CALM BEFORE THE STORM

It was a case of "one step backward, two steps forward" for the Boston Celtics in their quest for their first NBA championship in 22 years after the LA Lakers denied the men in green in game 5 to win, 103-98, thus extending the series to a game 6.

Not a few believe that the Celtics will finish the series at Staple Center, the Lakers pit. A championship celebration will be surely be half-baked when its won far away from home. Now with a 3-2 lead, the Celtics will return to their homecourt at TD Banknorth Garden with their guns ablazing for game 6.

Except for Paul Pierce, almost all of the Celtics were out of sync in game 5. But despite an off-night from the Celtics, the Lakers fought tooth and nail to carve out the hard-earned win. It was almost like game 4 all over again as the Celtics came back from a 19 point deficit in the 2nd quarter to take the lead early in the 3rd canto. But the breaks went LA's way down the stretch and KB24's crucial steal off Pierce sealed the victory for the team from la la land.

Now, everyone is bracing for the big one, the big celebration, the ultimate thing, the clinching of the diadem at home for the Celtics. Remember, the boys from beantown had lost only once at home in the play-offs and they had twice trounced the Lakers early in the series.

Its champagne time!

AMAZING COMEBACK BY THE CELTICS; LEADS 3-1!

It is a question of who wants it more down the stretch and the Boston Celtics completed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA finals history by downing the LA Lakers, 97-91 in game 4 at the Staples Center.

The Lakers went out fast from the gate and built a 20 point cushion early in the first canto, 27-7. The boys from tinseltown then padded it to 24 during the 2nd period and it looks like the series would be drawn back to square one and the men in green from beantown would eventually suffer a devastating loss. The Celtics made a run towards the latter part of the 2nd quarter as they cut down the lead to 12 points before guard Jordan Farmar connected on a desperation 3 point basket at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 57-40 advantage at the halftime break.

The 3rd quarter looked like a mind-boggling scene from the twilight zone as the Celtics incredibly slashed down the lead of the Lakers to only 2 at the end, 73-71. From there on, there's no stopping Boston of stealing the crucial game 4 from the grasp of the Lakers. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and James Posey presided in the final canto with clutch baskets that broke the backs of the Lakers. If there is one thing to commend about the Celtics win, its DEFENSE. The Lakers were limited to only 34 points in the 2nd half by a stingy Boston defense anchored on Kobe Bryant. KB24 finished the game on 6 of 19 shooting from the field no thanks to the "Boston Stranglers". Five Celtics finished the game in double figures in scoring with Paul Pierce leading the pack with 20 points, Allen had 19 points, Posey with those timely 3-point shots contributed 18 points, Garnett pumped in 16 points and another surprise package in Eddie House, who tallied 11 points.

The devastating loss dealt the Lakers a psychologically damaged mindset going into game 5. They will surely be smarting from the pain of the heartbreaking loss from the previous outing and the Celtics will surely take advatage of that and finished off the proud but inexperienced team from la la land. So is it champagne time for game 5?

Your guess is good as mine!

BULLS: THE SEARCH IS OVER

When I was still actively playing b-ball during my younger years, I had a penchant for jump shots and outside shooting. Actually it was my forte, my style and up to this day I can still challenge anyone for a shooting contest. Even in the NBA, my fave players now and then were those considered dead shots when it comes to the perimeter game. I love the offensive games of Chris Mullin, Rick Barry, Tracy Murray, Joe Hassett, Jason Kapono, JJ Redick, Marco Bellineli and Vinny Del Negro.

Well, Del Negro had just hugged the limelight recently as the Chicago Bulls appointed the 41-year old ex-North Carolina State Wolfpack as its new head coach. It came a big surprise when the windy city outfit ended up their long search for a top guru with Vinny, who had no coaching experience whether in college or the NBA, after entertaining several top prospects which included new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and veteran Doug Collins. So who is Vinny Del Negro?

Before accepting the Bulls coaching offer, Del Negro served as the Assistant General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. He played 13 years in the NBA and had stops at Sacramento, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix with a career average of 9.1 ppg in 771 games.

It will be an interesting 2008-09 season for Chicago as the Bulls make a 360 degrees turn around, transforming from a defensive-conscious unit (under Scott Skiles) to a well-oiled offensive machine under the watch of Del Negro. Hopes are high with Vinny's arrival after a disappointing 2007-08 season for the Bulls which were highlighted by the firing of Skiles on Christmas eve and failure to advance to the play-offs.

