Random and Pointless thoughts on Lebron James heading to Miami

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Lebron-hater. I still support him and I hope he does well in Miami. As soon as I heard the news, I spontaneously wrote down my thoughts without doing any research or editing, so this note is filled with grammatical and factual errors.

I'm both excited and saddened upon hearing the news. I can't wait to watch Wade, Lebron and Bosh play together for the Heat, but I also feel for the Cavs. Here are some of my thoughts on Lebron leaving Cleveland and joining DWade in Miami.

1. Is the NBA Lebron’s Kingdom? Everyone is rolling down the red carpet when the self-proclaimed King visits. What’s next? Should they all kneel when he walks by? King James is clearly enjoying the spotlight and he wants all the praises from all his loyal subjects. The weeks leading to free agency were just ridiculous: websites such as getlebrontochicago.com, billboards in NY, music videos begging the King to stay. And then the one-hour TV special “The Decision”? Crazy. As an NBA coach commented, how long does it take for one to announce his team? I recall back in 1995, when Jordan returned to the NBA after his first retirement, he announced his decision through a press release with just two words: “I’m back.” The show that matters is what transpires on a basketball court, not on a TV interview set.

2. It’s supposed to be Superstar vs. Superstar. Lebron James vs. Dwyane Wade, not Lebron AND Dwyane. Just imagine if Bird and MJ (and Barkley as “Bosh”) played for the same team in the mid-80s. Magic’s Lakers wouldn’t probably stand a chance. But because MJ, Magic, and Bird were on different teams, they went on to be in the NBA’s list of 10 greatest players EVER. Their legacies were built because they LED their teams to multiple titles. Sure, MJ had Pippen, Larry had McHale and the Chief, and Magic had Kareem, but MJ, Larry, and Magic were the undisputed leaders of their respective teams (none of those “other guys” – Kareem included, are in MY Top10 all-time). Besides, it took years for the Bulls, Celtics, and Lakers to build their dynasties – and not just via the more convenient “get-the-best-players-available” method ala the Lakers in ’04 and the Celtics in ’07. Heroes suffer adversity before they become victorious. The Bulls were tormented by the Pistons before they won their first ring in 1991. Jordan became a superstar because of his playoff exploits (63 points as “God disguised as Michael Jordan” vs. the Celtics, “the Shot” against CLEVELAND–another ouch!), but he became a Hero when he finally overcame the “Bad Boys” from Detroit (who walked out of the arena even before the end of the 4th game after they were swept – much like Lebron refusing to shake the Magic players’ hands when the Cavs lost in ’09). The Lakers had the Celtics, and vice-versa. And with one team’s victory was the other team’s anguish. Magic won, Bird lost. Bird won, Magic lost. It’s one or the other. You become great because of the other. That’s how it’s supposed to be. One Superstar wins, the other Superstars lose. Superstars become Heroes when they conquer other superstars. Heroes become Legends when they are able to maintain that status for so many years.

LBJ and Wade, separately, by the end of their careers, could have easily made it to the top10 all-time. But with them together in the same team, I just don’t see that happening. Talent-wise, they’re clearly in the same level as the legends. Lebron could even be the most PHYSICALLY-talented (with emphasis on ‘physically’) in NBA history. And he might end up winning 4,5,6 rings with Miami, but do you think he would deserve full credit for the championships? As an NBA commentator correctly pointed out, 1 championship in Cleveland equals 3-4 championships in Miami. It’s how you earn it that matters. Even though Kobe (just one of the few things that separate Kobe from Lebron) already won 3 championships from 2000-02, that was with Shaq, and he knew it would be different if he alone LED the team. So he persevered with a mediocre team for a few seasons, ‘loved’ a girl in Denver, scored 81 points against… BOSH(!), changed jersey numbers, until eventually the Lakers were able to rebuild the team and surrounded Kobe with a decent supporting cast.

That was what was happening in Cleveland. The King was given a MORE than able supporting cast. (If MJ had Mo, Shaq, Antawn, Z, Varejao, Moon, West, Parker, Gibson etc in 1995-96, the Bulls would have gone 82-0.) The Cavs blitzed through the regular season and dazzled fans with their…ummm… hand shakes and pre-game gimmicks? But when things got rough, who was first to quit? As the Cavs owner pointed out, Lebron quit during the Celtics series, and even during the Magic series a year ago. (He even pulled out of the Slam Dunk contest even after announcing that he was joining!) Heroes should never surrender.

