Road to Glory - A New Jersey Nets Association

[Jing]

Wow Yao in New Jersey... he'll probably live in NYC

[Valor]

Yao was great! Lai is really starting to shine..

Yao was amazing Lai is showing off his scoring capabilities now that he's gotten the green light and the playing time from Coach Frank

Wow Yao in New Jersey... he'll probably live in NYC

Heh, he's just gonna switch houses with Yi that's all
long time no see Jing, nice of you to drop by

[Valor]

Yao, Nets spoil Carter's return to New Jersey


East Rutherford, NJ - Vince Carter was specular all night, but he couldn't produce the ending he'd hoped for as the Orlando Magic got trashed by the new member of the Nets - Yao Ming.

Carter, playing in New Jersey for the first time since getting traded on December 16th 2009, led all scorers with 30 points on Saturday night, but it was the Nets who dominated the ball game after a strong first quarter by the Magic, eventually blowing the game open and winning the ball game 125-108 against Carter and the Magic.

"I dreamed it up a certain way, and it was better than that," Carter said. "Everything was perfect but one thing, and that was not winning the game."

Nets' recent acquisition Yao Ming had 28 points and a game high 12 rebounds, alongside 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks as he dominated Magic's all star center Dwight Howard, shutting him down to just 4 points and 10 rebounds, as well as playing a season low 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Yao also had plenty of support in the form of the rookies Leo Lai and Patrick Mills, who had 28 points and 16 points off the bench respectively, Lai also had 5 rebounds, 3 steals, a block, as well as a career high 10 assists against his former mentor on the team. Lai played as much as 26 minutes off the bench due to starter Adam Morrison's struggles to knock down shots, Morrison was 3 for 16 from the field and 2 for 9 from deep.

Vince did have some support on his team, with Rashard Lewis dropping in 24 points and Courtney Lee adding 16, but the major player for the Magic was all-star point guard Jameer Nelson, as he had the game of his life with a near triple double performance of 11 points, 8 rebounds, as well as a career high 19 assists, however, he did have 11 turnovers, which was a major problem for the Magic all night long, as they turned the ball over 24 times and gave up 29 points on fastbreaks and second chance buckets.

"It definitely hurt us a lot," said Nelson after the game "those points they got off our turnovers was more then the difference of the game"

Even in defeat, the night belonged to Carter, who, unlike his returns to Toronto, received a hero's welcome from the sellout crowd of 20,049 at the IZOD Center as the fans showered him with raucous applause and a lengthy standing ovation that lasted as long as a minute during his introduction. Carter then went over to the Nets bench and exchanged hugs with coach Lawrence Frank as well as his former teammates.

"It felt great for him to do that," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. "He came over with a lot of class, I thought everyone was excited about it when it happened."

Carter then thanked the crowd with a specular dunk that is worthy of being in the top 5 of the year, in which he leaped over Nets forward Luol Deng along the baseline and slammed the ball down despite having his head on the wrong side of the backboard. The New Jersey crowd responded to the move with long chants of MVP.

Notes: The Nets are now 20-16 with this win, they have been 3-0 since the two major trades 4 days ago.....Jarvis Hayes, who was seldom used before being sent to Orlando in the Carter trade, came off the bench for the Magic to drop 9 points and 7 rebounds against his former team....Howard, who is leading the NBA in blocks, failed to record 1 block in this game.....







Highlights










Jordan Player of the Game Highlights

phpBB [video]

[kibaxx7]

Mills has been playing really good. And Yao's on fire!

[Clutch]

D-Ho must be disgusted w/Nelson's 11 TO's and only getting off 6 shots on the night; then again Yao was in a zone so probably not much Howard could've done anyway; solid win

[Valor]

Mills has been playing really good. And Yao's on fire!

Mills is my second round wonder! all hail me for such a great draft steal
but what are you talking about? Yao has always been that good when he's on fire, he's much more then this

D-Ho must be disgusted w/Nelson's 11 TO's and only getting off 6 shots on the night; then again Yao was in a zone so probably not much Howard could've done anyway; solid win

Indeed, Yao made a statement towards the entire world that he's not gonna let DH get the title as the best Center in the NBA He wants to yell out that he's the true successor to Shaq as the most dominating big man in the league!