It will be a make-or-break year for the Bulls and Del Negro!

TWO DOWN! TWO TO GO!

The Boston Celtics had completed their initial mission, that is to deny an LA Lakers win in game 2 of the NBA finals.

With their 108-102 victory, the beantown boys now moved up 2-0 in their epic best of seven championship series. If the tinseltown squad won game 2, the Celtics will then be in big trouble as the next 3 outings are scheduled at Staples Center, the Lakers pit. Game 2 was a very important game for the Lakers to win but they just blew it in the end. Now even if LA wins all those 3 games at home, the series moves back to TD Banknorth Garden for games 6 and 7, if necessary. The Celtics are just unbeatable at home. The Lakers certainly had their backs against the wall.

From the way things are right now, it looks like KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and the rest of the men in green are in for a long summer of celebration as the massive team buildup initiated by Danny Ainge will finally come to fruition and a 17th championship banner to hang over the rafters. Red Auerbach is itching to light up his cigars over there in the big sky!

HENSON LEADS RP TV COVERAGE ANEW

"The Dean" Quinito Henson is back for his 10th stint in the last 12 years as anchorman for the Philippine TV coverage of the NBA finals. Henson and partner PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad left Manila last Tuesday to be at courtside come game one of the best of seven NBA championship at Boston.

The Dean had previously covered the 1997 showdown between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz and as well as its rematch in 1998, the 1999 series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, the 2000 series between the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers, The 2003 series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets, the 2004 upset of the Detroit Pistons over the Lakers, the 2005 epic series between the Spurs and the Pistons, the 2006 clash of the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks and of course last season's finals sweep of the Spurs over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Aside from the NBA finals, Henson had numerous stints too as anchorman for RP TV live coverage of NBA all-star weekends in the past, doing the play-by-play accounts in Cleveland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Houston and Denver.

Other notable luminaries who had also worked the NBA finals TV coverage with Henson in the past includes Andy Jao (now the Red Bull's assistant manager in the PBA), Vito Lazatin (of Solar Sports) and Anthony Suntay (currently with ESPN Star Sports).

Aside from the TV coverage which can be seen live on C/S Sports-RPN and BTV, Henson will exclusively write on the sidelights and behind the scene tidbits for the Philippine Star.

Every NBA finals on Philippine TV won't be complete without the voice of the Dean!

WHAT A DECISION!

What's on your head Joe?! Joe Dumars and the Detroit Pistons had just fired Flip Saunders as coach of the motown outfit. Saunders had just led the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals for the 3rd straight year and suddenly became the scape goat for their failure to topple the powerhouse Boston Celtics in the recently concluded eastern conference finale.

The decision caught the NBA pundits by surprise considering that Dumars and Saunders seemed to be on good vibes a few days after the series with the Celts was over. Everybody is looking forward for a revamp of the Detroit lineup but not the coaching staff.

It seems Dumars had become too greedy with the NBA hardware since winning the 2004 diadem. But with 6 straight conference finals appearance, the Pistons are in a position where 27 other NBA teams would love to be.

Saunders compiled an eye-popping 176-70 win-loss record or a winning percentage of .715 in 3 marvelous seasons with Detroit. Before joining the Pistons in 2005, Saunders coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for 10 straight seasons (1995-2005). He also had a coaching record of 587-396 win-loss mark in 13 NBA seasons (.597 winning percentage).

The Pistons is one of the teams I used to admire because of its good management, which resulted into winning the 2004 NBA title over the then heavily favored Lakers team. But right now I can honestly can say that the once-proud franchise is at a lost and shall continue to rock the boat until it turns downward and sink further to the doldrums. What a waste!

WISH COME TRUE FOR THE NBA

So my NBA finals prediction went pfft and the wish of the NBA had been granted! Its NBA retro finals, a battle royale of a storied rivalry, The BOSTON CELTICS VS. the LOS ANGELES
LAKERS for the 2007-08 diadem!

Ever since the Celtics and the Lakers made great changes in the composition of their respective line-ups during the season, the NBA gods had been wishing one thing for a dream championship, that is the revival of pro basketball's great rivalry, which is not only rewarding for the longtime supporters of both teams but will also reap dividends business-wise. For sure, a Celtics-Lakers finale will get additional media mileage and generate more revenues for the league than a Spurs-Pistons series.

