X Marks The Spot : Breaking It Down Since '05!

So, it's been more than a week now.

The coolest day of my life, that is. One week has already passed!

See, I've always been a big fan of Bamboo. This goes all the way back to '96, when I first heard "Kisapmata" on the radio. Up until that point, I never really cared much for Pinoy music. Maybe it was my age or something, but amazingly, Ace Of Base simply appealed to me more. Yeah...

But all that changed once I heard Rivermaya's "Kisapmata". Being exposed to Pinoy music was like opening a gift that had been sitting on the shelf for months. The next thing I know, I was hooked on music by Side A, the Eraserheads, South Border, and the like.

Above all that, though, I remained a big fan of Rivermaya.

Back in the age of cassette tapes, the only way to acquire these tapes was to physically hunt them down and purchase them from the store. This might not seem all that hard, but when the nearest record store from your house is four (!!!) freakin' hours away, you really don't have much of a choice. So, really, since I was only maybe 9 or 10 at that time, I could only go out when my parents did. And at that period, they had just moved to Davao, so there was no way for me to buy the albums. Looking back now, I truly pity myself... It got to the point where I resorted to imagining what the album cover looks like! Countless days where spent on me waiting for the songs to be played on the radio, then pressing "Record" as soon as the DJ stopped yapping. Yeah, it was pretty desperate, but without MP3s and the internet, I didn't really have a choice. So, basically, I had a collection of songs that either: (a) had some random dude introducing the song or (b) started during the 2nd line of the song. Nice.

So, really, it wasn't really surprising that when I finally arrived in the "land of no traffic", Davao City, I immediately went to the mall and purchased their first two albums. Great. Now whenever we would accompany my dad on one of his trips to Gen. Santos or Cagayan de Oro, we would blast Rivermaya non-stop! Especially fun considering it was a noisy (at that time) album and the pick-up we rode on was full of 40 and 50-somethings. Good times, indeed.

And all this brings me back to why I wrote this piece.

Bamboo.

When he made his comeback, I was really unsure of how I felt about his music. I never really liked "inspirational" songs. To me, they always sounded too "preachy". So when they released "Noypi", I was probably the Filipino who felt unmoved by the cut. And man, when I think about it now, I feel so f*cking stupid. Not feeling probably the only great modern song that empowers and applauds the filipino spirit? Shit. I really deserved all the stupidity I felt, and then some.

Eventually though, with Kricket's insistence that I appreciate the new Bamboo's music, I finally did. The more I listened, the more I felt the emotions. It was nothing like how I saw it before. This was like looking at an object from a fresh perspective, with a new renewed sense of purpose. Merely hearing the music didn't do it justice. It was more than that, and thankfully, I understood it now. And right then and there, it was over. I was once again hooked on the band. Only now, it was more than just music to me. Now it was art.


So imagine my surprise when Kricket told me she could score free tickets to Bamboo's concert! Through some weird way, she knew the drummer (Vic Mercado) and a friend of Nathan Azarcon (the bassist).

And when the band hit Davao for a small concert way back in February, we were there. In another pleasant surprise worthy of lots of hugs and kisses (YEAH!), Kricket somehow managed to have us stay at Nathan and Vic's hotel room before their concert.

A quick refresher, just to clarify the magnitude of this event...

In the first part of my series, I documented how I fell out of love with the NBA Live series by the 2006 edition.

For Part 2, I have to be fair. Unlike past Live editions, when their "new features" were about as useful as a 3-pointer at the buzzer when your team's down by four, 2009 actually seems very innovative.

It's going to take a lot for Live to win me back, but so far, everything they've shown looks interesting. And really, we have to admit that this could be the next step in sports games. As much as Live's gameplay emulates a sport which is nothing like basketball, we have to give them due props for trying to move the sport forward. As soon as I typed that last sentence, I sneezed... Guess my body's still not used to giving EA Sports compliments.

You can find the full list of features here, but it's all smoke and mirrors. Yeah, they're cool (or so it seems), but it's their jobs to make them sound cool. Only a fan knows which features are truly important, so let me enumerate the things NBA Live '09 has going for it.

Dynamic DNA - "...which evaluates Player DNA that breaks down how a player scores, Team DNA that rates how the players on the floor play as a unit and Tendencies that refer to the percentage a player drives left, right or shoots from each spot on the floor."

