China played the first exhibition game in the preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. China faced USA All Star team in Beijing. China dominated from start to finish posting a 106:78 victory. The teams will meet again on Friday. Zhu FangYu (201-F-83) scored 20 points to lead the effort. Sun Yue (206-G/F-85) contributed 15 points, while Wang ShiPeng (196-G/F-83) added 14 points in the victory. Yi Li (202-F/G-85) and Wang ZhiZhi (214-C-77) provided 11 points each for a balanced effort from the hosts.
China will play in Group B at the Olympic Games. They will face Australia, Brazil, Great Britain, Spain and one of the qualifiers. China open their campaign on July 29th. They will face Spain.

Via (AsiaBasket)

But he learned quickly how a town can turn on him after he missed a potential game-winning 3 in the Lakers’ 77-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

After the game, both the Twitter feeds of Blake and his wife, Kristen, were inundated with criticism ranging from curse word-laden rants to threats.

“I hope your family gets murdered,” read one tweet that Kristen Blake re-tweeted along with a single comment: “Wow.”

Kristen Blake also mentioned on her Twitter account that she blocked more than 500 people from viewing her timeline and quoted a Bible verse that included the message: “Pray for those who abuse you.”

Steve Blake responded to the troublesome situation after Lakers practice on Thursday.

“It’s pretty disappointing that there are a lot of hateful people out there, but you move on,” Blake said. “I just don’t appreciate it when it’s toward my family. You can come at me all you want but when you say things about my wife and my kids, that makes me upset.”

Blake said his wife first made him aware of the threats when she checked her husband’s Twitter feed.

“That’s why I don’t look at that crap,” Blake said. “I’ll just let it be.”

Via (ESPN Sports)

Via (SlamOnline)

But, then, doom arrived at the Lakers’ doorstep.

Kobe Bryant started coughing up the rock, Kevin Durant and James Harden scored quickly and easily, and Steve Blake missed the potential game-winning shot.

Andrew Bynum — who was spotted laughing as soon as the final buzzer sounded — seemed bemused by the whole sad affair, and compared his team to Santa Claus:

Bynum on the last two minutes: “Oh my goodness, we’re better than Santa Claus. Gave them a gift”

“Man that was crazy. We’re better than Santa Claus, we like giving out gifts. We give out games, contracts and rings.”

Last night presented the Lakers with their best chance to make this series a truly competitive one, but they instead let victory slip through their hands, as the Thunder woke up in crunch time and scored the game’s final 9 points.

Los Angeles will be the scene of Games 3 and 4 (a brutal back-to-back this Friday and Saturday), and OKC won’t be looking for any more “gifts”. They’ll be coming to take what increasingly appears to be theirs.

Via (SlamOnline)

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over SAIGON HEAT, 83-68

Nick Fazekas came up big for the Beermen once again as he finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Leo Avenido had 15 points and Duke Crews added 12 points for SMB.

San Miguel actually started to pull away at the end of the third quarter. A follow up by Fazekas off a Norman Gonzales miss started an 8-0 run for the Beermen at this point. An alley-oop dunk by Crews and a free throw by Chris Banchero then stretched the Beermens lead to 64-51 going into the fourth quarter. The Heat were also held to only 10 points in the third period.

Beermens coach Bobby Parks credited his teams defense for the win.

We did not play great tonight but our defense helped us win the game, said Coach Parks after the game. We are going straight back to work when we get back to Manila. We have to get ready for the playoffs right away.

Jonathan Jones finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat while Rob Sanz and Jahmar Thorpe added 11 points each.

Even though the Heat did not have a chance to make it to the playoffs, Tan Binh Stadium was still sold out and the fans were still in full support for their favorite team.

I cant say enough about all these fans. They are very great and they are the best fans in the world, said Coach Rabedeaux. We are looking forward to next season and I would like to wish good luck to all the four teams competing in the playoffs. They are all very good and well-coached teams.

