JB CARROLL & RALPH SAMPSON: TOP PICKS THAT DID NOT REACHED THE TOP

The story of these two players had a lot in common. Both were former number one picks over-all in the NBA draft. Both were college standouts in the US NCAA and both stands seven feet and above. Both were traded for each other during their NBA stints. But alas, both did not reached the full stardom in their respective NBA careers. Until now, both Ralph Sampson and Joe Barry Carroll remains an enigma to those cage pundits, who followed their basketball playing careers.

Sampson, 7'4", was hailed as the next Kareem Abdul Jabbar when he played four years of college hoops for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. He was a 3-time college player of the year awardee and became one of only 98 players to compile 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in US college basketball history. He was drafted the top pick over-all in the 1983 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets and played nine years in the league.

Sampson belongs to a rare breed of seven footers. He dribbles like a point guard and runs the floor very well. But despite all the media hype and excitement of his first NBA season, the Rockets slumped to a disappointing 29-53 record. Sampson averaged 21.0 ppg and 11.1 rpg to win the Rookie of the Year award. He was also selected to the 1984 NBA all-star game. He was selected anew in the 1985 all-star game and won MVP honors as he poured in 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to power the West squad to victory. Upon Hakeem Olajuwon's entry into the Rockets line-up during the 1984-85 season, the "twin towers" were finally born. Olajuwon, who stands seven feet tall and Sampson eventually led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA finals but fell in six games to the Boston Celtics.

Various injuries led to Sampson's trade during the 1986-87 season to the Golden State Warriors, who in return gave away Carroll and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd to the Rockets. That trade started Sampson's career downtrend as he never regained his old form. He never averaged in double figures in scoring and rebounds since then. Sampson later played for the Sacramento Kings and Washington Bullets but clearly, he had become just a marginal player. He closed out his career in Europe where he played 8 games for Spanish club Unicaja Ronda in 1992.

*****

Carroll was one of my favorite NBA players during the 1980s. He is a 7'1" center out of Purdue University, where he holds the school's all-time record in career rebounds with 1,148 caroms. I can still vividly remember an article from a Sports Illustrated issue in 1979, which described Carroll as team USA's answer to the then USSR feared slotman, 7'4" behemoth Vladimir Tkatchenko. But their dream match-up did not materialized in the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to US boycott of the games brought about by the Soviets invasion of Afghanistan.

Before the 1980 NBA rookie draft took place, the Boston Celtics traded their No. 1 and 13 picks in the first round to the Golden State Warriors for Robert Parish and the No. 3 pick. The Warriors then selected Carroll as the top pick and tabbed Mississippi State power forward Rickey Brown with the 13th pick. The Celtics on the other hand drafted Minnesota forward Kevin McHale at No. 3. That trade will go down in history as the thing that made it happen for the Celtics as both Parish and McHale became the vital cogs of their three championships during the decade.

There were 3 celebrated rookies in the Warriors' line-up during the 1980-81 season, which were led by veteran acquisitions Bernard King and World Free. Aside from Carroll and Brown, the bay city outfit also drafted rebounding demon Larry Smith out of Alcorn State. Carroll had an outstanding season as a rookie, wherein he averaged 18.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg. The Warriors barely missed the play-offs during that season as they finished with a 39-43 card no thanks to the team's unexpected tailspin in their last 5 regular season games. Carroll enjoyed his best NBA season during the 1983-84 campaign when he submitted norms of 24.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg. He was branded as a reluctant center during his Warrior days because of his moody attitude and before the 1984-85 season, he suddenly bolted out the Warriors camp to sign with Italian team Simac Milano, which he later led to the league title. He came back to the team just before the 1985-86 season began and averaged an identical 21.2 points in 1985-86 and '86-87 seasons. He was also selected to the 1987 NBA all-star game.

Carroll's tenure with the Warriors ended in December 1987, when he was traded along with Floyd to the Houston Rockets for Sampson. He later played for other clubs such as the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. He ended his NBA career in 1991 with career totals of 12,455 points and 5,404 rebounds.

