[Playoffs!] A New Age! || GAME 1 OF THE FINALS | Hiatus

[Martti.]

Yeap, clearly in his hands still.

2K screws Martti as Spurs beat Rockets in OT

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

4 quarters of good gameplay between two southwest division rivals.

Fast forward - Manu Ginobili makes a three with 0.6 left over Parsons - 2K - 1, Martti - 0. Game goes into OT.

Harden ties the game with a dunk, fuck yeah, 12 seconds left.

Parker dribbles like an idiot for 10 seconds, then gets blocked by Sanders, who Martti controlled, but CPU fouled him with Lin. 2K - 2, Martti - 0.

He makes both, 1.1 left. Harden catched the inbounds, splashes a three. Game over right? Let's look at the events that followed.



0.1 on the clock and the ball is out of Harden's hands.



Dumbass looks at shiny picture box.



Dumbass says it's good. 2K says Fuck no, and Tim Duncan celebrates soon after.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (27-20) | 24 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 14 || 115 || (SHOULD BE 118, FUCK YOU, 2K!)
SAS (26-20) | 26 | 25 | 29 | 21 | 16 || 117 ||

Player of the Game : Tim Duncan (SHOULD BE HARDEN!!)

| 18 PTS | 14 REBS | 0 ASTS | 1 STLS | 0 BLKS | 8-10 FG | 0-0 3 PT FG | 2-2 FT



James Harden : 41 points (SHOULD BE 44!), 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 12-20 FG, 4-5 3PT, 13-14 FT
Chandler Parsons : 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 5-9 FG, 3-3 3PT, 4-4 FT
Jeremy Lin : 16 points, 6-13 FG
Josh Smith : 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 7-14 FG, 0-4 FT
Gerald Green : 10 points, 3-7 FG, 4-4 FT
Larry Sanders : 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 4-6 FG



Manu Ginobili : 29 points, 12-17 FG, 5-8 3PT
Tony Parker : 24 points, 8 assists, 9-22 FG, 6-6 FT
Stephen Jackson : 12 points, 5-10 FG
Kawhi Leonard : 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Tiago Splitter : 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals
Omer Asik : 2 points, 5 rebounds

[Martti.]

LeBron, Durant headline All-Star starters, Rockets duo fall short



LeBron James received the most votes once again and will start once again in his 10th All-Star Game. Kevin Durant led the votes for the West.

Kyrie Irving fell in the rankings and Rajon Rondo jumped to the top to start alongside Derrick Rose, perhaps the move to New York helped him gain more votes.

Rondo's teammate Carmelo Anthony joins LeBron in the front court with Indiana Pacers F Paul George. The coach for the East will likely be Tom Thibodeau as the Bulls have a solid lead in the Eastern Conference and it is his job to work out, who will start at center, most likely it'll be LeBron James.

George narrowly edged out Charlotte's Al Jefferson for the third spot.

The West will have plenty of size up front, as Kevin Love and Dwight Howard gained late votes to beat Josh Smith and Tim Duncan for the starting spots. Kevin Durant will be third front court player.

The back court will have a Los Angeles theme, as Chris Paul of the Clippers and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers will start, Kobe will play in his 16th All-Star game. Kobe trailed James Harden in the last vote returns, but in the end, beat him by nearly 120,000 votes.

East :

C - LeBron James
F - Carmelo Anthony
F - Paul George
G - Derrick Rose
G - Rajon Rondo

West :

C - Dwight Howard
F - Kevin Love
F - Kevin Durant
G - Kobe Bryant
G - Chris Paul

Golden State's 'Splash Brothers' headline 3PT Shootout



Golden State Warriors guards Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry headline the 2014 Foot Locker 3Pt Shootout at the All-Star Weekend.

Last year's champion Kevin Martin will look to defend his crown against the Splash Brothers, though last year he was a member of the Thunder. Martin leads the league in made three pointers with 179.

Joining them will be Jordan Crawford of the Celtics, Lou Williams of the Hawks and Jamal Crawford of the Clippers.

Kevin Martin - 179/441 3PT; .406%
Klay Thompson - 169/402 3PT; .420%
Jordan Crawford - 162/417 3PT; .388%
Stephen Curry - 150/382 3PT; .393%
Louis Williams - 139/386 3PT; .360%
Jamal Crawford - 130/354 3PT; .367%

Durant, James pick up 2nd Player of the Month awards.



Kevin Durant of the Thunder and LeBron James of the Heat earned Player of the Month honors for their play in January. The duo also won the award in November.

