Goodbye, Kobe. Mamba Forever!

January 26, 2020, Monday (Philippine time).  A day I will probably never forget.

The alarm I set for 5:00 a.m. in my cellphone rang; I turned it off and went back to sleep.  The alarm I set for 5:30 in my tablet rang; I turned it off and went back to sleep.  Finally, I rose from my bed at the sound of the alarm I set for quarter to six.  After my usual brief morning prayer, I took hold of my cellphone again to browse Facebook.  And the very first item on my news feed was this Laker Nation headline: Kobe Dies in Helicopter Crash Outside Los Angeles.

Jason Kidd and Steve Nash Were Point Gods

If an NBA fan is asked who was the best point guard of the 2000’s, his answer would usually be Jason Kidd or Steve Nash (or maybe Allen Iverson, but he was more of a shooting guard).  He won’t really be wrong in choosing one or the other.  In a head-to-head comparison, the two are probably equal.

Ray Allen, Arguably the Greatest Shooter of All Time, Was Also a Big Dunker

Ray Allen earned his Hall of Fame qualification through his deadeye shooting.  And throughout his career, he had shot several big-time three-pointers.

That Time Grant Hill Played Great Defense on Kobe Bryant

In the 90’s, Grant Hill was special.  But injuries prevented him to develop into the revolutionary superstar that his potential showed.  He could have been the LeBron James before there was a LeBron James.

Nevertheless, he still managed to have an 18-year career in the NBA, and in 2010, he was an important role player for a Phoenix Suns team that found themselves in a Western Conference Finals matchup with the Kobe Bryant-led defending champions Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe was a monster in that series, and in Game 6, he was killing the Suns, who were fighting off elimination.  But with the game at its closest seconds, rising to the occasion was 37-year-old Grant Hill, who played phenomenal, suffocating one-on-one defense on Kobe…

A Tribute to Manu Ginobili, My Most Favorite Spur Ever

Manu Ginobili is my all-time favorite Spur.  And after 16 years in the NBA – playing for the San Antonio Spurs the entire time – the now 41-year-old has decided to retire.  He’s had a terrific career.  Four championships.  Two All-Star selections.  Two All-NBA Third Team selections.  A Sixth Man of the Year award.  Without the proper context, his accolades appear relatively unremarkable, especially when compared to what his comrade-in-arms Tim Duncan had earned.  Nevertheless, I strongly believe he deserves to get into the Hall of Fame.

Nick Young Is a Friggin' NBA Champion!

After the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant during the 2016 free agency, the 2017 NBA title was basically as good as theirs.   And indeed they won it.  But for the 2018 title run, they decided to give the other 29 teams a slight fighting chance by giving themselves a handicap, and that is, they used their 2017 mid-level exception to sign Nick Young – a player whose most iconic NBA moment is this:

Stephen Curry Showed in Game 2 that He Should Be Finals MVP This Time Around

In comparison to Game 1, Game 2 was really uneventful.  The Warriors fans hilariously trolled J.R. Smith by giving him a loud stading ovation during player introductions and “MVP” chants when he was on the line, and Stephen Curry jawed with Kendrick Perkins at the end of the third, but there was no real, notable drama in this game.

The Warriors were in total control all throughout the game, and ended up with a blowout win.  There were stretches where the Cavs hanged around, but the home team would make demoralizing plays that would extinguish fires before they could even get started.  The Cavs failed to use their frustrating Game 1 loss as drive to come out angry, and play energized, gritty basketball.

Lonzo Ball Had His Biggest Game as a Laker

“He can’t shoot.”  That is probably a valid criticism of Lonzo Ball.  After all, despite averaging in double figures in points (10.4 a game), he’s just shooting 37% from the field, 34% from behind the arc, and an appalling 49% (!) from the free-throw line.  Sure, he had been a positive presence in the roster – contributing well in other aspects, like playmaking (7.1 assists per game), rebounding (7.1 per game), and defense – but the bad shooting is a bummer nonetheless.

However, in the four games since his return from injury, he has been on a hot streak, making 16 of his 28 shots (57%) – 14 of which are three-pointers (64%)!  But it was in the most recent one, which was against the Spurs at their home floor, where the thought that he’s finally emerging has truly gained legitimacy.

Top 20 Jordan Kilganon Dunks

At the end of my list for top 10 dunks in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history, I implied that Jordan Kilganon’s dunks are better than the best dunks that NBA players have ever performed.  To further make my case, let me share what I think are his top 20 greatest dunks.

Here's to Kuzma Destroying the Celtics for Years to Come

In the recent battle between all-time rivals, the Lakers beat the Celtics, 108-107.  It was a glorious win.  Well, it wasn’t perfect as the Lakers continue to struggle at the charity stripe (.583 FT%).  But what made it truly glorious was Kyle Kuzma torching the Celtics in the 4^th quarter, where he scored 17 of his 28 points.

In Case Anybody Forgot, Kyle Kuzma Reminded Everyone That He's the Steal of the 2017 NBA Draft

Going into the game, the Lakers were 10-18; the Rockets were 25-4 – the best in the West.  The Lakers were on a three-game skid; the Rockets were running a 14-game winning streak.  The game was on the Rockets’ home floor.  James Harden racked up 51 points and 9 assists.  This must be a Rocket win, right?

