On Poetry

Many years ago, I tried my hand at poetry. 

A couple of my early “poems” were published in the student paper back in college, and I thought I could probably develop my poetry writing skills more, try to improve on my fledgling attempts. 

I dropped it. Never tried to write a poem ever since. 

I used to love reading poetry too. (I still enjoy the occasional poetry collection now and then, but fiction is still my go-to read.) I loved trying to make sense of the meaning of every poem, because to me a well-written poem should be metaphorical. What you see isn’t what you get. A well-written poem is a puzzle to be solved. 

But ironically, the biggest reason I quit trying to write poetry is I couldn’t make use of metaphor or simile well. To me, my poems seemed superficial, shallow. Best leave it to the experts, I thought. 

Through the years I’ve come across writers who’ve argued that poems should be more “accessible,” and I’ve appreciated these “easy to read” poems as well. In Stephen King’s celebrated memoir “On Writing,” he narrated how he fell in love with his future wife, the novelist Tabitha King (who, back then, was still using her maiden name, Tabitha Spruce). 

Wrote King: “We met when we were working in a library, and I fell in love with her during a poetry workshop in the fall of 1969, when I was a senior and Tabby was a junior. I fell in love with her partly because I understood what she was doing with her work.” 

Specifically, in discussing one of Tabitha’s poems, King argued: “Her poem made me feel that I wasn’t alone in my belief that good writing can be simultaneously intoxicating and idea-driven . . . . There was also a work-ethic in the poem that I liked, something that suggested writing poems (or stories, or essays)

had as much in common with sweeping the floor as with mythy moments of revelation . . . . In the discussion that followed Tab’s reading, it became clear to me that she understood her own poem. She knew exactly what she had meant to say, and had said most of it . . . . The point is that it was a reasonable poem in a hysterical time, one sprung from a writing ethic that resonated all through my heart and soul.” 

There’s this popular Filipino writer and creative writing professor that I admire and whose work I’ve enjoyed reading—he has written fiction, essays, plays, screenplays, and poems—who has, himself, been pretty much self-effacing on his attempts at poetry, even though he has already successfully published a poetry collection, along with his novels and essay and short story collections, and his drama. I’ve also read poetry by Neil Gaiman (full disclosure: I’m aware of the recent allegations of sexual harassment against Gaiman, which has devastated me because he’s one of my favorite writers; I hope to write about this in a future blog post) and Chuck Palahniuk—none of whom are exactly known for their poetry. Their poems, at least in my estimation, are very accessible and are devoid of metaphor and simile. 

In Gaiman’s case, I read some of his poems when he decided to sprinkle them throughout his first short story collection, “Smoke and Mirrors,” probably as fillers. In Palahniuk’s case, his poems served as the framing device—or connecting tissue, if you will—for a collection of his short stories that he tried (quite unsuccessfully, in my opinion), to turn into a novel because that was what his publishers wanted him to put out for his next book, not a short story collection. 

Gaiman’s and Palahniuk’s poems reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry, probably because all three of them are known for writing about horror and the macabre—in both their poetry and fiction. And sure, a lot of Poe’s gothic and love poems require some moments of careful dissection (which is fun in and of itself), but a lot of them are of the WYSIWG (what you see is what you get) variety too. 

And of course, there are the so-called Instapoets, Lang Leav and Rupi Kaur, whose work has polarized readers worldwide. The Instapoets tag came about because their fans often describe Leav’s and Kaur’s work as “Instagrammable,” with quotable lines that are perfect for sharing. 

While some critics of the two Instapoets argue that their works lack complexity or depth, their stans assert that the emotional impact and relatability of their poems are what matter most. 

I have a huge problem with the gatekeeping of poetry; for me, Leav’s and Kaur’s poems make poetry accessible to a broader audience, particularly the younger generations. 

Or would we rather have them reading memes exclusively instead?

The Third Laptop

Lately I’ve been using three laptops.

One for my full-time job, one for my freelance gigs, and one for my personal (and, I’d like to think, more creative) pursuits.

The most powerful of the three is the newest, although I could tell right away when the IT guy handed it to me -- when I first visited my new place of employment -- that it wasn’t brand new. The second one might be significantly older than the first, but it still has enough juice to play old games with, and index books with, and listen to streaming music with -- I just have to leave it plugged in, because the battery has seen better days. The third one is the oldest, running on an ancient Pentium processor, but still better than the PC assigned to me many years ago when I used to work for a publishing company in the Philippines -- but that’s another (hilarious) story.

When I fire up the first laptop, which I do every morning from Monday to Friday (but now, more increasingly, also during weekends), I feel a sense of dread. I use it to write, sure, but also to attend Teams meetings and reply to emails and take what seems like never-ending online trainings. The writing part is increasingly being overtaken by the other non-essential things, which makes me wonder why my newest place of employment even bothered to hire a writer in the first place. But then again, that’s another (sad) story.

When I turn on the second laptop, there’s no sense of dread -- I index books on autopilot now; it’s like second nature. Many years ago when I worked as a copyeditor for that publishing company with the crappy PCs, there was only a handful of us who genuinely enjoyed indexing books. We used to joke that it was a menial job -- not as “intellectual” as editing -- but that someone had to do it. That someone was -- still is -- me. I relish indexing now as I relished it then, and I relish it more than ever because it’s a break from all those non-essential things I do on my first laptop.

It’s when I use the third laptop though -- the oldest and slowest, I don’t even connect it to the Internet anymore; it’s strictly a tool for writing and nothing more -- that I feel the most joy. It’s when I feel I’m making a difference, even though I haven’t gathered enough confidence yet to show the world the stuff I’d worked on all these years. 

I remember a scene in one of the episodes of “Better Call Saul” when Jimmy McGill reluctantly accepted a job at Davis & Main, and Jimmy stumbled upon founder Clifford Main playing the guitar in his office. Clifford said he plays music “to blow off steam” and advised Jimmy to find a similar hobby, as working for a high-powered law firm is a stressful job. Jimmy eventually found and bought a used bagpipe from a pawnshop, which in turn he played in his own office (Jimmy being Jimmy – or, should I say, Saul being Saul?), but -- as viewers who’ve already seen the episode know -- not to blow off steam but something else.

