Smart Gilas-Pilipinas buried India NT, 78-57
from mb.com.ph
GUANGZHOU — The shorthanded Smart Gilas national basketball team breezed through India, 78-57, Sunday but faced more problems other than injuries to key players in the 16th Asian Games.
A shock 88-87 win by Qatar over previously unbeaten Japan forged a knockout match between Gilas and Chinese Taipei on Monday.
Serbian coach Rajko Toroman said Qatar changed the equation entirely.
“Instead of being assured of the quarterfinals win or lose against Chinese-Taipei, we now have to play a knockout match,” Toroman said.
Going into the last day of the eliminations, Iran, Japan and Qatar have identical 3-1 win-loss records while Smart Gilas holds an even 2-2 slate.
Despite a 1-3 card, Chinese Taipei can still advance to the quarterfinals with a victory over the Filipinos. The winner-over-the-other rule applies in a tie between two teams.
Down to only seven healthy players, Toroman needs to bring out the best from everyone to get past Taiwan, a solid three-point shooting team.
Apart from Japeth Aguilar who has been sent home due to knee injury, Solomon Mercado has not played the last two matches due to foot problems.
Marcio Lassiter, JV Casio and Chris Tiu are also playing hurt and would be performing less than 100 percent against Chinese Taipei.
“Some of them might not play tomorrow,” Toroman confided. “We have no choice. We’ve got to fight through this adversity.
Against India, the Filipinos started tight and were unable to settle the game early.
Up, 31-30, at the half, the Filipinos ripped the game apart in the third quarter with 12 unanswered points to take a 48-34 lead.
Indian top gunner Jagdeep Singh was taken out of the game with an elbow injury with four minutes gone in the third quarter.
“Without him (Singh), we couldn’t compete against the Philippines,” said Bill Harris, India’s American coach. “Our bench is not deep enough and because of the intensity of Philippines’ defence, we can’t handle the pressure.”
Fil-American Chris Lutz played 32 minutes as Tiu and Casio spent most of the second half on the bench. Lassiter, still recovering from an assortment of injuries even before the tournament started, saw action for eight minutes and made two points.
“Lutz has not been playing well. I needed him to regain his confidence so I kept him on the floor,” said Toroman who also benched Kelly Williams and Asi Taulava the entire fourth quarter.
“I know tomorrow is going to be a tough game. We will try to go as far as we can and concentrate on every game,” said Lutz who had 10 points.
A quarterfinal match with either China or South Korea could not be avoided even if Gilas hurdles Chinese-Taipei.
In a battle of unbeaten squads Sunday, China whipped the Koreans, 76-66.
Toroman, however, won’t go far beyond Chinese-Taipei which gave Iran a scare before bowing, 73-72, Sunday.
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 78 — Casio 18, Tiu 13, Lutz 10, Taulava 10, Barroca 8, Williams 7, Baracael 6, Slaughter 4, Lassiter 2, Ballesteros 0
INDIA 57 — Singh J. 14, Singh Y. 10, Bhriguvanshi 10, Mishra 6, Shan 6, Pereira 6, Koroth 2, Coimbatore 2, Rathee 1, Singh K. 0, Jat 0
Quarters: 21-14, 31-30, 63-41, 78-57
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Errors proved costly for Smart Gilas-Pilipinas against Japan
from mb.com.ph
GUANGZHOU — Former national coach Chot Reyes believes that Smart Gilas has a strong chance of taking third place in its group despite its narrow 60-58 defeat to Japan Friday night in the 16th Asian Games at the Huangpu gymnasium.
“We need to win our last two games to avoid China in the quarterfinals,” said Reyes who is now one of the assistant coaches of Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman.
Reyes said there’s still a remote possibility of the Filipinos figuring in a tie for second spot, but they need to take care of business one game at a time.
The Filipinos battle India on Sunday before winding up their elimination matches against Chinese-Taipei on Monday.
Reyes noted that Gilas beat Japan in most of the departments, including a 43-35 edge in rebounds.
“Both teams shot poorly, but what hurt us were the 19 turnovers,” Reyes said.
The Japanese, who picked up their third consecutive win, converted 14 points off Gilas’ turnovers.