Anyway, it will be a fresh sight for basketball enthusiasts to see a Lakers-Celtics finals series. It had been 21 long years since they had their "last dance" in 1987. Both franchises are genuinely excited to be back in championship series once more. The beantown's team captain Paul Pierce is looking forward to a bruising series. Curiously, Pierce is a Los Angeles native and grew up in Inglewood loving the Lakers and hating the Celtics. After the Celts won the Eastern Conference crown over the Detroit Pistons last Saturday morning (Manila time), he said "As a kid, I hated the Celtics, I'm going back home to play against my team that I grew up watching. It's a dream come true, man, just thinking about it. I think that rivalry really revolutionized the game of basketball, and now I'm a part of it."

Its also great to see Kevin Garnett finally showing his wares in a championship series and just like Pierce and Ray Allen, is looking forward to that elusive ring which had eluded him since his rookie season in 1996. A sure future Hall of Famer, a champiosnhip hardware shall be the icing on the cake for KG's exceptional career as a pro cager.

During the Eastern Conference championship celebration at the Celtics dugout, its nice to hear once again the battlecy "BEAT L.A.! BEAT L.A.!", which was last heard 21 long years ago. The presence of Celtic great John Havlicek during the celebration was very touching and an inspiration sight to behold for the title-hungry beantown team.

Pinoy NBA expert Quinito Henson texted me a week ago that he will be back live at the courtside to bring the coming NBA finals to Philippine TV. I truly believe it will be one heck of a TV coverage once again by the Solar Sports outfit, to enable the filipino audience to witness the best possible coverage of the NBA finals. "The Dean" will also have the finals' sidelights and behind the scene news exclusively at the Philippine Star. So you better start getting your copy today.

Just like Pierce, I like the Lakers over the Celtics during the 1980s as a fanatic of the great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. I hate Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, the late Dennis Johnson and the rest of the guys in green. But that was then and this time as I matured into an avid baketball observer through the years, I'm picking the Celtics over the Lakers in six games (here I go again!). So fasten your seatbelt guys and brace for a nostalgic NBA retro finale tipping off on June 6, 2008 at the fame Fleet Center in Boston!

REF CRAWFORFD GAVE LAKERS GAME 4 WIN

The "grudge part 2"? NBA ref Joey Crawford ruined what could had been a beautiful and exciting playoff game between the defending champs San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers escaped with a 93-91 win and a 3-1 advantage with the series going back to tinseltown for game 5. Actually the series should have been tied at 2-all if not for the outrageous no-call of Crawford on a very obvious foul of the Lakers' Derek Fisher on a 3-point attempting Brent Barry of the Spurs. The Spurs had magnificently came back from a seven point deficit with 51 ticks to go to trim the lead of the Lakers down to a basket when Barry faked Fisher with the latter falling hard on the former at the 3-point area in front of Crawford and alas no whistle was blown!

It can be recalled that this is the same ref who ejected Tim Duncan last year in a regular season game for no apparent reason at all thus resulting into his suspension by NBA commish David Stern. Now Crawford had unleashed all his anger on the Spurs and what a time to do his revenge! This ref should had not been allowed to officiate in the playoffs in the first place, the league's image can be tarnished with this kind of cheap retaliation.

Joey Crawford has no place in the NBA! period!

CONGRATS TO SOLAR SPORTS

With Solar Sports' bagging of the rights for the coverage of the PBA games starting next season, the giant sports network now had locked up exclusively the TV rights of almost all of basketball's prestigious leagues such as the NBA, PBA, US NCAA final four, Euroleague and PBL.

I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the said network for bringing the NBA conference finals playoffs and as well as the coming championship series live on local TV behind C/S Sports. It gave the non-Destiny cable subscribers the chance of a lifetime to watch the NBA games as it happens.

My hats off to the Tieng brothers and Jude Turcuato! Mabuhay kayo!

ITS NOW 2-2 IN THE EAST

Shades of 2004? The Detroit Pistons played their best defesive game of the series so far and whipped the Boston Celtics, 94-75 at the Palace of Auburn Hills to even up the Eastern Conference finals at 2 games apiece.

