U.S. men break points record with 156

Source: ESPN

Carmelo Anthony broke the U.S. record for points in an Olympic game, scoring 37 during Team
USA's demolition of Nigeria.

Carmelo Anthony and the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team rewrote the record books Thursday in a 156-73 romp over Nigeria, an epic blowout that answered the Americans' detractors after two opening routs that provoked criticism of their slow starts and outside shooting.

They led by 26 in the first quarter, had an Olympic-record 78 points in the first half and Anthony scored 37 points, including 10 of 12 3-pointers, to break the U.S. single-game scoring record in less than three quarters.

"Our guys just couldn't miss," said coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Incredibly, they eclipsed the 100-point mark with 5 minutes still left in the third.

"When we get hot, it's a big problem,"Kobe Bryant said. "So you have all these guys on one team and then all get hot on the same night, it's tough."

They broke the Olympic record for most points in a game with 4:37 still to play, and set U.S. records for 3-pointers (26), field goals (59) and field-goal percentage (71).

When Andre Iguodala hit a 3-pointer with 4:37 left, the Americans had surpassed the previous Olympic record of 138 points set by Brazil against Egypt in 1988. When the record was announced to the mesmerized crowd, all the players seated on the U.S. bench got up and walked single file past Krzyzewski, slapping hands with him and his staff.

Gentlemen, take a bow.

"It was just one of them nights where as a unit we had it going," Anthony said. "It could have been anybody out on the court playing against us."

The Americans seemed intent on breaking Nigeria's spirit, and when that was accomplished with ease, they made a profound statement with their marksmanship.

Nigeria was the first to get the message.

"When they shoot like this, I don't know if there is any team that can beat them," said Ike Diogu, one of the Nigerians who promised not to be intimidated by the Americans.

Bryant scored 16 points -- 14 in the first quarter -- for the Americans, who scored 49 points in the first, left the floor leading 78-45 at half and then doubled their total in the second half.

Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points, Kevin Love 15 and Kevin Durant 14 for the U.S., which will play Lithuania on Saturday. The Americans have won their first three games with ease, but now things are expected to get a lot tougher as they approach next week's medal round.

Diogu scored 27 to lead Nigeria (1-2), which was as good as done after Durant hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds in, snapping an 0-for-14 slump by the U.S. in the first quarter in the tourney.

Bryant was mostly a non-factor in wins over France and Tunisia, playing just 21 minutes and getting into early foul trouble. But from the outset against Nigeria, the two-time Olympian nicknamed the Black Mamba was as deadly as ever. He set the tone by scoring seven quick points as the U.S. (3-0) raced to a 13-0 lead, a haymaker that stunned the Nigerians.

Durant buried three 3-pointers, Bryant and Anthony added two from long-range and when Love, the NBA's 3-point champion, came off the bench and knocked down his first 3, the U.S. team's shooting gallery of stars had opened a 41-15 lead and made the P.A. announcer's pregame comment that "anything is possible" seem prophetic.

He was talking about a possible upset. The only surprise in the first quarter was when the U.S. missed.

"We were looking forward to this game, playing against the U.S.," Diogu said. "You know we wanted to use this to show the world what type of team we are. We just came out flat, turned the ball over too many times and they made us pay every time."

After starting so sluggishly in blowout wins over France and Tunisia, the U.S. came flying out of the gates, led by Bryant.

Anthony, who made five 3-pointers in the first half, put on a shooting clinic in the third quarter. With the U.S. bench standing in anticipation every time he touched the ball on the perimeter, Anthony made all five of his attempts, punctuating one that made it 97-54 by throwing back his head, laughing and shrugging his shoulders.

He was in a zone unlike any seen before.

"It's a great accomplishment to get that record," said Anthony, who broke Stephon Marbury's scoring mark of 31 against Spain in 2004. "We did it in a very highly classy way. We went out there and we played basketball. We made shots. We make shots like that and play the way we played tonight, that record could have came on any team."

Anthony wasn't the lone sniper as the Americans made 29 of 46 3-pointers (63 percent), numbers that could stand for several more Olympiads.

Although an Olympic rookie, Nigeria, with 10 players who played college ball in the U.S., also has its share of pro experience.