Anyway, I fired up the old laptop to blow off steam myself. I’m the type of person who can’t sleep when I’m stressed, and when I overthink I tend to write. But for some reason the words to build one of the things I’m not ready to show the world yet wouldn’t come. So I decided to pivot (I hate this fucking word; it’s one of those words I frequently hear when I use my first laptop, along with “bandwidth,” “core competencies,” “leverage,” “low-hanging fruit,” “deliverables,” “synergy,” “deep dive,” etc.).

This decision to “pivot” is a plea to everyone out there who has their own version of my third laptop: a guitar, a pen, a paintbrush, a tennis racket, a book, a gaming controller or, heck, a fucking BAGPIPE. 

Go to that version of your third laptop as frequently as you can. And relish it as much as I do whenever I build one of those things that I’m not ready to show the world yet. Relish it as much as Cliff Main did with his guitar, as much as Jimmy McGill relished playing his bagpipe just to fuck up the establishment.

Maybe someday we’ll wake up, and by a miracle of miracles the world won’t require us to fire up that primary laptop anymore (full of those “essential” non-essentials and hated corporate jargon) -- or whatever its equivalent is in your own working life -- just to help keep those poor billionaires (who, by the way, love funding genocides and wars) “afloat,” eh?

Strange

It's been eight years now living here in Mexico City, but I still find it strange when I think about it. To be writing this at the dining table on my old laptop, feeling the chill of the early afternoon creeping in from a window opened ever so slightly. Unless you're living in Baguio City in the Philippines, it's not usually commonplace to write "chill" and "early afternoon" in a single sentence. Of all the things I miss from the Philippines, it's the humidity that has to be last on the list. It's the kind of humidity that's unrelenting, the kind that sticks to you wherever you go. There's no escaping it.

Just like there's no escaping this feeling of strangeness that I mentioned to begin this blog post. If you told me twenty years ago that I'd be living here in Mexico City as a permanent resident with my Mexican wife -- and speaking passable Spanish at that! -- I wouldn't have believed you. I would have said you were bonkers. Twenty years ago I was trying to get out of my newspaper job after I found out that my dad was right all along -- journalism rarely pays. Well, it had been paying me for a little more than a year before the checks started arriving late. And I was getting tired of going to the payroll window of the office and demanding that they'd pay me on time because I was actually a pretty good employee and would submit my stories on time. In a few months I'd get another writing job with steadier pay, but that's another story.

I'm writing this on a break from work, and my cat, Willow, just jumped over the laptop. That's also another strange thing about my situation right now -- I actually own a cat. I've always been a dog person, ever since I got my first dog at the age of four or five, until I rescued my last one from the streets of Talisay City, Cebu, while cycling one day in the Philippines during the height of the pandemic. I was home for the wake and funeral of my mom, and then COVID happened, and everything was closed down. That time in my life was also a strange one, being away from Diana, who had to stay here in Mexico, and grieving the death of my mom. And not to mention, trying to make sense of the pandemic, something that nobody could have expected they would experience in their lifetime. 

So I bought a bike. And I pedaled my way through the deserted streets, trying to grieve and trying not to miss my then girlfriend (now my wife) and trying to make sense of the strangeness of it all. And as I was traversing a bridge, that was when I saw a tiny puppy that just narrowly missed getting flattened by a passing truck, and I sprang into action. That puppy is a healthy, full-grown dog now, which I sadly had to leave in the Philippines when I got the chance to fly back here to Mexico. But Daisy is under the good care of my dad and my brother, and I take solace that she's safe and sound and well fed. 

I have a bike here too. I bought it almost a year ago during a day Mexicans call Buen Fin, when online discounts are the norm. I got a very good deal from a website, had the bike delivered here to the apartment, but while I was assembling it with my wife we noticed that a few parts were missing. So we left the bike in its current almost-completely-assembled state, but not quite. I'd been meaning to take it to a bike shop to finally have it assembled, just buy the missing parts from the shop, but that day has yet to come. Meantime, the bike has been gathering dust in the corridor, waiting for its chance on the road. 

Strange is not bad. It took me several years to realize that, but I'm happy I did. I just turned forty-one, and I'd like to think that I've finally embraced my strangeness wholeheartedly. Many years ago, when I was in a jeepney bound for work, an old man seated across me kept staring at me. I knew he was weirded out by my stretched ears and my lip piercing. A few minutes before I was set to disembark, he snarkily told me that next time I should just wear handcuffs to complete my look. Not a few passengers in the jeepney broke in laughter at the old man's comment. Needless to say, I was embarrassed, but I couldn't think of something to say.

I'm pretty sure I looked strange to that old man. But now, even with the same piercings -- and with both arms also covered in tattoos -- I just laugh at that incident. At this age, I no longer care that much about what other people say. But even more than that, I feel that I've come to the right place. Here in Mexico City I've seen more pierced and tattooed people than in the Philippines, even though over there these kinds of things are also becoming more common. When I was new here and hardly spoke a lick of Spanish, it felt stranger, sure, but be that as it may, I never really felt like a stranger. 

Sure, I miss home. I miss my family, I miss my friends. I miss the food that I can't easily get or cook here, because of the scarcity of ingredients. But somehow, now, Mexico feels more like home than the Philippines. I don't know when I started to feel that way, but that's precisely how I feel.

It's strange, I know.

We Should Demand More from Our Public Servants Like We Do from Our Athletes

Sporting events like the Olympics or the Southeast Asian Games should be a wake-up call to a lot of Filipinos. Our athletes bust their asses day in and day out in training; they do their jobs to the best of their ability. They do their jobs even without a guaranteed budget because the money that should be given to them are stolen by politicians.

When are we going to demand that those useless pabigats and epals and sarap-buhays in Malacañang, in the Senate, in Congress, and in city halls all over the country do their jobs for a change? And, more importantly, not steal from the public coffers? What's worse is that these scumbags even have the audacity to steal the spotlight from our athletes when they win medals and bring pride and honor to the country.

We demand a lot from our athletes. We should demand more from our public servants.