Durant had an excellent month, averaging 32 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks on excellent shooting numbers (.507 FG, .416 3PT, .900 FT)

James averaged 27.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 54% shooting.

MVP Race :

1. Derrick Rose, (CHI 36-9)
(24.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.3 bpg, .483 FG%, .309 3PT%, .815 FT%)
2. Kevin Durant, (OKC 29-19)
(30.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg, .492 FG%, .438 3PT%, .904 FT%)
3. LeBron James, (MIA 32-13)
(27.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.1 bpg, .536 FG%, .374 3PT%, .766 FT%)
4. Ty Lawson, (DEN 29-16)
(17.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 9.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.0 bpg, .494 FG%, .372 3PT%, .742 FT%)
5. James Harden, (HOU 27-21)
(23.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.6 bpg, .452 FG%, .348 3PT%, .906 FT%)

Porter, Bennett earn Rookie of the month for third consecutive month



Otto Porter of the Phoenix Suns and Anthony Bennett of the Cleveland Cavaliers have been named the Rookie of the month in their respective conferences for January, both picking up the award for the third time.

Porter's numbers dropped a bit from December, but still averaged 14.5 points with 3.9 rebounds per game. He bumped his assists to 2.1, his highest for a calender month so far.

Bennett kept his numbers steady, averaging 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. In January, he increased his field goal percentage to .522.

ROY Race :
* Bold - denotes stat leader

1. Otto Porter, PHO (16.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)
2. Anthony Bennett, CLE (10.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
3. Nerlens Noel, HOU (6.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
4. Ben McLemore, POR (7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.6 spg)
5. Victor Oladipo, TOR (6.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 spg)

[mp3]

Nice move the knicks landing Rondo!

[Martti.]

Irving scored the last 9 points for the Cavaliers.

Irving scores 30 as Rockets continue slump

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: The Rockets trailed by 11 at the half and eventually caught up with the Cavaliers and even led by 4 in the fourth quarter, but couldn't close the game. They missed their last 7 shots and the Cavs ended the game with a 13-0 run. Irving was responsible for 10 of those points and finished with 30 points as well as 9 assists.

LVP: Garrett Temple scored 3 points and had 4 turnovers on 1-3 shooting in 11 minutes, being -14 in those minutes.

X-Factor: Anderson Varejao almost had a double-double as he collected 8 points and 9 rebounds in just 11 minutes of action. As Bynum sat, he was crucial in the final 5 minutes of the game when he had 4 points and 7 rebounds as the Rockets went cold.

That was... a turnover fest:The Rockets shot 52% from the field and 44% from deep, they also won the rebounding battle, but 20 turnovers cost them the match. The visitors turned it over 9 times, but had 15 steals and scored 22 points off the Rockets miscues. As a result of that, the Cavaliers had 12 more shot attempts.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (27-22) | 21 | 18 | 32 | 28 || 99 ||
CLE (25-22) | 25 | 25 | 28 | 33 || 111 ||

Player of the Game : Kyrie Irving

| 30 PTS | 3 REBS | 9 ASTS | 2 STLS | 0 BLKS | 10-17 FG | 0-2 3 PT FG | 10-11 FT



James Harden : 31 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 12-23 FG, 3-8 3PT
Gerald Green : 22 points, 5 rebounds, 7-18 FG, 3-6 3PT
Josh Smith : 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-11 FG, 4-7 FT
Chandler Parsons : 7 points
Tyrus Thomas : 6 points, 4 rebounds



Dion Waiters : 22 points, 8-16 FG, 4-8 3PT
Jarrett Jack : 15 points, 4 assists, 6-10 FG, 1-1 3PT
Alonzo Gee : 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Andrew Bynum : 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6-10 FG
Anderson Varejao : 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4-5 FG
Tristan Thompson : 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3-5 3PT

[Martti.]

I will hope to update this some time in the near future. I've settled into Australia quite nicely, still don't have a lot of hours at work, but that change pretty soon. I have Monday off, maybe then. After watching the ASG of course. It's nice to wake up and be able to catch games live, not have to stay up til 4 AM to see them.

Since it's about 35C degrees every day, I've been staying in and playing 2K. My current team in season 2 with the 76ers is Michael Carter-Williams, Shabazz Muhammad, Jabari Parker (5th pick), Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nerlens Noel with Toney Wroten as my 6th man, 5-1 so far (29 game seasons, 7 min quarters, playing every game).

[Martti.]

Lillard and Beverley went back and forth in the fourth quarter.