Diogu, who was born in Buffalo, N.Y., after his parents emigrated from Africa, has played for eight NBA teams and Al-Farouq Aminu, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 draft, was traded last year by the Los Angeles Clippers to New Orleans in the deal for U.S. guard Chris Paul.

But there isn't a team in the Olympics that can match the American's celebrated roster with a combined 43 All-Star appearances, seven NBA titles and four league MVPs.

Krzyzewski gave his players the day off on Wednesday, a chance to relax and enjoy the games. Anthony and James Harden went to see boxing. Durant watched beach volleyball.

They came back rested.

And on target.

Mark Caguioa finally wins his first MVP award.

Ginebra fan art

Tension is gone. Heated debates are over. Finally, the Most Valuable Player award goes to our idol, Mark "The Spark" Caguioa. And I really like it when my previous blog post sounded like a prophetic gesture for the whole barangay. (Ginebra's consolation prize: Mark Caguioa Govs' Cup BPC and MVP award)

11 years in the making and I can't believe it up until now. Pero nung nakita kong bihis nang todo si Mark, parang naramdaman ko na. At long last, we can call him MVP without any trace of doubt. I can't imagine how fans will chant "M-V-P" when Caguioa steps into the free throw line as Ginebra plays again in the season opener of the PBA.

You know what? I thought the Jaworski jersey retirement helped a lot, especially when we all saw the passing-of-the-torch-bro-fist between the two Ginebra icons. With that, Caguioa got a lot of attention from the players, fans and media that propelled Mark to win his Govs' Cup BPC which paved the way to his first MVP award.

But the main reason why Mark Caguioa won is his maturity. MC47 played consistent basketball all through out the season and he transformed himself into a great Ginebra leader. Remember when Mark Caguioa was sidelined for one year (2008-2009)? People thought that was the end and he won't be the same anymore even if he comes back. Pero nakabalik sya, with flying colors pa. That was the game changer for Mark. He changed his approach on how he handles basketball, people and life as a whole.

He could've won it before, but God knows better. And he needed those obstacles in his career for him to realize that he's got to change his outlook in life. Now he's our MVP, no one can take that away from him.

One thing a basketball player must learn is to put everything on the court and don't think about filling the stats sheet. Mark Caguioa did that. And he got the reward his fans have long been waiting for.

Long overdue. Well deserved. For Ginebra fans, we want more! A championship or another mvp award will do. Hindi ako demanding.

I'm hearing some news MC47 will create a twitter account to thank his fans. That would create history for sure, he got more than a million votes in the PBA Online poll, what more in the twitter universe? Ginebra fans dominate in every category!

Season MVP Caguioa is King of the world

Source: SPIN.ph

PBA 37th season MVP Mark Caguioa

IT took Mark Caguioa 11 years to savor this moment, but the wait is definitely worth it.

The 32-year old Ginebra shooting guard distinguished himself as the best of the season when he romped away with the MVP award on Sunday during the PBA Annual Leo Awards at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

`The Spark’ totaled 2,399 points to win the league’s highest individual award for the first time in his colorful pro career spanning for more than a decade. The hotshot guard out of Glendale Community College bested a talented and well-deserving field that included Gary David (Powerade),  two-time MVP James Yap (B-Meg) and Arwind Santos (Petron).

The Ginebra franchise player became the seventh former Rookie of the Year to romp off with the MVP award after Ricky Brown, Allan Caidic, Benjie Paras, Danny Ildefonso, Jimmy Alapag, and Kelly Williams. He won Rookie of the Year in 2001, the season when he emerged just the No. 3 pick overall in the Draft behind Willie Miller and Mike Hrabak.

“It’s very humbling and a great experience for me to receive this trophy. Ibang klase talaga, ” said Caguioa, splendid in his black chaleco over stripped, blue long sleeve polo and black pants.

Caguioa became the third Ginebra player to win the MVP trophy after Eric Menk (2004-05) and JayJay Helterbrand (2008-09).  His partnership with Helterbrand, the Kings’ version of `The Fast and The Furious,’ also produced the league’s first-ever backcourt MVP tandem on the same team.

 Winner of back-to-back Best Player of the Conference awards (Commissioner’s and Governors Cup), the popular Ginebra player was last in the statistical points standings (SPS) among the four contenders with 924 points, but made up for it by topping the media votes (978), players’ votes (197), and votes from the PBA Office (300).