[Martti.]

Wow, Lai with 10 assists. And of course, Yao was a beast.

[Valor]

Wow, Lai with 1 assists. And of course, Yao was a beast.

10! not 1!! I was just getting Yao to post up over and over again, also running some pick and rolls, so it just happens that a few times Lai was the one feeding him the ball
Yao > Dwight baby! yeah!

[Martti.]

Damn, I meant to write 10..

[Valor]

Damn, I meant to write 10..

I know dw about it

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: January 10
Part One: New Jersey Nets Monthly Recap

January Results - 9W 6L

January 2nd @ Dallas Mavericks
Loss 106-110
Outstanding Players
Dallas: Jason Kidd 21 pts 15 ast 10 reb 2 blk, Dirk Nowitzki 18 pts 14 reb 3 blk, Shaquille O'Neal 6 pts 12 reb
New Jersey: Leo Lai 36 pts 6 reb 7 ast (off the bench, career highs), Devin Harris 15 pts 15 ast 7 reb,

January 3rd @ New Orleans Hornets
Loss 94-104
Outstanding Players
New Orleans: Chris Paul 22 pts 11 ast 4 stl, David West 24 pts, Tyson Chandler 10 pts 13 reb 3 blk
New Jersey: Devin Harris 23 pts 11 ast 2 stl, Leo Lai 22 pts (off the bench), Patrick Mills 8 ast (off the bench)

January 6th vs San Antonio Spurs
Win 109-100 Game Recap

January 7th @ Indiana Pacers
Win 112-93
Outstanding Players
Indiana: TJ Ford 17 pts 11 ast, Roy Hibbert 14 pts 11 reb, Danny Granger 9 pts 15 reb 5 ast, Mike Dunleavy 21 pts
New Jersey: Leo Lai 27 pts 8 ast (off the bench, career high ast), Yao Ming 23 pts 13 reb 3 blk, Devin Harris 16 pts 11 ast 3 stl, Luol Deng 11 pts 6 reb 6 stl (ties career high stl)

January 9th vs Orlando Magic
Win 125-108 Game Recap

January 11th @ Miami Heat
Loss 92-99
Outstanding Players
Miami: Dwyane Wade 26 pts 8 reb, Mario Chalmers 24 pts 8 ast, Jermaine O'Neal 12 pts 10 reb, Michael Beasley 6 pts 12 reb 8 ast
New Jersey: Yao Ming 19 pts 14 reb, Leo Lai 19 pts 6 reb(off the bench), Sean Williams 10 pts 12 reb 3 blk, Devin Harris 13 pts 11 ast

January 14th vs Denver Nuggets
Loss 108-123
Outstanding Players
Denver: Chauncey Billups 29 pts 13 ast 7 reb, Carmelo Anthony 22 pts 8 reb, Nene 13 pts 17 reb, JR Smith 22 pts
New Jersey: Devin Harris 28 pts 9 ast, Yao Ming 25 pts 7 reb 6 ast 5 stl 4 blk, Leo Lai 16 pts 2 blk (off the bench)

January 16th vs New Orleans Hornets
Loss 61-107
Outstanding Players
New Orleans: Chris Paul 18 pts 7 ast 5 stl, David West 18 pts 9 reb, Tyson Chandler 6 pts 15 reb, Peja Stojakovic 21 pts
New Jersey: Yao Ming 7 pts 11 reb, Leo Lai 11 pts 7 ast (off the bench), Patrick Mills 11 pts (off the bench)

January 17th @ Toronto Raptors
Win 122-99
Outstanding Players
Toronto: Chris Bosh 28 pts 9 reb, Jason Kapono 25 pts 5 ast, Earl Clark 7 pts 8 reb 6 ast
New Jersey: Yao Ming 21 pts 14 reb, Luol Deng 26 pts 5 ast 4 reb, Devin Harris 21 pts 9 ast

January 19th vs Dallas Mavericks
Win 108-78
Outstanding Players
Dallas: Jason Terry 21 pts, Dirk Nowitzki 19 pts 5 reb, Jason Kidd 5 reb 11 ast
New Jersey: Devin Harris 30 pts, Yao Ming 20 pts 10 reb 3 blk, Leo Lai 17 pts (off the bench)