Lillard grabs MVP as Team Webber triumphs

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Damian Lillard felt he got snubbed for the All-Star Game and brought his best to the rookie challenge. After a disappointing showing last year as a rookie, he scored 32 points with 8 assists, including the game-winning lay-up with 1.6 seconds remaining.

X-Factor: Harrison Barnes filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals. He kept team Hill in the game, but took the last shots by himself instead of feeding the hot-hand Beverley and Lillard took advantage.

That was... an even contest: Perhaps mixing rookies and sophomores has been a good thing. The teams were dead even throughout the game, both teams actually tried and neither team led by more then 7 points and there were 21 lead changes. Unusual for this type of game, but the teams had a total of 11 dunks. In comparison, the 2011 contest had 41.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

WEB | 60 | 59 || 119 ||
HILL | 60 | 57 || 117 ||

Player of the Game : Damian Lillard

| 32 PTS | 2 REBS | 8 ASTS | 2 STLS | 1 BLKS | 12-23 FG | 4-9 3 PT FG | 4-4 FT



Anthony Davis : 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 9-17 FG, 6-9 FT
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist : 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6-6 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-4 FT
Otto Porter : 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 7-9 FG, 2-2 3PT
Anthony Bennett : 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Dion Waiters : 9 points, 4-15 FG, 1-6 3PT
Trey Burke : 4 points, 6 assists
Henry Sims : 2 points, 8 rebounds



Patrick Beverley : 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 11-19 FG, 6-11 3PT
Victor Oladipo : 19 points, 10 assists, 5 steals
Harrison Barnes : 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 6-21 FG
Michael Carter-Williams : 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Vitor Faverani : 10 points, 14 rebounds, 4-5 FG
Maurice Harkless : 8 points, 4 rebounds
Jared Sullinger : 8 points, 7 rebounds, 4-4 FG

Recap | Box Score | Highlights



Trade news

ORL Trade : Hedo Turkoglu, E'Twaun Moore
PHI Trade : Lavoy Allen, Kwame Brown

DAL Trade : Jose Calderon, Vince Carter
DEN Trade : Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph

[Valor]

Good lord, Beverley had 30? Didn't even know he could score!

[Martti.]

Yeah, and oddly, the CPU scored more with him. I played the 1st and 3rd quarters with him and probably scored like 8-12 points, tops. I didn't even plan to get him to challenge for the MVP.

[Martti.]

Stephen Curry takes home 3PT Crown



Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors won his first 3PT-Shooting Contest in his second year as a participate with an excellent performance in both rounds.

Curry scored 24 in the first round and advanced to final with Lou Williams of the Hawks and Kevin Martin (defending champ) of the Timberwolves, who scored 21 and 17 respectively.

Jordan Crawford of the Celtics scored 11, Jamal Crawford of the Clippers had 10 and Klay Thompson failed completely, scoring just 6.

In the Finals, Martin had 20 and Williams followed with 18, giving Curry a goal to reach, and with 4 straight makes in the final rack, he scored 22.


Terrence Ross becomes Slam Dunk Champion



With a new structure to the Dunk contest with reach dunker doing 3 dunks and judges will vote to find a winner, the dunk contest seemed promising, but in wide circles was deemed a disappointment.

Terrence Ross was the only bright spot with 3 amazing dunks and he was the run-away winner with 237 points, edging Jared Cunningham by 39 points. Jeremy Evans of the Jazz came third with 193, 5 points behind Cunningham of the Hawks.

Blake Griffin had a very poor showing and finished dead last with 181 points.


Durant takes MVP as West triumph, Melo has 53 for East.



Carmelo Anthony scored an All-Star record 53 points and made 14 threes, breaking James Harden's records set last year (44 points, 12 threes). He scored 25 points in the second quarter, made 8 straight threes between the second and third quarters.

But Kevin Durant and the West out-scored the East by 14 in the final period to rally from behind and win for the 6th time in 7 years, final score was 160-142.

Durant finished with 44 points. The Rockets duo of Josh Smith and James Harden scored 24 and 23 respectively. Stephen Curry scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

LeBron had 19 points and 9 assists for the East.

EAST :

Carmelo Anthony : 53 points, 9 rebounds, 19-29 FG, 14-21 3PT
LeBron James : 19 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists
Paul George : 16 points, 3 assists
Derrick Rose : 16 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 7-9 FG
Greg Monroe : 9 points, 10 rebounds, 4-5 FG

WEST :

Kevin Durant : 44 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 18-30 FG, 6-11 3PT (MVP)
Josh Smith : 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 11-14 FG
James Harden : 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 8-14 FG, 4-9 3PT
Stephen Curry : 16 points, 6-7 FG, 4-5 3PT
Chris Paul : 15 points, 3 assists
Russell Westbrook : 11 points, 3 assists
Dwight Howard : 10 points, 14 rebounds
Kobe Bryant : 10 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 4-15 FG, 2-5 3PT

[Martti.]