Caguioa won it without leading the Kings to any of the three conference finals -- the first player to do so.

“Yun nga ang masakit. Kasi this individual award is just for me. Like I said before, if you go to the finals, you win a championship with your team. And that’s what I try to build on,” he added.

David finished second in one of the most tightly-fought MVP races in league history with 1,891 points. The Powerade stalwart topped the statistics with 1,114, finished second in media votes (595) but lost badly among the players (132) and PBA Office (50).

`El Granada’ positioned himself for the MVP award behind a remarkable showing in the Philippine Cup, which saw him steer the Tigers to a stunning Finals appearance, and went away with the Best Player of the Conference crown.

Yap made a late run for a third MVP trophy following back-to-back Finals stint by the Llamados in the Commissioners (champion) and Governors Cup. `Big Game James’ came in third with 1,417 points and was second in players’ votes (153) and votes by the PBA Office (150).

Santos brought up the rear with 1,087 points.

Caguioa, David, Yap, and Santos comprised the Mythical First Team, together with Ranidel de Ocampo (Talk `N Text), while Rookie of the Year (ROY) Paul Lee (Rain or Shine) was included in the Second Team along with the Talk `N Text pair of Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams, Alaska’s Sonny Thoss, and Lee’s teammate Jeff Chan, also the winner of the Most Improved Player award.

Lee bested JV Casio for the ROY trophy with 2,585 points. The Powerade point guard on the one hand only had 1,711 points, but consoled himself by beating Peter June Simon for the Sportsmanship award, 2,597-2,316.  

Chan (4,756) made it a double celebration for the Elasto Painters by emerging as runaway winner of the Most Improved Player award over Josh Urbiztondo (339).  

Santos led the All-Defensive Team together with Marc Pingris (B-Meg), Doug Kramer (Barako), Jireh Ibanes (Rain or Shine), and Ryan Reyes (Talk `N Text).

Powerade contract a potential deal-breaker as Bo waits in wings

Source: SPIN.ph

Powerade Tigers head coach Bo Perasol

AMONG the thousands who tropped to the MOA Arena on Saturday for the first Ateneo-La Salle match of the season was Bo Perasol, who inconspicuously watched the action from the sidelines.

Or, perhaps more appropriately, Perasol was waiting in the wings.

The man tipped to replace Norman Black next season as coach of the Ateneo Eagles marvelled at the athmosphere inside the brand-new arena, insisting he was no more than a fan watching one of the biggest games on the basketball calendar.

Perasol, however, also admitted that he has been contacted by Ateneo sports officials about the job and that he is very much interested in the offer.

"They showed interest in getting me as head coach next year but there is no final decision yet, especially since I'm still with Powerade [and] my contract will be until next year," he said.

His Powerade contract is a potential 'deal-breaker.'

His five-year deal with the PBA team will end at around the same time the UAAP's 2013 season will begin, but the future of the Coca-Cola franchise is very much uncertain.

Powerade officials have been mum on their plans for the team amid talks that sportsman Mikee Romero is more than willing to buy the franchise.

If the deal pushes through and Romero acquires the franchise lock, stock and barrel, Perasol may find himself tied down to a contract with new owners when the Ateneo coaching job becomes vacant.

Minus the contract hassles, Perasol said it would be an honor to coach Ateneo.

"If given the chance and there will be no contract that I will breach, I'm more than happy to be their coach. It will be my honor. But as of now, wala pa talaga," said the former UP Maroon.

"After my contract with Powerade and if there won't be any problems, I'll get into the details and we'll take it from there," he added.

For Cone, it's win Game Five at all cost

Source: SPIN.ph

B-MEG Llamados head coach Tim Cone

TIM CONE, the outspoken B-Meg coach, is not lost for any words even now that the Llamados are on the verge of a complete collapse against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their PBA Governors Cup Finals.

“I’m full of clichés if you wanna hear now, `it takes four to win’, 'it’s not over until it’s over.’ You can hear all those if you want,” said Cone trying to find solace in the aftermath of B-Meg’s 89-94 loss in Sunday’s Game Four at the Araneta Coliseum.

“But the bottom line is, we got to go out and win Game Five.”

