Entertainment

Now Playing: The 2025 NBA Finals

A compelling matchup worthy of everyone’s attention

Image from x/com/NBAJPN

Published

June 11, 2025

GadgetMatch

After several rounds of drama, exhilarating action, and unforgettable moments, the NBA is down to its thrilling conclusion: the 2025 NBA Finals.

This postseason, it’s the West top seed Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder going up against the gritty Indiana Pacers from the East.

So far, it’s 1-1 in the best-of-7 series. The Pacers stole Game 1, 111-110 behind Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second heroics. The Thunder then bounced back with a more dominant Game 2 performance, 123-107, to level the tally

For many, the match up is a breath of fresh air. And the first two games quickly attested to that.

New stars

Over the last decade, franchises led by NBA superstars like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum all won titles.

And while the newly-minted NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably one of the newer “faces” of the league, it’s clear to pundits that the matchup offers something unpredictable — something fans have not seen in a long while.

You’ve got two relatively smaller-market teams duking it out for the crown; two franchises that have not had much success this century in the playoffs.

It is that same unpredictability that all the more makes the series compelling, interesting, and worthy of everyone’s attention.

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The Thunder are young, hungry, and raring to go. They have not won a title for the city (although the NBA considers the Thunder and Seattle Supersonics history as one).

The last time they made the finals was when Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook were all budding stars before carving out their own superstar careers for different franchises.

With a league-best record and a capable group, all signs point to OKC finally bagging home the chip.

Underdogs on paper, the Pacers, meanwhile, have proved doubters wrong time and again. They took down more favored contenders, with the group performing like a well-oiled machine.

They’re coached by a veteran tactician in Rick Carlisle who knows success at the highest level as well.

The Pacers shook the Eastern Conference throughout these playoffs. They’re also excellent on the road, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they are able to pull one more major trick up their sleeves in these NBA Finals.

Road to the NBA Finals

Choosing the right players always has its benefits for franchises wanting to build championship-caliber teams.

There are many schools of thought for NBA teams when it comes to this. There’s building through the draft, trading for superstars, or signing key free agents during the offseason.

Arguably, both the Pacers and Thunder are a mix of all three. But for each category, it cannot be denied that both squads made shrewd decisions in picking key cogs to boost their championship bids.

It’s much like players on Daily Fantasy — a new way to enjoy live basketball. They must strategize well in picking a maximum of eight NBA players — a maximum of four per position — for their fantasy team.

Each pick is crucial in earning points. Captains and vice-captains also add 2X and 1.5X multipliers, so assigning these roles to bonafide stars will boost players’ chances of winning Daily Fantasy games.

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder

Regular season record: 68-14, league-best

Playoffs:

1st round: Def. (8) Memphis Grizzlies, 4-0
2nd round: Def. (4) Denver Nuggets, 4-3
Conference Finals: Def. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1

(4) Indiana Pacers

Regular season record: 50-32, 4th in the East

Playoffs:

1st round: Def. (5) Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
2nd round: Def. (1) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1
Conference Finals: Def. (3) New York Knicks, 4-2

NBA Finals schedule

Game 1: Pacers def. Thunder, 111-110 (June 5)
Game 2: Thunder def. Pacers, 123-107 (June 8)
Game 3: Thunder @ Pacers, June 11
Game 4: Thunder @ Pacers, June 13
Game 5: Pacers @ Thunder, June 16*
Game 6: Thunder @ Pacers, June 19*
Game 7: Pacers @ Thunder, June 22*

Regular season match-ups

December 26, 2024: Thunder def. Pacers, 120-114
March 29, 2025: Thunder def. Pacers, 132-111

Key players

When it comes down to the NBA Finals, head coaches usually trim down their rotations to about eight or nine players per contest.

As the finals have shown so far, key players get more minutes than they do in the regular season. It’s about taking charge in high-pressure situations.

And coaches have a hand in ensuring the decisions they make affect the overall performance of the team positively.

