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

[rise]

Houndy, thanks. We'll see how Morey reacts in the next chapter.

Hehe, can't wait.

[kibaxx7]

Superb job defending Paul.

[Bucket]

Paul only with 5 points? How you can stop he? He is a beast in 2k11, and nice to see Hornets winning
Nice win against Blazers, K-Mart dominate.

[shadowgrin]

Yeah but look at David West's stat line. You can't really 'stop' Paul. If you contain him he will just dish dimes to his teammates for the score. If you try to contain his teammates, Paul will make you pay.

[mp3]

David West is always a killer when i play the Hornets but nice bounce back win over Portland !

[Axel The Great]

Dayum your team is "WINNING"

Yep. Unlike the RL Rockets.

Houndy, thanks. We'll see how Morey reacts in the next chapter.

Hehe, can't wait.

What? You want to see me get fired?

Superb job defending Paul.

His shots weren't falling, and we pretty much just contested everyone of his shots.

Paul only with 5 points? How you can stop he? He is a beast in 2k11, and nice to see Hornets winning
Nice win against Blazers, K-Mart dominate.

Like I said to Thierry, contesting everyone of his shots, and crowd him up. Too bad he still got 15 assists, though.

Yeah but look at David West's stat line. You can't really 'stop' Paul. If you contain him he will just dish dimes to his teammates for the score. If you try to contain his teammates, Paul will make you pay.

Yeah, kinda like Kobe, except Kobe doesn't pass, he just keeps shooting until he eventually regains the hot hand. That's why I like CP3 loads better.

David West is always a killer when i play the Hornets but nice bounce back win over Portland !

He's tough to defend because he can hit some tough shots from the low post. But yeah, we shook off the loss with a convincing win against the Roy-less Portland.

Week 19 is next, after Morey's reaction to Yao's contract extension.

[Axel The Great]

Chapter 12 - One Angry S.O.B.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" yelled Daryl Morey at the top of his lungs. "DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE ABOUT OUR POLICY OF NO CONTRACT EXTENSIONS IN THIS FRANCHISE?!"

"You never told me! And plus, it's been done man. Don't bitch at me like that. Look at what Yao's done. He may not be the man anymore, but he has been able to contribute and avoid injuries all season. What's done is done, can't undo what I did sir," was Axel's reply.

Morey banged his fist on his desk. "Do you have any idea what you just got the franchise into? I don't care that Yao has been able to avoid injuries; any player is vulnerable to injury at any time. What if he goes through another season-ending injury this season? Now where do we go?" Morey asked him.

"It was a gamble I was willing to take. Seeing as how the franchise has made the same mistake in giving McGrady that huge contract a few years ago, this is nothing compared to that. Plus, the guy took less money, what more could you ask?" Axel asked.

"Get out of my office," Morey replied to Axel, showing him the door. "Am I being shown the door now?" Axel asked. "No, just get out of my office," Morey replied, thinking that Axel was testing his patience. "Don't you mean our office?" Axel shrewdly asked. "If you don't get out of my office, you will be fired. I just want to be alone," Morey said. "Now where have I heard that before?" Axel asked himself. "Just get out!" Morey said.

Axel hurried out of the office, passing by the headquarters secretary, Adriana. She gave him a suspicious stare, but Axel kept going, not stopping by to tell her the story. Once out of the headquarters, he didn't know where he could go. There was nothing to do at home, and he had just eaten breakfast on his way to work so it'd do no good to go eat at a restaurant. Then he remembered the Rockets were set to begin practice at 2 PM, and looking at his clock, it started in five minutes. So, he made his way to the Rockets practice facility.

He passed by his house first to get into proper clothes for playing basketball; Rick Adelman sometimes allowed him to scrimmage with the players, though it was pretty difficult to keep up with them. Before leaving, he checked his mailbox. He had been receiving hate mail, especially from David Stern's family, for filing a lawsuit against him. Most of them included the words, "Fuck you", "Dung", "Wetback", "Asshole", "BS" and "Douchebag".

He found quite a few envelopes, mostly bills, and there was three hate letters this time. He tore up those letters and threw them into the garbage can next to his mailbox as he had always done, then made his way towards the Rockets' practice facility.

