his fifth metatarsal in his left foot late in Friday’s semi-final win over Argentina and was ruled out of the game.

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From the BBC website: Greece beat the USA 101-95 to spring a big surprise in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Japan on Friday. Guard Vassilis Spanoulis starred for the Greeks with 22 points as the European champions overcame a 12-point deficit at Saitama Super Arena.

Greece, with no current NBA players on their roster, danced in a circle on the court after their shock success. Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points and Dwayne Wade 19, but the joint captains were unable to save the favourites.

The final buzzer sparked scenes of pandemonium as the Greeks celebrated as if they had won the gold medal. "I thank my players," said Greek coach Panagiotis Yannakis. "They did something incredible. We had faith and we never lost concentration."

Complete article here.

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