January 24th vs Toronto Raptors
Win 102-76
Outstanding Players
Toronto: Chris Bosh 22 pts 13 reb, Earl Clark 7 pts 9 reb 5 ast, Jose Calderon 7 pts 7 ast
New Jersey: Yao Ming 21 pts 13 reb, Devin Harris 20 pts 6 ast, Leo Lai 16 pts 5 reb (off the bench), Patrick Mills 8 pts 8 ast (off the bench)

January 26th @ Memphis Grizzlies
Win 120-103
Outstanding Players
Memphis: Rudy Gay 19 pts 11 reb, OJ Mayo 17 pts 6 ast, Marc Gasol 14 pts 13 reb
New Jersey: Adam Morrison 35 pts (career high), Yao Ming 20 pts 13 reb, Leo Lai 23 pts (off the bench), Sean Williams 6 pts 10 reb 6 ast 3 blk

January 28th @ San Antonio Spurs
Win 103-100
Outstanding Players
San Antonio: Tony Parker 20 pts 9 ast, Tim Duncan 19 pts 6 reb, Richard Jefferson 15 pts 6 reb, Roger Mason 18 pts
New Jersey: Yao Ming 24 pts 13 reb 6 ast 6 blk, Sean Williams 15 pts 17 reb (9 Off, career highs in reb, off)

January 30th vs Charlotte Bobcats
Loss 86-99
Outstanding Players
Charlotte: Emeka Okafor 15 pts 6 reb, Raymond Felton 12 pts 9 ast, Gerald Wallace 12 pts 5 reb 5 stl
New Jersey: Yao Ming 15 pts 11 reb, Devin Harris 8 pts 7 ast, Patrick Mills 10 pts 3 ast (off the bench)

January 31st vs Boston Celtics
Win 110-106
Outstanding Players
Boston: Ray Allen 27 pts 5 ast 5 reb, Paul Pierce 21 pts 9 reb, Rafer Alston 19 pts 9 ast, Kevin Garnett 5 pts 14 reb
New Jersey: Yao Ming 23 pts 22 reb (ties career high reb), Sean Williams 14 pts 17 reb (ties career high reb)




New Jersey Nets Player Stats

- Bold Indicates Team Leader


New Jersey Nets Metric Stats

- Bold Indicates Team Leader



Nets' Top 5 Plays of the Month


5. Luol Deng baptizes Raptors rookie Earl Clark and tells Robert Swift to get the hell out of his way.
Deng had a season high 26 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the 122-99 victory over Toronto.


4. Lai hustles back and swaps Jamaal Tinsley's weak layup into the stands in the Nets' 112-93 win over the Pacers.
Lai finished with 27 points and an impressive (career high at that time) 8 assists coming off the bench.


3. Yao Ming hits the fade-away jumper from an impossible angle (behind the backboard!) over Nene of the Nuggets.
Yao finished with an impressive 25 points, 7 rebound, 6 assist, 5 steals, 4 blocks performance in the loss.


2. Lai turns Dirk Nowitzki into another one of his posters in the Nets' 106-110 loss to the Mavericks.
Lai had a career high 36 points, along with 6 rebounds and 7 assists coming off the bench in this game.


1. Yao Ming with the poster jam over former Houston teammate Carl Landry in the Nets' 110-106 win over the Celtics.
Yao had 23 point alongside with a career high-tying 22 rebounds in the victory.

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: January 10
Part Two: Around the League

League Standings
Western Conference Standings
1. Portland Trailblazers (33-12)*
2. Los Angeles Lakers (30-18)*
3. New Orleans Hornets (27-19)*
4. Houston Rockets (27-19)
5. Denver Nuggets (26-20)
6. Phoenix Suns (26-20)
7. Golden State Warriors (25-20)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-23)
----------------------------------
9. Utah Jazz (23-24)
10. Dallas Mavericks (22-24)
11. San Antonio Spurs (22-26)
12. Los Angeles Clippers (22-26)
13. Sacramento Kings (21-26)
14. Memphis Grizzlies (18-26)
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-32)

