February 21, 2009; Overtime Thriller @ the STAPLES!

After another busy week of school, I'm back to bring you guys the latest from the world of sports!


Today was a rest day for me. Just stayed home. Watched TV, played PSP, ate lots (and I mean a LOT) of food and just sat down like a couch potato. It was one of those days where I can do this without any hindrances whatsoever!

I gotta have many more of these kind of days to come! Haha! Even though it's just 1 month away until the most-awaited part which is the summer vacation! :))


And now, back to business, here are the news!


First up, from the recently concluded NBA All-Star Weekend from Phoenix, Arizona!

First on a Friday night, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, wherein the Sophomores once again dominated the Rookies, 122-116. Sophomore Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder, was the game's MVP with 46 points and 7 rebounds. Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat lead the Rookies with 29 points. The Rookies were coached by Heat guard Dwyane Wade, while the Sophomores were coached by Magic center Dwight Howard.

Now, the All-Star Saturday Night, which started with the GEICO HORSE Challenge. And once again, Thunder guard/forward Kevin Durant won against Hawks guard Joe Johnson and Grizzlies rookie guard O.J. Mayo.

Next up was the Haier Shooting Stars, which featured a trio of stars from the NBA, WNBA and a legend of the team, from 4 different teams, namely, the San Antonio team (Tim Duncan, Becky Hammon and David Robinson), the Los Angeles team (Derek Fisher, Lisa Leslie and Michael Cooper), the Detroit team (Aaron Afflalo, Katie Smith and Bill Laimbeer), and the home team from Phoenix (Leandro Barbosa, Tangela Smith and Dan Majerle). At the end of the night, it was the Detroit team which bagged the 1st place trophy, winning against the Phoenix team in the final round of competition.

Up comes the PlayStation Skills Challenge, which features point guards from 4 different teams, namely Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets, Mo Williams of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs. But at the end, Bulls' Derrick Rose proved to be too fast for the competition as he won the contest fair and square against Devin Harris in the finals.

Next was the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, wherein another underdog made a name for himself as the new three-point king in the NBA. Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook bested 7 other players in the contest, beating Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis in the final round, 19-7. Other contestants were Mike Bibby of the Atlanta Hawks, Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers, Roger Mason, Jr. of the San Antonio Spurs, and the defending 2-time champion Jason Kapono from the Toronto Raptors.

And to end the night with a bang, it's the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, wherein Krypto-Nate proved that he's better than Superman. As 5'9" guard Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks defeated Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard via 4 percentage points, 52-48, to win the trophy, his second after his victory in Houston back in 2006. Other participants were J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets and Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers.

And now, to cap off the weekend, it's the 58th annual NBA All-Star Game featuring the Eastern and the Western All-Stars. It was a close game up until the 4th quarter wherein the West simply outclassed the East as they rolled on to victory, 146-119 behind Kobe Bryant's 27-point performance and Shaquille O'Neal's 17-point performance in just 11 minutes of action. Due to that, they were named co-MVP's of the game.

Next year's All-Star Weekend will be held on Dallas, Texas.

And now, here are the results from today's busy schedule from the NBA!

February 21, 2009

Orlando 92 (40-14)
Charlotte 80 (22-33)
ORL: Hedo Turkoglu- 24 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assts, 1 stl.
CHA: Raymond Felton- 16 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assts, 1 stl.

Toronto 97 (21-36)
New York 127 (23-31)
TOR: Joey Graham- 19 pts, 7 rebs, 1 asst.
NYK: Wilson Chandler- 32 pts, 6 rebs, 3 assts.

Sacramento 115 (12-44)
Memphis 106 (15-40)
SAC: Kevin Martin- 33 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assts, 2 stls.
MEM: O.J. Mayo- 24 pts, 4 rebs, 4 assts, 3 stls.

Indiana 112 (23-34)
Minnesota 105 (18-36)
IND: Marquis Daniels- 24 pts, 4 rebs, 1 asst, 2 stls.
MIN: Randy Foye- 36 pts, 6 rebs, 3 assts, 4 stls.

Washington 107 (13-42)
New Jersey 96 (24-32)
WSH: Antawn Jamison- 28 pts, 12 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl.
NJN: Devin Harris- 26 pts, 4 rebs, 10 assts, 2 stls.

Dallas 86 (32-22)
Houston 93 (34-21)
DAL: Jose Barea- 26 pts, 4 rebs, 5 assts, 2 stls.
HOU: Yao Ming- 22 pts, 13 rebs.

Denver 99 (37-18)
Chicago 116 (25-30)
DEN: Chauncey Billups- 25 pts, 4 rebs, 6 assts, 2 stls.
CHI: Ben Gordon- 37 pts, 5 rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls.

Cleveland 111 (42-11)
Milwaukee 103 (27-31)
CLE: LeBron James- 55 pts, 5 rebs, 9 assts.
MIL: Charlie Villanueva- 26 pts, 13 rebs, 6 assts.

Oklahoma City 118 (13-42)
Phoenix 140 (31-23)
OKC: Kevin Durant- 35 pts, 8 rebs, 5 assts, 2 stls.
PHX: Leandro Barbosa- 41 pts, 7 rebs, 7 assts, 6 stls.

Atlanta 98 (32-23)
Portland 108 (34-20)
ATL: Mike Bibby- 27 pts, 6 rebs, 2 assts, 1 stl.
POR: Brandon Roy- 27 pts, 7 rebs, 5 assts, 2 stls.

New Orleans 111 (32-21)
LA Lakers 115 (45-10)
Final/OT
NOH: Rasual Butler- 31 pts, 3 rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls.
LAL: Kobe Bryant- 39 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assts, 1 stl.

There you have it! Now let's move on to football news from the Barclays' Premier League!

Manchester United still leads the standings with 59 points, 5 points clear from 2nd place Liverpool with 54 points, while Aston Villa is in 3rd with 51 pts. And here are the rest of the teams:
4th- Chelsea 49 pts.
5th- Arsenal 44 pts.
6th- Everton 40 pts.
7th- Wigan 34 pts.
8th- West Ham 33 pts.
9th Manchester City 31 pts.
10th- Fulham 30 pts.
11th- Sunderland 30 pts.
12th- Hull City 29 pts.
13th- Newcastle 27 pts.
14th- Bolton Wanderers 27 pts.
15th- Portsmouth 27 pts.
16th- Tottenham Hotspur 25 pts.
17th- Stoke City 24 pts.
18th- Blackburn Rovers 23 pts.
19th- Middlesbrough 22 pts.
20th- West Brom 22 pts.

So there you have it! You guys have just been fed!

Hope you had great Saturday! Long weekend you guys! No classes on Monday! May you enjoy the rest of it! :)

God bless you guys! Stay safe! Peace out! The Wizard was here... :)

Comments, questions and suggestions are highly appreciated you guys! :)