Super Friends on Backstage

Who will think that the Big Names in NBA will come together and play for Miami Heat? This is what the Miami Heat franchise is enjoying right now. Their team has the most star studded players in the planet of Basketball today. Having Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the same team is like you’re in a nirvana that made you think that this trio will be unstoppable force for 5 years or more. But are they for real?

Last year’s offseason, free agents were loaded with superstars headed by the reigning MVP Lebron “The King” James. It was the best free agency that hit the market in NBA history. When NBA opened the free agency, all teams who wanted the services of Lebron James and other superstars booked themselves immediately to meet these superstars. They had their chances to woo them to play for their respective franchises by offering max contracts, giving out private jets, to be a stakeholder of their franchise and most of all to be a championship caliber team, which is music to LBJ’s ears.

Several teams were able to persuade the superstars to sign on a max contract in their team. Some superstars resigned from their mother teams. But one of the most anticipated decision in the sports world – where NBA superstar free agent LeBron James will play next season and beyond. He informed NBA that he will officially reveal his decision on “The Decision,” that was presented live on ESPN last July 8, 2010.

The entire nation was excited for this to happen. The New York Knicks who is front runner in his services and of course his mother team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Finally the time has come, the question everybody wants to know: Lebron James decided to bring his talents to South Beach and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who already chosen Miami Heat as their destinations.

The whole world was shocked with his decision. Cleveland fans immediately burned his jerseys to show their dismay with their former home grown hero. Even Dan Gilbert the owner hasn’t controlled his emotion outburst by expressing his disappointment by writing an open letter shortly after Lebron’s statement by saying that “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEAVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”. This was a big statement but we can’t blame the owner for his action.

The major reason in Lebron’s decision was the best opportunity for him to win and to win now and to win in the future also. Thanks to the masterful job of Pat Riley who engineered in putting these pieces altogether on one team. I am wondering what he told to these superstars and how he convinced them to play for Miami but all I know is he is the guru.

Moving forward -- This weekend the 2011 playoffs will officially start. This is the time we’ve been waiting for, the real test for Super friends. They have locked themselves in the number 2 seed in Eastern Conference and will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1^st round. They owned this team in the regular season as the Miami Heat beat this team thrice. It looks like it will be an appetizer round for them, then after that they have to face the defending East Champs the Boston Celtics in semifinals, assuming the C’s will thrash the resurging New Knicks with Melo-Amare tandem in the 1^st round. This will be an acid test for them as they have to deal with the well experienced and most dangerous team in the postseason.

The Miami Heat is one of the favorite teams this postseason. But let’s face it they won’t get the title this year. Even they manhandled the league leading San Antonio Spurs in their home floor, beat twice the defending champions LA Lakers and finally figured out how to beat the Boston Celtics on their last meeting. Their chances of winning the title are not that huge. This team still needs some pieces to finally get the job done. Miami Heat was built to be a dynasty and that dynasty will not happen this year.

Here are the reasons why

1. Lack of Big Men -- Miami Heat doesn’t have the size to matchup with Boston Celtics and LA Lakers’ bigs. Chris Bosh is the only player who can man the paint for the Heat and even Udonis Haslem is uninjured, their frontline looks very fragile. What if Bosh gets into foul trouble? Who will defend the paint for them and worst case scenario what if the Heat loses him on an injury?
2. Low Block – The undersized Udonis Haslem is the only player who can play on the post for them but he got injured in the early goings of the season. So the limelight will be on Chris Bosh, but this superstar doesn’t play on the low block he is more on a face-up to the basket and pull some mid range jump shots. This team needs a real low post threat that can attract double teams and let Lebron James and Dwyane Wade attack the interior defense of their opposing teams.
3. Bench Support – After the Big Three, there’s no other player on the team they can rely on. This is the major problem when they signed the 3 Superstars to max contracts. This team doesn’t have the salary cap flexibility to sign a player in free agency. Thanks to those players who sacrificed their salary and signed with a minimum contract just to play with Super friends and hoping they will get their 1^st ever championship ring.
4. Shooting PG – Pat Riley indeed needed a PG with shooting touch. Mike Bibby became available through a buyout and the Heat’s president did not made any hesitation in signing the veteran point guard. Bibby’s arrival will bring his playoff experiences to the team. He is a great leader, proven scorer and clutch player. But the only downside on this was, Bibby is not the same player that we’ve seen when he is still donning the uniform of Sacramento Kings. Let’s just hope he will able to resurrect his career and be motivated, now that he is playing for a contender.
5. Togetherness – This will be the 1^st time for the Super friends to play together in the playoffs. No one knows who will take over on crunch time? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra tried to setup some late plays for Lebron but didn’t succeed in the regular season. There are lots of questions needed to be answered. Who will take over the game in crunch time? Who will take the last shot? Are these superstars willing to sacrifice their limelight on big stage? We will find our answer once the game comes to a close.
   

