Dirk's Final Chapter - Might end this D - opinions!

by **Sit** on Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:43 am

What a waste on Kobe mrmoves!!!

+3 overall on Kobe.

Hahahaha just kidding....

+1 Kobe for consistency
+2 Kobe for midrange

by **Dmastawwe** on Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:49 am

+5 Mid Range Shooting Josh Smith

EDIT: Can i break it up and give Josh +3 and leave the 2 for anyone of your choice on the mavs?

by **mrmoves20** on Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:43 pm

Sit wrote:What a waste on Kobe mrmoves!!!

+3 overall on Kobe.

Hahahaha just kidding....

+1 Kobe for consistency
+2 Kobe for midrange

So if it's +3, he's now a 96?

by **hova-** on Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:21 pm

Sit, you can boost three ratings by three points.

Dmastawwe, you can boost three ratings by five points.

Others thanks for giving feedback. Hope I can an update today.

by **For_3** on Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:52 am

+ 3 mid range for Darren Collison o/

by **Dmastawwe** on Fri Dec 07, 2012 9:46 pm

Mayo Mid range +5
Josh Smith Mid range +5
Jeff Teague Quickness +5

by **hova-** on Sat Dec 08, 2012 8:04 pm

Thunder, Heat dominating, Harden on fire, Raptors link DeRozan, Calderon, Knicks miss Chandler

███ Thunder, Lakers lead the way
NEW YORK (AP)

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers have started well to the 2012 season as they lead the Western Conference. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves were so far able to keep up with the two Western powerhouses:

1. OKC 7-2
2. LAL 6-2
3. MIN 6-2
4. NOH 4-2
5. LAC 5-3
6. SAS 5-3
7. PHX 5-4
8. DEN 4-4

███ Heat dominate East, Bucks surprise
NEW YORK (AP)

Last year's Champion Miami Heat have kept their team intact and so far lead the Eastern Conference with only one loss coming against the rival Boston Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks are the surprise of the early season sitting on the second spot.

1. MIA 8-1
2. MIL 6-1
3. BRK 5-2
4. NYK 4-2
5. CHA 4-3
6. WAS 4-3
7. DET 4-5
8. IND 4-5

███ James Harden is on fire, leads the league in scoring
HOUSTON (AP)

James Harden has left the Oklahoma City Thunder at the beginning of the season and not looked back so far. Harden is averaging 31.4 points per game to lead the league in scoring. The 23-year old guard has erupted for 53 points in the Rockets season opener at Detroit (115-99 W) and also scored 43 points in a recent loss against Miami (97-106), which is the third best outburst this season behind Kobe Bryant's 46 points against the Sacramento Kings three nights ago (112-110 W).

Harden is shooting 46% from the field and 34.5% from downtown and also averages 3.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Rockets are 2-6 so far. Take a look at the league's topscorers right now:

1. James Harden ---- 31.4ppg
2. Kevin Durant ------ 28.0ppg
3. Monta Ellis -------- 27.1 ppg
4. Kobe Bryant ------- 26.9 ppg
5. Brook Lopez ------- 26.7 ppg

███ Raptors resign DeRozan, Calderon
TORONTO(CP)

The Toronto Raptors have announced that they have resigned guard Demar DeRozan for four years and 40M $, Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo announced on Thursday night.

"We think that Demar can be the go-to-guy on this team. He is putting a lot of work into it and has improved steadily", Colangelo defended the Raptors' decision to spend that big amount of money.

DeRozan is so far averaging 20.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the 3-5 Raptors. The front office also announced that the Raptors have inked a contract with point guard Jose Calderon, who will stay for another two years in Toronto earning approximately 5M $ annually. Calderon will be the backup for newly acquired Kyle Lowry. Take a look at other transactions of the season:

Pistons, Maxiell agree on three-year deal
Jazz sign Jefferson for five years, 68M $
Pacers hire Pietrus for one year
Hornets sign Memo Okur for one-year deal
Thunder give Terrence Williams a chance, one-year deal
Mavericks add veteran Fisher for one year

███ Knicks star Chandler out with broken jaw
NEW YORK(AP)

Bad news for the New York Knicks as they will have to miss Tyson Chandler up to four weeks with a broken jaw. The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of the Knicks win @Orlando when Chandler took a hit from Glen Davis.

