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

There are so many surprises in the current PBA 2006-07 Talk N Text Philippine Cup, you wouldn't have guessed that James Yap didn't rake it in the scoring ladder, while Air21's Gary David is in it, along with Sta. Lucia's rookie phenom Kelly Williams who is at number 5. Brgy Ginebra's sparkplug Mark Caguioa is numero uno in scoring, chipping in 23.75 points per contest with a season high of 32 points in a 123-117 win against Sta Lucia in Palawan last November 18.

The top rebounder is Alaska's Nic Belasco with an 11.64 rebounding average in 11 games. The top man in assists is Alaska's injured point guard Mike Cortez. Cortez dished off 31 assists in 4 games for the Aces. The tapal king belongs to Red Bull's Mick Pennisi with 1.62 blocks per game, followed by rookie Arwind Santos with 1.58 bpg. The number one kawatans are Ginebra's Jayjay Helterbrand, Welcoat's Jojo Tangkay and Air21's Wynne Arboleda, who stole off 20 times en route to 1.67 spg average.

Check out the league leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals and shotblocks:

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Have you ever wondered what is the real name of former Crispa and Great Taste star Atoy Co? How about ex-Ginebra showman Dondon Ampalayo? Or ex-Ateneo star Jec Chia? Well, here are the real first names of some famous PBA personalities who are better known by their nicknames or, in some cases, their middle names:

1. Jose Emmanuel "Noli" Eala - PBA Commissioner
2. Fortunato "Atoy" Co - Named one of the best 25 players of the PBA
3. Alejo "Pongky" Alolor - Played 14 seasons in the PBA for six different teams
4. Cresencio "Dondon" Ampalayo - Former Rookie of the Year awardee who played 10 seasons in the PBA
5. George Christian "Jec" Chia - former Ateneo star who was famous for sinking the buzzer-beating jumpshot hat sent the Blue Eagles to their 2nd consecutive UAAP Finals appearance in 2002.
6. Expidito "Noynoy" Falcasantos - Former Sta. Lucia star

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The latest in a series of Exchanges, Mobile Exchange, is the first daily blog - magazine featuring the latest developments in the Philippine mobile gadget scene.

Everyday, Mobile Exchange will feature a gadget, accessory, service, tips, reviews, video or event, ranging from Cellphones, PDAs, Software, Laptops, Desktops, and varied other devices. All posts include hi-res pictures and complete descriptions. Sponsors will provide where these can be bought and prevailing prices.

Mobile Exchange's aim is to become the main source of information about gadgets and devices. Our goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the often confusing world of consumer technology.

Visit Mobile Exchange Philippines. You can subscribe to get daily updates by entering your email address here:

or via syndication.

To contact Exchange.ph, email Ghmercado at gmail dot com.

Ftg. Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Garnett.

Ftg. Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Gilbert Arenas, Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups.

Ftg. Tracy McGrady. Again.

Ftg. Adidas players Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, and Tracy McGrady (mostly Tracy). I'll post all four daily.

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If you are a basketball junkie and have the money to burn, what book or magazine would you buy (and not have to regret later on)? Although there are many resources on the Internet, nothing beats the hell out of a printed material. The advantages? Well, you can always carry it around with you, even if you're in a restroom for example. The disadvantages? One thing, you can't do a basic search, except manual search using all your hands, eyes and brain. OK, you can always print an electronic copy but are you willing to shoulder the cost? One of the best things to look forward to during the offseason is the release of annual yearbooks for both professional and collegiate ranks. These yearbooks contain vital information (statistics, history, profiles) on each player, each team, from the previous year, as well as predictions for the incoming year. I have compiled below a list of books or resources which may interest you. Keep tab of the prices and where to find them:

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For some reason, I was supposed to do this piece before the Dallas-Phoenix showdown last Friday but I waited for it to conclude. It just so happened that the Suns lost. Not to take away from a fellow writer here at BallEx where an article was written about his Dallas Mavericks. But what the hell, here is what I think about Phoenix's horror show at the start of the season.

photo taken from www.iran-daily.com

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Although I have been remiss in my duties as writer for this blog, it doesn't mean that I have not been thinking about basketball. Oh no, not by a longshot.

First off, there's my preoccupation as Virtual General Manager of the appropriately named "Basketball Exchange" team at Yahoo Fantasy Basketball's "Kups Fantasy League", which from the name itself, is a very serious 12 team tournament that serves as fellow writer John Knight's attempt to educate my ignorant self as to the joys of virtual GM-ing, as well as a chance to learn as a consequence the goings-on at the NBA. Being my first time to play, I find it quite interesting and am starting to get the hang of it. I intend to write about this at a later date.

Secondly is another basketball related preoccupation and the main issue of this post, which is my stint as the Coach for the 14-18 year old league in the boy's inter-village between our neighbouring villages. This is my 2nd since April of this year, and am looking to better our 2nd place finish.

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Coach Leo Austria's Welcoat Dragons are showing everyone in the current 2006-07 PBA Talk N Text Philippine Cup that even though they are newcomers in the pro league, they are a force to reckon with.

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The PBL 2007 Silver Cup opened last November 11 without too much fanfare. Minus stars such as Joe Devance, Robby Reyes, Gabby Espinas, Joseph Yeo and LA Tenorio, the PBL's appeal and popularity are expected to suffer a momentary setback. Bigger things are, however, in store for other players who haven't seen much action last conference but have the skills and game experience to be heir apparents to the league's departing stars.

