Pierce-Celtics talks still progressing

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics and captain Paul Pierce are continuing talks on a new contract and are closing in on an agreement, sources close to the situation have told ESPN.com.

NCAA: Light Bomber Saret shoots 89 points

MANILA, Philippines - It was just one of those days when the rim looked
bigger than usual for Jose Rizal University high school guard Joshua Saret.

Basketball: RP team succumbs to Lebanon

NATIONALS LOSE ANEW TO LEBANON

TAIPEI - The halftime music in the Powerade Team Pilipinas-Lebanon game -
the Eagles' "Take It Easy" - turned out to be a plea for mercy that echoed
before Fadi El-Khatib and company lowered the boom in the fourth quarter.

El-Khatib, the Lebanese leader, finished with 14 points and rode the
backseat to Dallas-born Brian Feghali and naturalized player Jackson Vroman
as Lebanon drubbed the Nationals, 95-83, Wednesday in the 31st William Jones
Cup tournament at the Hsinchuang gym here.

Feghali, who played three years for Louisiana State in the US NCAA, led
Lebanon with 29 points, including five 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds, while
Vroman, the replacement for Joseph Vogel, added 24 points with seven
rebounds, four assists, and five steals.

The Philippines outrebounded the Lebanese, 36-28, but turned the ball over
on 27 occasions, 12 more than the opposition.

"We just beat ourselves, and too many fouls were called on us," said
national coach Yeng Guiao, noting the RP team was awarded 15 free throws and
the Lebanese 32.

Flexing it muscle on the rare occasions it needed to, Lebanon moved up to
solo second behind unbeaten Jordan (4-0).

Three other teams - Iran, South Korea and host Taiwan - are tied at third to
fifth with 3-1 slates.

After dropping their first two games and beating Kazakhstan, the Nationals
lost their next two, falling to 1-4 just above Taiwan-B (1-5) and the
winless Kazakhs (0-5).

The RP team trailed 50-35 late in the second quarter on the strength of
Brian Feghali's outside shooting before James Yap closed out the first half
with seven straight points.

Behind Kerby Raymundo, the Nationals came back to narrow the gap at 59-57
midway in the third quarter before the veteran El-Khatib drained a
three-point shot to spark a 15-5 Lebanon run to end the RP uprising.

Four more games remain in the country's schedule, with South Korea, a
groupmate in the 25th FIBA Asia Men's Championship in Tianjin, China next
month, up next this Thursday.

In an earlier game, Jordan (4-0) kept an unblemished slate intact by
crushing previously unbeaten South Korea, 83-67, as Rasheim Wright scored 21
points and the defense forced the usually accurate Korean snipers (3-1) to
miss 20 three-point shots.

Before that, Iran (3-1), powered by 7-foot-3 Hamed Ehadadi, who had 18
points and 11 rebounds, routed Japan (1-3), 82-70, and later, Taiwan-B upset
Kazakhstan, 82-69, picking up its first win while handing the Kazakhs their
fifth straight setback.

The scores:

LEBANON 95 - Feghali 29, Vroman 24, El-Khatib 14, Fahed 11, Nour 9, Mahmoud
4, Turk 3, Kanaan 1.

POWERADE-RP 83 - Helterbrand 12, Raymundo 11, Yap 11, Pennisi 9, Santos 7,
Norwood 7, Aguilar 6, Baguio 4, Thoss 3, Taulava 3.

Quarterscores: 30-19; 50-42; 78-66; 95-73

Basketball: Japan beats RP Team

Japan edged out Powerade-Pilipinas in a William Jones Cup game that both teams played at half-throttle, but national coach Yeng Guiao believed there were valuable lessons gained from the defeat.

“Our emphasis before the game was to learn as much as we can from the Japanese,” Guiao said after an 87-85 loss to Japan which dug itself out from a 19-point hole at the Hsinchuang Gymnasium here.

“We know deep in our hearts that we can beat them,” he added. “There were just lapses on our part, some mental mistakes.

“But we can handle them come (Tianjin) China,” Guiao assured Filipino scribes, referring to the Fiba Asia world championship qualifier where Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are bracketed in the same group with the Philippines.

Japan also tried to conceal some of its aces during the game, but went all out in the stretch by unleashing its veterans and dealing the Philippines its third loss in four outings in this nine-team event.

The Japanese (1-2) drew 24 points and eight rebounds from 6-foot-10 center Kosuke Takeuchi, and 12 points, two assists and two blocks from guard Shin Kashiwagi, who rejected Jayjay Helterbrand’s potential game-winning triple try at the buzzer.