* Denotes Division Leader

Eastern Conference Standings
1. Boston Celtics (33-15)*
2. Charlotte Bobcats (29-18)*
3. Washington Wizards (27-19)
4. Chicago Bulls (24-21)*
5. New Jersey Nets (26-20)
6. Orlando Magic (26-21)
7. Atlanta Hawks (24-21)
8. Detroit Pistons (24-24)
----------------------------------
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-26)
10. New York Knicks (22-26)
11. Philadelphia 76ers (19-29)
12. Toronto Raptors (16-30)
13. Milwaukee Bucks (15-30)
14. Miami Heat (16-31)
15. Indiana Pacers (16-35)

* Denotes Division Leader




League Leaders


1. Lebron James (Cleveland) 30.9
2. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) 28.2
3. Dwyane Wade (Miami) 26.8
4. Michael Redd (Milwaukee) 26.1
5. Carmelo Anthony (Denver) 24.8


1. Dwight Howard (Orlando) 14.6
2. Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 11.1
- Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee) 11.1
3. Al Jefferson (Minnesota) 10.4
4. Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) 10.3
5. Troy Murphy (Indiana) 9.9


1. Chris Paul (New Orleans) 11.7
2. Deron Williams (Utah) 10.8
3. Jose Calderon (Toronto) 10.2
4. Ricky Rubio (Milwaukee) 9.8
5. Steve Nash (Phoenix) 9.1


1. Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) 2.4
2. Chris Paul (New Orleans) 2.3
3. Mario Chalmers (Miami) 2.1
4. Ron Artest (Houston) 1.9
5. Allen Iverson (Atlanta) 1.8


1. Dwight Howard (Orlando) 3.6
2. Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 2.8
3. Tyson Chandler (New Orleans) 2.7
4. Pau Gasol (LA Lakers) 2.4
5. Yao Ming (New Jersey) 2.3


EFFICIENCY
1. Lebron James (Cleveland) 28.0
2. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) 25.5
3. Chris Paul (New Orleans) 25.2
4. Dwight Howard (Orlando) 24.5
5. Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 24.4
6. Yao Ming (New Jersey) 24.3
7. Chris Bosh (Toronto) 22.6
8. David West (New Orleans) 21.8
9. Kevin Garnett (Boston) 21.4
- Pau Gasol (LA Lakers) 21.4
10. Al Jefferson (Minnesota) 21.1



Rookie Leaders

1. Leo Lai (New Jersey) 16.7
2. Tyreke Evans (Oklahoma City) 15.0
3. Blake Griffin (Phoenix) 13.0
4. Earl Clark (Toronto) 12.5
5. James Harden (Washington) 10.2


1. Blake Griffin (Phoenix) 8.5
2. Hasheem Thabeet (Minnesota) 7.5
3. Gani Lawal (Atlanta) 6.9
4. BJ Mullens (New York) 6.6
5. Jordan Hill (LA Clippers) 6.2


1. Ricky Rubio (Milwaukee) 9.8
2. James Harden (Washington) 4.4
3. Tyreke Evans (Oklahoma City) 4.0
4. Earl Clark (Toronto) 3.9
5. Blake Griffin (Phoenix) 3.3
- Jrue Holiday (Phoenix) 3.3


1. Ricky Rubio (Milwaukee) 1.5
2. Blake Griffin (Phoenix) 1.1
3. James Harden (Washington) 1.0
- Earl Clark (Toronto) 1.0
4. Patrick Mills (New Jersey) 0.9
5. Tyreke Evans (Oklahoma City) 0.8


1. Hasheem Thabeet (Minnesota) 1.9
2. Gani Lawal (Atlanta) 0.9
3. Blake Griffin (Phoenix) 0.8
4. Tyreke Evans (Oklahoma City) 0.5
- Ricky Rubio (Milwaukee) 0.5
5. Earl Clark (Toronto) 0.4