For instance, in Game 1, the Pacers’ decision to play Obi Toppin late led to him draining five three-pointers and helping Indiana’s late comeback to steal the series opener.

But in Game 2, the strength of OKC’s bench, behind Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins who combined for 38 points, proved vital for the Thunder’s toppling of the Pacers to level the series.

In a way, this is exactly how you rule Daily Fantasy games on a regular basis. It’s about making the most out of the cards you’re dealt with.

Choose the best combination of eight players, taking into account their positions, what they can do on the floor, and how well they fill the stat sheets. You’re the coach, they’re the group, and together, you’ll make magic on the virtual hardcourt.

OKC Thunder

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Playoff stats: 29.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 9.2 free throw attempts, 2.3 turnovers

Jalen Williams

Playoff stats: 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals

OKC’s success in the playoffs so far largely had to do with its all-star duo of SGA and Jalen Williams. Everyone knows what the NBA’s latest MVP is capable of doing, but Williams played bigger when the stakes were higher.

Interestingly, SGA also dropped 33 and 45 points in OKC’s two regular season meetings against Indiana. He has a way of picking apart defenses to create for himself and his team. This will be key for OKC’s offense throughout these finals.

Indiana Pacers

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Tyrese Haliburton

Playoff stats: 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.1 steals

Pascal Siakam

Playoff stats: 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 53.7% FGs, 46.3% 3-PT FGs

Meanwhile, Indiana’s own all-star pairing of Haliburton and Siakam likewise gave the Pacers hope. Not the favorites to win it all, let alone to prevail in the East, the two orchestrated their team’s success as they took down their more favored counterparts and earn a spot in the last dance.

Indiana will go as far as where these two take them, against a team with the best defensive rating all season long.

X-Factors

OKC Thunder

Chet Holmgren

Playoff stats: 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks

Alex Caruso

Playoff stats: 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals

What’s interesting is that Holmgren has not played in the two regular season meetings against the Pacers. Now that he’s fully healthy and part of the mix, his tall frame and all-around offensive capabilities will command attention.

Caruso, meanwhile, is known to make the most out of his minutes on the floor. He takes care of business defensively, whether his hustle reflects on the stat sheet or not.

Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner

Playoff stats: 15.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks

Andrew Nembhard

Playoff stats: 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 48.3% 3-PT FGs

Aaron Nesmith

Playoff stats: 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 50% 3-PT FGs

Now a veteran big, Turner will be needed against an intimidating OKC frontline. He will likely be matched against Isaiah Hartenstein, who is among OKC’s top rebounders. Controlling the glass and ensuring the Pacers manage the possessions may end up as one of the difference-makers in the series.

Moreover, the starting wing duo of Nembhard and Nesmith will let Indiana throw different bodies at SGA. Both two-way threats, the wingmen should be able to help the team offensively by stretching the floor. On the other side of the court, they should tire out OKC’s main playmakers, starting with their superstar.

Play and win with your own pick of players

Up the stakes and the rewards as you enjoy the intense matches of the NBA Finals with Daily Fantasy.

After creating an account and signing up, players may immediately get going by fulfilling daily tasks to earn free-to-play virtual currency to test the water. They may also head on to the coin-based contest and win big easily with as low as Php 10 entry fee.

Contests, of course, depend on the actual NBA matchups on a particular day. And as it is currently the conference finals, there is only one game per day.

Build your team with up to 8 NBA players, selecting from no more than two teams.

You can stack your lineup with stars from a single franchise or mix talent across teams — it’s your call.

Just remember, no more than four (4) players per position.

The users with higher overall scores in contests will win rewards. There are various contest types, like the mega-prized “Winner Takes All”, where the top 1 fantasy scorer will walk away with more than PhP 100,000 with just a low entry fee of PhP 10.

A hot contest that is available on Daily Fantasy now is Shop All You Can at the NBA Store. Just be the highest fantasy point earner for special-tagged contests from all NBA Finals matches to secure this shopping spree.

