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

[Axel The Great]

Sorry for lack of updates guys. Real busy at the moment with Driver's Ed; don't even have time to take pics! Round One games are done (noticed an odd trend), but they won't be 'til after the next two-game recap, monthly report, and prediction game results. I promise that week after next, updates will continue with the same speed, if not faster. I will have an update this weekend, and hopefully one during the middle of next week, though. For now though, follow Sit's, Lamrock's, Hova's, X's, or whoever's association you desire to follow.

[Axel The Great]

Part I

[12-3] Houston Rockets 105-98 Oklahoma City Thunder [11-5]


With the scoring load lightened for him, K-Mart was able to dish the ball more | Yao's best game in just 24 minutes.

Third in the league in scoring, 33 points is no surprise from KD | Jeff Green had a dunk fest this game.

Bucket-fest is a good enough phrase to describe the first half of this game for the Rockets. They were shooting over 50% from the field. Kevin Martin led the way with a team-high 27 points, on a decent 9/19 shooting from the field. Yao Ming had his best game yet. In just 24 minutes, he scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked three shots. He came up huge in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his points there.

In the third quarter, the Thunder came out playing excellent defense on the Rockets, holding them to under 40% shooting for the quarter. The Rockets weren't getting to the foul line, and Luis Scola's meager eight points on 3/11 shooting didn't help matters either. Kevin Durant's game-high 33 points contributed to this third quarter run, and Jeff Green chipped in 22 points. All would get exciting in the fourth quarter.

Despite allowing a lot of scoring from the Thunder's starters, the Rockets had 11 blocked shots compared to the Thunder's two. Yao Ming came up big in the last six minutes of play; he helped the Rockets pull away by going aggresively to the hoop, getting to the foul line, and knocking down his free throws. Yao's clutch play helped seal the game, as the Rockets avenge their overtime loss from back in Oklahoma City. "I'm proud of what Yao has done to this point in the season. He has avoided injuries, he's playing aggressively, and comes up big in the 24 minutes he's playing. If this keeps up, we'll let him play on back-to-back games," said Rockets' GM Daryl Morey who had bottom-row seats watching the game.

Player of the Game-

Yao Ming
24 points | 7 rebounds | 1 assist | 3 blocks

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 27 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 9/19 FG
Aaron Brooks - 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Shane Battier - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks
Luis Scola - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist

Thunder:
Kevin Durant - 33 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 14/30 FG
Jeff Green - 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Jeff Harden - 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
Serge Ibaka - 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Russell Westbrook - 9 points, 2 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals

30 26 21 28 105
25 23 26 24 98

[13-3] Houston Rockets 103-108 Dallas Mavericks [9-7]


Dirk's clutch plays in overtime sealed the deal | Aaron Brooks' erratic shooting (3/13) was a real killer in this game.

After being down for most of the game, the Mavericks made a huge fourth quarter push to tie the game. The Rockets shot miserably all game. By halftime, they were shooting 30% from the field, but their ability to get to the foul line compensated for that. They went 30/35 from there, and that's how they were able to stay competitive all game. Also, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd spent a lot of the game in foul trouble, Dirk picking up his fifth foul mid-fourth quarter.

The Rockets started the second half on a 10-0 run, but would relinquish the lead early in the fourth quarter. After many defensive stops late in the fourth, Kevin Martin had a chance to win the game. Tied at 92 apiece, he pulled up at the elbow, but his shot rolled off the rim.

In overtime, both teams started by trading buckets. A three by Aaron Brooks put the Rockets up 101-100. Dirk Nowitzki scored what felt like a bunch of buckets in this overtime period, in fact he scored eight points here. A three-point play by Caron Butler helped the Mavericks ice the game, to put them up 106-101. Without Yao Ming, it's amazing that the Rockets came to Dallas, played no defense in overtime, shot a miserable 36% compared to 49% from the Mavs, and still made this game competitive.

Player of the Game-

20 points | 8 rebounds | 1 assist | 2 blocks | 1 steal

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
Luis Scola - 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 10/17 FG
Aaron Brooks - 13 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals

Mavericks:
Caron Butler - 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Jason Terry - 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Jason Kidd - 14 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal

29 19 26 20 9 103
24 26 22 22 14 108

[kibaxx7]

Dirk and Caron Butler were too much to handle. But K-Mart is on his way to the scoring title again

[Houndy]

Mavs baby, all about dem Mavs

Beat the Rockets last night too.

