airball men back from the dead

been a while since i edited this thing. been too busy with school work and looking at myself in the mirror and getting surprised everytime i see myself. i look too damn good. no, really, i do. i make women's panties fall off just like that. and pigs can fly.

anyone else felt the triumphant return of t-mac? yeah, i'm sure all of you answered "NO," because of 2 undeniable truths:
1. the world has passed t-mac by
2. it's not even close to being triumphant.

well he did return and averaged 3.2 points in 7 minutes a ballgame while shooting an ice cold 36%. when you once scored 13 points in 35 seconds against the spurs and won back-to-back scoring titles and are now relegated to the bench as a first-half player, you know your team doesn't want you anymore.

question is, does anybody else want t-mac?

he may not be the dominant all-star who once battled kobe bryant for backcourt supremacy in the league, but i think he can still be a good second or third scoring option on other teams (and by "other teams" i meant 80% of the eastern conference). or he could go to the philippines and dominate the philippine basketball association.

did anybody watch the lakers-cavs game? it was a playoff atmosphere inside staples center, complete with commentators saying "the referees are letting them play!" and some foam-finger-throwin' from the LA crowd. it reminded me of the glory days of the NBA in the 80's and 90's, because back then the referees didn't automatically blow the whistle upon seeing contact. now they seem to not want any scratch on the faces of the players. what's up with that? the NBA is a grown-up's league and some slight contact can be shrugged off, unless you're lebron james.

anyway, happy new year.

EDIT! here's a comment from my best friend "anonymous," who is clearly anti-lebron:

and yes, i hate lebron. the NBA's trying too hard to "create" another jordan, but you can't create that. it just happens.

kobe's still on top.

Charley Rosen of foxsports.com said it best:

Because of his gigantic talents, his overwhelming power, his freight-train speed, his resounding dunks and his chase-down blocks of breakaways, most NBA watchers believe LeBron James to be the best player in the league.

While conceding LBJ's gargantuan upside, I humbly beg to disagree. By my lights, the honor belongs to Kobe Bryant.

Here's why:

- Kobe's low-post game is much more effective than LeBron's. This is somewhat puzzling given LBJ's size, strength and ability to finish.

- Kobe's left hand is better around the hoop, and his off-handed shots also have better range.

- Kobe has a better handle, both in and out of traffic.

- There's no comparison between Kobe's reliable jumper and LeBron's erratic one.

- Kobe is a more reliable shooter at the free-throw line — 84.0 percent lifetime to LBJ's 73.8.

- No right-minded observer would disagree Kobe is the best clutch shooter extant.

- Although he often is hypnotized by the ball, Kobe is still a superior defender.

- In the attack zone and on the outskirts, Kobe enjoys a considerable advantage in sheer creativity.

- Given that LBJ measures 6-8, 250, while Kobe is a mere 6-7, 210, their offensive rebounding stats are significant. James averages 1.3 while Bryant's average is 1.2. All things considered, then, it's clear Kobe also out-performs LeBron in this category.

- Whereas LBJ's pre-game antics are often childish — all of the dancing, fake photo-snapping, showering court-siders with rosin dust — Kobe has a much more serious and focused approach.

- Unlike LeBron, Kobe doesn't use the imperial third person when talking about himself.

reactions to the young season

well, 5 percent of the NBA season is now behind us, but teams are still searching for an identity (especially the revamped powerhouse teams, save for a few) or are surprising some people.

the lakers, who began the season without pau gasol, have also now lost the services of andrew bynum (yes, it's time once again for the annual andrew bynum injury party). as such, we haven't seen the lakers' true identity this season and they're not nearly as scary as what we know they can be. so far, kobe bryant's been carrying the team on his back with a couple of 40-point games. ron artest is beginning to find his role in phil jackson's tried-and-tested-and-proven triangle offense, and lamar odom's probably eating more candy. as of this writing, they are holding a 5-1 win-loss slate, and will only get better as the season progresses. although seeing dj mbenga take jumpshots and fail miserably is kind of a joy to watch. now i think it's time to bring out adam morrison and let him shoot, shoot, shoot.

