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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Versus Mode: MJ vs Kobe

In our very first versus mode episode, we take a look at a video that shows the similarity between two great players and then you make up your mind on who is better. Now let's take a look at the two best clutch championship players... Jordan and Bryant!

Who's better?

Monday, November 27, 2006

Communication

Article from CCF

How important is communication to a team? Is it optional, essential or vital? Is it absolutely crucial to a team's success?

What are some of the situations when there must be communication among people in a team? What types of healthy communication should exist within a team?

Possible scenarios where communication is crucial in a game:
1) Point guard is calling out the play for the game winning shot
2) Your teammate is signaling for the pick and roll.
3) The coach is telling you how to execute the play during time out.
4) A teammate is asking for help by switching on defense.
5) You motivate your teammate who doesn’t seem to be giving his best.
6) You encourage a teammate who is not playing too well.
7) You slap high fives with teammates after a well executed play.
8) You thank a teammate who makes an unselfish play.

There are countless other situations where communication plays to a team's success. Without it, there will most certainly be a breakdown in the team.

Just as communication is vital for the survival of any team, our relationship with God is also dependent on the depth of our communication with Him-- how intimately we are connected to Him. Christians express this intimacy and communion with God through PRAYER.

There are 4 facets of communication with God that we will be learning today which will enable us to live a balanced prayer life.

PRAISE and ADORATION

How many of us here do not enjoy it when others praise us for something we have done? Whether it is on or off the court, we enjoy hearing other people expressing their praise. When you watch a Michael Jordan highlight reel, don’t you find yourself enjoying being in awe of his abilities?

Somebody once said, we are all WORSHIPFUL BEINGS. We are always worshipping something or someone at any given point in time. However, our deepest fulfillment can be found when we are worshipping the One for whom we are created for--God.
Get a partner now and name one good character quality you want to praise your teammate for. God's character qualities are called "attributes." God has many attributes we can praise Him for. Let's take a look at a passage now that describes God.

Read 1 Chronicles 29:11-12.

The second facet of prayer is confession

CONFESSION

How would you feel if you have a teammate who NEVER admits that he is wrong? He always pins the blame on somebody else or gets angry when the coach or teammate or even the referee corrects him. He is uncoachable, unteachable and causes disharmony within the team.

In our Christian life, we must also learn to be humble and admit it when we have sinned against God and violated our relationship with Him. Look at the attitude of King David, the man after God's own heart. Read Psalm 51:1-4.

Furthermore, the Bible promises a blessed life for those who know how to admit sin in their lives and confess it to God. Read Psalm 32:1-4 (Note: Confession literally means, "to say the same thing." This means we are to admit to God exactly what He is convicting us of as sin.)

Right now, take a few minutes to silently confess to God whatever sins you may have committed, but have not yet acknowledged to Him.

Additional verse: 1 John 1:9

THANKSGIVING

One of the most enjoyable parts of playing as a team is when players acknowledge each other's efforts and slap high fives and congratulate each other for a job well done. We thank the person who unselfishly passes the ball to another for a higher percentage shot, or express our appreciation to a teammate who hustles and dives for the ball just to give the team whatever advantage possible.

Psalm 100:4 says "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." It is this "attitude of gratitude" which honors God because we are acknowledging that every blessing comes from Him.

We take many things for granted in our lives and if we only took time daily to thank God for His countless blessings, it would transform our lives. Let's take the next few minutes to pause, reflect and remember some things which we want to say "thank You" to God for.

Lastly, let us look more closely at the area of supplication or

SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS

Draft day is a very important day in the immediate future of a team. It can be a day of celebration where championships are secured, or a day of eternal regrets. Each team always has a wish list of what they are looking for in a player. They have a blue-print of the kind of player they want to be part of their team, either to be their franchise player or a role player who will help them win championships, or at least make them serious contenders.

If you were a GM of a team or the coach, would you be shy to express what kind of a player you would want? Would you be lazy or uninterested to make known what kind of player you want to draft? Obviously not!

Because God is our Father, He desires for us to express to Him exactly what our needs are. He is never too busy or uninterested in our prayers. He doesn’t get bored or consider our pleas to Him as insignificant. In fact, He loves it when we express our needs to Him.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

What are some of the needs that you have today which you have not yet really expressed to God? Remember that nothing is too big or too small for Him. Not only that, but we are promised that if we pray about all these things with thanksgiving, He will grant us His unexplainable peace in our hearts, we just need to be willing to wait upon Him for His answers come in His perfect timing!

