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[LaKazTaMa]

Petron plays Grand Slam spoiler, stops TNT in the 2011 PBA Governors Cup
By Musong R. Castillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
10:42 pm | Sunday, August 21st, 2011 8share101 93

MANILA—Grand Slam slammed.

Down to 10 players for one of the most important PBA matches in franchise history, Petron Blaze last night completed the improbable by turning back Talk ‘N Text, 85-73, in a Game 7 to remember that made the Tropang Texters miss their date with destiny.

With steely resolve that countered the most powerful roster on paper, the Boosters were the epitome of total team play all night to control the rubber match 99% of the way and bag the season-ending Governors’ Cup before 17,000 boisterous fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Trailing just twice all game, the Boosters tenaciously held their ground in the face of a dogged Talk ‘N Text stand as Anthony Grundy made up for a lackluster Game 6 while getting support from a shorthanded local lineup that played with the heart befitting champions.

Grundy scattered 26 points, half of them coming in the third period where the Boosters blew control only to regain it just as quick and put away Talk ‘N Text’s aspirations of joining the immortal squads in the league which have completed Grand Slams.

Arwind Santos scored 16 points, had 16 rebounds, three blocks and three steals as he literally put a huge hand in winning his first championship while bagging the PBA Press Corps-Phoenix Fuels MVP Finals award.

Maurice Baker led the Texters with 22 points, Ranidel de Ocampo added 15 and Kelly Williams and Jimmy Alapag had 13 each, but the Texters couldn’t buy the buckets when they needed them and absorbed one of the most stinging losses in their PBA existence.

It was the 19th overall championship for Petron/San Miguel, which scored its version of the Grand Slam in 1989 when now-coach Ato Agustin was one of its superstar guards.

“They made a mistake when they picked us to be their Finals opponent,” Agustin addressed the crowd in Filipino at midcourt in the din of the celebration. “This is my sweetest championship.”

And in the 36-year history of the PBA, only one other team before Talk ‘N Text, the defunct Toyota Comets in 1975, was able to come within a championship of completing a Grand Slam before losing in the Third Conference Finals.

Crispa, which completed the first Triple Crown sweep the following year, spoiled Toyota’s march to PBA immortality by pounding out a 96-91 decision, interestingly enough, also in the rubber match of their series, which was a Game 5.

Sunkist also won the first two conferences of the 1995 season only to fail to make the Finals of the Third Conference, while Alaska, which scored its treble the following year, gave up its shot at a second Grand Slam in 1998 with the Centennial Team.

The Uytengsu franchise loaned its coach, Tim Cone, and superstars Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins, Kenneth Duremdes and Johnny Abarrientos to the Philippine Five that played in the Bangkok Asian Games that year.

Jason Castro played through an MCL tear to spark the Texters in Game 6, but couldn’t ignore the pain of a severely twisted left ankle suffered in the third quarter Sunday night.

After being helped back into the locker room with 9:35 left in the third, Castro returned in the fourth but was clearly hobbled – and much obvious this time – and had to ask coach Chot Reyes to relieve him after just a few minutes on the floor.

Baker, who played just his second game in the Finals after taking over from Scottie Reynolds, was playing well in the first half until he was slapped with his fourth foul while trying to stop Miranda from taking a keyhole jumper.

He was scoreless in the third period as the Boosters regained control after trailing for just the second time in the contest, 41-42, courtesy of a Williams three-point play off Grundy with 9:22 to play.

The Texters were able to chop down what was once a 14-point deficit to six a number of times in the second quarter and had a golden chance to come into the halftime break just four points behind only for Santos to swat away a De Ocampo slam attempt.

Talk ‘N Text led just once in the first half – 3-0 after a Jimmy Alapag triple – only for the Boosters to shoot five straight points and play with command until the end of the first two quarters.

Santos gave the Boosters a 24-13 lead with 2:50 left in the first period after a jumper. He also hit a short stab off the glass with 7:35 left in the second period for a 34-21 lead.