boston? no surprise there. out of all the powerhouse teams that added more weapons on their roster, the celtics have been in top form since game 1. 'sheed and daniels have been great off the bench and the old guys in the starting lineup are still out for blood and another run at the championship. this is one scary team, although their first loss courtesy of the suns shows that they're still vulnerable and aren't capable of going 82-0. still, they're on pace to deliver on rasheed wallace's prediction of eclipsing the 1996 chicago bulls' 72-10 record. brian scalabrine is again competing for a championship and an imaginary finals MVP award.

orlando has been a joy to watch this season. that is one potent team right there. vince carter's gone down with another ankle sprain (what's new), but at least it's still early in the season. dwight's getting his usual 20's and 10's, jameer's working himself back into all-star form, and ryan anderson has been a revelation. his early season play suggests that he wasn't just a bonus in the VC deal. and of course, my man brandon bass still looks like a meaner version of antonio mcdyess.

cleveland? well, for a team that went 39-2 at home last year, they've now lost 2 home games this season. they're still trying to find a way how to effectively make shaq and lebron play together. big diesel takes away so much from lebron's slashing game by just standing there and filling up the paint, and the cavaliers have actually played better with o'neal on the bench. sadly, it seems that coming off the bench hasn't been particularly good for zydrunas ilgauskas, as he has struggled to find his offense because of it. but i'm not saying the cavaliers aren't gonna win a championship, because the 2006 miami heat are still fresh in my mind (yes, that team gave antoine walker his only title). and as long as the referees and the NBA try to make lebron the new face of the league, the cavs will keep contending. but lebron will probably have another crab dribble called against him.

i have (surprisingly) watched spurs games this year primarily because of two things: one, i wanna see manu ginobili swat another bat and endure another beatdown from PETA; and two, i can't believe the spurs got to steal dejuan blair from the draft. that guy's a beast. he can give you an efficient 15-20 minutes off the bench and finish scoring in double figures plus a handful of rebounds. richard jefferson, on the other hand, is still trying to find a way to fit in with san antonio's already-established trio of injury-prone stars - eva longoria's hubby, mr. fundamental, and batmanu.

surprising me this year are the phoenix suns. steve nash is beginning to prove that mike d'antoni didn't inflate his stats and that this team can still win 48-52 games. channing frye, with the help of nash, is now on the road to resurrecting his career and amar'e has finally learned to play with goggles. the suns are running once again, and things could be pretty good for phoenix.

finally, the miami heat have surprised me with their 5-1 start (only the third time in franchise history have they started the season at 5-1). jermaine o'neal is actually looking like he's healthier than cleveland's o'neal and he's out to prove that he isn't as washed-up as people think of him these days. i really think pat riley opted not to add any marquee player this year since he believes in the improvement of mario chalmers and michael beasley, and so far they've shown flashes of brilliance. thankfully, quentin richardson seems like a better fit with miami than he ever was with the knicks, and carlos arroyo and udonis haslem coming off the bench gives the starters some precious minutes of rest (arroyo can score and udonis is the admirable double-double no-complains guy).

the (B)east is (coming) back

it's been far too long a time since michael jordan last hoisted the larry o'brien NBA championship trophy and reaffirmed his status as the best in the game. it also was the final time the east declared supremacy in the league, with the west (specifically the spurs and the lakers) snagging 5 straight championships and 8 of the last 11 overall, while articles containing various mockeries of the east have been published by writers and bloggers all over the globe.

but ever since KG and ray allen began wearing green jerseys, power has slowly shifted back to the east. sure, the lakers won the 2009 crown, but the east ain't no pushover any longer. last year alone, the cavs, celtics, and magic were considered serious contenders to the title with only the lakers being the clear favorites out west.

this year, the east will be one step closer to regaining the letter "B" that's supposed to come before "E." too long has the eastern conference suffered humiliating finals defeats.