This is the single biggest reason why I even started writing this series. When I first read about the Dynamic DNA, I was blown away. A system that updates player stats and tendencies based on real-life performances?!? Wow. Remember the days when we were stuck with whatever rating the players had? Yeah, we could tweak their ratings, but it would have been inaccurate. And it would have been a lot of work. And more than that, it was their tendencies that really needed editing. It's common in the actual NBA for a player to adjust their style to fit their new team better. And somehow, that was never reflected in video games before.

Another great thing about this is the Team DNA. I hope they can somehow incorporate this into the way the CPU constructs their franchise. It really annoys me to no end when CPU makes random trades that does their team more harm than good. Yeah, you traded your best PG for a stud C, but what use is it when you already have a stud C in your team? Hopefully, this Team DNA gives each team its own identity to build around on. So, in a perfect world, the run & gun Phoenix Suns would never trade for a player like Shaq (oh, wait...). And as the years go by, this would also (hopefully) allow a team to change styles. Using the Suns again, when Steve Nash retires, then obviously the helter skelter style would have to change (unless the CPU is smart enough to develop a PG similar to Nash's style). Now that the team revolves around Amare Stoudemire, then hopefully they'd target players that complements his style. Or the CPU could decide to "rebuild". The possibilities are limitless, but I seriously doubt that they would extend to the Dynasty Mode for this year. Wish this could make its way to the game by next year, though.

The other thing that EA Sports does really well is present their product in the most authentic way possible. If you are new to the basketball game market, you'd immediately think that Live is the one to own. And for that, you have to give EA props.

From hyping their games months before the release date, holding mega-parties, granting interviews to NBA superstars and locking in the ESPN license, EA Sports has the marketing aspect on a stranglehold. And when it comes to features, they continuously cook up every NBA fans' dreams.


First off, one thing that I always liked about Live is their FIBA license. Yeah, the rosters' player ratings are appropriately inferior, but how classic would it be to match up the US with Spain? Or how about using Greece and Argentina? Just one more example of how EA knows how to sell games. Next thing we know, they'll have the WNBA license ready for next year.

Their presentation is also always slick, and their soundtracks always feauture more big-names. Not saying 2k should go mainstream, but they definitely could take a page from EA and try to crank up the hype machine like never before. The last thing I would want is EA locking up the NBA license the way they locked up the NFL's. Hell, even 2k's college ball game has been cancelled!

As for the other features, some of them were found in 2k8's games. The playcalling system, lockdown control and NBA Academy are basically just rehashes of 2k's games.

So far, the gameplay of Live seems much improved (although eerily similar to 2k's), but there are still some animations that are nowhere near natural. Honestly, it looks much like a less polished version of NBA 2k8, and right now, 2k9 should really blow 2k8 out of the water. But let's reserve judgment until we see more.

Basically, the Dynamic DNA is the one thing that could possibly leapfrog Live back to respectability. If this feature truly changes the way players and teams play, then this will be a success. But if the technology proves to be too advanced for the gameplay, then it's all for nothing. The promise is there, let's hope it works out.

For Part 3, I will talk about how the basketball game world can improve more, and updates on how 2k9 is looking. But for now, check the latest preview out for NBA 2k9. Makes you wish it's already October, eh?

* PART ONE OF AN ATTEMPT TO BREAK DOWN NBA 2k9 & NBA LIVE '09 *

When it comes to basketball games, it really boils to just two titles: EA Sports' NBA Live series, and 2K Sports' NBA 2K series.

Back on the PlayStation One, I was a Live guy. Granted, it was essentially the only basketball game around (Sony's ShootOut SUCKED), so it was really no contest. But still, back then it was a very good game. It was the first game to allow mid-air passing, a season mode, full stat tracking and even feature a "defensive stance" button.

My love for Live continued into the PS2. Although the 2001 edition sucked big-time (worst rebounding physics ever), they made up for it the next year and actually offered a playable game. Then, a few years later, they would introduce the use of the right analog stick. This made the game feel more natural, as the right analog stick basically acted as the player's "arms". Want to steal left? Flick it to the left side. Want to pull off a crossover going to the right? Done. I remember reading the ads and previews for that game, and it only increased my hunger. Back then, I had no idea of the official release date, so I would call the game store everyday just to know if they had it on stock.