The scores:
PETRON 85—Grundy 26, Santos 16, Miranda 16, Ildefonso 13, Cabagnot 12, Pennisi 2, Duncil 0, Hubalde 0, Salvacion 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 73—Baker 22, De Ocampo 15, Williams 13, Alapag 13, Carey 6, Castro 2, Peek 2, Dillinger 0, Reyes 0, Aban 0. Fonacier 0, Alvarez 0.
Quarters: 28-17, 40-34, 64-53, 85-73

[LaKazTaMa]

Arwind Santos ends four-year PBA title jinxREUBEN TERRADO, GMA News
08/23/2011 | 06:58 PM


Arwind Santos' four-year title jinx in the PBA finally ended on Sunday right after Petron scored an 85-73 win over Talk 'N Text in Game 7 of the Governors Cup.

The former Far Eastern University stalwart won three titles in the UAAP for the Tamaraws before leaving his school for the PBA.

Santos appeared in three finals appearances—one with the Air21 Express and two with the San Miguel Beermen—but his team failed in their respective title bids.

Petron's win foiled the Tropang Texters' bid of completing the league's fourth Grand Slam.

"Maraming nagsasabi na malas daw ako sa finals," said the 30-year-old Santos. "Pero after nitong championship na ito, nawala 'yung sumpa. Sana magtuluy-tuloy."

Santos put an exclamation point to the Blaze Boosters' victory with a two-handed slam dunk to put the Petron crowd in a celebratory mood.

Santos' ended his title drought by finishing with 16 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in Game 7 en route to the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player award.

Despite talks that he could have won the Season MVP, Santos said that he doesn't mind losing that award to Talk 'N Text guard Jimmy Alapag.

"Thankful pa rin ako dahil siguro may ibang plano ang Diyos sa akin. 'Yung hindi ako nag,/i>-MVP, nahigitan pa nung nag-champion ,i>kami," said Santos.

Santos also credits his coach and fellow Pampanga native Ato Agustin in the success that he is experiencing in his career.

"Nagkakaintindihan kami," said Santos on Agustin. "Naiintindihan ko 'yung gusto nyang gawin. Sa labas, barkada kami pero kapag oras ng trabaho, trabaho talaga."

"Hardworker siya," said Agustin, who as a player was part of San Miguel's Grand Slam-winning team in 1989. "Minsan nawawala din siya sa game plan pero nakakabawi siya sa mga mali niyang ginawa, binabawi niya." - JVP, GMA News

[LaKazTaMa]

The Final Score: Petron's victory is triumph of the unexpected
| More Share30 .By MICO HALILI

Part of my brain, the part I call the basketball genius (not genius as in Albert Einstein but genius as in Pinoy Henyo because, aminin na natin, every Filipino sports fan has this microchip in the head) thought it knew the outcome of the PBA Finals.

It considered Talk N' Text's two straight championships and track record of success. It also looked at Petron's liabilities: no Jay Washington, no semblance of invincibility, no chance to sweep. The other half of my brain, the part I call the basketball optimist, meantime, waited for things to unfold. This moderate side considered nothing. It assumed nothing. It expected anything.

I wish I knew Danny Ildefonso would sink a buzzer-beater to win Game 1. That baseline jump-shot defined the series. Ildefonso has attempted that shot a million times; in practice, during games, in his sleep, when guys like Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros were still around, even after guys like Danny S. and Dondon no longer were. It was a regular-looking jumper, crafted out of the consistency of Danny's form and release. Catch. Aim. Shoot. Follow-through. The most predictable shot in Danny I's arsenal produced a most unexpected result. A 34-year-old felt like he was 24 again. Petron, underdogs versus TNT, felt the surge of old-school San Miguel-style confidence.

I wish I knew Denok Miranda would play so hard and play so well. Forever buried in a point guard rotation that once featured Olsen Racela, Mike Cortez, BonBon Custodio and Jonas Villanueva, Miranda emerged as Petron's catalyst in the Finals. People realized, "Nasa Petron pala si Denok." And if fans wondered, “Si Denok ba talaga yan?" His 3 of 19 three-point shooting in the Finals was undeniable proof. "Si Denok nga yan!" But Miranda's real task was to match the intensity of TNT's backcourt. He scored 14 ppg in the series to become Petron's x-factor. More importantly, he gave up four playoff-caliber fouls per game. Alongside Jojo Duncil and Paolo Hubalde, Denok ably captained Petron's Sons of Anarchy.

