Wonderful Body

The average human body holds enough:

sulfur to kill all the fleas on an average dog, potassium to fire a thousand cannon, carbon to make 900 pencils, fat to make 7 bars of soap, 10 gallons of water, and phosphorous to make 2,200match heads. --www.ezwebsite.org

Andy Gibb - Don't Throw it All Away (Our Love)

NBA Finals 2010: Bryant, Fisher lead Lakers to victory in Game 3, 91 - 84

Derek Fisher rallied his teammates with a motivational speech on the bench during the break before the fourth quarter.

Then he went out and showed them how it's done.

"Derek, he's our vocal leader. He's the guy that pulls everybody together and is always giving positive reinforcement," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said after Fisher made five baskets in the final period to lead Los Angeles to a 91-84 victory Tuesday night over the Boston Celtics and a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals.

"That's what he does. That's what he's been doing extremely well. He has a knack for saying the right thing at the right time."

Bryant scored 29 points and Fisher had 16, including 11 in the fourth quarter after Boston cut a 17-point first-half lead to one point.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Boston, and a Lakers victory would put them within one win of avenging the loss to their longtime rivals in the 2008 finals — not to mention the eight other times the Celtics have won an NBA title at the Lakers' expense.

"Our thoughts are really just still on how disappointed we are, or were, losing that second game on our home court. I think that had more of our attention and focus than what happened in '08," Fisher said. "We didn't doubt our ability to win here. ... We understand when you want to be the best, you have to win wherever, whenever."

Bryant had 25 points after three quarters, but he did not score for the first 10 minutes of the fourth. That's when Fisher took over, hitting four out of five Lakers baskets to help them reclaim the home-court advantage they lost when the Celtics won Game 2 in L.A.

"Derek Fisher was the difference in the game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He's just a gutty, gritty player and he gutted the game out for them. I thought Kobe was struggling a little bit, and Fisher — he basically took the game over. ... I don't know what he had in the fourth quarter ... but most of them were down the stretch."

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum had 10 rebounds apiece for Los Angeles.

Kevin Garnett, who had just six points in Boston's victory Sunday, had 25 in Game 3. But Allen, who had 32 points in Game 2, missed all 13 field goal attempts — one shy of the NBA finals futility record — many of them while Fisher was guarding him.

"It's a hell of a swing, I'll tell you that," Rivers said. "It's basketball. That's why you can't worry about it. He'll be back in the gym tomorrow and getting ready for the next game. ... It happens to the best of us."

The Celtics had high hopes after splitting the opening two games in Los Angeles, but the "Beat L.A.!" chants at the TD Garden couldn't help them overcome poor shooting.

And it couldn't stop Fisher.

Fisher, 34, came into the league with Bryant in 1996 and has a history of clutch shots, from the heave with 0.4 seconds left to beat San Antonio in the 2004 playoffs to the late jumpers in a series-swinging victory over Orlando in Game 4 of last year's finals. The Lakers went on to beat the Magic in five games, earning their 15th NBA title — second only to Boston's 17.

"I think as you grow in this game and you put in the work that's required to still be around 14 years later, you start to recognize that being in this moment, on this stage, it's not a given. It's not something that happens every season," Fisher said. "Five or 10 years from now, when I'm long gone, I would have hated to feel like I didn't just do everything I could have to help my team. Things have worked out well, and we have two more wins to get to really put a nice cap on it."

The Lakers opened a 37-20 first-half lead, but Boston cut the deficit to four late in the third quarter and then made it 68-67 early in the fourth on consecutive drives by Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Rajon Rondo. With a chance to take the lead, Allen was called for an offensive foul away from the ball.

Fisher then scored four of the Lakers' next five baskets to give them a five-point lead with about 4 1/2 minutes left. He scored another with 49 seconds left before being flattened by Davis, among others, and adding the free throw to make it a three-possession game.

"He saw the opening and went and made a very bold play. ... It was imperative that it goes in for us to win," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "When he's got an opportunity to hit a key shot, it seems like he's always there and ready."

Allen missed all eight 3-pointers, all five 2-pointers and got to the line just twice. He was spared of matching the worst shooting performance in NBA finals history when Garnett was called for an offensive foul away from the ball in the final minute while Allen clanged another shot off the rim.

"We obviously didn't expect him to go 0 for 13, but it's a tough gig for him to run around offensively the way he has to and then have to guard Kobe on the other end," Fisher said. "I mean, that takes anybody's legs out. It takes my legs out chasing him. So there are going to be nights maybe when his legs aren't there because he's having to work so hard on both ends, but we won't see 0 for 13 on Thursday night, that's for sure."