Japeth Aguilar shot 17 points and had seven rebounds in sustaining his improved play. His excellent form made him a shoo-in for the final 12-man roster for Tianjin which Guiao, consultant Jong Uichico and the rest of the coaching staff were deciding on Tuesday night.

Guiao declined to identify the two players who will be cut at the end of this tournament. The Philippines hopes to submit the team’s final roster the end of office hours today, the deadline set by the Fiba.

The Philippines made 9 of 26 attempts from the three-point arc as Willie Miller, again starting out at the point, finished with 14 markers and five rebounds.

James Yap hit a triple with 4:45 left in the second period to give the Filipinos their biggest lead of the game, 36-17.

Japan, however, pruned this down to four points at the end of the half as Guiao tried different combinations and the enemy began to connect from the field.

A three-point play by Kei Iragashi off Kerby Raymundo with 7.3 seconds left gave the Japanese an 86-82 lead, which Jared Dillinger cut down with a trey from way out with 4.8 seconds left, 86-85.

Kashiwagi then split his free throws off a Helterbrand foul with four ticks left for what turned out to be the final score. But Helterbrand, after bouncing the ball off the back of Kashiwagi, went for a triple but got rejected.

Lebanon, meanwhile, welcomed Jackson Vroman to the lineup but did not suit up Fadi El-Khatib in a 77-73 decision of Kazakhstan in an earlier game marred by lousy officiating.

The scores:
JAPAN 87—Takeuchi 24, Kashiwagi 12, Takeda 9, Ishizaki 9, Sakurai 7, Orimo 7, Amino 7, Igarashi 5, Ito 4, Okada 3.

POWERADE-PILIPINAS 85—Aguilar 17, Miller 14, Santos 10, Dillinger 8, Thoss 8, Raymundo 5, Yap 5, De Ocampo 5, Norwood 5, Baguio 4, Taulava 2, Helterbrand 2.
Quarters: 12-27, 36-40, 61-61, 87-85

U.S. begins search for next Olympic team

Even as confident as Jerry Colangelo is that the United States will retain
most of the core of its gold-medal Olympic team, the USA Basketball chairman
concedes this week's minicamp will be important for helping identify the
program's next wave of talent.

Colangelo told Yahoo! Sports in a recent interview he still expects most of
the roster from last summer's Beijing Olympics to return for the 2010 World
Championships and the 2012 Olympics. Among the players he expects to return
are: Kobe Bryant , LeBron James , Dwyane Wade , Dwight Howard , Chris Paul ,
Carmelo Anthony , Chris Bosh and Deron Williams .

Even so, fatigue, free agency and injury could end up changing a star's mind
next summer.

"Generally speaking, you can expect turnover and there should be," Colangelo
said. "That's part of the pipeline. But a number of them say they want to
come back.

"I haven't talked to them lately. But I talked to them all during All-Star
break [in Phoenix] and laid out a plan. If it's my decision, I want them for
two years, 2010 and 2012. 'What do you think? How do you feel?' They all
said, 'Let's do it.' The World Championships are held in high esteem. The
guys who played in Japan [in the 2008 World Championships] still remember
losing to Greece. It's not like we're starting from scratch."

One major challenge for USA Basketball is keeping its stars interested after
last summer's success. Wade, Anthony and James have played for the national
team since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Bryant will be 32 years old during the
World Championships next year in Turkey.

Colangelo, however, has several reasons to believe the U.S. stars will live
up to their word. One is that many of those players appear to have
thoroughly loved the rare experience to be teammates and would hate to miss
out on another opportunity to make more history. They also won't be lacking
for a challenge: The United States hasn't won the World Championships since
1994.

"I will only be 27 years old," Anthony said during the 2008 Olympics. "I
want all the gold medals I can get throughout my career."

The opportunity to play in the 2012 Olympics in London is an easy recruiting
pitch. But will those same players show similar enthusiasm for a long trip
to Turkey and the Worlds' lengthy 24-team tournament? Colangelo has been
trying to sell to his stars that some nations consider the World
Championships to be a more prestigious event than the Olympics.

"We have some unfinished business," Colangelo said. "That's the theme. Let's
take care of that with the next step being the Olympics. It's one thing to
get to the Olympics; it's another to defend it. We're taking it one step at
a time."

U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his assistant coaching staff of Mike
D'Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jim Boeheim have already committed to return.
USA Basketball is expected to make the announcement during a news conference
this week in Las Vegas.

"If it's not broke, don't fix it," Colangelo said. "There is a good thing in
place. You don't want to make change."