This addiction continued up until NBA Live 2005 (pictured above), which I consider to be the greatest Live ever. Just like Chris Paul and the Hornets, everything clicked in that title. By this time, I feel that EA had perfected the balance between offense and defense. You had strong offensive groups (Sac-town, what up!) that could shoot the lights out every game. But in addition to that, defense wasn't just an afterthought. Yeah, you had strong shooters, but you were allowed to play great defense, too. Defense that actually prevented the opposition from scoring, mind you. Back in a time when paying Ben Wallace $ 10+ mill per year seemed like a pretty great idea, Live was the king. Just remembering the Saturdays when we would play until 4:00 am comforts my soul.

But then, by 2006, Live started regressing. In Dwyane Wade's cover year, I started my "fallout" with Live. The game had transformed into a shootfest, one that negated any defense at all. Yeah, you could go "steal-crazy" (like I did with King James and Laura Hughes), but it felt more like a bug. Activate you damn superstar power, and simply press the steal button and voila! You're suddenly running the break. B*llshit.


I had been hearing lots of great things about the 2k series by then, so I decided to buy the 2007 editions of NBA 2k and Live. I bought Live '07 first, and after playing one quarter of it, I decided I was done. The game was just terrible. How could the graphics get worse every year? Damn.

So, despite my strong dislike for Shaq, I bought 2k7. I remember buying it the day before the final exam of a subject I was thisclose to failing. Asking me to not play it asap was like asking Ruben Studdard to "take it easy" on the buffalo wings.

Anyways, upon playing it, I was blown away. Here was a game where the players actually planted one foot, pivoted, before they ran in the other direction! I'm not joking, those were the things that mattered to me. Simply put, this was everything Live was not, and I was thankful for that.

Hell, when everybody was buying an XBox 360 for Halo and Mass Effect, I bought it primarily to play NBA 2k8. Right now, I've answered 120+ trivia questions correctly in the game, which should tell you how much I play this game. This is true next-gen basketball, with numerous animations, much improved gameplay and a deeper Associaton mode. How can a basketball junkie not love this?!?

However, I haven't been hearing a lot about NBA 2k9. Considering it's scheduled to be released in early October, to not have more info available is seriously confusing. They do plan on releasing one, right?

This worries me because Live is seemingly going all out for NBA Live 2009. I'm certainly no 2k fanboy. And I have no qualms giving Live credit if they truly deserve it. But Live does this year after year. They promise a great set of features, they guarantee us improve gameplay, they swear to us improved A.I., but like Tracy McGrady, they never come through. So that's why I would much rather see 2k cranking out the hype machine by now. They always seem to deliver on their promises and their gameplay is pretty much set in stone. Any improvement should only make the game that much better.

Right now, that's Part 1 for 'ya. I plan on doing this up until the release of both games (and maybe even beyond that). There's so much more to discuss, after all. When it comes to basketball, nothing is too much. Nothing.

For Part 2, I'll be talking more about NBA Live '09's impressive and staggering list of innovations. If there's one edition that's likely to bring me back to Live's arms, this could be it. Crazy.
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Epilogue: Glad to see Jay and Kanye teaming up to change the game once more. Not that this is surprising, but damn this song will be a hit.



Last 5 songs played on my iPod:
1. POD - Tenacious D, "The Pick Of Destiny"
2. Superstition - Stevie Wonder, "The Music Of Stevie Wonder"
3. B*tches & Sisters - Jay-Z, "The Blueprint 2"
4. Reason Why - Rachael Yamagata, "OST: The Last Kiss"
5. Dahil Sa'yo Sa Himig Ng Aking Gitara - Hale, "Twilight"

The date was July 17, 2008.

The place, the United States Embassy in Manila.

And the time, it was early in the morning.

We left Bulacan at around 4:30 am, hoping to avoid the grating traffic. We can't be late, can't play with fire. Not today, at least. This was a very important day.

What happens today could very well decide if I will be able to go to the USA.

So, there we were at Baywalk at around 6:00 am, two full hours early for our interview. I was groggy and sleepy, but I'm glad I woke up early today. I've never been to Manila Bay at this time of the day, and I must say, I'm missing out on a lot here. As polluted as Manila is, I thought the air here was fresh. I can see why numerous people would want to wake up at 5:00 am and jog here.

Anyways, as luck (or lack of it) would have it, my documents needed for the appearance were incomplete. Instead of having the last page of my papers stamped with "$ 131.00", only "$ 31.00" was stamped.

