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

[Axel The Great]

Thierry, Valdis, George: Thanks for the votes, looks like K-Mart, AB, and Shane Battier(?) are tied for most votes. I voted myself, and it's probably pretty obvious who I voted for. As I said, I'll leave the poll up indefinitely, until I think of another poll question.

[20-6] Houston Rockets 110-106 Sacramento Kings [9-15]
Simmed

Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks combined for 50 points (25 apiece) to take out the Kings for the second time in a row this season. Luis Scola and Chase Budinger rounded out the game with 15 points apiece.

The Kings weren't to be outdone though, Tyreke Evans had a game high 28 points, with Carl Landry recovering from a miserable game in Houston, he scored 24 points and added 10 boards. Jason Thompson also had 10 points and a game high 12 boards with an added two blocks to help out.

Player of the Game-

Tyreke Evans
28 points | 2 rebounds | 5 assists | 4 steals | 10/16 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Yao Ming - 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 9/12 FG
Aaron Brooks - 25 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, 10/19 FG
Chase Budinger - 15 points, 2 rebounds, 6/9 FG
Luis Scola - 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 5/7 FG

Kings:
Carl Landry - 24 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block, 10/15 FG
Jason Thompson - 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
Beno Udrih - 6 points, 12 assists, 1 steal

24 25 26 35 110
25 23 31 27 106

[21-6] Houston Rockets 104-97 Golden State Warriors [6-20]


Fully recovered from injury, Kevin Martin had his way against the Warriors' extreme hard-nosed defense. | The shot-chucking Monta Ellis from last season.

With every quarter gone by, both teams seemed to be slowing down in terms of offense. The Rockets led the whole way, the lead never changed, but that doesn't mean the game wasn't close. A total of 17 turnovers from the Rockets made the game closer than it had to be, as the Warriors poured in 14 points off of those turnovers. "The Warriors are the last team you'd expect to get a defensive stop, but they do have active hands on defense that can make it difficult to run your offense," said the defensive specialist Courtney Lee, who was responsible for holding Monta Ellis to 6/16 shooting.

The Rockets went on a cold streak with about four minutes left in the game. Golden State did mount a nice run in that time, making the score 88-87. Both teams did not score on two consecutive possessions. With two minutes left in the game, the Rockets rained back-to-back-to-back buckets, with two treys from Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks included in the mix. With the clock against them, the Warriors were forced to foul, and the Rockets were able to calmly bury six consecutive free throws to win the game.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
31 points | 6 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 steals | 1 block | 9/22 FG | 12/12 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 6/8 FG
Aaron Brooks - 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 5/15 FG
Yao Ming - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 6/11 FG

Warriors:
Stephen Curry - 27 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 12/26 FG, 3/9 3P
David Lee - 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 9/19 FG
Dorrell Wright - 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 7/14 FG, 2/4 3P
Monta Ellis - 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals, 6/16 FG

32 25 22 25 104
25 24 25 23 97

[22-6] Houston Rockets 100-105 Los Angeles Clippers [14-15]


Scoring duel between these two, Eric Gordon won in terms of points, and getting a W.

Scola's sub-par play slowed down the Rockets. | Another poster for Griffin's collection?

From the initial tip, it looked like the Rockets would cruise to another victory, as they pulled together a 12-0 run to make the score 12-3 during the first five minutes of the game. The Clippers, not to be outdone, mounted a 19-5 run, to get the lead back. This was done at the hands of Eric Gordon. He scored a career high 39 points, draining five triples in the process. "He was unstoppable the whole game. It was tough guarding him, because he was having one of those nights where you can just drain shots with a harrassing defender breathing down your neck," said Kevin Martin, who had a friendly scoring competition with Gordon.

After securing a first quarter lead, the Clippers never looked back, as the Rockets never had the lead again. The sub-par play of Luis Scola left a big void for the Rockets, as he was held to only seven points on 3/10 shooting. Struggling for the Clippers, were Chris Kaman (15 points, 6/18 shooting) and Baron Davis (9 points, 3/11 shooting), with Davis adding five turnovers to his stats.

The Rockets came within one in the fourth quarter, after trailing by as many as 11 points. With the Clippers up by six, Kevin Martin launched a three and buried it after a timeout, to cut the lead to three, 100-103. Randy Foye, a very dependable free throw shooter, was sent to the line, and calmly knocked down both free throws with four seconds left in the game, to seal the deal.