A Chicago native, Colangelo also is on the committee to try to bring the
2016 Olympics to the Windy City. He can envision some of the younger players
from last summer's gold-medal team competing seven years from now. But even
if most of the veteran U.S. stars return for the 2012 London Games, there
will be at least four new players on the roster. Oklahoma City Thunder
forward Kevin Durant is expected to be a lock. Portland Trail Blazers guard
Brandon Roy , who isn't expected to participate in the minicamp, Chicago
Bulls point guard Derrick Rose , Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger and
Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin should be also among the
top candidates competing for roster spots.

"The talent will be outstanding," Colangelo said. " . I'm excited to see
them work together with one another."

Basketball: Jordan rout of RP stumps local scribes

TAIPEI— Did the Philippines really play to lose—and lose big—against Jordan in its Jones Cup debut Saturday night, and maybe keep its Fiba-Asia opponents in the dark about its real worth?

That was the question that sportswriters from this progressive city tried asking a five-publication team that came from the Philippines to cover the prestigious event.

“We just don’t think that it was normal for the Philippines to play that way,” said Chen Chin-hung, a veteran reporter from the Youth Daily News Service, who had also visited Manila several times to cover the Taiwanese athletes in different events.

The Philippines, a three-time champion here which sent its finest professional stars back home, was mangled into submission by the heftier, taller and talented Jordanians, 90-59.

“So tell us,” Chen said, asking the question for his group: “Did you come here to not win at all?”

He tried so hard to get an answer that would confirm their suspicion because it could have been the angle that they were trying to work on. As Jones Cup veterans, even the Taiwanese couldn’t believe what they just saw.

* * *

It seems that Chen’s question has some bearing, since most of the countries represented here, except Jordan in all likelihood, are not playing to their true potential in order to conceal their “aces” for the Fiba-Asia qualifying in Tianjin, China, next month.

In fact, even the home team, which prevailed narrowly over Japan Saturday night, used its 7-foot ace, the pony-tailed Tseng Wen-ting, sparingly like the Japanese, who reportedly did not even bother taking their 7-foot-2 center to this tournament.

* * *

Coach Yeng Guiao will name his final 12-man roster for the Tianjin event on July 22, the deadline set by the Fiba, and he is worried that this might leak in some way and dishearten some of his players here who won’t make it.

And from the way he talked over breakfast at the Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, he still isn’t sure who will be dropped.

Guiao also said that their stint in this nine-nation tournament, aside from playing to win, is to be able to see how Korea and Japan play, since the two countries belong to the Philippine bracket in Tianjin.

Sri Lanka is the fourth team in the group.http://sports.inquirer.net/sportsevents/sportsevents/view/20090720-216284/Jordan-rout-of-RP-stumps-local-scribes

NBA: Yao is not retiring

Yao Ming says his purchase of his former team, the financially troubled Shanghai Sharks, was motivated by a desire to help the club that jump-started his career rather than by early retirement plans.

The 7-foot-6 Houston Rockets center, currently sidelined with a foot injury, signed an agreement this week to purchase all of the shares of the Sharks team for an undisclosed amount of money.

"Two generations of my family have fought for this team and some of the best memories of growing up in Shanghai are inseparable from the team," Yao said in an interview Friday with the official Xinhua Nn sponsor earlier this year, the team faced financial problems which led the Chinese Basketball Association to announce that the team may be unable to meet the league's entry requirements next year, Xinhua said.

Yao said he was worried after watching the team flounder due to the lack of sponsorship and decided to seize the opportunity to buy the team this week.

"The fans in Shanghai have always supported me, so it's a pleasure to do something for the fans in return," Yao said.

Yao deflected suggestions the purchase brought him one step closer to preparing for early retirement since he broke his left foot in early May. He is still consulting with doctors about the hairline fracture that may sideline him indefinitely, Xinhua reported.

"I do not have any plans to retire and my doctors and I are very confident that I can fully recover and return to the stadium; the team and the acquisition has nothing to do with my injury," Yao said.

Yao, 28, played with the Shanghai Sharks from 1997 to 2002 and took them to the league championship title in the 2001-2002 season, after being runner-up in the playoffs the previous two years. The team has struggled to make the playoffs since his departure for the NBA.

Yao said the purchase was not an investment risk, as he intends to create a team that will win championships and attract fans.

"I am prepared to invest money into this team in the long run and I believe that in China's most cosmopolitan and dynamic city, there is potential for the development of such a team," he said.

Yao said he will not take part in the team's day-to-day operations and management, but will contribute to its general direction and operations.

Wade leaves Converse, joins Nike

NBA scoring champion Dwyane Wade is changing shoes, making the switch from Converse to Nike’s Jordan Brand.

Nike announced Friday that the star Miami Heat guard will now be representing the Jumpman label, joining the likes of Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter.