Jason Maxiell typified the kind of defense the Pistons played all night, highlighted by a breathtaking block of a breakway slam of Kevin Garnett in the second period. So stifling were the Pistons in their air-tight press as they limited the beantown boys to only 32% FG! The Celtics did not scored more than 19 points in each quarter of the second half.

Antonio McDyess topscored for the Pistons with 21 points and hauled down a game-high 16 caroms. Four other Pistons tallied double figures in scoring with Richard Hamilton contributing 20, Rasheed Wallace and Maxiell hitting 14 apiece and Chauncy Billups finishing up with 10 points. The celebrated trio of the Celtics (Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) were limited to a total of only 43 points.

With the momentum now on the side of the motown squad, expect the Pistons to ride on their game 4 victory and score a crucial win in Boston that will set-up for the clincher at the Palace. Whew! It looks like there's no stopping the Pistons from now on!

WILL BELINELLI BE GIVEN A CHANCE?

The Golden State Warriors surprised a lot of NBA pundits when they drafted Italian hotshot Marco Belinelli with the 18th pick in the 2007 draft.

A many-time national player, Belinelli was expected to offset the loss of erstwhile Warrior pointmaker Jason Richardson, who was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats during a draft day deal which sent Belinelli's co-rookie Brandan Wright to the bay area. The sweet-shooting Belinelli, whose perimeter sniping and 3-point bombing can be compared to Warrior great and now team official Chris Mullin, then took the NBA summer league in Las Vegas by storm, by posting big numbers for the Golden State entry.

But the Warriors top honcho Don Nelson had a change of heart as the 2007-08 season began. Belinelli played in only 33 games (out of a possible 82 outings), seeing action in only 7.3 minutes per game and contributing a measly 2.9 points an outing. As a shooting guard, he played behind swingmen Baron Davis, Monta Ellis and Mickael Pietrus. Poor boy Marco did not had his chance to show his prowess.

With Davis sending feelers to other team and thinking seriously of leaving the Warriors, Belinelli may finally get his chance to shine.

Come on Marco, show the Warriors why you had become one of the deadliest shooters in Italian cage history! The time indeed has come!

SPURS IN GAME 3 MASSACRE!

The San Antonio Spurs showed the basketball world that nobody can never, ever underestimate the heart of a champion as they bounced back from a 30-point loss in game 2 to destroy Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, 103-84 earlier today.

The win brought back the Spurs into the Western Conference finals series, 2-1 after losing 2 contrasting defeats at Staples Center. Game 1 saw the Spurs faltering in the final period to succumb, 89-85 but not after blowing a 20-point advantage in the 3rd quarter. A lackadaisical performance by the Spurs in game 2 saw the Lakers running away with a 30-point win, 101-71.

Game 4 is set on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning Manila time) also at the AT&T Center in the kingdom of the Spurs, with the defending champs eyeing the equalizer and sending back the series to square one. Manu Ginobili starred for the Spurs in game 3 and made up for his so-so performance in the first two games.

To those who had given up on the Spurs, "NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE HEART OF A CHAMPION!"

THE FINAL FOUR!

So its the NBA's 2 most-storied teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers which drew first blood in the conference finals. The Celtics took advantage of Detroit's long respite from active play, winning 88-79 at home while the Lakers dramatically came back from 20 points down in the 3rd canto to take the opener, 89-85 at Staples Center.

Both series are worth watching as the top 2 seeds in the east, one with the biggest offseason build up and the other a defensive-conscious perennial title contender and the battle in the west between the defending champs and a team, which is the current toast of the season, slug it out for a finals seat.

It is widely believe that when the smoke is cleared, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs will be the last 2 teams standing come the NBA finals. Both teams had the experience and the depth to go all the way to the championship round. The core of the 2007 Spurs champion team is still very much around and the same can be said of the Pistons with the vital cogs of its 2004 title-winning squad still wreaking havoc in the playoffs. The celebrated tro of Boston's big 3, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are all-star calibers but remember none of them had won a single championship ring so far. On the other hand, the Lakers, featuring season MVP Kobe Bryant had only Paul Gasol, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom to count on as able veterans of the tinseltown team. Andrew Bynum's injury was a big blow to the Lakers campaign, leaving a big vacuum in the middle. Bynum's absence will create mismatches in the center position against the Spurs, which has big bodies in Tim Duncan and argentine banger Fabricio Oberto. Add to that the inconsistent play of Odom in the current playoffs.