This will mark one of the exciting playoffs in NBA. All playoff teams will try to it make to the promise land and hoping to dethrone the LA Lakers. We will finally witness how the Miami Heat will showcase their talents on big stage. Will they overcome the pressure on their shoulders? Will they easily fold like what they have shown in the mid season where they caught as Crying Heat Babies? Or stand and live up to their talents? I am not a Super Friends fan but I do follow them because they are one of the favorites. I’m looking forward on the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup where they will face my Boston Celtics. It will be a showdown guaranteed…

Here’s the familiar chant of Miami Heat.

Let’s Let’s Let’s Go HEAT!!!

Celtics Fall?

It’s been a year since I last wrote an article with regard to Boston Celtics. Now that the playoff is getting closer, we will be talking a lot how the Celts would fair this year. We all know the Celtics made a huge run in the playoffs last year and they are 1 win away from getting their 18^th championship. But the LA Lakers went in their way and pushed them back to earth in one of the historic NBA Finals 7 game series.

The Boston Celtics lost some key players on the offseason. Rasheed Wallace the ever reliable frontcourt defender announced his retirement and Tony Allen their wing defender signed with Memphis Grizzlies to get more playing time. But with these developments, the Celts made a counter upgrade by boosting up their roster by adding the 2 O’Neals (Shaq and Jermaine) in the middle to compete with Lakers' big, plus Delonte West for Rajon’s backup in the point guard position. Because of these adjustments, the Celtics made themselves once again one of the favorites to win the title this year.

The Boston Celtics surprised the league by their quick jelling with the system. They are one of the hottest teams from the very start. By the way, Kendrick Perkins was still sidelined due to knee injury that he suffered in the finals last year plus the in and outs of the O’Neal’s, West and never ending Rajon Rondo ankle injury. It’s very clear that the Celtics did not have a chance to play with a complete/healthy roster, but they still managed to compete with power house teams and remain on top of the standings.

Come February trade deadline, Celtics shocked the entire league by sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinsons to Oklahoma Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krystic. This put a lot of questions to NBA fanatics, why Danny Ainge pull the trigger? Many NBA analysts said that this trade is a no brainer, no brainer because you just made your team an ORDINARY ONE. Boston Celtics lose their size advantage of Perk plus the energy of Nate that he can bring from the bench.

Lately, the Celtics is struggling to win games. From number 1 spot in the East, they are now down in 3rd spot and needs to win their remaining games of the season to secure home court advantage come in second round of the playoffs, and a possible showdown with Super Friends in the South Beach. Celts are 13-9 since the Perkins trade. It does not sound not so good for Boston, right? Is it because of Perkins is no longer donning Celtics uniform? My answer is a BIG NO NO NO!!!

NBA analysts and many people criticized Danny Ainge decision why he pushed the Perkins Trade. They are saying that Celtics recent struggles are due to that trade. This is totally not true. Personally, I am already fed up with these kinds of comments that were getting from our NBA analysts. I don’t know why they reacted so negatively with Perks trade. He is not the main reason why the Celts are on the slide.