Wade had three years remaining on his deal with Converse, which had him as the centerpiece of its attempt to reinvigorate the company’s once-thriving basketball business. That relationship seemed rocky when the 2006 NBA finals MVP rarely wore his most recently released signature shoe, the “Wade 4,” last season, favoring an older model instead.

The Jordan Brand is a 12-year-old division of Nike, which also owns Converse.

“I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court,” Wade said. “I have enormous respect for this brand.”

Wade told The Associated Press that he inquired about switching allegiances from Converse to Jordan’s brand before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, doing so, he said, out of concern over Converse’s long-term viability in the basketball marketplace.

The 2008 request was declined, but earlier this month, Wade said he was “almost positive” a switch would happen.

“I didn’t want to be in the Converse brand anymore because it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with me,” Wade told The AP.

Coming off a year where the Heat went from 15 to 43 wins and Wade won his first scoring title, Nike apparently agreed that the switch now made sense.

“I’m thrilled to have Dwyane Wade join the Team Jordan family,” Michael Jordan said.

The deal was finalized Thursday afternoon. Complete terms were not released, although it was believed that the new deal, at minimum, matches the remaining three years on the Converse contract.

It’s a significant add to Wade’s endorsement resume, which already includes deals with T-Mobile and Gatorade.

“I want to go global,” said Wade, who is planning a trip to China later this summer for a series of business meetings and appearances. “It’s something I feel like I have to do. I want to continue to build my brand.”

Wade made a cryptic reference to the move on his Twitter feed late Thursday night, saying he had “good news coming…..stay tuned.” Dozens of people quickly starting pleading for more information, even Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, who inquired via Twitter if that was Wade’s way of saying he had agreed to a contract extension with the Heat.

The move wasn’t totally unexpected: As recently as last week, Wade was at a charity event with children in Miami wearing apparel featuring the Jumpman logo, prompting one of the kids he was meeting with to ask if he still was aligned with Converse.

Wade donned a blue pair of Converse sneakers at the Zo’s Summer Groove game he co-hosted Sunday with Alonzo Mourning(notes).

That’ll likely be his last appearance in that brand. A “Wade 5” shoe was to be released by Converse in the coming weeks, although it now seems likely that orders from retailers for that model will be canceled.

UAAP: Ateneo, UST share top spot

MANILA, Philippines - There's a script slowly becoming familiar for the Ateneo Blue Eagles two games into their title defense in the 72nd UAAP Season: They end up on the wrong end of a blistering first quarter, recover their bearings in the second before Rabeh Al-Hussaini flexes his muscles for the knockout blow in the second half.

Pushed to the wall by a hot-starting University of the East squad, the Eagles drew another brilliant effort from Al-Hussaini to stage a big comeback that ended in a 72-57 rout last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Al-Hussaini, the reigning Most Valuable Player, threw his weight around for 27 points, 19 coming in the second half, as the Eagles clawed their way back from an early 17-point deficit to register their second victory and gain a share of the lead with University of Santo Tomas.

“Rabeh has been working hard,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “There were concerns about him during the summer. But I was very confident when he got back to the gym and started to do those big men moves.”

Another impressive individual effort also highlighted UST’s 104-89 dumping of National University as Dylan Ababou sizzled for 30 points to power the Tigers to their first 2-0 start in 10 years.

“We’re a very hungry team and it showed in this game,” said UST coach Pido Jarencio, whose squad was the first team to breach the century mark since National U nipped UP, 107-104, on Aug. 13, 2006.

The Eagles pinned a first loss on the Warriors, who routed the La Salle Archers, 65-46, last Saturday.

Ateneo also needed to claw its way back from an early deficit in a 63-59 victory over Far Eastern U last Sunday. .

The scores:

First Game:

UST 104—Ababou 30, Mirza 19, Teng 14, Fortuna 14, Maliksi 10, Green 7, Mariano 4, Afuang 4, Cam 2, Ungria 0, Camus 0, Rushdy 0, Felix 0, Camus 0, Bautista 0, Aytona 0.

NU 89—Singh 19, Baloran 19, Hermosisima 15, Terso 10, Manito 8, Malanday 7, Ponferrada 6, Batac 3, Luy 2, Roy 0, Magat 0, Fabula 0, Cabaluna 0.

Quarters: 32-24, 63-49, 88-68, 104-89

Second Game:

ATENEO 72—Al-Hussaini 27, Salamat 12, Baclao 10, Reyes 7, Salva 6, Monfort 3, Austria 3, Gonzaga 2, Chua 2, Tiongson 0, Long 0, Buenafe 0.

UE 57—Acuña 21, Lee 14, Reyes 7, Llagas 6, Espiritu 6, Zamar 3, Lingganay 0, Flores 0, Ayala 0, Alabanza 0.

