IT'S OPENING NIGHT!

After months of talking and uncertainty during the off seasons, NBA IS BACK!

On opening night we have 3 games

ORL : IND
CHI : MIA
LAC : LAL

Frankly, I wasn't at all interested in the ORL vs IND game. All eyes on CHI vs MIA because of this man. All talks about him since he was out for 15 months and we want to watch how he will lead the bulls against our defending champion - Miami Heat. (I feel a sharp pain every time I say this.)

D Rose #TheReturn

How did it go? CHI 95 MIA 107. The Heat's D was madness and the way they play as a team and moving the ball was beautiful. I know it's too early to say but these guys are in the zone.

Is there a better way to start the season than having a derby game? LAC vs LAL. We all know Kobe is still out, Steven Nash was more like Stiff Neck for now and the rest of the players are just the rest of the players. To make things worst, LAC has gotten Doc Rivers but guess what? Looks like Doc have to start the season with a L.

LAC 103 : LAL 116.

To be honest I didn't like how the starters were playing in the earlier part of the game. A lot of run and gun and we see players taking jump shot and Gasol taking 3s. And yes he did make it. But I don't believe that is the best for the team to have a 7ft shooting from outside instead of showing some paint presence. The ball movement was pretty good from the 2nd half onwards and players like Farmar, Hill, Henry and Meeks just started to light things up. The team ended the game with 5 bench players with double figures. I can't say I am all excited about this team and the coach as a Lakers fan but I must say they have given their very best on this opening night. It's too early to say anything more but I hope they keep it up. This is why I love sports, always expect the unexpected.

Image from LA Times.com

As for the ORL and IND game, I have to give it to Roy Hibbert and Paul George. These fellas are putting are big big numbers.

16 Rebound and 7 Blocks for Roy. and 6 rebound, 5 Ast and 24 Points for Paul.

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Very good opening night as a whole. I love this game!

On the court I wasn't the best, but my kicks were like the pros :)

It's been a while since the last post (that goes for you too bruh +Smith Leong )
I guess we have been really busy as we are almost at the last quarter of the year and look on the bright side Christmas is coming!

A song I came across on YouTube triggered my thoughts to write this.

So this post is more about the sneaker game than about the game itself.

I have been shooting hoops since I was 12. (recreationally and started to play more competitively a couple of years later) That was when I started collecting sneakers. It was 1995. I was 14.

Til today, I am still looking for new kicks. But it's not entirely because of my blind faith or love for the brand. For me, each pair tells a story and here're my five most iconic ones in my kicksology.


Nike Air Max Sensation - Chris Webber

Well, these started my run into the sneaker world but that's not why they're special. I chose these instead of the originals AJ XI with Mike's #45 and bought these. I am still kicking myself to this very day. DAMN.

Nike Air Jordan XI 

These are my favourite AJs. Maybe because I missed them once. (I have three pairs today :P ) But these signified Jordan's comeback and journey back to the top of the NBA.

Nike Air Jordan XIV

The last shot. The pose after. 

The most magical 54 seconds by a player ever in the NBA.

The storybook ending by the greatest ever.

Nike Air Jordan I

I only managed to get a pair of these recently (thanks to an awesome friend! +Wei Jie Ng ) These marked the beginning of the Air Jordan legacy. These was what brought colour to the sneakers of the game. Nike paying five grand for every game Mike wore them was also the start of their advertising empire.

Nike Air Jodan III Backflip

The Slam Dunk contest, All Star MVP, All-Defensive First Team and Defensive Player of the Year. And my pair is even better. All black everything. Thanks to my lovely gf +gracie chua :)

That's my sneaker story. What's yours? Share!

36 days to tip-off. Hang in there y'all.

HUSTLE! I LOVE THIS GAME!

Being inspired by an unexpected hero, I am excited to write again!
We are about six weeks away from the start of a new season and I MISS THE NBA!

