(63-19) First Round Wraps Up [4-0]

[Houndy]

Let's go Halstead! Do WORK

[rise]

WOOOOOO Halstead's back!

[Lamrock]

Thrilled to see Halstead return

[Axel The Great]

if u want Halstead to listen...

have Kyle Thuglife Lowry threaten him and his momma

Halstead is more thuggish than Lowry, probably not gonna work.

Let's go Halstead! Do WORK

WOOOOOO Halstead's back!

Thrilled to see Halstead return

Glad to see Halstead get praise so far.

I think I'm gonna put this one on hold for now. I just cannot find time to get down to play a 12-minute quarter game; time's as scarce as losses in my first Rockets story. Not to mention my sliders need a bit more adjusting as well. Definitely will be resumed starting next week, though.

[George7]

Good old Halstead is back...
Time to make everything in the team a mess!!

[kibaxx7]

Glad to see Halstead get praise so far.

The thing is, Halstead can't get anything more than praise, the guy can ball.

[Axel The Great]

Well, the pause was short-lived, as I found ways to sneak in the last two games into my schedule this week. Hoping to go for weekly updates from now on.

[7-1] Houston Rockets 92-99 Boston Celtics [4-6]


Kevin Martin was uncharacteristically kept quiet in the fourth quarter. | It was a tough battle inside for the Rockets.

Paul Pierce ignited for 12 points in the fourth quarter. | Kevin Garnett was the spark that kept the C's in the game.

Despite the age, the Celtics defense remains as strong as ever. Houston was kept to just 41% shooting, having a difficult time scoring from mid-range. Boston was doing an excellent job closing out on outside shots, which is why Kevin Martin had a bit of a struggle. Martin scored a team high 28 points but on a sub-par (by his standards) 10/22 shooting. He, along with the Rockets, failed to score for three whole minutes as the game was drawing to a close.

Boston on the other hand shot 53% from the field, and yet, they found themselves struggling to hold on to the lead the entire game. They regained the lead after a strong second quarter, but the Rockets continued to have an answer for everything that was thrown. Kevin Garnett kept Boston in the game with 18 points and 16 rebounds, taking the leadership role up until the final period. Ray Allen contributed 19 points and five assists, but the real reason Boston took this one was Paul Pierce. Pierce had a team high 28 points, on an efficient 11/16 shooting, and he scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, helping to pull away from the Rockets and ultimately put them to sleep.

"It was a great team effort out there. I liked how everyone contributed, and we were able to expose the many holes that their defense had tonight. As we look to get back over .500, this is the confidence booster that will ignite a run for the team," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers praised his team.

Both teams were pretty evenly matched despite the difference in field goal percentage, but Boston tended to turn the ball over quite a bit more than Houston. After a grueling four-game road trip, the Rockets are going back to Houston for a quick pit stop against the Detroit Pistons, and then it's back on the road again. "This road trip was a pretty successful one. Sure, we lost a game that we could've won had we kept our composure, but ultimately, that loss isn't going to affect us much," said Shane Battier.

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 10/22 FG, 7/7 FT
Yao Ming - 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 7/11 FG
Luis Scola - 14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 6/10 FG
Kyle Lowry - 14 points, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4/10 FG, 4/4 FT
Patrick Patterson - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 4/7 FG

Celtics:
Paul Pierce - 28 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 11/16 FG, 5/5 FT
Ray Allen - 19 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 8/16 FG
Kevin Garnett - 18 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 8/18 FG
Rajon Rondo - 10 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 4/9 FG
Glen Davis - 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2/4 FG

28 22 22 20 92
25 27 23 24 99

[7-2] Houston Rockets 117-107 Detroit Pistons [6-2]
Simmed

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 8/22 FG, 12/16 FT
Yao Ming - 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 11/13 FG
Shane Battier - 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5/7 FG, 3/4 3P
Courtney Lee - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2/4 FG

Pistons:
Richard Hamilton - 20 points, 2 assists, 8/14 FG
Ben Gordon - 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4/12 FG, 8/8 FT
Charlie Villanueva - 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, 2/6 FG, 9/9 FT
Rodney Stuckey - 13 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3/16 FG, 7/8 FT
Greg Monroe - 11 points, 13 rebounds, 1 block, 5/10 FG

23 31 25 38 117
25 31 25 26 107

[8-2] Houston Rockets 99-103 Denver Nuggets [9-1]


K-Mart had a relatively tough time scoring. | The mile-high altitude may have been too high for Yao.

The method: It takes a team effort to take down the Rockets. With no go to guy, that's what Denver did.