Here’s my analysis with Celtics recent fall

1. Perkins is not the main reason why Celtics is not doing well lately. The spectacular playmaker Rajon Rondo is not the same player that we’ve seen in the early games of the season. He is the major reason why the Celtics are very finesse with their plays. His assists per game dropped significantly, because of his injuries throughout the season. His effectiveness in the Point Guard position suffered his team a lot.
2. Celtics Trade, the arrival of Jeff Green and Nenad Krystic made this team more promising. But unfortunately, these guys are not yet 100% fully learned the system of Doc Rivers. They don’t know yet how will they contribute to the big 4 of the Celts.
3. The injuries of the Big MAN. The 2 O’Neal’s are in and out of the season due to injuries. The Big news now is, the recent calf injury suffered by Shaq in his return from injury against the Pistons yesterday. This is a major blow for the Boston team. This will take a big hit on them come on the playoff time, because his return is uncertain. By the way, Nenand Krystic is also out due to injury.

Here’s my analysis with Perks Trade.

1. Danny Ainge pushed the trade because Boston already offered Kendrick Perkins an extension but he just ignored it. He told them that he wants to test the free agency market. It sounds that there is no guarantee that the Perks will be with the same team come next season.
2. We all know what happened with Lebron James and the Cavs. The Cavaliers waited for so long for Lebron to resign with them, but with his “The Decision” he made in New York, he opted to bring his talent in the South Beach which is the Miami Heat. Boston already learned that lesson, they traded away Perkins because they are unsure if Perk will resign with them. Instead of losing him in the free agency, they pulled the trade and get the services of Nenand Krystic and Jeff Green in return.
3. Jeff Green is a versatile player. He can play 3 or 4 position. He reminds me of Antawn Jamison who is a scorer, decent rebounder, good defender, has great shooting touch and can dribble the ball. While Nenand Krystic is a decent defender, rebounder, has perimeter shooting and can shoot Free Throws. This is a nice swap for Doc Rivers. Jeff Green and Nenand Krystic can spread the floor with their ability to shoot from the outside, and it will make a lot easier for Rajon and Pierce to penetrate and slash the middle.
   

Boston Celtics still remain the team to beat in the East. They just need their 4 stars to be healthy and ready come playoff time. This is the same team that shocked the whole world that nobody thought that they would reach the Finals and almost get their 18^th Championship.

Yes! Celts will be missing the toughness of Kendrick Perkins in the middle especially now that Shaq is uncertain for his return. But with their new recruits, Jeff Green and Nenad Krystic will provide instant offense and frontcourt stability for them.

I still believe the Celtics will return in the NBA Finals come in June. I am hoping that they will remain healthy all throughout the playoffs, and be ready to battle the All-Star Studded teams in Eastern Conference plus one more dance against the defending champs the LA Lakers. This will be one a hell playoffs that we will be witnessing. I can’t wait for this to happen.

Let’s Go Celtics!!!

Final Battle

The Final Battle for CSS Basketball Championship game will happen this coming Saturday December 18, 2010 at WCC in Pasig City. It will be a one game affair for Team Arsenals and Team Kankunis who will slug it out for Bragging Rights and claim the reputation to be called champions of 3^rd season CSS Tournament.

This will be the last day and last game of the 3^rd season Basketball tournament. The top 2 teams after the elimination round will finally meet again, this time for the championship game. It may be the last game this season, but certainly, the most exciting one. The whole CSS will be watching this game. It’s going to be amazing and will be a classic one.

The last time they met was back in elimination round. It was a close fight and seesaw battle until the end. That game was marred by a lot of fouls. It was a physical one; some players got fouled-out on both teams. Arsenals escaped via a 62-58 win through the heroics of Jerameel “The Volume Shot Maker” Bautista with 19 markers while Ramon “Rookie Sensation” Ocampo dropped 26 points in a losing cost for Kankunis.