[shadowgrin]

The title would have been better if it showed 'allas Mavericks'.

[Axel The Great]

Dirk and Caron Butler were too much to handle. But K-Mart is on his way to the scoring title again

Hopefully so, but he's like 7th in scoring if iirc.

Mavs baby, all about dem Mavs

Beat the Rockets last night too.

Seems like you've got extra homerism. You shouldn't be too proud of that win because the Mavs gave up a double-digit lead, to the ROCKETS!!!

The title would have been better if it showed 'allas Mavericks'.

Lol, yeah, but it wasn't the Mavs who lacked defense, it was us.

I'm gonna have to start a new fucking association file!!! I resigned position to try and work out trades for other teams, and now I'm stuck with the Knicks! When I try to resign position to get back on the Rockets, the game crashes. I'll still keep going in this thread, but sim all the way up until after the Mavs game. Hopefully the stats can be similar to the ones before. If something falls out of place, your predictions for the prediction game are still valid. Unless there's a way to fix this, this was all just a waste.

[Martti.]

That really sucks. Next time, try trading a 2nd rounder or something on a multi-team deal and then get it back. You'll also lose the points you've earned (for winning streaks etc.)

2K seems to like the Rockets, so I hope you can get to the same record whilst simming.

[Houndy]

Yeah, what Martti said. Sort of sucks, but hey. You can lose to the Mavs twice in a row

[Axel The Great]

Martti., thanks for the advice, but how would getting the second round pick back help? Anyways, good news though. Simmed again, went 13-4. The losses were different though. Lost against the Spurs, Pacers, Knicks, and Thunder. Two out of those four lost games are correct, and the stats from my players are pretty similar. Standings are a little different though, but that doesn't really matter to me though. However Houndy, the Mavs are 5-12.

So anyways, I'll still post the standings and league leaders and stuff, but from the other "corrupted" association, just for everyone to see how it was going. They will change during the next month, but just because the stats and stuff were different in the new association, I'll go by the original association's stats.

[kibaxx7]

how would getting the second round pick back help?

That way you don't have to resign when you want to do trades for other teams For example, when I made the Stuckey trade in my association:

DET trades: Stuckey (SAC), DaJuan Summers (SAC)
SAC trades: Landry (DET), Luther Head (DET), 2nd round pick (SA)
SA trades: 2nd round pick (SAC)

Then trade the picks back, like you didn't take part in the trade.

[Axel The Great]

Ah, now I understand. Thanks for clearing that up, Thierry, and Martti. for bringing up the idea. I will be doing that in the future.



Well, like I said, for some reason I can't resign position with the Knicks, so I had to start a new association and sim my way back. The prediction game results will go by what I did in the first association, since I can't be too bothered with the stuff the sim engine came up with in the second one. The prediction game results will be after this. Anyways, here are the league leaders and standings from the first association.

League Leaders:
Scoring-
Derrick Rose - 32.7
Kobe Bryant - 31.1
Kevin Durant - 30.5
LeBron James - 28.5
Monta Ellis - 28.4

Rebounds-
Dwight Howard - 14.8
Pau Gasol - 12.5
Tim Duncan - 11.6
Emeka Okafor - 10.8
Blake Griffin - 10.7

Assists-
Jason Kidd - 11.0
Michael Conley - 9.9
Rajon Rondo - 9.7
Aaron Brooks - 8.9
Deron Williams - 8.9

Steals-
Manu Ginobili - 2.9
John Wall - 2.6
LeBron James - 2.5
Andrei Kirilenko - 2.5
Dwyane Wade - 2.4

Blocks-
Dwight Howard - 2.9
Josh Smith - 2.1
Ed Davis - 1.9
Emeka Okafor - 1.9
Tyrus Thomas - 1.9

Standings-
East-
Celtics - 15-3
Heat - 15-4
Bobcats - 12-6
Hawks - 12-7
Magic - 12-7
Nets - 11-8
Knicks - 11-9
Bucks - 9-9
----------------
Bulls - 8-8
Wizards - 7-10
76ers - 7-11
Pistons - 7-12
76ers - 6-11
Cavaliers - 4-13
Raptors - 2-16

West-
Rockets - 13-4
Thunder - 12-7
Lakers - 11-7
Mavericks - 11-7
Spurs - 10-7
Nuggets - 10-7
Grizzlies - 11-8
Jazz - 10-10
------------------
TrailBlazers - 9-9
Suns - 8-9
Clippers - 7-11
Hornets - 6-12
Warriors - 6-12
Kings - 5-11
T-Wolves - 6-12

[Houndy]

Woo.