Quarters: 23-11, 35-37, 54-48, 72-57

NBA: Lakers retract offer to Odom

By SOLANGE REYNER, Associated Press Writer Jul 15, 4:12 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Los Angeles Lakers have retracted an offer to Lamar Odom(notes), saying that talks to re-sign the free agent have stalled.

Lakers public relations director John Black said the team had taken the offer off the table in the past two days.

“There are specifics behind why we pulled it, but that’s not something we’re going to get into,” Black said.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lakers owner Jerry Buss had offered Odom two deals. One was worth $36 million for four years and the other was for $10 million a season for three years.

Odom, who will turn 30 in November, made $14.1 million this past season.

Black said talks with Odom’s agent Jeff Schwartz have been on and off.

“We haven’t heard from him in the past few days and talks have not been consistent,” Black said.

Odom played a key role off the bench in the Lakers’ championship run. He averaged 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds during the playoffs.

Powerade-RP flies to Jones Cup

MANILA, Philippines - The all-pro Powerade Team Pilipinas departs for Taiwan
Thursday for its last workout in its quest to get back to the global cage
landscape by taking part in the Jones Cup championship starting Saturday.

The Filipinos, who tapped the services of Wynne Arboleda to take the place
of the injured Ryan Reyes, open up their campaign against Jordan at 7 p.m.
at the Hsingchuang gymnasium.

This team was assembled last November by the Philippine Basketball
Association in an effort to make the World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey,
next year, the qualifying tournament of which will be played Aug. 4 in
China.

That's why the Jones Cup is an integral part of everything for the
Philippines as it will give coach Yeng Guiao a gauge on how far he can
really go in Tianjin, China.

Aside from Jordan, other Fiba-Asia qualifying teams that are also in the
Jones Cup field are Lebanon, South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan, as well as
two Chinese-Taipei teams that are also expected to contend heavily in China.

Of the Philippine team members, only Jayjay Helterbrand, Cyrus Baguio and
Mick Pennisi will be left behind and will arrive only on game day unless the
Fiesta Cup title series between San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra does not see
a deciding seventh game tomorrow.

Arboleda, meanwhile, was tapped by Guiao to man the point for the
Philippines with Reyes, a former PBA Rookie of the Year, likely to be out
for the Tianjin joust because of a hamstring pull sustained in the Southeast
Asian Basketball Association championship in Indonesia last month.

Japeth Aguilar will see action in the Jones Cup, his first stint with the
National squad.

Completing the RP team are skipper Asi Taulava, Sonny Thoss, Kerby Raymundo,
James Yap, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jared Dillinger, Willie Miller
and Arwind Santos.

PBA: SAN MIGUEL FORCES GAME 7

San Miguel Beer is a proud ball club which won't just fade away in a battle.

The Beermen fought with great resolve with their one foot in the grave,
stalling the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 98-84, and forging a deciding Game
Seven in their Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference title showdown at the Araneta
Coliseum Wednesday night.

Gabe Freeman and his teammates frustrated the Kings and their huge throngs,
pulling off an emphatic win to bring the best-of-seven series to full
distance.

One goes home with the championship and the other the runner-up trophy as
the two teams clash in a do-or-die setto at 7 p.m. Friday in the same venue.

Ginebra has a perfect record in two Game Seven engagements. San Miguel, on
the other hand, is 2-4, losing their last three outings.

"We haven't done anything yet because we just tied the series. God put us in
the situation to test us. It's how we respond to adversity. That would
define us as an individual and as a team," said San Miguel coach Siot
Tanquingcen.

"It didn't happen tonight and we now have to do it Friday. It's a jump ball.
A 50-50 percent chance of winning isn't bad at all," said Ginebra coach Jong
Uichico.

The Beermen battled with a resolute defense and a massive offense as they
seized control in the second period and held on to the finish.

"Hindi sila maka-convert and we really had a hand in practically all their
shots. It boiled down to defense and rebounding tonight," said Tanquingcen.

"Plain and simple, we failed to convert our shots," said Uichico.

Freeman went 9-of-13 from the field and finished with 24 points and 12
rebounds for his 21st triple-double game -- the most by any player in the
tourney.

Making the job easier for the Beermen was Danny Ildefonso, Mike Cortez,
Dondon Hontiveros, Jonas Villanueva, Jay Washington, Marc Pingris and Mick
Pennisi all rising to the occasion.

The Beermen shot better from the field and dominated the boards as they got
back at the Kings for the third time, thus, preserving the yours-and-mind
trend in the series.

The Kings shot only 39.7 percent from the field with main man Jayjay
Helterbrand among those doing bad, going 0-of-5 from the three-point arc and
4-of-5 from the two-point zone.

