of the NBA Finals, French Open and Shaq

NBA Finals:

Current standing 2-1 in favor of Miami.

So far, it has been an exciting series.  Both the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks are giving it their all just to win the trophy.  But honestly, as much as I love the team, I am truly disappointed with the way the Mavs are playing right now.  They only have Dirk Nowitzki… the rest of the team cannot give him the support he needs.  Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion are doing their best, but Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are not.  I mean, they are giving it their best, but they need to step up their game in order for them to win, especially Terry.   They are going against Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh… they need more than Dirk to win this series.

French Open:

Honestly, I was hoping that Novak Djokovic would win this Grand Slam event but I guess it was not meant to be.  So, Novak fell to Roger Federer on their semi-finals match, ending his streak at 42 – 0.  And Roger fell to the King of Clay courts, Rafael Nadal.  Congratulations to Rafa for his 10th Grand Slam and his 6th French Open title.  With the way he is going, I guess he has a shot at breaking Roger’s record of 16 Grand Slam titles.  But then, we are talking about Fed-Ex here… who knows how many more titles he will get before he retires.  As for Novak, he will eventually win more titles, and maybe someday overthrow Rafa and Roger from their seats.

Shaq:

After 19 long years, Shaquille O’Neal bids farewell to the NBA.  He has had a spectacular career and will be honored in the Hall of Fame someday.  But I highly doubt that we have heard the last of him.  At any rate, he took us in one hell of a ride during his time.  Good luck Big Diesel!

Djokovic vs. Federer for French Open semis

Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer.  Sounds like a Grand Slam final match-up, right?. But unfortunately, it’s not.  It’s still is in the semis and both of this players are playing very well.  Right now, I find it very hard to guess which of my two favorite players will win.

First, we have Novak.  He is the MAN right now in the tennis world.  Currently, he stands at 42-0… yes, he is still undefeated since his run at this year’s Australian Open.  And now, he is taking a shot at history by trying to break John McEnroe‘s 1984  record (42 wins from the start of the year… currently tied) and Guillermo Vilas‘ longest winning record (46 straight wins).  Whether he will be able to achieve it or not, we shall see.

On the other hand, we have Roger.  Currently ranked number 3 in the ATP rankings… as compared to Novak, number 2.  But he is also a record holder on his own right.  Having won 16 Grand Slam titles, and currently, is playing at his best form.

With this current match-up,  its really hard to decide who will win.  How will Roger handle Novak, who is playing his best tennis right now?  Will this be a repeat of the Australian Open semis?  Or will a different result come about?

Whether Novak will make history or Roger ends his streak is still unclear.  But right now, from my point of view, both of them are equally matched.  It will all come down to who wants it the most.  Can’t wait for their match this friday.

Late: Aussie Open Report

Congratulations to both KIM CLIJSTERS and NOVAK DJOKOVIC for winning the Australian Open crown for the women and men’s tournament, respectively.  Kim with her 4th title and Novak with his second.

Also, Congratulations to BOB and MIKE BRYAN for winning their fifth Aussie Open Doubles crown, as well as, to GISELA DULKO and FLAVIA PENNETTA for the women’s doubles crown, their first.

 

 

No Rafa… No Fed Ex…

Okay, so this will be an interesting Australian Open Finals.  Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer won’t be participating in it.  Just earlier, Fed Ex was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in a thrilling three setter match with the final score 7-6, 7-5, 6-4.  Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the match but for sure, it was exciting.  I was listening to the online radio broadcast from the Australian open official site, and it sounded like a great match.  Well, coming from both of them, it should be.

I think this will be the second time that either Rafa or Fed Ex won’t be featured in this Australian Open final.  I believe the last time was when Novak won his first Grand Slam, when he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open.   This will be Novak’s second time to reach the final for this tournament.

As for his opponent, it has yet to be decided.  Tomorrow’s match will be Andy Murray against David Ferrer, the man whop ousted Rafa in the previous round [6-4, 6-2, 6-3].  I hope it will be a match between Murray and Djokovic.

As for the womens tournament, Kim Clijsters will be facing Na Li of China.  Na Li will be the first player from China to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament.  It will be a pretty exciting match even though most people (including me) believes that the Belgian will win this one.  Still, Na Li is a pretty tricky player, so she also has a chance to upset Kim here.

Looks like the finals for both the men and womens tournament will be fun.

NBA Mid-season report and Aussie Open updates…

NBA:

With most NBA teams now approaching its midway point (41 games), NBA.com has now released its Mid-season Report Cards for all the teams.  Currently on top for offense, we have the SAN ANTONIO SPURS while the CHICAGO BULLS gets the #1 spot for the defense.  To view the scorecards of your respective teams, you can access it directly here.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN:

Week 2 has begun and we are now well on our way to the quarterfinals.  A lot of surprising exits has happened last week including ROBIN SODERLING, ANDY RODDICK, JOHN ISNER and a lot more.  For the women, JUSTINE HENIN, VENUS WILLIAMS, ANA IVANOVIC, MARIA SHARAPOVA, are among the top names who were eliminated from last week’s competition.   Here are the current draws for both the men and women singles.  Or you can view it from the Australian Open website here.

 

Mens Quarter-finals draw

Women's Quarter-finals draw

 

NBA All-Star is now fast approaching.  The starters will be announced this Jan 27.  As for the Aussie Open, I hope to get the chance to watch the final matches on TV.  As long as I’m not busy.