NBA All-Star starters announced

NEW YORK -- Kobe Bryant has been voted to his NBA-record 15th consecutive All-Star start, leading four Los Angeles players into next month's game.

2013 NBA All-Star Starters

Eastern Conference

Player	Votes
LeBron James, MIA	1,583,646
Carmelo Anthony, NYK	1,460,950
Dwyane Wade, MIA	1,052,310
Rajon Rondo, BOS	924,180
Kevin Garnett, BOS	553,222

Western Conference

Player	Votes
Kobe Bryant, LAL	1,591,437
Kevin Durant, OKC	1,504,047
Chris Paul, LAC	929,155
Dwight Howard, LAL	922,070
Blake Griffin, LAC	863,832

Lakers teammate Dwight Howard and the Clippers' Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will join Bryant in the Western Conference lineup for the Feb. 17 game in Houston. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, the MVP of last year's game, rounds out the five.
Kevin Garnett held off Chris Bosh in fan balloting, giving the East two Boston Celtics and two Miami Heat players. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will represent the defending champions and receive passes from Rajon Rondo. New York's Carmelo Anthony is the other starter.
Bryant finished with 1,591,437 votes, edging James by about 7,800 to finish as the leading vote-getter and break a tie with Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West and Karl Malone for the most consecutive starting nods.
The NBA's leading scorer is a four-time MVP of the All-Star Game and last year became its career scoring leader.
Garnett beat Bosh, who took to Twitter to stump for votes in the final days of balloting, by about 25,000 votes. He tied Bryant and O'Neal for second all time with his 15th selection behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was selected to 19 games.
It's the second straight year that Los Angeles teams will make up four players. Last year it was Bryant, Paul, Griffin and Andrew Bynum, who was dealt to Philadelphia in part of the deal that sent Howard from Orlando to the Lakers.

2013 NBA All-Star Game

The 2013 NBA All-Star Game will take place Feb. 17 in Houston. ESPN has the entire All-Star weekend covered. Index

The ballot changed this season, eliminating the center position. Fans were required to vote for three frontcourt players and two guards.
They picked an interesting mix in the East. Anthony and Garnett exchanged words during a game on Jan. 7, and Anthony was suspended one game by the NBA when he tried to confront Garnett afterward in the tunnel area at Madison Square Garden and by the team bus.
Rondo was injured in the playoffs two years ago after getting tangled up with Wade and landing awkwardly on his arm, part of what's become a tense rivalry between the Celtics and Heat.
Reserves will be announced next Thursday. Coaches will vote for seven players in their conferences: two guards, three frontcourt players and two players regardless of position. They can't vote for a player on their own team.

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

Guiao fires first salvo: Longer Finals series favors Rain or Shine

By Snow Badua

January 05, 2013, 12:15 pm

 

“Pag hindi nila kami tinapos ng maaga... delikado sila sa amin,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao moments after Talk 'N Text ousted Alaska to forge a championship showdown with the Elasto Painters. Jerome Ascano

RAIN or Shine coach Yeng Guiao shot the first warning upon learning it will be defending champion Talk `N Text which his team will meet in the Finals of the PBA Philippine Cup.
“Pag hindi nila kami tinapos ng maaga... delikado sila sa amin,” said Guiao moments after the Tropang Texters bundled out the Alaska Aces in their semis series to forge a championship showdown with the Elasto Painters.
The reigning champion, gunning to become the first team to win the Jun Bernardino Perpetual Trophy with a third straight All-Filipino title within the horizon, beat the Aces in Friday night’s Game 6, 83-78, to end the best-of-seven series, 4-2.
But it didn’t escape the attention of Guiao that the Tropang Texters had been to too many Finals appearances in the last two seasons, making them vulnerable to an expected physical title series against one of the toughest defending teams in the PBA today.
“Tingin ko `yung apat na araw na break, mapapahinga `yung Talk n’ Text, pero pagpasok ng Game 5, dun pa lang nila mararamdaman ang pagod. At dun kami magka-capitalize,” said the ever outspoken Guiao, who was with his townfolks and local mediamen in Pampanga’s first district while watching the Talk `N Text-Alaska game on television.
“The more na humaba ang series na ito, the more na pabor sa amin,” stressed the Rain or Shine mentor, whose coaching savvy has caught the fancy of Filipino basketball fans.
The six-time champion coach believes the backcourt match-up will be the main key in the best-of-seven Finals, but did not rule out the obvious advantage Talk `N Text have in the frontcourt.
While Guiao believes Rain or Shine can match up well with the guards of Talk n’ Text, he said plans will be devised to respond expected disadvantage his team will have in the paint.
“Kailangan matapatan namin `yung laki at bilis ng mga big men nila. That’s the key for us,” said Guiao. “This is going to be an exciting series!”