Losing for the second-straight game in the Finals, the Llamados now find themselves staring at a 1-3 deficit -- a hole just three teams in the 37-year history of the PBA were able to dig themselves out, although only the legendary 1991 Ginebra squad managed to do the feat in a championship series.

Although the pressure is obviously on the side of the Llamados, Cone said all they have to think of right now is to win Game Five on Wednesday and nothing more than that.

He added they should not even think ahead about the tough task of winning the last three games of the series to salvage their second straight championship this season.

“We don’t worry about that (winning three in a row). It’s not part of our psyche at the moment,” Cone said.

“I think we got to put some pressure on them. Right now, they’re playing pressure-free. They’ve got a future after Game Five, us we don’t.”

For someone who’s been in the league for 23 years now and in his 25th Finals appearance, the American mentor is not at all surprise seeing his fancied team down at this point in the series against a Rain or Shine side playing in its first ever championship stint.

“You never get surprise or shock in a series I’ve got swept in the Finals before,” Cone said.

“I’m certainly disappointed that we’re down. I would like to think that we should have been up in the series, 3-1.”

For me and the barangay, Mark Caguioa is our MVP.

You still remeber this Ginebra fans?

First of all, I could've stayed silent about this. But I can't bear all the things said about Mark Caguioa. I've followed his career all through out. And I'm a die hard fan. For the Ginebra faithfuls, this is for you. I'm not the best writer out there, but who cares if you want your idol to win the highest individual honor a player can achieve? 

I'm pretty sure everyone in the barangay cheers for MC47 to win the MVP. His chances become even stronger after winning the Govs' Cup BPC Award. So why should the 4th leading contender win the award? Is it really about stats? If that's the basis, then Kobe Bryant (who is also my idol) could've won 10 MVPs right now. But he's got ONE. Does the same apply to the PBA? Hell YES. It's the same. In fact, PBA mimicked the NBA. Look at the name. It says all. 

Mark Caguioa is my MVP. And it will never change. Call me bias, because I really am. For the barangay, he's the second coming of Robert Jaworski, who by the way won his MVP at age 32. Isn't it fitting? MC47 put everything on the court. And just like what he said on Sunday, "you don't have to ask for it, but you need to work for it." That's what he did. He's not aspiring for any individual awards. I understand. But for your fans, we're salivating!

Mark Caguioa is my MVP. Wait, did I write that statement already? Yes. Well in fact I wrote and said that last year. The other year. And the other other year. I'm calling it highway robbery, boxing style. For all the things he's done, like "setting the league on fire" for a decade now, he's never been rewarded an MVP award. Media doesn't love him, they say. But after I saw the voting tally for the BPC race, where he got 34 first place votes out of 35, I think they also knew it's time. I just don't know if Mark will get the same in the MVP race. 

And for the Gary David fans, we understand your reasons. Everyone is entitled to your own opinion. I just think we got the better chance because of better team standings and the fact Mark won back to back BPCs, 2 out of 3 in the season. 

Don't forget, Gary David exploded only this year although I thought he was also robbed of the multiple all star appearances because of his team's lack of popularity. I also thought he caught everyone by surprise (but I know he's a gifted and natural scorer). Let's be honest. Before, he was not defended like a superstar. Does the same apply to Caguioa? NO. Every team scouts him. And since day one, teams got their defensive game plans focused on him. I hope everyone gets my point. 

Caguioa did not have the best season of his career stats wise but he played the most consistent basketball I've ever seen him play together with his more developed on court IQ and leadership. 

We don't care what the haters say. Because for me and the barangay, Mark Caguioa is our MVP. 

Team USA defies catchy description

Source: ESPN

Pau Gasol of Spain goes against Kevin Durant of Team USA.

It's not a Dream Team or a Redeem Team or a team that lends itself to any sort of easy, catchy moniker. No one knows quite what to call the 2012 edition of the U.S. Olympic men's basketball squad.

How would you describe a traveling band of NBA All-Stars that's missing several key players due to injury, carrying only one veteran center alongside its three elite point guards and possessing so much speed and athleticism that all those holes on the roster might not even matter?

"Extremely atypical," Spain coach Sergio Scariolo volunteered late Tuesday night.

Perhaps realizing that he'll win no marketing prizes with that submission, he took another stab after Team USA overcame its various deficiencies to pummel Scariolo's Spain in its final pre-Olympic tuneup.