Two of the best shooting guards of the West squared off and the elder statesman was victorious.

Kobe scores 9 in the final minute as Lakers edge Rockets

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Kobe Bryant. After Nerlens Noel made a layup with 54 seconds to go and the Rockets up 112-104, the Staples Center crowd was getting thinner. But the Black Mamba scored 9 points in 47 seconds, including a block on James Harden in the final seconds and when Harden committed probably the worst foul you can imagine, Kobe made all three free throws with 0.2 on the clock.

LVP: James Harden had 23 points and 7 assists and he shot 50% from the field, but this loss is all on him. He took a tough contested jumper for the win that was blocked by Kobe and perhaps out of frustration, he fouled Kobe straight after while Kobe had fired up a full court shot. The foul was called, giving Kobe 3 free throws and leaving the Rockets 0.2 seconds. Harden also turned the ball over twice in the final minute, when the Lakers out-scored the visitors 11-0. The Rockets have now lost 7 of their last 10

X-Factor: The Lakers made bold moves before the All-Star Weekend, trading former All-Star Pau Gasol and long-tenured Laker Steve Blake. Two young guys acquired in the deals, Markieff Morris and Jeff Green, both scored 12 points. Morris also had 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Ish Smith, who has also acquired from Phoenix, had 6 points in 10 minutes and already played more minutes then Jordan Farmar.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (29-25) | 31 | 32 | 27 | 22 || 112 ||
LAL (26-28) | 27 | 24 | 28 | 36 || 115 ||

Player of the Game : Kobe Bryant

| 35 PTS | 2 REBS | 2 ASTS | 4 STLS | 1 BLKS | 15-23 FG | 0-2 3 PT FG | 5-5 FT



Josh Smith : 29 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 11-22 FG, 7-11 FT
James Harden : 23 points, 7 assists, 8-16 FG, 2-8 3PT, 5-5 FT
Jeremy Lin 16 points, 12 assists, 7-9 FG, 2-3 3PT
Gerald Green : 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5-12 FG
Chandler Parsons : 9 points, 6 rebounds
Nerlens Noel : 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4-5 FG
Larry Sanders : 4 points, 11 rebounds



Markieff Morris : 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5-12 FG, 2-4 3PT
Jeff Green : 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5-7 FG, 1-1 3PT
Jordan Hill : 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5-6 FG
Nick Young : 10 points, 3 assists, 3-12 FG
Chris Kaman : 9 points, 4 rebounds
Steve Nash : 8 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals

[Martti.]

Sources : Noel stayed put at deadline, despite plenty of interest



The Rockets received a lot of calls near the deadline about back-up C Nerlens Noel, according to sources.

The first year big man has averaging 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. The Pistons offered Greg Monroe, the Grizzlies offered Marc Gasol and the Jazz offered Mike Conley before trading him to the Pacers according to various rumors.

The Rockets are keen on Noel and see him as the C of the future and Noel loves Houston, as he has great practice sessions with Kevin McHale and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Quiet trade deadline passes with Conley to Pacers biggest deal



The Pacers were the winners at the deadline, as they acquired guard Mike Conley from the Jazz in exchange for Reggie Jackson, Ian Mahinmi and a 2014 2nd round pick.

The Jazz are heading for the lottery and perhaps 'tanking' and trading Conley was a pretty obvious move. The Jazz also reportedly tried to trade Paul Millsap, but the forward remained in Salt Lake City. Rookie Trey Burke will take over the PG duties for the Jazz, while the Pacers fill a huge need at PG.

CJ Watson was the starter at the start of the season and averaged 16 ppg, but was traded to the Thunder for Reggie Jackson a month ago. The experiment didn't work out and Larry Bird swapped him for Mike Conley.

Conley has averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 assists this season and will join the Pacers who now have aspirations of a Conference Finals appearance, despite sitting at the #7 seed, which would mean a first round meeting with Miami.

Anthony, Durant named Player of the Month



Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks and Kevin Durant of the Thunder have been named the Players of the Month for February.

Anthony has led the Knicks to a 7-4 record, averaging 26.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Durant averaged 28.3 points with 6.3 assists, 2.3 blocks, 1.3 steals and 10.7 rebounds, leading the Thunder to a 8-3 mark with wins over the Heat and Clippers.

