May 16 - 31 , 2018 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 29
LeBron did it again
LeBron James has not missed the NBA Finals since 2010 .
That was when the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers , 4-2 , on the way to winning the Eastern Conference finals and eventually crowning themselves the National Basketball Association champions , beating the Orlando Magic in the process .
This year , James , again , found himself battling the Celtics for the right to carry the East versus the West for all the marbles . The Cavs and the Celts were tied at three wins apiece after three games necessitating a do-or-die , winner-take-all Game 7 .
Never mind if the Celtics have yet to lose at their TD Garden home in this year ’ s post season . Boston had been unbeatable at home during
The Philippine Tot Baseball Association ( PTBA ) plays host to the PONY ( Protect Our Nations ’ Youth ) Asia Pacific-Mustang-9 and 10 Championships starting today at the Tanauan City Sports Academy grounds .
Host Tanauan City Mayor Thony Halili and citizens of the city rolled out the red carpet for the more than 100 youth baseball players , team officials and delegates of participating teams from Singapore , Indonesia , Vietnam , and the Philippines .
The twin championships , a World Series qualifying tournament , end Saturday . Winners in their
So , what else is new ?
The Golden State Warriors , the NBA ’ s and the world ’ s greatest third quarter team , again used their stature in erasing a 15-point Houston Rockets ’ first half lead en route to a 101-92 Game 7 victory in the NBA Western Conference finals at the Toyota Center .
The Warriors , thus , earned their ticket to the championship playoff for the fourth consecutive the postseason – 10-0 at the Garden with three convincing double-digit victories against the Cavs – and Cleveland has not played well in Boston .
Not this time though . James won ’ t allow that 2010 loss to happen again .
And , indeed , King James didn ’ t .
James hasn ’ t lost a Game 7 – that ’ s five consecutive Game 7 victories highlighted by a huge conquest in 2016 of the Golden State Warriors that gifted the city its first ever NBA championship in since buying ax franchise in1970 .
His overall stats with a 5-2 record in Game 7s : 34.9 points , 9.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 48.5 % from the field ( courtesy of USA Today Sports ). An outstanding track record of Game 7 performances .
James , all of 48 minutes
seasons opposite the Eastern Conference titlist Cleveland Cavaliers in as many times up , likewise .
Stephen Curry and the Warriors start their bestof-seven title series against LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Thursday ( Friday Manila time ) at Golden State ’ s home turf Oracle Arena .
The Rockets , known for living by their three-point shots in winning a regular without relief and led the Cavs recover from a slow start and rally on late in the fourth quarter to beat the Celtics , 87-79 , on Sunday night at in Boston , in the process earning a trip to the NBA Finals — his eighth straight .
James led the way with 35 points , 14 rebounds and nine assists , shooting 12- of-24 from the field . Jeff Green , playing in lieu of an injured Kevin Love , also shot 50 percent from the field , contributing 19 points for the Cavaliers .
J . R . Smith and Tristan Thompson also finished with double-figures , scoring 11 points and 10 points , respectively helping the Cavs eras a 12-point Celts lead , before halftime .
No less than Celtics coach Brad Stevens sang James ’ praises in his postgame press conference ,
season 65 games to become the league ’ s No . team going into the playoffs , died by it losing a 54-43 edge ending the second quarter , lost , too , their shooting touch the rest of the way .
They were outscored , 33-15 , by the Warriors in the pivotal third frame where their most lethal weapon abandoned them , going zero from beyond the arc in the
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saying : “ I thought it was an outstanding defensive game , and again , he still got 35 , 15 , nine . It ’ s a joke .”
Much has been said of LeBron ’ s place in history as his legacy has began to galvanize toward the end of his career . The conversation has raged on about LeBron vs . Michael Jordan , or Wilt Chamberlain , or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .
Preference varies greatly between fans , while some still pick the centrist route and say there ’ s no simple way to compare across eras . There ’ s been mathematical attempts to rank the two , and even MJ ’ s old teammates have said LeBron is a more complete player .
With LeBron having won another Game 7 out in the Eastern Conference as he heads to another Finals . He probably won ’ t match Jordan ’ s championship mark .
ASPAC Mustang 9 & 10 World Series qualifying tilts on today in Tanauan City
respective divisions earn the right to represent Asia at the PONY International Mustang- 9 World Series on July 27-30 this year at Walnut , California and the Mustang-10 World Series on August 3-6 , 2018 at Youngsville , Louisiana .
The Philippine Mustang- 10 team had been dominating their age group since 2012 before Indonesia was take the crown away from them last year in Singapore .
“ Having to now play in front of their home crowd will inspire them to bring out their best to reclaim the crown ,” PTBA president Rodolfo “ Boy ” Tingzon Jr . said .
The Filipino Mustang-9 ,
Rockets miss an NBA record 27 three-pointers and lose playing in
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on the other hand , have been undefeated in their division since the establishment of the tournament in 2015 although their Indonesian counterparts been slowly but surely catching up in skills and knowledge of the game in this age group .
Games in both level of plays start at 10 a . m . following the traditional parade of teams highlighting today ’ s opening ceremonies .
Mayor Halili , former Laguna Congressman and Vice Governor Rodolfo “ Totoy ” Tingzon Sr . acknowledged as founder of youth baseball movement in the country and Asia and high-ran city and Batangas province ’ s highranking officials have been invited to today ’ s inaugural rites .
The games , presented by HMR Trading Haus and LORD Sports , are expected to be very competitive because just to be part of the World Series is already an honor since only the champion teams from the eight PONY Zones of the World can participate .
These are the North , East , West and South Zones
By : Julian Ray Fortaleza
Answers from last week ’ s issue
1 . They are called the original 6 2 . The owner of the Vancouver Canucks is Francesco Aquilini 3 . The Phoenix suns coach was Mike D ’ Antoni and he now coaches the Houston Rockets
New Questions
But the heck !
The pride of Akron , Ohio was part of the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history against the Golden State Warriors . He beat the Indiana Pacers all by himself , in the playoffs , just this very season . James has had a career season at age 33 , playing 48 minutes in the 100th game of the 2017-18 season .
LeBron has willed his way to yet another NBA Finals , with perhaps his worst team since the 2007 squad that was swept by the San Antonio Spurs . To add further insult to injury , LeBron pushed this team past a very good team in the Celtics , on the road , and without Love .
Is James the greatest American sports story of this generation ? Is he the best player the NBA has ever seen ? Time , will tell .
of the United States and the Mexican , Caribbean , European and Asian Zones .
Totoy Tingzon , also an expresident of the PTBA and the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association ( PABA ) thanked Mayor Halili for hosting the events and the members of the Pony Asia-Pacific for their continued in the development of baseball in the region .
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