When he opened the door, out of nowhere, a basketball zoomed directly at his face, hitting him square in the nose. "Aah!" Axel grimaced, holding his face. "Learn how to pass, Bud!" he heard someone yell. "You alright, Axel?" It was Kevin Martin who came over to greet him.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Not a good way to be welcomed, though," Axel said. "My fault, sir!" Chase Budinger yelled from across the gym. "No harm. I'll just trade you in the offseason," Axel joked.

"Hey, you got a second? Practice don't start yet. Coach Adelman ain't here yet, come with me to the locker room," Martin told Axel. "O... kay?" Axel said, suspiciously.

In the locker room, Martin pulled something out of his bag, and gave it to Axel. "It's a mix tape. It's got me and Aaron Brooks on it," Martin said. "WHAT? A SEX TAPE!?" Axel said, dropping it to the floor as if it were a hot plate. Martin picked it up and said, "No, a mix tape, dumbass. Me and AB have recently joined forces to tear the hip-hop world apart."

"Oh," Axel replied, the disgusted look he had on his face now fading. "You guys bonded way too fast. It feels as if it was yesterday that you two got into a fist fight when AB spat in your face. What the hell, man?" he said.

"It happens. But don't say that we're the next Francis-Mobley couple because that's not what it is, we just homies," Martin said.

"Sure. Alright then, I can't wait to hear this. We'll see whether or not you have talent, maybe you can go mainstream," Axel told Martin. "Screw mainstream, it's all about the passion for rap. Know what I'm sayin'?" Martin said.

"Of course. Like the passion for basketball?" Axel asked. "Exactly." Martin said.

"Alright guys let's begin warming up for practice! Let's keep on building on to the win column! We got the Pacers tomorrow, whom are not to be taken lightly," they both heard Rick Adelman yelling on the court. Martin and Axel both headed to the court to begin practice.

"I still don't see you goin' mainstream," Axel told Martin...

[Houndy]

What the...

SEX TAPE

[rise]

Great story!

[shadowgrin]

Fuckin' wetback don't what a mix tape is.

[hova-]

Nice stretch by your team. Only one loss vs NOH since the last time I followed (my Inet was down). Nice to see Dirk owning at 28 ppg.

[Axel The Great]

What the...

SEX TAPE

Great story!

Thanks! Glad it produced some lulz.

Fuckin' wetback don't what a mix tape is.

Hey! No need to get offensive here!

Nice stretch by your team. Only one loss vs NOH since the last time I followed (my Inet was down). Nice to see Dirk owning at 28 ppg.

I think I only played two more games since the last time you followed, but that loss at NOH was devastating. And yeah, Dirk's the reason the Mavs are in the playoff picture this season.

Week 19 next.

[Axel The Great]

Part II

[44-18] Houston Rockets 111-100 Los Angeles Clippers [30-31]


Kyle Lowry has played very well since the All-Star break. | A common dunk by Blake Griffin. Thankfully, he posterized no one this game.

A strong game on the interior for the Rockets helped them to dominate the Clippers. They had 52 points in the paint, with a lot of dribble penetration from Kevin Martin. "My focus in this game was to take it to the cup; they stepped up their defense in the second half," Martin said. He had only one three-point attempt in the game, which shows his focus of only taking two-pointers.

After a high scoring second quarter, the Rockets came out in the third quarter to meet a different Clippers team defensively. "It was hard getting past them. Vinny (Del Negro) obviously told them something to ignite a fire in them defensively during halftime because this is usually more of a run-and-gun team," said Kyle Lowry. The Clippers scored 30 points in the third quarter, all thanks to three-pointers. Los Angeles went 9/20 from beyond the arc for the game.

In the closing minutes however, Kevin Martin delivered, knocking down key jumpshots and helping the Rockets to pull away.

Worthy of note was that Mo Williams went down with a broken wrist after getting fouled by Kyle Lowry. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
26 points | 7 rebounds | 4 assists | 1 block | 10/20 FG | 6/6 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 9/14 FG
Aaron Brooks - 16 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 5 steals, 5/11 FG, 5/5 FT
Kyle Lowry - 11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3/4 FG
Courtney Lee - 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4/5 FG

Clippers:
Chris Kaman - 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 9/16 FG
Blake Griffin - 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 9/20 FG
Eric Gordon - 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 5/16 FG, 4/9 3P
Eric Bledsoe - 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/8 FG
Mo Williams - 9 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 3/12 FG

25 36 24 26 111
20 27 30 23 100

[45-18] Houston Rockets 97-92 Indiana Pacers [33-28]


The Rockets got a good all-around contribution from Kyle Lowry. | Matchup between two of the tallest players in the NBA.