Both Sampson and Carroll were prime examples of college hoop superstars who did not live up to the expectation of sterling pro basketball careers.

INSPIRING STORY: THE 1975 NBA CHAMPIONS WARRIORS

It was the year which opened my eyes to NBA basketball. They were my first and last favorite team, the bay area outfit, the unlikely NBA champions of the 1974-75 season, the Golden State Warriors. The team was led by the legendary Rick Barry, who is in the history books as the only player to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring. In short, Barry was the "heart and soul" of coach Al Attles' overachieving squad. The team featured a not-so-impressive roster during that year with players like the late Phil Smith, then rookie Keith (later Jamaal) Wilkes, Butch Beard and a gangling slotman in Clifford Ray.

It was a "Cinderella finish" for the Warriors, which Attles later quipped "I guess no one took us seriously". Barry was angered by the team's lack of respect from the media despite winning the NBA title, "Sports Illustrated wouldn't even do a cover story on us". But still, the bottom line is they won the diadem and they shocked the basketball world.

It was truly a "magical mystery tour" for the Warriors as they qualified for that year's play-offs. They beat the Seattle Supersonics in the early round, in 6 pulsating games. The Sonic fans were badly disappointed by the play-off loss to the upstart Warriors, as in the end of game six, they harassed Barry and Beard and tried to instigate a fight. In the Western Conference finals, they were pitted against a powerful Chicago Bulls squad led by superstars Bob Love and Chet Walker. Nobody gave a china man's chance for the Warriors to win the series. But alas, they eliminated the Bulls in seven gruelling games. Tremendous air-tight, man-to-man defense made things possible for the Warriors. They held the Bulls scoreless in the last seven minutes of the deciding game. The Warriors are now in the finals, their first since the 1967 championship year.

The Warriors entered the best-of-seven finale as heavy underdogs against the KC Jones mentored Washington Bullets. The Bullets roster is a like a who's who in pro hoops as they paraded future Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld and backstopped by the likes of Phil Chenier, Bobby Dandridge and Kevin Porter. On paper, there is no way the powerhose Bullets will blew this championship series. But no one can never ever under estimate the big heart of the Warriors. On May 25, 1975, the Golden State Warriors edged the Washington Bullets, 96-95 and swept the series in 4 games and the rest is history.

OFF-SEASON NOTES: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The United States are back on top of the world! The NBA-powered Team USA lived up to its hype and expectations of basketball pundits throughout the planet as they swept the Beijing Olympiad cage meet by a whopping winning margin average of 27.87 per game in 8 outings. Spain gave the americans some anxious moments in the championship game but in the end, Team USA won't be denied of their place in history and how sweet it is to reclaim the supremacy back in the quadrennial meet.

It was reported that at least 6 players from the current team will be automatic shoo-ins for the 2012 Olympiad in London and based on their respective ages, its gonna be LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Derron Williams and Kobe Bryant. Bryant will be 33 then and with his discipline, I honestly believe he still has the game to make the London cut. Count on 2008 ROY awardee Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City squad and 2007 over-all top draftee Greg Oden of the Portland Trail Blazers (assuming he is finally injury-free) as the other sure shots to make the team. Next stop for Team USA: the 2010 World Championship!

*****

The coming campaign of the Golden State Warriors took a big blow as ace point guard Monta Ellis suffered a severe ankle sprain which required surgey and will be out for 3 months. That means Ellis will only be ready to suit-up on the first week of December and will miss the opening month of the 2008-09 NBA season. Ellis injured his ankle in an off-season workout. Expected to replace Ellis during the said period will be new acquisition Marcus Williams and probably former LA Clipper Saun Livingston, who is scheduled for a workout with the Warriors coaching staff anytime now.

By the way, the Warriors are scheduled to play 2 pre-season games in China on October 15 an 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the 2008 NBA China games. Guangzhou will host the October 15 game at the 13,000 seat Guangzhou gymnasium, while action shifts to Beijing on October 18 at the 17,173 seat Olympic basketball arena.