NOTES: Boston missed half of its 12 free throws in the first half and was 2 for 12 from 3-point range at the break. ... Baltimore's Chick Reiser missed all 14 shots in a 1948 finals game against Philadelphia, and Dennis Johnson was 0 for 14 for Seattle against Washington in 1978. ... Rondo, who had a triple-double in Game 3, finished with 11 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

NBA Finals 2010: Ray Allen led Boston Celtics to a 103 -94 win over LA

Ray Allen led the Boston Celtics to a 103-94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals; the series is now tied 1-1. Now, the Celtics will go back to Boston for the next three games against the Lakers. Allen was on fire in the first half of the game going 7-8 from the three point line. He ended up with 32 points on 11-20 shooting from the field. Rajon Rondo had a tremendous game as he put up a triple double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists with only 3 turnovers. Pau Gasol had another great game for the Lakers with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks. Andrew Bynum put in 21 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 blocks. Kobe Bryant had a quiet game for his standards with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

Boston did a much better job on the boards in Game 2 as they outrebounded the Lakers by 5. They got a great game from both Rondo and Allen, but will need Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to step up if they want to win a few more games. Pierce only had 12 points while Garnett only had 6 points and 4 rebounds. Pierce needs to get going offensively because the Celtics cannot expect Allen to have another night where he goes 8-11 from the three point line. Garnett does not need to score a lot of points, but he does need to get more rebounds and at least score in the double digits to make Gasol work on defense. Boston also needs to do a better job of getting to the free throw line. The Celtics only had 26 free throw attempts compared to the Lakers' 41. Although some of the discrepancy in free throw attempts can be attributed to the game being in Los Angeles, it does not change the fact that the Celtics need to attack the rim more. If Pierce can get going on offense, he will be able to attack the rim and get to the free throw line while also maybe getting the Lakers' front court in free throw trouble.

The Lakers' big men continued to bruise the Celtics' frontline as both Gasol and Bynum had great games. Boston needs to figure out a way to at least keep one of the big guys in check. Although the Lakers lost, they have to be happy about Bynum's performance. There have been many questions circling around Bynum and whether he will be able to perform on the court. In Game 2, he answered any questions about whether he can make a positive impact. One problem the Lakers had in Game 2 was their bench which scored a total of 15 points. Nobody expects the Lakers to get too many points from the bench, especially when the starters play so many minutes. However, Lamar Odom is the one player that should be scoring more than 3 points, even in limited time. Odom can be an X-Factor coming off the bench as there is nobody on the Celtics that can really match up well with him.

This was a good win for the Celtics as they now go back to Boston with the series tied. However, Pierce and Garnett need to get something going in this series. They should not expect Allen to score 32 points on a regular basis and it is also unlikely that Bryant will only score 21 points for the Lakers. Game 2 was much better than Game 1, not only because the Celtics won, but it was a close and exciting game.

Tougher Lakers beat Boston 102-89 in finals opener

Ron Artest proved it in his opening-minute scuffle with Paul Pierce, tumbling to the ground with a vise grip on the Celtics star’s elbow.

Kobe Bryant emphasized it one last time with a rub-it-in 3-pointer in the waning seconds of an NBA finals opener that was already a rout.

These aren’t the same Los Angeles Lakers who got pushed around by their biggest rivals on the NBA’s biggest stage two years ago. They’re rougher and tougher—and surprisingly willing to play the Boston Celtics’ bad-tempered game.

Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and the defending champion Lakers did a remarkable job of the dirty work in a 102-89 victory over Boston in Game 1 on Thursday night.

Artest scored 15 points after his tangle with Pierce in the opening minute of the 12th finals meeting between the NBA’s most decorated franchises. Artest and Pierce backed into each other with their elbows locked while battling for rebounding position. Both got technical fouls after they crashed to the court and got up ready to rumble.

“That’s not a tone that we want to set,” Artest claimed. “I was a little emotional, and I had a little bit of anxiety at that point, and I was fired up.”

Yet other Lakers were grateful for the tone, and they weren’t surprised Artest set it. The Lakers’ defensive stopper is their only new player this season, and he quickly showed Pierce—the 2008 finals MVP—that trophies won’t be quite so easy to earn against the Lakers this time.

“I knew it was going to be physical. That’s a given,” Gasol said. “After consecutive finals, we understand the nature of the game. We understand who our rival is, how they play. You’ve got to compete, and you’ve got to match that physicality, that aspect of the game to be successful.”