SMB 83 Fazekas 24, Avenido 15, Crews 12, Yap 10, Baguion 7, Banchero 5, Fernandez 2, Ferriols 2, Cabatu 2, Gonzales 2, Fajardo 2
SGH 68 Jones 25, Sanz 11, Thorpe 11, Trieu 9, Smith 7, Nguyen 5
QS: 20-20, 41-41, 64-51, 83-68

JOBSTREET.COM SINGAPORE SLINGERS over WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS, 105-88
The Westports Malaysia Dragons landed on third spot when the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers demolished them in front of their own home crowd. Coupled with an Indonesia Warriors win this Sunday, which is also against the Slingers, the Dragons will finish fourth and be matched up against the current top-seeded San Miguel Beermen in the playoffs.

It was a relatively even first half, but the Slingers pulled away in the second quarter with an 11-2 run capped by a three from Wong Wei Long to grab a 13-point lead, 41-28. They continued to steadily build on their lead and they held a very comfortable 62-39 halftime lead in front of a stunned Dragons home crowd.

The night was looking worse and worse for the Dragons as Brian Williams hit the floor hard and limp off the court three minutes into the third quarter. Fortunately for the Dragons, he was able to rejoin his team on the court after a quick examination.

The Slingers continued their incredible run and earned themselves a massive 30-point lead with a little over three minutes to go until the fourth. It was all but finished from that point.

Louis Graham finished the game with 32 points and 10 rebounds for the Slingers, while Donald Dulay scored 24 points. Kyle Jeffers rounded up the Slingers top three scorers with 16 markers.

Brian Williams topscored for the Dragons with 30 points and 13 rebounds while Tiras Wade was not far behind him with 27 points. Amongst the rest of the Dragons squad only Shee Fai Loh managed double digits in scoring with 10 markers.

SGS 105 Graham 32, Dulay 24, Jeffers 16, Canta 12, Wong 10, Oh 5, Lim 4, Matialakan 2
WMD 88 Williams 30, Wade 27, Loh 10, Lau 5, Pacana 5, Cabahug 4, Belasco 3, Ng 2, Kuppusamy 2
QS: 28-24, 62-39, 85-61, 105-88

AIRASIA PHILIPPINE PATRIOTS over CHANG THAILAND SLAMMERS, 80-74
The AirAsia Philippine Patriots were forced to fight until the final buzzer to beat the Chang Thailand Slammers at the Thai Japanese Association Gym.

Anthony Johnson, playing through a groin injury, contributed 15 points for the Patriots, who finished the season with a record of 16 wins and 5 losses. Marcy Arellano, Rob Wainwright and Nakiea Miller added 11 points each.

We are ready for the playoffs and I will do everything to help my team win in the playoffs. said Johnson after the game. The Patriots will find out who they will face in the playoffs tomorrow after the game between the Indonesia Warriors and JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.

It looked like the Patriots would have been able to rest Johnson and Miller when Johnson finished an alley-oop pass from Al Vergara and was fouled in the process. Johnsons three-point play gave Patriots a 49-30 lead with 5:40 left in the third quarter.

The Slammers had other ideas, however, and came alive to quickly trim the Patriots lead. Thailands Rexander Leynes was very aggressive at the end of the third quarter and his reverse lay-up at the buzzer cut the Patriots adfvantage even further to single digits going into the fourth quarter.

Things did not go the Patriots way early in the fourth quarter when Miller was forced to leave the game after receiving two technical fouls. In Millers absence, Wainwright stepped up to help his team regain a double-digit lead. A three-point shot and a lay-up by Wainwright stretched the Patriots lead to 71-58 with 5:52 left.

Calvin Williams had 21 points while Leynes added 15 points for the Slammers, who finished the season with a record of 5 wins and 16 losses despite being crowned league champions last season.