After the departure of stars Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony and the retirement of head coach George Karl, the Denver Nuggets have enjoyed a magical start to the season nonetheless. After this game, the Nuggets left the Rockets no doubt why.

What happens when you put together two fast-paced teams who have an off-night? This game. Both teams attempted well over 90 field goals, and they shot roughly 42% from the field. The rebounding battle was fierce, with each team grabbing 53 rebounds apiece. Why then, was Denver able to come away with the win if both teams were evenly matched? Fourth quarter execution.

Both teams started out very fast, as Houston jumped out to an early 13-10 lead. From then on, things began to stagnate, despite the high tempo at which both teams played. Kevin Martin's game is a testament of how things went. He scored 30 points, but had to chuck 29 shots to get there. Even the league's best field goal shooter, Yao Ming, shot below-par. The Chinese big man managed just 10 points on 4/10 shooting. Houston had a 23-20 lead after the end of one.

Things sped up in the second and third quarters, and things were beginning to shift in the favor of the Rockets. They reached a 12-point lead at one point in the game, and they were leading by nine heading into the final period. That is when Denver showed up.

Helped by Wilson Chandler, Arron Afflalo, and Raymond Felton, Houston's nine-point lead evaporated with five and a half minutes left to play after a three-pointer by Chandler. Both teams began to trade blows from then on, but Houston would go on an extreme scoring drought, which helped Denver to pull away. "A big reason to the low shooting percentages is that the inside game was intense. There was a a lot of contact with bodies flying everywhere, and refs were not blowing the whistle. But hey, it's a win regardless and we'll take it, atrocious game or not," said Afflalo, who top scored for Denver.

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 30 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 13/29 FG, 2/5 3P
Kyle Lowry - 14 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 6/14 FG
Luis Scola - 11 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4/12 FG
Yao Ming - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 4/10 FG

Nuggets:
Arron Afflalo - 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 9/18 FG
Raymond Felton - 16 points, 11 assists, 3 rebounds, 5/12 FG, 4/5 FT
Wilson Chandler - 15 points, 15 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 5/16 FG, 4/4 FT
Nene - 14 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 7/12 FG
Danilo Gallinari - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5/14 FG

23 31 26 19 99
20 28 23 32 103

[8-3] Houston Rockets 105-93 Philadelphia 76ers [6-6]


Kyle Lowry stepped things up with a double-double. | After a miserable shooting game in Denver, Scola bounced back nicely with 9/16.

With no Andre Iguodala, it was up to Evan Turner to lead the Sixers. | Jrue Holiday helped that cause with an all-around game.

It all started with Philadelphia's poor shooting. They shot just 30% from the field while the Rockets shot over 50% and yet, they trailed by just nine after the end of the first period. Why? Because the Sixers crashed the glass hard, picking up 11 offensive boards and 49 rebounds in total. Houston had just 38 boards and five of them were on the offensive end. "Rebounds helped us keep the game close in the first half. I told everyone that when you lack a consistent scoring threat and a defensive presence inside, hustling on the boards will help make up for that," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

Andre Iguodala is out with a broken foot, expected to miss about two months of action. After bouncing back nicely, the Rockets held a five-point lead at halftime, as Marreese Speights helped to cut down their lead before that point. Speights scored 18 points, grabbed a team high 13 boards, and shot 8/14 from the field. Meanwhile, Evan Turner played the role of go-to-guy scoring 21 points and getting eight rebounds and four assists to go with that.

Houston would run over Philadelphia offensively in the third quarter, lighting them up for 34 points. Kevin Martin led the charge with a game high 31 points and dishing four assists, shooting 12/21 from the field. Yao Ming and Luis Scola chipped in nicely with 17 points, 13 boards, three blocks, and 18 points, nine boards respectively. Kyle Lowry rounded it all off with a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists as Houston cruised to victory in the fourth quarter.

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 31 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 12/21 FG, 6/7 FT
Luis Scola - 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 9/16 FG
Yao Ming - 17 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 8/11 FG
Kyle Lowry - 13 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, 6/10 FG
Aaron Brooks - 6 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2/8 FG

76ers:
Evan Turner - 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 7/23 FG, 6/6 FT
Marreese Speights - 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 8/14 FG
Jrue Holiday - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 8/15 FG
Lou Williams - 13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 5/11 FG, 2/4 3P
Elton Brand - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 5/14 FG

29 23 34 19 105
20 27 21 25 93

[karlsanada10]

Where's Tracy McGrady? and oh.. Pierce killed you.-.-

[kibaxx7]

Speights is also ballin' in my association Great games by Lowry.