*****

Not-so-good news hug the NBA limelight lately. First is the untimely death of former Portland Trail Blazer center Kevin Duckworth last Monday, August 25, due to congestive heart disease. Duckworth can be remembered as the Blazer's starting slotman during the 1990 finals against the Detroit Pistons and the 1992 championship series with the Chicago Bulls. Duckworth was 44 years old.

Next is Wayman Tisdale, who had his right leg amputated due to bone cancer. Tisdale, 44, played for the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings in the 1980s and 90s. He is also an award-winning jazz artist.

EUROPE NEW HAVEN FOR PRO BASKETBALL?

The NBA is widely known as the best cage league in the universe and it is where the big money is. Almost every kid, not only in the United States but in every part of the globe as well, keeps on dreaming of the day he lands in the NBA . But that was before.

Who would ever imagine of an exodus of current NBA players to various European pro leagues in the prime of their careers. It is mind-boggling, but in reality, teams from the Euro circuit can equal if not surpass the NBA money jar. So far, this summer had seen 9 NBA players joining various euro teams for the coming 2008-09 season. These are Josh Childress (Olympiakos-Greece), Carlos Arroyo (Maccabi Tel-Aviv-Israel), Earl Boykins (Virtus Bologna-Italy), Nenad Krstic (Triumph Moscow-Russia), Juan Carlos Navarro (FC Barcelona-Spain), Bostjan Nachbar (Dynamo Moscow-Russia), Carlos Delfino (BC Khimki-Russia), Jorge Garbarosa (BC Khimki-Russia) and Primoz Brezec (Virtus Roma-Italy).

And if reports are true, the said movements are just the tip of the iceberg, as a club from Greece is ready to tender an "out-of-this-Universe" offer sheet for Cleveland Cavaliers franchise man LeBron James when he becomes a free-agent by 2010. Whew! These European teams are for real and NBA commish David Stern might be thinking now of fast-tracking the implementation of an NBA European franchise.

MY SINCERE THANKS TO THE DEAN

The 2008 NBA finals is now more than a month over but still I can't get over the excitement of the series. Why? It's because I just got my usual pasalubongs from my good friend and godfather, Quinito "The Dean" Henson. I started getting these pasalubongs from Quinito for more than 10 years now and these stuffs (which are safely kept in my sports library at home) were priceless treasures for a basketball junkie like me.

Here are the contents of Quinito's latest 2008 pasalubongs:

• Green Boston Wheapresents T-shirt;
• An exclusive Boston Celtics "New Dynasty" 2008 NBA Champioship Magazine;
• A 56-page colored newspaper on the Boston Celtics "The Road to the finals";
• 2008 NBA finals record book;
• 2008 NBA finals commemorative magazine;
• 2008 Boston Celtics play-off media guide;
• 2008 Los Angeles Lakers play-off media guide;
• 2008 NBA draft media guide;
• 2008 NBA Cares magazine
• 2008 Beat LA poster
• Official Pacquiao-Diaz Scorecard from Las Vegas

What makes it special is that all those stuffs are not available anywhere in the local market. I find myself so lucky to have these materials and forever I'll be very thankful to a find a gem of a friend in Quinito. It maybe a small thing for others but for a bigtime basketball fan like me, it is something larger than life and these "small things" makes life worth living! Again thank you very much, Mr. Quinito Henson!

OFF-SEASON NOTES: RONNY TURIAF IS NOW A WARRIOR

The Golden State Warriors continue to reorganize their line-up for the 2008-09 campaign by taking away erstwhile LA Lakers 6-9 power forward Ronny Turiaf. The Warriors signed Turiaf to a 4-year $ 17M offer sheet which the Lakers decided not to match.

