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

[Justine.]

Vintage Carter!

[Bucket]

Good old times... Tough week for Rockets, but you managed to won 2 games.

[kibaxx7]

As Grandmama said, a Spurs-Rockets series would be nice

[hova-]

Wow @ the Suns beating you and the Spurs not. Carter & Nash can be tough when they start shooting the lights out.

[rise]

Great to see VC play like that. I wish he had more of them in real life's regular season.

[Axel The Great]

VC looked Vintage!

Vintage Carter!

He was hard to stop in the fourth quarter. At least he didn't posterize anyone, if he can still do that.

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

Thanks! It's definitely a feasible second round matchup, but right now the Spurs have the third seed, so we could meet in the WCF.

Good old times... Tough week for Rockets, but you managed to won 2 games.

With the exception of the Spurs game, the shooting percentage was low.

As Grandmama said, a Spurs-Rockets series would be nice

They'd definitely put up a good fight. I'm sure we'd win, though.

Wow @ the Suns beating you and the Spurs not. Carter & Nash can be tough when they start shooting the lights out.

I have always dreaded going up against Nash, but this game he shot pretty poorly. It was really VC who came up big for them, and believe it or not, the Suns played defense. Spurs didn't.

Great to see VC play like that. I wish he had more of them in real life's regular season.

He's averaging 23 ppg here, while Nash averages 22 or 23 (can't remember clearly). His RL counterpart has fallen off the wayside, though.

Round Five of the NLSC Tournament is next, and then Week 21. Near the end of the season, I may put together an article which reveals my Rockets' secrets to success so far.

[Axel The Great]

(2-2) Liam Washburn vs. Justine Jones (3-1)
Score: 6-22
Length: 12 minutes

With the score tied 6-6, Justine Jones and Michael Beasley went on a 16-0 run to shut down John Wall and Liam Washburn. They were both schooled on the low post, despite being able to force turnovers early on. Jones knocked down a two-point shot to win the game, 22-6, and to be the first to clinch a winning tournament.

Stats:
Justine Jones - 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 12/16 FG, 1/1 3P
Michael Beasley - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 9/19 FG
Liam Washburn - 3 points, 9 rebounds, 3/9 FG
John Wall - 3 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3/13 FG

(0-4) George Koukoulis vs. Thierry Tirieux (2-2)
Score: 21-10
Length: 12 minutes

A huge game from Carlos Boozer led him and his teammate, George Koukoulis to their first win of the tournament. Boozer shot an amazing 13/16 from the field. Not even the pesky defense of Andre Iguodala and Thierry Tirieux was enough to stop the rampage that Boozer went on. He and Koukoulis seemed determined to get the win, and routed Tirieux and Iguodala.

Stats:
Carlos Boozer - 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 13/16 FG
George Koukoulis - 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 8/14 FG
Andre Iguodala - 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 8/13 FG
Thierry Tirieux - 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2/7 FG

(2-2) Willie Lewis vs. Zee Otoo (2-2)
Score: 9-21
Length: 11 minutes

This game was all Kevin Martin. He scored a tournament-high 16 points, only missing three shots. He appeared to be too quick for Willie Lewis, as on almost every possession he would do a crossover, drive the lane and dunk. Zee Otoo gave him a pretty good contribution with five points of his own, but really didn't have to do much. Meanwhile, Josh Smith's defensive presence was inexistant, as part of Martin's scoring outburst came from him not patrolling the paint. Martin and Otoo made quick work of Smith and Lewis, routing them in 11 minutes.

Stats:
Kevin Martin - 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 16/19 FG
Zee Otoo - 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4/8 FG, 1/1 3P
Willie Lewis - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/12 FG
Josh Smith - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4/4 FG

(2-2) Valdis Iesalnieks vs. Xavier Nelson (3-1)
Score: 21-13
Length: 16 minutes

Though the score won't tell you so, this game was really competitive. After struggling early on, Valdis Iesalnieks found his rhythm to help his teammate Chauncey Billups go on a rally. The score was 13-11 when Iesalnieks and Billups went on an 8-2 run to finish the game. Iesalnieks proved to be too much for Gerald Wallace, exposing the huge height advantage he had, while Billups showed Xavier Nelson the way to get things done. Billups knocked down a two-point shot in Nelson's face to clinch the game, 21-13.