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In order to determine who are the players making remarkable progress this year, I compared the point production of all players this season compared to the previous. While it is too early to tell how these player's output would look like after the season is done, it gives us a fairly good idea who will likely duke it out for the PBA's Most Improved Player citation. Of course, not everyone on the list is a candidate automatically.

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The PBA's high-flying pair of rookies Kelly Williams (Sta Lucia) and Arwind Santos (Air21) continue to lord it over among the 21 rookies currently seeing action in the 2006-07 PBA Talk N Text Philippine Cup. Williams is primarily the big reason why the Realtors are on top of the standings. He does not only led all rookies in points (16.57 ppg), rebounds (10.86 rpg), and steals (1.43 spg), but also those numbers are team-highs. In the October 28 win over the Talk N Text Phonepals, Williams registered career-highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds. The league's second ROY MVP? It's a longshot but anything's possible.

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A few days ago, fellow BallEx writer John Dacanay asked the question: What is happening to the Mavericks? I won't bother with the stats too much, because the reason he posed the question is blatantly obvious: this Maverick team is struggling, opening the season with four straight losses - the worst in franchise history.

This is a team that kept its core after reaching the NBA Finals last year, and they supposedly got deeper. This is a team that has the reigning Coach of the Year in Avery Johnson, the best foreign player (and easily top ten league-wide) in Dirk Nowitzki, and boasts having Jerry Stackhouse as a sixth man.

Last year was supposed to be the turning point of the franchise: Coach Johnson instilled a defensive mentality that held opponents to 93.1 ppg, with 104.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, good for 10th best in the league, yet still keeping their superbly efficient offense intact with 99.1 ppg and an offensive rating of 112.1 (roughly this pertains to points scored per 100 possessions), best in the league. (The Suns came in 2nd despite scoring a lot more points because the Suns offense is, well, not as efficient.)

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According to the latest surveys, PBA TV ratings are up, and the Ginebra-Purefoods tussle last Nov 5 had an attendance of 16,103 paying patrons. So what are the reasons why there is suddenly great interest in the PBA? Please check it out below:

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Earl Boykins is a very unique person. At a puny 5’5” 133 pounds, he can bench press close to 315 pounds and made believers out of us - excelling in a game that was suited for tall people. He was not supposed to have survived 8 seasons in the NBA, the mecca of all basketball, let alone star on it. He was supposed to have given up his hoop dreams when coaches and so-called cage pundits tell him he’s not gonna cut it out playing hoops because he was too short for the game. But each time someone puts him down, Earl would come back and take it two steps forward. Earl knew, with his God-given abilities, he could make it into the big league. He was confident he could keep pace with the game’s top point guards. Earl is a survivor in the truest sense, a man who has defied all odds to become a star point guard for the Denver Nuggets.

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The Dallas Mavericks are off to their worst start in the club’s 27-year storied history. They have lost their fourth straight game last night, losing to the Clippers 85-103. Maverick fans are getting restless. NBA journalists and so-called experts are still perplexed over the team’s sluggish start. Worse, you don’t have Shawn Bradley or Keith van Horn to blame for the skid. For the record, Dallas is the first team since the 2001-02 Philadelphia 76ers to start out with four straight losses after a trip to the NBA finals.
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Shortest Filipino Basketball Players

The shortest PBA player currently is Purefoods’ rookie Boyet Bautista. Bautista measures only 5 feet 6 inches but hasn’t allowed anyone to impose their height advantage over him. Prior to his climb to the pros, Bautista was considered one of amateur basketball’s finest point guards alongside Ateneo’s LA Tenorio and PCU’s Jason Castro. He was the finals MVP in the 2005 edition of the NCAA, the reason why he was a first round pick by the Purefoods Chunkee Giants.

Red Bull’s Topex Robinson is also another short guy but compensates his lack of size with tremendous speed and incredible leaping ability. Unknown to anybody, the 5-6 Robinson could dunk the ball like his favorite NBA player Spud Webb. Tonyboy Espinosa and Johnny Abarrientos also belong to this short list of short men. They both measure 5-7 but are smart enough to turn a disadvantage (lack of size) into an advantage (speed, court smarts, playmaking ability).
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Tallest Filipino Basketball Players

There was a time when a 6-8 man mountain by the name of Bonifacio “Bonnie” de Jesus towered over a lean batch of big men in the late 1970s. De Jesus carried the national team colors in the 1978 Asian Youth basketball championship. The RP youth team was able to defend its crown this despite using Bonnie de Jesus sparingly. He was slow and lumbering, typical of most big men at that time and was only able to play the game not because of his talent but due to his enormous size. He starred in a tagalong movie entitled "Mong" which was a comic character depicting the struggles of a very tall basketball player. Nothing was heard from de Jesus after the movie until his demise in the early 1980s.
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Shortest Basketball Players (in the NBA)
The shortest player in the NBA currently is Denver’s 5’5” dynamo Earl Boykins. Boykins holds Eastern Michigan's career record for assists with 624 and ranks second on the scoring list with 2,211 points, behind former NBA player Kennedy McIntosh's 2,219. In his senior year, he averaged 25.7 ppg to place second in the nation in scoring. He averaged in double figures in scoring in each of his four seasons, starting all but one of his 122 games played and averaging 18.1 ppg for his career. He is one of the shortest most explosive player that I can remember. Would you believe he can benchpress 315 pounds! He led the U.S. 22-and-under team to the gold medal at the 1997 World University Games in Italy, leading the team with a 15.7 ppg average, and earning USA Basketball’s Athlete of the Year recognition in the process.
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Araneta Coliseum

Araneta Coliseum

Tacloban City

Araneta Coliseum