To this point, all seven losses for the Rockets have come on the road; they are undefeated (12-0) at home. Next they have a three-game homestand to close out the month of December. They will host the Washington Wizards, the Miami Heat, and the Toronto Raptors this upcoming week.

Player of the Game-

Eric Gordon
39 points | 4 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 steals | 12/28 FG | 5/13 3P | 10/12 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 34 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 11/21 FG, 4/4 3P
Aaron Brooks - 19 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, 9/20 FG
Yao Ming - 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 5/7 FG
Luis Scola - 7 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3/10 FG

Clippers:
Chris Kaman - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 6/18 FG
Al-Farouq Aminu - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Blake Griffin - 10 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5/7 FG
Baron Davis - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 TO, 3/11 FG

26 24 26 24 100
31 25 21 28 105

[rise]

Hell, Gordon dropped 39! Great to see KMart back in action.

[kibaxx7]

Man, you always lock down the players who murder me Ellis, Mayo, Baron...

[Justine.]

Great wins! Would you be also doing the real life trades here?

[Axel The Great]

Hell, Gordon dropped 39! Great to see KMart back in action.

K-Mart gets so many foul calls in his favor, just like in real life!

Man, you always lock down the players who murder me Ellis, Mayo, Baron...

An advantage of having two (plus one up and coming, K-Mart) perennial defensive stoppers (Battier, Lee). Crowd them up, and force them into bad shots.

Great wins! Would you be also doing the real life trades here?

I will, but not the Rockets trades. The real life Rockets are in a completely different situation than my virtual Rockets, seeing as how Yao's fully healthy here and Brooks is having an even better season than last season. The other trades, though, I will carry through.

Week 10 Recap coming this weekend, then the monthly report.

[Houndy]

Maybe you could do the Rockets deal if Brooks and Martin get in a heated argument

[Martti.]

Tough loss against the Clippers. Goran Dragic can actually ball in 2K, maybe you should try to get him.

[George7]

Dang,you lost to the Clippers???
Those were supposed to be 3 easy games...

[Lamrock]

You should eat the sword and do the trades that Morey did!

[hova-]

Wow, Gordon just owned you. You should really do those RL trades. Dragic could help you off the bench and Lowry's a good starter anyway. Giving away Battier's tougher though.

[Houndy]

Wow, Gordon just owned you. You should really do those RL trades. Dragic could help you off the bench and Lowry's a good starter anyway. Giving away Battier's tougher though.

And the picks!

[Axel The Great]

[22-7] Houston Rockets 115-98 Washington Wizards [13-15]


With AB injured this game, Kyle Lowry stepped up and had a near double-double. | Again, John Wall was held to poor shooting.

This whole week, the Rockets would reside in Houston for a three-game homestand, and there's no better way to kick it off with a double-digit, convincing win. From the initial tip, both teams were playing lockdown defense, holding each other to less than 40% shooting. As time went by, both teams got into their offensive rhythm. Rashard Lewis turned it up a notch for the Wizards, as he had a team-high 24 points, going 5/10 from downtown. He was the sole reason for the Wizards' hot shooting in the first half, as he finished with 16 points at the half.

Leading the way for the Rockets, was (to nobody's surprise) Kevin Martin, and he had a game-high 25 points, but on a sub-par 7/24 shooting. The Wizards aren't a well-known defensive team, but they forced Martin to miss his first 10 field goal attempts, but going 11/12 from the free throw line really helped matters for him. The game remained close up until midway through the second quarter, when the Rockets pulled together a 13-0 run to pull away for good. They had a double-digit lead for almost the rest of the game.

Midway through the third quarter, Aaron Brooks fouled John Wall, and somehow, Brooks landed the wrong way, and hurt his back. He had to sit the rest of the game with back spasms. He finished with 11 points, four assists, and three boards. In his absence, Kyle Lowry stepped up, chipping in 15 points and a team high nine assists, as the Rockets cruised to victory at Toyota Center.