Stats:
Chauncey Billups - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 10/23 FG, 2/6 3P
Valdis Iesalnieks - 9 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 9/18 FG
Gerald Wallace - 9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 9/19 FG
Xavier Nelson - 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4/12 FG

Tournament Standings

Player	W/L Record
Justine Jones	4-1
Xavier Nelson	3-2
Valdis Iesalnieks	3-2
Zee Otoo	3-2
Willie Lewis	2-3
Liam Washburn	2-3
Thierry Tirieux	2-3
George Koukoulis	1-4

[rise]

Suck on it, Houndy!

[kibaxx7]

Terrible

[Houndy]

Zee owes Kevin some lunch. Terrible game by us

[rise]

I would be honored to buy K-Mart some lunch. Except I don't earn 7- or 8-digit salaries.

[Bucket]

Wow, 3-2 and I killed Walace . Chauncey is in Denver or New York?

[Justine.]

That's how I like it Is this the last round?

[George7]

ΥΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I finally won a game!!!! Hoozy Boozy is not that bad a teammate it seems!

We're not any more!

[Axel The Great]

Suck on it, Houndy!

Zee owes Kevin some lunch. Terrible game by us

I would be honored to buy K-Mart some lunch. Except I don't earn 7- or 8-digit salaries.

z02, you will be earning that much money soon in this story. K-Mart wants a gourmet-caliber lunch.

Terrible

Yep, you and Iggy have fallen off the wayside since starting 2-0.

Wow, 3-2 and I killed Walace . Chauncey is in Denver or New York?

He's in NY in this story, did the important RL trades here.

That's how I like it Is this the last round?

Nope. There's still two more rounds to go. So far you're in pretty good shape to snag the best record in the tournament to earn your draftee a lottery pick in the draft.

ΥΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΑΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗΗ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I finally won a game!!!! Hoozy Boozy is not that bad a teammate it seems!

We're not any more!

Yep, congrats. At least you won't be the laughing stock of the tournament anymore.

[George7]

Axel, thanks for bringing me back to the cruel reality...

But if I win the next two games , I'm going to earn some more respect!!!

[puttincomputers]

I wonder who will win next year....

[Axel The Great]

George7, lol, I didn't mean it in that way. I'm confident you and Boozer can win at least one more game. I've seen all of your games (well, I've seen everyone's games ) and when both of you run pick and rolls, you get a near Stockton-Malone duo.

puttincomputers, it'll be pretty interesting. I still can't hazard a guess seeing as how some of those in the 2012 draft class I haven't seen in a long time (Mark., King Dee, Psychedelic). Near the beginning of next season, I'll call all of those in that draft just to see who's still here, and then give some active members a chance to send their info and replace the inactive members. It also depends on what teammate they choose.

Week 21 coming this weekend, then Round Six of the tournament. I'm also gonna prepare an article on how my Rockets have been able to enjoy a lot of success this season, be on the look out for that.

[Axel The Great]

[48-19] Houston Rockets 124-109 Phoenix Suns [30-34]


K-Mart doin' work, contorting his way to the rim. | Another vintage performance, this time Grant Hill.

Both teams shot above 60% in the first quarter, with the Suns getting a two-point edge to end the first period. The Rockets took control of the game in the second quarter, dominating on the inside. Houston scored 74 points in the paint, with Kevin Martin's all-around game leading the way. Martin had 31 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, giving his usual contribution, especially in the fourth quarter run to pull away.

While Vince Carter had himself a fairly decent game with 24 points, he shot 7/24 from the field, while going 9/13 from the charity stripe. Steve Nash was held to 4/12 shooting, but had himself a double-double of 12 points and 13 assists. It was a four-point Houston lead going into the final period, and the Suns were riding Grant Hill's hot hand. The fifteen year veteran had a team high 26 points on 12/21 shooting, becoming the cornerstone of Phoenix's offense in this game.

In the fourth quarter, the Suns were shut down. They were held to 19 points in the quarter, as Houston's 53% shooting from the field was too much for them to handle. With this game, the Rockets become the second team after the Boston Celtics to clinch a spot in the post-season. "Many people say this has been a fluke season for us. I say they're just a bunch of haters. We've been able to answer those who doubted us, and Yao (Ming) has been able to stay healthy and help me, Aaron (Brooks), and Luis (Scola) contribute bunches to this team," Kevin Martin praised the team's season so far.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
31 points | 7 assists | 6 rebounds | 10/22 FG | 3/6 3P | 8/8 FT

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Aaron Brooks - 20 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks, 6/12 FG, 2/4 3P, 6/6 FT
Luis Scola - 18 points, 13 rebounds, 8/12 FG
Yao Ming - 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 7/9 FG
Kyle Lowry - 12 points, 8 assists, 4/8 FG

Suns:
Grant Hill - 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 12/21 FG
Vince Carter - 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 7/24 FG, 9/13 FT
Steve Nash - 12 points, 13 assists, 1 rebound, 4/12 FG
Jared Dudley - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/5 FG, 2/2 3P

32 30 32 30 124
34 24 32 19 109

[49-19] Houston Rockets 102-83 Charlotte Bobcats [34-32]


The ever-slumping Aaron Brooks seems to have recovered from his struggles. | Jax held to poor shooting.

