The Champs just "Sweep the Deer"

Well, in what I will say as the most lopsided matchup I have ever seen in the NBA Playoffs. It's the defending champions + best team in the NBA this season against a team who made it to the playoffs with a losing record. The defending champions proved to be too much for these "Young Deers" as the Miami Heat will continue their quest for a repeat as they knock off the Milwaukee Bucks in a sweep to advance to the second round.

 Photos ©NBA

The Bucks fought hard in this series as they kept it close against the Heat fueled by the bold statement guard Brandon Jennings gave prior to the playoffs, in which he said that they will knock the champions out of the first round. Well, last season, the 8th-seed in the East Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in six games, as the Bulls who lost Derrick Rose to a torn ACL in their Game 1 victory was never the same team that topped the NBA afterwards. The Sixers would have a nice battle in Round 2 against the Boston Celtics, they took them to 7 games before losing on the road. Unfortunately for Jennings and the Bucks, his statements backfired and the Heat just swept them out of the playoffs with big margins averaging almost 15 points a game.

LeBron James has been on a tear for the Heat, leading their chase for the repeat as he is well on his way to winning his 4th MVP Title and a second back-to-back after doing it with his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2009 and 2010. The spotlight may be on him, but he's getting help with the rest of the infamous but star-studded trio of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. As well as the rest of the roster from Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem to name a few. The Heat are a well-oiled machine and still the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals this season.

The Heat will face the winner of the series between the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls in the second round. (As of the time of this writing, the Bulls lead the series 3-1, with Game 5 coming up tomorrow in Brooklyn).

As for the Bucks, they picked up hard lessons from this series. Especially on a season of transition as they switched coaches from Scott Skiles to Jim Boylan (which happened before in Chicago). They are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and still have a lot of room to grow in the years to come.

Now here are the scores for all games of the series:

GAME 1 @ Miami: Bucks 87-110 Heat

Bucks leaders:

Points: Jennings 26, Ellis 22

Rebounds: Ilyasova 6, Sanders 5, Henson 5

Assists: Ellis 3, Redick 3 

Heat leaders:

Points: James 27, Allen 20, Wade 16

Rebounds: James 10, Bosh 7, Andersen 7

Assists: James 8, Wade 5

GAME 2 @ Miami: Bucks 86-98 Heat

Bucks leaders:

Points: Ilyasova 21, Dunleavy Jr 16, Sanders 14

Rebounds: Ilyasova 6, Sanders 6, Dunleavy Jr 6

Assists: Jennings 5, Ellis 5, Dunleavy Jr 5

Heat leaders:

Points: Wade 21, James 19

Rebounds: James 8, Bosh 6, Haslem 6, Andersen 6

Assists: James 6, Allen 4, Wade 3

GAME 3 @ Milwaukee: Heat 104-91 Bucks

Heat leaders:

Points: Allen 23, James 22, Bosh 16

Rebounds: Bosh 14, Wade 9, Andersen 6

Assists: Wade 11, Chalmers 8, James 6

Bucks leaders:

Points: Jennings 16, Sanders 16, Ilyasova 15

Rebounds: Sanders 11, Ilyasova 8, Mbah a Moute 6

Assists: Jennings 8, Ellis 6, Ilyasova 4

GAME 4 @ Milwaukee: Heat 88-77 Bucks

Heat leaders:

Points: James 30, Allen 16, Haslem 13

Rebounds: James 8, Chalmers 8, Allen 7

Assists: James 7, Chalmers 6, Miller 4

Heat win series 4-0

K-Smoove

Back when OPM had a life of it's own.

When I was browsing through my music playlist on my PC and on the iPod, I noticed most of my OPM (Original Pinoy Music) songs were from either the 90's or the early 2000's, with a small touch from the old classics of Apo Hiking Society and a few songs made in the late 2000's. It made me think, how come I'm not downloading much OPM songs today as I was before.

Well, OPM music has changed over the times. One thing I can't get enough of OPM music on the playlist I have is the message of the songs in which some I can relate to in my life. Take for example, the late great "King of Rap" Francis Magalona and his song "Kaleidoscope World" which shows that we live in a world full of color, both good and bad. Let us also not forget that he is a patriotic person in his songs from hits like "Mga Kababayan Ko", "Ito Ang Gusto Ko" and "Man from Manila". Come and think of it also, his raps were clean and really sends a great message and an inspiration to many who have come to listen to their hits. He may have passed away, but his hits will live on many Filipinos for many years to come.

Francis M

Also, I'm a huge Parokya ni Edgar fan because their songs talk about life itself. Take for example "Harana" which talks about how Filipino men of the time woo a lady through singing to the tune of their guitars in front of the lady's house. "Buloy" which talks about the everyday hardships of the average Filipino. "Sayang" which talks about missing the opportunity to get the right person in life. "Barkada" which talks about the features of a tightly knit friendship with a bunch of people with different upbringings in life. As well as "Halaga" which talks about the importance of taking care of a good lady in life.