This is the 1^st time for both squads to reach the Finals. Team Arsenals finished 1^st after elimination round, met Team Sentinels in the Semi-Finals who were easily taken care of, thanks to the hot shooting of Jerameel “Mr. Volume Shot Maker” Bautista who drilled 23 points and Jefferson “”TTe or Tall and Terrible” Valdepena who netted 18 points. Arsenals destroyed the pesky Sentinels through a 72-59 win.

On the other semifinal matchup, Team Kankunis was pushed to the limit by Team Titans in a do or die game last December 04, 2010. They able to survive the never say die spirit of Team Titans as they clobbered this team through the leadership of their prized rookie Ramon Ocampo. Kankunis won in regulation 69-55.

Battle for 3rd

Meanwhile, we will be initially entertained by a bunch of heartbroken players. Team Sentinels and Team Titans will clash for battle for 3^rd place. This is the first time for Team Titans was denied of their finals’ spot, while for Team Sentinels it was a great season for them as they reached the Final Four for the first time and considered as championship team contender compared to their stint in inaugural season were they have not won any single game.


History:For Arsenals: First time to enter the Promise Land since the CSS league started. Arsenals’ is always one of the team to beat and always end up in the top 2 spots after elimination round on their entire team history. But this team failed to capitalize their advantage for the first 2 seasons as they were destroyed by their arch-nemesis Team Online in semifinals. Arsenals owned Kankunis as they beat this team on their 3 meetings for the last 3 years.

For Kankunis: First time to barge into the Finals and Final Four as well. This team wasn’t able to reach the semifinals in their first 2 seasons as they found themselves at the bottom of the standings. Kankunis /FOX Team have never won any single game against Arsenals dated back since the inaugural season. But this time they have their main gunner rookie sensation that will try to break the curse for them.

Keys to the Championship

For Arsenals

1. Stop the Rookie Sensation – Team Arsenals should find away on how to contain Ramon Ocampos’ offensive juggernaut. Expect Jayson “The Tactician” Lim to lock him up from start to finish. Let him bleed for his points.

2. Control the Glass – Arsenals BIGS, should continue to dominate the rebounding department. This team has the tallest team and should take advantage of that. Expect Grei “The Big Ticket” and Stephen “Tower of Power” Fernandez to handle the boards for the team.

3. Shoot till the end – Jerameel “Volume Shot Maker” Bautista is one of the strongest candidates for MVP this season. His ultimate goal is to shoot like there’s no tomorrow. Once he receives the ball expect him to do his orthodox teardrop shot. Let’s just hope it will count.

4. Attack the basket – Christian “D’ Maestro” Lumanglas and Vitto “Gamer Boi” Padre should continue attacking the paint and racking up some fouls on Kankunis’ towers. If both players takes advantage of those chances and creates contact on their way to the rim, they will, at the very least come away with a pair of free throws on most occasions since the officiating in this series do not allow much physical contact. Expect both players to be in an attack mode as soon as the ball tips off for the final game.

5. Arsenal Legacy – Three years of togetherness… this team will be put to the test; this game will completely recompense all thoughts of believers and nonbelievers. The conclusion of this match will mark a history on the CSS books and the Arsenals’ contract. They have to make sure that the other contender will remember the day they played with the Arsenals.

6. Health Check – Jefferson “TTe or Tall and Terrible” suffered a right ankle injury last Tuesday at Club 650 in preparation for the Finals. He is on a day to day basis and not sure if he will be ready to suit up for the Championship game. This was a big blow for Team Arsenals chances.

7. Pound the ball Inside – Arsenals should run more plays for Lolijim “Mr Cameraman” Gonzales & Eric “D’ Bulldozer” Abellera in the post. It will not just put pressure on the BIG’s of the Kankunis but it will also create double teams that will allow the shooters of the Arsenals to hit an open J.

For Kankunis

1. MVP Performance – League leading scorer Ramon Ocampo should continue to pace this team. He is the heart and soul of Team Kankunis. Without him this team might not be able to enter the Final Four. He might make a history in CSS as first ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP award at the same time in his first year.