Reading Comprehension Matters

The reason why people on Facebook can't distinguish between real and fake news, why they think a parody or satire website is reporting legit factual stories, and why they can't read between the lines or understand sarcasm is because the only shit they've read -- have ever read in their sorry lives, and will likely only read until the fucking day they die -- is the shit they read on Facebook.

A friendly tip if you're one of these dipshits: log off Facebook, delete your app, and start reading newspapers and books and even comics. Do that for years and years and years and years. When you think you're less stupid and are ready to come back to social media, then by all means, please, log in to your Facebook account again. But not before.

You would have done the world a great service.

Thank you.

Jude Bacalso Streaked While a Play Was Going On

This Jude Bacalso issue reminded me of an old column by the late Conrado de Quiros titled "Popoy," written way back in 2001.

De Quiros wrote of the labor leader Filemon "Popoy" Lagman -- who was assassinated in 2001 -- during one of the most difficult years of the Cory presidency:

"Some time during her term, Cory allowed the oil giants to raise oil prices despite widespread public perception that it was unjustified. The oil price increase swiftly triggered public protests, which snowballed into an entire movement called the Kilusang Rollback. Emboldened by this, and to 'raise the struggle to higher levels,' the NPA began stopping buses outside Metro Manila and burning them when their drivers refused to join the strike. As it turned out, the fires that consumed the buses consumed the protest movement as well. Overnight, the protest screeched to a halt. The bus burnings sparked angry protests from the public, the commuting masa above all."

Lagman called for a press conference, where he and other members of the New People's Army tried to justify the bus burnings to the press. According to De Quiros, they implored the journalists to "look at the bigger picture," and insisted that the bus burnings were part of a strategy against the Aquino administration's decision to side with the oil companies.

De Quiros was having none of it.

"I disagreed, saying the media reports about the protest had a sense of proportion and fairly accurately reflected the public sentiment about the bus burnings," De Quiros wrote. "I myself had called the people who wreaked them a bunch of terrorists in my [previous] column. Popoy answered back, and before long I found myself arguing heatedly -- for the first time in my life in a press conference -- with the person I was supposed to be interviewing. Popoy was saying in a raised voice: 'No, you people were wrong to exploit the sensational and draw public attention away from the real issues in the protest.' I replied in equally heatedly: 'People are watching a play, when suddenly someone darts out from nowhere and streaks in front of the stage. Whom do you think people will watch -- the characters on the stage or the streaker? That was what you did when you burned the buses -- you streaked while a play was going on. Don't blame the media.'"

I remembered this old column because Bacalso, who was -- in his own words -- trying to "educate" the waiter who called him "sir," streaked while a play was going on. He burned a bus and drew attention away from the issue of misgendering. What the people saw was someone -- a former TV personality and member of the media -- berating a lowly server for close to two hours instead of proving a point (in a world where social media is king, an issue like this will go viral in a matter of minutes), a server who was working for, in Bacalso's own words, one of the owners of the restaurant, a friend, who is "a beautiful transwoman, whose own transition I have witnessed through the years."

What a missed opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community to focus on the real issue of misgendering.

Talking NBA Basketball with K

Right around the middle of the Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Clippers series in the first round of the NBA playoffs, a friend, K, sent me a direct message. K said she'd started watching NBA basketball last season, and called herself "a basic Golden State Warriors fan." She said she really enjoyed how the defending champs Denver Nuggets played too, and wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the game. I looked forward to chatting about basketball with her, of course.

I wouldn't call myself an expert on basketball, but I'm Filipino -- we are the biggest basketball fans outside the United States -- which means as a teen I've played a lot of backyard basketball in flip-flops during summer vacations under the scorching Philippine sun (even the power forward position despite only standing five feet five, LOL) and watched both the PBA and the NBA as early as I could remember, thanks to my basketball-crazed father. Those backyard basketball games in high school became games in the university gymnasium in college (but this time in high-top basketball sneakers, lol) and, eventually, weekend pickup basketball as a weekend warrior with coworkers. By that time I couldn't jump as high to snare a rebound like I had been doing back in high school, but I could shoot the three better. My old-man basketball moves were in full bloom.

These days I don't play full-on five-on-five or three-on-three anymore, but I sometimes shoot hoops alone in the community court; that is, when there are no kids using the court for futsal. Here in Mexico it's normal to see basketball courts being used for futsal. I'm no longer in the Philippines after all.

But back to my conversation with K. I felt I had something to say about basketball, yes, and so I found myself answering her questions as best I could. It was fun, chewing the fat (as Holden Caulfield liked to put it) with my friend and putting on my (pretentious) basketball expert's hat. 

Today is the morning of the first day of the NBA finals, and my team, the Dallas Mavericks, will face the highly favored Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. I feel like I would need to blog about the finals when all is said and done -- win or lose for my Mavs -- so I will need to wear my (pretentious) basketball expert's hat yet again. For now, though, I'm sharing the conversation I had with K. 

***

Me:  Wow, I'm so happy that you're trying to understand basketball more! Please feel free to message me if you have questions, I'll try my best to help. 

K: Is Rudy Gobert classic na center na pareho ni Shaq, Mark? Nagsige bitaw ko ug tan-aw ug analysis sa game ni Rudy ba, and na-amaze ko sa thought of a player being so formidable that murag maglikay ang opponents from attacking the basket or mu-settle na lang sa difficult or likely to be unsuccessful shots. Of course, I have so much to learn and other interrelated concepts to understand. Haha.

M: Yes classic center nga murag si Shaq. But without the post-up skills. Haha. Nowadays it's common to see stretch bigs, which means they can stretch the defense all the way to the 3-point line coz they can shoot the 3. Rudy stays in his lane, he mostly plays inside.

K: Si Jokić kay stretch big, no? Ang emergence of stretch bigs ba, is that also because of changes sa NBA rules, so ni-evolve out of necessity ang bigs?

M: One reason I became a Dallas fan was because of Dirk Nowitzki, and he was one of the original stretch bigs even before the 3-point revolution changed the NBA. Yup, Jokic is a stretch big. A lot of those stretch bigs originally came from Europe, actually. I guess it's a little bit of both, more stretch bigs were brought in as scoring from the outside became more of a necessity, and the kids in college who would have traditionally stayed in the paint started to develop their outside shooting.