Danny Granger's second half surge backed the Rockets into a corner. | Darren Collison just missed out on a triple-double.

After three quarters, it looked as if the Rockets were going to cruise to another double-digit victory. The Pacers put together a rally late in the game to come within single digits. Danny Granger had himself a poor shooting first half, but in the second half, he lit up the Rockets for 23 second half points. He scored two of his five triples in the last 10 seconds of the game to pull Indiana within five, but time ran out for them as the Rockets take the season series 2-0.

Apart from Granger, Roy Hibbert had an excellent game with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and good defensive stats of three steals and a couple of blocks. The matchup he had against Yao Ming was a fun one to watch, as the other seven-footer also had himself a great game. Yao had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists.

Since the All-Star break, Indiana and Houston have been amongst the top five in scoring at over 105 points per game, but the slow tempo of this game would tell you otherwise. The Rockets shot 44% from the field, and Indiana shot 42% from the field, both teams well below their averages for the season. The fourth quarter rally from the Pacers really gave Houston a scare, but they held their composure and came out on top thanks to clutch free throw shooting.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
26 points | 7 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 steal | 9/19 FG | 2/4 3P | 6/7 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Yao Ming - 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 7/12 FG
Aaron Brooks - 12 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 3/12 FG
Luis Scola - 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5/13 FG
Terrence Williams - 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3/5 FG
Kyle Lowry - 7 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3/6 FG

Pacers:
Danny Granger - 32 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 11/28 FG
Dahntay Jones - 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 6/15 FG
Roy Hibbert - 13 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 7/15 FG
Darren Collison - 7 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 3/8 FG

30 22 25 20 97
24 19 18 31 92

[Houndy]

Nice wins. The Pacers gave you a scare.

[shadowgrin]

Fuckin' wetback don't what a mix tape is.

Hey! No need to get offensive here!

Someone doesn't want to separate fictional self from real self.

[Axel The Great]

Nice wins. The Pacers gave you a scare.

Couldn't stop Granger in the second half.

Someone doesn't want to separate fictional self from real self.

I guess you didn't catch the humor part there. But yeah, that fictional self is just an older version of me with a higher place in society.

May get Week 20 up sometime this week. Hope to get more frequent updates in the coming weeks/months.

[George7]

LOL!Loved the chapter!

Nice 2 wins there.As always,K-Mart is killing it...

[shadowgrin]

Fuckin' wetback don't what a mix tape is.

Hey! No need to get offensive here!

I guess you didn't catch the humor part there.

What? Wait. Oh.



EDIT: fixed.

[Axel The Great]

George7, glad you liked the chapter. K-Mart continues to outdo his RL counterpart.

shadowgrin, WTF? Why are the "wrote" parts switched around? I don't understand your humor there.

[Axel The Great]

Chapter 13 - Offseason Obscurity

"So you all done crying, sir?" Axel asked Morey. "As a matter of fact, I am. Seeing how Yao played in the recent game against Indiana, I see a lot of upside with his staying here in Houston. I must tell Rick Adelman to get him involved a lot more in the offense with the playoffs looming," Morey replied.

"Am I still on probation for getting fired?" Axel asked. "Yes." Morey replied. "Why?"

"You acted against my will, and took a big gamble. Yes, we have our franchise player locked for the next 3-4 years, but you did not consult with me before extending Yao's contract, and therefore, another toe out of line and you're out of here," Morey said.

"You would've said no, though. You're pretty stubborn when it comes to things like these," Axel said. Morey merely shrugged his shoulders.

"You'll thank me once the franchise wins its third championship," Axel said. "Ah. Three. Two. One," Morey counted, and just as he did, Axel heard someone burst into the GM's office.

"What kind of bullshit is this!?" he heard someone say. Axel turned around, and saw an angry Aaron Brooks at the door. "You extend an injury-prone player's contract, but not mine? What the fuck you playin' at?" Brooks continued.

"Well, why don't you ask mister 'what's done is done' here," Morey told Brooks. "Okay, first of all, I wasn't even assistant GM when the deadline to extend your contract was up. Second of all, you're a restricted free agent, which means you're more than likely to stay with the franchise. Third, you've been shooting poorly for the past, what, month? What's with all these 2/11's and 3/12's? That's not helping the team. You're missing layups that you were making earlier this season, and last season. If you want to get resigned in the offseason and complain about a contract extension, you better back it up with your performances on the court," Axel gave Brooks a lengthy response.