Carmelo scored 53 points and Durant had 44 in the All-Star Game.

MVP Race :

1. Derrick Rose, (CHI 48-12)
(24.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg, .486 FG%, .325 3PT%, .812 FT%)
2. LeBron James, (MIA 40-17)
(26.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.1 bpg, .527 FG%, .364 3PT%, .770 FT%)
3. Kevin Durant, (OKC 38-22)
(29.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.3 bpg, .489 FG%, .428 3PT%, .909 FT%)
4. Deron Williams, (BRK 40-18)
(21.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, .443 FG%, .336 3PT%, .864 FT%)
5. Kyrie Irving, (CLE 37-24)
(23.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 7.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.5 bpg, .452 FG%, .351 3PT%, .859 FT%)

Burke snaps Porter's streak, wins ROTM



Trey Burke of the Jazz and Anthony Bennett of the Cavaliers have been named the Rookie of the Month award recipients.

Burke won the award for the first time this season, edging out Otto Porter of the Suns. Burke averaged 9.5 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds per game. His role will be increasing as the Jazz traded their starting PG Mike Conley.

Bennett averaged a very solid 12 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks on 46% shooting.

Rookie Rankings :
* Bold - denotes stat leader

1. Otto Porter, PHO (16.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)
2. Anthony Bennett, CLE (11.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
3. Ben McLemore, POR (7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.6 spg)
4. Nerlens Noel, HOU (6.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
5. Luigi Datome, DET (7.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
6. Victor Oladipo, TOR (6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.6 spg)
7. Trey Burke, UTA (5.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 0.5 spg)
8. Michael Carter-Williams, ORL (3.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 0.7 spg)
9. Archie Goodwin, PHO (5.0 ppg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 rpg)
10. Vitor Faverani, NY (4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.4 bpg)

[Oskar]

I love that stuff, just read some of the newer stuff that you have posted, and although I cba to read everything I've missed out on during the time I haven't been on the forums, it seems like you're still rolling nicely with it. 53 from Melo in the ASG is bananas, interesting stuff.

I was wondering if James Harden is a good defender for your team? In real life, he sucks as a defender, but he's actually a good defender by default in NBA 2K, as far as I'm correct.

But hey, good luck, I'll be following more now. You have some inspirational stuff here.

[Martti.]

In 2K, he's alright, but nothing special. Lin's much better at getting steals, Harden is athletic which means he can get blocks and can stay in front of his man on defense, so it's not as woeful as real life. Plus I have 4 shot blockers down low to swat away anyone, who can get past.

Up next : Miami Heat

[Martti.]

Green had a few dunks, but Parsons delivered the dunk of the night with this lob

Green notches season-high 33, Rockets beat Heat

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Gerald Green scored 17 minutes in the first quarter after the Rockets had fell behind 14-4. Then, in the fourth quarter, he had 12 more points, though he had cooled down. He was 5-6 from downtown in the first quarter, but only 2-8 the rest of the way (1-6 in the fourth). But still, his timely scoring helped hold off LeBron and the Heat.

LVP: Jeremy Lin's starting spot may soon be in jeopardy, if he continues to have games like these. He had 5 points on 1-5 shooting with 5 turnovers in 25 minutes and was -8 during that time. His back-up, Patrick Beverley, had 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 points (1-2 FG) and no turnovers in 20 minutes. Most of his assists were to Gerald Green for threes or ferocious dunks. Beverley was also a +16 when on the floor.

X-Factor: Josh Smith had a very solid night, 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks with no turnovers, but he had that rather quietly. Green had the hot quarters and Harden scored at the line when mattered, plus grabbed 4 offensive rebounds against LeBron, Bosh and Oden.

That was... a short bench: Coach McHale has oddly started to trim down the minutes reserves get, even though the second half of the season should be a time to keep the starters fresh for the Playoffs. Tyrus Thomas, who had 10 blocks in a game against Utah in 18 minutes, hasn't received playing time in the last 3 games and Garrett Temple only saw 3 minutes of action in the second quarter, despite averaging 17 minutes this season and playing in every game.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (34-26) | 29 | 31 | 23 | 28 || 111 ||
MIA (40-18) | 27 | 17 | 34 | 24 || 102 ||