"Best team in the world," Scariolo said. "There is no question about that."

Not now. Not after Tuesday night's evidence at the famed Palau Sant Jordi. The sixth team of NBA pros to represent the United States at the Olympics might not have a ready nickname -- and might well be punished down the line if Tyson Chandler keeps finding foul trouble -- but the Americans will open play Sunday in Group A against France as the unquestioned tournament favorites after a 100-78 rout of their most feared international rivals.

There can be no other conclusion after Team USA, completing its five-day Spanish detour in tribute to the legacy of the original Dream Team that changed international basketball forever here 20 years ago, said farewell to the hallowed hardwood of Barcelona with Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James not only combining for 52 points but also taking credible turns at center in place of the whistle-prone Chandler.

Even with Spain clearly holding some of its best back for a potential rematch in the Olympic medal round -- and even if you buy the notion that the Spaniards are laying it on thick to try to make the Americans feel extra good about themselves as they all head to London for the start of the real deal this weekend -- there was no ignoring how swiftly and powerfully Team USA managed to floor the hosts after a worrisome start.

Speed solves a lot of problems, apparently.

"We have a lot of speed," says Team USA elder statesman Kobe Bryant. "A lot of speed.

"LeBron's 6-9, Carmelo's 6-9, [Kevin] Durant's 6-10. And we're fast. When you have that amount of speed, it makes up for it."

It being the size shortcomings -- most notably through the injury absences of Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh -- that had given Spain hope of finally breaking through against the Yanks after a string of near-misses that began in the 2008 gold-medal game in Beijing, where the Redeem Team saw its lead chopped to four points inside the final three minutes before pulling away at last.

Spain's hopes obviously weren't completely dashed Tuesday night, because Scariolo held out All-Star center Marc Gasol despite the fact that Gasol -- who's legitimately nursing an injured left shoulder -- looked pretty spry in pregame warmups. Star guard Juan Carlos Navarro (back) is ailing, too, but just having Gasol next time should allow Scariolo to back up his claim that Spain will be "more ready than tonight" if these teams are to meet again in London.

Yet it's equally conceivable that the speed Bryant referenced and the benefits it creates at both ends just demoralized the Spaniards in front of their home fans. Anthony and James, masquerading as centers, looked far more capable of hanging with Pau Gasol (19 points) and Serge Ibaka (who finished with just 16 after a 12-point eruption in the opening quarter) than the Spanish big men did trying to cope on the perimeter.

"Quite a bit," Gasol said when asked how much Team USA's athleticism offsets its size woes. "Their athleticism, their length, their quickness makes up for it pretty well. Interior players aren't used to being outside guarding people 20 feet away from the basket, so it's sort of a double-edged sword.

"They're loaded."

So loaded that Anthony, who drained five 3-pointers and scored 23 of his 27 points before halftime, is operating as Mike Krzyzewski's sixth man. So loaded that Durant could pop up after a quiet opening half with 10 crucial points in the third quarter. So loaded that Bryant took only three shots in 20 minutes and didn't mind, happily convinced he's just saving crunch-time fuel for when Krzyzewski might need it later.

"LeBron can play all five positions, but Carmelo can play three of them," Krzyzewski said. "He's as versatile a guy after LeBron that we have. … He's as good of a [talent] as we have on our team."

Said Team USA guard Chris Paul: "We're fortunate enough to have some of our forwards, like LeBron and Melo, who play bigger than they really are. We'll be OK."

Looks like it. The Yanks survived scares against Brazil and Argentina to finish their exhibition schedule at 5-0 with an average victory margin of 26.6 points, nudging their record in all games under Krzyzewski to a tidy 54-1. The greatest risk now figures to be tuning out the hype and managing team confidence after a performance that only enhanced USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo's claims over the weekend that this group, in addition to all of its international experience, is deeper and more athletic than the 2008 squad.

"We [just] played against two very tough teams in Argentina and Spain, so I think it made us a better team," Bryant said. "I think it showed us some things that we want to do differently, some things that we're doing right, and I think because of it we feel pretty good about our chances."

And if they continue to combine shot-making from the 3-point line with all the turnover-forcing defensive aggression triggered by their fast hands?

Just call 'em hard to guard.

"Dream Team was coined for one team only," Bryant said, offering zero nickname help.