"A dirty foul, definitely. Now we have to see how we can fill the void. The league should consider a suspension", Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

Chandler is so far averaging 2.0 points and 7.0 boards in the first three games of the season before getting injured. Take a look at NBA.com's medical center below for injury updates.

Goran Dragic breaks hand, out for a month
Lakers miss Jamison with back injury - surgery required
Andrew Bynum tears abdomen, will miss a month
Perkins sprains right foot in blow-out, listed day-to-day
Dirk's knee not coming along well - out until mid-December

by **hova-** on Sat Dec 08, 2012 8:10 pm

Thanks for the kind boosts for my Mav players, guys

Still missing Sit's proper attributes for Kobe ... you can boost three ratings by three!

Lamrock, I guess you want LA's def, off, and def. reb. upped by three?

Recaps of the next game coming soon, stay tuned.

by **Sit** on Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:24 pm

Lakers will be dominant after I'm done with the ratings.

Shooting Tendency: +3
Potential: +3
Midrange: +3

by **hova-** on Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:09 am

Washington Wizards (4-2) at Dallas Mavericks (3-5) 95-99

Preview | Boxscore | Recap | Highlights

O.J. Mayo and the Mavs went for their third straight win.
Mavericks outlast Washington in overtime, win third straight

DALLAS, NOVEMBER 14th (AP) – O.J. Mayo scores eight of his 22 points in overtime to counter John Wall’s 35, lead Mavericks to win.

Third straight win for the Dallas Mavericks as the team beat the Washington Wizards 95-99 in overtime.

Both teams went into the game short-handed, as the Wizards had to bring in their starting power forward Nene from the bench because of a toe injury, while the Mavericks were missing the services of guards Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois.

The Wizards had a good start as they were carried by point guard John Wall, who had 35 points in the ball game, 20 of them at the half.

“He is lightning-quick and has that little floater, which is tough to guard”, Mavs coach Rick Carisle told media after the game. But whilst Wall was only averagely effective, needing 33 shots for his 35 points, Wizards guard Bradley Beal had an off night. The rookie only shot 5-21 from the field, hurting his team with his poor shooting.

Still, the Wizards carried a lead into the third, thanks to the Mavericks mediocre offense. O.J. Mayo only had 6 points in the first half and Dallas heavily relied on veteran Vince Carter, who had 19 points in the ball game.

But the Mavs came back. With some strong play on the defensive end, the Mavs kept the Wizards to only eleven points in the fourth and clawed back to make it a tied game after a Vince Carter jumpshot late in the fourth.

As the game came down to the wire, the Wizards gave the ball into the hands of John Wall, who drove to the basket and scored a tiny floater over Jared Cunningham to give the Wizards a two-point lead. With 26 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks found O.J. Mayo open on the wing who drilled the jumper to tie the game. The Wizards last shot attempt by Bradley Beal did not even hit the rim.

In overtime, the Mavs took control led by O.J. Mayo. After scoring 14 points on 6-20 shooting and not hitting one three, Mayo showed flashes of brilliance and hit two three pointer in a row to lead the Mavericks to the win. “Hellman”, as they call him in Dallas, scored eight points in overtime as the Mavericks outlast Washington.

Player Stats

(27|23|23|11|11|95)

John Wall: 35 points - 6 rebounds - 7 assists - 15/33 FG - 5/7 FT
Bradley Beal: 17 points - 4 assists - 5/21 FG
Jannero Pargo: 10 points - 1 assist - 4/6 FG
Kevin Seraphin: 6 points - 14 rebounds - 2/4 FG

(25|22|14|23|15|99)
O.J. Mayo : 22 points - 3 rebounds – 4 assists - 9/24 FG
Chris Kaman: 12 points - 5 rebounds - 2 assists - 4/8 FG
Vince Carter: 19 points - 4 rebounds - 8/17 FG - 0/4 3PT
Shawn Marion: 12 points - 9 rebounds - 2 blocks - 4/8 FG

Video Highlights: O.J. Mayo

Quotable: "He’s ice-cold, that’s why we call him Hellman. He can light it up in a minute after not hitting one shot all game long. Straight from hell" (Dallas Mavericks forward Vince Carter on O.J. Mayo)
Game Notes: The Wizards only shot 37% from the floor ... Dallas only hit 66% of their free throw attempts ... Washington went to the line 18 times hitting 77% ... Dallas have won three in a row now ... the Mavericks bench outscored the Wizards 45-23...
Looking forward: UTA @ WAS (11/17) - DAL @ IND (11/16)

by **Khanwarrior** on Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:52 pm

Nice win. Your bench is doing some really good work.

by **Valor** on Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:06 pm

Hov's Fiveliners are back! :applaud:

Good win over the Wizards, although that should be a given :lol:

Chris Kaman needs to do more dirty work down low (Y)

by **hova-** on Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:40 pm

With DC, Dirk out, the Mavericks find themselves in a tough situation right now.