K: Kanang magsige ug balhin ug superteams, Mark, ba, is that okay? I’ve observed nga silang LeBron, James Harden, ug KD get hate for that.

M: In 2007, LeBron's first finals series with the Cavs, they played the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs. Of course they were swept; that was one of the greatest Spurs teams of all time. But at that time I was rooting for LeBron. I felt bad when they got swept. My point is, I had never always been a LeBron hater. It started when, a couple of years after that sweep by the Spurs, he moved to the Heat. But what made that worse was the way his camp chose to announce it, which was a "special" on ESPN titled "The Decision." You can't imagine the number of LeBron jerseys burned in Cleveland that night. So shortly after that, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh -- Miami's Big 3 -- went on a press conference, with LeBeon predicting that they were going to win, and I quote, "Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6 . . ." championships. They won 2.

They have the right to form superteams. They can do whatever the hell they want. But I'm of the old-school belief that you don't join your rivals. You destroy them.

Reggie Miller once said that if Michael Jordan called him to team up (impossible, MJ wouldn't do such a thing, lol) that he would've told him to fuck himself.

For me two of the greatest championship teams were the 2004 Pistons and the 2011 Mavs. The Pistons, who had no single All-Star player in their roster, defeated the powerhouse Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. The Mavericks, led by a n aging Dirk Nowitzki and veteran players who could have retired already (lol), beat the then newly formed Big 3 of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. It's just more impressive if a non-superteam wins the championship against one, and I imagine it means more to the players too.

I think you just put a target on your back if you're a franchise player-caliber player in the mold of a Durant, Harden and you choose the easy way out by teaming up instead of being patient and letting the front office cook and try to assemble a championship-ready team.

And it doesn't always work out. Look at Durant. He left Golden State and teamed up with Kyrie and Harden in Brooklyn. The team imploded. The supposed Big 3 of Durant, Booker, and Beal got recently swept by the Wolves, a young team that's been assembled organically.

When the Warriors won their rings before Durant arrived, all of their best players were drafted. Those players grew organically as a team. There weren't no shortcuts. Same with the MJ-led bulls, same with the Murray and Jokic Nuggets, same with the Middleton and Antetokounmpo Bucks.

Like I said, any superstar is free to recruit other superstars and create a superteam. It's their right. But there should be no complaining when it doesn't work out, like this most recent example of Durant, Beal, and Booker getting swept in the first round. There shouldn't be any excuses.

K: Speaking of hate, Mark, unsa ang legit na basic list of things to dislike about LeBron?  I know a bit about the flopping, whining about refs’ calls, and then trying to get someone fired (like si Spo) from the team, but I missed so many years of basketball, so dili complete ang picture sa akong brain.

Also, where are you sa MJ versus Bron nga debate about kinsa gyud ang GOAT? Maka-read ko sometimes on social media ug mga insinuations nga maskin pa nagsige ug break ug records kay dili daw ilhon si LeBron nga GOAT kay even until now, the NBA capitalizes on Jordan’s reputation  and that, from a business standpoint, kay there will be bad implications if mapulihan si Jordan. (Sadly, kalimot ko asa ko na napunit na assertion.)

Naka-read ko recently na ang combined bayad sa Suns na big 3 kay $150 million, which is more than or equal to the budget of fourteen NBA teams. Unsa mahitabo when an investment like that does not pay off right away?

M: Don't get me wrong, he's really great as a person. Hehe. He's given so much to the less fortunate and the black community. The things that I genuinely dislike about him as a BASKETBALL PLAYER:

1. Yes, he flops. Maglagot kaayo ko basta makakita ko sa iyang mga blatant flops. Lol

2. He destroys a franchise, in that he plays GM. That's why he's frequently called LeGM. He tinkers with the draft picks, the trades, to go into win-now mode, and when he leaves the team doesn't have enough flexibility to contend for the future (he is doing that to the Lakers now, and he did that to the Heat. Kudos to Spoelstra, who is one of the greatest coaches in the NBA, who kept Miami contending and in the playoffs even with a crappy players)

3. He, unlike Jordan, has always proclaimed himself the greatest player in NBA history. You don't do that. You let your peers do that.

4. That Decision thing with Cleveland, although credit to him, he went back to the Cavs and gave them their first and only championship 

5. Him trying to blackmail the Lakers indirectly to force them into drafting his son (lol)

Jordan>LeBron

1. Jordan has never lost an NBA finals series. He's 6 of 6.

2. Jordan has never played in a series that went 7 games.

3. Jordan has been both the MVP and in the all-defensive first team

4. They polled NBA players on who they think is the GOAT, and Jordan always wins vs. LeBron 

5. Wade was asked who he think is the GOAT. He didn't choose his former teammate. He said it's Jordan

Jordan's influence on the game will never change even if LeBron keeps breaking those records. Kareem had been the NBA's greatest scorer before Lebron broke his record, but he has never been considered greater than Jordan. Bll Russell has 11 rings, 5 more than Jordan. He has never been considered greater than Jordan.

That Phoenix thing, when the new owner took over, Mat Ishbia, he wanted to make a splash right away. Their GM, James Jones, had been doing a great job already of constructing the team. But I guess Ishbia was in win-now mode, so he pulled the trigger on the Durant trade, which cost him Mikal Bridges,  Cam Johnson -- two really solid, young NBA player -- plus 4 first round picks. He said even if it doesn't pan out, the trade for KD, it wouldn't have been a bad decision. Well, guess what. Phoenix is cash strapped, the Beal contract has a no-trade clause, and they don't have first-round picks until 2032. Ishbia should have been more prudent and left the decisions to Jones, his GM. Now his team is screwed. 

K: Kanang flopping ba, has it always been a thing sa NBA and wala kaayo ko nanghimantay, or is it because of the rule changes, mao nga players can get away with flops especially if they can sell those well?

As for destroying a franchise, wow. Why/how is LeBron allowed to hold so much power?