Turiaf, a French national, played a vital role in the Lakers surge to the NBA finals this past season. He started 21 games last season and averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 78 games during the regular season. Turiaf will be a big help on the frontline spot for the bay area outfit. His high octane kind of game shall jive easily with the free wheeling style of coach Don Nelson.

With Turiaf's arrival, the starting spot for the power forward position now becomes a wide-open race along with regulars Al Harrington, Brandan Wright and rookie draftee Anthony Randolph. The addition of Turiaf had also made the Warriors frontline a deeper one.

Its only July and we had already seen dramatic changes transpired in the Warriors team. Chris Mullin and the entire Warriors organization are just proving that there is life after all in the post-Baron Davis era!

OFF-SEASON NOTES: WARRIORS REVAMP

The post-Baron Davis era has began in the bay area. It was a big letdown to see Davis out of the Golden State Warriors team this coming 2008-09 season. But that is life in the NBA. Loyalty had taken the backseat again in lieu of money. Minus Davis, the Warriors are also looking forward to a season sans forward Matt Barnes and off-guard Mickael Pietrus. Pietrus, like Davis, was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Orlando Magic, thus reuniting him with his american discoverer, Otis Smith at the magic kingdom.

The Warriors got back at the Clippers on what they've done to Davis by signing unrestricted free-agent and the Clippers' top scorer last season, swingman Corey Maggette. Maggette is an exciting player and a high flyer who could make the Warrior diehards forget about Davis. Aside from Maggette, the bay area outfit drafted 6-10 forward Anthony Randolph out of Lousiana State University. Randolph is a highly versatile long lanky small forward with a great deal of upside.

There are also some positives that comes with Davis exit. Erstwhile starting off-guard Monta Ellis could now become the ace point guard of the team. Ellis will be highly effective at the No. 1 spot with his youth, enthusiasm and an eye for the open man. Italian Sophomore Marco Bellinelli shall also benefit in the post-Davis era and is being groomed by coach Don Nelson at the starting No.2 position. Veteran Stephen Jackson will be a locked-up at No.3 with the No.4 spot being a toss up between Al Harrington and another second year man Brandan Wright. Andris Beidrins will continue to man the center position. Randolph can be the projected 6th man and the ignition off the bench for the Warriors.

Rumors have it that Warrior executive Chris Mullin is also looking in the possibility of acquiring marquee players like Chauncey Billups of the Detroit Pistons and Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Warriors indeed are in for a long summer and anything can still happen between today and the opening of training camp on October.

OFF-SEASON NOTES: SADNESS

As the NBA off-season unfolds, I felt extreme sadness on 2 issues which transpired a week ago. I was really shocked when Golden State Warrior superstar Baron Davis opt out of his contract and joined the Los Angeles Clippers as an unrestricted free agent.

I was not really worried when news broke out 2 months ago that Davis is considering a transfer to another team. I suppose that Davis is just feeling the waters of the free agent world. And with his $17.5 million contract for next year, I really did not pay any attention to that news. But lo and behold, the Warriors leader (on and off the court) suddenly annouced that he is opting out of his GS contract and signed a 5-year contract with the Clippers last July1. It caught the Warriors front office and its ton of fans including me, flatfooted with Davis' earthshaking decision. It was a big blow to the Warriors coming campaign wherein Davis was suppose to play a vital role in leading back the Bay Area outfit to prominence after narrowly missing last season's play-offs.

Next on the agenda is the relocation of the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City starting next season. Its really sad to see the Sonics leave the city of Seattle after more than 4 decades. There are lots of good memories of the team while it played in the Emerald City capped by the 1979 NBA crown. That championship team was something special. They beat the then-defending champs Washington Bullets, 4-1 after the losing the prevous year to the same team in 7 gruelling outings. Who can ever forget Jack Sikma, Freddie "downtown" Brown, Gus Williams, Lonnie Shelton, Wally Walker and the late Dennis Johnson. According to NBA reports, the said relocation will also drop the name Supersonics and will be replaced by a new monicker.