also, while the west still currently has the established superstars such as kobe, dirk, chauncey, tony parker, steve nash, and amar'e, the east has much of the rising youngsters such as lebron, d-wade, d-rose, chris bosh, dwight howard, rondo, and devin harris. these guys already are scary players but most of 'em haven't even reached their peak. meanwhile, their western counterparts, while still great, now have knees that revolt against them and are experiencing drop-offs in their performance.

it all started in the draft of '03... you know, that draft where the world was introduced to lebron james, dwyane wade, chris bosh, kirk hinrich, and all them guys? a year later the pistons demolished the lakers. a little while later, lebron started attacking the record books. then d-wade won one for the heat. then lebron singlehandedly brought an otherwise mediocre cleveland team to the finals. it's been a great ride for the east from then on.

finally, it's interesting to find out that the east won the 2004, 2006, and 2008 championships, which are all even-numbered years. 2010, perhaps?

it's only a matter of time.

...but we all have to wait for kobe's decline

...i just did a rhyme.

ah, i'll stop now.

the 3 best prep to pro players in the game

well...

it ain't part of the game, but it happens.

the thing with basketball fans is that they love to heckle and insult and curse and throw dirty fingers at the cagers playing against their favorite team/s, and they feel invincible while doing it since, after all, there's a barricade which divides the audience from the 10 guys on the court playing basketball.

but apparently, invincibility is just an illusion and basketball players are also members of the human race (therefore they also have boiling points and they watch boxing as well).

so what have we learned?
1. better be able to back yourself up.
2. don't sing it, bring it.
3. if you're gonna heckle from the sidelines, better be ready for things like this.
4. or don't heckle at all.
5. especially if it's against a team playing a tightly-contested game.
6. self-control is the key to life.
7. losing self-control can make you heckle a lot OR make you want to punch someone multiple times.
8. shit happens.

- cookies
photos were just found from google search

STILL DROOLING...

...OVER THESE KICKS. ZOOM KOBE IV FINALS EDITION.

i promise to be a good boy if santa claus ever decides to drop me a pair.

photo from solemovement.com

- cookies

The NBA Season is just around the corner

i thank the folks at 2K sports for releasing NBA 2K10 to keep me sane during the next week while desperately waiting for my dose of new NBA action. we here at airballmen (or what's left of the airball men) have tried to keep ourselves busy with schoolwork but it's just too tough to concentrate especially when the preseason is being televised, thus giving everybody a preview of what's to come.

i know it's a little too early for predictions, but since i'm as mediocre as one can get, i'll share you my thoughts anyway:

1. LAKERS = they were already a talented team when they won the championship last season, but now they're even more intimidating because of the addition of ron artest (intimidating because ron-ron's a great on-ball defender/stopper AND he's ron artest. 'nuff said.). if ron-ron can keep his cool (and control his lust for kobe, as shown below), if andrew bynum stays healthy and realizes he still needs kareem, if kobe keeps being kobe, i expect the lakers to at least make the conference finals. but of course, a fifth title is still very very possible for these guys. and maybe some ron artest music videos.

PREDICTION: 63-19 (if ron-ron decides to be a good boy) 63-19 (because kobe and phil won't tolerate naughty ron-ron)

nothing's gonna stop kobe and ron from doing more disturbing things than this in the lakers' locker room. it's good to be on top of the world, isn't it?

2. SPURS = old, busted, but still contending as always, the spurs are... well... the spurs. they've been competing for championships (and boring casual fans to death) for 175 years now and they keep replacing their old guys with relatively younger ones to keep their championship window open for at least 2 more years. their 2009-2010 team looks to me like it's capable of winning 55 or more games, and they could give the lakers the toughest competition out west.

PREDICTION: 58-24 (when healthy) 54-28 (when duncan's and ginobili's knees and parker's ankles decide to stage another coup d'etat against them)

we are gonna miss the free
kung-fu lessons by master bruce "lee" bowen.

