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Patrick Balo •

My Gilas Twelve

In a couple of hours, Gilas coach Chot Reyes will unveil his final roster who will do battle for the lone sport reserved for the SEABA champion. I’m anticipating that the lineup will be fodder for every basketball conversation for the next 6 weeks. That being said, why wait? I’m starting the debate with my picks for the Gilas Twelve. THE SURE-BALLS Andray Blatche. Junemar Fajardo. Jayson Castro. Terence Romeo. Calvin Abueva. Every time Blatche is in our lineup, he automatically becomes Gilas’ best player (even out-of-shape Blatche). There is no local player who comes close to what the Kraken can do on the court while The Beast has become the team’s heart and soul. The Blur is still the best point guard in Asia and Romeo, his heir apparent, is already making waves internationally. THE SHOULD-BE-THERES Troy Rosario. Raymond Almazan. Allein Maliksi. Matt Wright. Rosario has the potential to be the most versatile local big man ever... ... See more

Patrick Balo •

Three Thoughts Midway Through The First Round

We’re halfway through the first round of the NBA Playoffs and some things aren’t exactly what we thought they would be while some were exactly what we thought they’d be. That being said, here are three thoughts as we go into the backend of the first round: THOUGHT #1: Can anyone beat the Cavs? Right now, it’s looking like no one can. Lebron James and his cohorts have been able to find ways to win, even though it hasn’t been pretty. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have their moments but the Cavs are fueled by the will of King James and right now, no one can match him. Extra thought: Kyle Korver was supposed to be the piece that would make the Cavs near invincible. So far, he’s been outplayed by the likes of Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert. THOUGHT #2: Can anyone beat the Warriors? See thought above. However, what makes the Warriors scarier is that they haven’t fully deployed Kevin Durant yet. So they’ve got an extra MVP-level gear that is cur... ... See more

Patrick Balo •

Must-Watch Match Ups In the NBA First Round

But that's just not possible. If you have to choose, then pick these three matchups. TOP PICK: OKC Thunder vs Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook versus James Harden, in the first round? The basketball gods must be crazy! This series should put a giant punctuation mark on someone's MVP candidacy...or raise even more questions. Either way, expect this series to be about firepower and not much defense. Plus, Westbrook knows he's got to get past Harden if he wants a shot at Durant. SECOND PICK: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers On paper, this shouldn't be an easy out for the Cavs. Paul George may not be Lebron James but he's a top 15, maybe top 10 player in the league. Kyrie Irving may be better than Jeff Teague but again, not by a lot. Kevin Love is where they have a big advantage (over Thaddeus Young) but the youngster Myles Turner is already much better than Tristan Thompson. Cavs should win but I have a feeling they're gonna bleed in every ... ... See more

Patrick Balo •

AWARDS TIME! Putting My Credibility Where My Mouth Is

MVP: Russell Westbrook. Yes, it was the triple doubles. Yes, it was the compelling storyline all season long. Yes, it was the rising from the ashes of the Kevin Durant departure, like a mythical phoenix. Yes, it’s also about the winning. Without 2016-2017 Westbrook, the OKC Thunder would have been, at best, a 25-win team. Instead, they’re the sixth seed in the always-tough Western conference. Rookie of the Year: Malcolm Brogdon. It should have been Joel Embiid, had he played more. Or Brandon Ingram, had he played better. Or Ben Simmons, had he played at all. Or even Dario Saric, had the Sixers won more. Instead, it is the cool, collected and unassuming 24 year old second round draft pick Brogdon, he of the 10.3 ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.2 apg, and 1.1 spg who was the year’s best rookie. Coach of the Year: Tough call. I’ll go with Greg Popovich. Why? Anybody notice how the Spurs remain among the top 3 teams in the NBA despite losing Tim Duncan to retirement, having end-of-their-c... ... See more

Patrick Balo •

Gilas Vs France: Predictions

Today is G-Day (or Game Day), when we embark on another (and last) journey to snare the last ticket to Rio. But it’s going to be no walk in the park, as we’re going up against one of the best in the world, FIBA’s 5 th -ranked team France. Les Bleus (as they are called) boast of several NBA players, including superstar Tony Parker and veteran Boris Diaw. The French are, in fact, the prohibitive favorites to win this Olympic Qualifying Tournament leg. That being said, here are three things I expect we’ll see tonight: Bombs Away. Gilas has relied on their three point marksmanship heavily in the last 2 years and tonight won’t be any different. Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, Terence Romeo, Ranidel de Ocampo and Jeff Chan need to be on point, for Gilas to have a chance of sticking around. So expect them (plus Bobby Ray Parks and Troy Rosario) to be spotting up from outside. Whether they make those threes or not is a different matter. Get Your Guards Up. The guard battles w... ... See more

Patrick Balo •

A Changing of the Guards For Iranian Basketball

Late breaking news: Iran finalizes its Olympic Qualifying Tournament team. And guess what? Their lineup is missing some big names that are practically synonymous to Iranian basketball. Names like Hamed Afagh, Mehdi Kamrani, and even Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, a transcendent do-it-all forward who averaged 17.0pts and 6 rebounds for the Zheijiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball League. The reason? My guess is age. While Bahrami is still as effective as ever at age 33, Kamrani (34 years old) has been exposed by our very own Jason Castro in the last 3 years as someone who can no longer keep up with the young turks of Asian basketball. Afagh, a key reserve, is also 33 years old, and in the same boat as Kamrani. Replacing them in the lineup are several youngsters who will no doubt take over the reins of Iranian basketball. These youngsters include 21 year old Behnam Yakchali, Sajjad Mashayekhi (22), Sedighi Amir (23) and Arman Zangeneh (23). Yakchali, in par... ... See more

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Patrick Feed

My Gilas Twelve

Three Thoughts Midway Through The First Round

Must-Watch Match Ups In the NBA First Round

AWARDS TIME! Putting My Credibility Where My Mouth Is

Gilas Vs France: Predictions

A Changing of the Guards For Iranian Basketball

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