As a hardcore basketball fan, my favourite parts of the game are teamwork, hustle and defense.
My inspiration today is all about hustle, its about giving your 1000% regardless of the odds.
It's true that us mortals have like a 0.01% chance of beating the ones with God given talent and even if we do take them on, we will lose 999 out of 1000 times. But hey, there's still a chance right?

I always try to pay attention to teams at certain points of the season as that's where the special ones come together, inspire each other and start forming their identity. These teams usually end up winning the chip. To me, the process is just fascinating. That's what greatness and legends are made of. The real fans appreciate this and they usually cheer louder than ever, because they know this is the difference.

Here're some recent clips that will of that awesome spirit.

I guess I feel close to this because this sums up my life and the way I have learnt to play.
I do not think I have any talent or can do anything well, but man.. I will hustle you to the death.
It's about who wants it most. Dive on the ground and in the dirt if you want it as bad, I will meet you down there. :)

Looking forward to get back to playing soon!

and lastly... LET'S GO LAKERS!

The Game That Counts

It's been a while since I have last written which means life has been great and I have been busy with work and other stuff. And now I've got some time to blog and get a beer at the same time.. LIFE IS AWESOME.

I have been thinking about what to write and a story on ESPN caught my eye and gave me the inspiration. It was about John Wall signing his five year 80 million contract to stay with the Washington Wizards. And while he says that he hopes to win a championship with the Wizards before he retires, I wonder how much of that is actually real and if it really matters to him at all. Let's face it, the Wizards have been irrelevant for a long time (Yes, I do remember they played in the playoffs against Lebron's Cavs) and because of the trend of super teams in the league and other circumstances, I think they will remain as such for an even longer period of time.

There were quite a few articles this year on the NBA's worst contracts ever. Majority of them were done by a team who has money to spend to get enough hype to sell some tickets and players who generally take the money and could care less about how they play or if they even win at all.  These players get paid a fortune (we're talking about 50-100 millions) for lazing, get into legal trouble and eventually passing their bad habits on to their younger team mates. (I keep thinking about Gilbert Arenas as the villain.. Sorry bro~)

On the other end of the spectrum, we have stars (like Ray Allen) who take a fifty percent salary pay cut so they can win another championship. Clearly, winning means more to them than dollars and cents. I am sure your reaction to this is "Well they're rich ain't he?" But aren't they all rich? Even though I am not a fan of stars teaming up to take a shortcut to success, I do appreciate those who sacrifice to win titles.

But don't get me wrong. I am old school. I am not entirely for the oldies jumping teams to chase rings. I love the players like Stockton and Miller who stuck it out with the teams who made them. And no matter how much money somebody else offers them, they won't go anywhere. I do wish for more of these players. But that's really hard to find in today's game.

And after the class of '03 retires ('03 is big because they are dominating, but they are that same pussy class that looks to form teams together), we will still be watching the game. How will the next generation of stars write the next chapter?

"After a certain point, money is meaningless. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts."
Aristotle Onassis 

Okay, maybe I am biased. But here're my rules. If you are a player that could define and represent your generation like Kobe and Lebron, you should want to play against the other best players to prove that you are the best and not join forces with them. Give us fans something to be excited and be proud of! However, if you are a fading superstar or a role-player and you are chasing that elusive ring.. I will be more receptive...

Gilbert Arenas in Drew League

As a Gilbert Arenas fan, even a short highlight reel like this gets my blood pumping!

Seriously I can't tell if he is 100% but I do know that the friendship between him and Young is a great deal and I hope I can find more videos of them playing together, or better seeing him back in the NBA.

But my dream/hope was crushed and burnt when SLAM did an interview with him earlier this year about the possibility of him coming back to NBA.

SLAM: So do you have long-term plans in China? What do you see for yourself in the future here?

GA: 32 games a year. Maximum 36 minutes. That’s all I need at this point in my career. So as long as China teams want me, I’ll be here.

