[08] Flying High In The ATL-NBA Finals - Complete!

[Cool Cat]

You really have great monthly recaps.....

[Tyler]

@ Spurs W
@ Jazz W
Vs. Bulls L
Vs. Cavaliers W
Vs. Sixers L
Vs. Mavericks L
Vs. Rockets W
Vs. Lakers W
Vs. Sonics W
Vs. Celtics L
Vs. Bucks W
Vs. KnicksW
@ Clippers W

[Lamrock]

Hawks Game of the Month

Atlanta 99, Dallas 95

Atlanta, GA - March 15, 2009, 11:19 PM ET - After an embarrassing blowout at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks in January, the Atlanta Hawks were hellbent on giving the Mavs some home cooking of their own. With the Mavs and Hawks being the leaders of their conferences (and 1st and 2nd best teams in the league respectively), the match was an exciting one. Several NBA league passes were bought just for this game, and it did not disappoint.

Led by the big three of Jason Terry, Josh Howard and MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs took control in the first quarter, leading 27 to 20. The lead expanded to double digits in the second, before sixth man Andrea Bargnani bailed his team out with back to back treys. By halftime, it was a three point game.

In the third, Dallas took over again. Josh Smith helped contain Dirk for the most part, but Jason Terry had the hot hand, scoring 11 points in the period. Going into the fourth, Dallas led 76-65. A 7-0 run to start the quarter by Dallas gave them an eighteen point lead. That was when coach Washburn made a pivotal timeout, subbing out the struggling Al Horford (7 points, 7 rebounds, 5 fouls) for sharpshooter Bargnani. The switch helped invigorate the Hawks, as they went on a 22-4 run over the next 6 minutes.

[align=center] [/align]
[align=center]Left, Joe Johnson hits a pivotal three pointer in the fourth quarter. Right, Al Horford blocks a Nenad Krstic shot[/align]

With three minutes left and the game tied, Dirk hit a three in the face of the young Italian Dirk wannabe to give his team a lead again. Al Horford, fresh back in the game, helped switch the momentum by blocking a Nenad Krstic shot. Down 90-87 with under two minutes to go, the Hawks used solid defense and execution on offense to close the game out with an 8-1 run to defeat the league's best team, 95-91.

The victory brings the Hawks within two games of the Mavs for the best record in the NBA. Tyronn Lue, the Mavs starting PG, was humiliated various times during the game, including getting posterized by Josh Smith, turning the ball over several times to TJ Ford and shooting 1-9 for the game. With these two teams looking like the best teams in their conferences, some analysts wonder if this could be an NBA Finals preview. Jason Terry led the Mavs with 25 points, while Joe Johnson had 22 for Atlanta. Josh Smith filled the stat sheet in every area, and was awarded with the player of the game award.

JORDAN Player of the Game: Josh Smith: 17 Points, 13 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Blocks, 3 Steals, 7-10 FG
MCDWYANE Shitass of the Game: Tyronn Lue: 4 points, 2 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 1-9 FG, 5 turnovers

Top 5 Performers: (P/R/A/B/S)

Josh Smith (ATL): 17/13/5/3/3
Jason Terry (DAL): 25/2/9/0/3
Dirk Nowitzki (DAL): 16/12/7/2/0
Joe Johnson (ATL): 22/5/7/1/2
T.J. Ford (ATL): 19/2/7/0/4

DAL 27 20 29 15 91
ATL 20 24 20 30 95

[almightyx]

That was a sick 4th quarter! Glad to see the comeback logic works both ways. Josh Smith had a sick game. Excellent win! Nice finals preview too. Hopefully it works out the same if you make it there.

[deihatein]

@ Spurs L
@ Jazz W
Vs. Bulls W
Vs. Cavaliers W
Vs. Sixers W
Vs. Mavericks W
Vs. Rockets W
Vs. Lakers L
Vs. Sonics W
Vs. Celtics L
Vs. Bucks W
Vs. Knicks W
@ Clippers W

Nice win over the Mavs. Altough I want the Mavs to win because of them being my favorite team.

young Italian Dirk wannabe

[Chaser7]

@ Spurs loss
@ Jazz win
Vs. Bulls win
Vs. Cavaliers win
Vs. Sixers win
Vs. Mavericks win
Vs. Rockets loss
Vs. Lakers loss
Vs. Sonics win
Vs. Celtics loss
Vs. Bucks win
Vs. Knicks win
@ Clipperswin

[C-77]

@ Spurs loss
@ Jazz win
Vs. Bulls win
Vs. Cavaliers win
Vs. Sixers win
Vs. Mavericks win
Vs. Rockets loss
Vs. Lakers loss
Vs. Sonics win
Vs. Celtics loss
Vs. Bucks win
Vs. Knicks win
@ Clipperswin

I agree with Chaser7 except for the rockets I think you will win Lamrock

Good luck

[Lamrock]

The Hawks Month In Review: March 2008

It looked like the Rudy Gay era would be a dominant one for the Atlanta Hawks. Starting the month with a season high six straight victories, including one against league leader Dallas, the Hawks fell to the strong string of competition, losing four of their last seven games.

