Rose Demolishes Hawks!

And the Derrick Rose show continues.

This time, it was to the tune of 44 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists as Rose hit everything from threepointers to floaters to midrange jumpers to running hooks.

And while only two other Bulls scored in double figures (Kyle Korver had 11 and Taj Gibson scored 13points), the rest of the Bulls contributed heavily on other fronts. Five Bulls had a least 5 rebounds, with Joakim Noah grabbing 15 and Gibson collaring 11. Noah also blocked 5 shots.

The Hawks had a more balanced offensive game, with all five starters scoring in double figures. The only problem was that 4 Hawks starters barely outscored Rose, scoring 47 points to Rose's 44. Jeff Teague had another sensational offensive game (21points) but could barely keep in front of Rose.

Josh Smith scored 17points and grabbed 13 rebounds but was booed by Hawks fans whenever he took a jumpshot instead of driving to the hoop.

More of the story here.  

Wesley So Gets Back On Track!

Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So finally nails down a much needed point in the Asian Continental Individual Chess Championship by beating Fide Master Javad Alavi Sayed of Iran.

This is So's first win after back-to-back draws. He is now in joint eight along with 9 others players, including fellow Filipino Darwin Laylo.

Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi captured the solo lead by getting his third point via a win over Indian GM Parimarjan Negi. He is followed by his compatriot s and fellow GMs Yu Yangyi and Ewen Yang, who have 2.5 points apiece.


The top four finishers will represent Asia in the 2011 World Cup later this year.

For more on this story, click this.

Persiba Dumps De Jong!

This, definitely, was not the way to make a good impression.

Much excitement was generated when Azkal Jason de Jong was signed by Indonesian Super League team Persiba Balikpapan, the only Azkal player to do so.

Three months later, that excitement has turned to chagrin as the Azkal was released by his club.

Persiba management cited indiscipline and the failure to consistently attend training as the reason they have ended their contract with de Jong.

De Jong was signed by Persiba for half  the ISL season for the princely sum of IDR 500 million (USD58,000).

De Jong has not yet issued any statement yet nor has he aired his side of the story.

For more, click this.

Loudmouthed Mayweather Making Noises Again.

Leftovers.
That is how Floyd Mayweather Jr describes Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and now, Shane Mosley.

The outspoken boxer is once again riding on Pacquiao's popularity to bolster his own as he claims that all of Pacquiao's recent victims are mere leftovers from his own career.

Mavs Shock Lakers Again!

The Mavs pulled off a shocker by beating the Lakers in Game 1. Could they do it again?
Evidently, they can and did, winning Game 2 93-81.

The Dallas Mavericks scored just 17 points in the third quarter but they also held the Lakers to 13 points to take a 6point lead into the fourth. They then continued to choke the Lakers offense to submission as Kobe Bryant (9-20), Ron Artest (4-10) and Lamar Odom (3-12) had less than stellar shooting games.

MVP-Worthy!

First, Derrick Rose accepted his MVP Award.
Then, he spent 48 minutes reminding people why he's the MVP.

With the Hawks trying to upset the Bulls for the second time in a row, Derrick Rose kicked it up another gear and almost singlehandedly willed the Bulls to a Game victory 86-73.

Blake Griffin Poised To Be NBA ROY!

Powerful dunks.
Great shooting range.
Mad rebounding skills.
Passion on overdrive.


And that's why it should come as no surprise that the LA Clippers' Blake Griffin will become the NBA's rookie of the year for 2011.

Griffin averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a scintillating rookie season that comes with 2 major NBA awards: the slam dunk crown and now, the rookie of the year award.

He's also the first rookie to play in the All-Star game since 2003, when Yao Ming was a rookie, the only rookie to be named rookie of the month 6 times (the last rookie to do that was Chris Paul) and he logged 63 double-doubles for the Clippers.

John Wall was Griffin's nearest competition for the award and it wasn't even close.

More on this story here.

Coming Up Roses For Derrick Rose!

Rookie of the Year? Check.
Number 1 seed in the playoffs? Check.
MVP? Check!

22 year old Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history, defeating luminaries like Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

Rose led the Chicago Bulls to a 62-20 regular season record and the top seed in the East with averages of 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game.

He joins Michael Jordan as the only Bulls to ever win an MVP. Jordan won it 5 times, the last being in 1998.


More on this story here.

FIBA-Asia Champions Cup Down To 8 Teams?

Two slots left to fill.

That's the monumental task the organizers of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup are facing after Japan, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan all withdrew from the tournament, citing financial reasons.