3. HEAT = d-wade is a beast. he was the reason the heat won 43 games last season and once again threw his name up there in the "who's the best right now" conversations alongside kobe and lebron. unfortunately, his miami heat haven't really done much in the offseason, instead waiting for the 2010 free agency free for all/royal rumble/power struggle to beef up their line-up. their only notable moves were signing carlos arroyo and quentin richardson. it could be another MVP season for dwyane wade but another 40-win season could be upon them. although i'm hoping tim grover's magic worked on jermaine o'neal at least for this season.

PREDICTION: 45-37 (healthy) 41-41 (if jermaine o'neal and michael beasley don't step up)

i still don't know why pat riley was allowed to sign a 12-year old schoolboy on his team.

- COOKIES


- photos from Droppin, Basketbawful, and NBA.com

Jens Knuttel and Mark Lopez share a moment

well, we all know this isn't the first time this sort of thing happened in basketball.

- Cookies

just imagine

11:11

You know, maybe I should give this whole "11:11-make-a-wish" thing a try.

Here we go.

Time check: 11:11 (based on my wristwatch).

I WISH...

1. Dwyane Wade gets another quality teammate
2. Ron Artest proves to be a positive locker room presence
3. Michael Jordan were still in his prime
4. Jordan Brand release the Air Jordan XI Concords again
5. ...and the Air Jordan XIII too
6. For the NBA to stop sucking on LeBron and let the players play
7. That David Stern actually gets a heart
8. That Tim Duncan gets a personality this Christmas
9. That Manu Ginobili gets a hair transplant ASAP
10. I were Marko Jaric so I can be the happiest man alive
11. That 11:11 actually works

If this doesn't work, I can always go to a nearby swamp (which is probably 8 hours away from where I am right now) then kidnap and sacrifice a little frog to the basketball gods, if it were legal.

But for some reason, my watch has been on 11:11 for over 15 minutes now.

- Cookies

The NBA and Your Fastfood

You're craving at night, what are you looking for?
You finally get it and you look at it with such intensity, devouring it, in all its entirety.
After, there's either a feeling of complete satisfaction, or utter sadness.

Now, if you ask me, there are two things that fit the bill perfectly here and that would be arguably my two most favorite things, the NBA and fast food.

With that said, here's the top fast food chains in our country, along with their NBA counterparts.

McDonald's : Los Angeles Lakers
You can never go wrong with McDonald's and same with the Lakers. There's just something for everyone here and personally, I believe that both McDonald's and the Lakers pack the most punch in terms of the menu and roster. If they can't get you with their burgers, then the fries will surely bring you to grease heaven. It's like Kobe and Gasol executing a pick and roll to perfection. Still not satisfied? A supporting cast of Lamar "ice cream sundae" Odom, Ron "Nuggets" Artest and Sasha "Apple Pie" Vujacic should do the trick. Plus, the sudden launch of the new extra large serving of fries reminds me of Bynum.


Jollibee : Boston Celtics
Local favorite Jollibee can without a doubt give McDonald's a run for their money. Jollibee is more in touch with the masses, more down to earth and they just understand what the people want. The same things can be said about the Celtics, whose supporters are far from the Hollywood stars and A-listers that litter Laker games. There's never a sense of boastfulness with Celtic teams, only an unmistakable sense of pride and intimidating intensity. Throughout the years, the Celtics have won with a tried and tested formula of pride, intensity and defense. Jollibee has done the same, sticking with the Chicken Joy recipe that has been unbeatable for decades now.

Burger King : Cleveland Cavaliers
Burger King, King James, do I really have to continue? Burger King thrives of course on their burgers, which I really believe is king in terms of burgers in the fast food industry. Cleveland obviously relies on Lebron James night in and night out, but the real comparison here is with the supporting cast. The upcoming season MIGHT be different, but for the most part of both King's reigns, the supporting casts have been inadequate, sure, they have a few hits here and there, but, it's really hard to see how these "followers" can give the Kings something to rave about.

Chowking : Houston Rockets
Fellow oriental brother, Yao Ming has turned the Toyota Center into an extension of Chinatown, nuff said.