Player of the Game : James Harden

| 24 PTS | 8 REBS | 5 ASTS | 1 STLS | 0 BLKS | 6-15 FG | 0-2 3 PT FG | 12-12 FT



Gerald Green : 33 points, 4 rebounds, 13-22 FG, 7-14 3PT
Josh Smith : 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 9-16 FG, 5-7 FT
Chandler Parsons : 13 points, 6 rebounds
Larry Sanders : 7 points, 5 rebounds
Patrick Beverley : 4 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals



LeBron James : 33 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 15-28 FG, 2-6 3PT
Chris Bosh : 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7-12 FG
Dwyane Wade : 16 points, 6 assists, 7-15 FG
Rashard Lewis : 11 points, 3-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 6 minutes
CMario Chalmers : 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals
Shane Battier : 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2-2 3PT

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

[Valor]

Man, how did Harden get POTG when Green lit it up from downtown I'll take seven 3s over 12 free throws any day of the week

[Martti.]

Two All-Stars went head to head and both eclipsed 30 points.

Rockets score 121 points vs Indiana, take charge late in the win

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: James Harden. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter when the Rockets finally got a lead they could maintain. After 30 minutes of playing time, there had been 19 lead changes and 9 ties with the biggest lead being 9 for the Rockets. Harden scored 8 points in the crucial 16-4 run through the third and fourth quarters.

LVP: Roy Hibbert. 6 fouls and 1 rebound in 25 minutes. The anchor of the Pacers defense had no blocks and the Rockets shot 60% for the game and had 80(!) points in the paint.

X-Factor: Despite going up against Hibbert, Larry Sanders had no fear as he went for a season high 19 points to go with 9 rebounds. Josh Smith also scored 19 and the trio of Smith-Sanders-Noel out-scored the trio of Hibbert-West-Hawes 44-24.

That was... a pair of 75-feet splashes: The Pacers weren't themselves late in the game when it counted most, allowed 121 points, 60% shooting and lost the battle on the boards 46-27. But they made two full-court shots at the end of the second and fourth quarters, courtesy of Mike Conley and Donald Sloan. So there's something..

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (34-28) | 29 | 31 | 23 | 28 || 111 ||
IND (31-31) | 27 | 17 | 34 | 24 || 102 ||

Player of the Game : James Harden

| 37 PTS | 6 REBS | 5 ASTS | 1 STLS | 1 BLKS | 13-22 FG | 2-3 3 PT FG | 9-9 FT



Larry Sanders : 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8-12 FG
Josh Smith : 19 points, 7 rebounds, 9-13 FG, 1-4 FT
Gerald Green : 15 points, 5 rebounds, 7-11 FG,
Jeremy Lin : 13 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 5-7 FG, 3-4 3PT
Chandler Parsons : 10 points, 8 rebounds
Nerlens Noel : 6 points, 5 rebounds
Patrick Beverley : 6 assists



Paul George : 31 points, 13-23 FG, 1-6 3PT
Mike Conley : 19 points, 12 assists, 3 steals, 5-10 FG, 2-4 3PT, 7-8 FT
Roy Hibbert : 12 points, 1 rebound, 6-9 FG
Orlando Johnson : 12 points
David West : 7 points, 7 rebounds
Spencer Hawes : 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6-6 FT

[Martti.]

Chandler Parsons nearly knocks out the ref after a key and-one lay-up late in the game.

Rockets overcome Rose's 38, league-best Bulls; win 4th straight

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Larry Sanders had a big double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, out-playing Joakim Noah (12 points and 11 rebounds). Sanders also stood tall when Derrick rose attacked the rim, who was extremely aggressive with 32 shot attempts.

LVP: Nerlens Noel played 14 minutes, had 3 assists and a block with no rebounds or points, missing his only shot attempt. He was -7 in that time.

X-Factor: Josh Smith had the key play of the night with the Rockets holding a 2-point lead, the Bulls had possession and Rose fed Boozer in the high post. Smith picked him clean and went on a run-out, only to be stopped and grabbed by Deng. A clear path foul was called and even though Smith missed both free throws, the Rockets kept possession and Patrick Beverley made 2 free throws.