Mavericks slump on the road, lose three in a row

Posted on November 20th 2012 12:13PM

Terrible streak by the Dallas Mavericks after coming off a three game winning streak beating Charlotte, Minnesota and Washington.

The Mavs have now lost three in a row and fell to 4-8. "This is were the alarm bells definitely start ringing", Vince Carter told media after the latest Mavs' loss against the Golden State Warriors.

But first things first. After their first winning streak of the season, the Mavericks went on a two-game road trip visiting the Indiana Pacers on Friday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. Whilst the Pacers, now at 7-5 were a definite threat to the Mavs' streak, Cleveland already announced on Wednesday that Kyrie Irving (so far 12.5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.0 rebound per game) would not be able to play on weekend with a finger injury.

At Indianapolis, the Mavericks were blown out 80-103 with Danny Granger scoring 22 of his game-high 32 points in the first half, where the Pacers already led by ten, a lead that they never gave up in the second. The Mavericks had four players in double figures in scoring with Vince Carter leading the way with 14. Coach Rick Carisle decided to give up the game early in the fourth by resting his startes for the match against the Cavs upcoming night. No Mav played more than 29 minutes in the tough road loss.

Losing against the Kyrie-less Cavaliers (81-86)

Coming off a not so close night in Indiana, the Mavericks were looking to get another win without Dirk Nowitzki and Darren Collison, but with Rodrigue Beaubois back in the lineup. The Cavs, coming into the game as the best defensive team in FG-allowed, did not feel like giving up without their superstar though.

Cleveland fought into the game grabbing nine offensive rebounds and forcing 12 turnovers to give the Mavs fits. "We took this win for granted and eventually you will come up and lose such a game", Carter shared his thoughts after the game. The 35-year old veteran scored another team-high 17 points, but only shot 5-15 from the field, 2-7 from downtown.

"We were lazy, I don't know if the game last night can be an excuse because we got a lot of rest from Coach. We kept settling for tough jumpers, whilst the Cavs came out fighting for every board, every loose-ball", VC added.

Dion Waiters had 19 points for the Cavaliers, who only shot 39% from the field but used their foul shots and second chances wisely. O.J. Mayo shot an horrendous 7-24 from the floor.

Make it three straight - Mavs fall to Warriors at home

Coming back from their unsuccessfull trip to the East, the Mavericks were facing the Golden State Warriors at home, a team that is competing with the Mavs for a Playoff spot (at 5-5, the Warriors are at the 9th seed).
Playing their third game in four days, the Mavs looked a step slower from the very first beginning. Dallas only hit four of their 29 three point attempts and allowed the Warriors to shoot 47% from the field to make it an easy road win for Golden State.

Rodrigue Beaubois had a season-high 21 points and added 4 assists, but the other Mavs could not come up with great performances as O.J. Mayo scored 12 points and Shawn Marion added 11. The Warriors found themselves carried by Klay Thompson, who scored 35 points and Stephen Curry who added 19.

Vince Carter with the block on Kemba Walker.
Cunningham earning minutes, Collison back soon, no progress on Dirk's knees

At 4-8, the Mavericks have to take care of business in order to stay in the Playoff race until Dirk Nowitzki comes back. "As I said, the bells are ringing. Now we find ourselves under pressure against tough opponents this month", Vince Carter warned. The Mavericks will face the Knicks, Lakers, Sixers and Bulls to close out November, a tough schedule.

Dirk Nowitzki's knees aren'T coming along as well as expected. According to Mavs Assists Coach Chris Hova, Nowitzki will be out until at least middle of December. Darren Collison might already be back against the New York Knicks in two days.

The guard spot hasn't been that big of a problem though for the Mavs as rookie Jared Cunningham showed up well in the latest games. In 17.1 minutes, Cunningham is averaging 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game shooting 42% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Against the Charlotte Bobcats, the rookie had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

"We like his progress", Mavs assistant coach Darryl Armstrong said. Let's hope that not only the rookies can make some progress, but the also the Mavs are able to close out this month in good fashion.