KFC : Dallas Mavericks
Whenever I take a bite out of a piece of KFC's original recipe chicken, there's really just an explosion of flavor that cannot be matched anywhere else. Dallas has their version of the original recipe chicken in Dirk Nowitzki, an explosive scorer, won't let you down. However, a criticism of him is him not being able to deliver when it counts, reminds me of KFC's questionable portion sizes, they just don't deliver when you need that big bite.


Wendy's: Orlando Magic
As much as Wendy's is known for their burgers and the now defunct unlimited salad bar, they are also very much loved for their "Biggie" sizes. A "Biggie" meal would get you a huge burger, with an equally large serving of fries and your choice of drink. The Magic don't only have a big player in Dwight Howard, but, they have also been huge spenders these past years, not afraid to pay Rashard Lewis a crazy amount of money and most recently, acquiring Vince Carter's veteran services and at the same time taking in a lot of extra costs in terms of salaries.

Kenny Rogers : San Antonio Spurs
Slow roasted over a wooden flame, Kenny Rogers brings diners roasted chicken the way they used to roast it. Even the ever popular muffins have this rustic feel about them. Notice the words that I put there? "used" and "old" That's my point here actually, both Kenny Rogers and the Spurs use an "old" but, surely effective way of doing things. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili make up their core and this is arguably the oldest core in the NBA right now. Both the roasters and the Spurs have their critics, but, nobody can really discount the fact that both are winners, with Kenny Rogers being the only restaurant of its kind effectively alive in the market and the Spurs being one of the most winningest franchises in recent memory.

Tropical Hut : Utah Jazz
"May Tropical Hut pa ba?" might be the question running through some of your minds right now. Well.. the answer is, yes, Tropical Hut is still alive and kicking here in the metro and what really inspired me to compare them to the Jazz is there seemingly underground and forgotten location in Green Hills. I believe that the said location is under Mercury Drug beside Theater Mall and Music Museum. Anyways, is it not the same how people just "forget" about the Jazz year in and year out? It's true that the Jazz's style is not for everyone, same with Tropical Hut's burger that has a cut of pineapple in it, but, you can't really argue that there is quality here. A return trip to both Tropical Hut and the Jazz might bring one back to the good old days, especially since the modern version, is heavily alike past successful versions.

Popeye's Chicken : Oklahoma City Thunder
Both Popeye's Chicken and the Thunder are upstarts (at least in our country, as far as Popeye's is concerned) Both have huge upsides, having a stud and good supporting pieces. Simply put, stud = Popeye's Chicken and Kevin Durant. Good supporting pieces = good chips and Russell Westbrook/Jeff Green.

Tokyo Tokyo : Phoenix Suns
This might really be a stretch, but, it's the last fast food and NBA team combo, so bear with me here. Tokyo Tokyo is arguably the most unique fast food chain in our country, offering a wide and quality selection of Japanese dishes to the public. Also, they have an unlimited rice promo, which attracts a lot of people. The Suns, are of course unique, being the modern pioneers of the run and gun (with no defense) style of play. Of course, we all know that it's Mike D'Antoni who brought this style to the Suns, but, even if he's with the Knicks now, nobody can still fast break like Steve Nash and the gang. This style of play allows the Suns to score bucket after bucket after bucket. Same with a Tokyo Tokyo consumer consuming bowl after bowl after bowl of rice. Finally, and maybe, most importantly is the fact that the Suns are the only team to have a Japanese player to play for them. Yuta Tabuse, the 5'9 Japanese point guard played 4 games for the Suns in the 2004-2005 NBA season. Sadly, he was waived at the end of the season.

- Chinky Bench Warmer

This is just wrong (click to zoom).

As the picture indicates, seeing a happy/sweaty/just-won-a-championship Kobe Bryant can make any Hollywood hunk hard as an oak. Click on the picture for a larger view.

- Cookies

Picture Essay by Cookies

DEFINE OVERACHIEVER.
The world has a way of making things fair.
I'm happy for the man, though; lady seems
like she ain't shallow.

YIN-YANG.
And it's not just because it's Nike-Adidas.

REMEMBER LURCH?

I never thought zombies got game.