The Lakers overwhelmed the Celtics in the third quarter, taking a 20-point lead with sturdy defense and a quick-strike offense. Los Angeles outrebounded the Celtics 42-31, outscored them in the paint 48-30 and put up a lofty shooting percentage until a fourth-quarter slump.

Bryant added seven rebounds and six assists to his 12th 30-point game of the postseason. Andrew Bynum( scored 10 points on his injured right knee as the Lakers improved to 9-0 at home in the playoffs, with 12 straight postseason home wins dating to last year’s championship run—and not many were more physical than this one.

Pierce scored 24 points and Kevin Garnett added 16 after a slow start for the Celtics, who might not want to know Lakers coach Phil Jackson’s teams in Los Angeles and Chicago have won 47 straight playoff series after winning Game 1.

The Celtics were frustrated after giving up 100 points for just the second time in their last 10 games.

“They were the more physical team by far,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “They were more aggressive. They attacked us the entire night. I didn’t think we handled it very well.”

Game 2 is Sunday night at Staples Center.

While the Lakers played to their strengths, the Celtics’ ostensible advantages—toughness, defense and veteran savvy—weren’t so much in evidence. Rajon Rondo had 13 points—just three in the second half—and eight assists for Boston, which went 1 for 10 on 3-pointers.

“You can’t ease into the game, especially in the finals,” Pierce said. “That’s one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. We’ve just got to do a better job rebounding the ball, eliminating easy opportunities. When I look up and we’ve given up 100 points, I haven’t seen that in a while.”

Ray Allen scored 12 points in just 27 minutes, saddled with constant foul trouble while trying to guard Bryant. Pierce also picked up early fouls, while Garnett simply struggled, going 7 for 16 from the field and grabbing just four rebounds—even inexplicably missing an open layup with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

That’s mostly because of Gasol, the Spanish 7-footer determined to assert himself after admittedly getting pushed around by Garnett two years ago. Gasol capped a strong game by sprinting downcourt and catching a long pass in stride for a dunk with 6:21 to play.

“Pau played a big game tonight,” Jackson said. “I thought they did a good job on him in the post, but his movement and his activity was important.”

After Artest and Pierce got wrapped up, the mood didn’t improve much in a game featuring 54 fouls. Yet the Lakers’ aggressiveness was reflected in 10 free throws apiece for Bryant and Gasol, who made 16 of them, along with steady guard penetration from Bryant, Derek Fisher and backups Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown.

Bryant also praised the defensive effort of Artest, whose block on Glen Davis triggered the fast break that led to Gasol’s dynamic dunk.

“I think he does a great job for us of setting the tone defensively with his intensity and with his energy,” said Bryant, who greeted Artest with a hug after that block. “I was just letting him know it was well appreciated.”

NOTES: An entertaining jump ball occurred midway through the second quarter when 5-9 Nate Robinson(notes) tied up the 7-foot Gasol. The Spaniard won the tip. … Celtics C Kendrick Perkins didn’t get his seventh technical foul of the postseason, which would have resulted in an automatic one-game suspension, but technical-foul legend Rasheed Wallace got one for arguing late in the third quarter. … Fans near courtside included Jerry West, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, David Duchovny, Will Ferrell, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., Terrell Owens, Steven Spielberg, Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps and Hilary Swank. Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Adam Sandler sat together at courtside to promote their “Grown Ups” movie, opening in three weeks.

NBA finals is Lakers-Celtics, Part 12

Here comes Kobe Bryant’s chance against the team that beat him two years ago.
He’s far from the only Lakers great to fall short against Boston.
Get ready for Lakers-Celtics, Part 12, the league’s most storied franchises renewing their rivalry in the NBA finals.
Boston beat Los Angeles in the 2008 finals, with a dominant defense that made life miserable for Bryant, that season’s MVP. When they meet again starting Thursday at Staples Center, the Lakers can show how much better they are since then.