Player of the Game-

25 points | 6 rebounds | 4 assists | 1 steal | 1 block | 7/24 FG | 11/12 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Yao Ming - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 7/11 FG
Kyle Lowry - 15 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Luis Scola - 12 points, 14 rebounds, 6/10 FG
Aaron Brooks (injured)- 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds

Wizards:
Rashard Lewis - 24 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 9/19 FG, 5/10 3P
Larry Hughes - 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
John Wall - 10 points, 16 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 4/15 FG

25 33 28 29 115
21 19 29 29 98

[23-7] Houston Rockets 103-106 Miami Heat [24-9]


Rejected by Yao... but LeBron just kept coming back for more.

Kevin Martin came up big on the offensive end... and on the defensive end.

Aaron Brooks' injury gives Ishmael Smith a huge opportunity to prove that he can be an excellent player.

This was a highly anticipated matchup; both teams are top five in the NBA. With Aaron Brooks bothered by his back spasms, Ishmael Smith (averaging 12 points, 6 assists in the D-League) was called up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He chipped in six points and two assists in 17 minutes of action.

In the first quarter, it was as close as they come. The Rockets had no problem shutting down two-thirds of the Big Three, but the other third, LeBron James, was tough to handle. He led the Heat with 39 points, coming off a career high 56-point game against the New York Knicks. He had 20 points at the end of the first half.

Not to be outdone, the Rockets, led by Kevin Martin, who also scored 39 points of his own, were dominating the interior, picking apart the Heat's lack of defense on the low block. Yao Ming scored his first seven field goal attempts, finishing 8/10 with 16 points. The Rockets led by nine by the end of the first half, mainly due to the fact that Dwyane Wade was shooting poorly, and Chris Bosh was in foul trouble.

In the third quarter, the Heat came out, scored an eye-popping 35 points, including a 16-0 run to start the half, more than twice the Rockets' third quarter points. An 18-point turn around, the Heat were in complete control heading into the fourth quarter. "It was a run that was very hard to stop. They have a lot of offensive firepower, and it was apparently too much for us to handle," said Kyle Lowry after the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets mounted a comeback, coming within two on many an occasion. Down by four, Kevin Martin knocked down an 18-foot jumper to bring the Rockets within two. With LeBron missing at the other end, Kevin Martin once again attempted a jumper from the same place, but barely just clanked it off the rim. The Rockets took way too long to try to intentionally foul, but finally fouled Dwyane Wade. He split a pair of free throws, missing the second, but James Jones hammered Yao Ming on the back, and referee Joey Crawford, clearly in front of the play, wasn't bothered to call the foul. Therefore, Jones ended up getting the rebound with two seconds left, and the Rockets were once again forced to foul.

They fouled Jones, but again, Crawford did not call it, and as the buzzer sounded, suspicion arose at the Toyota Center. "It was a clear foul, a flagrant foul, just to get that rebound. For someone like Crawford to not call it, though, doesn't surprise me. It really sucks to lose because of one or two fouls that weren't called," said a disgusted Martin after the game. With this loss, the Rockets are now 13-1 at home, as their undefeated streak is snapped by the Miami Heat.

"I'll be the first to admit that it was a flagrant foul. I don't think it gets much clearer than that. Still, I can't let it bother me, we just need to move on and play harder next game," said Yao Ming, who didn't appear to be shaken up by Jones' cheap shot. Sources say Martin went over to confront Jones, but was held back by his teammates, saying he wasn't worth it. Martin played this game with so much intensity, it is clearly a candidate for Game of the Year.

Player of the Game-

LeBron James
39 points | 7 assists | 5 rebounds | 1 steal | 16/33 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 39 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 12/21 FG, 14/14 FT
Yao Ming - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 8/10 FG
Luis Scola - 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 6/15 FG
Kyle Lowry - 4 points, 10 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2/4 FG

Heat:
Dwyane Wade - 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 7/17 FG
Eddie House - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Mike Miller - 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3/10 FG
Chris Bosh - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3/6 FG

30 27 17 29 103
30 18 35 23 106

[23-8] Houston Rockets 113-92 Toronto Raptors [6-25]


Smith's first career three-pointer. | The only player shooting well for the Raptors, DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors challenged the Rockets this game. The score won't tell you so, but in the second half, the Raptors came within three points, but as explosive as the Rockets are, they pulled away, as they take the season series against the Raptors on New Year's Eve with another blowout, 113-92.