The mechanics are available here: https://www.playdailyfantasy.com/event/shopallyoucan. Download the Daily Fantasy app here to get started.

Entertainment

Ubisoft confirms Far Cry live-action anthology series

Published

November 26, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Months ago, Ubisoft accidentally announced that it is working with FX on a live-action adaptation of the Far Cry series. Today, the publisher finally confirmed the news and attached some notable names to the project.

Confirmed directly by the publisher via an official announcement, Ubisoft announced that FX has ordered a series based on the first-person adventure series. The show will be an anthology series with different characters and stories for every season. With that description, it sounds a lot like The White Lotus but with more guns.

The games themselves follow this same format. Each game has a different setting and set of characters. The last, for instance, featured Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo, the dictator of a fictional South American country named Yara.

Helming the live-action project are two big names for Hulu: Noah Hawley and Rob Mac. Hawley recently earned his flowers through the recently concluded first season of Alien: Earth. Meanwhile, Rob Mac has been earning success after success with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

With those two helming the series, the upcoming Far Cry adaptation has the potential to make a name for itself in the videogame adaptation scene. These days, adaptations are rocking the airwaves with notable adaptations including Fallout and The Last of Us.

Entertainment

Hisense L9Q Review: The ultra short throw projector that feels like a TV

A 120″ home cinema

Published

November 21, 2025

Chay Lazaro

Have you ever dreamed of watching a movie at home that actually feels like the cinema? A picture so bright, so detailed, so close — you forget it’s being projected onto your wall?

The Hisense L9Q the kind of device that makes that possible.

The Ultimate Home Theater Upgrade

When you think of a projector, you probably picture a big box at the back of the room, throwing a beam of light you’re not supposed to walk through.

The Hisense L9Q flips that idea completely. It’s an ultra-short-throw projector, which means it sits just inches from the wall. So there are neither shadows nor cables stretching across the floor.

It’s clean, modern, and honestly, it looks like something from the future. It’s Hisense’s most advanced laser projector yet.

Setup only takes minutes: drop it in place, power it on, and auto fit and alignment can take care of the rest, or you can manually adjust it. You don’t need a technician to pull this off.

And the image? 80 inches all the way up to a massive 200 inches. Pair it with an ALR screen — short for ambient light rejection — and it looks even more unreal. The screen bounces the projector’s light straight toward you while blocking out the glare from lamps or windows.

Most people will think it’s a TV. Then you tell them it’s a projector and you can watch their faces light up.

Pure Cinema Standards

At 5,000 lumens, this is one of the brightest projectors in its class. It stays vivid even in daylight. That football match you like to watch with coffee on weekend mornings? It looks spectacular.

The scary movies you pretend to watch under a cozy blanket? Also SPOOK-tacular.

But brightness alone isn’t the star of the show. The secret is L9Q’s Triple Color Laser system. That means separate red, green, and blue lasers, each tuned for pure wavelength precision.

Most projectors use a single white laser or LED that filters through color wheels, which limits how many shades it can actually show. This one doesn’t.

It covers 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut, which is the widest color standard used in 4K production today. So you get richer reds, punchier greens, deeper blues — the kind of color that makes sunsets glow, neon lights shimmer, and movie worlds feel alive.

Just look at the Avatar films: those shimmering blues and layered greens that feel otherworldly. There’s also La La Land’s famous “Lovely Night” scene: those shifting blues and oranges that make it pure magic.

Even in Severance, you might remember that moment when Mr. Milchick gifts the innies their music dance experience. The reds and blues flood the frame without ever bleeding into each other.

Combine that wider color gamut with both Pantone and Pantone Skintone Validation and you get better color over all.

In White Lotus Season 3, for example, even with its warmer color grade, you can still see each cast member’s skin tone naturally. They’re not washed out nor overly orange.

Add 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 5,000 : 1 contrast ratio, and dark scenes pull you in while highlights burst with cinematic clarity, the kind of balance you expect in a real theater.