You are invited to Bible Studies and Worship Services at CCF:

CCF ST. FRANCIS SQUARE
4/F Saint Francis Square Tiangge Building
Julia Vargas Ave. cor Bank Drv.
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Tel: (63 2) 635-3410 to 17; (+632) 6333483; (+632) 6333484
Fax: (63 2) 635-3418
CCF St. Francis Website

CCF ALABANG
3F, CCF Bldg. Prime St.
Madrigal Business Park
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel: (63 2) 772-3035 to 39
Fax: (63 2) 772-3031
CCF Alabang Website

Other CCF Locations

Friday, November 24, 2006

Interesting Warm-Up

How do you make your team warm-ups more interesting? Ask Lebron James.

It Happen's to the Best of Them

Yes guys like MJ have bad days too...

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

NBA Pick One Challenge - Barging Into the Top 5... Sort of

Surprisingly, I have barged into the top 5 of the NBA Pick One Challenge. But there is a weird thing here, I have tied for total points with four other players! I don't think that the probability of tying the exact number of points for so many players is really that high in a game like this.

Points: 651
Rank: Tied for 5th
Points away from 1st Placer: 11

US NCAA: Off-Balanced Three Pointer for the Win

Monday, November 20, 2006

NBA : Win-Loss Leaders

Who are the leading teams in the NBA right now in terms of standings? Taking out the clutter of divisional and conference divisions can give us a picture of who are the teams doing well in the league right now. Here is the list.

Utah 9-1
San Antonio 8-2
Cleveland Cavaliers 7-3
Orlando Magic 7-3
Golden State Warriors 7-3
LA Lakers 7-3
New Orleans Hornets 7-3
Clippers 6-2

NBA - Week 2 Highlight Mix

Here are some highlights of weeks 2 in the NBA. The video is made by KillaKMS.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Friday, November 17, 2006

The NBA Pick One Challenge - My Update

As I've told you before, I joined the NBA Pick One Challenge. The general rule is that you can pick one player per game date on any team playing for that day. Your score will be based on the accumulation of points, assists and rebounds of the player you picked for that day. The Catch is you can only a particular once for the duration of the regular season.

As of today I am currently running in 9th place out of a total of 35 participants in the "my_philippines" league. I have a total of 520 points. The poor point production of my early picks kinda affected my rankings. The season is still young so there's still hope for a rally.

Picked players so far:
Raja Bell
Smush Parker
Elton Brand
Lamar Odom
LeBron James
Tony Parker
Tim Duncan
Yao Ming
Dirk Nowitzki
Baron Davis
Allen Iverson
Shawn Marion
Sam Cassell
Dwight Howard
Dwyane Wade
Gilbert Arenas
Tracy McGrady

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Jimmy Alapag Dunks

Jimmy Alapag, a 5'7 player from Talk N Text, makes this great dunk in a charity dunk contest for injured friend, Eugene Tejada. What a leap for a small guy!

Monday, November 13, 2006

THE MASTER PLAN

Article from CCF

How many of you like rules? How many of you enjoy following rules?

What do you think would happen if I let you guys play basketball, but each one of you could make up your own rules?

I want each one of you to make your own rules while you play. Forget everything you know about basketball. What’s important is for you to be able to score as many points as possible so that your team will win. Did you enjoy playing the game? How did you feel? Why do think you felt that way?”

In basketball, as well as in life, we need rules to govern us, not to take the fun out of life, but to protect us and to make it more enjoyable! We usually think of rules as something that will limit our freedom or a killjoy, but rules are actually meant for our own good.

Basketball Trivia: When James Naismith invented the sport of basketball back in December 21, 1891, he wrote 13 rules which was enforced during the games. Surprisingly, with all the changes the sport has gone through, most of those original rules are still being enforced in today’s game!

And because people have accepted these rules and have played according to them, basketball has shaped up to be one of the, if not the most popular and fastest growing sport today!

What would happen if you decided you didn’t really like the rule on traveling and decided that dribbling the ball is not really important? Your personal preference to run with the ball will not change the rules one bit. We are the ones who have to adjust to the rules of the game and not vice versa. If we choose to violate the rules, then we can’t complain about being penalized, right?

It is the same in life. God has given us His Word, the Bible, which is not only a rulebook but also His personal love letter to us. His Word does not change, regardless of whether we believe in it or not, whether we follow it or not. But God created us and He knows how we are designed.

