NBA All-Star contest winners

As expected, the response to our contest in relation to the recent National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Weekend was overwhelming. We received over 4,000 entries from all over the Philippines.

There were entries from Cebu, Tacloban, La Trinidad in Benguet, Baguio, San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte, Tarlac, Albay, Bangued, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro, Sorsogon, Cabanatuan, Camarines Sur, Koronadal, General Santos City, Bacolod, Davao City, Aurora, Calasiao, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and others.

The 10 winners are:

1.Bernard Patrick Cokee, 26. IT Specialist of 122 G. Araneta Ave., barangay Dona Imelda, Quezon City.

2.Almira Clarisa Santos, 15. Third year high school student of 411 Olympia Subdivision, Poblacion, Pulilan, Bulacan.

3.Arturo Almajar, Jr., 35. Government employee of Room 101, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippins.

4.Jose Paculba, Jr., 46. Employee of 194 Aguirre Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque.

5.Christelle Jade Elegado, 11. Grade 5 student of Tarlac Montessori School, Tarlac City.

6.Juanito Rey de los Santos, 33. Customer service representative of Convergys Philippines, 2368 Coral Street, San Andres Bukid, Manila.

7.Paul John Raval Ruiz, 35. Computer maintenance technologist of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Region I, Calasiao, Pangasinan.

8.Earl Leonard Sebastian, 19. Third year college student, University of Santo Tomas, of 2530 Esmeralda Street, San Andres, Manila.

9.Carlos Perez, 29. Trade asset specialist of 2015 Severino Reyes Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila.

10.Jeanne Cortez, 17. First year college student, Philippine Women’s University, of D. Padilla Street, Fortunata Village, Sucat, Parañaque.

The correct answers to the contest questions are: (1) Flip Saunders, this year’s East All-Star coach, (2) Avery Johnson, this year’s West All-Star coach, (3) Jermaine O’Neal, the injured East starter not able to play in the All-Star Game and (4) Gilbert Arenas, named to replace O’Neal in the East team.

Additionally, each entry identified his or her favorite All-Star with an explanation in 100 words or less.

Here are some of the winners’ choices:

From Bernard Patrick Cokee–"My favorite NBA All-Star is Dwyane Wade, a.k.a. the Flash. This season, his averages have gone up taking his game to new heights. D-Wade can play brilliantly and cohesively on both ends. He’s a do-or-die warrior who loves to take dazzling acrobatic layups and mighty dunks after waltzing through traffic at lightning speed. He can also hit smooth mid-range shots and find open teammates. The Flash deserves his spot in the East lineup because he knows how to entertain and win games at the same time. D-Wade plays with passion and stands up when he falls."

By the way, Wade hit the winning shot in the East’s 122-120 win.

From Almira Clarisa Santos–"My favorite NBA All-Star is Yao Ming because first off, he represents us Asians in the NBA. He’s also unique above others basically because of his height. I know that he can still improve his play. He plays an important role for his team and I know that soon, his team will be a contender. With his talent, he can carry his team. We just have to wait for his time to loom. Watch out, he’ll be zooming around the court like a Rocket very soon."

From Arturo Almajar Jr.–"I chose Steve Nash as my favorite All-Star because he has these tremendous abilities to do a lot of things inside the court more than he is expected to. He is a player who can play more than his position. He is a great ball handler, great passer, great shooter and has a way of intimidating his opponent. He always makes the best judgment when it is needed. He is unstoppable inside the court when the going gets tough. Another thing is the manner that his point guard expresses himself. He has this well-controlled attitude halting his anger to burst out whenever the officiating makes an unfavorable decision or call during a game. He is really a complete player for me."

From Cristelle Jade Elegado–"Allen Iverson is my favorite All-Star because he is a model to our youth who may not have the ceiling like most NBA players (especially Pinoys who are predominantly lacking in height) but makes up for it by being the NBA’s most prolific scorer of the New Millennium (he’s a two-time scoring champ) aside from being the league’s player with the most minutes logged on court. As a six-foot flat player, Allen can attack the basket with lightning speed and a repertoire of penetrating moves that even seven-foot giants Yao and Shaq can’t stop."

From Juanito Rey de los Santos–"My favorite All-Star is Kobe Bryant. He’s a true All-Star in my book. Since winning the Slam Dunk contest in 1997 and giving out an All-Star performance during the Rookie Challenge of the 1997 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, he has become a real superstar. Most especially this season, he’s putting up All-Star and MVP numbers by being No. 1 in the scoring stats."

To the 10 winners, you may claim your prizes starting tomorrow, Monday, at the fifth floor, ECJ Condominium, Arzobispo corner Real Streets, Intramuros. Please call Babes at 527-6007 for directions. Congratulations. Your prizes–all collectors’ items–were sent by the NBA exclusively for STAR readers and are not available for sale in the Philippines.