Parokya ni Edgar

Well, you don't know Filipino music if you haven't heard about the Eraserheads, dubbed as "The Beatles of the Philippines" for bringing songs that go straight to every Filipino. From their hits "Ang Huling El Bimbo", "Alapaap", "Tindahan ni Aling Nena", "Toyang", "Magasin" and a ton of others over their years as a band from the 1990s until they disbanded in the early 2000s.

Eraserheads

There have been a lot of other noteworthy bands to include like Rivermaya, Hale, Cueshe, Sponge Cola, Sandwich, Bamboo, Kamikazee, 6 Cycle Mind, Silent Sanctuary who have also made great hits which can relate to a ton of people who have listen to their songs. Even with the changing times, I still listen to their hits, because they gave me a lot of inspiration to live my life to the fullest and brought me a lot of lessons about everyday life. Finally, one thing I like about those songs is that they came out of the blue and when the people behind those songs thought about it when they least expected.

Which brings me to the question, how come I'm not into OPM songs which come out at the present time? Unfortunately on my part, I don't like watching music channels anymore because most of the times, they'll put up a ton of Korean songs which I'm not into that much, unlike most people do nowadays. Right now, it's unfortunate that if you're going to be a singer here in the country, you must have the looks and the flair, while they don't touch a lot on the music and the message of each song, which is a hit on the face on my end. Especially, music on my part, motivates and drives me to get better in life. Also, most Filipino singers nowadays just do covers of songs, and if they do come off with an original composition, it would not have a deep and strong message to show to the people. Don't forget, there is no day here in the Philippines when the people do not put those people on the "Trending Topics" list on Twitter, not only here in the Philippines, but also Worldwide which can be somewhat an eyesore for some people including myself.

I remember Ogie Alcasid who is an advocate of OPM music. It's good to see people still advocating the best of OPM music has to offer. I admire his passion and patriotic ideals in promoting Filipino music not only to Filipinos but also to other walks of life. However, nowadays based on the songs of the present OPM scene. It can be an eyesore and definitely not worth listening to on the radio, computer or mp3 players. However, these things can all change if the current artists can go back to the roots of OPM music in order to make hits that will touch a lot of Filipinos here and abroad.

As I wrap this entry up, I like to thank my buddy Sam for giving me the inspiration to write this entry today. It was all worth the talk we had last night about these things and I hope to see you around very soon. I hope the inspiration I gave you will be good for you to write your own blog like mine, and don't forget to hook me up when you're blog is live and kickin'

OPM will always be a part of every Filipino's life

K-Smoove

My homies for life.

Yesterday, I spent time with the MERALCO PEEPS on the birthday of one of our own, Gelo. Where for the last three years has been the "unofficial" reunion party of the entire troupe. However, unlike previous years. Not every one was there as most of the troupe were having jobs during the summer time. It all happened in the afternoon at Dulcinea in Tomas Morato as we joined the other guests from his Thomasian friends (we're both in UST, but on different programs), and his family.

We spent time catching up with what's happening with our lives. Even to the point, we rant on each other including how I'm always left out of the picture or the other things we pick on with someone from our troupe. It proves that sometimes, people never change. Even with all that's been happening in our own lives since we took our own paths in college, the feeling is still the same. I got to admit, I was mostly silent for most of the afternoon. Because, I don't have much stories to tell I have to say. Still, I'm always thankful to have them as company.

Photo ©Aldrin Dayauon

It was only for a short amount of time though as we never went way further into the night since we went our separate ways into the night. It made me think about next year when I hope to bring them in on my birthday and do something about it. I won't do it this year though since like I've been saying time and time again. I'm saving up on the ticket for the Rockets-Pacers pre-season game this October.

So once again, I'll thank the birthday dude Gelo for having us over again on his birthday this year. As well as to the MERALCO PEEPS who were there: Aldrin (the "orginizer" as he created the event page on Facebook), JL, Quinn, Edison, Nur, Josh, Philip, Airam, Jolly and Siops. I hope to see you guys again soon as well as the other MERALCO PEEPS who weren't with us yesterday.

Thankful for these great men.
K-Smoove

Back in the PLAYOFFS for Red Nation.

 Photo ©facebook.com/houstonrockets

After three seasons of settling for winning seasons but only good fort 9th place in the Western Conference standings. Red Nation, the Houston Rockets are back in the NBA Playoffs, and yeah as a member of Red Nation for over 10 years now since a 7'6'' center from China named Yao Ming joined the Rockets and with the players that have come and go like Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin to name some, I'm excited to blog about the Rockets' playoff run this year. Though there's the huge possibility it will be a short one. However, it's been four years since I wrote about the Rockets in the playoffs. I'm gonna make this count.

