Happy 53rd Birthday!

Kaarawan ni Mama ngyon at sawi na naman kasi second straight year na ala ako to celebrate with them. Hirap lalo na ngyon na gusto ko na talaga umuwi.

Wish... Good health as always syempre lalo na ngyon kasi tumatanda ka na. Hehehe.

Love you Ma! Swerte ko kasi lagi kau nandyan para sa kin. Happy birthday!

A Ring for the King?

So, I have broke down the Western Conference and for Lakers fans, be happy, surely you will win again the West since only the Spurs is the dominant opposition.

But NBA finals? Wait, three teams from the East is here and proved to be even stronger. So, for me, the East is the conference to watch. The 6th to 8th seeds will be fun to watch as Hawks, Sixers, Heat and Bulls scrambled to survive for a play off spot.

Here is my list for the East. I can say only three teams has a chance of winning the crown come June 2010. As usual, Cavs, Magics and the Celtics will be the beasts with the Wizards making the biggest turnaround this season.


#1 Cavs - Shaq promised the ring to King James. Does he still have it? Well, I believe so. Cavs also scored well with the acquisitions of Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, an insurance once Delonte West goes berserk.
#2 Magic - Hedo’s gone but Vince Carter is coming in. A slasher who can penetrate at will and open it up for Dwight Howard inside and Rashard Lewis outside. This team will be the hardest to defend.
#3 Celtics - All eyes on KG’s knees and Rasheed Wallace’s hot-headed attitude but the key here will be newcomer Marquis Daniels. I think he’s one of the underrated players in the league and guaranteed to take some minutes off Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
#4 Wizards - Am I sure? A healthy Gilbert Arenas and Brandon Haywood plus Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison will make them playoff contenders again. Plus, don’t forget they acquired Mike Miller and Randy Foye from Minnesota. Too much firepower but please stay injury-free.
#5 Raptors – The biggest loser from last year. With Hedo on board, they will have a dynamic inside-outside frontcourt combo. Plus, Chris Bosh needs to show up, free agency is coming in.
#6 Hawks - Even though they’re small up front, the athletism is overwhelming. Jamal Crawford’s arrival makes them bigger anyway in the backcourt. Plus Marvin Williams is showing improvement showing why he’s picked ahead Chris Paul and Deron Williams 4 years ago.
#7 Sixers - I really don’t know if Elton Brand fits in well with the system. They just slow down every time and that’s not their game. With Andre Miller out, point position will be a key to their success this year.
#8 Heat - Dwayne Wade’s last year in Miami? Well, Jermaine O’neal’s knees and Michael Beasley’s defensive improvement will answer that. But an early playoff exit will sum it up.
# 9 Bulls - I’m a Celtics’ fan and I know that first round was a fluke. And their hero during that series bolted to Detroit months ago (Ben Gordon if you don’t know).
#10 Bobcats - I hate the Okafor-Chandler trade. Just don’t make sense but knowing Coach Larry Brown, defense is number 1. Still, last year’s composition is better than this year. Playoff failure seems to abound.
#11 Pistons - Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon are your free agent jackpots? Come on Joe Dumars, you are better than that. You won’t sign Ben Gordon for $11M per year as your sixth man? Smells like Rip Hamilton is living Motown.
#12 Pacers - Danny Granger’s showed he can be the franchise player to build upon. With Mike Dunleavy coming back from injury and improvements on their young players, this team is locked for a winning season but the time is not now.#13 Knicks - Still no major roster shakeup in anticipation for the highly-touted 2010 free agency. They need to win now to show they are a team to choose next year. I hope their investment to Eddy Curry pays well.
#14 Bucks - Key players are injured. What can you expect? Well, some highlights from rookie Brandon Jennings. Is he that good? The best PG in the rookie class? Let’s see.
#15 Nets - Devin Harris can’t carry this team alone. Another wasted but learning season for the young guys here especially Robin Lopez. Just wait for them in Brooklyn.

The Lakers Repeat

NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10 were already released for your gaming terms and NBA Fantasy Leagues are starting for sign-ups (I have my league at ESPN) which means NBA’s new season is on the horizon already.

Based from my last year’s prediction, here are the forgettable outlooks? Boston didn’t make it all the way (KG’s hurt), Wizards’ big fall as the worst team in the East, Pistons’ collapse as an elite team (because of the AI trade) and Denver’s rise.

So here are my predictions for the Western Conference. For me, the first 7 teams listed are sure play-off bound but as always the last slot will again be determine on the last day of the season for Suns, Clippers and Thunder.