I wish I knew Arwind Santos couldn't act. You've seen his "Sapal" television commercial, right? Like a statue with moving lips. Nevertheless, in the Finals, Santos played like a rebounding machine with moving arms. He had 86 total rebounds (to complement his 17 ppg) in seven games. From Games 4 to 7, he averaged 15 rebounds per game -- against the frontline of Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek and Harvey Carey! Rebounding monster? Nope. Rebounding genius. I wasn't surprised with Arwind's stat-line from Game 7: 16 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. With the way Arwind played this entire tournament, any Pinoy Henyo could've predicted that. He can’t act but he can win.

Some try to predict outcomes better than others. Petron showed why a part of me prefers not to. Sometimes, the better answer to the question "What will happen in the PBA Finals?" is not "Tinatanong pa ba yun?" Sometimes, the more intelligent response, really, is "Panuorin mo na lang." -- GMA News

[LaKazTaMa]

Save the Tamaraw

SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin M. Henson (The Philippine Star) |
Updated January 30, 2013 - 12:00am

There’s something special about the tamaraw. It’s a purely Filipino animal, endemic to Mindoro. Nowhere else is the tamaraw, also known as a dwarf buffalo, found in the world. The tamaraw is a smaller and bulkier version of the carabao or water buffalo, recognizable by its thick V-shaped horns.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) vice-chairman Jose Maria Lorenzo Tan said about 10,000 tamaraw used to roam in Mindoro over 100 years ago. But with the outbreak of disease and the lust of game hunters, only 327 are known to exist today. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified the tamaraw as critically endangered, the highest risk rating for any animal species.

The remaining tamaraw can be found in the thick forests of Mounts Iglit, Baco, Aruyan and Calavite in Mindoro. Conservationists are alarmed that the tamaraw will go the way of the American bison – the mighty buffalo that was a Wild West icon in the late 1800s. It was estimated that there were over 100 million American buffalo in the so-called Great Plains in 1830. Native Americans hunted buffalo for food and clothing but never brought their population down to a precarious level. From 1870 to 1875, more than 2.5 million buffalo were killed by hunters who sold their hides to fur companies. The wholesale extermination of the buffalo, weighing in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 pounds – to provide commercial quantities to greedy merchandisers signalled an alarming death knell and by the turn of the 20th century, less than a million buffalo were left. Today, there is not a single free-roaming bison around even as about 250,000 are corralled in public and private herds in the US and Canada.

As in the battle against the buffalo’s extinction, the fight to preserve the tamaraw is a big challenge. Because the tamaraw is exclusively Filipino, the campaign to keep it alive goes beyond the significance of the conservation of nature. For Far Eastern University (FEU) whose founder Dr. Nicanor Reyes, Sr. chose the tamaraw as the school mascot to symbolize a nationalistic character, the campaign is close to the heart. Just as the eagle is Ateneo’s symbol, the bulldog is National University’s, the falcon is Adamson’s and the tiger is UST’s, the tamaraw characterizes the spirit of the FEU athlete. It is a spirit that can never die.

* * * *

In 2005, a group of FEU student leaders conceptualized the Save The Tamaraw project whose advocacy is the conservation of the animal through Bisig Tamaraw, the school’s social arm with community consciousness as a rallying point. FEU eventually partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau and the Tamaraw Conservation Program to enable students to be more involved in the campaign. FEU president Michael Alba said the school has since been sending students and faculty to Mindoro to provide community service through livelihood undertakings and participate in the tamaraw count.

Dean's Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Last year, FEU took its campaign a step further by joining hands with WWF-Philippines for Project TAMS2 whose goal is to double the tamaraw population by 2020. Tan said the job is Herculean but their resolve is Spartan. “Our goal is two-fold, to expand work that will drive efforts to double the number of wild tamaraw and to ensure that the ridges and reefs of Mindoro remain productive and resilient enough to adequately provide for the people of Mindoro in a climate-defined future,” said Tan.

FEU chief financial officer Juan Miguel Montinola said, “The tamaraw is no mere FEU mascot – it is a charismatic Filipino icon, we partnered with WWF because their holistic and people-oriented outlook transcends mere conservation, our alliance is not just about the tamaraw, it is all about people and the environment.” The tamaraw has become symbolic of not only FEU or of an endangered Filipino species but also of the challenge to preserve nature against the greed of commercialism.