[shadowgrin]

Axel. you turkey.

[Radioman]

Bad luck with that corrupted file

But i think its not that important you only played November and things just getting started.

----

At least i was wright with the last two games: win against the Thunder and loss against the Mavs. I put you on 14-3, so only one game ahead.

[Axel The Great]

Woo.

WTF?

Axel. you turkey.

Gobble, gobble.

Bad luck with that corrupted file

But i think its not that important you only played November and things just getting started.

----

At least i was wright with the last two games: win against the Thunder and loss against the Mavs. I put you on 14-3, so only one game ahead.

It's not that big a loss, but it feels like I played the first month just for the sim engine to mix it up. There were some good wins though, at Toronto we won 135-68. The good thing though, we were leading the league in team points, FG%, 3P%, in the first file, and now in this one too. Now we're second in RPG, top 5 in SPG, and Kevin Martin is shooting 50% from three, compared to 30% in the other one. Standings are pretty much okay, I just don't like the Mavs being near bottom of the West. If that keeps up, I'll lend them a helping hand one way or another, I'm sure that'll satisfy Houndy.

Prediction game results are next.

[Axel The Great]

NLSC "Dream Points" Count

Alright, now that the month's over, let's count the points of those who participated in the prediction game. Remember, point values here (scroll down a bit). For the month, here's the standings:

Justine. - 30 pts
King Dee - 29 pts
George7 - 29 pts
Lamrock - 29 pts
Valdis - 27 pts
Thierry - 27 pts
z02 - 25 pts
|)e8* - 24 pts
Stress Fracture - 24 pts
Mark. - 23 pts
Radioman - 21 pts
Houndy - 18 pts
Psychedelic™ - 15 pts

Predicting the players/rookies of the month helped some of you a lot, there were some who got all 4/4. If you can, check back to your prediction, and make sure I did the math correctly.

Here are all of the attributes you can spend your points on and how much they cost. If it's not obvious what the attribute does, I included a description of what it affects:

Code: Select all

Shot Inside (shoot from underneath the basket): 2 pts
Shot Close: 2 pts
Shot Medium: 3 pts
Shot 3PT: 5 pts
Shot Low Post: 2 pts
Free Throw: 2 pts
Layup: 2 pts
Dunk: 5 pts
Standing Dunk: 3 pts
Shoot Off Dribble: 4 pts
Shoot In Traffic: 5 pts
Ball Handle (affects the dribble moves the player can do): 1 pt
Off Hand Dribbling: 2 pts
Ball Security: 4 pts
Pass: 2 pts
Block: 5 pts
Steal: 4 pts
Hands (ability to catch the ball): 3 pts
On-Ball Defense: 4 pts
Offense Rebound: 5 pts
Defense Rebound: 2 pts
Offense Low Post: 3 pts
Defense Low Post: 3 pts
Offense Awareness: 2 pts
Defense Awareness: 3 pts
Offense Clutch (set at 50 for everyone):  1 pt
Defense Clutch (set at 50 for everyone): 1 pt
Consistency (ability to get out of a slump or get on a hot streak): 5 pts
Stamina: 3 pts
Speed: 4 pts
Quickness (agility): 3 pts
Strength: 4 pts
Vertical: 5 pts
Hustle: 1 pt
Durability: 3 pts
Potential (set at 50-65, depending on your player's age): 3 pts
Emotion (reaction to referee calls): 1 pt

I will PM you with your Dream Points balance, and then that's when you decide how to spend your Dream Points, and then your reply will consist of the attributes you'd like to upgrade, and by how much you want to upgrade them. You don't have to spend them all at once, you don't even have to spend them now; you can spend them anytime you want, as long as it's before the end of the season (including the playoffs). You'll be able to continue spending your points even after you get drafted, but I'd recommend spending them all before the draft in order to make sure you get drafted as high as possible. Just remember to do the math correctly, and I will upgrade your attributes the next time I play. But remember, wait for the PM.