It was 7:30 am when I found out about this, so in 30 minutes, I had to find a way to somehow put a "1" there. The VISA officer probably felt my desperation, so she offered me a postponement. I had to be there again by 10:00 am, otherwise my interview (and the f*cking $ 131.00 I paid) would be nullified. Sh*t. And to make matters worse, BPI opens at 9:00 am. Great.

We went to the nearest BPI branch we knew (the UN Avenue branch) and basically conducted a stakeout. It was really funny... I know how cautious and scared of robberies these banks are, so it must have been weird for them to see this car parked directly outside of their office an hour before they were supposed to open. Haha. And for us to tell them we were waiting for the dude who carries the keys to the vault (who I shall dub the "Keymaster" from this point on), well, let's just say the security guards were earning their pay at this moment.

So we waited and waited for the Keymaster to arrive. The wait eventually turned into a guessing game, where we tried to determine whether the person entering the bank was the boss or not.

Sample quote: "'Di yan yung boss, tingan mo, ang pangit ng kotse oh..."

And so he arrived. He was a little dude, the guy you'd never think holds the key to moolah. But he was nice. Unfortunately, he wasn't of much help. He politely directed us to another branch of BPI nearby (I think it was the Dewey Ave. branch?). He told me that was the office that dealt with problems like this, since it happens often. WTF?!?! Not exactly the best endorsement for BPI...

At around 9:00 am, I finally got BPI to correct their error. So we hurried off to the Embassy, and thankfully we were able to get inside. I really think that the appointment times are useless, as we weren't even questioned inside.

So there we were, waiting for our turn. I have to credit the Embassy here, the whole process was very seamless. Though the waiting time was a bit long, it was never a hassle. As an IE, I admire it. As an applicant, I love it.

While inside the interview room, I noticed that the person sitting in front of me is LA Tenorio of the Alaska Aces. I fought the urge to ask him what the hell he was doing here when the PBA season was in full swing. Then I remembered, his team was eliminated the previous week. Since I like him as a player (and former Blue Eagle), I didn't rub it in his face.

*By the way, since I saw him on US soil, does that technically mean I've met a basketball player in the US?*

Anyways, my grandma and I were called for our turn. I thought the interview would take place inside a room and we would all sit together and discuss stuff. I was wrong, though... We were asked to stand up during the whole interview and answer his questions by speaking at the mic/radio hybrid attached on the glass. It was really awkward.

The interview lasted about 5 short minutes, and in that span of time, we had to convince him we were coming back here. I can't say I really got to unleash my whole "I love the Philippines so much I just have to come back" speech, since he was directly asking my grandma the questions.

At the end of it all, he didn't trust us. He didn't believe we'd come back. And to think, I shaved the goatee I grew for 4 months for this.

And there it was. We were denied a VISA. We wouldn't be going to the US anytime soon. The leave-with-no-pay, waking up at 3 am on a perfectly good day to sleep, the $ 131.00 application fee, the stakeout at BPI, everything... It all went down the drain. In 5 freaking minutes.

And you know what? I'm actually relieved. And truthfully, I was happy.

Yes, the sting of disappointment was undeniable. It was the US, after all. But overall, though, I was kinda glad that I wasn't leaving Davao yet.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be with my family again... But right now, I'm loving life alone. This is the first time I've been left behind for an extended period of time, and somehow, I feel good about it.

Right now, there's too much to leave behind. Kreng's still here. My closest friends are here, some of my relatives are here, and I'm still loving my job. Hell, ever since my mom left, I've gotten so much more involved in her business. I was given a taste and an idea of how to run a business, and right now, I think I'm doing a decent job. Since I have so much time to myself, I've even found the time to play more basketball than I ever did before.

As much as I thought life would be harder with them not around, the exact opposite has happened. My life has slowed down, and I feel more relaxed lately.

See, all these were just pipe dreams when they were still here. Now, they are facts.

I never meant for this post to sound like I like it better when they're not around. Or that I feel like I can truly live on my own right now. Very far from that, in fact.

What I mean is, with them not around all the time, I've been learning new tricks everyday. How to spend money wisely, paying (though not with my own cash) the bills, thinking of ways to cut costs, knowing your limits, learning the value of good health, etc. The importance of all those things have been amplified the second they went to the US. And right now, I'm still feeling things out.

And the denied application only means more opportunities to grow.