* * * *

To celebrate the FEU-DENR-WWF partnership, two designs of a commemorative stamp depicting the tamaraw were unveiled last Friday in P10 denominations. The day after, FEU held its 85th founding anniversary rites at the Manila campus with proud Tamaraws receiving Distingished and Outstanding awards. How appropriate that in light of the Save The Tamaraw campaign, FEU immortalized some of its graduates, including platelet rich plasma (PRP) specialist and sports medicine practitioner Dr. Isagani Leal, PNP medical services division chief Elizabeth Milanes, music director Chino Toledo, banker Jovencio Cinco and Dr. Genesis Rivera. Among FEU’s all-time Hall of Fame graduates are Ramon S. Ang, Alejandro Roces, Wilfrido Tecson, Menardo Jimenez, Art Panganiban and Nick Joaquin.

The preservation of the tamaraw isn’t just an FEU battlecry. It’s a campaign that has historical and nationalistic meaning to all Filipinos.

[LaKazTaMa]

Santos vows to seek permission from SMC big boss Ang to play for Gilas if picked by Reyes
By Snow Badua

February 05, 2013, 07:15 pm

“Iba 'yung bansa ang pinaglalaban mo eh. Iba kasi pag nasabing national player ka," says Petron Blaze superstar Arwind Santos. Jerome Ascano
IF invited by national coach Chot Reyes, Petron Blaze superstar Arwind Santos is willing to personally talk to San Miguel Corp. big boss Ramon Ang and seek permission to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas.

Santos, one of the players Reyes has long coveted for his Gilas lineup, told Spin.ph on Tuesday that it has been his ultimate dream since the first time he touched a basketball to play for the national team.

“Kung talagang gusto ako ni coach Chot, magpapaalam ako kay (SMC head of basketball operations) Boss Robert (Non) para makausap si boss RSA (Ramon Ang)," said Santos.

“Syempre kailangan din bukal sa loob ng management ang paglalaro ko sa national team," he added.

According to people close to him, Reyes plans to ask Petron to go beyond the mandated one-player-per-PBA team policy and release both Santos and rookie big man June Mar Fajardo to the team vying in the coming Fiba-Asia championships, which will be held in the country on August 1-11. (For full story, click here: Fresh Reyes bid to enlist both Santos and Fajardo)

However, sports director Noli Eala tweeted on Monday that the organization is open to releasing Fajardo, Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee and LA Tenorio of Barangay Ginebra to the national pool without mentioning Santos' name.

Reyes is expected to announce a 15-man pool on Thursday, leaving Santos with just enough time to plead his case.

“Iba 'yung bansa ang pinaglalaban mo eh. Iba kasi pag nasabing national player ka," said the Petron star, a consistent MVP contender the last three seasons and the statistical leader during the last Philippine Cup.

The Lubao, Pampanga native said that he is willing to bang bodies with some of the toughest players in Asia, all in the name of the Philippine flag.

“Hindi ako matatakot sa mga kalaban. Bakit ako matatakot? Kahit barilan, lalabanan ko ang mga 'yun," said the 30-year-old high flyer.

Commissioner Chito Salud said Gilas can draft more than one player from a team, so long as it can get the ballclub's consent.

“Gilas should approach the team, kung papayagan ng dalawa o tatlo, nasa usapan na nila yun," said Salud.

Spin.ph has learned that Talk 'N Text is set to lend three players - Jason Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, and Kelly Williams - to Gilas while Rain or Shine has offered its entire team for selection, beside national team mainstays Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan.

“Magsabi lang sa amin yung Gilas, pwede pa namin pahiram yung iba. Paul Lee, Jervy Cruz, Jireh Ibanes o Beau Belga … okay kami," said Rain or Shine co-owner Raymund Yu.

[LaKazTaMa]

NBA: Jeremy Lin, Rockets to play vs Pacers in Manila
8-game NBA Asian swing also features Lakers

Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net
9:27 am | Wednesday, March 6th, 2013



LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets will play the Indiana Pacers in Manila this October, the National Basketball Association has said.

The match set on October 10 will kick off the NBA’s Asian series of exhibition games that will also have Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers play two games in China against the Golden State Warriors, beginning with an October 15 contest at the MasterCard Center arena and in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena three days later.

Aside from Manila, the Rockets will also play in Taiwan where they will again face the Pacers on October 13 at the Taipei Arena, the NBA said.