That was... a team effort: With 4 minutes left in the game, James Harden fouled out with the Rockets up 4. Without their closer, Josh Smith had key buckets, Jeremy Lin hit a huge three with 3.28 left, Beverley made 2 free throws late and Sanders was a beast on the boards. They were able to hold off Derrick Rose, who scored 10 points in the final 3.40 on 5-5 shooting.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (37-28) | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 || 105 ||
CHI (48-17) | 29 | 29 | 19 | 24 || 101 ||

Player of the Game : Larry Sanders

| 17 PTS | 13 REBS | 2 ASTS | 1 STLS | 2 BLKS | 8-12 FG | 0-0 3 PT FG | 2-2 FT



James Harden : 27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 11-22 FG, 2-6 3PT
Gerald Green : 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8-15 FG,
Josh Smith : 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 7-12 FG, 2-7 FT
Chandler Parsons : 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Jeremy Lin : 7 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2-7 FG
Patrick Beverley : 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1-1 FG, 3-4 FT



Derrick Rose : 38 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, 16-32 FG, 0-2 3PT, 6-7 FT
Carlos Boozer : 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-11 FG
Luol Deng : 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5-7 FG
Joakim Noah : 12 points, 11 rebounds, 5-9 FG
Rip Hamilton : 7 points, 3-6 FG

[Valor]

Dislike, but nice win anyhow Good to see my Bulls playing well at 48-17..still not a great record but i'm nitpicking

[Martti.]

Yeah, though they are 3-7 in their last 10, cooling down a bit. I hope Rose gets the MVP, not Durant or LBJ. He really deserves it. The Bulls are 4.5 games ahead of Miami (7 games ahead of OKC, #1 in West) and already clinched a playoff berth. Though when I check the MVP race, he's still third behind those two.

[Phil89]

Rose always seems to have big scoring games against me. Good job keeping him under 40

Nice effort winning without Harden at the end as well

[Martti.]

Usually I do well against him, I remember in 2K11 I kept him to 1-14 shooting in game #6 of the conference finals, but he was super aggressive. Luckily he went cold in the third. (had 21 in the first half and 10 in the final 4 minutes).

[Martti.]

Best performances from March



ROCKETS.com: The Rockets posted a 10-4 mark in March and a case could be made, that either Josh Smith or James Harden should have won the Player of the Month award, but that went to Russell Westbrook, who had an incredible month.

Here's a look at the best of the best from this month from your Rockets :

James Harden | #13 | SG
(23.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, .458 FG%, .325 3PT%, .868 FT%)
@ OKC - 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 7-17 FG, 8-11 FT
vs IND - 37 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 13-22 FG, 9-9 FT
@ ORL - 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-13 FG, 7-8 FT

Josh Smith | #5 | PF
(20.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.0 bpg, .500 FG%, .313 3PT%, .463 FT%)
vs DET - 29 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 13-25 FG
vs PHI - 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks, 6-12 FG
vs POR - 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 10-22 FG

Chandler Parsons | #25 | SF
(15.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.4 bpg, .423 FG%, .315 3PT%, .776 FT%)
vs PHI - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4-9 3PT
@ CLE - 24 points, 5 rebounds, 9-20 FG
@ ORL - 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4-8 3PT

Larry Sanders | #1 | C
(7.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.6 bpg, .641 FG%, .000 3PT%, .641 FT%)
@ CHI - 17 points, 13 rebounds, 8-12 FG
vs IND - 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8-12 FG
vs DET - 8 points, 15 rebounds (10 Off), 3 blocks, 3-4 FG

Jeremy Lin | #7 | PG
(11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.5 bpg, .415 FG%, .357 3PT%, .776 FT%)
@ CHA - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 7-11 FG, 4-5 3PT
vs UTA - 17 points, 4 asssists, 5-12 FG
@ CLE - 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-13 FG

Patrick Beverley | #2 | PG
(8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.9 bpg, .440 FG%, .343 3PT%, .778 FT%)
@ CLE - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 3-6 FG
vs POR - 19 points, 6 rebounds, 7-11 FG
@ CHA - 17 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PT

Nerlens Noel | #4 | C
(5.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.7 spg, 1.0 bpg, .533 FG%, .000 3PT%, .440 FT%)
@ CHA - 10 points, 13 rebounds, 6-12 FT
vs MIN - 8 points, 11 rebounds, 4-6 FG
@ OKC - 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 4-5 FG

Gerald Green | #14 | SF
(13.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.7 bpg, .489 FG%, .426 3PT%, .778 FT%)
vs MIA - 33 points, 4 rebounds, 13-22 FG, 7-14 3PT
@ CHA - 21 points, 6-11 FG, 4-6 3PT
@ CHI - 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8-15 FG

James, Westbrook named Player of the Month



LeBron James of the Heat and Russell Westbrook of the Thunder have been named the Players of the Month for March.

James has led the Heat to a league-best 15-3 record, including 12 straight wins to end the month, averaging 29.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He shot 56% from the field and 40% from 3PT range.