The Beermen cut loose from a see-sawing contest towards the end of the first
half, racing to a 13-point lead before settling for a 44-34 spread at the
turn.

The two teams both came out playing with great determination, fighting
through nine lead changes before the Beermen established control.

Hontiveros sank two triples, highlighting a 16-2 salvo that opened a 44-31
advantage for the Beermen.

Sunday Salvacion made it a more manageable deficit for the Kings as he
rifled in a trey coming off the bench in the closing seconds of the first
half.

The Kings were ahead at 29-28 before going on a dry spell, making only five
points in the last five minutes of the opening half.

The Beermen broke away while shooting 47.4 percent in the second period. The
Kings, on the other hand, struggled with a 28.6-percent clip in that
stretch.

SMB closed the half with a spirited run despite Freeman on the bench with
three fouls.

Freeman, however, had his hand as the Beermen stretched their lead to 15 at
61-46 midway through the third. The fiery SMB import tossed in 12 points in
the period, including seven straight through a three-pointer and
back-to-back slams.

The scores:

San Miguel 98 - Freeman 24, Ildefonso 18, Cortez 12, Hontiveros 11,
Villanueva 9, Washington 8, Pingris 6, Pennisi 5, Pena 3, Racela 2, Custodio
0.

Ginebra 84 - Noel 16, Menk 15, Tubid 13, Pacana 9, Helterbrand 8, Wilson 7,
Salvacion 6, Reavis 6, Lanete 2, Baguio 2, Artadi 0, Mamaril 0.

PBA: SMB forces game 7

On to another pulse-stopping Game Seven.

The San Miguel Beermen sealed a dramatic Game Seven duel with Barangay Ginebra in the 34th PBA Fiesta Cup Finals after clobbering the Gin Kings, 98-84, in last night’s Game Six at the Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel's crucial victory forged another championship series to go the distance. The last five PBA Finals were all decided in seven games.

In the 2006-07 Fiesta Cup Finals, Alaska edged Talk N Text, 4-3. Sta. Lucia also needed seven games before dispatching Purefoods in the 2007-2008 Finals. The Kings also went through a grueling seven games before bagging the 2007-08 Fiesta Cup title at the expense of the Air21 Express (now Burger King) and in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup Finals, Talk N Text also survived a winner-take-all Game Seven versus Alaska.

Down by 17-19 after the first period, San Miguel peeled away in the second quarter and sat on a 44-34 lead at the half. The Beermen mellowed down a bit in the third, allowing the Kings to move to within just points at one point. But San Miguel managed to weather the storm and took some breathing space entering the final period, 68-61.

Former league MVP Danny Ildefonso then took matters into his hands in the fourth where he dumped 10 of his 18 points and keyed a San Miguel run that all but settled the contest.

Ildefonso scored eight points in an 11-8 run as the Beermen never looked back after taking a 79-65 lead in the final 9:59.

Gabe Freeman led the Beermen with 24 points, while Mike Cortez and Dondon Hontiveros tallied 12 and 11 markers, respectively.

San Miguel could seal its 18th championship trophy on Sunday, the most in any professional league.

David Noel topped the Kings with 16 points, Erik Menk scattered 15 while Ronald Tubid added 13.

Hobbled by a hamstring injury, newly-crowned MVP Jay-Jay Helterbrand could only score eight points.

Ginebra is gunning for its ninth crown and is hoping to become the first team to defend a title since 2002.

BOX SCORES

SAN MIGUEL (98)- Freeman 24, Ildefonso 18, Cortez 12, Hontiveros 11, Villanueva 9, Washington 8, Pingris 6, Pennisi 5, Peña 3, Racela 2, Custodio 0.

GINEBRA (84)- Noel 16, Menk 15, Tubid 13, Pacana 9, Helterbrand 8, Wilson 7, Salvacion 6, Reavis 6, Lanete 2, Baguio 2, Artadi 0, Mamaril 0.QUARTERSCORES: 17-19, 44-34, 68-61, 98-84.

O'Neal wants to bring kung fu in court

BEIJING (AFP) - – NBA All-Star centre Shaquille O'Neal has said he hopes to bring his martial arts skills to the basketball court, during a visit to China's Shaolin Temple -- the birthplace of kung fu.

"When I was a kid, I saw a lot of Shaolin kung fu performances," O'Neal told Titan Sports, China's top sports newspaper, as he toured the temple in central Henan province on Monday.

"I always wanted to know if Shaolin kung fu was real or not. Now, at last I know -- the Chinese kung fu I saw on television, it was all real," the four-time NBA champion said in remarks translated into Chinese.

"When I go home I will study this and hopefully even use it when I'm playing basketball."

O'Neal -- who earlier this month signed a contract to play with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers -- has visited China numerous times and signed several endorsement deals here.

