Gatorade unveil new logo and brand ambassadors

(Photo by Roy Afable)

On Monday, Gatorade Philippines held an exclusive event for media to launch their new "G" logo. We all know that Gatorade is the leading and most trusted sports drink and it's also being endorsed by non other than the G.O.A.T. himself, Michael Jordan. In line with the launch is also the introduction of Gatorade's newest ambassadors of the brand composed of professional and student athletes. They're simply dubbed as G-Elite and G Rising Stars.

Never Say Die, Big J

The Big J's big day.
(Image via InterAKTV/Paolo Papa)

(Rey Moralde of TheNoLookPass.com will take over for this post as he pays tribute to the PBA's legendary player, "The Big J" Robert Jaworski.)

Hello. My name is Rey Moralde and I am an NBA blogger that lives in Southern California. I founded TheNoLookPass.Com and am a contributor to ForumBlueAndGold.Com, the Laker blog that's part of ESPN's TrueHoop Network.

Roy had asked me to do this piece about someone that was important to my love for the game of basketball. That someone? Robert Jaworski. Jaworski's jersey was retired a couple of days ago and I don't know why it took the Philippine Basketball Association this long to retire his number.

While I talk about the NBA and confess to not keeping up with the PBA, the PBA was actually one of the reasons why I love and write about the game of basketball. Yes, I am a Filipino-American and I spent six years of my childhood in the Philippines. I can't remember how or what exactly gravitated me to the Philippine Basketball Association but it became an instant addiction once I started watching the games on TV (at the old Channel 4). It would be rare for me to miss the Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday doubleheaders. The team I ended up liking? Ginebra San Miguel (which became Anejo at one point and now, I believe, they are Barangay Ginebra).

Predict the PBA games: Ginebra vs Alaska, Barako Bull vs Meralco

Can Barangay Ginebra bounce back from last Sunday's loss and get a win against Alaska?
(Leslie Sy/InterAKTV)

So it didn't exactly turnout the way I wanted in last Sunday's games. That just shows that it ain't easy to predict the winner and score for each game. We got a couple of games on Wednesday and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a good one.

Alaska escapes upset against Shopinas. B-Meg defeats Ginebra

The Alaska Aces' Sonny Thoss rises up for a block
in a win against the Shopinas.com Clickers 86-80.
(Paolo Papa/InterAKTV)

With only a few games left in the elimination round of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup, teams at the bottom 3 look to vie for the 8th spot for the semis. The Alaska Aces needed a win to stay in contention. On the other hand, the Shopinas.com Clickers may be eliminated already but they still look to earn that first W. Last Sunday was a make or break game for both teams.

Predict the PBA games: Alaska vs Shopinas.com, B-Meg vs Ginebra

Can Ginebra score a win over B-Meg after their recent trade?
(Paolo Papa/InterAKTV)

It's time once again to do some predictions for today's PBA games. I have to tell you, it ain't easy predicting the team that'll win plus the margin of the winning score for each game. Time to put it all to good use shall we?

Hard fought win for TnT Tropang Texters in OT

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters guard Jason Castro knows a thing or two about being clutch.

(Pranz Kaeno Billones/InterAKTV)

In what seemed to be a potential win for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters suddenly went down the toilet. The injury plagued Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters virtually fought tooth and nail to earn that 106-104 win in overtime yesterday. They can all thank Jason Castro for that.

Predict the PBA games: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters

Can rookie Japeth Aguilar and the TnT Tropang Texters stop
the uptempo game of the RoS Elasto Painters?
(Paul Ryan Tan/InterAKTV)

So far, my predictions are getting better. I was surprised of the outcome of last Friday's games that I predicted. I was able to figure out the winning team for the first game but I have yet to get it right on the 2nd game. I'm actually getting good at this.

With that in mind, we got yet another hoops match-up to predict.

Petron Blaze crush Barako Bull. Alaska dumps Powerade

The Petron Blaze Boosters' Alex Cabagnot drives past Wynne Arboleda of the Barako Bull Energy.
Petron Blaze won 75-66 over Barako Bull.
(Joser Dumbrique/InterAKTV)

The Petron Blaze Boosters are on a roll. An unexpected hero stepped in to help the Boosters to 75-66 win against the Barako Bull Energy. Denok Miranda lead all scorers with 21 points as he made crucial shots to stop a possible upset from Barako Bull.