Had former-hero Lebron won one ring in Cleveland, it would have been legendary. Besides, when it’s all over, Lebron will always have one lesser ring than Wade. And that alone, would make Wade rank higher than LBJ. There goes your legacy, Lebron.

Bottom line is I’d rather watch LBJ and Wade compete against each other 4 times during the regular season and in the playoffs.

3. Is this the Miami Heat or the USA Senior Men’s National Basketball Team? It’s just that ridiculous: Wade, Lebron, Bosh – all in their prime. The Heat will be instant contenders, but, historically speaking, there are actually two possibilities: the Celtics in ’07 or the Lakers in ’04.

When KG and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in Boston back in 2007, the Truth was Truly the undisputed leader, and the newcomers readily acknowledged that. They quickly meshed well and went on to dominate that season. When Lebron (and Bosh) joins Wade, do you think that LBJ wants to play second-fiddle? He may have publicly stated that the Heat is Wade’s team (which is what is supposed to be, no question), but knowing the egocentric self-proclaimed King, do you think he was really sincere? In Miami, Lebron can continue calling himself the “King”, but Wade should be the Ace.

On the other hand, when Rick Fox stood out for the Lakers in 2004 – being the only non-hall-of-famer in their starting line-up, there was much anticipayton, as the Glove and the Mailman joined Kobe and Shaq. Though they reached the NBA Finals, they were demolished by the team-first, no-superstar Detroit Pistons in 5 games. Kobe and Shaq already had their issues, and adding Payton and Malone made it worse. Not even the Zen Master could handle them. I guess you can’t form a triangle with 4 points.

So, about the Heat, would they become the Celtics '07 or Lakers '04? How would they end up? Honestly, it’s hard to say, but a big part of me says it won’t be easy. They may end up winning 2 or 3 in the future, but I don’t think they’d even come out of the East next year. I know the big 3 played great together for team USA and for the East All-Stars, but those games are more free-flowing and street-basketball-esque. The playoffs are different.

4. Was this all planned way back in the 2008 Olympic games when James, Wade and Bosh really bonded together? I know this is crazytalk but I’m sensing a conspiracy. They all declared the “free agent summit” this past off-season. And they were willing to settle for slightly lower salaries just for the Heat to have enough cap space to sign the three. And when Lebron announced last year that he would be wearing jersey #6 this year, was he already expecting that #23 was not available because Pat Riley and the Heat retired that number in honor of MJ?

5. I honestly thought Lebron was joining the Bulls. I thought it was perfect. Chicago has a good young core of D.Rose, Noah, and Deng, and none of them are superstars. They had enough cap space to sign both Boozer (a former teammate) and James. Lebron would have easily fit in the lineup and they would be contenders. But Lebron would be the leader, and his legacy is safe, even if he might only end up being the second greatest Bulls player ever.

Picking New York wouldn’t have been that bad either. Lebron would have surely been the Man in NYC. And playing homecourt in basketball’s Mecca would have been great. It may take 2-3 years before they seriously contend, but at least it was a fresh start.

To me, though, staying home would have been the right choice. I always admire players who remain with one team their entire career –Bird, Magic, Havlicek, even Reggie Miller and Paul Pierce. Besides, it was really his home – were he grew up and played high school ball. And the Cavs have a very competitive team – even without LBJ. It was just a matter of time before they win.

As I said, I don’t think the Heat will win it all this year. Of course, we’ll have to see what developments happen – how Miami fills up its roster (as of now, only 1 player – Mario Chalmers – is under contract), but I do believe that other East contenders have also gotten stronger. The Celtics added former Heat big man Jermaine O’neal while the Magic signed dependable guard Chris Duhon. So it’s basically a three-way battle in the East. And if the Heat does reach the NBA Finals, Kobe and the Lakers will be waiting for them. And it will be Phil Jackson’s 3rd 3-peat!

6. Will Erik Spoelstra continue to coach the Heat? Or will Pat Riley take over just like what he did during that championship season after SVG was doing a great job? As a Filipino, I hope coach Erik will continue. At least a Pinoy will be the King’s boss. (On a totally different matter, I am P-Noy’s boss!)

7. Lastly, Lebron, Wade and Bosh, as well as Carmelo Anthony are members of NBA batch 2003, but guess who in their rookie class was first to win an NBA title.

