to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 has been a fast and furious affair that has seen the best squads get waylaid to the sidelines. It has been brutal, with luck playing a key role for the surviving teams. Now down to only four, it’s the Bucks and the Hawks; while in the west, we’re down to the Thunder and the Rockets. My fearless forecast: it will be the Hawks against the Rockets for all the marbles.
The short format has been interesting but brutal for the likes of the record-setting Cleveland Cavs (21-3) and the defending champs Boston Celtics (19-4). Despite their league-leading numbers in the regular season, one miscue was all it took to take them out of contention. Gone too were some of the games biggest stars in Lebron James, Kevin Durant, NIkola Jokic and Joel Embiid. My picks to go to the semis next week: it will be the veterans from the Knicks and the Bucks in the east; while the upstarts in the Mavs and the Rockets will do battle in the west.
The Philippine national basketball team, under the guidance of coach Tim Cone, is on an upward trajectory marked by historic achievements and a promising future. With a blend of experienced stars and emerging talents, coupled with a strong coaching philosophy, Gilas is poised to make waves in international basketball.
Indeed, the present Gilas men’s basketball program continues to make waves. They may not be as star-studded as the FIBA World Cup edition under coach Chot, but the team chemistry, the winners’ mindset, and the basic fundamentals in both defense and offense are there. What Coach Tim has done has been a minor miracle, building up the right environment to make this team what it is today.
The NBA Cup is a mini-tournament held within the ongoing NBA season. It is on its 2nd iteration, after a very successful 1st edition last year which was eventually won by the Los Angeles Lakers over the Indiana Pacers. That pioneer edition, then called the NBA In-Season Tournament, has since been renamed into the Emirates NBA Cup, after its top sponsor.
The Golden State Warriors, on their first season minus one of the club’s most celebrated gunslingers in Klay Thompson, ambushed the reigning champs Boston Celtics 118-112 to send a strong message to the rest of the league.
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