COUCH POTATO.
I shall say no more.


MATCHING TYPE.

I didn't know Diether Ocampo's a Blue Eagle.

WHAT A GREAT 2 YEAR RUN FOR THIS GUY

Talk about dual citizenship.
Trevor Ariza, AKA Rabeh Al Hussaini, has enjoyed a great
two-year run of basketball. First, he won UAAP MVP and the
2008 UAAP Championship with the Ateneo Blue Eagles,
then won the 2009 NBA Title with the Lakers.

Basketball is a Brotherhood

No, I (Cookies) am not an Adidas guy. In fact, I find their current shoe designs boring, and I devour Nike products (if you see me walking around in school, you'd mistake me for a Nike endorser because I look like an awesome/gifted/godlike athlete who's worthy of carrying the brand name).

Oh wait.

This entry's about the updated roster.

.....unfortunately, some among the roster still don't have nicknames; thus their names right now have just been generated by me (Cookies) using this site.

1. Cookies - hailing from downtown LA (Lower Antipolo) in the Philippines, he has been devouring Chips Ahoy the moment his first tooth said "hi" to the world. Also a very undersized small forward. Life quote: "Omnomnomnomnom"

2. Chinky Bench Warmer - AKA CBW from the side streets of Chinatown, he spends his time stealing rocks and picking up dimes when he's not on the bench.

3. Shooter McGavin - AKA The Kayumangging Mamba. This man is the creator of the turn-around-fade-away-slip-and-slide-trifecta. He never graduated from Milo basketball and is still playing with 9 year olds. Life quote: "I am a funny guy. HAHA laughtrip."

4. SinigangsupremoB - He misses eating Jollibee's Chickenjoy.

5. Lumpsmoochie

6. Ceronoughpero

The site will feature not just the NBA, but also all other basketball-related goodness/mediocrity we set our sights on, experience, or hear.

We gon' be rockin' this side of town.

We shoot, but we don't hear no swish. The rock don't even hit the rim.

We are the Airball Men.

The sixth man

Uh-oh!! It's gonna be OFF DA HOOK.

Today, I watched Andy "Cutie Face" Barroca square off against Yutien "Mas-cutie Face" Andrada.. And I'll tell you man, panties were flying everywhere. The heat in the court was just as high as the heat in their faces, women were crying beacuse of the intense HOTNESS coming from them. (I think the women were blind or something...) Anyway, the match was quite crazy indeed.. Andy showing his Chris Brown-ish death smile when shooting the trey and Yutien showing his Twilight guy blank stare of sex to all the women while blocking the shots. These players are quite the atheletes not only beacuse of their obvious prowess on the court. But also their obvious appeal off the court and in the bed.. :>

- Shooter McGavin

Woot!

Heard that the roster's complete.

I've got some stuff here, just itching to get published, just waiting for the team to be officially introduced.

Till then!

-Chinky Bench Warmer

Remember

the fro's
the moptops
the flat tops
the 1998 should-have-been-final-MJ-moment
the short shorts
the baggy shorts
the sneaker ban
the 63
the the free throw line
the memorial day massacre
the kurt rambis moustache
the kareem goggles
the air jordan XI
the moment jeff van gundy held onto alonzo mourning's leg because he's that awesome
the 72-10 record
the shot
the greatest game
the most handsome NBA player i have ever seen
the steal by havlicek
the stockton-to-malone connection
the day patrick became CHEWING
the malone choke fest in 1997 and 1998
the day kobe bryant got street cred
the rodman wedding dress
the 1984 draft
the lakers' rookie finals mvp
the reggie miller before this incident
the expressive face of tim duncan
the brave willis reed, who inspired his knicks to win the championship
the 2006 miami heat, which made the term "world champion" stick to "antoine walker"

- Cookies

PS. The Airball Men starting five will be unveiled in a few days (they just haven't thought of nicknames)

Roster upgrades coming soon

The Airball Men's almost a legit starting 5 now. Wait for the introduction of the new members of the roster.