Jennings' triple-double leads Bucks past Bobcats ...
Josh Smith out with back spasms ...
Kobe scores 42 as Lakers rout Nets ...
Clippers beat Spurs 103-99 ...
Rookie Anthony Davis out for 6 weeks

by **mpac** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:33 am

Hope you get back on winning! Where's mr mayo!?

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:22 am

Khanwarrior, my bench is great, the depth is really good to have. I love VC, hes a great scoer in the game.

Valor, yes, Kaman is definitely too soft, not getting rebounds and not blocking many shots. But it's good that 2k can finally resemble that. There's a huge difference between athletic, defensive big men and those who are more finesse - with Kaman being the latter.

mpac, way too inconsistent, that's the problem. We need wins soon, but the schedule will be tough.

by **Agent420** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:58 am

Hova, loving this story. A very clean look. I like that you are trying to develop Mayo "Hellman" in to a star. It will be interesting to see if he has it in him. I hope you can bring another ring to Dirk, love him as a player. Hopefully you start winning some games!

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:33 am

Agent420 wrote:Hova, loving this story. A very clean look. I like that you are trying to develop Mayo "Hellman" in to a star. It will be interesting to see if he has it in him. I hope you can bring another ring to Dirk, love him as a player. Hopefully you start winning some games!

Thanks, glad you like it. I hope Mayo can be a star, but right now he looks more like a second Jet, but I'd take that for sure. Dirk is the go-to-guy and he will be until he retires. I also hope to get him that 2nd ring, that's why I chose the Mavs.

by **Durant35** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:16 pm

Challenging you to make Dirk and OJ make the all-star teams!

by **Sit** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:52 pm

I tell you all the time. I love your presentation. Good job so far man.

But one thing... since when did the Charlotte Hornets play in our current NBA? Am I missing something?

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:46 pm

Sit, wow, nice typo. Take it as a expression of my wish to get the Hornets back in Charlotte (and the Brass to NOH rather than the Pelicans). Thanks for the kind words.

Will give another update today, then I'll be gone for four days (Paris calling). I have a lot of fun with this D - that's why it is rollin' right now.

Durant35, Dirk could be a tough task, simply because of the games played. Right now I will have him out until he will be back IRL, which could be January. Mayo's stats right now aren't All-Star like, but you never know.

by **Valor** on Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:34 pm

Damn, you lost 3 very winnable games there...hopefully you can fix things up a bit and get back on the plus side of .500 soon

by **mrmoves20** on Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:59 am

I hope Mayo can step up his game. And Dirk should be back soon.

by **hova-** on Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:44 am

Valor, ye I have to, don't wanna end up as the one who ends the Mavs Playoff streak.

mrmoves20, I don't know bout Dirk. Could take until January, but maybe I bring him back earlier, depends on how much I need him

Sry guys, no update before I leave to France. Will be back on Tuesday.

YouTube · by **Thierry •** on Sun Dec 16, 2012 10:26 am

Dallas is struggling in real life too, so I think you're ok. :lol:

Hopefully Mayo can explode soon.

by **Durant35** on Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:52 pm

Leggo Mayo! #UnleashHellman

by **Mark.** on Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 am

Nice story man (Y)

Big fans of Bernard James!

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:06 pm

New York Knicks (7-4) at Dallas Mavericks (4-8) 88-103

Preview | Boxscore | Recap | Highlights

Chris Kaman goes to the basket against Amar'e Stoudemire.
Mavericks end three game drought, beat Chandler-less Knicks

DALLAS, NOVEMBER 21th (AP) – O.J. Mayo scores 28 points as the Mavericks limit Carmelo Anthony to 16 points and split the season series.

After losing three straight game and only scoring 83 points per game in this stretch, the Dallas Mavericks knew that they could not rely on their offense to click when facing the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Instead, Dallas showed one of their best defensive efforts to ignite that offense the team was lacking the whole season. Dallas limited the New York Knicks to 41% shooting and only 17% from three point range and shot a season-best 52% on the other end of the floor.

"Defense is the key to good offense. Every basketball player knows that. Tonight we showed", Vince Carter, who scored 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor said after the game.

The Mavericks were down by one at half in what was a pretty balanced game before Dallas errupted in the third. "They (Dallas) definitely had a game plan on me, but I have to be more focused. I cannot let the defense get on me like that", said Knicks topscorer Carmelo Anthony who only hit eight of his 18 shots from the floor being defended by Shawn Marion. Coming into the game, Anthony was averaging 24.2 points per game.

