THE MAN, THE MUSIC AND THE LEGEND

Besides basketball, music played a big part of my life. I basically grew up with the music of the early 70s starting off as early as my first grade. And one of the most influential artist whose music I grew up with is no other than Michael Jackson.

It would really be a mortal sin for people from all walks of life during 70s not to recognize a line or two from Michael’s early hits such as “Happy”, “I’ll Be There” and “Ben” (the last which was the theme song of a rat movie with the same title).

I can still recall The Jackson 5’s first Manila visit in 1976. Even though I just saw them on their rounds of various Philippine TV shows during that time, I was caught widely-eyed as an eleven year old boy. It brings shiver to my bones as I recalled him sung “One Day in Your Life” in the then leading noontime show “Student Canteen”. In that same show, they held the grand finals of the “Michael Jackson Sing Alike” contest in which Bobby Dulay won handily with his rendition of MJ’s “Rockin’ Robin”. During the ‘76 Manila tour, Michael and his brothers even played an exhibition basketball game against a local celebrity group.

The Jacksons likewise strongly influenced a Filipino family singing group during the said decade in which they pattern their music with. And I’m referring to Toto and his Children. And who could forget Boy Mondragon, who was singing style resembles that of the King of Pop.

Late in the 1970’s MJ launched his solo album entitled “Off the Wall” which featured all-time great hits like “Off the Wall”, “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”, “I Wanna Rock with You” and the emotionally-driven “She’s Out of My Life”. During the 1978 World Basketball Championships in Manila, the USA team, which was represented by the bible-group Athletes in Action even paraded a player by the name of Michael Jackson.

During my early years in college, MJ struck the music world once more in 1983 as his album “Thriller” became the best-selling album of all-time. In that set includes the legendary hits “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, “PYT (Pretty Young Thing”), “The Girl is Mine” (with the co-legend Paul McCartney) and “Human Nature”. I can still vividly remember how proud and crazy I was during that time when my sister Sonia bought me a cassette tape of “Thriller” from the States (DVDs and CDs were still alien words during that era). It was almost the same time local singer Gary Valenciano entered the music scene. Valenciano became widely-known as the local version of MJ. It was very evident that during Gary V’s early years, his style of singing and dancing is a copycat of the legend from Gary, Indiana. Popular teen dance group during that decade were the “Tigers” featuring Jojo Alejar and his gang of UST glamour boys. The group became famous with their dance steps to the tunes of PYT, Off the Wall and other MJ hits in the popular weekly Sunday night TV show “Penthouse Seven” (which later became Penthouse Live) co-hosted by Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez. Later in the decade and early 90’s, MJ recorded more record breaking hits such as “Black and White”, “Bad”, the critically-acclaimed “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana”. There were several more Michael Jackson hits like “Smooth Criminal” and others which I can not recall at this moment but just as the same considered as immortal classics.

What is admirable and unique about Michael is his love for children. This was clearly defined in his song, “Heal the World”. And to rephrase a line from that beautiful song, it goes “Heal the world, make it a better place. For you and for me and the entire human race”.

It was really a great fifty years which Michael Jackson spent on earth. Forever, his music will be entrenched in our hearts and mind. Thank you very much Michael and just like the title of one of your hits in 1990 “Gone Too Soon”, we bade you goodbye and sincerely thank you for greatly touching our lives.

The Man, The Music and The Legend lives on.

TOAST TO LALA BOYS

It's all over, the Los Angeles Lakers are the 2008-09 NBA champions! The Tinseltown outfit played game five as if there is no tomorrow as they trounced the inexperienced Orlando Magic, 99-86 Sunday night (Monday morning, Manila time) at the Amway Arena. The Lakers clinched the diadem in five games, 4-1.

It's vindication time as well for Laker main man Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant as he finally nailed down an NBA title without the help of erstwhile teammate Shaquille O'Neal. It can be recalled that Kobe played behind the big shadows of O'Neal during the threepeat run of LA in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Now Kobe is on cloud nine all by himself.

Our heartfelt congratulations to coach Phil Jackson, Kobe and the rest of the LA Lakers!

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If the Magic wants to have an encore next year in the NBA finals, they better unload Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson immediately. Both Lewis and Nelson contributed to the downfall of the Magic in game number four which should have been a Magic victory.

It's clear as the bright sky that the grossly overpaid Lewis can not be the man during clutch time for the Disneyworld outfit. He blew wide open jumpers time and time again when Orlando needs a big basket during crunchtime. Nelson on the other hand is the main culprit in the game four defeat as he defended the two point zone instead of challenging Derek Fisher's trifecta. Besides, the Magic had a foul to give and it's mind boggling why Nelson did not foul Fisher immediately or he could have also allowed the veteran Laker guard to go pass him and score on a lay-up which will leave them still up by a point.