Obviously, it’s not Lebron. It’s also not Wade, who won it in 2006.

It’s none other than Daaarkoooo Milicic!!! Lupig sila tanan. hehe

Pacquiao joins the Nike Superstars

I just saw Manny Pacquiao's newest Nike international commercial this evening and it was really cool (got goosebumps while watching it). PacMan, the first Filipino Nike endorser, is shown with some of the world’s super athletes: Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Xiang Liu. It just goes to show the talent within the Nike camp.




It seems clear that Nike has the greatest athletes right now (and makes the best commercials too). Prior to this, Nike had the Air Force 1 (25th anniversary) commercial with NBA superstars Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Rasheed Wallace, Paul Pierce, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, LeBron James and Chris Paul.

There was also the commercial featuring the likes of Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Ronaldinho, and Wayne Rooney on the same training ground.

Going back to the latest one, it would have been better if Tiger Woods was also in it. Nevertheless, according to sources, another Pacquiao Nike ad will soon air this time including the world's number one golfer.

Manny Pacquiao's first ad with Nike was entitled "Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa ‘Yo", a thematic take-off from the last line of the Philippines' national anthem. The second ad is entitled "Fast Forward" and shows Manny’s routine training. Videos clips from this ad was what was used in the most recent commercial, which to me, was a compilation of the individual TV ads of the Nike superstars.

Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa ‘Yo


Fast-Forward

Let the games begin!

This week is the start of two major sports events (at least for me) - the NBA 2007-08 Season and the World Pool Championship.

NBA

The most obvious change in the NBA for this season is the Boston Celtics, after acquiring all-stars Kevin Garnett (from the T'wolves) and Ray Allen (from the Sonics) in the off-season. This would give the Celtics the NBA's best trio - Garnett, Allen, and Paul Pierce. Even better than the defending champs San Antonio Spurs' trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. It is therefore clear that the Celtics will be one of the contending teams this season. The only question is how the big three would jell and what their supporting cast would look like (I still expect more acquisitions before the season is over). The good thing about them is that they're all professionals and first-class individuals in the mold of Duncan. It is for this reason that I believe they would be a force in the Eastern Conference, even surpassing Detroit Pistons (which will be as consistent as last year) as the East's best team. Considering the quality and competition among the Western conference teams, it would be no surprise if the Celtics ended up with the league's best regular season record.

Aside from the Celtics and the Pistons, the other teams to look out for are the defending East champs Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic. Cavs superstar Lebron James will continue to improve. He will be an MVP candidate and will continue to carry his team. However, a repeat of last year's finals appearance is highly unlikely. Even reaching the East finals is difficult, as they have to hurdle both the Celtics and Pistons.

For the Magic, a new coach in Stan Van Gundy will help them to become one of the East's elite teams. I believe they are the East's dark horse. I expect Hedo Turkoglu to improve tremendously (probably this year's most improved player). Adding versatile forward Rashard Lewis to the mix would only do wonders to Dwight Howard (another MVP candidate), who would be the undisputed East's best big man.

The West is a different story. Practically every team, with the exception of Seattle and Memphis, could make it to the playoffs. Moreover, there are around 9 teams (yup, even one more than the number of teams that would qualify for the playoffs) which could be number 1 -- the Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets.

The biggest surprise to me would be the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets. I believe Houston will be great this year, after hiring former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman and acquiring Argentine Luis Scola. I think Adelman is the perfect coach for the Rockets. I hope he would implement the system which made the Kings one of the best teams in the west for several years. Yao Ming has big-man passing skills similar to the Kings' Vlade Divac. Scola, I presume, would be, like most foreign stars, would be fundamentally sound and an effective scorer and passer from the post. Shane Battier, the ultimate role player, will continue to hit threes and play terrific defense. And of course, there's Tracy McGrady, who could take over any game. The fate of this team would eventually depend on the health of both Yao and McGrady. If this dynamic duo could go healthy the whole season, then I'm pretty sure they'd sit atop the West.

The New Orleans Hornets will be the most improved team in the West. They almost made it to the playoffs last year. This year will even be better for them. Sensational point guard Chris Paul will have MVP-type numbers. He would be what Steve Nash is to the Phoenix Suns. David West will also improve, probably enough to make the West All-star team (considering the fact that the game will be played in New Orleans). Tyson Chandler will be a Marcus Camby type of presence in the paint. Peja Stojakovic, if healthy, is still one of the league's best shooters. The addition of Morris Petersen would give some veteran leadership to the team. Finally, I believe coach Byron Scott is perfect for a team with a great point guard like Chris Paul, just like what happened in New Jersey with Jason Kidd a few years ago.