SLAM: Do you have any plans or hopes to tryout with the NBA again?

GA: Nah! [Shakes head vehemently] Because after this season I can enjoy my family. You know my kids are getting older. Being in the NBA, you don’t really get to enjoy your family life because you’re always on the road, you’re always gone. So, no. After this season will be the first time I’ll get to be with my kids for a long period of time.

Damn it Gilbert. I hope some teams pick him up but I guess it's hard considering how young many young guards we get each year. I guess it's easier for a big man to come back but I wouldn't say the same for a point guard where a team needs his speed and stamina a lot more. 

But one thing doesnt change for Glibert is that a joker will always be a joker. See how he tape up number 1 to be 0 again from his no.10 jersey? 

Basketball Never Stops

It's doesn't matter which player ends up where. One thing that will never change... 

Good Bye Dwight and Hello Summer.

As a Lakers Fan, I am glad that the whole Dwightmare is over. I am just glad that all the silly media news about Kobe, Dwhine, MDA and what not. I just felt that sometimes players need to be given more space off the media space. They need to focus what they should be focusing on - playing the damn basketball.

And this post by "Meeks" is fake btw.

If you have been following the news and rumors online, it seems pretty legit when someone stand up and pointed out at the fact that "Lakers always get the Yes." So what is the problem now? The whole social web knows that there are a few things that Dwight wanted.

- Firing of Mike D. (Is it me or Dwight really likes to get coach off their pay cheque?)
- Hiring of Stan VAN Gundy Phil Jackson.
- Be the main man of Lakers.

So the point here is that if Lakers really wanted Dwight as much as it seems, he would have easily make the 1st two points happen with a snap of fingers and giving $30 Million to make him feel like the main man should be enough and not by putting up all the banners and posters to fake it. So why didn't they do it? Simply because, the truth is that -

Hey Dwight, we just ain't that into you. I wish I had the time to put Dwight, MDA, Buss, Phil and Kobe's faces onto this poster.

Enough of the whole Dwightmare Saga and HELLO SUMMER TIME!

1 of the reasons why I love summer.

 Like many other NBA fans, I always enjoy watching a team getting big names like Howard or Nash but 1 thing I enjoy even more is talent scouting. It's never easy to look out for young stars especially when you are not located in the US where everything is happening there. We don't get that much information about NCAA or neither do we get to meet them in person or see them LIVE as compared to many other sports writer in the states. All we know is based on what we can read off the internet but thanks to NBATv I get to watch the whole Summer league for the 1st time!

Before I hit the sack last night, I managed to watch the match between Boston and Orlando. Other than watching the 2nd draft pick in action, someone else caught my attention.

Wearing no.41 - Big KO - Kelly Olynyk.

From Wikipedia -

Kelly Olynyk (born April 19, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an NCAA All-American while playing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
He moved to Kamloops, B.C. in grade 7.^[1] He is currently studying for a Master of Business Administration at Gonzaga University, having earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in December 2012, and formerly played basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs before announcing on April 19, his 22nd birthday, that he will skip his senior year and declare for the NBA draft.^[2] He also represents the Canadian national basketball team. Olynyk was selected with the 13th overall pick by the Celtics in the 2013 NBA Draft.

This 7ft caught my attention immediately because of his ugly hair height. He was standing above all and the next thing I saw was that he has the moves. He was quick, he has some sweet steps and RANGE! 

 

I love a big man that hussle below the board grabbing rebound but a big man with range is always hard to stop. Big man like Dirk and Love are very good example. 

I'm watching this young man and I hope the Celtics groom him up well. Give him some beef as well as some play time when the season starts. I believe I will see quite a bit of him since big ticket headed to Brooklyn. 

The only problem I have with him from the game is that as a big man, I don't see a lot of work from him on the D and he might be a little soft for the NBA still. And also his hair. He needs a hair cut. 

Enough of Dwightmare and let's watch Summer League!