2. Aim for 60PTS – Team Kankunis is known for their high scoring pace game. The team is unbeaten once they score at least 60 points. Score a lot to win the championship.

3. Zone Defense – This team should clog the paint on the defensive end. Arsenals team is not known for their perimeter shooting, expect this team to attack the basket once they find any single opening.

4. X - FACTORS – Peterson "The Beast" Perez and Sir Ryan "D' Versatile" Alberto are 2 of their main gunners that can help this team in scoring. Both players should step-up big as they are well experienced players and ready to play come in crunch time.

5. Crash the boards – Arsenals is the tallest team in the tournament. Kankunis bigs should box out the bigs of Arsenals. Kankunis will be relying on their Frontcourt players Allain Umalin, Frankiln “Hunk” Zapata and Rolfe “El Aparador” Garcia.

6. Swipe the Ball – Kankunis is known for their tough defense. Active hands of Monroe “Mr. Under Pressure” Paulino, Valor Calour, Randy "D Director" Francisco and Rudolf “Kobe Fanatic” Chua will be badly needed to force its opponent to commit turnovers that will create fastbreaks and easy baskets.

Since this is the final game of the season, we can throw all the stats of the previous games away. This season stars were be born and stars were made. Stars will be stars; they will all try to out shine each other. Tomorrow is all or nothing, it is expected that both teams will play all their hearts out. We can all forget what happened in the past. We can ignore all the details from long-ago. This the moment of truth; the judgment day; win or go home, this is history… History is now.

- This is the Finals; this is WAR. -

From Basketball Blogger: To all the readers, my followers, my teammates and my friends I would like to thank you for taking your ample time in reading my articles.. Till our next Basketball journey.

The Real Battle Begins

What a week for the CSS department! After being treated with free food courtesy of Trend Micro Incorporated in celebration for Thanks Giving and Birthday Bash, we will also be delighted with high and intense basketball games this coming Saturday, November 27, 2010 as CSS league resumes in WCC Basketball Court for Final Four showdown.

Four teams remain after the elimination round and will slug it out for the coveted championship and bragging rights as the 3^rd Champion Team in CSS league. This will be the battle of survival.

Team Arsenals rank 1, (3-1) finished the elimination round with 3 consecutive wins after a disappointing loss in the opening day against Sentinels; Arsenals may have their revenge as they will face-off in the Semifinals. This will be the 3rd consecutive trip in the playoffs of the Arsenals with twice to beat advantage. The last 2 seasons, were huge upset for the team as they found themselves eliminated by their arch-nemesis Team Online twice.

Team Kankunins rank 2, (3-1) surprised lots of teams this season as they were singlehandedly brought to the semifinals by their prized rookie and league scoring leader, Ramon “Rookie Sensation” Ocampo. This team was tied with Team Arsenals for number the 1 spot after the elimination round, but due to the lost they suffered from Team Arsenals and by virtue of win over the other, Sentinels ended up to 2^nd spot. This team will face again the Online Team in the Playoffs armed with twice to beat advantage.

Team Titans rank 3, (2-2) slow start is just the same old story for this squad. This team almost eliminated from the race until they got their 1^st win of the season in the hands of Titanium Elite. The team dropped their first 2 assignments due to injuries suffered by their prized players. But the true character of this team prevailed, as they finish strong in elimination round with back to back wins that sealed their spot in the playoffs. I even envisioned them as the number 1 ranked team in my preseason forecast. But Team Titans didn’t failed me even they drop their 1^st 2 games. Now, they’re back on their old form. The main guns are now fully healed with their respective injuries and ready to play. This team is not new to this situation; they already proved that they can win the series even without twice to beat advantage.