Ngano man convinced kaayo ang Suns owner na foolproof iyang decision? I could be wrong and not completely informed, but it doesn’t look like ilang big three kay enough to see the team through. They’re also terrible sa pag-survive ug fourth quarter. There is still something lacking sa ilang current roster, but I don’t know how to articulate it sa basketball language.

M: Before they changed the rules to favor offense, defenders usually held their own. You won't see flopping sa una. The closest you would get is trying to draw a charge or an offensive foul. But that isn't considered flipping. LeBron, love him or hate him, is a really good player. He's older now, but before at the height of his powers, he could change a team's fortunes. Other players sa una didn't take advantage of that power. LeBron, to his credit, recognized that he can control a team to the point nga manghilabot sya sa roster. He even had several coaches fired. Players nowadays can wield such power, especially the ones who have the talent to carry a team. It's really hard to win an NBA championship, so guess why there are teams willing to mortgage their future to win now.

Because KD, Booker, and Beal -- on paper -- should have enough offensive firepower on any given night to give your opponent fits. That is, if they can find a flow within the offense. But they didn't. It's like, your turn, my turn, his turn. You need fluidity in an offense, and they never found it in the regular season, and worse, in the playoffs.

In theory okay unta sya. But it didn't pan out. But we'll see, maybe they'll try to run it back with a new coach who can fix the team.

K: Nagtuo ko today na makadaog ang Denver and that they’d take advantage of Rudy’s absence, but no, that didn’t happen. Did Denver become too complacent, or airtight lang gyud ang Minnesota defense and wala pa nakita sa Denver ang counterstrategy nila?

M: If I were to pinpoint one thing, and this is just my opinion, it's the emergence of Naz Reid. He just stepped up his game this year, and in fact he won 6th man of the year. There was basically no roster changes in this team vs the one that only won 1 game vs Denver. And I'd say the Timberwolves just figured out how to play together na. You just have to give it time. Last year when they paired Luka and Kyrie I thought it wouldn't work. I thought they wouldn't figure it out. But look at what happened after a year. These things just take time.

K: Tinuod, the chemistry takes time to build. And yes, Naz Reid really stepped up, labaw na sa game 2. Natuok jud silang Jamal Murray while Naz was around. Also, Rudy won DPOY for the fourth time already, and as someone who is just beginning to be a Wolves and Rudy fan, I have yet to understand the full or bigger context anang muingon ang uban people nga overrated daw si Rudy or that Wemby was robbed of the DPOY award. As far as I can understand, Rudy can play the way he does kay iyang mga kuyog sa Wolves are actually competent at defense, so he is not forced to overhelp them.

M: I'd say Rudy deserved his DPOY win. Again. Haha. I wouldn't have s problem if they gave it to Wemby, but maybe the judges thought the ROY win was enough. But Wemby will get his multiple DPOYs before his career is over. You can bet on that.

K: By the way, Mark, what happened to the Mavs ganiha? OKC did a number on them. 😔 And have you read about the rumors nga ang Lakers are considering Jason Kidd sa head-coach position? 😵

M: Gisapot ko nagtanaw sa Mavs. Lol. I turned the TV off unya nag work out nalang ko. Lol. Luka isn't healthy. He injured his knee in the Clippers series, and when he's not playing well, the team doesn't play well. Kyrie also has this problem since the playoffs started nga he lays an egg in the first half, then he scrambles in the second para makabawi. He's been able to score 20 plus points in the second half of some of those games against the Clippers after barely scoring in the first half, but it will catch up to you. Which in the end nahitabo na gahapon. If Luka and Kyrie both have bad games -- plus daghan kaayo sila turnovers (which is uncharacteristic for this team), and na early foul trouble pa sila -- you won't win in the playoffs.

Gi sign na dayon sa Mavs si Kidd to a new multiyear contract after that Lakers rumor. Abtik kaayo. Hahaha

K: Kita ka sa interview ni Jokić sa Inside the NBA? Niingon gyud si Shaq to his face nga si Shai Gilgeous-Alexander daw mas deserving even though Jokić, for him, is best big guy sa NBA. Is that an appropriate or okay thing to say?

M: I have a problem with what Shaq did. I found it disrespectful. The MVP award is subjective. Jokic deserved the award too. All 3 of the finalists did. Dumot lang gihapon na si Shaq gud kay he thought one of those Steve Nash MVP awards should've been his. 😂

I wasn't able to watch game 3 of Mavs-Thunder, but I was following the score on my phone sa tattoo studio. Haha. That was the 2nd straight game PJ Washington scored 25+ points. Him and Gafford were excellent additions sa trade deadline. I can't wait to watch the replay of that game.

K: Sometimes, ma-shock pa gihapon ko that Americans can confuse disrespect and “keeping it real.” 😭 Jokić doesn’t look like the type who cares too much about what people say, pero satisfying siguro to ganiha nga makita ni Shaq ang duwa niya ganiha.

By the way, what the hell happened to the Wolves ganiha? 😭 I understand that it is possible for them to buckle under pressure kay ilang team ron wala pa’y championship experience, but grabeha ato ganiha ba kay murag layo ra sa game 2. Si Anthony Edwards ra nagdala sa show, and the others were not quite there and just making it easy sa Nuggets to take over.

Ka-read sad ko ug rumors about JJ Reddick, but unsa iyang coaching qualifications? 👀 I am genuinely curious unsa ang itsura sa Lakers under him. I only know nga player siya before and that he and LeBron host a podcast together.

M: 1. Shaq is just an insecure baby. I don't get the insecurity because of all his accomplishments. He sounds petty most of the time.

2. Jamaal Murray showed up. He didn't play like the Murray that we're accustomed to the first 2 games, and when he plays like that it just puts on a lot of pressure on the Wolves' defense. Also, there's clear 1-2 punch on the Nuggets. It's Jokic and it's Murray. It's not they clear cut with Minnesota. Edwards is the clear no. 1, but oftentimes it isn't clear if Anthony-Towns is the real no. 2. I'm sorry for doubting the defending champs after they lost the 1st 2 games. Now we have ourselves a series.

3. The Lakers will be going through coaches every couple of years as long as Lebron is there. He's one of the most difficult players to coach. If I were JJ Reddick, I'd stay with ESPN. He's starting to carve a name for himself now as one of the smartest guys in basketball media. I hope he doesn't get tempted to coach the Lakers.

