Smart Gilas Spanks Al-Ittihad, 101-69!

Asi Taulava and Marcus Douthit warming up

When the Saudis trotted out a lineup that looked big and powerful, everyone in the Philsports Arena took a big gulp. Japhet Aguilar looked positively thin opposite Serbian reinforcement Vladislav Dragajlovic while JV Casio and Chris Tiu were dwarfed by the stocky Saudi guards.

Then, in the very first play of the game, Tiu delivered a perfect alley-oop pass to Aguilar, who slammed the ball home. That set the tone for the game as the Gilas players played aggressive basketball to cop their first win in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.

Key To Beating Saudi Arabia: Defense On Imports

The FIBA-Asia Champions Cup kicks off today with Smart-Gilas taking on Saudi Arabia at 6pm.

For the boys in blue, white and red, the key to beating Saudi Arabia lies in defending one American and one Serbian.
Yes, Coach Rajko Toroman is of the opinion that beating the Saudis means keying in on 6'10"Serbian import Vladimir Dragonovic and talented American import Darren Kelly.

Toroman noted the the skill level of the local Saudi players are not yet fully developed, a factor they will try to exploit.

More on this story here.

Clutch Heat In NBA Finals!

The last 3 games, the Bulls have led late in the fourth quarter. Each time, the Miami Heat overtook them for the win.

And that's why they are marching on to the NBA Finals to face the surprise finalists from the West, the Dallas Mavericks.

Mavs Back To The Finals!

Another fourth quarter deficit with time ticking away, another comeback win for the resilient Mavs.

Down by 6 with 4 minutes left, the Mavs turned to old reliables Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion, to fuel a 14-4 run and eke out a 110-96 win over the young OKC Thunder.

Nowitzki and Marion both ended up with 26 points. The Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook's 31 and Kevin Durant and James Harden's 23 points.

The Mavs now wait for the winner of the Chicago-Miami series. The Heat lead 3-1.

More on this story here.

Should Barako Stay Or Should They Go?

Whatever their decision is, the Red Bull Barako management better reach it fast, as the PBA Board gave them only up till Friday to decide.

This startling turn events came about when Red Bull governor Manny Mendoza informed the board of Red Bull's interest of reactivating its team for the third conference.

More on this story here.

Negros Coach Endorses 5 Players For SEA Games Team!

It could be a case of homerism...except that, after the 9-0 shellacking the Negrenses levied on rival Iloilo, these players have proven that they more than deserve consideration for the SEA Games Team.

Norman Fegidero, coach of the Negros Team that won the U-23 PFF Suzuki Cup in scintillating fashion, has endorsed strikers Joshua Beloya, Joven Bedic, Lemuel Unabia and Aldrin Dolino plus defender Carmelo Tacusalme to Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss as candidates for the SEA Game squad.