In the First Round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, the Rockets are seeded #8 in the Western Conference after suffering a final game defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers in L.A. to bump up to #7 in the standings. The loss still bites me, especially I suffered the wrath of rants by the Laker Nation here in the Philippines. Anyway, they will face the reigning Western Conference Champions and this year's top seed in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It will be a fun matchup as last season's Sixth Man of the Year and now the face of the franchise in James Harden will battle his former team in the Thunder which are led by his  good ol' buddies and co-Olympic gold medalists in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The spotlight may be on these three men. However, there is more to this match-up as both teams are two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA this season and both teams have very young rosters. The Thunder will have an advantage defensively as they are second in field goal defense behind the Indiana Pacers and have more playoff experience than the Rockets. The Rockets will look to use their high-pace offense where they light up the scoreboard every game and look to make use of their three-point as they are among the league leaders in three points made as a team in the NBA.

The focus of this series may be the matchup between Harden vs Durant and Westbrook. But there are other players on both sides to watch out for.

For the Rockets, the first man to watch out is Jeremy Lin which will get a taste of the playoffs for the first time in his young but already storied NBA career, as he was unable to play for the Knicks during the playoffs with an injury, Lin played all 82 games this season as the starting point guard and has put up decent numbers, though a little low than his Linsanity numbers, he's gotten better defensively as his steals went up and his turnovers went down. Also taking a first taste of the playoffs would be sophomore forward Chandler Parsons who is the only guy left from the Rockets roster last season, Parsons is the second best scorer for the Rockets after Harden and will be a factor for the Rockets chances in the playoffs. Omer Asik, one of the league's top rebounders has playoff experience, however his minutes were limited in Chicago serving as the backup center for the Bulls to Joakim Noah. Now, he'll get starters minutes in the playoffs as the starting center of the Rockets. The rest of the Rockets are making their first playoff appearance with the exceptions of Carlos Delfino, Francisco Garcia, James Anderson and a relic from the Rockets 2009 playoff run in one-time Most Improved Player Awardee Aaron Brooks who was instrumental in the Rockets playoff push in that season.

As for the Thunder, they'll be looking to get back to the NBA Finals after a bitter conclusion last season at the hands of the Miami Heat. Aside from Durant and Westbrook, Serge Ibaka who has improved offensively to complement his great defense will also play a part in the Thunder's playoff push. Harden's replacement as The Sixth Man in OKC Kevin Martin will be the X-Factor for the Thunder as he has a polished offensive game but with a significant letdown on his defensive game. The Thunder will also look at Thabo Sefolosha and Ronnie Brewer who are two great wing defenders in the NBA today.

Season series recap: Thunder wins series 2-1
*Dates in Philippine time

Game 1, November 29, 2012: Rockets 98-120 Thunder
HOU: Points: Patterson 27, Rebounds: Asik 12, Assists: Lin 8
OKC: Points: Durant 37, Rebounds: Ibaka 9, Assists: Westbrook 9

Game 2, December 30, 2012: Thunder 124-94 Rockets
OKC: Points: Westbrook 28, Rebounds: Ibaka & Collison 10, Assists: Westbrook 8
HOU: Points: Harden 25, Rebounds: Asik & Smith 8, Assists: Lin 7

Game 3, February 21, 2013: Thunder 119-122 Rockets
OKC: Points: Westbrook & Sefolosha 28, Rebounds: Durant 12, Assists: Durant 11
HOU: Points: Harden 46, Rebounds: Asik 10, Assists: Lin 7

Series schedule:
Game 1: Rockets at Thunder, April 22, 9:30 am PHT
Game 2: Rockets at Thunder, April 25, 7:00 am PHT
Game 3: Thunder at Rockets, April 28, 9:30 am PHT
Game 4: Thunder at Rockets, April 30, TBD (Birthday game)
Game 5: Rockets at Thunder, May 2, TBD*
Game 6: Thunder at Rockets, May 4, TBD*
Game 7: Rockets at Thunder, May 6, TBD* 


This will be a fun series between the two high octane teams. I've been reading through the web about how this series will go. Majority will say the Thunder will win in 5 games. It's true to say that the Rockets will be the underdogs in this series, because of the fact that the Thunder has more playoff experience and has better defense. However, despite all of these things and pundit talk about the playoffs, I'll keep on rooting for the Rockets, as well in the history I have of being an NBA fan, most of the times, I eventually root for the underdog. Dating back in 2009 when the Rockets battled the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Most people were rooting for the then Brandon Roy led Trail Blazers squad to win over the Rockets. However, the Rockets would take the series in 6 games which included a Game 1 victory in Portland which is also a tough city for opposing teams and it was the first time the franchise got out of Round 1 since 1997. So yeah, all I can do now is hope for the best and hopefully this will be a great series.

In victory or defeat, Red Nation for life!
K-Smoove