APP 80 Johnson 15, Miller 11, Wainwright 11, Arellano 11, Larong 8, Vergara 7, Raymundo 5, Ramos 4, Fernandez 3, Adriano 3, Rodriguez 2
CTS 74 Williams 21, Leynes 15, Garnett 13, Pinitpatcharalert 11, Apiromvilaichai 7, Lertmalaiporn 4, Jantuma 2, Supachai 1
QS: 20-13, 36-23, 57-49, 80-74

SAIGON HEAT over BANGKOK COBRAS, 68-66
It was the battle for the sixth spot on the standings when these two AirAsia ABL newcomers battled it out for the final time this season. After leading for most of the game, the Bangkok Cobras steadily ran out of steam, which allowed the Saigon Heat to close out their season on a high note as they escaped Thailand with a big win and the sixth position overall in their first run in the league.

Jonathan Jones finished as the games top scorer with 32 points and 16 rebounds for Saigon, followed by Jahmar Thorpe who recorded 22 points. The rest of the squad did not have a good afternoon, however, and collectively scored only 14 points among them.

For the Cobras, Travis George finished with 19 points followed by Marvin Cruz and his 13. Danai Kongkum rounded up the Cobras top three with 9. The Cobras also played without Gentry Lewis in this game after he was released earlier this week.

The Cobras controlled most of the game until a Jahmar Thorpe three-pointer early in the fourth saw the Heat grab the lead for the first time. Cruz and George answered almost immediately with baskets, however, to take it away from the visitors. The lead then changed four times between the teams before a Thorpe basket at 0:42 gave the Heat their biggest lead of 4 points for this game. In the heart-stopping final seconds, Marvin Cruz then sank a basket to put the Cobras back within two points with 30 seconds remaining. George then had a chance to throw the game into overtime with 6 seconds left, but missed his shot.

SGH 68 Jones 32, Thorpe 22, Sanz 7, Smith 5, Trieu 2
BKC 66 George 19, Cruz 13, Kongkum 9, Klahan 6, Kruatiwa 6, Wanna 5, Reyes 4, Limsuwan 4
QS: 9-22, 26-36, 46-49, 68-66

INDONESIA WARRIORS over JOBSTREET.COM SINGAPORE SLINGERS, 92-85
The Indonesia Warriors clinched the third seed for the playoffs, earning them a date with AirAsia Philippine Patriots after they defeated the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.

Evan Brock and Stanley Pringle continued to carry the Warriors. Brock recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Pringle added 21 points. Steven Thomas also contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds for Indonesia, who will face the Patriots in the semifinal round of the playoffs on May 27 at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The Slingers, however, made the Warriors work for the win. The Slingers were shooting the ball very well in the first half as the Warriors trailed, 30-39, with 6 minutes left before halftime after Slingers made a 9-0 run capped by a basket from Kyle Jeffers.

The score was 67-65 for the Warriors at the start of the fourth quarter until the Warriors made a 12-2 run to open the final quarter with their biggest lead in the game. Amin Prihantono made back-to-back three point shots and Brock had four points during that stretch and subsequently the Warriors had a 79-67 lead with 5:53 left.

Christian Ronaldo Sitepu made a good first impression for the Warriors as the 25-year old forward hit back-to-back threes to answer the Slingers run down the stretch. It was Thomas who made sure the Warriors finished the regular season with a record of 12 wins and 9 losses after icing the game with his free throw in the dying seconds.

The Warriors overcame a great effort from Louis Graham, who finished with 34 points. Jeffers contributed 17 and Don Dulay added 12 for the Slingers, who will not be advancing to the playoffs for the first time since joining the AirAsia ABL. The Slingers will finish the regular season at fifth position with a record of 9 wins and 12 losses.

This will be the second time in the playoffs for the Warriors, having been finalists in the first season and falling short of making the playoffs last year. The Warriors will head to the playoffs carrying a five-game winning streak.

INW 92 Brock 22, pringle 21, Thomas 20, Prihantonop 11, Sitepu 6, Wuysang 6, Canada 3, Salangsang 3
SGS 85 Graham 34, Jeffers 17, Dulay 12, Canta 9, Lim 6, Wong 4, Oh 3
QS: 25-27, 45-48, 67-65, 92-85

INDONESIAN STARS JOIN THE WARRIORS
The Indonesia Warriors strengthened their squad for the upcoming playoffs with the inclusion of two local players, Arki Dikania Wisnu and Christian Ronaldo Sitepu.