Still hot from last game, Kevin Martin scored 33 points, in just 28 minutes of action. He continues getting to the foul line with ease, as he went 12/12 from the line, going 37/38 from the line this week. "You can definitely say he's carrying us. He's a unique player, and I've been working with him on his defense as well. I think he's just starting to hit his prime, and he's only gonna want to improve," Shane Battier praised Martin.

The Rockets now have a tough schedule, with five games in the next week, going on a two-game Northwest road trip to face the Portland TraiBlazers and the Denver Nuggets. The schedule only gets tougher, as after a quick pit stop at home against Portland again, they head out on the road to face the Orlando Magic and then the Utah Jazz.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
33 points | 4 assists | 4 rebounds | 10/19 FG | 12/12 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4/13 FG
Jordan Hill - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 6/7 FG
Kyle Lowry - 10 points, 11 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 4/11 FG
Yao Ming - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks

Raptors:
Andrea Bargnani - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 9/26 FG
Leandro Barbosa - 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
DeMar DeRozan - 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 7/12 FG

33 24 30 26 113
24 21 29 18 92

[Axel The Great]

Maybe you could do the Rockets deal if Brooks and Martin get in a heated argument

Will likely happen in the story, but they really complement each other on the offensive end.

Dang,you lost to the Clippers???
Those were supposed to be 3 easy games...

I guess all three games were hard (yes including the simmed Kings game, looking at the score). The Clippers were bailed out by Gordon, looking at all of the shots he chucked up.

Tough loss against the Clippers. Goran Dragic can actually ball in 2K, maybe you should try to get him.

You should eat the sword and do the trades that Morey did!

Wow, Gordon just owned you. You should really do those RL trades. Dragic could help you off the bench and Lowry's a good starter anyway. Giving away Battier's tougher though.

What's with all the pressure? I appreciate the persuasion/support you guys are giving me, but I'm fine with the team just the way it is. AB is averaging 20 ppg, and Yao has shown no traces of injury.

[rise]

You should go trade for Dragic, although I think I prefer your K-Mart - Brooks rivalry better. Tough loss against Miami. Fuck refs, they robbed my real basketball of a (potential) championship yesterday.

[kibaxx7]

Great wins. Hopefully you give Ishmael more burn

[Stress Fracture]

LeBron looks like a ghey on his headshot.

[Axel The Great]

You should go trade for Dragic, although I think I prefer your K-Mart - Brooks rivalry better. Tough loss against Miami. Fuck refs, they robbed my real basketball of a (potential) championship yesterday.

At this point, trading Brooks for Dragic is basically trading a solid starting point guard for a solid role-playing point guard. Not very interested.

Great wins. Hopefully you give Ishmael more burn

He'll be getting burn, until AB comes back from his back spasms.

LeBron looks like a ghey on his headshot.

What?

December Report is next, and then I'll do Round 3 of the NLSC Tournament. After that, I'll hopefully have Part II of the NLSC Draftees preview up.

[Justine.]

Martin was definitely a beast in 2k11.

[Stress Fracture]

Oh, what I meant was The Queen looks like a gay.

[Axel The Great]

Justine., that jumper of his is deadly, and he gets so many cheap foul calls in his favor.

Stress Fracture, is it a big surprise?



December was another great month for the Houston Rockets. They went 11-4, and lost just one game at home against the Miami Heat. The biggest happening of the month? Kevin Martin's lower back strain. He had to miss four games, and had an additional three games coming off the bench in limited minutes. He picked things up afterwards though, as he had four games with 30+ points.

Near the end of the month, Aaron Brooks was attacked by the injury bug. He suffered back spasms, and has sat out the last two games. He is expected to return sometime in the first week of 2011, either against the Portland TrailBlazers or the Denver Nuggets. The month of January will be a tough one for the Rockets, as they will be facing some of the elite teams in the NBA, including the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs.