Predict the PBA games: Petron Blaze-Barako Bull, Powerade-Alaska

Can Gary David and the Powerade Tigers bounce back and win today's game against the Alaska Aces?
(Paul Ryan Tan/InterAKTV)

Looks like it's time once again to predict the outcome of today's PBA games: Petron Blaze Boosters vs Barako Bull Energy and Powerade Tigers vs Alaska Aces. Since starting this thing last Wednesday, I say this will be a permanent fix from now on. In the coming games, I'ma make this thing a bit more enticing for y'all so watch out for that one.

So without further ado, let's do this shall we!

Thoughts on the PBA's latest trade(s)

Ginebra Gin Kings' Mark Caguia knows it's time for a change.
(Joser Dumbrique/InterAKTV)

I must admit I haven't been that updated when it comes to anything about the PBA in the past few months. Just recently though, I couldn't help but be curious about the country's pro hoops league. Then I heard about the latest trade between the B-Meg Llamados, Barako Bull Energy and the Ginebra Gin Kings.

TnT clobbers Clickers, Bolts shock Tigers

Clutch player: The Meralco Bolts' Mac Cardona's heroics pulled off a win a against the Powerade Tigers 98-96.
(Paul Ryan Tan/InterAKTV)

So the predictions I did from last Wednesday's games were rather close. The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters PWN3D the Shopinas.com Clickers for another W. Looks like its back to the old drawing board for coach Franz Pumaren. Not exactly a good debut for the former De La Salle Green Archers coach.

As for the Meralco Bolts and Powerade Tigers, it was indeed a slugfest. In the end though, it was the Bolts that came out on top for the win.

Predicting the PBA games

Can coach Franz Pumaren and his boys finally get the W that's been eluding them?
(Leslie Sy/InterAKTV)

Okay, it's been a while since I last posted something here or perhaps anything PBA related. With NBA lockout in full effect and their 2011-2012 season possibly out the window, I think it's about time I give some love to the Philippines' pro hoops league. I know the 37th Philippine Cup of the PBA is already in progress yet I wanna do something that I haven't done even on NBA games -- predict the scores for each game.

Ultimate All Star Weekend 2011

(Image via Niketalk.com)

The NBA's Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Derek Fisher, Kevin Durant, Derrick Williams, Tyreke Evans, James Harden and Javale McGee will be dropping by the Philippines for 2 days of hoops action against select PBA players and Smart-Gilas Pilipinas on July 23-24 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Pacific Rims redux

Pacific Rims now in Paperback!
(Photo by Roy Afable)

Y’all heard about the book Pacific Rims, right? I’m pretty sure most of you basketball fans got their hands on its first release. It sold like hotcakes last year. Hell, I even had to order my copy because the book was virtually sold out. I was lucky enough to have my copy signed by the man himself – Rafe Bartholomew, author of Pacific Rims.

The Philippines get some SLAM love

Pinoy love from SLAM.
(Image via Since 'Krux)

SLAM Philippines is here! Yes, y'all heard it right! The most popular basketball mag in the US has officially made it's way in Philippine shores. It's the same SLAM mag we all enjoyed and love but with some Filipino flavor, if y'all know what I mean.

Refresh your gear

PBA Player Wesley Gonzales of Air21 donates his old pair of kicks for a cause.

(Image courtesy of Adidas Philippines)

Here's an update on Adidas's "Refresh Your Gear" promo. Although I've already posted the details on that one about a week ago, I might as well share it anyway. All proceeds go to Hope Worldwide Philippines. Many thanks to Adidas Philippines for the heads-up.

Where NBA and PBA Legends happen

Simply Hoops camaraderie.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

Right off the bat, NBA legends Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Glen Rice and Mitch Richmond visited the Philippines for the NBA Asia Challenge 2010 last August. This is not the first time an event like this was held here. For some odd reason, I missed the one last year but I sure didn’t miss it this time around.