"He (Marion) did a superb job guarding Anthony. We also brought double teams when needed, a great defensive effort", Coach Rick Carisle praised his team after it's first W following three straight losses.

The Knicks on the other end were missing their defensive anchor in Tyson Chandler who did not even travel with the team to Dallas because of a broken jaw. The Mavericks outscored the Knicks 35-19 in the third taking a comfortable lead. Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo scored 16 and 28 points each and the Mavs shot 9-17 from downtown with Derek Fisher hitting three threes in the third.

The Mavericks will host the Lakers on Friday night and then travel to Philadelphia and Chicago to end November. The New York Knicks will face Houston, Detroit and Milwaukee to end the month.

Player Stats

(24|21|19|24|88)

J.R. Smith: 19 points - 3 rebounds - 3 assists - 8/20 FG - 2/7 3PT
Amar'e Stoudemire: 16 points - 9 rebounds - 7/12 FG
Carmelo Anthony: 16 points - 4 rebounds - 4 assists - 8/18 FG
Ronnie Brewer: 14 points - 6 rebounds - 7/11 FG

(21|23|35|24|103)
O.J. Mayo : 28 points - 3 rebounds – 5 assists - 12/27 FG
Chris Kaman: 16 points - 9 rebounds - 1 assist - 7/9 FG
Vince Carter: 19 points - 6 rebounds - 7/9 FG
Rodrigue Beaubois: 12 points - 3 rebounds - 5 assists - 4/7 FG

Quotable: "There's a big difference between what we can do and we do every night. Today we lived up to our potential, but it's only one game." (Dallas Mavericks center Chris Kaman)
Game Notes: The Mavericks shot a season-best 52% from the floor ... the referees let the game play - only 27 freethrows were called ... Carmelo Anthony did not go the free throw line once ... the Mavericks cracked the 100 point mark for the first time this season ... 88 is the second lowest scoring of the Knicks in this season ... four Mavs players hit at least two threes ...
Looking forward: NYK @ HOU (11/21) - LAL @ DAL (11/24)

by **Valor** on Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 am

Great win here man, but it seems like the Knicks are not as dominant as they are currently IRL? Still a big win though, just gotta carry on that momentum and get back to .500 now (Y)

by **hova-** on Thu Dec 20, 2012 5:11 am

Valor, They are definitely missing Chandler, who's out since 2nd week of the season with a broken jaw. Still - the Knicks are tough to play since they can really hit it from three point range.
My goal was to contain Anthony and give Amar'e, JR and Brewer open shots. You have to live with that. Worked.

by **mrmoves20** on Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:51 am

Who defended Amar'e and Melo? Whoever guarded them sure did a good job holding them to 32 points combined.

by **Mark.** on Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:50 pm

Yeah great win. Did you put Brand on Amare? I wouldn't have thought he could stick with him. Wright probably could have done a good job too.

by **hova-** on Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:21 pm

Well, Amar'e wasn't a big problem at all since he does not get many touches. He shot an efficient 7/12 from the field, but he is not as good as he once was (like IRL). He tends to take mid-range shots rather than attack the basket. Brand, Wright and James can all keep up with him - Kaman cannot. Those four are solid defenders - the only big man who cannot guard anybody on my team is Troy Murphy, but he is out of rotation now with Collison coming back.

by **hova-** on Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:59 am

According to experts the 2013 NBA draft is not stacked with potential. There will be no clear number one pick like Anthony Davis was in the most recent draft and many NBA scouts say that there will be no player with All-Star potential in the upcoming draft - considered, that those who are believed to declare will do so.

This bad perception of the 2013 draft class makes it tough to really outline which player is good and could play an important role with the pros. In this series, we want to give you closer information about players, who are most likely to get chosen early in the 2013 draft. The number one pick of our mock draft (updated November 2012) is Ron "Raider" Sanders.

Ron Sanders is a versatile shooting guard out of Florida. The Gators have yet to lose a game and are 3-0 after a great start to the NCAA season. Sanders has played an important role during that run, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and a steal per game on an efficient 51% shooting from the field. Sanders, who has gotten the nickname "Raider" because of his explosiveness and recklessness when attacking the basket is a Florida native and in his sophomore year at College. He has not yet declared for the upcoming draft, but it is pretty likely that he will try to use his chances in a weak draft class which could lift him in the top five.