Team Sentinels rank 4, (2-2) after taking care of their 1^st 2 assignments, in contrast to their last 2 games. They had beaten Team Arsenals in the opening day via close fight. That same team they will face in the semifinal round. This team has identical record with Team Online, but due to the lost they suffered against Team Online, they ended up to the 4^th spot. This squad should prove that their triumph over Arsenals is not a fluke, that they can beat this team with or without their main guns.

Rank 2 Kankunis (3-1) vs Rank 3 Titans (2-2)

Team Kankunis shocked the Titans in the opening day as they were manhandled by Ocampo who scored 32 points alone in 74-65 win.

It is very obvious that Kankunis is proving that they are damn serious on getting into the Finals. Both teams are fresh from back to back win from their previous assignments. This series will put them to the test, which team will fall and which one will prevail.

Rookie Sensation Ramon Ocampo would really have to bring his A game in this series if he really wanted to reach the Finals. The Kankunis second unit has been playing so well lately especially to Valor Calauor who displayed brilliance in point guard position; Allain Umalin monster in the paint and Franklin Zapata who was superb in the opening day by scoring 13 points for his team.

For Team Titans, expect this team to play better and better as the series progress. This is the type of team who exactly knows how to handle crucial games.

Keys to the Series:

For Kankunis

1. Play like no tomorrow - Kankunis must put on their minds that they are the one who is in the brink of elimination. They have to come out strong from the very start until the final buzzer sounded.
2. Rookie is the Real Deal – Ramon “Rookie Sensation” Ocampo should continue to score and dominate the offensive column of this conte st.
3. Stop the MVP – Now that injury of the reigning MVP is fully healed. Team Kankunis should find a way to terminate the offensive assault of Christian “D Demolition Man” Nava. Expect him to dominate both ends of the floor.
4. Physical Game – Suffocating D of the Kankunis is the focal point of their game. They should continue to pressure the ball and force Titans to commit turnovers that will lead to fastbreak points.
5. Score a lot – Team Kankunis is the league best in terms of point’s production with an average of 65.6 PPG. This team should score not less than 60 pts or less they will be in big trouble.

For Titans

1. Contain The Rookie Sansation – Tristan “Mr. Cool” Samonte should find a way on how to limit Ramon Ocampo’s production.
2. Online’s ability to win series – This team knows how to win come in playoff time. They already proved that for the past 2 seasons as they crushed Team Arsenals twice.
3. MVP’s toughness– Christian “D Demolition Man” Nava the reigning mvp and Team Titans’ only center is simply unstoppable once he regained his old form. This team will rely on his inside scoring ability that can scores bulk of points that will lead to lots of headache to Team Kankunis.
4. Run and Gun – This team has the best backcourt combination. Larry Favorito and Nicolo De Jesus “the High Octane Backcourt guards” should continue to run the fastbreaks and attack the paint. Both combo guards can score from the perimeter.
5. Quality Minutes – With solid starting five, the bench should always ready to play. This team will rely mostly on Sir Bennet “The Great” R eyes hot shooting hands. He is the most consistent player that can knock down 3pt baskets and perimeter jumpers in every single game.

These teams are evenly matched. Both have their own gunners that can provide offensive production in an instant. But at the end of the day, experience wise will win the series. I’ll take Team Titans to barge into the finals as they already proven that they can win playoff series in the past.

Rank 1 Arsenals (3-1) vs Rank 4 Sentinels (2-2)

This season, Sentinels’ the only team that beat the Arsenals,last October 16, 2010 via a 51-48 decision. It was a come from behind win by the Sentinels as they found themselves down by as much as 12 points in the 1^st canto. But the “never say die” spirit of Sentinels squad rallied back and pushed the Arsenals to the limit as they escaped with a 3 point win through Sildo’s 3 point basket in the closing seconds of the game that sealed the victory for Sentinels.

Now; team Arsenals would like to thank the Sentinels for wakening up the sleeping giant in them. After Team Arsenals succumbed to their first defeat, they immediately retaliated with 3 successful victories. This team proves the league that they can win close games and handle extreme pressure particularly during crunch time.