4. I won't say Luka is a flopper at the same level as Harden and LeBron (but then again, I'm a Mavs fan, so don't take my word for it, lol) but I have to admit he's one of the biggest whiners in the NBA. I wish he'd cut that bullshit and play. There's no use antagonizing the refs. They won't change their minds anyway.

K: Mark, if you’re a franchise player like Karl-Anthony Towns, unsa ang expected na regular points sa imoha for the playoffs? Is it different from that in the regular season?

They looked miserable ganiha. Anthony Edwards was locked up and not scoring his usual. Wala ilang point guard, so it seemed like AE and everyone else lost direction too. And it felt like in their minds, they quit halfway through the game.

Also, na-dismantle man ang Minnesota defense, uy. Jokić just owned Rudy all game long.

M: KAT was the franchise player before Ant arrived. He's the second option now. And he knows it

Jokic took it personal. The MVP vs the DPOY

What DPOY? Lol

Maayo nga rim protector si Gobert, shot blocker. But against mobile bigs like Jokic who can also shoot and pass, he's gonna have a problem.

K: Si Draymond Green ganiha sa Inside the NBA ba, nihirit pa gyud nga he could guard Jokić better than Rudy could. I don’t know if maka-agree ko ana. I mean the Warriors are not playing now, and they lost all their games to the Nuggets this season. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, awa ni. Nagsugod na ang nepotism:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7AOXN2S5nG/?igsh=MTBlNmo3dXhhZDMwNw==

M: Dumot na si Draymond ni Gobert. Grabe iyang banat ni Gobert, pasagdan ra pod sya sa mga kauban niya sa panel. Hahaha

I'm with you here. He shouldn't be given an outlet na sa media. He can host his podcast, sure, but he shouldn't be coddled. Especially sa iyang gipakita this season. Mag bagsik2x kunohay. It's really getting old, his antics

Gistoryaan siguro ni Jason Kidd si Luka to just focus on his game. Not once did I see him complain to the refs hahaha

I don't want to say anything bad about Bronny because the kid just wants to play in the NBA. But he's just getting all that attention tungod sa iyang last name. Unfair sa mga uban bata who have better averages than him but won't make it tungod lang kay they don't have famous last names.

K: Aguy, Mark, Mavs and Wolves mag-abot sa Western Conference finals. Si Anthony Edwards kay Kyrie, so I’m guessing si KAT kang Luka? If that is the assignment, unsa imong tan-aw sa match-ups nilang upat?

Also, unsa imong thoughts anang game fixing sa PBA? Tigsubay ko sa una ba, unya ma-surprise ko nga frequent maabot ug game 7 ang finals. I don’t know if nega ra kaayo ko sa PBA or naa gyud something sa officiating or other factors.

M: I don't know how Minnesota will design the match-up, but Ant already said he'd guard Kyrie, so fine. I think this is the defensive match-ups for Dallas (at least sa starting lineup):

Kyrie - Mike Conley

Luka - Jaden McDaniels

Derrick Jones Jr. - Anthony Edwards

PJ Washington - Karl Anthony Towns

Daniel Gafford - Rudy Gobert

Sus, K, you wouldn't believe how many finals and semis sa PBA ang naabot og game 7. I can compare it to the lone bettors karon sigeg kadaog sa lotto. Hahaha. Parehas ra na ang PBA og PCSO puros tikasan. 😂

K: Kita ko ug clip ni Luka ba na gigisi niya iyang own jersey. Second quarter pa gani, pungot na kaayo siya. 😆

M: Yeah. Hahaha. I hope he matures and stops whining. It really takes away from his game. Oftentimes man gud dili sya munaog sa depensa kay sige lang sya'g reklamo sa refs. Makalagot.

K: Hmm. Unsa imong forecast ani na finals, and unsa imong makita na mismatches or problems sa Wolves and Mavs when they play?

M: Kyrie hasn't been the nuclear scorer that he has been in the regular season (25 PPG). I can't understand the passiveness in the first half in both the Clippers and Thunder series. For me this is alarming because from the opening tip he should try to be more aggressive on offense and not just look to pass, especially since Luka is still nursing various injuries.

They need Kyrie to score more if they are to advance against the Wolves. It's a good thing PJ Washington and Derrick Rose Jr. has been helpng on offense. But they are mostly defensive guys. Any scoring you get from them is a bonus.

Both teams have great defense. But Dallas only picked up their defense in the last two months of the regular season. Before that, they were almost last in defensive rating. Minnesota, on the other, hand, defense has always been their calling card.

Dallas essentially bullied OKC because they were bigger than the Thunder. And they grabbed more rebounds, more importantly, offensive rebounds.

They cannot do that as easily against Minnesota.

K: Mark, unsa pasabot anang ma-foul because of a moving screen or an illegal screen? Wala pa kaayo nako na masabtan na foul, ay.

M: When you set a screen, you should stay in your immediate area or zone. You must have your feet planted. Also, as a screener, you can't move and hit the defensive player with any other part of your body. Otherwise, you'll get called for the offensive foul. Or the illegal screen.

K: Speaking of PBA, ig magduwa ang Gilas sa FIBA ba, magsalig ra gyud kay Jordan Clarkson. Murag mao ra ang game plan pirmi. May gani gipulihan na gyud si Chot Reyes. Puera gaba gyud nga coach. 😆

M: I agree. Imagine, walay tarong nga offensive play. They pass the ball to Clarkson, and let him cook. The other four players stand around and do nothing. If that's your offensive set, then anyone can coach that team. Bisan kinsang tambay sa iskina pwede mag coach. Hahaha

K: my god, ang Luka and Kyrie magic ganiha in full force gyud. Umod ang Wolves, uy. So many missed shots bahala ug open looks, unya daghan pa sad turnovers. 😭

M: Kyrie came out aggressive in the opening quarter, and then Luka finished them off in the fourth. It's such a luxury to have 2 guys who can play well off each other and complement each other's game. 

K: Maaaark. Na-stress ko nagtan-aw sa duwa! 😆

But of course, Luka would pull something outrageous in the last seconds. Amazing.