Known to the Chinese as the "Big Shark," the 37-year-old O'Neal has practised martial arts in the off-season for years.

On Monday, he met with the temple's top monks and watched a group of warrior monks performing martial arts exercises.

"I am really interested in snake-style kung fu," Titan quoted O'Neal as saying.

"When I retire, I hope to come back to the Shaolin Temple to study for a year. To come here just this one time is not enough."

State television showed crowds surrounding O'Neal, as he mimicked the hand movements that give snake-style kung fu its name.

When asked if he would be comfortable playing in Cleveland where the weather is colder than anywhere else he has played during his 17-year NBA career, the centre answered: "I think I can adjust to any kind of weather.

"In China you call me the big shark -- now you can call me the polar bear. I will be like a polar bear when it comes to fighting the cold."

NBA: Rockets acquire Aussie's Andersen

HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) - – The Houston Rockets, seeking solutions up front with Chinese big man Yao Ming looking at a potential career-ending foot injury, have obtained the NBA rights to Australian David Andersen.

The Atlanta Hawks traded Andersen's NBA rights, obtained in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft, to Houston for a second-round pick and cash. The Aussie has never played an NBA game, spending his career in Australia and Europe.

Andersen, nearly 7 feet tall, averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds last season to help Barcelona to the Spanish title and has played for Euroleague championship teams at Virtus Bologna in 2001 and CSKA Moscow in 2006 and 2008.

"David has been a winner with every team he has played for in Europe," said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "He is a very well-rounded player who possesses good offensive skills and a very good shooting touch for a big man."

Rockets coach Rick Adelman will need a big man if the worst fears come true regarding Yao, the 7-foot-6 superstar who has a hairline fracture in his left foot that could cause him to miss the upcoming season and might end his career.

"David is a versatile post player who should fit well in coach Adelmans system," Morey said.

Andersen, 29, played for Australia in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds a game last year at Beijing.

NBA: Iverson could deliver another Clipper mess

LAS VEGAS - Why would the Los Angeles Clippers want to thrust Allen Iverson
into the life of gifted young guard Eric Gordon ? The answer is as simple as
it's flawed: box office over basketball. The worst owner in sports, Donald
T. Sterling, believes A.I. can do what No. 1 pick Blake Griffin has been
thus far unable - sell tickets.

Perhaps the Clippers could give winning a chance, but Sterling is hell-bent
on dysfunction. Everyone walked out of the Thomas & Mack Center late Monday
so impressed with the Clippers' young cornerstones, Griffin and Gordon. Yet,
Sterling, sitting courtside, couldn't see the truth unfolding before his
eyes. Iverson is a bad investment for the Clippers. Iverson is a shell of
himself now, and worst of all, he's the last to know.

Nevertheless, the Clippers are far behind in tickets sales over this time a
year ago, according to internal NBA data obtained by Yahoo! Sports. As of
July 6, the Clippers were significantly down in season ticket-renewals and
new plans. The NBA's analysis projected a 29.3 percent drop in ticket
revenue for Clippers for the 2009-10 season.

"That's the only reason [the Clippers] are even thinking of doing this," one
rival GM said. "Why else do this to Gordon?"

The most money available to Iverson would be a one-year deal at the
mid-level exception of $5.8 million. He still thinks he can restore his
starry reputation with a high-scoring season. Iverson still believes his
chance to get one more big contract will be born out of a lot of shots and a
lot of scoring. Those days are done for Iverson, who proved himself
unwilling, and maybe incapable, of playing a complementary role with the
Detroit Pistons last season.

When he couldn't be a starter, he gladly accepted banishment with a "back
injury." Alongside Baron Davis , the prospect of Iverson infringing on
Gordon's development is toxic. Gordon is 20 years old. He tried to play the
earnest kid when asked about the possibility of Iverson joining the
Clippers, but deep down, he has to understand this is the worst scenario for
his sophomore season in the pros.

Miami is offering less than $3 million a season to play with Dwyane Wade , a
circumstance that makes more basketball sense for the Heat. They need
another scorer, and young Miami guard Mario Chalmers isn't nearly the
prospect that Gordon is with the Clippers. The Memphis Grizzlies are
offering the mid-level, too, but they're just another desperate, wayward
franchise that thinks Iverson can still sell some seats.

It's no accident that two of the worst owners in the NBA, Sterling and
Michael Heisley, are pushing their basketball executives to chase one of
summer shopping's worst ideas: Allen Iverson. There's a reason these teams
are in the lottery every year, and here's another why they'll be back again.

Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith is serving a 30-day sentence in a New
Jersey prison for his role in an automobile accident that took the life of a
close friend, Andre Bell, in 2007. Several Denver coaches, including Adrian
Dantley, have flown to New Jersey for the 15-minute visitation periods
allowed Smith.

Nate Robinson has significant interest from Olympiakos of Greece, but a
source close to him says it's unlikely to seriously interest the New York
Knicks guard. Robinson wants to play for the Knicks, and a source says the
solution for the restricted free agent could be a one-year offer deal with
New York that leaves the team the flexibility it wants for the summer of
2010.

Detroit is still exploring ways to make a deal for Utah Jazz forward Carlos
Boozer , but the most likely scenario centers around the free-agent signing
of Drew Gooden , and distantly, Boston's Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

From the you-can't-make-it-up department: The NBA's commissioner and owners
gathered on Tuesday for an important board of governors' meeting. The
location? The Fantasy Tower at the Palms Hotel and Casino. No word whether
the Sacramento Kings' owners, Gavin and Joe Maloof, who own the Palms, are
providing for refreshments.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' coaching search continues to be endless in its
number of introductory interviews and meetings, a total that new
Timberwolves general manager David Kahn had promised could reach 15. Mark
Jackson is still the favorite, but an endless line of assistant coaches have
met with Kahn.

Spartak St. Petersburg of Russia was offering big money for an American
coach, and multiple sources say it unsuccessfully courted former USC coach
Tim Floyd. His condition for considering the job, one source said, was
getting 100 percent of his money in advance of the season. Several Russian
teams had financial problems a year ago that resulted in coaches and players
failing to get paid. Spartak declined, and Floyd passed on the job.

Maurice Cheeks has been offered a job on Scott Brooks' staff with the
Oklahoma City Thunder. He's still deciding.

New Jersey assistant Brian Hill leads new Detroit coach John Kuester's short
wish list for a top aide. The Nets have mandated slashes in assistant
coaching salaries, and Hill's departure could be welcome by the franchise's
ownership. Nevertheless, Nets coach Lawrence Frank values Hill, one of his
mentors, and would likely fight hard to retain him.

The D-League's expansion team starting play in Portland, Maine, is leaning
toward hiring Boston Celtics scout Austin Ainge as its next head coach,
sources said. He is the son of Celtics GM, Danny Ainge. .Idaho Stampede
coach Bryan Gates, considered the D-League's best coach, met with
Sacramento's Paul Westphal about a job on his new staff.

Tale of two debuts: Eagles soar, Archers fall

By Jasmine W. Payo

CONTRASTING RESULTS MARKED THE early campaign of last year’s UAAP finalists.

Ateneo kicked off its back-to-back championship bid with a thrilling triumph over the pre-season favorite, but fierce rival La Salle absorbed one of its worst losses in recent years.

Ateneo coach Norman Black said surviving a tough game from top contender Far Eastern U hardly set the tone for an easy road back to the Finals.

“It’s just a first win, that’s all it is,” said Black after the Blue Eagles pulled off a 63-59 escape against the Tamaraws last Sunday. “But this is big for us because we have a lot of respect for them and we know they’re very good.”

For his part, coach Franz Pumaren said the embarrassing loss doesn’t make the Green Archers any less a contender.

“We were kind of tentative and jittery on opening day, but I’m still confident we’ll be okay,” said Pumaren.

The Archers, missing main cogs Rico Maierhofer and JV Casio, took one of their worst beatings in a 65-46 loss to the University of the East Warriors last Saturday.

“It’s a very challenging situation on my part right now,” admitted Pumaren. “We don’t have a single dominant player. The players just have to accept the fact that when they look over their shoulders, there’s no Casio or Maierhofer. But I’ve been in situations like this, I think we can still pull through.”

Black similarly expects improvements from his Blue Eagles even if his core, led by reigning MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini, remains in top form.

US cagers win world jr. crown

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The United States broke an 18-year gold medal drought when it beat Greece 88-80 Sunday to win the FIBA under-19 world basketball championships.

Tyshawn Taylor had 18 points and five steals to lead the United States to its first victory at the world junior tournament since it claimed the gold medal at Edmonton, Canada in 1991.

“It was a tough game. Greece played their hearts out but I think in the end we wanted it more,” Taylor said.

“They did what we expected, made a lot of big shots but we managed to tough it out.

“When we played Croatia (in the semifinals) they made a big run at us in the third quarter, as Greece did, but we managed to hold on and the same thing happened tonight.”

The teams were tied 19-19 after the first quarter but the United States gained a crucial break with an outstanding defensive performance in the second period, outscoring Greece 27-11 to lead 46-30 at halftime.

Greece made a concerted comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Americans 21-14 to cut their lead to 60-51 at three-quarter time. /AP