Its just a week into the off-season and I expect more shocking news in the days, weeks and months to come leading off to the opening of the 2008-09 season, so sit back and fasten your seatbelts!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

The 60 hopefuls had already been named as the NBA conducted its annual draft night at the Madison Square Garden in New York Thursday night (Friday morning Manila time).

Hitting the jackpot as the number one pick over-all for the Chicago Bulls is Derrick Rose, a 6-3 guard out of Memphis. Rose averaged 14.9 ppg as a freshman last season. He was a 3rd team All-American selection by the Associated Press and NABC. He played for the USA Basketball junior selection that played in the 2007 Hoop Summit in Memphis.

The Miami Heat selected 6-10 Kansas State forward Michael Beasly with the second pick over-all. In his only season as a college player, Beasly scored 26.2 ppg in 33 outings. He was named National Freshman of the year by The Sporting News and USBWA. Beasly was also selected to the John Wooden award All-American team.

The Minnesota Timberwolves tabbed USC guard O.J. Mayo with the 3rd pick, The Seattle Supersonics had chosen guard Russel Westbrook from UCLA for the No. 4 pick and the Memphis Grizzlies went for UCLA forward Kevin Love with the No. 5 pick to complete the first 5 picks of the draft. The reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics settled with New Mexico guard J.R. Giddens with the last pick of the first round (30th pick).

Last season, the Sonics run away with a gem in swingman Kevin Durant, the 2nd pick pick over-all, who was named Rookie of the Year for 2007-08. Durant was chosen behind center Greg Oden, who was selected by the Portland Trailblazers as the top over-all pick. Oden's maiden NBA season was a big bust as he missed all of the regular season due to an injury.

Its a brand new world for these kids as they try to muscle their way in and live their longtime dream of playing in the greatest basketball show on earth, the NBA!

USA AGAINST THE WORLD

Now that the NBA finals is over, the focus shifts on a summer of full of hope for cage pundits around the globe as Team USA gears up for the coming cage wars of the Olympiad in Beijing, China from August 8-24, 2008.

The last time team USA won the olympic gold medal was in 2000 in Sydney, Australia. It was coming off a disappointing bronze medal finish in the 2004 Athens olympics won by Argentina. This time around there is not turning back for the star and spangled squad as they assemble a who's who roster for the Beijing joust.

The complete roster of Team USA:

Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)

Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)

Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)

Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)

LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)

Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)

Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)

Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)

Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)

Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)

Head Coach - Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)

Assistant Coaches - Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University)

Mike D'Antoni (New York Knicks)

Nate McMillan (Portland Trailblazers)

Team USA is looking for blood, for vengeance and it showed that they really mean business in last year's FIBA Americas Championship, the qualifier for the Beijing Olympiad, as they posted a 10 win-0 loss card. The way team USA massacred the opposition is evidenced by the following results :

Won over Venezuela, 112-69

Won over US Virgin Islands, 123-59

Won over Canada, 113-63

Won over Brazil, 113-76

Won over Mexico, 127-100

Won over Puerto Rico, 117-78

Won over Uruguay, 118-79

Won over Argentina, 91-76

Won over Puerto Rico, 135-91 (semi-finals)

Won over Argentina, 118-81 (finals)

Whew! a whopping 39.5 winning margin per game! Not a few had believe that this is the second coming of the original dream team, which run roughshod over the opposition in the 1992 Barcelona olympics.

It will be one busy summer for coach Krzyzewski and his staff as they prepare for battle. The following is the complete itinerary of team USA :

June 28-29
Las Vegas TrainingLas Vegas, Nevada

June 28 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Cox Pavilion, UNLV, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 21-25
Las Vegas Training/ExhibitionLas Vegas, Nevada

July 21 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Valley High School, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 22 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Valley High School, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 23 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Valley High School, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 24 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Valley High School, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 25
State Farm USA Basketball ChallengeLas Vegas, Nevada

July 25 (5 p.m.)
USA vs. Canada
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