For the love of Basketball

The Philippines has always been basketball country – it literally has become a part of every Filipino’s lives. You can tell just how popular the game here is just by going around Metro Manila and you’ll see basketball being played on every street corner 24/7. I’m one of those that played ball here almost every day. Friends would drop by my house just to invite me for a game of hoops. Never mind that we didn’t wear the best pair of kicks to ball on – our rubber slippers got us covered.

In 2005, an American from New York came over to the Philippines to do some research about the popularity of the sport. Rafe Bartholomew witnessed first-hand how big it (basketball) was here. He not only learned the history of Philippine hoops but also the Filipino language: Tagalog. Having spent 3 years in the country, he's now just as fluent as the locals with the language (I send him tweets on his Twitter account in Tagalog and he replies to me just the same – how cool is that?). His passion for basketball was no different from us Filipinos. Upon returning to the US, the great memories he brought home from a hoops-loving country was the main inspiration he penned the book now known all over the world as Pacific Rims.

Powerade-Team Pilipinas humbles Australian Team.

Powerade-Team Pilipinas Skipper Asi Taulava (no. 8) tries to avoid
an altercation with Australia's Patrick Pilae.

The RP Team managed to pull-off an overwhelming victory over the visiting Aussie Team last Friday. The Filipinos had somehow managed to contend with the Australians despite the height advantage. But last night's game at the Araneta Coliseum was a different story altogether.

The Motolite-Goodwill games may be a friendly one but it was all business for both teams. Imports Tiras Wade and Shawn Daniels beefed up the Aussies' roster for some added firepower. It was a challenging task for Team Pilipinas as they held off the Australian team in an overtime win 91-86. For RP Team coach Yeng Guiao, it was a test on how the Philipines can contend with international teams:

“This series will be a point of discovery for us,” said national coach Yeng Guiao. “We will make our adjustments based on what we see in these tune-up games.

“We’re a little rough around the edges, considering our limited time together, but the competitive fire is there,” he added. “What we’ll learn here will help us win in the future.”

The PBA-backed Philippine team is being readied for at least three international tournaments starting in June—the Southeast Asian Basketball Association championship, the Jones Cup tournament, and the FIBA-Asia qualifying for the World Championships.

In the dying seconds of the 4th quarter, Kerby Raymundo's clutch jumpers forced the game in overtime. Giving the Australians a run for their money. Raymundo chalked up 24 points for the National Team while Arwind Santos took over and finished the extra period with 12 points.

Imports Tiras Wade led with 30 points and Graeme Dann chipped in with 19 for the Australians. 7-footer Patrick Pilae created problems for the Filipinos in the paint:

“I think he just wanted to fight everybody,” said RP skipper Asi Taulava, who had repeated scrapes with the well-built Samoan.

The PBA backed RP Team have proven they can go toe-to-toe with a big and physical Australian Team, suffice to say, the Nationals are ready to go into battle in the upcoming international games. It was indeed a learning experience for Team Pilipinas in the process. The real test perhaps for the Nationals' is the team chemistry and how consistent they are along the way. Adapting to the international style of play is another factor the RP team should consider. That I believe is where the consistency will come in. The transition from the professional game is no easy task.

It's a good confidence booster for Team Pilipinas but then again, more exhibition games are needed to help the team be more prepared before the SEABA (Southeast Asian Basketball Association) Championship in June. No guts, no glory as they say. Going up against a towering Australian Team is no joke, mind you. Bottomline is, two exhibition games is definitely not enough to toughen up the National Squad. Nevertheless, it was one hell of a basketball game.

Box Scores:

Powerade-Team Pilipinas - 93

Raymundo 24, Santos 12, Helterbrand 10, Reyes 9, Thoss 6, Norwood 6, Baguio 5, Dillinger 4, Yap 4, Pennisi 3, De Ocampo 2, Miller 2, Taulava 2

Hoopdreamz (Australia) - 89

Wade 30, Daniels 19, Lalic 11, Hyams 11, Veg 9, Susnjara 5, Dann 4, Pilae 0, Amir 0

Quarters: 23-14, 43-38, 60-67, 80-all, (OT) 93-89