Players of the Week
Week: East | West
Oct 28-Oct 31: Dwight Howard (Orlando) | Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)
Nov 1-7: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Nov 8-14: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Nov 15-21: Dwight Howard (Orlando) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Nov 22-28: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Nov 29-Dec 5: Dwight Howard (Orlando) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Dec 6-12: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Dec 13-19: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Dec 20-26: LeBron James (Cleveland) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Dec 27-Jan 2: Lebron James (Cleveland) | Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Jan 3-9: Yao Ming (New Jersey) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Jan 10-16: Yao Ming (New Jersey) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Jan 17-23: Dwight Howard (Orlando) | Carmelo Anthony (Denver)
Jan 24-30: Dwight Howard (Orlando) | Chris Paul (New Orleans)

Players of the Month
East: Yao Ming (New Jersey)
West: Chris Paul (New Orleans)

Rookies of the Month
East: Leo Lai (New Jersey)
West: Blake Griffin (Phoenix)



Player Movement
01/02/10
Magic Sign: Johan Petro to 1Yr/$3.73M Deal

01/05/10
Bulls Trade: Luol Deng (New Jersey), Aaron Gray (Oklahoma City)
Nets Trade: Hedo Turkoglu (Chicago), Bobby Simmons (Oklahoma City), '10 1st round pick Nets (Chicago)
Thunder Trade: Adam Morrison (New Jersey), Acie Law (New Jersey)

01/05/10
Nets Trade: Yi Jianlian, Brook Lopez, Tony Battie, '10 2nd round pick Nets
Rockets Trade: Yao Ming, Joey Dorsey, Jodie Meeks

01/06/10
Nets Waive: Jodie Meeks

01/16/10
Pacers Trade: Roy Hibbert
Wizards Trade: Nick Young

01/23/10
Wizards Trade: Mike James
Pistons Trade: Amir Johnson


Injuries

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: January 10
Part Three: Rookie Rankings


1. Blake Griffin, PF, Phoenix Suns
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
46 | 46 | 33.6 | 13.0 | 8.5 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | .496 | .071 | .723
Last Month: 1 | Drafted: 6


2. Earl Clark, SF, Toronto Raptors
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |FG% | 3P% | FT%
46 | 46 | 31.5 | 12.5 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | .435 | .325 | .666
Last Month: 2 | Drafted: 12


3. Tyreke Evans, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
48 | 48 | 31.8 | 15.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | .403 | .259 | .713
Last Month: 3 | Drafted: 5


4. Ricky Rubio, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
40 | 39 | 31.6 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | .440 | .250 | .695
Last Month: 4 | Drafted: 2


5. Leo Lai, SG, New Jersey Nets
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
46 | 0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | .552 | .571 | .779
Last Month: 8 | Drafted: 3


6. Hasheem Thabeet, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
47 | 47 | 30.0 | 3.4 | 7.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.9 | .333 | .150 | .623
Last Month: 5 | Drafted: 1


7. James Harden, SG, Washington Wizards
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
46 | 46 | 29.6 | 10.2 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | .360 | .233 | .843
Last Month: 6 | Drafted: 7


8. Jordan Hill, PF, Los Angeles Clippers
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
48 | 42 | 29.4 | 9.8 | 6.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | .447 | .272 | .552
Last Month: 7 | Drafted: 9


9. Gani Lawal, PF, Atlanta Hawks
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
45 | 0 | 22.4 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | .379 | .272 | .792
Last Month: 9 | Drafted: 13


10. Patrick Mills, PG, New Jersey Nets
G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT%
46 | 0 | 13.0 | 7.5 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | .354 | .216 | .750
Last Month: 10 | Drafted: 33


- Bold indicates Rookie Leader

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: January 10
Part Four: Race to the MVP


1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets | Team Record: 27-19
Last Month's Rank - 4
Stats: PPG -- 19.7; RPG -- 4.9; APG -- 11.7; SPG -- 2.3; BPG -- 0.1; FG% -- .455; 3P% -- .255; FT% -- .754
Comment: Last month, I said that Paul is at #4 because the Hornets are underachieving. This month, CP3 has steped up his game and lifted the Hornets from 16-15 to 27-19, good enough for third place in the tightly contested Western Conference, just trailing the red-hot, extremely star studded Los Angeles Lakers and their MVP canadiate Kobe Bryant.