If you bought a new appliance or electronic equipment, what would be the first thing you would do? Of course to read the instruction manual right? Have you seen anyone discard the manual without reading it? I remember plugging a 110v appliance to a 220v socket when I was still a young boy, and I will never forget what happened after that blunder. The Bible is like the instruction manual on how to maximize life. The Ultimate Inventor has carefully, painstakingly and perfectly gifted us with the knowledge of how to live life to the fullest, and given us the privilege to read and study it each day of our lives. What will you do with this gift?

How many of you are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve? What happened to them? They violated the rule that
God had given them, (not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and so they were sent out of the Garden of Eden. However, we usually forget that the first commandment that
God had given Adam and Eve were commandments of freedom! For example,
God said “Be fruitful and multiply!” Adam could also name all the animals whatever he wished for their names to be!
God also said, “You MAY eat of ANY of the trees in the Garden except…”

God’s commandments were meant for our good and protection. He set boundaries to keep us safe and secure, not to antagonize us or make us bitter. God Himself said in His Word, “Choose to trust Me and My Word and your life will overflow with blessings… I will command blessings upon your home and everything you do will succeed.” (Deuteronomy 28:1,8)

Right now, let’s take a few minutes to see what the Bible says about knowing and obeying God’s Word.

Please Read:
Psalm 119: 9-16; Psalm 19:7-11, Joshua 1:7-8; Psalm 1, Deuteronomy 28:1-8

In light of the things we have learned today about God’s Word, how many of you are willing to commit to start reading the Bible for just 5 minutes a day?

Reminder: There are 1440 minutes in 24 hours!

You are invited to Bible Studies and Worship Services at CCF:

CCF ST. FRANCIS SQUARE
4/F Saint Francis Square Tiangge Building
Julia Vargas Ave. cor Bank Drv.
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Tel: (63 2) 635-3410 to 17; (+632) 6333483; (+632) 6333484
Fax: (63 2) 635-3418
CCF St. Francis Website

CCF ALABANG
3F, CCF Bldg. Prime St.
Madrigal Business Park
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel: (63 2) 772-3035 to 39
Fax: (63 2) 772-3031
CCF Alabang Website

Other CCF Locations

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Congratulations Ronnie Alcano!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a rest from the NBA and the PBA, we would like to congratulate our country man, Ronnie Alcano for winning the 2006 World Pool Championships here in Manila. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Here is the road to the championships for Mr. Alcano.

Group Phase:
Lost: Luong Chi-dung (Vietnam) 8-7
Lost: Christian Reimering (Germany) 8-3
Won: Marcel Martens (Netherlands) 8-2 (He needed to lose only two racks to qualify)

Knockout Phase:
Roberto Gomez (Philippines) 10-1
Efren 'Bata' Reyes (Philippines) 10-7
Kuo Po-cheng (Taiwan) 11-5
Wu Chia-ching (Taiwan) 11-6
Li He-wen (China) 11-8

Championship:
Ralf Souquet (Germany) 17-11

Championship: Rack by Rack
1 - Alcano
2 - Alcano
3 - Alcano
4 - Souquet
5 - Alcano
6 - Souquet
7 - Alcano
8 - Alcano
9 - Alcano
10 - Alcano
11 - Souquet
12 - Alcano
13 - Souquet
14 - Souquet
15 - Alcano
16 - Alcano
17 - Alcano
18 - Souquet
19 - Alcano
20 - Alcano
21 - Souquet
22 - Souquet
23 - Souquet
24 - Alcano
25 - Souquet
26 - Alcano
27 - Souquet
28 - Alcano (Champion)

Friday, November 10, 2006

We won...oops we lost and... we won again

Here is how the Knicks almost won and then lost and then...

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

NBA Quick Highlights 2

Wrong Basket for Lebron


Dante Jones vs. Yao Ming


Bynum's Great Block

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Beyond Basketball: Courage on the Soccer Field

We will now start a new series of videos called Beyond Basketball. These are videos about people from other sports besides basketball who exhibited courage in spite of the challenging conditions before them.

Our first video in this series features a one-armed lady soccer player, Judy Coffman. By the way she is also a good tennis player.