M: Grabe, sulit kaayo duwaa. Hahaha

When it's a close game, you have to give the edge to the Mavs. They have 2 of the best closers in the game today. The Wolves couldn't hold on to their 18-pt lead, and you're setting yourself up for that kind of thing in the clutch when you're going against Kyrie and Luka

If it's a close game I'll give the edge to the Mavs 10 out of 10 times. Minnesota needs to blow them out of the game early and hold on to the lead. They're not winning close games. At this stage of his career, Anthony Edwards hasn't figured it out yet. He will get there. Right now, Luka is there. Kyrie too, of course.

K: Ngano si Rudy man nagbantay ni Luka atong sa last seconds? 😭 I don’t think that was a good decision. As it stands, Luka is hard to guard, so maybe a double team unta? Flashback to first-round playoffs kaayo, katong di kasugakod si Rudy kay Jokić.

M: McDaniels was supposed to guard him, but Lively set a pick and forced a switch. That was what the Mavs wanted. You can argue that he shouldn't even have been in the game. Sure he's the DPOY, but any big will get cooked by a guard on the perimeter. He tried his best, but no dice. Haha

K: And katawaa kaayo nako sa savagery ni Luka after sa game, uy. Lutong kaayo ang balikas and taunt. Speaking in Slovenian daw. 😆 Katong sa first or second quarter, diba si Rudy kay naigo/giigo niya ang tiyan ni Luka, and Luka made sure to let him know he didn’t like that. Was it a hard and intentional foul? I remember Rudy was trying to explain himself sa iyaha.

M: Yeah, gadumot si Luka atong giigo sya sa tiyan. Paksit nuon. Lol 😂

K: Kuyaw ma-sweep ang Wolves if they keep playing the way they do and making unforced turnovers. And I don’t get how their defense can allow Lively to keep capitalizing sa lobs and dunk. 😭

M: Lively and Gafford are feasting on the inside and the Wolves can't stop them. Those pogo-stick centers are killing them on the interior. Kyrie played a pretty good 2nd half, but I still have to see him play a good game in this series, like from start to finish. Coz last game he had a good first half, but in the 2nd half he was 1 for 9 from the field. I'm hoping he explodes tomorrow. If that happens, the Wolves are done.

Last game -- I meant game 1

K: Kaning DPOY argument ba, how far can fans and analysts take this when it comes to guarding players like Jokić and Luka? When can you legitimately say that a center is “too soft”? Draymond Green was running his mouth again gahapon, and as much as I want to stay objective and look for the logic and validity sa iyang points because Rudy does need to adjust some things sa iyang game, it’s hard to listen to Draymond without thinking nga bitter ra gyud kaayo siya. He always initiates the trashing, and Shaq likes to get on board. 

M: Swerte man pod na si Rudy gud kay mas lax ang defense karon. I would say dili na sya ma DPOY in the 90s when the game was more physical and the players were tougher. But it isn't his fault. I also don't like it that TNT added Draymond to the panel. Ga samok2x ra na sya. Haha. Green's problem with Gobert is he thinks he should have won one of Rudy's DPOY awards, and si Shaq pod kay suya sya sa contract ni Gobert. Mas dako na gyud ang sweldo sa mga players ron, but that's not their fault. Shaq maybe feels he was paid peanuts during his era, and he was a beast on offense. But hey, you're a grown man. You shouldn't worry about another man's pockets. Bitter ra kaayo sya. 😂

I think the better question is how do they stop Luka and Kyrie from getting in the paint and throwing those lobs to either DLive and Gaff. What makes Luka and Kyrie so hard to stop -- not just their scoring but also their passing -- is that they can score three ways. From the 3, from midrange, and going to the cup. So the defender has to pick his poison. It makes it even more difficult if you have 2 rim-running bigs like Gafford and Lively. How can the Wolves stop Dallas's paint scoring? I don't know. And I hope they don't figure it out either. 😂

Grabiha ka frustrating aning Indiana Pacers oi. They gave away game 1 to the Celtics, and karon napod napildi sa end game after leading big in the first half.

Actually dili ra diay sa first half oi. Until midway through the 3rd qtr they had an 18-pt lead.

K: From the looks of it, murag di na nila ma-crack ang code this season, Mark. 😆 In the event of a Mavs-Celtics finals, I root for the Mavs.

M: Bati pod kaayo sila og depensa, haha. Sa final 4 teams nabilin, they have the worst defense. They were lucky they faced a banged-up Knicks team

I hope the Mavs handle business tomorrow and defend home court. If that happens, then they're going to the finals. We'll see. Mavs-Celtics should be fun. 😅

K: Maaark. Minnesota is just roadkill at this point. Murag kanang deer nga i-offer ang li-og sa iyang predator kay na-corner na. 😭

M: I was worried gamay kay Lively had to leave the game. But good thing they brought this game home. Lively might be questionable for next game so it's better to go up 3-0 without him in the next game than 2-1

K: Nakuyawan ko slight kay dugay siya nibangon ba. Abi nako naunsa na iyang spine or what. The commentators said it was a neck sprain.

Duol na unta to ang game ganiha ba, but murag wala pa gyud mahawa sa psychological black hole or whatever it is that is plaguing KAT and Anthony Edwards. They’re not quite in the game and exploding as they did against Denver. It just looks like too depleted sila mentally karon to fight a team that’s as talented as the Mavs. I also remember sa game 2 na ni-comment si Charles Barkley nga bad match-up lang gyud ang Mavs versus Wolves and that ang Denver unta to makapildi sa Mavs.

M: Neck sprain, yes. We'll see how long he's gonna be out. I hope he doesn't miss more than a game

Yeah it's a bad match-up, I agree with Barkley. I think if the Nuggets made it to the western finals they'd be a tougher match-up for the Mavs. Ant played better today but KAT kept on chucking threes instead of trying to score in the paint. That's the game right there. You can't win if your second option can't make a bucket. He's 12% from 3 in this series. Imagine that.