2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers | Team Record: 30-18
Last Month's Rank - 1
Stats: PPG -- 28.2; RPG -- 6.0; APG -- 5.1; SPG -- 1.5; BPG -- 0.2; FG% -- .481; 3P% -- .338; FT% -- .814
Comment: His Stats dipped a bit but the Lakers are playing terrific ball, going 9-1 in their last 10 and are currently on a 3 game winning streak. The Black Mamba would be at #1, but since CP3's performance the past month was so good, Kobe would have to settle at #2


3. Brandon Roy, Portland Trailblazers | Team Record: 33-12
Last Month's Rank - 10
Stats: PPG -- 20.6; RPG -- 4.8; APG -- 4.9; SPG -- 1.6; BPG -- 0.3; FG% -- .458; 3P% -- .311; FT% -- .823
Comment: B-Roy has been getting it done in the past month, his Blazers are on a tear at the moment with a 7 game winning streak and are sitting on the throne right now with a league best 33-12 record, and Roy has been a major part in that. He just raised his average over the 20 ppg mark, and he's also being more efficient on offense. Oh, did i mention that the Blazers are on a 15 game home winning streak? As of now, the Rose Garden is a place to be feared...

4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | Team Record: 22-26
Last Month's Rank - 2
Stats: PPG -- 30.9; RPG -- 9.3; APG -- 5.2; SPG -- 1.6; BPG -- 0.6; FG% -- .445; 3P% -- .253; FT% -- .741
Comment: His Stats are still eye-popping, so why has he slid down the list by so much? Answer? His Cavaliers suddenly started to stink, and they are out of the top 8 in the Eastern Conference with a terrible sub-.500 record.


5. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics | Team Record: 33-15
Last Month's Rank - 5
Stats: PPG -- 16.1; RPG -- 9.0; APG -- 4.0; SPG -- 1.2; BPG -- 1.5; FG% -- .461; 3P% -- .222; FT% -- .783
Comment: Glancing at the stats alone won't give you the idea of how much impact he makes on the basketball court. Boston's defense and energy starts and ends with KG, and that's one of the reasons why they are, by far, the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now with a league-second-best 33-15 record.


6. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic | Team Record: 26-21
Last Month's Rank - 3
Stats: PPG -- 18.4; RPG -- 14.6; APG -- 0.8; SPG -- 0.7; BPG -- 3.6; FG% -- .497; 3P% -- .000; FT% -- .462
Comment: The Magic's record slid down the Eastern Conference Rankings from 3rd last month to 6 this month. However, this isn't Howard's fault, as the team is simply trying to sync with one another after the Carter trade. This would cost Superman his 3rd spot on the MVP rankings though, as he, like his team, dropped from #3 to #6 this month.


7. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs | Team Record: 22-26
Last Month's Rank - 6
Stats: PPG -- 20.7; RPG -- 11.1; APG -- 0.9; SPG -- 1.1; BPG -- 2.8; FG% -- .506; 3P% -- .235; FT% -- .652
Comment: The Spurs' struggles continue and it'll be unlikely that they can climb out of this hole that they've dug for themselves, age is catching on and the Jefferson addition isn't doing much to compensate for that. Timmy D is still putting up solid 20-11 averages, but the days when he could support the Spurs by himself are long gone...


8. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets | Team Record: 27-19
Last Month's Rank - N/A
Stats: PPG -- 21.6; RPG -- 5.1; APG -- 5.0; SPG -- 1.3; BPG -- 0.2; FG% -- .449; 3P% -- .381; FT% -- .729
Comment: T-Mac is back in the NBA. Even after the Rockets traded Yao away, they remained as one of the powerhouses in the Western Conference thanks to the all-rounded play of McGrady, who is playing terrific ball lately. The Rockets are hot and so is Tracy. It'll be interesting to see if he can break his first-round curse this year.


9. Yao Ming, New Jersey Nets | Team Record: 26-20
Last Month's Rank - N/A
Stats: PPG -- 18.9; RPG -- 9.7; APG -- 2.0; SPG -- 1.2; BPG -- 2.3; FG% -- .494; 3P% -- .000; FT% -- .843
Comment: Yao has thrived ever since his arrival in New Jersey, and the Nets are playing exceptional basketball with his 7'6" presence on the floor, as they are now 9-4 since the acquisition of the Great Wall.


10. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves | Team Record: 24-23
Last Month's Rank - 8
Stats: PPG -- 22.9; RPG -- 10.4; APG -- 1.0; SPG -- 0.9; BPG -- 0.9; FG% -- .458; 3P% -- .000; FT% -- .741
Comment: The T-Wolves are just narrowly hanging onto the 8th seed spot in the Western Conference, but Al Jefferson has been as solid as ever, averaging almost 23 points while grabbing 10 boards a game for Minnesota. Alongside number 1 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet, the T-Wolves have a real chance of becoming one of the teams to be feared in a few years time.



OLI (Outside Looking In)
11. Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix)
12. Dwyane Wade (Miami)
13. Carmelo Anthony (Denver)
14. Michael Redd (Milwaukee)
15. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
16. Deron Williams (Utah)
17. Chris Bosh (Toronto)
18. Danny Granger (Indiana)
19. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)
20. Gilbert Arenas (Washington)

[kibaxx7]

Paul averaging almost 12 assists. That's impressive... great Nets posters

[Fresh8]

Yao Ming needs to crack the 20 ppg mark.

[Clutch]

love Lai's dunk over Dirk & Jet! they both look scared hahah; also think i see crybaby Mark Cuban (black t-shirt) in the upper right corner too

[Valor]

Paul averaging almost 12 assists. That's impressive... great Nets posters

CP3 4 MVP? Number 1 PG in the NBA baby
Thanks

Yao Ming needs to crack the 20 ppg mark.

Yes he does, and when he does that, we would be unstoppable
kinda hard for him to get so many shots off though, since the cpu double and triple teams him every time he catches the ball down low...

love Lai's dunk over Dirk & Jet! they both look scared hahah; also think i see crybaby Mark Cuban (black t-shirt) in the upper right corner too

hehe, Jet is thinking "i better stay out of this" while Dirk is busy getting owned
Yes thats Cuban sitting there! Great view for him, sitting right in front of the basket, where his franchise player was getting posterized by a rookie

[Valor]

Starting Five

PG - Allen Iverson (Atlanta) - 11th Appearance
SG - Dwyane Wade (Miami) - 6th Appearance
SF - Lebron James (Cleveland) - 6th Appearance
PF - Kevin Garnett (Boston) - 13th Appearance
C - Dwight Howard (Orlando) - 4th Appearance

Reserves

G - Jameer Nelson (Orlando) - 1st Appearance
G - Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) - 1st Appearance
F - Danny Granger (Indiana) - 1st Appearance
F/C - Chris Bosh (Toronto) - 4th Appearance
C - Yao Ming (New Jersey) - 8th Appearance
F - Josh Smith (Atlanta) - 1st Appearance
C/F - Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) - 2nd Appearance


Starting Five

PG - Chris Paul (New Orleans) - 3rd Appearance
SG - Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) - 12th Appearance
SF - Carmelo Anthony (Denver) - 4th Appearance
PF - Tim Duncan (San Antonio) - 12th Appearance
C - Pau Gasol (LA Lakers) - 2nd Appearance

Reserves

G - Deron Williams (Utah) - 1st Appearance
G/F - Tracy McGrady (Houston) - 9th Appearance
F/G - Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) - 2nd Appearance
C/F - Al Jefferson (Minnesota) - 2nd Appearance
C/F - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix) - 4th Appearance
G - Baron Davis (LA Clippers) - 3rd Appearance
F - David West (New Orleans) - 2nd Appearance

[kibaxx7]

Iggy and Deron Williams... nice rosters.

[Martti.]

No really big surprises, maybe only Iverson still starting in the East.

[Fresh8]

Iverson is awesome in 2k

[Valor]

Iggy and Deron Williams... nice rosters.

yeah, much better then the ones that Live 08 manages to come up with

No really big surprises, maybe only Iverson still starting in the East.

Well, the biggest surprise is that Carter didn't get the nod for the East team, he is leading the Magic (along with Howard of course) to a terrific season (3rd in East now if i remember correctly)
AI's the man! , as Sit said,

Iverson is awesome in 2k

[C-77]

those are very realistic rosters for both sides

[Valor]

those are very realistic rosters for both sides

yes they are

Wizards game recap and an extended highlight reel coming right up