Well, as they say, "there's no reason to cry over a spilt milk". But the Magic will definitely be a better team next season as they've learned their lesson very well in the just concluded 2009 NBA finals. And it would be a lot better if they trade Lewis and Nelson before next season gets underway.

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Now that the 2008-09 season is finally over, the attention will now shift to the coming 2009 NBA rookie draft with three players being eyed by the Los Angeles Clippers as possible top pick over-all namely Blake Griffin of the University of Oklahoma Sooners, Spanish wonderboy Ricky Rubio and Euroleague veteran Brandon Jennings.

Welcome to the 2009-2010 NBA season!

NOTES ON THE FINALS

Orlando Magic’s 108-104 game three victory over the Los Angeles Lakers finally snapped their six-game losing spell in the NBA finals, which dates back to the 1995 finals when they were swept by the Houston Rockets. Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson were then the Magic main men

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Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus were the big stars in Orlando’s game three win. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy finally stick it out with Alston than playing more minutes with the comebacking Jameer Nelson. Alston pumped in 20 big points in 36 minutes of action as he anchored the backcourt for the Disneyworld outfit. Pietrus scored 18 points highlighted by numerous slams that made the crowd at the Amway arena bursting with excitement. Both Alston and Pietrus contributed in the endgame that broke the back of the Lakers.

It’s nice to see Pietrus finally comes out of his shell with the Magic after languishing behind the shadows of his more illustrious teammates in Golden State. And what a perfect time to unleash his might considering that it is the finals.

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There’s nobody to blame but Kobe Bryant himself in absorbing the game three defeat for the lala boys. KB24 missed a free throw and committed a turn over in the last two minutes which sealed the doom for the Lakers.

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Mico Halili and veteran analyst Andy Jao is the new tandem covering the NBA finals for Solar Sports. They started covering the games live for Philippine TV over C/S-9 during game three. Perennial NBA finals analyst Quinito Henson begged off this time due to a scheduled eye treatment. This is Halili’s first time to cover the NBA finals while it’s the third time around for “Doctor J’ Jao, who also covered the 1997 and 1998 NBA finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz with Henson.

By the way, another Solar Sports TV analyst Jason Webb is also covering the NBA finals live for Basketball TV (BTV) website wherein he writes his NBA diary alongside Halili .

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It’s great to hear that NBA legend Paul Westphal is back in the coaching world of the NBA. According to reports, he had agreed in principle to handle the Sacramento Kings starting the 2009-2010 season.

The ex-University of Southern California hotshot played 12 seasons in the pro league and had seen action with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics and the New York Knicks. He finished his career with a scoring average of 15.6 ppg in 823 outings.

Previously, Westphal also had coaching stints with the Suns and the Sonics and an overall record of 267-159 win-loss slate in 426 games.

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Again, this maybe late but I would like to extend my condolences to the family of the original “Iron Man” of the NBA, Randy Smith. The 60-year old Smith succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 60.

I grew up watching Smith play for the Buffalo Braves in the 1970s and among his unforgettable game was during an all-star outing wherein he scored on back-to-back halfcourt heaves beating the buzzer in the first and second period, respectively.

Smith saw action in 12 NBA seasons for the Braves, San Diego Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks. He posted an average of 16.7 ppg in 976 games overall. He was drafted by the Braves in the 2nd round of the 1971 rookie draft.

Farewell, Mr. Iron Man.

IS NELSON REALLY NEEDED?

The Los Angeles Lakers took away game one of the 2009 NBA finals with an easy 100-75 thrashing of the Orlando Magic, Thursday night at the Staples Center. The suspense behind the status of all-star guard Jameer Nelson was finally unraveled as coach Stan Van Gundy reactivated the 6-0 guard from the injury list in time for the opening game. Nelson played 23 and a half minutes contributing 6 measly points and took away a lot of playing time from starter Rafer Alston. But did Gundy made the right decision in playing Nelson? It seems unfair for Alston to play second fiddle to Nelson, who didn’t see any action the entire Easter Conference playoffs. It was Alston in tandem with Dwight Howard which help propelled the Disneyworld outfit to its first appearance in the finals after 14 years of absence.

Nelson had already been given the clean bill of health by his Doctors and cleared to start practicing with the Magic. But is the NBA finals the right time for a comeback? How will it affect the present Magic chemistry?