"Every player goes through slumps in the regular season, I thought you knew that," Brooks responded. "You have to find a way to get out of that slump then, if you want to remain on the team after the season's end," Axel told him.

"I don't like you." Brooks blatantly told Axel, with an annoyed look on his face. He left the office in a hurry, not even bothering to turn around and give the GM's office one last look.

"What a nice guy," Morey said, and resumed what he was doing prior to Brooks' interruption. Axel thought it was funny how he got along with Kevin Martin, but didn't get along with Aaron Brooks. Both Brooks and Martin had disliked each other at the beginning of the season, but suddenly they turned into best friends. Plus one, minus one.

••••••••

On the team plane on the way to Sacramento, Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks were sitting next to each other, discussing every day subjects. Aaron Brooks changed the subject to the Rockets franchise. "I can't seem to get along with Morey or the new idiot guy Axel," Brooks told Martin.

"I think they're both alright. Axel's young, so he thinks similar to us, while Morey knows his stuff and does his job well. I don't really have a problem with any of them," Martin said.

"I'm still unsure about my contract, though. The thought of a possible lockout next season and the fact that I've had arguments with both GM and assistant GM makes things even worse," Brooks said.

"Just try to get along with both of 'em, and start shooting better before the end of the season. If you come up big in the playoffs, they'll definitely resign you. Besides, you're a restricted free agent this offseason, right? There's less chance of you not stayin' on the team," Martin told Brooks. He was still unsure about his situation...

In a timeout huddle, Rick Adelman was talking to his players. "Great job out there guys. We're shuttin' them down. A young team doesn't know how to close out games, and that's what we're exposing here. Go out there and continue to take care of business. Execute offensively, force them into deceptive shots they think they can make, and we should come away with a win here."

"Hey, coach, remember our good old times here in Arco Arena?" Martin asked his coach after the huddle. "Yeah, I remember. Good times, Kevin, good times," replied Adelman with a slight sense of nostalgia.

[Lamrock]

Yao extension? Don't like that. Glad your team's still rolling though. Never made the Adelman/Martin connection in Houston somehow...

[Axel The Great]

Lamrock, yeah, I knew you wouldn't be on board with the extension. He's just been stellar so far this season, and he's second in the league in blocks. Adelman's tenure with the Kings was beginning to end when K-Mart was on board, so I see why you never made the connection.

Week 20 next. Waited 'til now to make an update since I had the SAT today. Not sure how I did, but I'm just glad it's over with.

[Axel The Great]

[46-18] Houston Rockets 100-86 Sacramento Kings [22-38]


Scola's struggles eventually led to fouling out. | Jason Thompson was the only positive for the Kings.

It was an excellent start for Sacramento. They had the lead for almost the entire first quarter, and they were led by the efficient shooting of Jason Thompson. The young big man had 14 points to go along with six boards, shooting 6/9 from the field. The Kings' performance reached its peak after the first quarter however, as the Rockets began the second quarter on a 12-3 run, dominating on both ends of the court.

Despite Luis Scola's foul trouble, Houston was able to maintain a healthy lead for the rest of the game, acquiring a double-digit lead at the half. Leading the way was Kevin Martin's game high 28 points, shooting 10/20 from the field. Beginning the second half, the Kings were able to cut down the Rockets' double-digit lead, eventually tying the game at 80 in the final period with a three-pointer. "You know, usually threes are momentum swingers, something that gets you and your team going. That one three they made to tie the game proved to be the opposite," said Jordan Hill. And right he was, as for the final eight minutes of the game, the Kings only scored six points, getting completely shut down by the Rockets.

Free throws and the struggles of Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton. Words cannot describe the atrocious shooting night that Thornton had, but we'll let the numbers describe it: 3/23. Evans shot 8/21, and the Kings missed on crucial free throws that could've helped them trim the Rockets lead. They were 20/30 (67%) from the line, and shot 37% from the field. Scola's fouling out midway through the fourth did not affect the Rockets, as Yao Ming took over to put the Kings to sleep.