It has been just over a year since “Linsanity” gripped New York Knicks fans and propelled break-out star Lin to global fame. But nowhere is the point guard more popular than in Taiwan.

Lin Shu-hao, who was born in Los Angeles, is the first American of Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.

His parents, Lin Gie-ming and Shirley Lin, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s and are dual nationals of Taiwan and the United States.

Bryant’s Lakers will be playing for the first time in China. Five-time NBA champion Bryant has been co-authoring a blog in Chinese for several years.

In February, Bryant joined the Twitter-like Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, getting thousands of followers in just the first few hours.

“We look forward to the opportunity to play in front our Chinese fans,” said Lakers vice president of business operations Tim Harris. “The Lakers are happy to continue to be a part of the NBA’s efforts to expand its global reach.”

The Lakers/Warriors and Rockets/Pacers games highlight a total of eight NBA overseas games in October.

They are joined by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls in the NBA global games schedule.

The Thunder will play October 5 against Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul and on October 8 against the 76ers in Manchester, England. The Sixers also play against Uxue Bilbao Basket in Bilbao, Spain, on October 6. The Bulls and the Wizards face off in Rio de Janeiro on October 12.

The NBA has staged 138 pre-season and regular-season games in 19 countries and territories across Europe, the Americas and Asia since 1978.

[LaKazTaMa]

Pacers-Rockets to play NBA preseason game at MOA Arena
By Mark Giongco
INQUIRER.net
3:50 pm | Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines—“Big things are coming.”

The NBA in partnership with the SM Group will be bringing in the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets to stage the first-ever NBA pre-season game in the country at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“I am thrilled to announce that the NBA will have its first pre-season game in Manila between the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets. The game will be held on October 10th at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila,” NBA Commissioner David Stern announced in a video message shown on the big screen of The Arena during the press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“Our game in Manila is an exciting opportunity to connect with the passionate basketball fans in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia,” added Stern. “The Philippines is an ideal setting for the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers to take part in a showcase of our game and give fans in the region an authentic NBA experience.”

The Rockets, a young and promising squad, will be headed by Olympic gold medalist James Harden and point guard Jeremy Lin while the Pacers, a legitimate contender in the East, will be led by All-Star Paul George and Danny Granger.

“This is definitely sports history in the making,” said SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Hans Sy. “The Filipinos are one of the biggest basketball fans in the world. It is only fitting that we bring the NBA preseason game to Philippine shores and SM will make it happen at the Mall of Asia Arena.”

“We will be bringing in two storied franchises to come here and play in front of such passionate fans,” said Senior Vice President of NBA Asia Scott Levy.

Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, one of the best big men in NBA history, also spoke in a video message expressing his team’s excitement over playing in Manila.

‘On behalf of the Houston Rockets, we can’t wait to play there and see the passion of the fans in the Philippines.”

The preseason game in Manila is part of the NBA’s global games schedule that features eight NBA teams in eight cities in six countries this October which includes Turkey, Spain, England, Taiwan, Brazil and China.

Aside from the on-court action, the NBA will also conduct community events and other grassroots program as a way of giving back to the community.

To date, the NBA has staged 138 preseason and regular-season games in 19 countries and territories across Europe, the Americas and Asia since 1978.

[LaKazTaMa]

From numerous visits by NBA stars, Bullets' 1979 game stands out
By Fidel Mangonon III

March 06, 2013, 01:45 pm

The Washington Bullets, then the reigning NBA champions and led by Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and Dave Corzine, beat a selection of PBA stars and imports, 133-123. The team was coached by Dick Motta.

ALMOST every Filipino basketball fan is going bananas over the news regarding the first NBA preseason game in Manila this October 10 between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The NBA first held games outside of the United States and Canada in 1988, and first brought its games to Asia in 1990 via the Phoenix-Utah encounter in Tokyo, Japan, but this is the first time that its preseason games will reach our shores.

Aside from the Philippines, the NBA is actually holding preseason games also for the first time this October in Brazil, Bilbao in Spain and Manchester in England.

The NBA has already held 138 preseason and regular season games in 19 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

NBA players also have come and gone to Manila these last couple of years, either playing against local players or just coming in to endorse athletic apparel and shoes.