Just like the best theaters, the L9Q supports every major HDR standard: Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. Visually, it’s stunning.

In Oppenheimer, the shadows stay detailed and lifelike. You’ll see every subtle expression on Cillian Murphy’s face.

In Black Panther, the deep purples and golds of T’Challa’s ceremonial robe gleam against the vibrant landscapes of Wakanda.

Lastly, in Crazy Rich Asians, the wedding scene feels lush and alive — colors bloom, fabrics shimmer, and the lighting feels straight out of the theater.

Then, there’s the sound. The L9Q’s built-in Max 116W Devialet 6.2.2 audio system delivers clear highs, warm mids, and a surprisingly powerful low end.

Soft moments like Kina Grannis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love, sound intimate and emotional. When things get intense, like Kendrick Lamar’s Pray for Me during the Busan chase, the audio swells, crisp and controlled, matching the energy on screen.

Zimmer’s score in Oppenheimer hits just as hard: first silence, then the blast, shaking the room with that cinematic punch.

Of course, if you’re building a full home theater, you’ll probably connect your own surround setup. With the L9Q’s flexible connectivity, you can easily do so. But even on its own, this projector already sounds like it belongs in a cinema.

Visual Excellence

It’s not just for movie nights either. The L9Q handles fast-moving visuals like a champ . It’s got 240 Hz refresh rate that keeps motion fluid and sharp. Whether it’s live sports, chase scenes, or anything that moves fast, you won’t miss a beat.

It’s one of those details you don’t notice until you go back to something slower — then you can’t unsee it.

Whatever you like to watch at home, it’s also just a click away. The L9Q has Google TV built in, so all your favorite apps — Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube — are ready to go.

No set-top boxes, no cables, just the remote, which, by the way, glows in the dark.

Elegant Centerpiece

The Hisense L9Q is a showpiece in itself. Unlike most TVs that are an eyesore when turned off, it’s designed to be seen, not hidden.

With its imperial copper gilt finish, diamond-cut edges, and micro-prism detailing, it’s already won prestigious design awards like the Red Dot 2024 and IF Design Award 2025.

Just like all Hisense projectors, it’s also built to last. With a 25,000-hour laser lifespan you’ll be enjoying your home theater for a really long time. I did that math and that’s at least 2 movies every day for the next 13 years.

The Future of Home Cinema

At US$5,999, it’s an investment for sure, but it’s the kind that transforms every movie, game, or cozy night in into something worth remembering. No bulky setup. No messy cables. No compromises. Just light, sound, and story — right where you live.

Check out Hisense L9Q Ultra Short Throw Projector on Best Buy or Amazon. It’s currently $500 off for Black Friday.

Entertainment

The Legend of Zelda film gets its first official photos

Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth play Zelda and Link, respectively.

Published

November 18, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

The Legend of Zelda might be one of the hardest video games to adapt. After all, how do you write a script for a protagonist who never talks? But, by God, Nintendo is doing it anyway. Now, the company has released the first official images from the upcoming live action film’s production.

The upcoming Zelda film has had a long production cycle. First announced in 2023, it was only earlier this year when Nintendo put a date to the film’s premiere: March 26, 2027. Even now, we don’t know much about the film.

Over the weekend, unofficial photos showed that product started its filming in New Zealand. Unofficial photos don’t really mean much except for those who hang around the rumor mill, but they can spiral towards those excited for the film’s release. To get ahead of the rumors, Nintendo released official photos, over the Nintendo Today app, which show both Link and Princess Zelda.

Notably, Zelda, the archetypal princess in distress, isn’t wearing her usual princess’s garb. Rather, she’s wearing the blue gear from the Breath of the Wild duology, where the princess had a more active role in saving Hyrule. Bo Bragason, who plays the princess, will likely take on a more front-and-center role.

Link, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, is wearing his more traditional green clothing from the past games. Though the film looks like it’s adapting the most recent duology, it might be an entirely different story, based on Link’s different clothes.