It’s basketball to the next level now in the National Basketball Association (NBA).  Regular season is over and the playoffs are on.  Topping the standings for the playoff season are defending champions the Detroit Pistons for the Eastern Conference and former champs the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference.

 

Completing the cast for the Eastern Conference playoffs are Miami, New Jersey, Cleveland, Washington, Indiana, Chicago and Milwaukee in that order.  In the Western Conference, the playoffs will see Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Memphis, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento in that order.

An interesting attraction in the playoffs is the presence and possibly, meeting, of two big names in current NBA history — LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.  Both these excellent players sat out the playoffs last season but they’re here to showcase their talents and make history for their teams.

The two are actually neck and neck in the battle for the MVP award with Kobe enjoying an advantage in points per game at 35.4 (no. 1) and James with an average clip at 31.4 points (no. 3).  If things go their way, it will be one spectacular matchup to see their teams squaring it off.  Wether that will happen in the finals or elsewhere, it does not really matter.  I’m hoping that they will play on the same court soon.

It’s been out in the news lately that Manny Pacquiao will train in the Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City for his July 2 meeting with Mexican Oscar Larios.  He will train first in the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach in the U.S. then fly back home to do his final workouts in the Philippines’ Summer Capital.

I don’t feel good about the choice of having the Teacher’s Camp as Pacquiao’s training ground.  I have three reasons.

One, the teacher’s camp is right in the heart of the city.  Implications?  It’s highly accessible to everyone, and visitors, kibitzers, paparazzis and, of course, fans might cause some disruptions in Manny’s last minute preparations.  Also, he may be tempted to sneak out of the training camp and roam around the enticements of Baguio.

Two, the Teacher’s Camp is normally booked for some conferences, trainings, seminars and the like because of its affordable rates and, as mentioned, its easy accessibility.  Are they going to close the place for business and make its use exclusive for the PACMAN?  If that’s not the case, then reason #2 will definitely have some effects on his training especially that it’s already a public knowledge that he will train there.

Three, it has nothing to do with the Teacher’s Camp but it may be well to consider that he train in a more secluded place in Baguio.  A place not easily accessible and thinly populated so that Team Pacquiao will have most of the control in the training.  When there are few distractions from other people, all you have to contend with are distractions within your controllable group.

What can you say?