Just last year, as part of the first month of operations of the MOA Arena, former Chicago Bull stars Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman and former Sacramento King and Miami Heat playmaker Jayson Williams led a USA All-Stars squad that defeated a group of PBA Legends, 112-93, with the losers led by Kenneth Duremdes, Bong Hawkins, Marlou Aquino, Vince Hizon, Noli Locsin and Bal David, just to name a few.

A year earlier, when the Big Dome was re-christened as the Smart Araneta Coliseum, there was the Smart Ultimate Weekend which saw “locked-out” NBA stars Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, James Harden, Javale McGee, Derek Fisher, Tyreke Evans and Derrick Williams playing not just one but two games. 'The Black Mamba' and Company first dismantled a PBA selection of 16 players led by Arwind Santos, James Yap, Mark Caguioa and Danny Seigle, 131-105, then the following day beat the Smart Gilas national team led by JVee Casio, Marcus Douthit and Chris Lutz, 98-89.

And who can forget PBA legend Allan Caidic’s 54-point explosion built around 14 triples on August 27, 2010 at the Araneta Coliseum alongside the likes of NBA greats Glenn Rice and Gary Payton and current PBA stars Santos, LA Tenorio and Rico Maierhofer when their Red Team defeated the White Team that was led by Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond, Benjie Paras, Alvin Patrimonio, Dondon Hontiveros and Ronald Tubid 177-167.

[LaKazTaMa]

Pinoy fans in for world-class thrill, says Aguilar
By Reuben Terrado

March 06, 2013, 12:10 pm

“Ma-eexpect nila talaga mga talented, highly-skilled players that really play at a very high level,” says Japeth Aguilar of the coming NBA preseason game to be played in Manila. Jerome Ascano
IF there is one Filipino basketball player who knows what to expect in the very first NBA preseason game in the country, it’s got to be big man Japeth Aguilar.

The 6-foot-9 Globalport center said the basketball-loving Filipinos are definitely in for a high level of competition when the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers play at the Mall of Asia Arena on October 10.

“Ma-eexpect nila talaga mga talented, highly-skilled players that really play at a very high level,” Aguilar shared to Spin.ph shortly after the inaugural NBA preseason game in Manila was formally announced on Tuesday.

“It will really be a treat for the Filipino fans.”

Aguilar of course, knows whereof he speaks.

The son of former national player Peter Aguilar came close to landing a spot on the Santa Cruz Warriors roster in the NBA-Developmental League as he bids to become the first ever Filipino player to suit up in the NBA.

Picked by the Warriors in the seventh round of the draft, Aguilar fell short of making the regular season roster of the team.

He previously attended open workouts by NBA teams San Antonio and New Orleans, while attending college at Western Kentucky University, an US NCAA Division 1 school.

“Hopefully, kapag naglaro ang Rockets at Pacers, maging exciting `yung game and all of the big-name players will play,” he said.

Asked if he will watch the game, Aguilar can only keep his fingers crossed, knowing the MOA Arena will be filled to the rafters.

“Sana. Full ang MOA, we probably don’t have seats,” he said.

[LaKazTaMa]

By Richard Dy

March 05, 2013, 04:15 pm

"I did try to broach the idea (of holding a regular season game here), but I'm not sure if the logistics and the jet lag or things like that is going to work," said Hans Sy. Jerome Ascano
SM Prime Holdings Inc. president Hans Sy admitted on Tuesday that he originally intended to host an NBA regular season game at the MOA Arena when he started negotiations with Commissioner David Stern.

But when the long travel and logistical problems made such a plan not viable, Sy settled for a preseason game between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers to be played on October 10.

"I did try to broach the idea (of holding a regular season game here), but I'm not sure if the logistics and the jet lag or things like that is going to work," said Sy, who attended last year's NBA All-Star game in Orlando to personally start talks with Stern.

"When we were bidding, there were questions about bringing a preseason game that’s why it started last year, I went there to Orlando to personally invite David Stern to (have NBA teams) play a preseason game here."

Officials of both SM Prime Holdings and the NBA admitted the major roadblock to such a plan is the long travel the two teams will have to make to play a regular season game in the country.

Since the regular-season schedule of teams are tight, with games bunched closely together, a Manila game will leave the teams little time to recover from jet lag after a long flight.

Sy, however, is not giving up on the idea.

"But in case there is a chance, I will bring it over," he assured mediamen during the official launch of the Rockets-Pacers preseason game on Tuesday at the Sy-owned MOA Arena.