Monday, November 06, 2006

NBA Champions Through The Years

1947 - Philadelphia Warriors
1948 - Baltimore Bullets
1949 - Minneapolis Lakers
1950 - Minneapolis Lakers
1951 - Rochester Royals
1952 - Minneapolis Lakers
1953 - Minneapolis Lakers
1954 - Minneapolis Lakers
1955 - Syracuse Nationals
1956 - Philadelphia Warriors
1957 - Boston Celtics
1958 - St. Louis Hawks
1959 - Boston Celtics
1960 - Boston Celtics
1961 - Boston Celtics
1962 - Boston Celtics
1963 - Boston Celtics
1964 - Boston Celtics
1965 - Boston Celtics
1966 - Boston Celtics
1967 - Philadelphia 76ers
1968 - Boston Celtics
1969 - Boston Celtics
1970 - New York Knicks
1971 - Milwaukee Bucks
1972 - Los Angeles Lakers
1973 - New York Knicks
1974 - Boston Celtics
1975 - Golden State Warriors
1976 - Boston Celtics
1977 - Portland Trail Blazers
1978 - Washington Bullets
1979 - Seattle Super Sonics
1980 - Los Angeles Lakers
1981 - Boston Celtics
1982 - Los Angeles Lakers
1983 - Philadelphia 76ers
1984 - Boston Celtics
1985 - Los Angeles Lakers
1986 - Boston Celtics
1987 - Los Angeles Lakers
1988 - Los Angeles Lakers
1989 - Detroit Pistons
1990 - Detroit Pistons
1991 - Chicago Bulls
1992 - Chicago Bulls
1993 - Chicago Bulls
1994 - Houston Rockets
1995 - Houston Rockets
1996 - Chicago Bulls
1997 - Chicago Bulls
1998 - Chicago Bulls
1999 - San Antonio Spurs
2000 - Los Angeles Lakers
2001 - Los Angeles Lakers
2002 - Los Angeles Lakers
2003 - San Antonio Spurs
2004 - Detroit Pistons
2005 - San Antonio Spurs
2006 - Miami Heat
2007 - San Antonio Spurs

Source: http://www.jadusport.de/basketball/nba.html

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Shooting Three Pointers

In our next video, Donyell Marshall gives some tips on how to be an effective three point shooter.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Hoops Trivia - First NBA Score

Who was the first person to score in the NBA?

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

Article from CCF

Is there a relationship between strength and conditioning to the performance of an athlete? Does it play a key role in an athlete or team’s quest for success in competition? Has it been a factor for YOU and your team, so far while you have been playing in this league?

The Olympic games is the most spectacular international sports spectacle which is held every four years. Only the best and brightest qualify, set foot, and compete in this most prestigious sports competition. Athletes who wish to represent the country must be willing to pay the price. They have to subject themselves to the most rigorous training regimen, which will enable them to be in the best shape of their lives and have the advantage against their competitors.

What are some of the factors does an athlete have to take into consideration if he wants to be in the best competitive shape possible? In other words, what must he do and not do to be ready for competition? (Wait for reply or ask certain members of the team. Below are some suggested answers you should look out for:)

1) PROPER PRACTICE- Improper practice makes PERMANENT but PROPER PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
2) WORKING OUT- Toning the muscle and eliminating the fat will make one better, faster and stronger for competition. (A probable exception might be Sumo wrestling).
3) HEALTHY DIET- An athlete needs to be watchful of the composition of his food intake because it will inevitably affect his body, whether for good or bad. That’s why teams and coaches nowadays hire dieticians that advise players of the amount of proteins and carbohydrates and vitamins that will complement the training regimen and strengthen the athlete and enhance his physical condition.
4) GOOD SLEEPING HABITS- No matter how strong or gifted an athlete is, his body needs to have the proper amount of rest so that it can recover, both physically and mentally. Sleep is vital in enabling the body to function at its peak performance. In fact, poor performance and many severe injuries can be avoided if the athlete is responsible to give proper care to his body through the right amount of rest.
5) MENTAL CONDITIONING- An athlete must have the right mindset, the passion, commitment and the drive necessary to accomplish his goals. He must be prepared and willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve the goals that he sets for himself.

The Bible says in the book of Hebrews. “…Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out before us…”(Hebrews 12:1)

108 years after the very first Olympic games started in Greece, the international sporting event is back where it all began. But did you know what runners wore in ancient Greece when they competed for the prize? . They wore absolutely NOTHING! Not only were they barefoot, but they ran around naked, literally! That’s because the competitors wanted to be as light and unhindered as possible realizing that it was a grueling path that lay before them and that they had to be free of any encumbrance in order to emerge victorious in the race.

During our generation, swimmers shave all facial and body hairs because they found out that it could slow them down when they compete. And in competitions such as theirs, every 1/100th of a second matters! Some of them even wear body suits that have been authorized, probably designed to have the water slide off their bodies and enabling them to glide through the water with the least amount of resistance as possible. Here, we get a glimpse of what the author of Hebrews means when he says: … throw off everything that hinders…”

But not only are we to “throw off” that which hinders us, but we are to “put on the new self created to be like Christ Jesus.” Paul uses the metaphor of a race when he talks about the Christian life because he knows that in order for us to run the race of life well, we have to be in good spiritual condition. Unless we prepare ourselves well, we will inevitably stumble and fall or simply end up quitting the race.