For that, I can safely say that it was truly a blessing in disguise.
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Epilogue: Music is a universal language. And music tells so much about a person. So in an effort to let you know me better, here are the last five songs shuffled and played on my iPod. Interpret them however the hell you want to.

1. "Believe Me, Natalie" - The Killers, Hot Fuss
2. "I Got A Woman" - The John Mayer Trio, TRY!
3. "I Want You" - Common, Finding Forever
4. "Hola' Hovito" - Jay-Z, The Blueprint
5. "Light Powered" - Deastro, Ghostly Swim

Ok, I know everybody's talking about the past Draft these days, but I got something else on my mind...

Is the NBA Championship all that it's cracked up to be?

To avoid further discussion, YES. Yes, it is. It truly is the greatest prize in the sport, the sole goal (ideally) of any professional basketball player.

But somehow, I keep asking myself: is it really the best gauge of a player's greatness? I mean, if Player X puts up virtually the same stats as Player Y, but Player Y happens to win more titles in his career, is he truly better? Or is there something else there that we just don't see? Or, more importantly, does he deserve to be seen as the greater athlete?

And really, despite all the hoopla that is the NBA Draft and the impending Free Agency period, I keep coming back to this one topic. Maybe the high of seeing the Celtics win is still fresh in my mind, or maybe it's because I don't really know most of the players in the Draft, but this is one thing that I keep thinking about.

And it always brings me back to two players.

Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan. Big Ticket, Big Fundamental.

You see, as recently as 2006, it would have been blasphemous to say that Kevin Garnett was on the same level as Tim Duncan. Talent-wise, you might be right. But in everything else? Nuh-uh. Tim Duncan was always the better player, the smarter leader, the greater teammate. Kevin Garnett was always the "lovable loser", a transcendent superstar with street cred to match that just couldn't seem to win anything substantial.

The stats? They played to a virtual stalemate. Timmy D averages 21.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 51% FG, and 2.4 BPG. KG? He averages 20.4 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 4.4 APG, 49% FG, and 1.6 BPG. Really, they were always thisclose to each other in terms of stats.

So why all the love for TD while KG was left in the cold? Simple. The rings. The titles. The chips.

Throughout the years, Tim Duncan was seen as the champion between the two. He's boring as hell, sure, but he was a proven winner. He brought four titles to San Antonio and won the Finals MVP thrice. As charismatic as Garnett was/is, all that really matters is the ring count. And up until 2008, the scorecard read: Tim Duncan: 4 & Kevin Garnett: 0.

But somehow, that changed this past June. Kevin Garnett suddenly got his. The prize was his. And just like that, claiming that KG is as good as Duncan suddenly didn't sound that ridiculous. There were doubters, obviously, what with Paul Pierce winning the Finals MVP, but there was no more doubting that Kevin Garnett was now a "winner".

And, really, that's what's led me to make this post. That's what made me ask the all-important question...

Why? Why just now? Why not then?

Why did it take me (along with so many other people) just now to recognize the realness? Why is my heart and my mind suddenly comfortable with KG being a "champion". But more importantly, why was it hard for me then to recognize his excellence when he was playing much, much better? Better than he did this year. Or at least just as well. Why?

To put it bluntly, this really made me question the tags we place on so-called winners. Yes, of course their excellent play led them to their titles. And yes, they aren't really chopped liver. But, in my mind, it could also be because of the situation they were placed in.

Remember, when Kevin Garnett was drafted back in '95, he played for an unidentifiable Minnesota team. No real history yet, no pride, no great players on board to teach him the game... And by his second year, he was producing well.

Contrast that with the Tim Duncan Robot, who was placed on a team that had David Robinson, Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott. All proven winners, all with playoff experience.

Not to take anything away from Timmy D, though, because he's clearly elite, but man... Could his job be any easier?

I hope by now you catch my drift. But if not, it's simply this. Assume KG was in Duncan's place... Still believe he'd have lost all those first-round match-ups? Titles really are important, believe me. But maybe it doesn't really tell us the whole f*cking story.

Maybe Minnesota wasn't really KG's fault.

Maybe he's a victim of dumb management.

And maybe, throughout the years, he was truly as good as Tim Duncan.

And we only recognize that now? For shame.
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P.S. I really wanted to post this separately, but I don't know much about boxing to dedicate a whole post to it. But I am EXTREMELY elated my fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao dominated once more.

And to the people befuddled by my sudden KG love, this video probably has a lot to do with it. Enjoy.