Nope.  The Lakers earned a surprising win, thanks to a phenomenal career performance from rookie Kyle Kuzma – 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and one block.  He made all nine of his shots (including 6-of-6 from deep) in the first half, and finished with an efficient 12-of-17 from the field, 7-of-10 from the three-point land.  This looks to be a glimpse of greatness to come.  I guess he was probably tremendously inspired after Kobe’s jersey retirement ceremony.

Matched Against LeBron James, Brandon Ingram Continued to Emerge

In their recent game against the Cavs, the Lakers were able to keep the game within striking distance.  Nonetheless, they still lost, 112-121, falling to a difficult-to-recover-from record of 10-17.

The silver lining is that the young players showed solid play.  Brandom Ingram had 26 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.  Lonzo Ball had a near triple-double – 13 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds.  Kyle Kuzma (who should be starting) came off the bench to contribute 20 points and 7 rebounds.  Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle also came off the bench to score in double figures (11 and 13, respectively), as they usually do (with Kuzma, Clarkson, and Randle, the Lakers are currently top in bench scoring).  Heck, even Josh Hart somewhat impressed in his first career start with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

However, the thing that thrilled me the most is the defense of Brandon Ingram on LeBron James.

In Game 2, Kevin Durant Displayed His Great Versatility (at the Expense of Kevin Love)

After being destroyed in Game 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers did a better job in Game 2.  LeBron James was excellent (triple double, 12-of-18 shots), and the Cavs kept it competitive in the first half.  Then the second half came.  For the second straight game, they got humiliated.

If Game 1 Is Any Indication, Klay Thompson Is Going to Be a Genuine Nightmare for the Cavs

The Golden State Warriors drew first blood in their record-setting third straight Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Despite not quite functioning at their best (they missed a couple of easy layups and open looks; Klay and Draymond only combined for 6-of-29 shooting), they managed to rout the defending champions due primarily to the following reasons:

The Documentary ‘Batman & Bill’ Tells the Story of an Unsung Hero (the Secret Co-Creator of Batman) and Another Man’s Batman-like Crusade to Bring Justice to His Legacy

Being a huge fan of Batman, and comic books for that matter, I’ve been familiar with this fact for a while:  Bob Kane – who had been exclusively credited for being Batman’s sole creator for many, many years – apparently had a secret collaborator, and his name was Bill Finger.

If There's a Playoffs MVP, It Should Be Kawhi Leonard

Russell Westbrook is the friggin’ 2016-2017 season MVP.  But if there’s a 2017 playoffs MVP award, it should go to Kawhi Leonard.

Russell Westbrook Is the Friggin' MVP

In the first round of the 2017 playoffs, the Houston Rockets eliminated the Oklahoma Thunder in 5 games.

So what?  Russell Westbrook is still my choice for MVP.

That Time When Tracy McGrady Became the Greatest Basketballer Ever for 35 Seconds

Kobe Bryant is my most favorite player that ever played in the NBA.  Haters gonna hate, but he was the greatest in the league for many years.  That means that at their primes, he was superior to Tracy McGrady.  Sure, when they battled, there were some times that T-Mac outplayed him.  But, overall, Kobe came up on top.  At the defensive end, one-on-one, he made T-Mac work hard for his points, even utterly shutting him down in a couple of notable moments.  On the other hand, T-Mac at his prime might have been as amazing (though not as dominating) as Kobe at offense, but he had never been the dogged, lockdown perimeter defender that Kobe was.  Kobe was simply in a different level.  This is an objective fact.  Even T-Mac acknowledged this in some interviews.

That said, at the 2013 “Kobe Up Close” TV special, Kobe referred to Tracy McGrady as the toughest player he had ever played against – tougher than Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson (whom he also mentioned were notably tough opponents for him).  Indeed, T-Mac was a beast.  He was an incredible, versatile scorer who could have probably had a much better legacy than what he eventually ended up with if he hadn’t been hindered by problematic back injuries.  As far as talents are concerned, T-Mac was the closest player I’ve ever seen to a Kobe Bryant clone.

But a basketball god Kobe may be, there’s at least one legendary feat that he hasn’t accomplished in his career but T-Mac was able to do.

Jeff Dunham Is a Comedy Genius

Ventriloquism and comedy aren’t an unusual mix.  Actually, almost all – if not all – ventriloquist acts I’ve seen are comedic in nature.  But there’s something about Jeff Dunham that made me feel as if I’m seeing ventriloquism comedy for the first time.  He’s that remarkably talented and innovative.

I first learned of him years ago.  I read an article listing the most viewed (or most popular? I forgot) videos in Youtube, and a clip from Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity was in it.  That clip was the debut of Achmed the Dead Terrorist.  When the puppet greeted everyone, “Good evening… infidels!”, I immediately burst out laughing.  From that moment on, Jeff’s sets constantly have me in stitches.  I’ve since watched his specials Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special, Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos, Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters, Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map, and Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood as well as many of his videos in Youtube.

Contrasting and Comparing Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan

There’s something poetic about Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan retiring after the same season – and the manner they did.

Although Kobe and Tim weren’t drafted in the same year (’96 and ’97, respectively), they are essentially of the same crop or generation of NBA players.  They were able to play in three decades.  They were able to play against the likes of Michael Jordan and Karl Malone, and then the likes of Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett, and then the likes of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, and then the likes of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.  And they served as embodiments of two different player types at the opposite sides of the spectrum.