Both Arki (Wisnu) and Dodo (Sitepu) are familiar faces in the Indonesian basketball scene as they both are both part of the NBL Indonesia Satria Muda team which has recently won the championship. Arki averaged 13.8 points per game in the NBL season and won two awards, Rookie of The Year and Sixth Man of the Year. The 6’2” guard also has experience playing in US The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division III with Baruch College.

Dodo is a promising young player and has the biggest upside of any player in Indonesia. The 68 forward can help the Warriors in rebounding, and hes also a great defender. Dodo was part of the Indonesian National Team in the 2011 South East Asian Game. Dodo had a break-out performance in the 26th FIBA Asia Championship at Wuhan, China, where he was the leading scorer of Indonesia with 14 points per game.

Via (AsiaBasket)

3-Point Shootout, Obstacle Challenge, and the Slam Dunk Contest

Macapagal beat a crack field of the leagues elite three-point shooters for the third straight time. The competition was marked by red-hot shooting in the first round, with Canaleta shooting 19 points and Macapagal, B-MEGs Josh Urbiztondo, and Petrons Marcio Lassiter scoring 16 each to advance to the final round.

Canaleta and Urbiztondo, who was a late replacement for the ailing James Yap, went first in the finals, shooting 13 points each. Macapagal proved his mettle, shooting consistently en route to 15 points. Lassiter had the final say of the competition, but the rookie jump-shooter ran out of gas and finished with just seven points.

Also competing in the three-point shootout were Renren Ritualo of Air 21, Willie Miller of Barako Bull, Gary David of Powerade, Jeff Chan of Rain or Shine, and Cyrus Baguio of Alaska.

Villanueva, meanwhile, nosed out rookie Paul Lee in an exciting final round in the Obstacle Challenge, winning by just two-tenths of a second with a finishing time of 31.1 seconds to Lees 31.3.

Finishing third was Alaskas LA Tenorio, who clocked 43 seconds, 13 slower than the time he posted in the preliminary round.

Lee had the best finish in the opening round, finishing at 27.2 seconds. Villanueva posted 29.1 seconds in round one while Tenorio finished in 30 seconds to complete the final round cast.

Also part of the field were Miller, Air 21s Jojo Duncil, Ginebras Rob Labagala, Meralcos Chris Ross, and Powerades JVee Casio.

Canaleta won his fifth title in the PBA Slam Dunk contest, but not before turning back a tough challenge from B-MEG high-flyer JC Intal in the finals.

Canaleta clinched his title by jumping over three men, including 6-foot-9 Meralco center Asi Taulava, in his final dunk, which judges scored a perfect 50. He also scored a 50 in his first final round dunk, which he made by dunking over a man.

After his dunk, Canaleta said that dunking over Taulava wasnt exactly the plan.

Hindi siya dapat kasali, pero hindi siya umalis kaya tinamaan ko tuloy, said Canaleta. He was supposed to video the dunk, pero nag-stay siya, pero sabi ko bahala na.

The former UE star needed the perfect score to edge out JC Intal, who stepped up his game in the finals of the competition. Intal scored 49 in his first finals dunk, a furious windmill, before nailing a difficult one-handed 360 for his second dunk for a perfect score.

Rain or Shine swingman Gabe Norwood, the 2009 champion of the competition, started out early, scoring two perfect dunks in the preliminary round with a reverse dunk off a bounce and a two-handed jam off the glass. But he seemed to feel the pressure in the finals, scoring 45 points on a two-handed reverse off a bounce and 48 points on a dunk from behind the backboard.

Intal, who opted to join the competition despite nursing an ankle injury, opened his campaign by dunking without shoes, earning him 44 points, before taking an alley-oop from Josh Urbiztondo from the stands, which got 46 points from the judges.

