Streak Shooter

After the All-Star break, action resumes today in the NBA regular season here in the United States. And as the teams return to the court, news regarding trades have been hugging the spotlight lately. During the break, a big-name star in DeMarcus Cousins found himself traded by the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans while other stars like Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George have found themselves involved in trade rumors as well. In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still at the top of the standings while the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors complete the top four where homecourt advantage awaits at the end of the season. Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Charlotte, New York, Atlanta, Detroit and Miami are battling it out for the remaining four slots. Over in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are safely at the top primarily because of Kevin Durant's addition while San Antonio, Houston and...

One reason why NBA players are able to get jobs is the fact that it has put up a developmental league called simply as the D League where each of the teams gets its own affiliate team. Under D League rules, players can be called up anytime to sign at least a 10-day contract with any NBA squad if they do well with their respective D League teams. And if those players do extremely well, their contracts can be extended until the end of the regular season and all the way to the playoffs. One case is Yogi Ferrell, a shooting guard who signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks after toiling in the D League before initially signing a 10-day pact and getting extended because of his solid play. Next season, the NBA D League will now be known as the NBA G League after it signed a marketing deal with the popular sports drink Gatorade. Aside from this, more NBA teams will put up D League affiliate teams. In contrast, the Philippines' pro league, the PBA, also has it...

So many things are happening in the NBA during the All-Star break. The NBA trade deadline is just a few days away and after DeMarcus Cousins and Serge Ibaka were traded, more big names could find themselves playing for new teams once the smoke clears. Names like Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Paul George have been mentioned as possible trade bait. The Los Angeles Lakers just hired their legendary point guard Magic Johnson to become their president of basketball operations, virtually overhauling their front office. This is where the NBA trades are totally different from what happens in the PBA. During my experiences as a sportswriter for a tabloid back in Manila, I was a witness to so many trades in the PBA where lopsided deals and farm teams were the norm. And unlike in the NBA where teams can trade players anytime, in the PBA this is totally different. It is no secret that two corporations run the PBA -- the MVP and SMC groups -- so...

A big crowd graces the last NBA All-Star Game while last year's PBA All-Stars draws sparse attendance I watched the NBA All-Star Game on TV last Sunday and I can say that the NBA is miles ahead of its Philippine counterpart when it comes to putting up a good All-Star show. The NBA used the musical group The Roots to introduce both the East and West All-Stars while John Legend's halftime show was also well-received. The players didn't disappoint, like Anthony Davis, who scored 52 points while Kevin Durant's alley-oop pass to Russell Westbrook in the first quarter drew cheers from the crowd and from their West teammates. In the end, the West pulled off a 192-182 victory. Not as exciting as in past All-Star games, but the fans in New Orleans went home happy. ABS-CBN Sports also put up a very excellent coverage with the tandem of Boom Gonzales and TJ Manotoc teaming up for their seventh All-Star Game since their network took over the NBA free TV broad...

Tom Brady accepting his Super Bowl MVP trophy It's a Monday morning here in California, but a lot of people are still talking about the dramatic win of the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI Sunday night in Houston. Many news programs and even the sports debate shows are still featuring stories about the game, including the commercials and Lady Gaga's halftime performance. Because of the Super Bowl, other sports events in America took the backseat, The NBA games were played early in the afternoon with Paul Pierce's last game for the LA Clippers at Boston Garden ending with his last-second three-pointer in a Clippers loss to the Celtics. Even in the Philippines, the Super Bowl was still watched by a lot of people, thanks to the aggressive marketing of ABS-CBN Sports, which aired the game over its Sports+Action 23. Even Lady Gaga's halftime show was aired in its entirety. Commercials-wise, the Philippine airing of the Super Bowl had...