Overall, it's still a toss-up who will come on top in the West. Nevertheless, I believe it will be between the Spurs and the Suns.

World Pool Championship

Once again, the most prestigious international 9-ball event will be held here in the Philippines. While many Filipino pool players, especially the lesser-established ones, will benefit due to the location, the opportunity of more qualifying tournaments, and of course the comforts of being home, playing before your kabababayans also has its own disadvantage. Clearly, the most obvious one is the pressure. Every Filipino expects their Pinoy pool idols to win. While the latter have all the skills and talent to be crowned champion, dealing with pressure not only within oneself but also from the local fans is a different story. Even legends like Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante admit that they feel the pressure playing in the Philippines. If these two world-beaters are human after all when it comes to dealing with pressure, how much more would it affect the lesser-known players such as the likes of Ramil Gallego, Roberto Gomez, and Joven Bustamante.

Last year, our very own Ronnie Alcano was fortunate to win the event. Though Alcano was already an accomplished pool player in the US pool circles, there were many Filipinos who did not know much about him - until he won, of course. He showed great composure in sticking to his gameplan - executing the "soft break" to perfection. Not only was he extremely talented, but he was also cool under pressure.

This year, I'm hoping another Filipino will win the event. I wish Django would win it (he was soooo close in 2002) coz I believe that's what is missing in his resume. However, I also believe many other Filipinos like Dennis Orcullo and Marlon Manalo would do well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if an unknown Filipino would win it all. Again, the only problem I could foresee is how they would handle the pressure.

The Dream Ends

Another big disappointment for USA basketball. After suffering failures in the last two major basketball tournaments, the 2002 World Basketball Championships and the 2004 Olympics, USA Basketball had high hopes as they assembled a new team and a new program for the 2006 World Basketball Championships. However, the end result was all too familiar. Another dream ends for the "Dream Team"

Greece used a sizzling stretch of shooting across the middle two quarters to turn a 12-point deficit into a 14-point lead, and beat the Americans 101-95 Friday in the semifinals of the world championships. "To lose any game is a shock to us," U.S. star Carmelo Anthony said. "We came in with the mentality to win the game and the gold medal." Done in again by their inept 3-point shooting and they weren't much better from the foul line the Americans will fall short of a championship in a major international tournament for the third straight time since winning gold at the 2000 Olympics.

Interestingly, the Greeks had no current NBA players on their roster. It just proves how much the rest of the world has caught up (and even surpassed) with the United States. Basketball is a team sport. And the better team always prevails. Sure, USA had NBA superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. But as a team, they sure sucked. Basketball at this level is more than just athleticism and entertainment. It's about playing together. Before the game started, during the warm-ups, the US superstars were pleasing the crowd with high-flying warm-up dunks, while at the opposite side, the Greeks were doing their business, performing some drills and shooting some freethrows.

If only the US team knew. They should have practiced their outside shots more instead of do those acrobatic dunks. During the game, they weren't able to overcome their 32 percent shooting from 3-point range or 59 percent from the foul line. Dwyane Wade added 19 and LeBron James had 17, but the three U.S. captains were unable to make up for their disappointment from Athens. As the Greek coach said it best, "Basketball is not just about dribbling and shooting."

For the US team, it's back to the drawing board. They'll have to wait a couple more years to reclaim past glory. Changes have to be made.

Too many stars...

For the 3rd straight year, legendary Spanish football (soccer) club Real Madrid will not be taking home any major championship trophy, after their early exit in the UEFA Champions League. I woke up at 3 this morning just to watch them draw the 2nd leg of their last-16 match against English team Arsenal 0-0. Real Madrid lost on a 1-0 aggregate score since Arsenal won the 1st leg played at Madrid two weeks ago 1-0 on a brilliant goal by captain Thierry Henry. Although it was a goal-less game, it was nonetheless exciting till the end. I was of course rooting for Real, and they had lots of chances, including two near-misses by captain Raul. I also thought Ronaldo should have been awarded a penalty in the first half after being tackled from behind by Roberto.