The organizers are now eyeing South Korea and India as replacement teams, giving them until Friday to confirm.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas will be playing in Group A, with Malaysia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Group B is composed of Iran, Qatar, Lebanon and Jordan.

If both South Korea and India confirm their participation, South korea will be joining Group A and India, Group B.

Either way, the Smart Gilas squad are confident of their chances in the tournament especially as they will be reinforced by PBA stars Dondon Hontiveros and Asi Taulava.

More on this story here.

Heat Beats Celtics Again!

In the first half of Game 2, the Heat were Dwayne Wade's team.
In the second half, it became Lebron James' team.

James scored 24 of his 35points in the second half, including an 8 point flurry in the third quarter built around 2 consecutive threepointers and a breakaway dunk to leade Miami past Boston 102-91.

USLS Lady Stingers Down FEU Lady Tams!

And the Lady Stingers just keep on coming.

The Southern belles proved to be too much to handle as they defeated the Lady Tams of FEU 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-10, in the Shakey’s V-League quarterfinal round.



Once again, it was former national youth standout Patty Orendain who led the Stingers' onslaught by socring 17points. Kay Aplasca matched her output while April Hingpit added nine points. The Stingers now have a 2-0 record in the quarterfinal round.

FEU was led by Maica Morada, who scored 15points.

Suzuki U-23 PFF Cup Q'Finals Set To Start!

Two provincial football hotbeds lead a scintillating cast vying for the right to be called the best young footballers in the country.

Bacolod City was named top seed of its group, which is includes NCR2, Dipolog (the Mindanao leg runner up) and Masbate, the Luzon elimination round top bet. Their games will be held at the Panaad pitch in Bacolod City.

Upsets Galore In NBA Playoffs: Mavs Surprise Lakers!

Let me be the first to say it...the NBA Playoffs have been exciting, and unpredictable, as hell!

There's the unexpected beatdown the supposedly soft Hawks gave to the Magic, despite the magnificent series Dwight Howard had.
There's the yawner of a series between the Celtics and the Knicks, which was supposedly a match up made in heaven.
There's the rough-and-tumble series between the Bulls and the feisty Pacers, who made every game a fight to the death.
And there's the Cinderella Grizzlies totally demolishing the top seeded Spurs, dominating basically every game of that series.

And now, in the second round, another set of upsets.

Upsets Galore In NBA Playoffs: Hawks Upend Bulls!

Let me be the first to say it...the NBA Playoffs have been exciting, and unpredictable, as hell!

There's the unexpected beatdown the supposedly soft Hawks gave to the Magic, despite the magnificent series Dwight Howard had.
There's the yawner of a series between the Celtics and the Knicks, which was supposedly a match up made in heaven.
There's the rough-and-tumble series between the Bulls and the feisty Pacers, who made every game a fight to the death.
And there's the Cinderella Grizzlies totally demolishing the top seeded Spurs, dominating basically every game of that series.

And now, in the second round, another set of upsets.

Grizz Keep On Giant-Killing!

Another game with a much higher ranked foe, another upset win for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Fresh from destroying the NBA regular season leader San Antonio Spurs, the Memphis Grizzlies once again hit the ground running and pounded out a win over the highly touted OKC Thunder, 114-101.

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are now solidifying their hold on the title "Most Feared Frontcourt Duo", a title once attributed to he Lakers' Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

Zach Randolph scored a playoff high 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Marc Gasol had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis.

Kevin Durant had 33 points and 11 rebounds while Russell Westbrook scored 29 points but the Randolph and Gasol were simply too much for Ibaka and Perkins.

More on this story here.

Lady Bulldogs Join Ateneo And USLS in V-League Final Four!

And then there were three.

The National University Lady Bulldogs made school history by clinching a berth in the Final Four round of the Shakey's V-Laegue with a scintillating win over the FEU Lady Tams, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 22-25, 15-13.

NU actually won the first two sets but the FEU Lady Tams fought back to force a deciding 5th set. With their backs against the wall, the Lady Bulldogs managed to hold on and eliminate the former V-League champs.

Heat Wins Over Celtics!

It felt like the NBA Finals already. Or at least, the Conference Finals.

There were a lot of tough D, a lot of tough shots made and a lot of T's flying around. There was even an ejection, courtesy of Paul Pierce. In the end, there was only one winner...and they hail from Miami.

Here's Mr. Irrelevant!

Usually, the last kid picked is either scrawny or obese, uncoordinated or lumbering, slow or uncomprehending.

In the case of the NFL draft, the last pick is none of those things. But, to NFL pundits and watchers, he is kinda irrelevant. So much so that he is actually called "Mr. Irrelevant".