These teams are both very eager to play and showcase their talents to determine who the winner of this battle is. Sentinels are determined to upset their opponent’s planned revenge. Equipped with fame, guns and glory, they guarantee they’ll bring the house down to past the Final Four series.

On the other hand, Christian Lumanglas and Jayson Lim will surely play for the next tip off, which fans should look forward to. Their team will be lock and loaded to bring in the rain. It is said lightning never strikes in the same place twice... This is the third trip for this team to the final four and as quote goes "third time's a charm". It is expected team Arsenals will wear their game faces on and promised to get this job done!

Key’s to the Series:

For Arsenals

1. Good Perimeter Defense – Arsenals guards should not cheat on defense instead keep on chasing Fyle Sildo, as we all know “Glenn Suegay’s Twins” is good in rainbow territory.
2. Crash the Boards – Big men of Team Arsenals should take care of the glass so that they will contain the Fastbreak attack of Team Sentinels.
3. Pound the Ball Inside – Christian “D’ Maestro” Lumanglas should continue attacking the basket and let the Sentinels bigs work on defensive end. Run some plays also for Jefferson “TTe or Tall and Terrible” Valdepena and Eric “D BulldoZER” Abellara in the post. It will not just put pressure on the Sentinels interior defenders but also create double teams that will allow the shooters of the Arsenals to hit open jumpers.
4. Shoot like no Tomorrow – Jerameel “Mr. Volume Shot Maker” Bautista should continue to shoot like there’s no tomorrow. He is the leading scorer of this team and this squad will rely on his patented move. The “Floater Hook Shot”, hopefully he can make those shots count.
5. Christian’s winning Run – Christian Lumanglas’ 10 games winning streak in CSS league dating back last season will put to a test. His mission: Lead this team’s vengeance after an opening loss.
6. Jayson’s defense – Expect Jayson “The Tactician” to play tough defense on Sentinels’ Glenn Suegay. His solid defense will surely affects the performance of the Sentinel’s scoring machine.
7. Arsenals’ Legacy – Hopefully, even against all odds bu t with all the stars align; it’s time to put an ink to a sworn Championship trophy on the Arsenals’ contract. This will prove to the all Arsenals’ believers and non-believers that this time, they’re truly a championship team.

For Sentinels

1. Run Like Hell – Team Sentinels is known for th eir Fa stbreak attack, this is their bread and butter. Expect Gian “Mr Lover Boi” Ira and Glenn “The Scoring Machine” Suegay to sprint as fast as they can.
2. Control the Boards – This team need lots of determination to beat the Arsenals in the paint. Sentinels lack in height is their big disadvantage, all players’ needs to help in rebounding. The recently married Nathaniel “Pawner” De Vera and Phillip Bautista are badly needed to play for this team on Saturday.
3. Sildo’s shooting hands – Fyle “Glenn Suegay’s Twins” Sildo should continue to knock-down open jumpers to stretch the D of the Arsenals.
4. Bench Providers – Vinzon “The X Factor or Nardong Putik” Villaroman and Dann “D Official Mascot” Veridiano should continue to provide energy for the Sentinels. Both players played well in recently concluded elimination round.
5. Winning Attitude – Sentinels seems to be untouchable after first 2 games of the elimination round, as they beat the Arsenals in the opening day and demolishing Titanium Elite on their 2^nd assignment. But after that, the winning formula for this squad seems nowhere to be found. This team should regroup immediately and find their true identity to regain some respect.
6. Commitment to play – For the last two games of the elimination round, the main issue why this team is struggling is to due to limited support from the players to play on Saturday’s. All the players of this team should be committed to play for them to have a better chance of winning the series.

My call, Arsenals will finish the Sentinels on November 27, 2010.

We’ll be looking forward to what’s going to happen in this series. It’s going to be physical; it’s going to be tough; there would be drama; there would be trash talking, and everything there is in this 2010 Final Four series. All these are going to happen just to get the coveted prize, the 2010 CSS Championship.