[Axel The Great]

December Prediction Game

Now that November's over, here's the December prediction game. Another opportunity to pile up those dream points. Copy and paste the code below and PM your predictions to me.

Code: Select all

[u]Top Scorer for December[/u]:
[b]PPG[/b]:
[u]Top Rebounder for December[/u]:
[b]RPG[/b]:
[u]Assists leader for December[/u]:
[b]APG[/b]:

Game Predictions:
Lakers:
@ Grizzlies:
@ Bulls:
Pistons:
@ Bucks:
Cavaliers:
Kings:
@ Thunder:
Grizzlies:
@ Kings:
@ Warriors:
@ Clippers:
Wizards:
Heat:
Raptors:

[u]Overall Record for the Month (15 games total)[/u]:

[u]East Player of the Month[/u]:
[u]East Rookie of the Month[/u]:
[u]West Player of the Month[/u]:
[u]West Rookie of the Month[/u]:

I'll give everyone a week to send in their predictions before I begin to recap the games.

[George7]

Top Scorer for December:Kevin Martin
PPG: 25.3
Top Rebounder for December: Yao Ming
RPG: 9.8
Assists leader for December: Aaron Brooks
APG: 5.6

Game Predictions:
Lakers:L
@ Grizzlies: W
@ Bulls: L
Pistons: W
@ Bucks: L
Cavaliers: W
Kings: W
@ Thunder: L
Grizzlies: W
@ Kings: W
@ Warriors: W
@ Clippers: W
Wizards: W
Heat: L
Raptors: W

Overall Record for the Month (15 games total):10-5

East Player of the Month: Derrick Rose
East Rookie of the Month: John Wall
West Player of the Month: Kobe Bryant
West Rookie of the Month: Blake Griffin

So,how is the NLSC Tournament going?

[Bucket]

Top Scorer for December: Kevin Martin
PPG: 26.1
Top Rebounder for December: Yao Ming
RPG: 9.0
Assists leader for December: Aaron Brooks
APG: 6.3

Game Predictions:
Lakers: L
@ Grizzlies: W
@ Bulls: W
Pistons: W
@ Bucks: W
Cavaliers: W
Kings: W
@ Thunder: L
Grizzlies: W
@ Kings: L
@ Warriors: W
@ Clippers: L
Wizards: L
Heat: L
Raptors: W

Overall Record for the Month (15 games total): 9:6

East Player of the Month: LeBron James
East Rookie of the Month: John Wall
West Player of the Month: Kevin Durant
West Rookie of the Month: Blake Griffin

[kibaxx7]

Top Scorer for December: Kevin Martin
PPG: 25.7
Top Rebounder for December: Yao Ming
RPG: 8.7
Assists leader for December: Aaron Brooks
APG: 6.1

Game Predictions:
Lakers: L
@ Grizzlies: W
@ Bulls: L
Pistons: W
@ Bucks: W
Cavaliers: W
Kings: W
@ Thunder: L
Grizzlies: W
@ Kings: W
@ Warriors: W
@ Clippers: L
Wizards: W
Heat: L
Raptors: W

Overall Record for the Month (15 games total): 10-5

East Player of the Month: LeBron James
East Rookie of the Month: John Wall
West Player of the Month: Kobe Bryant
West Rookie of the Month: Wesley Johnson

[rise]

Copy and paste the code below and PM your predictions to me.

Dumbasses.

[Axel The Great]

Umm, yeah. They may have missed reading that, but for next month, just PM your predictions to me, alright guys?

So,how is the NLSC Tournament going?

Done with Round One, noticed a very odd trend, though. Will post the recaps no later than this Saturday, I hope.