Canaleta, meanwhile, brought the house down with a one-handed dunk off a bounce that earned 50 points with his first attempt, before opting for a safe dunk with his second attempt that earned him 40 points.

Also in the competition were Elmer Espiritu of Air 21, who opened the competition with an impressive two-handed 360 dunk which he completed after three attempts (41 points) before settling for a simple one-hander for his second dunk (35 points); and Petron Blaze superstar Arwind Santos, a late addition, who earned 46 points for a difficult 360 dunk from the baseline and 42 points for a reverse Spider-Man slam.

Canaleta said this will be his last Slam Dunk contest.

Game Recaps:

PBA Legends Game:
PBA GREATS over PBA STALWARTS, 143-139

PBA stars from yesterday and today engaged in a heated shootout, but it was the Atom Bombs explosion that had the most impact.

Kenneth Duremdes, the 1998 PBA Most Valuable Player, sizzled for 29 points. His teammate, 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos, showcased his old form for a triple-double performance, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. Allan Caidic, the 1990 MVP, combined with Rain or Shine sharpshooter Jeff Chan for seven triples.
But the star among the stars was Ato Agustin, the playing coach of the PBA Greats, who led his team to a 143-139 triumph over the PBA Stalwarts at the Centennial Arena here.

Agustin, the 1992 MVP and current coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters, finished with 19 points all in the first half, built around five triples.

Two-time MVP Willie Miller scored 29 points and issued six assists, taking over for the Greats, who trailed by 13 points, 126-113, in the fourth period. He had eight of his teams last 16 points while the rest of the team shackled their Stalwarts counterparts, who were held to just three points in the final 3:40 of the match to seal the win.

KG Canaleta and Danny Seigle provided several highlight reels with their rim-rattling slams while contributing 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Retired players like Duremdes and Abarrientos, however, were able to put on a show of their own.

Duremdes, who officially retired only last month after last seeing action in 2008, was consistent all game long. He displayed his awesome firepower, hitting jumpers and making nifty drives to the basket.

Abarrientos, an assistant coach of Tim Cone at B-MEG, showed his brilliant quarterbacking, shaking off his defenders with his trademark killer crossover several times. In one play, the Flying A breezed by two defenders before scoring on a nifty reverse layup that gave the Stalwarts a 99-93 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

PBA Greats 143 Miller 29, Canaleta 21, Seigle 20, Mercado 19, Agustin 19, Cortez 10, Yeo 8, Lastimosa 7, Racela 6, Patrimonio 4.
PBA Stalwarts 139 Duremdes 29, Chan 18, Cardona 17, Taulava 16, Caidic 15, Simon 14, Baguio 11, Abarrientos 10, Anthony 9, Isaac 0.
QS: 33-29; 74-75; 104-112; 143-139.

PBA All-Star Game:
VETERANS over ROOKIS-SOPHS-JUNIORS, 176-144

James Yap scored 44 points on seven three-pointers and presided over the Veterans record-setting 176-144 beat down of the Rookies, Sophomores and Juniors squad at
the Centennial Arena.

Big Game James won Most Valuable Player honors, marking his second such award in eight days after winning the top plum last Sunday in the Commissioners Cup Finals.
Yap also tied with Ginebra rookie Dylan Ababou to break Samboy Lims All-Star Game scoring record, which was previously set at 42 points. Lim posted the high mark in the 1990 game a 146-118 rout for the Vets curiously the first time the league used the Veterans versus RSJ format. (The 1989 All-Star Game involved Veterans versus Rookies and Sophomores.)

The 32-point margin also marked the most lopsided in PBA history. The Veterans also set an all-time record in points scored, breaking the 163-point mark posted by the South team in an overtime win over the North.

The game was over early, with the much bigger Veterans torching the hoops to take a 53-30 lead in the first quarter. The Vets lead at the half ballooned to 95-64, turning the second half into an entertaining game of extended garbage time.