Westbrook averaged 31.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds. He shot 57% from the field and 42% from distance, leading the Thunder to a 10-4 mark and back to the top seed in the West.

MVP Race :

2. LeBron James, (MIA 54-20)
(27.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, .533 FG%, .361 3PT%, .773 FT%)
1. Derrick Rose, (CHI 55-20)
(24.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg, .499 FG%, .330 3PT%, .819 FT%)
3. Kevin Durant, (OKC 47-27)
(29.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.3 bpg, .477 FG%, .429 3PT%, .908 FT%)
4. Kevin Love, (MIN 45-30)
(22.9 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.7 bpg, .476 FG%, .411 3PT%, .713 FT%)
5. Carmelo Anthony, (NYK 44-32)
(25.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, .463 FG%, .375 3PT%, .830 FT%)

Porter, Bennett named Rookie of the Month



Otto Porter of the Suns and Anthony Bennett of the Cavaliers have been named the Rookie of the Month award recipients.

Porter averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while Bennett averaged 11.1 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Rookie Rankings :
* Bold - denotes stat leader

1. Otto Porter, PHO
(16.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg)
2. Anthony Bennett, CLE
(11.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.9 bpg)
3. Nerlens Noel, HOU
(6.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.9 bpg)
4. Luigi Datome, DET
(8.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.1 bpg)
5. Victor Oladipo, TOR
(7.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.5 bpg)

[Martti.]

NBA - Where friends becoming foes happens. Teammates in Atlanta just a couple years ago, Smith sent Johnson's shot into the fifth row.

Smith has BIG triple-double, Rockets top Nets

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Josh Smith. With James Harden in foul trouble most of the night and the Beard fouling out in the third, Smith helped the Rockets score 40 in the fourth with 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 10 points. He finished with career highs in assists (11), field goals made (15) and attempted (32). He also shot 7-9 from the foul line, a good sign after shooting 46% in March.

LVP: Brooklyn's front court. Kevin Garnett had 9 points and 4 rebounds and Brook Lopez had 5 points and 5 rebounds. The Rockets out-rebounded the Nets 57-33 (17-4 on the offensive glass).

X-Factor: The Rockets 3-man bench mob (Beverley, Noel, Green) helped Josh Smith and Chandler Parsons in the fourth quarter, at one point out-scoring the Nets 16-2 which would eventually be the difference in the game.

That was... a passing display: Smith had 11 assists, taking over as the point forward in the fourth quarter with James Harden out. Smith has been really good at distributing the ball lately, averaging 6.3 assists in his last 6 games to go with 22.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

HOU (43-30) | 26 | 23 | 29 | 40 || 118 ||
CHI (46-27) | 20 | 29 | 31 | 26 || 106 ||

Player of the Game : Josh Smith

| 37 PTS | 16 REBS | 11 ASTS | 1 STLS | 2 BLKS | 15-32 FG | 0-0 3 PT FG | 7-9 FT



Gerald Green : 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 9-18 FG, 3-8 3PT, 4-7 FT
James Harden : 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 6-13 FG, 2-6 3PT, 4-4 FT
Chandler Parsons : 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-10 FG
Patrick Beverley : 11 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4-5 FG, 2-2 3PT
Jeremy Lin : 11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 5-7 FG
Larry Sanders : 4 points, 13 rebounds (6 off), 4 assists
Nerlens Noel : 0 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks



Deron Williams : 36 points, 9 assists, 4 steals, 14-27 FG, 3-4 3PT, 5-6 FT
Joe Johnson : 29 points, 3 rebounds, 11-22 FG, 2-8 3PT, 5-5 FT
Kevin Garnett : 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4-4 FG
Paul Pierce : 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3-6 FG
Brook Lopez : 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2-8 FG

[Valor]

Yeah, though they are 3-7 in their last 10, cooling down a bit. I hope Rose gets the MVP, not Durant or LBJ. He really deserves it. The Bulls are 4.5 games ahead of Miami (7 games ahead of OKC, #1 in West) and already clinched a playoff berth. Though when I check the MVP race, he's still third behind those two.

Yeah well, 2K loves those two (as the media also does IRL) so that'll be hard. Sucks to see them cooling down though, any significant injuries or are they just hitting a wall?

Good stuff from J-Smoove

[Martti.]

No injuries, I have them turned on but I have yet to see an injury for me or any other team. I look at it in a good way - even though it's not realistic, I like it because I always get the best of every team and I don't have to mess with my rotation all the time.

Like in 2K11, I played the Bucks, who were without 4 starters in the Conference Finals, I swept them by an average margin of 27 points.