[Axel The Great]

karlsanada10, he went and signed with Golden State. May I present you with this post for future reference?

Thierry •, he's just cheese from mid-range. Always kills Yao because he's so slow to chase him out 15-18 feet. Lowry's been doing great, much better than AB ever did.

As you can see, I'm still way too busy to update this unfortunately. I'm hoping to get a few updates up this weekend. Then maybe start the NLSC Tournament next week.

[karlsanada10]

Oh we can wait, don't worry. thanks for the link.

[Lamrock]

Will catch up on this season in the meantime.

[Justine.]

Start your All-Star Campaign for K-Mart as of now. Hope this year he'll be recognized for his efforts, been so very underrated for a very long time like in real life. You're continuing this with 2k11?

[Axel The Great]

Oh we can wait, don't worry. thanks for the link.

No problem.

Will catch up on this season in the meantime.

Not much to catch up on; updates have been slow for the past couple of months.

Start your All-Star Campaign for K-Mart as of now. Hope this year he'll be recognized for his efforts, been so very underrated for a very long time like in real life. You're continuing this with 2k11?

With better all-around stats and second in the league in scoring so far this season, an All-Star bid is his if he keeps it up. Continuing this in 2K11 is the smart way to go for me; story is developed, rosters are set, no having to go through the pain of editing rosters in 2K12 if I decided to go there seeing as how I don't have much time these days.

Will get a chapter up in the meantime. Scarce time + slacking = no game recaps unfortunately. I will pull out all the stops to get another recap up this weekend though.

[Axel The Great]

Chapter 22 - Displeasing Demotion

BOOM! A door burst open and was almost knocked off its hinges. There stood an angry Kevin Martin, who had to push the door out of the way a second time to get into the GM's office because it bounced off the wall.

Daryl Morey and Axel Gomez both looked up from their desks; they had both jumped at the sound of the door hitting the wall.

"Which one of you is responsible for unleashing that pathetic excuse for a basketball player on to the team?!" Martin roared. "Who's idea is it to have me mentor him?"

Morey, scared and borderline trembling, quickly pointed at Axel, who raised his hand in a calm way. Martin approached Axel's desk, staring him down.

"I thought I was your favorite. I thought you knew better than to give us hell by setting a thug like that Brad Halstead loose! You don't actually think an arrogant, lazy fool like him will make it anywhere in this league? No one in their right minds would. Have you seen the way he struts around in the airports and place to place? He thinks he can spit game, when really, he's turned all the hot girls off when they come get an autograph from me.

"I'm getting sick of the boasting he does, saying how he's a much better player than everyone on the team, and yet he doesn't participate in scrimmages to back it up. His diet consists of McDonald's and Pyramid cigarettes. No one, not one single person on the team gets along with him; I swear I've come close to striking him in the face on more than a couple of occasions. Despite all of this, you still think he can be someone in the NBA?" Martin ranted.

Axel paused for a second, not replying right away, but waiting for Martin's heavy breathing to die out.

"Done venting? Need a tampon?" he replied in a cold voice. "Yes, you are my favorite and yes, I know better than to give you hell. Because you are my favorite, you get the honor of shaping a special player's career. You see, Brad Halstead has upside, and with your help, I think he can be an All-Star alongside you one day."

Martin laughed in an unconvinced, you-must-be-joking sort of way. "You really think he'll turn out to be a star, don't you? I can give him all the help he wants, but his lazy ass won't do shit. You are as convinced as the Hawks were when they drafted Marvin Williams. I don't think I'm the right person for the job. I have very little patience for the kind of BS he brings, and I have too many other things on my mind."

"It is up to you to fix and clean up his attitude. It is up to you to train him, and help him succeed at the professional level of basketball. You are the best player on the team, you are looked up to by everyone in the locker room. Therefore, it is your responsibility to help him," Axel said.

"And what if I don't help him? What if I let him rot on the bench? What will you do then?" Martin asked.

"You don't want to know what I would do. I have connections that would make your life go from what it is right now, to miserable," Axel replied.

Shaking his head and sighing unconvincingly, Martin left the GM's office still angry. Axel meanwhile, seemed unaffected and continued doing his work as if no angry player had come bursting in. Morey kept looking from the door, which had made a dent on the wall due to the impact of the doorknob, and then at Axel.

Morey got up and went after Martin. He caught up with him on his way out the door of the Rockets headquarters.

"Kevin! Kevin, wait up!" he called after him. "Kevin, I'm gonna do a major favor for you. Just promise me you won't tell Axel, will you?"

"At this point, I'll take any favors, even if you just wanna shine my shoes," Martin said, bummed out.