"I am definitely thinking of being a basketball pro. It's my dream and what I was working for since being a child", the 6-5 guard says. His work ethic has been praised by his coaches, especially when it comes to shaping his body. Fundamentally, Sanders still has to learn a lot, especially on his perimetre game which is average at best. His decision-making is good though already.

Have a look at Ron "Raider" Sanders' profile.

NBAdraft.net wrote:

Strenghts: NBA body ... very athletic, good vertical ... no history of injuries ... knows how to get past defenders ... attacks the basket relentlessly ... absorbs contact when going to the rim ... has a variety of moves when going to the basket ... good in playing the passing lanes ... not a very emotional player ... decent 1-on-1-defender ... long arms ... good ball handler although he does not have the ball a lot ... likes to run the fast break ... decent mid-range jumpshot... good work ethic ...

Weaknesses: Not a good passer for a guard ... although he can keep up 1-on-1, he is not a good defender ... not a consistent shooter ... not a good three point shooter ... fundamentally raw ... needs to learn how to play more clever ...

by **Durant35** on Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:59 am

Great take on that prospect!

by **Khanwarrior** on Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:06 am

Good game against the NYK :applaud:

. Wonder what Ron Sanders rating actually is.

by **hova-** on Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:30 am

Durant35, thanks man.

Khanwarrior, ye beating NY was cool. Well his rating is not that high since the draft class seems to be quite weak. Somewhere mid 70ies I guess.

by **hova-** on Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:18 pm

Dallas News wrote:

Collison leads Mavericks past Bulls

DALLAS (AP) November 28th -- Darren Collison scores 29 points and Chris Kaman adds a double-double to lift the Mavericks past the Bulls in Chicago.

After beating the New York Knicks at home and experiencing two setbacks against the Lakers (86-82 L) and the Sixers (86-104 L) the Mavericks were able to close out November with a road victory in Chicago.
Darren Collison was the man of game scoring 29 points on 12-16 shooting (3-3 3PT) in a close 95-94 win over the Rose-less Bulls. It was also Collison who hit the go-ahead bucket with 34 seconds left in the game to give Dallas the lead. "I'm glad to be back on the court after missing so many games. Great win, too", the former UCLA guard said. Collison had missed the entire month of November before coming back against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Without Derrick Rose, the Bulls showed a good performance in the first half leading by 14 points. But thanks to the decent inside play of Chris Kaman (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Elton Brand (11 points, 7 rebounds) the Mavericks climbed back in the game. Bulls center Joakim Noah had 17 points and 17 rebounds and Nate Robinson scored 15 points, but the tiny guard was not able to tie the game on the last possesion of the game.
The Mavericks (6-10) have a three game road trip ahead of them starting on December 1st against the Clippers followed by Phoenix and Houston before returning back to Dallas to face the Kings.

by **Khanwarrior** on Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:38 am

Daren Collison took advantage of Rose not being there :applaud:

by **Lamrock** on Mon Dec 24, 2012 6:34 am

Love to see the NBAdraft.net draft write-ups return. With playoffs in question, one of those guys you scout would be a good consolation.

by **hova-** on Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:55 pm

Monthly Recap: November

Team Standings

The biggest surprise of the season so far: Monta Ellis and the Milwaukee Bucks

One month has been played in the NBA and so far there have not been many unexpected results in the league. The Miami Heat sit on top of the Eastern Conference at 12-2 winning nine out of their last ten and having the best defense in the league (OPPG: 88.6) as well as the best points differential (+10.9). In the Western Conference, the Lakers have made the most of their chances with an almost All-Star-like starting five but are still topped by last year's West finalist Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite injuries of key players Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison, the Thunder were able to maintain their great defense (OPPG: 89.9) and have won seven in a row.

Injury problems affect standings

As always, injuries have been a problem for many teams so far in the season. Whilst the Thunder found a way to replace their unavailable players, other teams could not. The Boston Celtics are an example as defensive anchor Kevin Garnett is dealing with problems of his surgically repaired knee and Brandon Bass is out with back spasms. The Celtics have experienced their worst start since KG joined the team in 2007. The New York Knicks also had great hopes after signing Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni to their already intact core. A punch in Tyson Chandler's face was enough to destroy these hopes in the big apple. Chandler has missed the complete month of November with a broken jaw and Raymond Felton is also dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him side-lined every now and then which leaves the Knicks at only the eight spot in the East.
Not as unexpected, but also injury-based are the problems of the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls, both ranked 11th and 10th in their Conferences respectively. Dallas is still missing franchise forward Dirk Nowitzki after knee surgery. The Bulls have to play without 2011 MVP Derrick Rose after he tore his ACL in last year's Playoffs.

