NBA stars beat PBA selection in exhibition match

MANILA, Philippines (July 24 2011) – Visiting NBA stars led by Kobe Bryant playing under the banner of SMART All-star team drubbed the PBA stars, 131-105, in the first game of the Ultimate All-star weekend at the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum last night.

Nobody really gave much of a chance for the locals to beat the NBA stars who are among the best players in the world but the crowd waited with bated breath just every move the NBA stars made.

For the PBA stars, it was an experience that borders on the surreal.

The visiting cage superstars, lustily cheered on by the crowd from the call-out rites, responded from the warm-up, setting the tone of the electrifying night early with an array of slams.

The crowd went wild as Derrick Rose was called to the floor and the fans went wilder as the Black Mamba took his turn – the last being the main man -- to enter the court.

Javale McGee, who was tireless in executing jams, paced the NBA stars with 25 points with Kevin Durant, Derrick Williams, Tyreke Evans, James Harden, Bryant and Chris Paul adding double-digit numbers.

The NBA side took the half at 66-50, putting in mostly slams in the opening quarter then bombing away three-pointers in the second period.

It was an ultimate show of dunks with the NBA stars scoring their first three baskets on slams and closing out the half with a total of 18.

The show shifted to three-point shooting in the second quarter with Kevin Durant, Derrick Williams and Tyreke Evans combining for seven treys to rip apart a close 35-32 count.

At the half, the duo of Harden and Paul beat the Filipino pair of Larry Fonacier and LA Tenorio in a special three-point shootout, 24-22.

The local stars had their own highlight stuffs that got the crowd on their feet.

Arwind Santos scored the game’s first basket on a two-handed breakaway jam, Jason Castro stole off Paul twice leading to two other PBA fastbreaks and Sol Mercado shaking off Derrick Fisher’s defense for a layup.

The two teams figured in six lead changes before the NBA team took the lead for good, opening its first double-digit spread at 52-40 on three straight triples by Williams and Durant.

Durant, a two-time NBA scoring champion, banged away back-to-back treys from way, way out after challenged by game defender Rabeh Al-Hussaini.

Player-coach Bryant fielded himself, Durant, Paul, Rose and McGee as their starting five against Santos, Castro, James Yap, Mark Caguioa and Sonny Thoss.

Despite chants of “Ko-be! Ko-be! Ko-be!” the five-time champion LA Lakers star sat out the final quarter, probably saving his energy for tomorrow’s game against Smart Gilas Pilipinas.

Businessman-sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan, whose giant group and foundation organized the blockbuster event, made the ceremonial toss after the unveiling of the brand-new Smart Araneta Coliseum marker on the Big Dome floor.

Smart entered into a business alliance with the Araneta Group, gaining naming rights on the historic sports arena that hosted among others the 1975, Thrilla in Manila, the 1973 ABC Championship, the 1978 World Basketball Championships and several concerts featuring music giants.

An overflowing crowd witnessed the PBA-NBA setto, adding to over 25 milion people who have watched over 6,000 events at the Big Dome.

NOTES: It was a real blockbuster event creating traffic jam on streets in and around the Araneta Center. Open parking spaces in the center and the Gateway Mall ground-level parking area were filled at noon……. Big events like this have its shares of problems, and this one was no exception. Mix-up in media accreditation prompted sports photographers to abandon the pre-game press conference at the Edsa Shangri-La Plaza Hotel.

The scores:

SMART All-Stars 131 -- McGee 25, Durant 22, Williams 19, Evans 17, Harden 16, Bryant 12, Paul 11, Rose 9, Fisher 0.

PBA All Stars 105 – Santos 25, Cabagnot 9, Pingris 9, David 8, Al-Hussaini 8, Mercado 8, Norwood 7, Reyes 6, Caguioa 4, Thoss 4, Castro 4, Intal 4, Seigle 4, Fonacier 3, Tenorio 2, Yap 0.

Quarterscores: 30-26, 66-50, 107-78, 131-105 (From philstar.com)