Gilas co-skipper Chris Tiu, who only had five points on 1-of-6 shooting, said they had a hard time executing their offense.
“Japan played a different zone defence and we got confused. That’s why we made mistakes in passing the ball,” said Tiu who was 0 of 4 from rainbow territory. “I hesitated to shoot three-pointers because I didn’t want to rush it.”
Marcio Lassiter was Gilas’ top scorer with 13 points while Kelly Williams had 12.
“I think I was good enough in this game. But no matter whether I got how many points, our team didn’t win. That’s nothing,” said Lassiter who accounted for two of Gilas’ five three-pointers.
Japan was led by Takumi Ishizaki who had 16 points, but it was former Phoenix Suns player Yuta Tabuse who held the team together.
“He (Tabuse) is our point guard and team leader. He didn’t score many points because he led the defensive play of our team,” said Japan’s American coach Thomas Robert Wisman.
Wisman said Japan still needs to improve its offence to go to the semifinals.
The Japanese shot 37 percent from the field, slightly worse than the Filipinos’ 38 percent, but had more attempts on the floor, 62-58.
The game was marked by three deadlocks and six lead changes.
The Filipinos opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run capped by Andy Barroca’s jumper to seize the lead, 49-48, but the Japanese responded with a 9-2 salvo to build a 58-54 lead going into the last three minutes.
Kelly Williams missed two free throws, but made up for it with a field basket following a Japanese missed basket on the other end of the floor.
Down, 56-58, with less than a minute remaining, the Filipinos had a chance to take the lead but Marnel Baracael’s heave on top of the key missed its mark.
The scores:
JAPAN 60 — Ishizaki 16, Takeuchi K. 11, Tabuse 9, Takeuchi J. 8, Sakurai 6, Hirose 4, Ito 4, Amino 0, Okada 0, Yamada 0, Takeda 0.
SMART GILAS PH 58 — Lassiter 13, Williams 12, Casio 10, Baracael 7, Taulava 5, Tiu 5, Slaughter 4, Barroca 2, Lutz 0.
Quarters: 14-9, 30-29, 48-43, 60-58
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Gilas 5 bounces back, thrashes Qatar
from gmanews.tv
GUANGZHOU – Smart-Gilas Pilipinas buried a forgettable performance against Iran with a 90-68 trashing of Qatar for its first win in Group F in the 16th Asian Games men’s basketball competition Wednesday at the Huangpu Gymnasium here.
The twin guard combo of JV Casio and Chris Tiu sparked the PHL 5’s impressive start while the second unit, led by Marcio Lassiter, sustained the momentum as the Nationals stayed in the hunt for a quarterfinals berth.
Casio fired a game-high 22 points, 15 coming in the first half where the Philippines shot 50 percent from the field (20-of-40) to take a commanding 49-28 halftime spread, and was never seriously threatened by the taller and heftier Qataris.
Lassiter added 13 while Tiu and Greg Slaughter contributed 12 points apiece for the PHL 5, which will face Japan Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
Mac Baracael and Asi Taulava each had 10 markers for coach Rajko Toroman, whose wards bounced back from a 48-65 loss to the Iranians on Tuesday.
Behind Casio and Tiu, the Filipino dribblers took an early 10-3 lead before Slaughter came off the bench to stretch their advantage to 23-14.
The Qataris, who beat India in their first game, 97-48, scored the first six points of the second period to get back in the game, 20-23.
But Casio sank a three-pointer that ignited a sizzling 26-8 run. He ended that scoring rampage with another triple, and the Filipinos enjoyed a 21-point bubble at the turn (49-28).
Qatar never got the opportunity to unleash a rally in the face of the Filipinos’ stifling defense.
PHL 5’s lead reached as high as 27 points, 81-54, on Greg Slaughter’s one-handed slam off a feed by Casio, who had five assists in the game.
The Filipinos outrebounded the taller Qataris, 45-27, and shot 47 percent from the field, 35-of-75, compared to Qatar’s 22-of-61 shooting (36 percent).