Bucks surprise league - is anybody fearing the beard?

The only big surprise right now in the league are the Milwaukee Bucks who have fought their way to the second seed in the East at 10-4. The Bucks are 7-0 at home and see their key players delivering. Monta Ellis ranks fourth in scoring in the league, Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova are putting up double-doubles each so far in this season.
The two worst teams in the league are both riding on 12-games-losing-streaks. Orlando is missing Arron Afflalo with an injury and Dwight Howard after a Dwightmare. At 1-14 the Magic are the worst team in the league. The Rockets also have lost twelve games in a row despite James Harden putting up 30.0 points per game. Right now, nobody is fearing the beard as long as he does not have better team mates.
Take a look at the league leaders below.

Individual Statistics

Putting up the numbers for the Lakers: Dwight Howard

by **Sit** on Tue Dec 25, 2012 9:17 pm

Wow - Kobe at 31 ppg.

I like very much!!! He sucks in my D

You are only 2 games behind 8th so keep on gunning. Hope you guys make the cut.

by **Woogie98** on Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:21 am

Only 2 games back from 8th you just need to keep on pushing!!!!! :arrow:

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:47 pm

Monthly Recap: November

Race 2 The MVP

Three MVPs and counting: LeBron James
LeBron, KD and Kobe
By Russ Welluable, NBA.com
Posted on December 2012 9:11

After one month in the league, there are only three real candidates for the NBA's MVP award. And it's the regular names. LeBron, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. All three rank among topscorers in the league, their teams are winning, they are putting up all-around numbers. How great to see that after many years in the league without real household names after MJ retiring. The NBA has a much talent as ever right now and it's fun to watch. With some usual suspects injured (D-Rose, Dirk, Bynum) and some others teams struggling (Melo, Pierce, Rondo) the Race finds itself with a pretty strong gap behind the three top players named. Have a look and give your opinion.

Close, but no cigar: Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Danny Granger, Tim Duncan

by **hova-** on Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:50 pm

Sit, Kobe's beasting - like IRL (partly). I like most of the star player's stats ... 2k13 has improved a lot with that.

Woogie98, yeah, I'm okay with the results so far considering that Dirk and Collison have missed almost the entire month. Collison is more important than I initially thought for this team. Dirks the MVP ... I think we can still make it.

by **Durant35** on Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:02 pm

No Westbrook? That's okay though, Durant posting up numbers!

by **hova-** on Fri Dec 28, 2012 7:20 am

Durant35, Westbrook is posting big numbers, too, but I don't like to have too many players of one team. Howard's an exception, because he leads the league in blocks and rebounds and scores very well. I will post Westbrook's numbers soon.

by **Wyze** on Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:12 pm

The numbers look about as realistic as you could hope for.

The fact that Howard's three point percentage is .50% is great too, haha

by **Axel.** on Mon Dec 31, 2012 9:21 am

I just love that presentation of the race to the MVP. (Y)

Surprised to see Monta Ellis and Brook Lopez appear but definitely not undeserving.

As for the standings, it's odd to see the Rockets not win games despite James Harden having a monster scoring season.

You guys are having an underwhelming season as well, just like the real life Mavs. Hopefully once Dirk is back you guys can maybe sneak into the playoffs.

by **Valor** on Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:11 am

Looking fantastic as always Hov, surprising names on the MVP race though :wink:

by **hova-** on Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:07 am

Axel., thanks, man. Well after only a few games there are some unusual picks in there but I guess that will change. Lopez somehow has the best stats on this BK squad.
I don't find it that odd to see the Rockets losing since they only have a mediocre team at best. Still one win is really bad.
So far I am not completely satisfied with our season but I'm heavily leaning on Dirk's comeback by the end of december.

Valor, thank you! Yeah as I said, after a few games it's tough to really name many players from different teams --> unusual candidates.

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!! I'm already in mid-december now as I played some games but did not find the time to recap with family & girlfriend etc on christmas days. This one will go strong in 2k13 though I am sure. Thanks for being patient.

Best of luck in the new year for all of you

Hov

Who is online