EDIT: Just realized that I did not give out the REAL prediction game results. Here they are:

PPG Leader: Kevin Martin - 25.9 ppg 26 ppg
RPG Leader: Luis Scola - 8.2 rpg 8 rpg
APG Leader: Aaron Brooks - 8.9 apg 9 apg

@Lakers: W
@Warriors: W
Nuggets: W
Hornets: W
@Spurs: W
T-Wolves: W
@Wizards: W
@Pacers: W
@Knicks: L
Bulls: W
@Thunder: L
@Raptors: W
Suns: W
Warriors: W
@Bobcats: L
Thunder: W
@Mavericks: L

Overall Record for the Month: 13-4

WPOTM: Kevin Durant
WROTM: Blake Griffin
EPOTM: LeBron James
EROTM: John Wall

[Houndy]

You guys are smart. Post it on here when it clearly (IN BOLD AND UNDERLINED) says PM. I should get points

[rise]

I should too.

[Axel The Great]

Aaron Brooks' Contract Extension (Or Lack Thereof)

Posted by Axel Gomez, December 1, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Yes, get used to the banner. We bleed Rocket red here, literally and figuratively, and in my first blog post, let's discuss Aaron Brooks's situation about his contract.

Houston Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks has stated that he's not happy in Houston. The fact that he didn't get a contract extension has a lot to do with it. The first of November was the deadline for him to get one, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey thought against it. "We're doing what's best for the Rockets. There were many other players that could've had a contract extension as well, including Yao Ming, but we want to be able to stay flexible for the offseason," Morey said.

Brooks said, "I'm not getting enough credit for what I do here. I pass the rock, score the ball, and make three-pointers. People still give their attention to Yao and K-Mart, and that's just not right. I'm the floor general, the one who initiates the possessions. Not getting a contract extension just makes me more unsatisfied, especially after a breakout season last season. With a potential lockout looming next season, I wanted to make sure my place on a team and my contract were secure."

When asked about the situation, he said, "I understand. The franchise wants to do what's best for themselves, and this is just the cold business side of basketball. But I mean, when you only have one other point guard on the team, you would think they at least would've considered negotiating a new contract."

Aaron Brooks averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game last season, and won the Most Improved Player award, the first player to win the award as a Rocket. Brooks thought that he'd get an extension after what he did last season, but not even that was enough to land one. The fact that a month has gone by and it still bothers him must mean that he was really looking forward to that extension.

He hasn't been shooting well his past four games. 3/12, 9/18, 6/21, and 5/13 are his numbers from the field. That's a combined 23/64 from the field, good for 36%. It's easy to tell his frustrations are carrying over to his performance on the floor. Despite that, he's averaging 20 ppg, 6.5 apg, and shooting 47% from the field for the season. That field goal percentage can plummet, however, if he doesn't get his act together.

Some of AB's teammates have begun to feel some sympathy towards him. "Aaron's a great player. He is always an excellent option on offense, and this season he's begun to pass the ball more. I hope all turns out okay for him," said backup point guard Kyle Lowry.

Aaron Brooks will be a restricted free agent next season, and unless he gets his act together in the court, his future in Houston is foggy.

Comments (5):

Posted by Definitely not Donald Sterling, December 1, 2010 at 3:45 pm:
This is a smart move by the Rockets. It's smart to not continue paying a shot-chucking black guy who shits all over your team. Too bad Sterling couldn't do the same with a certain Clipper. At least it's better than paying a gay player.

Posted by The Real K-Mart (Kenyon sucks!), December 1, 2010 at 3:50 pm:
Man, that's racist. Stop bitching about Baron and worry about building a team that doesn't fail at basketball, Sterling.

Aaron, stop whining about not getting a contract extension, at least be a professional about it and play well. You do realize your contract year is when you have to play at your best to make sure a team signs you next season? But no, you just continue your shot-chucking ways and it's real frustrating to watch you play. I'll be happy once you're off the team.

Posted by AB, December 1, 2010 at 4:34 pm:
@ Definitely not Donald Sterling, Baron's beard is worth more money than your fucking Clippers!

@ The Real K-Mart (Kenyon sucks!), who's the one who jacks up 20 shots a game?

Posted by The Real K-Mart (Kenyon sucks!), December 2, 2010 at 3:35 am:
@ AB, U mad?

Posted by DunkMonster, December 3, 2010 at 4:56 pm
@ AB, I learned to dunk using 50inchvertical[dot]com. You should try it, it's really easy!

Please know that Lamrock gave me permission to use "Definitely not Donald Sterling" for this.