Player of the Game-

Yao Ming
18 points | 9 rebounds | 3 assists | 4 blocks | 1 steal | 6/11 FG | 6/6 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 10/20 FG
Aaron Brooks - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/13 FG
Luis Scola - 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 5/10 FG
Kyle Lowry - 6 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 2/6 FG

Kings:
Tyreke Evans - 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 8/21 FG
Jason Thompson - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 6/9 FG
Marcus Thornton - 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3/23 FG
Beno Udrih - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2/7 FG

24 28 24 24 100
25 16 26 19 86

[47-18] Houston Rockets 107-111 Phoenix Suns [27-34]


K-Mart continuing to do work. | Steve Nash wasn't much of a factor until the end.

The Suns tried to get Vince Carter going early, but unfortunately, it took the whole team three minutes to make their first field goal. Phoenix however, got things going afterwards, taking their first lead in the last minute of the first quarter, but relinquished it at the end of the period as Luis Scola knocked down a 10-foot jumpshot to beat the buzzer. Scola had an off game, with only 12 points, five boards and shooting a sub-par 5/13 from the field.

Things got really tight as the game went on, with the Suns in the lead after the half. In the third quarter, Phoenix came out with an aggressive mentality, especially from Vince Carter. Carter scored 20 of his 33 points in the second half, scoring two consecutive buckets in the last minute and a half and making a pair of free throws to contribute in closing out the Rockets in the fourth quarter. Steve Nash wasn't a factor for most of the game, but he scored five out of six free throws in the last minute to keep the Rockets at bay.

"That was a nice run they put together in the last period. We were able to stop them from getting easy looks, and making sure that every shot that went up was challenged. I loved the defensive effort we gave tonight," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry praised his team.

"Turnovers were a huge factor here. They had 12 steals and forced 13 turnovers from us. We would've been lucky to have won this game with that kind of ball handling," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman.

Player of the Game-

Vince Carter
33 points | 5 rebounds | 3 assists | 12/27 FG | 7/8 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 11/21 FG, 4/6 3P
Aaron Brooks - 16 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 5/11 FG
Yao Ming - 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 6/10 FG
Luis Scola - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5/13 FG
Kyle Lowry - 11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 2/8 FG

Suns:
Steve Nash - 23 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 7/20 FG, 9/10 FT
Grant Hill - 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4/7 FG
Marcin Gortat - 10 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3/6 FG
Jared Dudley - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4/5 FG

29 22 25 31 107
28 24 27 32 111

[47-19] Houston Rockets 106-102 San Antonio Spurs [41-24]


Manu gets it going from deep. | Duncan started 1/8 in the first half, but went 8/12 in the second half.

The fast break points (14-4) were key for the Rockets. | Scola recovers from his last two sub-par games.

From how the first quarter turned out, this should've been an easy blowout win for Houston. However, despite struggling in the first quarter, Manu Ginobili scored three out of his five triples in the second quarter to put his Spurs right back into the game. The Rockets had a six-point lead going into the half. A large part of this was the shutting down of Tim Duncan. The skilled, veteran San Antonio star was held to 1/8 from the field in the first half, as big Yao Ming's size and length was altering his shot attempts.

San Antonio showed resiliency in the second half, making huge runs in the fourth quarter to grasp their first lead. They went on a 14-3 run late in the fourth to make the score 96-94. "The huge run to get them over the top never came. We were able to hold our composure and withstand any and all runs. Our frontcourt was huge in doing that," said Kevin Martin, who scored a team high 26 points.

"Turnovers hurt us big time. They had 12 steals, and Tony (Parker) had six turnovers. Had we taken better care of the basketball, we'd have most definitely had bigger runs this game," said a dismayed Gregg Popovich.

Luis Scola converted on a three-point play to put the Rockets up by five, 103-98. The Spurs were able to score a quick bucket to come within three, but Aaron Brooks was able to close the game out by hitting three out of four free throws in the dying seconds to seal the deal.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
26 points | 6 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal | 10/18 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 8/14 FG
Yao Ming - 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assist, 3 blocks, 6/8 FG
Aaron Brooks - 13 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 3/10 FG
Kyle Lowry - 9 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/6 FG
Shane Battier - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 3/9 FG

Spurs:
Manu Ginobili - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 11/25 FG, 5/10 3P
Tim Duncan - 19 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, 9/20 FG
George Hill - 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2/5 FG, 6/6 FT
Tony Parker - 11 points, 16 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 6 TO, 5/10 FG

29 27 26 24 106
18 32 25 27 102

[Houndy]

VC looked Vintage!

[Grandmama Johnson]

Great win over the Spurs. Judging by your records, I think you might be seeing each other in the playoffs