The game turned exciting late in the game as Yap and Ababou both tried to chase Lims mark. Ababou got to the record first, but Yap hit his last three-pointer in the dying seconds to get his name into the books as well.

There were also plenty of highlight plays. Sol Mercado connected with former Rain or Shine teammate Gabe Norwood for a thunderous alley-oop dunk that looked straight out of a video game. Arwind Santos, who scored 31 points, had several monster slams, the biggest off a pass from Petron Blaze teammate Alex Cabagnot.

Perhaps among the biggest highlights of the match were the respective dance entrances of the teams. RSJ came out rocking the shades, and danced to the LMFAO hit Party Rock Anthem. Not to be outdone, the Veterans came out with hoods over their heads, before revealing their zombie makeup to dance to Michael Jacksons Thriller.

Veterans 176 Yap 44, Santos 31, David 16, Cabagbot 16, Intal 15, Mercado 14, Tenorio 13, Norwood 13, Taulava 6, Thoss 5, Pingris 3
RSJ 144 Ababou 44, Urbiztondo 21, Casio 18, Maierhofer 12, Baracael 11, Barroca 10, Al-Hussaini 9, Ross 8, Lee 8, Lassiter 3
QS: 53-31; 95-64; 132-105; 176-144

Via (AsiaBasket)

Bynum was fined $15,000 for failing to make himself available to the media following the Lakers’ practice on May 15. Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the Lakers’ 119-90 Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

It was the latest in a string of off-court issues for Bynum this season, who was fined earlier in the year by the Lakers for conduct detrimental to the team after he failed to report to a meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Ebanks was fined $25,000 for actions prior to and following his ejection late in Game 1. With 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter on Monday, Thunder center Cole Aldrich was called for a foul on the Lakers’ Josh McRoberts. The foul caused Thunder and Lakers players to get tangled up and Ebanks and Oklahoma City’s Royal Ivey were both called for technical fouls. Ebanks was subsequently ejected for something he said to the referee and removed his jersey as he made his way through the tunnel to the locker room.

Game 2 between the Lakers and Thunder is Wednesday.

Via (ESPN Sports)

And if that’s true at all, then the Indiana Pacers/Miami Heat battle is now a series in every sense of the word, and on top of that, there’s a bit of bad blood between the two squads.

The Pacers escaped Miami with a split, evening things up with a gutty win last night. Dwyane Wade did not enjoy watching them celebrate on his court.

From Fox Sports:

“I heard they wanted to be like the Dallas Mavericks, in a sense,” Wade said. “I saw their little celebration at the end of (Game 2). I don’t know if they didn’t expect to win, but every night we go out on the court, we expect to win.” [...] “They say their identity, they say they want to be like Dallas,” Wade said. “So they celebrated like Dallas, I guess.”

Told what Wade said, Pacers guard Paul George said he didn’t see anything wrong with what his team did after the game. “If that’s what he wants to fuel this loss, they should come out just the fact that we came here and took a win from them,” George said. “But we won this like we weren’t surprised. We won it, and went right to the locker room.” [...] “I think it’s an excuse,” George said. “We won this game fair and square. We walked off and went to the locker room and now we’re ready to get out of here. … It’s the same way when they won (Game 1). They celebrated, so we just did the same thing.”

Veteran forward David West must have sensed something when he did his best to get his young teammates off the floor following the win, and quickly into their locker room.

Putting aside the delicious irony of a Miami Heat player getting upset about anyone else prematurely celebrating, Dwyane Wade and company have their hands full against the hungry and dangerous Pacers, and they shouldn’t need any additional motivation.

Via (SlamOnline)

Shved, 23, was eligible for the NBA draft in 2010, but went undrafted and has played for CSKA Moscow ever since. 2011/12 was a breakout season for the 6’5′ guard, who Givony says has developed into a ‘very complete’ offensive player and an improved shooter (Twitter).

Shved’s asking price is $10MM for three years, according to Givony.

Via (Eurobasket)

Via (SlamOnline)