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I'm not the only one who'll miss the next few days of the NBA Playoffs. Rajon Rondo just got suspended. (image by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) |
Many people tell me too much Coke is bad. Too much sugar. Too much caffeine. Too much of the chemical that corrodes teeth.
But I love Coke (I’m not exactly addicted to it. I drink Coke maybe thrice a week only. Believe me there are a ton of other people I know who consume it more often.) I think it tastes awesome (on the rocks, please). I think it makes me feel awesome.
Coke is a good thing.
But too much of anything, even a good thing, can turn ugly.
It hasn’t turned ugly, yet, but I won’t wait till that happens.
Same thing with basketball and this blog.
For the past year or so, basketball and this blog have been “Coke.” I love basketball. I love writing about it. This blog was a great thing – IS a great thing. It’s an awesome thing. It’s given me something else to which I can look forward after work is done. It’s given me several interesting opportunities to cover sports events, and be a part of them!
But, again, even with this blog, I’ll have to step back and take a breather.
But why now? Why when Amar’e Stoudemire and Rajon Rondo have made complete fools of themselves? Why now when the fate of the Bulls is up in the air? Why now when the Spurs look mighty strong? Why now when it’s the friggin’ NBA Playoffs?!?!?!
Simple.
Work. (yes, the day job)
Work has beckoned me to attend to something, or, more appropriately, attend something.
From Wednesday till Saturday (May 2-5 Manila time), I’ll be with my colleagues in our annual Faculty Retreat in Tagaytay (about an hour south of Manila).
That will give me some much-needed time to take stock of things and reflect about the labors and fruits of the past year. About the things in which I was strong, and, perhaps more importantly, the things in which I was weak. I’ll also ask for more guidance because big choices have to be made soon. Big choices. BIG CHOICES.
This is my own life’s version of LeBron’s “THE DECISION,” only without ESPN, or any snippet of outside coverage whatsoever.
Oh, but there’s still some time before I cross THAT bridge.
For now, however, I’ll have to take a step back. Just retreat from “life” and recollect my feelings, my thoughts, myself.
I feel afraid doing this because, if you’ve visited my blog often (thank you!), you probably know I make it a point to have constant updates on things. I usually publish at least one post a day. This time, I won’t be posting for three days (Saturday evening I’ll be back with a vengeance).
But all is well. My good buddy, Rolly Mendoza (follow him on Twitter -- @rollzter) will be posting stuff from the NBA. He’s awesome. The only thing I can complain about is he’s a Heat fan (lol). And I guess one of the things he can complain about me is that I’m a Heat hater haha
So here’s to him giving a fresh perspective on things (we always need a fresh perspective on things anyway).
Here’s to hoping the Thunder and Bulls keep on winning and the Knicks maybe making a real series out of their tussle with Miami.
Here’s to hoping the PBA Finals goes to seven games. This one is really starting to be awesome to watch, folks!
Here’s to hoping Ateneo finally blows someone out in Filoil.
Here’s to the opportunities given to us to examine our lives for the purpose of continuing our growth and continuing our struggle to be better persons.
Here’s to some farewells that will come too soon, and some beginnings that will be more than welcome.
And, yes, here’s to hoping they serve some Coke in the retreat, too.
April 30, 2012 Game Recaps:
MIA over NYK, 104-94
It wasn't quite the 33-point dismantling they produced Saturday, but the Miami Heat had no trouble handling the New York Knicks on Monday, leading throughout the second half en route to a comfortable 104-94 Game 2 victory. Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, Chris Bosh netted 21 and LeBron James chipped in 19 for the Heat, who took a 2-0 lead in their best-of- seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal. Carmelo Anthony poured in a game- high 30 points and Amare Stoudemire contributed 18 but it was not enough for the Knicks, who suffered their 12th consecutive playoff defeat, tying the 2004-2006 Grizzlies for the longest such streak in NBA history. Stoudemire was treated by paramedics for lacerations on his left hand suffered in the locker room following the game. The series shifts to Madison Square Garden for Thursday's Game 3.
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| Dwyane Wade and the Heat slammed the Knicks in Game 2 of their Eastern Quarterfinals. (image by Lynne Sladky/AP) |
IND over ORL, 93-78
Unlike Game 1, the Indiana Pacers had no trouble closing out the Orlando Magic on Monday. Danny Granger, David West and George Hill all netted 18 points and an elongated run in the early stages of the third quarter helped the Pacers down the Magic, 93-78, in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Paul George added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Roy Hibbert finished with 13 boards for Indiana, which evened the best-of-seven series 1-1 with Game 3 slated for Wednesday in Orlando. Glen Davis had 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Magic, who shot just 35.5 percent from the floor.
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| George Hill helped the Pacers tie up their opening series with the Orlando Magic. (image by Darron Cummings/AP) |
OKC over DAL, 102-99
If this is the changing of the guard, it isn't coming easy, yet Oklahoma City is heading to Dallas after holding serve at home. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points and Kevin Durant shook off a poor shooting night to add 26, as the Thunder claimed another close contest over the defending NBA-champion Mavericks, 102-99, in Game 2 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series. Oklahoma City has a 2-0 series lead, two wins by a total of four points, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday night in Dallas. The Thunder again made enough plays down the stretch, this time from the charity stripe, where they made 37-of-39 attempts. Durant seemed to live at the line, making 14-of-16, a big part of his offensive output thanks to an uncharacteristic 5-of-17 shooting performance. He did grab 10 rebounds, while James Harden added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. Derek Fisher, a playoff stalwart, donated 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 31 points, Shawn Marion added 15 points and eight rebounds and Jason Terry joined Delonte West with 13 points apiece. Terry had two chances at the tie in the closing seconds, one off the dribble and another off a Vince Carter offensive rebound, but both missed off the back rim.
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| Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs are in danger of losing their title as they went down 0-2 to OKC. (image by Steve Sisney/AP) |
*Game recaps were compiled and compressed from Reuters, the Associated Press and the Sports Network.
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