Follow the writer on Twitter: @snowbadua

Texters' Black weighs the long and short of it

By Snow Badua

January 06, 2013, 07:09 pm

 

  Norman Black says the series could go the distance, but the main focus now is Game One. Jerome Ascano 

AND so the word war has began.
Talk N’ Text coach Norman Black said he doesn’t care how long the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Rain or Shine will go, contrary to Yeng Guiao's claim that a long series will favor his Rain or Shine team.
“I am not concerned with how long this series goes. If it goes five, six, seven games, so be it. The key is to just win four games,” Black said.
The statement of the 10-time champion coach is obviously in reply to Guiao's claim made to Spin.ph Friday night that the longer the best-of-seven title series goes, the more the Tropang Texters are in danger of losing to the Elasto Painters.
“Pag hindi nila kami tinapos ng maaga… delikado sila sa amin,” said Guiao.
But Black said his focus right now is to just win the series opener set on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“Nobody has a crystal ball and no one can predict what’s going to happen. We just have to play it out,” said Black, back in the PBA Finals after more than a decade.
“How can you worry about how long the series is gonna go, you haven’t played one game yet," stressed the former Grand Slam champion coach.
“Game One is very crucial because the team that wins the first game has the chance at being successful in the course of the entire Finals,” Black added.
Talk n’ Text was given a full day’s rest on Saturday but resumed practice on Sunday afternoon at the Moro Lorenzo gym.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @snowbadua

NBA Roundup: Anthony scores season-high 40 points in win

PACERS 95, BUCKS 80: Roy Hibbert had 20 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Pacers to a victory over the Bucks on Saturday night.
Hibbert grabbed a career-high 11 offensive rebounds as the Pacers (20-14) won their seventh straight home game.

 

KNICKS 114, MAGIC 106: Carmelo Anthony scored 16 of his season-high 40 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Knicks outlast the Magic.
J.R. Smith added 18 points off the bench and Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
CELTICS 89, HAWKS 81: Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Celtics rallied to beat the Hawks.
Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 26 points in the third quarter as the Celtics erased a 19-point deficit in the second half and went on to consecutive wins for the first time since late November against Oklahoma City and Orlando.
NETS 113, KINGS 93: Brook Lopez scored 18 points in 17 minutes to lead six players in double figures, and the Brooklyn Nets got a nice effort from their reserves in beating the Kings for their third straight victory.
ROCKETS 112, CAVALIERS 104: James Harden scored 29 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets defeated the Cavaliers.
Jeremy Lin added 20 points for Houston, which has won 11 of its last 14.
Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 30 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 102, TIMBERWOLVES 97: Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews each made five 3s and scored 26 points to lead the Trail Blazers over the injury-depleted Timberwolves.
SPURS 109, 76ERS 86: Tony Parker had 20 points and Manu Ginobili added 19 and the Spurs routed the 76ers 109-86.

dbroughton@capgaznews.com

Belga's warning shot: Be ready for a UFC-like Finals showdown

By Snow Badua

January 06, 2013, 05:33 pm

 

“Sa bandang huli, kung sino mas matibay at mas malaki ang puso `yun ang may advantage,” says Rain or Shine banger Beau Belga ahead of the Finals battle with Talk 'N Text. Jerome Ascano

BRACE yourself for what could be the PBA’s version of the UFC or WWE.
Rain or Shine's wide-bodied bruiser Beau Belga is looking forward to an exciting and physical encounter with defending champion Talk `N Text in the Philippine Cup Finals that begins on Wednesday.
Belga himself pointed out that it was the Tropang Texters who played it tough against the Alaska Aces in their grueling best-of-seven semis series.
“Tingin ko mas pisikal talaga ang Talk N’ Text (kaysa Alaska),” he said.
“Pero hindi namin sila uurungan, pisikal din naman kami,” warned the big man out of Philippine Christian University. “Sa bandang huli, kung sino mas matibay at mas malaki ang puso `yun ang may advantage.”
Belga thinks Talk `N Text is heavy with big men who are ready and willing to bang bodies inside the paint.
“Basta tandaan nila, kung marunong silang magbigay, dapat marunong silang tumanggap,” was Belga’s parting shot.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @snowbadua