This only proves one thing. The better team would always emerge victors. Sure, on paper Real Madrid would seem much better, with the likes of superstars Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, and Raul in their squad. The club, led by president Florentino Pérez, who had recently resigned, has made a habit of buying at least one galáctico (superstar) every year. (A Galáctico is a term used to describe a world-famous soccer player who transfers to Real Madrid). To show you how much star-power its lineup has, over the past 6 years under Pérez's helm, these are some of the players acquired by the club:

2000 - Luis Figo (2001 World Player of the Year)
2001 - Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000, 2003 World Player of the Year)
2002 - Ronaldo (1996, 1997, 2002 World Player of the Year)
2003 - David Beckham(2-time runner-up, World Player of the Year)
2004 - Michael Owen (2001 European Player of the Year)
2005 - Robinho (heralded as the next Pelé), Julio Baptista

Although this policy has certainly helped cement Real's status as perhaps the world's most prestigious and most popular club, it has so far had limited success on the pitch. If it's based on star quality, Real would certainly be the best team in the world. However, in the world of team sports, that's not always the case.

Recall a couple of years ago when the underdogs Detroit Pistons dominated the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The Lakers were a team of superstars - Shaquille O'neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. They were also guided by a "superstar" coach in the name of Phil Jackson, a man with 9 NBA championship rings. One more would have made it a ring for every finger.

On the other hand, the Pistons did not even have one who could be considered a superstar. Sure, they had good players like the Wallaces (Ben and Rasheed) as well as Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, but none of them were big-names. What they had though was dedication to play as a team on both ends of the floor. They did not care who scored the most points or who got the biggest attention. They were clearly the better team on the court. And they surprised the Lakers and everyone else except me (I knew they were gonna win it all even before the playoffs) by winning the title in a modern day David versus Goliath story.

Another example would be the United States' basketball Dream Team, a team composed of NBA superstars. Of course, it was not like the original Dream Team that ran away with the Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona games. The players on that team, led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, were all superstars but they also knew how to play as a team. Perhaps, that would remain the greatest team ever assembled in the history of sports.

The most recent USA team, however, placed a very disappointing 6th in the 2002 World Championship and 3rd in the 2004 Olympics. How can a team led by Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and a whole bunch of other superstars lose? You may say that the rest of the world is catching up with the United States, but the bigger reason is that you can't simply toss in the best players and assume that they'd become the best team too. You have to consider the chemistry and balance, and how they play as a unit.

Team USA has began its preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. All players, regardless of their star status will have to do something new to most NBA stars: tryout for the team. Team USA director Jerry Colangelo announced the list of 23 players who will try out for the team in July. Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski will pick a 15-man roster (with 12 active players). Interestingly, 2004 USA co-captain Allen Iverson was not invited.

Unlike the previous Dream Teams, the roster will not be composed of the biggest names available. They would have more role players like Bruce Bowen, Luke Ridnour, and Shane Battier, who were all invited to the tryouts.

The bottom line is that these are team sports. The better team should win. It's not the name at the back of the jersey that matters, but it's the one at the front that's important.

And the first-half winners are...

The second half of the NBA season is underway. I look back at the first half and hand down my own set of awards to the deserving players.

Most Valuable Player

Kobe Bryant – There are 81 big reasons why number 8 is number 1. Many have compared him to the great Michael Jordan and why not? They have similar numbers. They have pretty much the same built, the same shoe company, the same charisma, the same moves, the same killer instinct, and even the same swagger. In fact, Kobe has surpassed MJ in some scoring feats, notable the 81 point game that is considered the highest scoring game ever recorded. The bottom line is Kobe is single-handedly carrying the Lakers, which would make the playoffs if the season had ended now. Right now, Kobe Bryant is the best NBA player – not LeBron James nor anyone else. His all around game is brilliant and his clutch shooting is even more impressive. And like MJ, there’s no one better with the ball when the game is on the line. Kobe Bryant has patterned his game after His Airness. And so far, he’s doing a good job at it.
(Runners-up: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash)

Rookie of the Year

Chris Paul – This is a no-brainer. At the all-star break, Chris Paul leads all rookies with averages of 15.9 points and 7.7 assists on the season.. Speaking of all-star, he should have been in Houston as an all-star as he has carried the overachieving New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets to the seventh-best record in the very tough Western Conference. The fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest, Paul is the best rookie point guard in a while. For a third time in as many months, he has been named the NBA Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference.
(Runners-up: Channing Frye, Andrew Bogut)