Despite having traded their star player Gerald Wallace and not having enough depth on their roster, the Charlotte Bobcats are grinding through the regular season and are above .500, looking to land a playoff berth. In this game, the Bobcats did not look like the team that they've been all season, getting blown out and shooting 26% in the second half.

Early on, Stephen Jackson got Charlotte's offense going, starting off 3/4 from the field. Charlotte shot 50% in the first half, but turnovers hurt them early on. The Bobcats had 10 turnovers in the first half, 16 for the game, with DJ Augustin contributing seven of them.

Houston had a 25-point lead at one point in the third quarter, and ran Charlotte right out of their home gym to clinch a 50-win season.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Martin
29 points | 4 assists | 4 rebounds | 1 steal | 1 block | 11/19 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Aaron Brooks - 16 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 7/12 FG
Luis Scola - 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4/10 FG
Shane Battier - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4/5 FG
Kyle Lowry - 8 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 3/8 FG

Bobcats:
Stephen Jackson - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 7/26 FG
Tyrus Thomas - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 9/18 FG
DJ Augustin - 16 points, 8 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 7 TO, 5/12 FG

31 29 24 18 102
25 21 15 22 83

[50-19] Houston Rockets 98-105 Boston Celtics [48-18]


Kevin Martin overpowers the green barrier in the paint. | AB showing that he is in fact, free from his slump.

Riding KG and Pierce's combined 44 points, the C's hand the Rockets their fifth home loss of the season.

After losing in an embarrassing way against Houston in Boston, the Celtics were extra prepared for vengeance in this game. It was notable in the first quarter as the C's began by shooting 66% in the first period. Jeff Green had a superb game off the bench for Boston. Acquired in a trade from Oklahoma City, the youngster scored 19 points and grabbed 11 boards off the bench, while shooting a blistering 9/12 from the field. It was him and Troy Murphy coming off the bench and scoring 30 of Boston's 32 bench points.

On the other side, Aaron Brooks had a tremendous first half, scoring 17 points and sinking two triples. With Boston bringing the double-team on Kevin Martin to limit his shot attempts, Brooks was able to take shots and make them. Martin however, still had his way, with a game high 26 points.

Boston went to town on the Rockets in the final period, scoring 33 points, and shooting above 50% from the field. Ray Allen was huge in the fourth quarter, as he scored nine of his 15 points there, including two clutch free throws to close out the Rockets on the road. "We shot poorly as a team last time we faced off. We wanted to erase that memory with a win here," said Celtics star Paul Pierce, who had 22 points. Both of these teams are the only teams that have clinched a playoff spot so far, and it was an excellent duel as they split the season series.

Player of the Game-

Jeff Green
19 points | 11 rebounds | 9/12 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Kevin Martin - 26 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 11/21 FG
Aaron Brooks - 20 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 6/13 FG, 3/6 3P
Yao Ming - 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 7/10 FG
Luis Scola - 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6/11 FG
Shane Battier - 9 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 3/7 FG

Celtics:
Kevin Garnett - 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 7/14 FG
Paul Pierce - 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 9/18 FG
Ray Allen - 15 points, 2 rebounds, 6/12 FG
Troy Murphy - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 4/7 FG
Rajon Rondo - 10 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 4/5 FG

25 26 21 26 98
27 22 23 33 105

[Grandmama Johnson]

No point worrying about that Celtics loss. It looks like their big 3 all had a good game, which probably can't happen every night. I still like the Rockets' odds in a seven-game series

[kibaxx7]

Great win over PHX. C's were better in the 4th, but as Grandmama said, no point in worrying about it.

[Axel The Great]

Grandmama Johnson, yeah, I'm not gonna fret over that loss. We have a young team that can play excellent up tempo basketball to tire the aging Big 3.

Thierry •, C's still have the best record in the league, but I'm happy with splitting the series against them, especially since I gave them a pretty good beatdown at Boston last time.