Players of the Week-

Week	East Player	West Player
October 26-30	Gilbert Arenas (ORL)	Monta Ellis (GSW)
October 31-November 6	LeBron James (MIA)	Dirk Nowitzki (DAL)
November 7-13	Dwyane Wade (MIA)	Kevin Durant (OKC)
November 14-20	LeBron James (MIA)	Stephen Curry (GSW)
November 21-27	LeBron James (MIA)	Manu Ginobili (SAS)
November 28-December 4	LeBron James (MIA)	Deron Williams (UTA)
December 5-11	Derrick Rose (CHI)	Kobe Bryant (LAL)
December 12-18	Dwyane Wade (MIA)	Kevin Durant (OKC)
December 19-25	LeBron James (MIA)	Kobe Bryant (LAL)
December 26-January 1	LeBron James (MIA)	Manu Ginobili (SAS)

Players of the Month-

Conference	Player	Stats
East	LeBron James (MIA)	29.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.5 spg, 50% FG
East Rookie	John Wall (WAS)	18 ppg, 8.6 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 spg, 44% FG
West	Kevin Durant (OKC)	31.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1 bpg, 51% FG
West Rookie	Blake Griffin (LAC)	16.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1 spg, 53% FG

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my first monthly report of the thread, so if there's any problem (e.g. tables are hard to read, use different colors for them, different font, etc.) be sure to let me know. Props to Martti. for the colorful tables, btw.

[hova-]

Looking very neat. Terrence Williams should play more if you ask me. The Battier trade could help you in the long run, but you're right, there's no need for you to change anything right now. Martin's one heck of an efficient scorer.

I like

[kibaxx7]

Superb home record Also surprised to see the Bobcats with that W/L.

[Axel The Great]

hova- - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Splitting backup minutes between T-Will and Bud is tough, but with Brooks injured, I've been able to play Williams at the point. I'll see if I can shave off some of Bud's minutes for T-Will in the future though.

Thierry • - Yeah, 2K seems to like the Bobcats in all of my associations. It's mainly due to Jax and Crash having excellent seasons, I think. Not to mention the fact that they beat me earlier on in this association.

Oh yeah, and I also forgot to give props to Martti. for showing me how to do the tables. Edited.




December Prediction Game Results

I did not get everybody's input for this month. Those that did participate, though, here are the standings:

Points Earned for December:
Houndy - 34 pts
Justine. - 33 pts
Stress Fracture - 29 pts
z02 - 28 pts
Valdis - 27 pts
Thierry - 24 pts
Radioman - 23 pts
George7 - 22 pts

Now here are how much Dream Points you have to spend on your player's attributes. Those that start out with 0 means they used up all of them earlier on, (I've long since upgraded your requested attributes) so now they get a fresh new bunch of points.

Dream Points Balance:
Houndy - 18 pts + (25 earned from the dynasty quiz in my past story) + 34 from December + 4 from NLSC Tournament = 81 points
Justine. - 0 pts + 33 from December + 14 from NLSC Tournament = 47 points
z02 - 0 pts + 28 from December + 9 from NLSC Tournament = 37 points
Valdis - 0 pts + 27 from December + 9 from NLSC Tournament = 36 points
Stress Fracture - 24 pts + 29 from December = 53 points
Radioman - 0 pts + 23 from December = 23 points
Thierry - 0 pts + 23 from December + 14 from NLSC Tournament = 37 points
George7 - 29 pts + 21 from December + 4 from NLSC Tournament = 54 points
Lamrock - 29 points + 9 from NLSC Tournament = 38 points
Mark. - 23 points
|)e8* - 34 points + 9 from NLSC Tournament = 33 points
King Dee - 29 points
Psychedelic™ - 15 points

So now that you know how much points you have, let me reiterate how to spend them. Basically, think of your points as money. Say I have 30 Dream Points, I can spend them all on my three-point shot (doesn't really have to be on a single attribute btw), which would allow me to boost that attribute by six (6 X 5 = 30), since the attribute costs five points. You don't have to spend your points all at once, but I highly recommend you do it before the draft. If you're terrible at math, give it your best shot, and I'll help you out, since I'm a math geek.

Here are all of the attributes you can spend your points on, and how much points they cost: viewtopic.php?f=92&t=77191&start=150#p1337058 (Scroll down a little bit) When you want to spend your points, shoot me a PM.

Now that all of that's out of the way, here are the actual results of the prediction game:

Top Scorer for December: Kevin Martin
PPG: 22 ppg
Top Rebounder for December: Luis Scola
RPG: 10 rpg
Assists leader for December: Aaron Brooks
APG: 7 apg

Game Predictions:
Lakers: W
@ 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): 11-4

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

I will be shortening January's edition of the prediction game, so it's a little less time consuming than the one now.

[Kubik]

Great record so far! Yao and Martin are putting great numbers, nice work

[rise]

Holy crap. Aaron Brooks is shooting 49% from outside.