The NBA: Smart Gilas: The Last Home Stand

UPDATE - July 23, 2014
Events for July 22 and 23 have been cancelled. The organizers and PLDT are giving conflicting reasons for the failure of the charity event. One reason talks about the NBA threatening the Fibr All-stars with fines and suspensions if they play in a game not sanctioned by the league. The other reason revolves around the notion that the event "was never promoted as a game". Whatever the actual reason was, the Last Home Stand was an embarrassment. However, that should not influence my support for Smart-Gilas. Laban Pilipinas! #Puso 

Smart Gilas completed a successful run during the recent FIBA Asia Cup at Wuhan, China where they placed their best finish ever at 3rd place and received the bronze medal. Now, Gilas is back in Manila to face another adversary, the Fibr All-Stars. The event will take place at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum during July 22-23.

2014 NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard
(All images by: Joey Puno)

The Fibr All-Stars are composed of NBA players headed by current Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs and James Harden of the Houston Rockets. They are also reinforced by Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons and a trio of players from the Toronto Raptors (Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan).

The NBA: April 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Shooting Guards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five point guards at this point in the season. We will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

Nobody unseats the Beard here, which means James Harden is really that good, or the rest of the NBA SGs are just not that good to begin with. And find out if Swaggy P breaks into the top five!

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on April 11, 2014 (Manila time).

James Harden is the best out of a shallow pool of NBA off-guards.

The NBA: March 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Shooting Guards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five shooting guards at this point in the season. We will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

There’s no surprise at the top, but there are a couple of names here that might make your jaw drop. Yes, that includes Brooklyn’s own overpaid sniper finally breaking into the top five and one of the biggest reasons the Suns SHOULD BE in the Playoffs.

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on March 12, 2014 (Manila time).

Ladies and gents, here are the best SGs in the league right now.
(composite image by Enzo Flojo/Hoop Nut) 

The NBA: February 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Shooting Guards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five shooting guards at this point in the season. We will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

The shooting guard position hasn’t really been the most exciting position this season so far. Sure, James Harden and Dwyane Wade have been great, but SGs haven’t really filled up the highlight reels as much as, say, the Steph Currys (or Curries?), Kevin Durants, and LaMarcus Aldridges of the Association. Still, there is a lot of gam-changing talent here, and that’s what we will celebrate in this post.

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on February 12, 2014 (Manila time).

5. James Harden (HOU) - 23.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.8spg, 2.5 triples per game, .933 FT%, 18.5 EFF

Yes, the Beard is just at fifth spot, which is quite low for him, who is considered by many the best active SG out there. With Harden playing really well, Houston has won 8 of its last 10 games, and they remain among the top five clubs in the Western Conference. His recent best was dropping 28 points on the Cavs on top of 4 assists and three triples.

           

4. Monta Ellis (DAL) - 17.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.0apg, 2.0spg, .469 FG%, 1.0 triples per game, .417 3pt%, .857 FT%, 18.6 EFF

Quietly, the Dallas Mavericks have clustered five straight wins, which is the second-longest active streak behind the Rockets’ six-game run. Ellis, not surprisingly, has been a major contributor in that winning run, playing awesome two-way basketball. His recent best was scoring 20 points with 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in a close win by Dallas over Sacramento.

Monta Ellis has emerged as a vital cog for
the Dallas Mavericks.
(image by Jerome Miron/USA Today)

They Be All-Stars: Our East All-Star Reserves

The 2014 NBA All-Star Game promises to be another awesome multi-platform sports media and marketing spectacle, what with many of the world’s best athletes competing in several contests. Undoubtedly, the centerpiece event is the All-Star Game itself, mainly because participation in it is one significant form of star-status validation.

After this year’s All-Star starters were announced, I felt really excited simply because fresh up-and-coming talent seems to be the main driving force not only in the All-Star showcase but in the entire season itself. This year’s starters, in fact, have four first-timers — Steph Curry, Kevin Love, Paul George, and Kyrie Irving. 

So many guys have gone down with injuries, yes (D-Rose huhu), but so many have also stepped up to help their individual stock and/or teams rise to new heights. Guys like Andre Drummond, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis have really bloomed so far and have relished in the spotlight. 

John Wall should be an All-Star in 2014.
(image from Red Navy)

In light of all these, I’ve decided to give my own unsolicited take on who else should be named All-Stars. Yes, I probably won’t get all fourteen reserves right, but that’s not the point anyway. This is not a prediction, just a statement of opinion on who, I believe, are good enough to fill the seven reserve slots for the East and, likewise, seven for the West.

The NBA: January 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Shooting Guards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five shooting guards at this point in the season. Unlike our previous posts, though, this time we will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

Now, what makes this list a wee bit interesting is that aside from the usual suspects like James Harden and Dwyane Wade, there are a few surprises. By and large, the SG position is one of the most “wide open” this season, especially because Kobe isn’t around dominating the opposition. All of a sudden, guys like Lance Stephenson, JJ Redick, and Iman Shumpert have a greater shot at the top.

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on January 12, 2014 (Manila time).

5. Monta Ellis (DAL) – 19.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 5.6apg, 2.2spg, 48.7 FG%, 18.4 EFF

Three wins in the last five games for Dallas, and Ellis was a big part in each one. He has been doing a splendid job playing off of Dirk Nowitzki, Jose Calderon, and Shawn Marion, and is a huge reason Dallas might just make a return to the Playoffs in 2014 after missing the bus in 2013.

Adding Monta Ellis has been a boon for the Mavericks!
(image by Tony Gutierrez/AP)