July 28-Aug. 1
USA Basketball International Challenge - Macao, China

July 28 (6:00-8:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Coati Strip Cotai Arena

July 29 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Coati Strip Cotai Arena

July 30 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Coati Strip Cotai Arena

July 31 (8 p.m.)
USA vs. Turkey
Coati Strip Cotai Arena

August 1 (8 p.m.)
USA vs. Lithuania
Coati Strip Coati Arena

August 2-5
USA Basketball International Challenge - Shanghai, China

August 2 (7:30-8:30 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Site TBA

August 3 (3 p.m.)
USA vs. Russia
Qizhong Arena

August 4 (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
USA Team Training
Site TBA

August 5 (8 p.m.)
USA vs. Australia
Qizhong Arena

August 8-24
Olympic GamesBeijing, China

August 7 (Time TBA)
USA Team Training
Beijing Normal University

August 7 (4 p.m.)
Official Team Press Conference
Main Press Center

August 8 (Time TBA)
USA Team Training
Beijing Normal University

August 9 (Time TBA)
USA Team Training
Beijing Normal University
Preliminary Round

August 10 (10:15 p.m.)
USA vs. China
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 12 (8:00 p.m.)
USA vs. Angola
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 12 (8:00 p.m.)
*USA vs. Qualifier C
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 10 (10:15 p.m.)
USA vs. Spain
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 12 (8:00 p.m.)
*USA vs. Qualifier B
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 20
Quarterfinals
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 22
Semifinals
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

August 24
Finals
Wukesong Indoor Stadium

NOTE: USA Team training times and sites are subject to change. Media are encouraged to verify all sessions you plan to attend.
All times listed are local times.
* Opponents to be determined through the 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament that takes place July 14-20 in Athens, Greece.

Its vindication time for Team USA!

CELTICS ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

This time my crystal ball won't be denied and it is written in the sky, the Boston Celtics are the 2007-2008 NBA champions! A 17th championship banner will be hoisted over the rafters of the TD Banknorth Center after the Celtics demolished the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92 to wrap up the best of seven series, 4-2 and the NBA diadem.

It was a massacre, a cold blooded murder, a devastating KO punch or call it whatever you want, but the way the Celtics closed out the series over the Kobe-powered tinseltown outfit was never ever before seen in the history of the NBA finals. The biggest lead the beantown boys posted in the game was 43 points and gosh, this is the finale. The 39 point victory margin is the largest ever in a deciding game.

The game 5 loss by the Celtics may have given the Lakers the false hope and mind setup in believing that the NBA crown can still be won in 7 games but the reality is that the Celtics just took it easy and set their sights in celebrating at home for the game 6 clincher. But what is mind boggling is that no way in any cage pundit's wildest imagination that the deciding game will be a horrible blow out. With the NBA title now safely tucked under its belt, will this be the start of another Celtics dynasty?

It is a sure thing that Celtic GM Danny Ainge will retain the core of this fantabulous squad come the 2008-09 season and is looking forward to a back-to-back NBA crown. NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett would love to see the retention of game 6 revelation Rajon Rondo, veterans James Posey and PJ Brown, hotshot Eddie House, shocktroopers Leon Powe and Tony Allen, starting slotman Kendrick Perkins and rookie wonder Glen "Big Baby" Davis. However, facing a bleak future with the team are ageless warrior Sam Cassell and seldom-use back-ups in Scott Polard, Brian Scalabrine and rookie Gabe Pruitt.

As the final buzzer sounded for game 6, there were lots of sights that are touching and worth reminscing for the Celtic fans such as the emotional interviews with Pierce and KG (who kept on shouting "I'm Certified, I'M Certified!"), KG embracing Celtic legend Bill Russell tightly and whispering the words "I've got one now" and the ever inspiring presence of Boston greats John Havlicek, Cedric Maxwell and Jojo White. It was truly a magical season for coach Doc Rivers and the men in green. Red Auerbach had lighted his cigars over there in the big sky!

Color it green and I am out of here!

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!