"I've pushed through the paperwork to send Halstead down to the D-League so you don't have to put up with him. I'm unimpressed by the way he's presented himself so far. A player who views practice the same way as Allen Iverson shouldn't be on this team, especially when he's miles below his level. I think being in the D-League will bring him back to Earth; that will wake him up and tell him he needs to work to get better. I know it was my idea to have you mentor him, but it definitely wasn't my idea to draft him and I am beginning to have second thoughts on whether or not he can actually be mentored," Morey said.

Martin looked as though he would have hugged Daryl Morey. Face full of glee, Martin said, "That's the best favor anyone's done for me all season. Of course I'll keep quiet. Whew! Talk about weight off your shoulders." Martin got inside his car and left.

"This should show Axel how not to think he has higher authority than me in this franchise. He got away with forcing me to draft and trash the roster with a douchebag like Halstead, but he will do us damage no more," Morey muttered to himself as he made his way back to his office.

---------------------------------

"And Martin fires another three... Oh boy, what a thumping the Rockets are giving the Suns here, that's five out of nine three-point makes for K-Mart," Bill Worrell said, broadcasting the game at Houston between the Rockets and the Phoenix Suns.

"Plain and simple, the Suns just can't play defense at all. There is a reason they have only won two games so far in the season, and injuries to Carter and Dragic don't help matters at all. Steve Nash is declining, and if things don't improve, someone is on their way out the door," Clyde Drexler, the color commentator said.

"Can't help but feel sorry for them. Such a huge fall from grace as two years ago they made the West Finals," Worrell replied.

Phoenix called time, as the disgruntled and disappointed Suns players went over to huddle with their coach Alvin Gentry, who had a completely blank look on his face.

Meanwhile, on the Rockets bench, Brad Halstead, whom is on the inactive list, showed up for his first game of the season. "I bet they're so used to being raped like this all the time that this is a normal routine for them; fly to the game, and let the other team score all they want," he laughed. "Worst defense I've ever seen in my life."

"Thank you for your two cents, Brad, but next time, keep them in your pocket," Kevin Martin scolded at him.

"Ooh! You think you're so bad because you've dropped 38 points, on a defensively challenged team!" Halstead replied back in a mocking voice.

"And how many points have you scored?" Martin asked. He waited for a response, but when he got none, he continued, "Exactly, there's a reason coach has you on the inactive list; you don't even bother showing up to the games."

"That's because I'm better than the rest of you. If I showed up to play, there would be no concern over losing, just how many points we win by. You guys can win without me, so why bother playing?" Halstead continued, talking as if he had been the best player on the team for years.

"You're so full of yourself, man. I hope you get sent down to the D-League, where you belong," Martin said as the timeout ended. He sat down on the bench and just had to watch as the Rockets cruised to a 134-96 rampage victory over Phoenix. He had to endure more insults and jeers from Halstead, and asked to change seats with Kyle Lowry so they could be on opposite sides of the bench.

When the game ended and everyone was filing off the court, Martin saw Halstead asleep and drooling on himself on the bench. He considered waking him up for a moment, but thought against it as it looked hysterical, the way he was snoring and making a puddle of drool on his clothes.

As coach Rick Adelman was praising the team for the beatdown they had just given, an assistant coach approached the sleeping Halstead. He muttered something in his ear, and Halstead got up and roared, "WHAT!?"

The others jumped at the sudden outburst, and barely had time to turn around before Halstead walked away spitting cuss words into the locker room. After a final "This is bullshit!" remark, Yao Ming asked the assistant what he had just told Halstead.

"He's been demoted to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. I just received the news from Daryl Morey during the game, and thought it best that I should tell him when it was over. I knew he wouldn't take it very lightly, but hopefully Coach Finch in Rio Grande can make him work," the assistant replied.

The entire roster breathed out a sigh of relief, including Coach Adelman.

"What a pain in the ass he was, I hope Finch doesn't lose his head over that guy. Complete nightmare," Patrick Patterson, who was the center of Halstead's "you play no defense" ridicule, said.

"He's just been saved. One more incident wit me and I would've stuck dat foo' right in the face. He didn't know who he was messin' wit," Kyle Lowry said.

After the team left Toyota Center, Kevin Martin couldn't help but feel gratitude towards the Rockets GM, Morey. He was going to be able to sleep well tonight, and for the next few months. He was going to live a stress-free, no Brad Halstead life for a while...

[Houndy]

That's cold Morey

[Martti.]

Halstead should be a white, ginger guy. I can imagine B-Scal talking trash like that.