#1 Lakers - The biggest winner of the offseason with the acquisition of Ron Artest. Forget about Ariza, Artest replaces everything with too much upside. The only question is will he be a distraction?
#2 Spurs - Richard Jefferson’s deal was a signature for the future. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are aging. Look’s like Tony Parker will have a running partner now.
#3 Nuggets - A full season that includes a trip to the conference finals, this team now learned how to play NBA basketball unlike AI’s tenure. But loss of Dahntay Jones and Linus Kleiza will be a big factor.
#4 Mavericks - With the arrival of Shawn Marion, this team will be a fun to watch but lack of size will keep them out early again in the play offs .
#5 Blazers - They addressed their need for a more experienced and intelligent point in Andre Miller. For me, this will be a make or break season for Greg Oden before putting a bust mark on his resume.
#6 Hornets - Time to shine for Emeka Okafor. The 2nd pick behind Dwight Howard will be playing with a talented point in Chris Paul. I hope injuries won’t slow them again like last season.
#7 Jazz - Dispose the distraction in Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap already showed he can play a starter.
#8 Suns - Without Shaq, they can start running again as what they have loved. Fun to watch but not enough to compete with the elite teams.
#9 Thunder - The team on the rise for me this season. Kevin Durant’s steady improvement as well as the other young guys will make Oklahoma City a team to look forward to in years to come.
#10 Clippers - Get ready for Blake Griffin. With Baron Davis playing head-wise, this team can crack it out in the play offs.
#11 Warriors - The team falling this year. Lots of off-court issue to deal with. And Monta Ellis-Stephen Curry backcourt won’t definitely work.
#12 Rockets - No Yao, No T-Mac and no Artest. Want to say more?
#13 Grizzlies - At last, Allen Iverson has a home now and that’s the problem. Too many selfish players in there as Zach Randolph and OJ Mayo compete with Iverson with the ball.
#14 Wolves - Forget Ricky Rubio, he isn’t gonna play for this kind of team at all. Another wasted season for Al Jefferson.
#15 Kings - Kevin Martin will keep on pouring points for this team but will still be the worst team in the league.

September Aftermath

Tapos na ang September. Sa wakas nairaos na nman ang isang buwan ng pagtitiis. Sobrang dami nangyari noong nakalipas na buwan lalo na sa Pinas. Thankful pa din ako dahil kahit papaano eh safe ang aking pamilya at mga malalapit na kaibigan sa hagupit ni Ondoy.

Yun nga lng, madami tlgang nangangailangan ng tulong. At talagang kelangan tumulong para makaahon. Kahit maliit na bagay ok na basta wag na i broadcast. Di tulad ng mga pulitiko at mga nangangarap tumakbo sa 2010 elections na lahat nagtake advantage pa sa mga kawawang kababayan para lang makakuha ng pogi points. Hay, kawawang Juan Dela Cruz, nasalanta na, ginamit pa ng mga trapo. Tsk tsk tsk!!!

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Oo nga pla, sa aking mga malalapit na kaibigan na nagcelebrate ng kanilang birthday. Kay Kimo, Archie, Jules, Huge, Jepoi, Eugene at kay Venus, belated happy birthday!

At sa magcecelebrate ngyon buwan ng October, sa aking pinakamamahal na nanay, sa aking kapatid na si Eric, ang aking sister-in-law Shyr at isang mabuting kaibigan Nono. Happy birthday sa inyo!

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Usapang politics muna…

Sure na si Noynoy na tumakbong presidente under LP. Pano na si Mar Roxas? Sayang ang mga plano. Dami pa nman na nagastos para sa infomercial nya. At matutuloy pa kaya kasal nila ni Korina? Sayang ang sobrang publicity nung kasal kung pang bise lng. Hahaha.

Erap vs Lacson, naglalabasan na ng baho. Sa tingin mo, sino nagsasabi ng totoo?

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Tapos na ang laban ni Mayweather at Marquez at obvious naman ang resulta di ba? Masyadong malaki, mabilis at malakas si Mayweather at parang isang boxing clinic lang ang nangyari. Hahaha.

So kung ako tatanungin, may tsansa ba si Pacman? Wala, di nya kakayanin si Pretty Boy Floyd.

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Since October na, nagstart na ang NFL. Ang saya kasi lahat ng laban eh live broadcast dito sa Kabul. Syempre go pa rin ako sa New England Patriots, New York Giants at syempre Minnesota Vikings. Vikings??? Andun kasi si Brett Favre.

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Malapit na din ang NBA season which is magsisimula sa October 31st . Abangan ang review ko for the upcoming season. Para pahapyaw, ito ang aking mga favorites. LA Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic at syempre Boston Celtics.