Targuy Ngombo led Qatar with 18 points but shot 5-of-16 from the field. He was a non-factor in the first half when the Philippines gained early control of the game. – JVP/KY, GMANews.TV
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Smart Gilas – RP Team defeated Kuwait NT
from philstar.com
GUANGZHOU – Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas has remained optimistic it can contend for a medal though barely making the main draw with a scrambling 76-69 win over fellow unseeded rival Kuwait in a knockout game Saturday night.
Coach Rajko Toroman is confident the Nationals will improve, advance to the quarterfinals “then anything is possible.”
“Everything (we did against the Kuwaitis) was wrong but the important thing is that we’re in the game. Going to the tournament proper, I think we’ll play better because this team just needs time. I strongly believe that we can reach the quarterfinals and anything can happen from there,” Toroman said.
The Nationals faced the dim prospect of outright elimination Saturday, needing a decisive fourth-quarter run to fend off the tough challenge of the small but gritty Kuwaitis.
“I’d said before that it would be tough because it’s a knockout game. Kuwait surprised us they played much better than we expected. We’re the exact opposite. We couldn’t find way how to play against zone and we gave up many things to our opponent,” said Toroman.
“It’s tough to play that game. We’re overeager maybe because the pressure was heavy on us,” said team captain Chris Tiu.
Though smaller on most match-ups, the Kuwaitis fought the Filipinos on even terms on practically all fronts of the game and led by as many as nine points in the first half.
“We should have outrebounded them because we were a bigger team but we really couldn’t find the rhythm,” said Toroman, disappointed the Kuwaitis tied them in rebounds with 41 each.
“We played better against Dongguan and Guandong (in earlier tune-up matches). But it’s really difficult to play with this team. We couldn’t use our offenses against them,” Toroman also said.
Tiu thought the Kuwaitis were tough match-ups for them with their frontcourt players having long range offense and quicker at the posts versus Asi Taulava and Greg Slaughter.
The Smart Gilas team skipper said Taulava and Slaughter could hold their own better with the bigger Arab teams.
Toroman also mentioned the lack of chemistry and injuries to Taulava, Marcius Lassiter, Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar.
Aguilar sat out the game due to a knee injury he suffered in their tune-up game versus the Dongguan Leopards Thursday.
“We need time because we have PBA players who have just joined us. They had just two games with us,” said Toroman.
“Marcio was our best player in the game and yet he didn’t practice for three months because of an injury. He also needs time to make adjustment,” Toroman added.
The Serbian mentor sees a better showing right in their first game in the main draw versus Iran at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Huangpu Gymnasium.
“I know exactly how strong they are. We will play much, much better. We will play a very high level game,” said Toroman of their game against his former team which he steered to the 2007 Fiba Asia championship.
NOTES: The guessing game here is whether Iranian hotshot Samad Nikkah Bahrami will play or not. He missed their stint in the recent Turkey World Championship due to an injury but he’s here, serving as Iran’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies. “I believe he’ll play. He’ll try to help his team,” said Toroman of Bahrami, among the region’s best players who averaged almost 20 points a game in the 2008 Beijing Olympics…North Korea topped Hong Kong, 78-71, in another knockout tussle Saturday night, advancing to the main draw where it’s curiously bracketed with South Korea…Smart Gilas team assistant coach Chot Reyes made an arrangement through a friend allowing the whole team to watch the Pacquiao-Margarito fight in a Mexican bar here… Smart PLDT has spent P300 million supporting athletes from five different sports in the last two years with the giant telecommunication corporation hopeful it would reap the dividends in the 16th Asian Games here…“We’re really hopeful now is payback time,” said Smart PLDT top executive Ricky Vargas…Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas, the national boxers, the taekwondo jins, national rider Marites Bitbit and the Angana brothers of wrestling are those athletes being funded by Smart Gilas…During the sendoff ceremonies back in Manila, Smart PLDT chairman Manny Pangilinan urged the Nationals to make the country proud… From his Hong Kong office, the telecommunication tycoon traveled by land to watch the opening ceremonies Friday and the Smart Gilas-Kuwait game Saturday.
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from fibaasia.net
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Hosts Lebanon carried too much firepower and left Philippines gasping for breath early in their Group B game to win the clash between two of the most popular basketball nations in the world on Saturday.