- Cookies

of the best guard in the league

when was the last time you thought about stephon marbury being one of the more important figures in the NBA?

you may argue that his latest antics have made him relevant again. if you believe that, i suggest you find the hardest wall you can find (preferably it has nails and crawling ants) and bang your head against it until you realize just how twisted your brain is. by "relevant," i mean as a basketball player, and not as a character.

yeah, it's been a long time. so long, in fact, that the last time you thought of him as a superstar was probably way back in 2004. and to aid your brains in processing how "old school" 2004 is, here are some quick facts about me that year.

1. i was a second year high school student back then (now, i'm a struggling college junior)

2. my 2004 hairstyle was a sorry imitation of the one michael buble (yes, that guy who did his own rendition of the original "spider-man" theme) sported that time (today, my head looks like a microphone)

3. my height back then was 5 foot 6. well in the 5 years that passed, i managed to squeeze in at least another inch and a half which now currently gives me the height of a filipino point guard (but i play small forward). SIDE NOTE: i plan to overdose on cherifer to fulfill my dream of being able to dunk a basketball and get drafted to the NBA's oklahoma city thunder and be their franchise player.

yep, for five years, stephon marbury crashed back down to earth, was buried underneath it, hit the planet's core, and even plummeted further down the abyss, seemingly never to return to prominence.

but thanks to the unexplained wonders (or we're just too lazy to find answers to these wonders) of internet streaming, starbury (as he calls himself) has slowly found his way back to the "i'm being talked about" list of basketball players, but too bad he's in the "zach randolph zone." and he's staying there.

so much for being the best guard in the league then.

well, following stephon's 18 to 24 hour streaming sessions can render my butt numb or even my brain fried. thankfully, neither has happened to me yet. but what did occur to me was the thought that this basketball player, who's supposed to find happiness by being drafted to the NBA and annually earning money enough to pay my tuition fee for 8 semesters, is left a broken man.

life just isn't about earning cash and hearing that "cha-ching" sound. heck, in his case, it's not even about doing the thing you love anymore.

so what is his life all about then?

is it talking in front of a laptop's webcam?

i just don't know.

that's something i hope to find out as i continue to watch his life from a computer screen.

- Cookies

When Chances are Blown

The final score of the Philippines-Korea game (69-56, Korea won) is actually a lot closer than most people who didn't watch the game and only looked at the score would think.

For most of the 40 minutes of this FIBA-Asia battle, the Philippine Team actually hung around and threatened to tie the game and surge even more against the Korean Team. They actually had a lot of chances to do so, but they had problems with the following:

1. Medium-range and 3 point baskets clanked, bounced, fell short, or was just spat back out by the rim.

2. Bad shots were taken by some players that were so noticeable that I cringed while watching and just made me want to destroy my TV's screen and stick the broken little glass shards to my eye.

3. Foul trouble and thus a disadvantage in free throws. Plus, the Filipinos weren't able to capitalize on the few free throw attempts they were awarded.

4. Japeth Aguilar's injury kept him out of the game and thus the team missed a shot blocker and inside force.

Still, the team still hung around for 3 quarters because of great defense, until they just ran out of gas. The offense was pretty much out the entire game.

My hat goes off to Cyrus Baguio for being a spark to the Filipino squad and to Mick Pennisi, whose 3-pointers started runs and kept the team in the hunt for an upset (but I still find it hard to believe you're a Filipino).

The Philippines still have a chance in the next games, though.

But it was fun to hear Coach Yeng Guiao of the Philippines shout Filipino curse words probably to the referees in frustration. But the men in stripes never even had a clue as to what the coach was saying.

- Cookies (I'm eating right now)

The Afternoon After

Thinking of a title just consumed 10 minutes of my life, and I ultimately just decided to change the title of Chinky Bench Warmer's entry earlier today (check previous entry).

Damn, LeBron James = douche. King Crab's at it again.

"But as far as the dunk or whatever car I'm driving, some things you shouldn't comment and some things you should. I look at the no handshake like this — during the regular season, no one ever shakes hands. You move on to the next game. I congratulated Dwight Howard through email and told him good luck in the Finals. Shaking hands is not a big deal to me. It's not being a sore loser, it’s moving on. Sometimes people want you to accept losing and I'll never accept losing."