Like I said, if it's a close game, you have to pick Dallas. They have Kyrie and Luka. That's the difference

K: Wala ko kakita sa Inside the NBA ron kay I really can’t stand Draymond there, but from what I’ve been seeing sa mga snippets, they’re calling out KAT for not taking accountability and for some BS claim na gihimo niya. Haha.

Who do you think are the teams na made for the regular season and teams made for the playoffs?

M: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome is insanity. If you're KAT and your outside shot isn't falling, why keep on chucking from 3? A lot of shooters who are in a slump, they tend to mix it up. Drive to the basket and fish for a foul. Shoot free throws and see the ball go in, maybe you'll gain more confidence. Or post up. Grabe niya kadako, he's close to 7 feet and weighs 250. Gafford and Lively are tall and athletic, but they're not the brawniest of guys. He can basically just move them out of the way of he wanted to.

He says "If KAT played even as half as regular season KAT this would be 3-0 or 2-1 Wolves,"

That's the problem. The playoffs are a different kind of animal. You need to adjust in the playoffs or you're bound for Cancun.

Teams that are made for the regular season that aren't made for the playoffs, those Atlanta Hawks teams that LeBron carved up in the playoffs when he was still with the Heat. Haha. I hated those teams. They'd have the best regular season record, and home court advantage throughout the playoffs, of course, but they'd choke against LeBron. Grabe kaayo ka frustrating haha

I'd put the Celtics there too, these Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown Celtics. That's one thing I agree with in that YouTube post that you shared. Tatum and Brown have a tendency to choke in the playoffs. We'll see in this year's finals. Because for a couple of years now, those Celtics just can't get over the hump

Teams made for the playoffs, the ones with go-to guys who don't choke. Those Bulls teams with MJ of course. Kobe's Lakers. One of the greatest playoff teams in history -- the 2011 championship Mavs who were basically towed to the championship by Nowitzki against the big 3 of LeBron, Bosh, and Wade. Imagine a team of a single superstar and aging veterans who upset that superteam. I said I hated those Atlanta Hawks teams that LeBron carved up. Those Atlanta Hawks teams were decently constructed. But they didn't have a go-to star who can take over in the clutch. Or when you need a bucket any time in the game. That's what you need in the playoffs. That Toronto team that beat the defending champ GSW team in the 2019 finals paid for a one-year rental of Kawhi, who they knew would leave in free agency. But they knew he would leave anyway. They just wanted a ring. You need a go-to superstar in the playoffs. Or two. Otherwise, you're likely to go home early.

I forgot to mention those championship Spurs and GSW teams. Well coached, well constructed, and full of current and future hall of famers. You can't get playoff ready than those teams. Played great offense and defense. And could adjust to any match-up.

K: Maaark. Nahitabo na gyud ni ron. Off to Cancún na gyud tawn ang Timberwolves. Wala ko nitan-aw sa uban parts sa game kay madugo kaayo. Haha. But I swear, di gyud lagi na dapat hagiton si Luka, kay mao gyud nang maka-motivate niya to strike back and do so much more. 😆

So now ang mga taw are starting to talk about trading Rudy and/or KAT. Do you think warranted ilang comments? I think people are just too impatient to wait for the good results of what Chris Finch has been building.

Also, ingon to ganiha si Stan van Gundy nga four players from Boston can stop Luka and Kyrie. Unsa imong thoughts about that?

M: I had a feeling Luka would come out firing. In the playoffs Luka averages 34 points in a game coming off  a loss, the most in NBA history. When he outscored the Wolves 20-19 on his own in the first quarter, that was a wrap. Kyrie picked it up in the 2nd, scoring 15, and that was it. LOL

They gave up a loooot for Rudy. I don't think that's prudent. Haha. And I don't know, after Rudy's performance in this series, despite his recent DPOY win a lot of teams are looking at him as a liability. Sure he's a great rim protector, but the Mavs just gave other teams a blueprint to score against Rudy. Not just switching on him and drawing him off the paint, but also with timely lobs to a rim-running center in the mold of a DLive and Gaff, but of course with an excellent passer like Doncic who is also a threat to score near the rim with floaters. Maybe another team wants KAT, he's a pretty good shooter for a big man, despite his struggles in this series. But I don't know what Minnesota can get for him. I think they should try to run it back with this team, it's too early to blow it up. Maybe Finch can plug some holes and get them back next year. 

I disagree that four players from Boston can stop Luka. I think the blueprint for stopping Luka is putting a burly defender on him, a la Lu Dort. Dort game him fits during the OKC series. Long, athletic guys won't bother him. OKC tried to put SGA on him on a few matchups and Luka torched him. Jaden McDaniels is also long, but Luka toyed with him. Ant is not as long, but extremely athletic, and Luka shrugged him off. Tatum and Brown are long, but not as bulky as Dort. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are excellent defenders, but they are at least 4 inches shorter. Luka would have a field day. He'd shoot over them like they were a traffic cone.

What I'm more concerned about is how Kyrie will score against Holiday and White. Both of them I think can neutralize Kyrie; they're excellent at stifling smaller guards. I think Boston will let Luka cook and then stop Kyrie from scoring. If Kyrie can't help Luka on the offensive end, PJ Washington would have to step up, but you can't put too much pressure on a role player.  We'll see how this plays out. I'm not worried about Luka. He'll get his points. It's interesting to see how Kyrie will fare in this series.

"How many teams a) are interested in paying Towns four years of supermax money, b) have win-now players to send back to Minnesota and c) have those win-now players on contracts that would save the Timberwolves money?

"The obvious answer is none. Maybe you could stretch it a little bit. How badly do the Knicks want to upgrade on Julius Randle? There's a pretty easy scenario here in which Minnesota swaps Towns for Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic along with some draft capital with the idea that it can just pay for a $30 million power forward next season instead of a $50 million big. Towns, both a CAA client and Kentucky alum, has long been in the orbit of New York's power brokers. It's hard to believe the Knicks wouldn't have grander trade ambitions, and Towns' first go-round with Tom Thibodeau didn't end well."

cbssports.com/nba/news/karl-anthony-towns-trade-rumors-are-inevitable-after-timberwolves-loss-to-mavericks-but-are-they-realistic/

To bolster my point about Minnesota trading Towns.