[Axel The Great]

B-Scal would most likely not be able to back it up though. Halstead can, and that's the difference. Just imagine Halstead as a trash-talking Eddy Curry.

[Axel The Great]

2011-2012 NLSC Tournament

After what I thought was a successful first-time NBA Blacktop two-on-two tournament last season, I'd like to see what kind of success a second tournament would get.

This is an excellent opportunity to see where your NLSC player stands in terms of talent (all NLSCer's are rated in the 70-73 range), and whether or not they can play against some of the NBA's best. The rules are pretty simple. You will pick a teammate from the list I have below, and you will compete against other duos and play a total of seven games. At the end of the tournament, whichever duo has the most wins will be presented the NLSC Tournament Cup. There are also individual player awards, and an all-tournament team. Click here for the summary of last year's tournament, and here for the records and statistics.

In-game rules are also simple. The first duo to score 21 points wins. Simple as that. With that out of the way, here is the schedule for this year's tournament:

Round One
Amadeus Pelayo vs. Ray Cer
Karl Cristobal vs. Badger Johnson
Martti Must vs. Shado Green
Kene Yougario vs. Prazar Petrovic

Round Two
Ray Cer vs. Badger Johnson
Amadeus Pelayo vs. Karl Cristobal
Kene Yougario vs. Martti Must
Prazar Petrovic vs. Shado Green

Round Three
Karl Cristobal vs. Ray Cer
Badger Johnson vs. Amadeus Pelayo
Shado Green vs. Kene Yougario
Martti Must vs. Prazar Petrovic

Round Four
Prazar Petrovic vs. Karl Cristobal
Ray Cer vs. Martti Must
Badger Johnson vs. Kene Yougario
Shado Green vs. Amadeus Pelayo

Round Five
Ray Cer vs. Kene Yougario
Karl Cristobal vs. Martti Must
Badger Johnson vs. Shado Green
Amadeus Pelayo vs. Prazar Petrovic

Round Six
Amadeus Pelayo vs. Kene Yougario
Prazar Petrovic vs. Ray Cer
Badger Johnson vs. Martti Must
Karl Cristobal vs. Shado Green

Round Seven
Martti Must vs. Amadeus Pelayo
Ray Cer vs. Shado Green
Kene Yougario vs. Karl Cristobal
Prazar Petrovic vs. Badger Johnson

(please analyze your schedule carefully to make sure I didn't make any mistakes )

Refer to this post to find out who's who.

Now here's the list of players to choose from. If you don't want to pick from one of the listed players below, you can request a player, but he must be approved by me. Note that these are all high 70's, low 80's rated players.

Code: Select all

Josh Smith
Ray Allen
Gerald Wallace
Stephen Jackson
Carlos Boozer
Chauncey Billups
David Lee
Luis Scola
Kevin Martin
Roy Hibbert
Eric Gordon
Lamar Odom
Zach Randolph
Kevin Love
Michael Beasley
Andrew Bogut
Brandon Jennings
Emeka Okafor
Devin Harris
Brook Lopez
Gilbert Arenas
Andre Iguodala
Elton Brand
LaMarcus Aldridge
Tony Parker
Andrea Bargnani
Al Jefferson
John Wall
Rashard Lewis

Taken players:
KidJustin - Danny Granger (upon request & approval)
Martti. - Kevin Martin
karlsanada10 - Kevin Love
badreligionau - Chauncey Billups
Stress Fracture - Luis Scola
Mavs4Life - Ray Allen
Badger - John Wall
shadowgrin - Joel Anthony (upon request & approval)

Post your preferred player's name below, he will end up being your teammate for the entire tournament. Remember to choose wisely; once you select your teammate, he's stuck with you for the entire tournament, there is no changing. Also, a player can only be selected once, so if someone has already chosen a player you wanted, you must select someone else.

Also note: I'm giving the 2012 draftees a week to choose their teammate. Whichever one(s) can't make it, they will be replaced by someone on the 2013 NLSC draft class, and that replacement could quite possibly end up moving up to the 2012 draft depending on the other one's activity.

Well that's that. As of now the NLSC Tournament has officially begun. Good luck to all!

[KidJustin]

PMd my pick

[Martti.]

Gonna go with Kevin Martin.

[karlsanada10]

Kevin Love please.

[rise]

Gonna go with Kevin Martin.

I did that last year.

[Kenny]

I'll choose Chauncey Billups... even though Andre Iguodala is very tempting.

[George7]

Wait for meee!!
Gotta go with LaMarcus Aldridge!!
I'm still in favor of the tall short duo, but sorry Carlos, I have to make a change...