MANILA, Philippines – During the recent National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star weekend, basketball superstars were able to share their views on two of the most successful Filipinos in the international sports scene: Manny Pacquiao and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
It is widely known that Boston Celtics’s “Big 3," composed of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, are among Pacquiao’s biggest fans.
Allen and Garnett had their say about Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against former world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
"Yeah, I got Pacquiao over Mosley… you know, he and Mosley's [are] good people. [It] should be a good fight,” said Garnett.
Allen was more careful with his statements on the chances of Mosley, a fellow American, over the Filipino superstar.
"I like Pacquiao over anybody,” said Allen. “But before I make a statement and before I say who I like, I’m gonna say ‘Pacquiao’ but I need to get the tale of the tape.”
Miami on Spoelstra
Miami’s version of “Big 3” also heaped praises on their mentor Spoelstra, who is the first Filipino-American to ever coach in the NBA.
"He's been good…he's a very focused individual, you know he works very hard," said Chris Bosh.
LeBron James said Spoelstra has been very patient despite the team being unsteady at the onset of the NBA season.
“He's great. He's held us accountable everyday, and even with the shaky start we had, he has always stayed on us,” he said.
“He continues to lead us, he's our leader, as the old saying goes 'we gonna go as far as he can take us',” said Dwayne Wade.
Most basketball fans are hoping that the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat will clash in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
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