[Axel The Great]

(2-3) Liam Washburn vs. Valdis Iesalnieks (3-2)
Score: 14-21
Length: 14 minutes


Again, Valdis Iesalnieks continued his efficient dominance of the tournament. Valdis went 16/18 from the field, to tie Kevin Martin's record of most points in the tournament. He benefited from the dishes that Chauncey Billups was giving him, and with his big time size advantage over the duo of John Wall and Liam Washburn, Iesalnieks just could not be stopped. Washburn and Wall however, did put up a fair fight, forcing Iesalnieks to guard either of them on the perimeter and using their speed advantage, but in the end, the big man's sheer strength helped him and Billups to clinch a winning tournament.

Stats:
Valdis Iesalnieks - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 16/18 FG
Chauncey Billups - 5 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5/14 FG
Liam Washburn - 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 7/13 FG
John Wall - 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 7/15 FG

(2-3) Thierry Tirieux vs. Zee Otoo (3-2)
Score: 21-20
Length:21 minutes


This has to go down as the best game of the tournament thus far. Thierry Tirieux and Andre Iguodala had a firm grip on the game early on with the score at 14-7. Zee Otoo and Kevin Martin began to play a little something they're not known for: defense. Not to downplay their defense, but Tirieux and Iguodala were making boneheaded plays themselves, which allowed Martin and Otoo to take the lead at 20-17. Just when the game seemed won, Tirieux made a 20-foot jumpshot, and connected with Iguodala for two quick dunks to tie the game at 20. Iguodala would then receive two consecutive alley-oops (the first to get into game point, the next to score the game point) to break out of their three-game slide.

Stats:
Andre Iguodala - 14 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals, 14/24 FG
Thierry Tirieux - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 5 TO, 7/19 FG
Kevin Martin - 12 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 TO, 12/23 FG
Zee Otoo - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 7/16 FG

(2-3) Willie Lewis vs. Justine Jones (4-1)
Score: 21-16
Length: 16 minutes


An upset was what happened here. Michael Beasley may have performed well, but Justine Jones did not, with a sub-par shooting game of 4/13. They also allowed Josh Smith to get too close to the basket, negating any semblance of a defense. Smith went 13/17 from the field. Willie Lewis did not sit around and ride Smith's coat tails though, as he set up Smith for eight field goals, forcing turnovers, and getting some buckets himself. With one round left, Jones and Beasley will have to coexist as well as they did early in the tournament if they want to secure the best record in the tournament.

Stats:
Josh Smith - 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 13/17 FG
Willie Lewis - 8 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 8/18 FG
Justine Jones - 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4/13 FG
Michael Beasley - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 12/17 FG

(3-2) Xavier Nelson vs. George Koukoulis (1-4)
Score: 15-21
Length: 17 minutes


Another upset happened here, in the form of pick and roll. George Koukoulis' sub-par 9/26 shooting may have been enough to shoot him and Carlos Boozer out of the game, but Boozer's 12/15 was enough to keep them in the game. Ultimately, it was Xavier Nelson's poor shot selection that helped Boozer and Koukoulis to get their second win. Nelson shot 6/20 from the field, compared to teammate Gerald Wallace's 9/14. Despite shooting poorly, Nelson found other ways to contribute by setting Wallace up for alley-oops, and crashing the boards, but unfortunately for him, the other ways just weren't enough.

Stats:
Carlos Boozer - 12 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 12/15 FG
George Koukoulis - 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 9/26 FG
Gerald Wallace - 9 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 9/14 FG
Xavier Nelson - 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 6/20 FG

Tournament Standings:

Player	W/L Record
Justine Jones	4-2
Valdis Iesalnieks	4-2
Xavier Nelson	3-3
Zee Otoo	3-3
Willie Lewis	3-3
Thierry Tirieux	3-3
Liam Washburn	2-4
George Koukoulis	2-4

The Situation: All Beasley and Jones have to do in the last round of the tournament is win, and they've clinched best record in the tournament. They hold the tiebreaker against Iesalnieks and Billups, when they defeated them in Round Three by a score of 21-17. Jones and Beasley are due to face Tirieux and Iguodala, while Iesalnieks and Billups are due to face Lewis and Smith. If the two top duos end up losing their respective games, tiebreaker hell will break loose.

[George7]

Another win!!!That's really nice!!

[Houndy]

Tiebreaker hell will break loose Right Thierry?

Nice passing by me, but nice finishing by Josh