Lebanon won 74-59.
Fadi El Khatib returning from an injury lay-off was fielded sporadically, but played without much discomfort, and was as usual obviously a hit among the crowd. But the 31-year-old Lebanese star guard showed enough composure guarding against flamboyance and played well within himself, and more importantly according to coach Tab Baldwin’s offensive plays.
“I’m definitely out of touch, but physically I am back,” El Khatib said.
El Khatib played 13 minutes and scored 4 points, collected 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
“Our goal is a good performance at Turkey (in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, to which Lebanon have earned a wildcard). Therefore, I am positive of getting fully back into form very soon,” he said.
Baldwin too had words of satisfaction, but was realistic in his assessment of the situation.
“We all know Fadi has a great heart as a player, and it definitely showed today. But as was obvious he is yet to get his touch and rhythm,” Baldwin said.
“But considering the fact he is back on court and trying out his best is an encouraging sign for us on our path to Turkey,” he said.
Rony Fahed led Lebanon’s scoring with a game-high 23 points, scoring 17 of them in the first half to put the hosts in control.
Fahed’s back-to-back three-pointers set the ball rolling early in the game for Lebanon and hosts didn’t have to worry too much after that.
Philippines did attempt a fight back in the third quarter bringing the score to as close as 38-51, but a couple of technical turn-overs turned the tide Lebanese way.
Ali Mahmoud who had a subdued first half came into his own in the second and finished with 12 points.
Joseph Casio with 15 points and Marnel Baracel with 14 points were the leading scorers on the Philippines side. FIBA Asia
The Scores:
Lebanon 74 – Fahed 23, Reda 12, Mahmoud 12, Fakhreddine 7, Vroman 7, Stephan 5, El Khatib 4, Rustom 2, Samaha 2, El Nour 0, Kanaan 0.
Philippines 59 – Casio 15, Baracael 14, Ababou 8, Taulava 7, Barroca 7, Lassiter 6, Tiu 2, Ballesteros 0.
Quarters: 18-11, 31-20, 51-40, 74-59
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City of Dreams
♬ Dream, dream dream dream, dream, dream dream dream ♬
When I met you, all of my dreams came true.
You know why? Because all I ever dreamed of is you. ♥
I love you so much chingching..
Photo taken using Sony DSC T-700
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Blackberry Banned in UAE
by Sam Churchill – dailywireless.org
More than a million BlackBerry users may have key services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut off due to encryption issues, reports Reuters. BlackBerry’s Messenger application has spread rapidly in the Gulf Arab region but because the data is encrypted and sent to offshore servers, it cannot be tracked locally.
“Certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns,” the United Arab Emirates’ Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said in a statement.
The UAE said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from October 11 until a fix was found, while industry sources said Saudi Arabia had ordered local telecom companies to freeze Messenger this month. The UAE, home to Gulf financial hub Dubai, said it would halt BlackBerry services until an “acceptable solution” was developed and applied.
The UAE said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from October 11 until a fix was found, while industry sources said Saudi Arabia had ordered local telecom companies to freeze Messenger this month. The UAE, home to Gulf financial hub Dubai, said it would halt BlackBerry services until an “acceptable solution” was developed and applied.
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Give your Life to God, while there’s still time..
Nothing on the CD, TV, DVD or MP3 that can save you and me.
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Summer Fun Park a hit with families
by Reynald Rivera – peninsulaqatar.com
DOHA: Ten days after it opened, the Doha Summer Fun Park is proving to be the leisure destination for families in Qatar, recording 40,000 visitors on the first seven days, according to the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).
The visitors are not just from Qatar but also from neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia, said QTA Chairman Ahmed Al Nuaimi.
The big number of visitors, though, doesn’t translate into profits for businesses occupying the 70 stalls in the sprawling Qatar Exhibition Centre.
“Business is not that good most of the time, except on Thursdays and Fridays,” said Jeck, a shopkeeper from Dubai-based Qingfeng Trading, which sells bags, footwear and toys.
“Many people come to window shop and only a few buy our products,” she said, adding they sold around 10 bags a day. In demand are their trendy bags which are sourced from Taiwan and other countries, costing about QR150. The different toys they offer are tagged at QR40 to QR60.