And so it is in the Race of Life. The Apostle Paul says, “Do you not know that in a race, the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”(1 Corinthians 9: 24)

Today, we will learn 4 very simple yet profound principles that will get you in shape and ready to run the Race of Life and finish it with a flourish! These Four principles are summed up in what we call CROSS TRAINING. We have coined the phrase Cross training because this will help us remember the 4 simple principles: 4 arrows that go in four different directions, which form a CROSS.

As we talk about these 4 principles, the Bible itself puts it all in perspective when it declares, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”(1 Timothy 4:8)

NORTHBOUND ARROW ^ —This symbolizes us communicating to God through PRAYER. Prayer is the backbone of a Christian’s life. A prayerless life is a powerless life, and if we fail to pray, we are telling God that we don’t need Him and can make it on our own. In fact, the bible commands us to “pray without ceasing (continually)”, and “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6.). God wants to bless us more than we want to bless ourselves, but sometimes because we forget to pray, we are not able to receive all the blessings God has available for us. If we fail to pray, we are like hi-tech electrical appliance that is not plugged in to the electrical outlet.

SOUTHBOUND ARROW—This symbolizes how God communicates to us—through His Word, the Bible. Every player needs a coach who will tell him what to do to maximize his potential and what the game plan is. What would happen if a player refuses to listen to his coach, or is just plain ignorant of what the coach wants him to do? He will mess up the team and end up humiliating himself and others. He will also end up sitting on the bench until he learns to follow the coach’s instructions. Do you want to be usable for God in building His eternal kingdom or a benchwarmer watching from the sidelines? Paul reminded his young apprentice Timothy that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16,17).

EASTBOUND ARROW-------> Symbolizes us communicating and growing together in the faith with other Christians. This is called FELLOWSHIP. This is actually a crucial component of our strength and conditioning as a Christian. When we see more mature believers living out the Bible right before us, it encourages us to live for God. When we hear stories or testimonies of how God worked in the life of another person, we are motivated to follow in his or her footsteps because we realize that we are serving a living God who is involved in each one of our lives. And when more people are gathered together for fellowship, the impact is even more dynamic! This phenomenon is called Synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The bible says “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshipping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25). As a practical application, many members of this basketball team actually meet together within the week to fellowship and study the bible together. You are most welcome and encouraged to join us as we seek to grow in the Lord together and help each other run the Race of Life ‘til the end. King David himself exclaimed in one of his songs, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

WESTBOUND ARROW <-------------- Symbolizes how we should be communicating our faith and relationship with God to those people who may not yet have a personal relationship with the Lord. This is called WITNESSING. A witness is one who talks about what he has personally seen, heard and experienced. This is often the most neglected part of Cross-training but it is just as vital as the other components. God has not yet taken us into heaven after we came to know Him in a personal way because He wants us to stay here for a mission—and that is to talk to others about the forgiveness and salvation that God offers through His Son Jesus Christ. And when we do this, God honors it by causing the growth in our lives. Listen to what one of the New Testament writers says, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you may have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” (Philemon 6). As an athlete, we may not be getting all the vitamins and nourishment vital to our strength and conditioning if we fail to share our faith to other people through witnessing. Just like taking the game winning free throws can be frightening, doing this can really be scary, but imagine the rejoicing that will take place after you are able to do your part because you have practiced well. After all, all God asks is for your availability!

The Christian race is not a difficult one—it is impossible! Only Jesus Christ can live it, but we can persevere in His power and strength by making sure we are in the best spiritual condition possible. As we end, let’s read what the Apostle Paul said: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

You are invited to Bible Studies and Worship Services at CCF:

CCF ST. FRANCIS SQUARE
4/F Saint Francis Square Tiangge Building
Julia Vargas Ave. cor Bank Drv.
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Tel: (63 2) 635-3410 to 17; (+632) 6333483; (+632) 6333484
Fax: (63 2) 635-3418
CCF St. Francis Website

CCF ALABANG
3F, CCF Bldg. Prime St.
Madrigal Business Park
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel: (63 2) 772-3035 to 39
Fax: (63 2) 772-3031
CCF Alabang Website

Other CCF Locations

NBA Quick Highlights 1

NBA quick highlights will features some of the great plays from games of the previous day. So better catch them here at HoopsTV.

Videos from kissingslits of Youtube.

Tyrus Thomas Put Back vs. Miami


Sefolosha Dunk


Wade Crossover