Coach of the Year

Avery Johnson – Although experts pick Detroit’s Flip Saunders, I’d have to say Avery Johnson deserves the award more. He has steered the much improved Dallas Mavericks to the second best record in the NBA. Since taking over midway through last season, he currently has a winning percentage of 82% (59 wins, 13 losses). The “Little General” has transformed the once run-and-gun Mavs to a very respectable defensive team. Flip Saunders, on the other hand, has led the Pistons to the NBA’s best record. But let’s not forget that the Pistons were already a great team, having been in the NBA Finals the past two years and winning it all in 2004.
(Runners-up: Flip Saunders, Mike D’Antoni)

Defensive Player of the Year

Ben Wallace – It is only fitting that the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year should come from the NBA’s best defensive team – the best team for that matter. Big Ben, a two-time winner of this award, deserves it one more time, being the anchor on defense for the league-leading Detroit Pistons. As usual, he is among the league leaders in rebounds, blocked-shots, and steals. More importantly are the intangibles and hustle that he brings into the game. His defensive plays often have a big effect on the outcome of a game, just like his two blocks against Pau Gasol in the all-star game which ignited the Eastern Conference rally to win.
(Runners-up: Bruce Bowen, Andrei Kirilenko)

Most Improved Player of the Year

Boris Diaw – The emergence of Frenchman Boris Diaw has made people forget about Joe Johnson, who was traded to the Hawks last year. It was Diaw who was one of the lesser-known names involved in that trade. And as it has turned out, he has become one of the most versatile players in the league, and a fantasy stud. He is able to play all 5 positions on the court, which he has, making it easier for the Suns to run their offense without all-star Amare Stoudemire.
(Runners-up: Mike James, Smush Parker)

NBA All-Star Weekend 2006

It was another fun NBA All-Star weekend, the greatest showcase of talent and entertainment. Here are the events for the weekend that I watched on TV together with some of my thoughts on each:

Rookie Challenge

76ers other “A.I.”, Andre Iguodala scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as the Sophomores defeated the Rookies 106-96 in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. Iguodala, the game's Most Valuable Player, was dominant as he made 13-of-17 from the field, mostly on a flurry of dunks and 3-pointers. It was like a one-man dunking exhibition. Surely enough, it was just a preview of what was in store in the Slam Dunk contest, which he would be participating in.

Shooting Stars Challenge

Team San Antonio, comprised of current Spurs all-star Tony Parker, former Spurs sharpshooter Steve Kerr and WNBA star Kendra Wecker of the Silver Stars, won the 2006 RadioShack Shooting Stars challenge. Thanks to Tony Parker, who hit the half-court shot on his first try, their team had a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds. Interestingly enough, Kobe Bryant of team Los Angeles also made the half-court shot on his first attempt, while Tracy McGrady of the host city Houston made it on his second. This made me think that, perhaps, one of these years, there’d be a half-court shoot contest similar to the current three-point shooting contest. To me, the highlight of this event was not any of the shots made on the court, but it was actually a glimpse of Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria beaming with pride as Tony hit the clinching shot.

Skills Challenge

Miami's Dwyane Wade won the 2006 PlayStation Skills Challenge champion, defeating Cleveland's LeBron James in the final round by completing the obstacle course in 26.1 seconds to James' 33.7-second time. Defending champion and my bet Steve Nash, and rookie sensation Chris Paul were eliminated in the first round, setting up the duel that would probably be a glimpse of one of the NBA’s future superstar rivalries. At 6’8”, I believe LeBron was the tallest competitor in the history of the event, and yet he moved like a true point guard as he hurdled the course. Yet, he never had a chance as D-Wade lived up to his billing as the NBA Live 06 cover boy.

Three-Point Shootout

One of my favorite NBA players, German sensation Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA’s annual Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout 2006. He made 7-of-8 shots at one point and scored a total of 18 points in the final beating Washington’s Gilbert Arenas by 2 points and 2001 champion Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics, by 3. The 7-foot Nowitzki became the tallest player ever to win the event, and with his height, blond tops, and of course impeccable shooting, reminded me of a young Larry Bird. What was even interesting was Nowitzki almost did not make it through the first round. Replays would show that his last shot, a two-point ball, did not make it before the buzzer. Had it not been counted, he would have been eliminated and instead of him, his teammate Jason Terry would have moved on.

Slam Dunk Contest

The NBA’s slam dunk contest is back! To me it was the best one since the Vince Carter-Tracy McGrady-Steve Francis showdown years ago. However, I was disappointed at the results.