There are shops selling cosmetics like perfumes, sold in Damascus Gate, which has a presence in most Gulf countries including Oman, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar. The Syria-based shop has a wide selection of perfumes, almost hundred varieties, most of which are cheap imitation perfumes, the most expensive of which are priced at QR50.
It is hard to tell the difference between the original designer perfumes Calvin Klein, Chanel, Dunhill and Gucci and the 70ml imitation bottles sold in the shop.
At an average the shop’s revenue reaches QR2,000 to QR3,000 a day, according to Ammar, the owner of the shop.
“Still it’s not that good considering the rental fee which is a thousand a day. I just hope that when Ramadan comes, business would pick up,” he said, adding the present business trend was normal considering the fact that many people had gone overseas for vacation.
Ammar said perfumes were a favourite item during Ramadan apart from sweets, which he sells in another shop at the venue.
Aseef of Vishruti which specialises on bangles, bracelets, rings, necklaces and other accessories says business is just average.
“We have good customers in Qatar but in terms of our income these past few days, it’s just normal,” he said, adding their income on a Friday when the amusement park has the most number of visitors is around QR4,000.
Their products sourced from diverse countries such as India, Nepal and the Philippines cost from QR10 to QR200 and are made from brass, silver, glass and semi-precious stones.
Aseef is of the same view that business would improve during Ramadan.
Shoppers can also buy ready-to-wear clothes mostly for kids and ladies, textiles, spices, jewellery and abayas at the pavilions.
With the reduced prices of the amusement rides implemented by the QTA four days ago, more people, especially children, avail of the rides provided by Dubai-based Freij Entertainment. However, the more expensive rides, most of which are thrill rides, are the ones which attract more people. Priced at QR15 the rides include City Hopper, Tagada Disco, Crazy Wave, Musik Express and Bumper Cars.
That is not surprising though since these thrill rides offer exhilarating experiences which fills teenager’s thirst for thrill.
“I have already tried the City Hopper three times tonight but I’m not yet satisfied, never will,” said 15-year-old Assad, who said he had been coming back to the Fun Park almost every day ever since it opened.
Asked what drives him to keep venturing on the rides, he said the different feeling he gets every time.
Precautionary and safety measures are being imposed for the thrill rides such as installing height measuring boards and warning signs. Children’s height must not be below 140cm to be allowed to ride City Hopper and Tagada while for Crazy Wave the minimum height for riders is 120cm. Pregnant women and those with serious health problems are warned against the rides and the organisers see to it they are prepared in case of accidents. Most of the family rides are priced at QR10 including Choo Choo Train, Formula 1, Carousel, Aladdin, Circus, Motor Show, Pony Express, Tower, Caterpillar and Kiddie Ride.
The cheapest rides are the ones for smaller children which include Ferris Wheel, Pirate Ride and Swinger.
There are also over a dozen video/simulation games and prize/redemption machines for QR5 per game at the Fun Park’s Video Games Corner. Terminator Salvation, The Fast and the Furious, Street Basketball, Spider Box and I-Target are some of the more famous games.
Yesterday, the tropical-forest themed food court was filled with people having a taste of the wide array of delectable food offered at the 15 stalls offering fast food and pastries as well as Asian and Gulf specialities.
Some of the food establishments present at the food hall are Sterling, Asian Traditional Restaurant, Tandoor Express, Southern Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Bombay Chowpatty, and Cinnabon.
A lot of customers who want to beat the hot temperatures were seen thronging the Cinnzeo Gelato which offers a variety of ice creams. Food prices are affordable with regular meal priced at QR18 while large meal costing QR25.
There are also food items coming for QR5 and QR10. Many children thronged to see the performances and activities including plays, clown performances and games staged by a Lebanese entertainment company. The events were enjoyed by the children for their interactive nature requiring participation from the young audience.
Running until September 14, the park is open from Saturday to Wednesday (3pm to 12 midnight) and Thursday and Friday (3pm to 1am). During Ramadan, it will open from 8pm to 2am and during Eid holidays from 12pm to 12am. Entry to the park is free.
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