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Philippines, 20 Apr 2024 |
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Postscript to the 2015 NBA Finals (PHOTOS) By Homer D. Sayson PhilBoxing.com Sat, 20 Jun 2015  CHICAGO -- Like the 11 other NBA Finals that I have covered on-site, last week's just-concluded 2015 championships was a thing of beauty, one that left indelible memories to last a lifetime. LeBron James turned out to be the Biggest Loser, but his six-game average of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists was something to behold. The King is clearly the best player in the planet right now, but after losing his fourth Finals in six tries, does his greatness measure up against the iconic Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird? For a fleeting moment, when they seized a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 title series, it appeared as though LeBron's one-man act would be enough to cart off the Larry O'Brien trophy and terminate Cleveland's 51-year search for a major league sports championship. Ultimately, though, Golden State's "strength in numbers" proved too much. The Warriors, who were 10-deep, were aggressive and relentless, and they kept coming like the monthly bills. Steph Curry showed all and sundry why he is the league's MVP, ushering his team to the Promised Land by norming 26 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Andre Iguodala snatched the Finals MVP trophy by somehow slowing down LeBron while pumping 16.3 points per on the offensive end. The Warriors shattered the myth that jump shooting teams can't win championships. They did so by passing the ball crisply, resulting in wide open shots. In the end, the Cavs were buried under an avalanche of 67 made 3s. PINOYS EMBRACE WARRIORS. Filipino-Americans inhabiting the Bay Area and the great state of California formed a large chunk of the Warriors' fan base. Many of those Dub Nation faithful not only trooped to the Oracle Arena in Oakland, they also invaded the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland in droves. Pinoys relate more to the Warriors, whose brand of razzle-dazzle play, resemble the kind of action that we see everyday on our sand lots and improvised neighborhood courts. The Manny Pacquiao factor was also huge for Golden State as it pertains to added Pinoy fan support as the Philippines' "National Fist" openly rooted for the Warriors. T.J. SIGHTING. As is the case every June, the super popular T.J. Manotoc made an appearance at the Finals calling the play-by-play action for T.V. giant ABS-CBN. T.J. had the able backing of camera man Angelo Valderrama. Other Manila-based journalists who made the Finals trek included Gelo of Solar Sports, Jinno Rufino of Basketball TV and NBA Philippines and Riki Flores. Of course, US-based writers for NBA Philippines and PhilBoxing were also credentialed for the event. Top photo: The author with former NBA player Jim Jackson. 
The author with (from L to R) Angelo Valderrama and T.J. Manotoc of ABS-CBN and Rex Alba of NBA Philippines. 
The author with Good Morning America weekend anchor Paula Faris. 
The author taking a selfie with the iconic NBA Finals logo. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.  |
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