It should've been Andre Iguodala's second trophy ceremony of the weekend. Instead, it turned out to be a controversy as 5’9” Nate Robinson won the event after a first-ever “dunk-off” to break the tie. Robinson needed 14 attempts to complete his final dunk – performing a transfer of the ball between each leg before lobbing the ball with his left hand off the glass -- all while midair -- and then catching it for the throw down. He got 47 points for that while Iguodala, who only needed 2 tries to complete a reverse between-the-legs dunk, got 46.

It was clear to the crowd that Iguodala delivered the best dunk of the night in the first round, catching an Allen Iverson pass off the back of the glass and gliding under the backboard and rim for a reverse-slam on the other side. He then followed that up in the final round with another perfect 50 on a lob off the glass featuring a behind-the-back, hand-to-hand transfer slam.

I would still have to agree that Nate Robinson was also spectacular. His most impressive dunk came in the final round. Walking across the court, he handed Spud Webb his old Atlanta jersey No. 4. Robinson, who also wears the same number for the Knicks, caught a bounce pass from the 1986 slam-dunk champ and jumped over all 5 feet, 7 inches of him for a spectacular jackknife slam.

However, I believe Iguodala deserved to win. That crazy behind the backboard dunk alone was the single most creative dunk I’ve ever seen. As for Robinson’s, jumping over a guy was nothing new. In fact, even Vince Carter dunked over a 7’2” guy in a game in the 2000 Olympics.

Overall, I believe the judges – a panel of Houston legends -- Kenny Smith, Elvin Hayes, Rudy Tomjanovich, Moses Malone and Clyde Drexler, are to be blamed. Except for Malone, all of them seemed tentative and had to glance at each other before they revealed their scores.

They clearly lowballed Iguodala with a 44 on his final attempt of the final round to force the first tiebreaker in the competition's history.

In the end, even one of the judges, Elvin Hayes, who awarded 10 points on Robinson’s final dunk, didn't feel too good the results. He felt that the wrong guy won. "I think Andre's (last dunk) was much more difficult and had a lot of power and energy in it….I just feel Andre won but it is all in the tally of the points."

• It is interesting to note that it was 20 years since the only other 5-footer, Spud Webb, won the event. Also, for the second consecutive year, the jersey of an Atlanta Hawk 1980s Slam Dunk champ was worn on the court and was part of the winning dunks. Last year it was Dominique Wilkins' no. 21 that was worn by then winner Josh Smith.

All Star Game

The 2006 NBA All-Star Game came down to an MVP showdown between LeBron James and Tracy McGrady, both high school-to-NBA superstars. In the end, it was a matter of which team won the game. The Eastern Conference won, 122-120, and expectedly James, at 21 years old, became the youngest All-Star MVP ever. He scored 29 points, fueled a second-half comeback and disrupted McGrady's potential tying jumper as the Eastern Conference rallied for a victory over the Western Conference in the 55th annual midseason showcase.
Unlike many of the past All-Star games, this one was relatively lifeless. For the first time that I could remember, defense was actually played. No doubt that it was because of the four Detroit Pistons who were fielded altogether by East coach (and Detroit coach) with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Western Conference All-Stars held a 21-point lead at one point during the game, but let that lead slipped away late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. LeBron James started it, but the Pistons quartet eventually broke it down. They started pushing the ball more and Ben Wallace's two blocks on Pau Gasol hyped up his entire team. No wonder why the Pistons are currently the best team in the NBA. The East eventually tied the game at 97 with almost a quarter left in the game.

There were some flashes of individual brilliance, led by McGrady and James, the superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers. McGrady, in front of the hometown crowd, scored 36 points, as his teammates kept feeding him the ball. He linked up with several Kobe Bryant lob passes that translated into spectacular dunks.

And yet, compared to the previous all-star games, this one had lesser highlights. Two missed dunks by Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace’s left-handed three pointer that missed badly typified the kind of show the NBA superstars had put up. In fact, my favorite highlight was Shaquille O’neal at the free-throw line. He threw his second free throw attempt off the backboard and slammed it home. However, it was a lane violation.

The 2006 midseason classic wasn’t as entertaining, nevertheless it was a good hard fought game. And in that game of superstars, the youngest one seemingly rose to the occasion. He would definitely become the King of the NBA for many years to come.