So let’s hear it from the Magic camp on what’s on their mind with regards to Nelson’s comeback:

Jameer Nelson: I'm a competitor. No matter what the situation is, I always think I can go out there and get contact. A miracle has to happen. I can go out there and, no matter what the situation is, I can adapt. We still play the game the same way.

I'm not saying I'm any tougher or stronger than anybody, but I've been known to do some amazing things sometimes."

Otis Smith, General Manager, Orlando Magic: "It's still no in my mind. There's a very smidgen of a chance he can play. I just told him, 'Don't fall prey to the trap. The trap is, you want your team to do well, but you don't want them to do too well because you feel like you're not needed or missed. Ultimately, you have to make the decision that's best for your organization."

Stan Van Gundy, Head Coach, Orlando Magic: "You always worry about that. But that's just the decision that I'll have to make after a couple of days and he's practicing. ... But to me, four months is a long time to be out to have two practices and play in the NBA finals.

Right now, he's not the guy we had the first part of the year, and he won't be. I'm not against it, for it, anything. Just wait and see. My concern would be … just not having played the game in four months, now you're going to go play at the absolute highest level. That seems to be a pretty tall order."

Dwight Howard: "I just want him healthy. He doesn't have to play if he doesn't feel up to it. I'd rather see him healthy more than anything because his career in the long run is more important. This is just one series."

Anthony Johnson: "I expect to see him out there at some point in the series."

Mickael Pietrus: "He was terrific. Hopefully, he will play and can help us win."

Rafer Alston: "I was going to try to run him ragged out there, but I didn't want to cross him over. He did cross me over a couple times."

Based on the result of the series opener, the Magic's chances of winning it all seems better off with Alston.

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Another Jordan had taken a front office seat in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers had just announced that they had signed former Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan to a three-year contract as head mentor of the team. Jordan had been on the Sixers radar as early as December of last year after the City of Brotherly Love outfit unceremoniously dismissed erstwhile head coach Maurice Cheeks.

The Sixers will be the third team that Jordan will handle in his NBA coaching career. With his new appointment, "Fast Eddie" can not help but get excited with his new team. "This team has a good core group, has future stars in the waiting, they've had playoff experience for two years," Jordan said. "Now it's time to go uptown." Jordan also explained why is bringing in former NBA players Mike O’Koren and Aaron Mckie in his Sixers coaching staff. "If you're a basketball player with a basketball IQ, it will be easy to learn," Jordan said.

Jordan, who was well known for his up-tempo type kind of game during his NBA playing days, is expected to turn the Sixers offense into an exciting and fastbreaking team. It is will definitely be a new beginning for Jordan and the 76ers.

MAGICAL RUN

“Got to believe in magic, tell me how two people find each other in a world that’s full of strangers”. “You can do magic, you can have anything that you desire”. Those were lines from the hit songs in the 1980s by David Pomeranz and America, respectively. Nope, we are not talking here about retro music but everyone can’t help sing that tune nowadays in praise of the Orlando Magic.

After 14 long years, the Disney outfit is back in the final dance and will start their best-of-seven NBA championship series versus Kobe Bryant and his fearsome band of “lala boyz” on Thursday night (Friday morning, Manila time) at the Staples Center.

The Magic stole the thunder from the heavy favorite Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, shocking and bringing down 2009 NBA MVP LBJ and his proud Cavaliers in six grueling games. Nobody gave the Magic a chance of scoring an upset over the rampaging Cavs, which swept the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the 2009 playoffs. They handed Cleveland their first taste of defeat in game one and from then on, there’s no stopping the Magic in their destiny towards the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Now they are ready to challenge the Western Conference champs Los Angeles Lakers in what is expected to be one hell of a final series. Even though the Lakers finished as the number one seed in the West after regular season and the Magic third in the East, Orlando swept their two regular season meetings. The main match-up to watch out for is the Dwight Howard-Kobe Bryant duel. If both players were able to off-set each other in the series then it will all boil down to the battle of their respective back-ups. Bryant is expected to get a lot of support from Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic. Howard on the other hand will count on Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, Mickael Pietrus, Courtney Lee and JJ Reddick.

If you think you’ve seen enough of first-hand thrillers in the 2009 playoffs then wait until the hostilities fire-off for all the marbles between the best of the East and the elite of the West. One thing for sure, this is gonna be a humdinger of a series so let’s get it on!

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This is my centennial article posted on this blogsite. How time flies since I started this NBA corner on April 9, 2008. My love for the game will not diminish even a single bit and expect more fireworks in the next one hundred articles to be posted. Thank you very much to all the readers and followers of Boyet’s NBA Corner.