So my apology for those LA and Boston fans who are looking forward to a revival finale between the Celtics and the Lakers as all roads to the NBA finals are pointing to a rematch of the 2005 NBA champioship, the San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons!

HORNETS FLY HIGH!; CAVS TO SLAY GHOST OF 2007?

So far, my NBA playoff forecast remains on target. The Detroit Pistons, which I picked to win the east, are now in the finals of the Eastern Conference awaiting the winner of the Celtics-Cavaliers series. The Pistons now had made it to the conference finals a records six straight times tying the record of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s.

On my other picks, those on shaky grounds are the highly-fancied Celtics and the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs. The Beantown squad are currently locked up with the defending eastern winners Cavaliers at 2 wins apiece while the Spurs are facing elimination with a 3-2 deficit against the upstart New Orleans Hornets. The surprising Hornets blew out the Alamo outfit, 101-79 in game 5 and now had 2 chances to close out the series entering game 6, which is scheduled at the AT&T Center. In case of a game 7, that will be played in the Hornets nest in New Orleans.

LeBron James made up for his so-so performance in the first 2 games of the Boston series, leading the Cavs to back-to-back victories in games 3 and 4 in Cleveland. James and the Cavaliers are looking forward of duplicating their NBA finals stint last year, which they lost via a sweep against the Spurs. With a new-look line-up this season, Cleveland is not only gunning for a finals seat but likewise, to win it all come June.

The Utah Jazz-LA Lakers series now looks like a toss-up after the Jazz scored 2 straight wins at home to tie-up the series going to game 5 in Staples Center. I predicted the Jazz to win the series in six games and I am still on track with that one.

The playoffs is now entering the homestretch and all my predictons are still alive. So hang on to your seats as we enjoy a christmas season in June! Hohoho!

WAS CP3 ROBBED OF THE MVP PLUM?

Its now official, the 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the 1st ever MVP award for Bryant, who is now on his 12th NBA season. But now a few eyebrows were raised on Bryant's winning of pro basketball's most prestigious individual award.

Many felt that the most stellar performance (impact-wise) dished out by an NBA player this past regular season is by New Orleans 3rd year gem of a point guard, Chris Paul. Paul, a 6-0 guard out of Wake Forest, was instrumental in leading the Hornets to a 56-26 win-loss mark and the Southwest Division title. Others will easily point out to the Lakers winning of the Pacific Division and best regular season slate of 57-25 in the West as the upside in Kobe's MVP selection. But remember, the tinseltown's late season surge was not an all-Kobe show but mainly due to the trade last February which sent erstwhile Memphis star Pau Gasol to the Lakers. On the other hand, CP3 was the vital cog and catalyst of a non-star Hornets squad, which is the most surprising team in the league this year and which it also netted Byron Scott the Coach of the Year honors.

For a head-to-head match-up of individual stats between Paul and Bryant, herewith is their respective '07-08 numbers :

CHRIS PAUL KOBE BRYANT

21. 1 PPG 28.3

4.0 RPG 6.3

11.6 APG 5.4

2.7 SPG 1.8

We do hope that come the next selection of the NBA MVP awardee, it will be through merits and not merely a popularity contest. Give it to the most deserving!

THE HAWKS ALMOST SHOCK THE WORLD!

The powerhouse Boston Celtics had finally eliminated the surprising Atlanta Hawks in game 7 of their Eastern Conference first round play-offs via a whopping 99-65 rout! But coach Mike Woodson and his bunch of gritty boys had nothing to be ashamed of! Imagine extending the top-seeded Celtics to the limit, whew!

At the end of game 6 wherein the Hawks pulled even in the series, 3-3, after a heart-stopping 103-100 victory at the Philips Arena, I noticed an ATL fan holding a signboard "SHOCK THE WORLD!", well they almost did. But the experience of the title-favorite Celtics is too much for the young Hawks as evidenced by the winning margin of the deciding game. But I and the rest of the NBA world take our hats off to this up-and-coming team. A team consists of young turks in Al Horford, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Willams and veteran snippers Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson, it is widely believe that come the next NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks shall be a team to reckon with! Mark my word on that dude!