“We’ll see, we’ll see how much we matured,” Bryant said. “They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we’ve grown.”
Los Angeles will be going for its second straight title and No. 16 overall. The Celtics still have the edge, hanging their 17th banner with their victory two years ago in six games.
“We remember more than anything losing on our home court, a situation where we had some defensive lapses and they took advantage of it,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “This year we have homecourt advantage, and we look forward to the rematch with great intensity.”
The Celtics improved to 9-2 in the finals against the Lakers, having dominated the series for decades even against the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor until Los Angeles won twice in the 1980s.
That was back when a Lakers-Celtics finals was expected. Nobody predicted this one.
While the Lakers were the best of the West all season, the Celtics stumbled over the second half and were only a No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But they’re rediscovered the defense that contained Bryant two years ago, and after eliminating Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, now they get another shot at the Lakers star.
The Celtics limited Bryant to 25.7 points per game in the finals—he had averaged 31.9 through the first three rounds—and 40 percent shooting. Bryant would say: “They definitely were the best defense I’ve seen in the entire playoffs.”
This one is pretty good, too.
The Celtics knocked off James and Cleveland, which had the league’s best record, in the second round, then upset Orlando, last season’s Eastern Conference champion. The Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett) and Ray Allen is still going strong, but point guard Rajon Rondo has perhaps been their best player in the postseason.
That sets up a potential ratings winner for the league, with Bryant’s popularity and the Lakers-Celtics history sure to attract plenty of viewers.
The defending champion Lakers are making their third straight finals appearance, best since they won three in a row from 2000-02. Bryant was the sidekick to Shaquille O’Neal on those teams, but the ’08 finals was his first chance to win one alone.
It went horribly, but the Lakers think this time can be different, since they have the home-court advantage.
“Losing that game on our home court, we felt like was really the turning point,” guard Derek Fisher said. “We’re looking forward to getting this thing started on Thursday night.”
Bryant made the go-ahead basket with 7.3 seconds left to beat the Celtics 90-89 on Jan 31. Boston won the rematch in February, but Bryant sat out that game with a sprained left ankle.
The Lakers will host the first two games before the series shifts to Boston for the next three, if necessary. Both teams will be well-rested—the Celtics clinched their 21st trip by finishing off Orlando on Friday, while the Lakers are making their league-best 31st appearance after wrapping up their series against Phoenix in six games Saturday.

Celebrity winners and losers in May 2010 polls, Who rocked,,,who flopped?

More than a hundred celebrities tried their luck in the recently concluded May 10 elections, but whose stars shone on the ballots?
Here are some of the celebrities who are leading their respective races in the counting of votes based on the unofficial tally of GMA Network, based on 85 per cent of election returns nationwide that have been transmitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Senators Ramon “Bong" Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, and former senator Tito Sotto are almost sure of regaining their seats in the Senate. Their colleague Lito Lapid, however, is still hanging precariously to the 11th spot in the tally.
‘Star for All Seasons’ Vilma Santos is likewise set to be re-elected as governor of the province of Batangas, while Emilio Ejercito, more popularly known as George Estregan Jr., is likely to be elected as governor of Laguna province.
Also leading the race for Bulacan vice governor is Daniel Fernando, who was almost disqualified by the Comelec for using his screen name instead of his real name.
Almost certainly, Sarangani’s lone district will have for its Congressional representative Pinoy boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. TV host Lucy Torres-Gomez, who replaced her husband Richard Gomez in his electoral bid, is also slated to be the next representative of Leyte’s 4th district.
Bong Revilla’s wife Lani Mercado-Revilla is ahead of her rivals in the Congressional race for Cavite’s second district.
Actor Dan Fernandez’s bid for re-election as Laguna’s first district representative has also prospered, even as he was ousted by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) due to residency issues. The Supreme Court later reversed the HRET decision.
Former child star Herbert Bautista has been proclaimed as Quezon City mayor, given his wide lead. Alfred Vargas, Roderick Paulate, and Precious Hipolito also garnered enough votes to win seats in the city council.
In Manila, Isko Moreno is assured of re-election as vice mayor, along with city councilors Lou Veloso and Robert Ortega.
Marjorie Barretto and Roselle Nava are likewise leading in the counting of votes for councilor in the cities of Caloocan and Parañaque, respectively.
In a GMA News Research report, 16 out of the 109 celebrities who ran in the May 10 elections were eyeing national positions.
Falling stars
The candidacy of so many showbiz stars have indeed dazzled the first ever automated polls, but for the more unfortunate celebrities, their future in politics seems bleak as seen in the initial results of the counting of votes.
A far second in the presidential race is long-time action star and former President Joseph Estrada, who is trailing front runner Sen. Noynoy Aquino.
In the vice presidential derby, popular television host Edu Manzano is currently in fourth place.
In Bohol, action star Cesar Montano is trailing two other candidates in the gubernatorial race while Rommel Padilla meanwhile is at second place in the vice gubernatorial race for Nueva Ecija.
Aiko Melendez failed to secure the vice mayoral position of Quezon City while in Parañaque, comedians Joey Marquez and Anjo Yllana are facing imminent defeat in the electoral races for mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
Tito Varela and Jestoni Alarcon are also unlikely to clinch Congressional posts for Caloocan City and for the second district of Rizal Province, respectively. – Fidel R. Jimenez and Jerrie Abella/YA, GMANews.TV