Well, I swear I remember King Crab shaking hands with the Spurs when they were SWEPT in the 2007 Finals by the Spurs (the same year Robert Horry showed he had what it takes to be an MMA fighter against little Steve Nash). Does he realize he had the guts to congratulate Bruce "Lee" Bowen the defensive behemoth (and destroyer of Vince Carter's ankles) back then?

Two seasons, a scoring title, exaggerated media hype, a crab dribble, and an MVP award later, we get the no-handshake, pre-game picture takin', "LBJ MVP" shirt-wearin' version of LeBron James. And he still keeps referring to himself in the third person.

It's a shame the current MVP wears 23. When Michael Jordan and the Bulls got bullied by the Pistons for 3 straight years in the late 80's, he kept congratulating them over and over again. It was a good thing Joe Dumars didn't act like a sore loser when Chicago finally beat them, as he was the only Piston to congratulate the Bulls.

But I'll give him a chance. I remember Kobe being this arrogant back when he still wore number 8 and I hated him like a big pimple that refuses to burst. Maybe his arrogance comes with his youth and his early rise to superstardom. And it also won't help that Shaq's with him now. The Big Hybrid/Witness Protection/Twitter/Van Gundy Hater has been a child-at-heart his whole career and that would either slow down further LeBron's maturation or make him realize he's acting like a young Kobe.

If King Crab doesn't get his act together, I'll go to the nearest jungle and hold a baby monkey for ransom.

But that's illegal, so I'll probably just blog again.

BTW, if you're interested in joining the Airball Men roster, just comment.

- Cookies

The Morning After

It's the morning after Powerade Team Pilipinas' win against Japan.

Yes, it was a win.
Was it expected? I think there was never really a consensus.
Was it surprising? Yes, considering how high the nationals shot from the 2 point area (56%) and Taulava's turning back of the basketball clock performance. He finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds, with a strong dunk towards the end of the game off a fast break.

I'm just really concerned about the style of play that the Philippines is using. In a nut shell, I think that they're playing a semi-Suns style of play, opting to run and while they are not really relying on the trey, they still manage to put up quite a bit, (29 attempts in the last game, making 9) but they are playing defense, which is always good for any team wanting to win.

9 made out of 21 is not actually that bad, especially when they come in key stretches like Helterbrand's dagger to further extend the lead when the nationals started making their closing run. Will these shots continue to fall though? What to do against the 7 footers in the tournament? Will our big men be able to contain the giants? Those are the questions that are facing Powerade Team Pilipinas as they suit up against South Korea tonight.

That's it for now I guess, Chinky Bench Warmer just got their blogging cherry popped.

More posts coming soon, Cookies and I are heavily recruiting members to fill in the roster. Interested? Drop a comment. :)

-Chinky Bench Warmer

Need I say more?

A picture is worth a thousand words. In Spanish.

- Cookies

Never heard of us before? We can't blame you.

Check out this video. No, we're not those four ballers... rappers. But thanks to the Hyperizers, the newest (and probably most mediocre) basketball blog on the planet is born.

We are the Airball Men, the most awesome basketball team you've never heard of (and never will). And so far, we're not even a team, but we'll keep you updated on some roster upgrades.

Right now, there's only two of us:

1. Cookies - hailing from downtown LA (Lower Antipolo) in the Philippines, he has been devouring Chips Ahoy the moment his first tooth said "hi" to the world. Also a very undersized small forward. Omnomnomnomnom

2. Chinky Bench Warmer - AKA CBW from the side streets of Chinatown, he spends his time stealing rocks and picking up dimes when he's not on the bench.

The site will feature not just the NBA, but also all other basketball-related goodness/mediocrity we set our sights on, experience, or hear.

We gon' be rockin' this side of town.

We shoot, but we don't hear no swish. The rock don't even hit the rim.

We are the Airball Men.