The month started with a dominant victory over the San Antonio Spurs, with new addition Rudy Gay leading the way with a spectacular line of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. This was followed by a blowout of the NBA champion Utah Jazz (sweeping the season series), a close win over Chicago and three more victories.

The streak came to a disappointing end, when the visiting Houston Rockets rallied behind Yao Ming's strong play to get the narrow win. The Hawks bounced back with an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the victory, star Joe Johnson went down due to a severe ankle sprain.

At first, the Hawks did alright, defeating the Sonics handily. After that, the Hawks fell to Eastern powers Boston and Milwaukee however. Atlanta rebounded with an easy win over the Knicks before suffering a blowout loss at the hands of Steve Nash and the Clippers, ruining Johnson's return from injury.

Record:

Month: 9-4; Home: 7-3; Away: 2-1
Overall: 48-19; Home: 28-9; Away: 20-10

@
Win 104-94 - Gay: 29/11/6; Parker: 25/4/7 - RECORD: 40-15

@
Win 103-74 - Horford: 21/14/3; Williams: 22/4/8 - RECORD: 41-15

Vs.
Win 99-95 - Ford: 17/5/8; Deng: 24/6/7 - RECORD: 42-15

Vs.
Win 108-99 - Smith: 30/6/3; James: 22/11/10 - RECORD: 43-15

Vs.
Win 102-80 - Johnson: 33/6/7; Iguodala: 23/7/7 - RECORD: 44-15

Vs.
Win 95-91 - Smith: 17/13/5; Terry: 25/2/9 - RECORD: 45-15

Vs.
Loss 103-99 - Yao: 24/11/7; Johnson: 37/4/3 - RECORD: 45-16

Vs.
Win 117-109 (OT) - Gay: 37/8/6; Gasol: 21/12/3 - RECORD: 46-16

Vs.
Win 100-83 - Smith: 23/5/3; Ridnour: 22/4/7 - RECORD: 47-16

Vs.
Loss 114-97 - Pierce: 40/4/4; Bargnani: 26/4/2 - RECORD: 47-17

Vs.
Loss 117-111 (OT) - Calderon: 22/3/15; Horford: 19/15/4 - RECORD: 47-18

Vs.
Win 109-101 - Smith: 23/9/1; Lee: 24/6/2 - RECORD: 48-18

@
Loss 100-75 - Nash: 21/2/15; Ford: 13/4/10 - RECORD: 48-19

Last edited by Lamrock on Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:39 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Lamrock]

Alleged Bibby Sex Tape Revealed to Be Verne Troyer

April 1, 2009 - Atlanta, GA - When we received this news, we believed that it we were being April fooled. But a rick-roll it was not, the leaked sex tape featuring believed to be of former Hawks star Mike Bibby turned out to not be of him at all. Verne Troyer, best known for his role of the character "mini-me" in the Austin Powers films was the culprit. Troyer, 39, had recently had a personal sex tape with him and his girlfriend stolen and sold. Now, it turns out that yet another Troyer production has hit the streets.

The video in question, featured Troyer in a Bibby jersey performing acts not suitable to describe for our younger readers. At multiple times, Troyer would exclaim "I'm Mike Bibby, b----!". Bibby, who had been denying the claims ever since they first circulated, was proven truthful, when several experts noticed several differences in Troyer's face, as well as Troyer being half the height of the others involved.

[align=center] [/align]
[align=center]Left, Verne Troyer. Right, Mike Bibby. Who can blame them for getting those two confused?[/align]

"When I saw the tape... er stumbled upon it on accident, I, er, was just fooled by how authentic it looked, with the jersey and all. When Mike was playing for us at the 2, he looked so small, so it just looked natural.", said Hawks owner Larry Johnston. Liam Washburn, who reacted to the tape by trading Bibby to the Memphis Grizzlies, had a fiery response. "Thanks to the media's negligence, I had to revamp our roster once again. This travesty could cost the city of Atlanta its first NBA championship."

It is unknown who would frame Bibby for this. Top culprit suspects include former Hawks GM Billy Knight, former Hawks PG Acie Law and current Hawks Forward Rudy Gay, who had wanted a trade to Atlanta all season long. Verne Troyer has been unavailable to comment.

Mike Bibby, the victim of the video came under fire in his statement. "I can't believe that someone believed that I would actually do such a thing. And now because of it, I go from a title contender to f---ing Memphis? Yay, I get to waste the prime of my career in this hellhole, suffering a futile rebuilding attempt. I didn't know being 6'3" could qualify you as a midget." Bibby was fined $50,000 for cursing and criticizing his team in public, as well as suspended five games.

[dansensei]

nice new avatar you got there...

[Vif]

nice monthly recap and good game with dallas..

lol@bibby

[C-77]

nice win over dallas and good luck for the rest I'll be following

[Chabalaba]

Wow,what a relief that it wasnt Bibby. 50,000 dollar fine and 5 game supension,hilarious.

[Oskar]

That's really hilarious. Keep it going, probably the most active dynasty.

[Lamrock]

Around The NBA:

MVP Candidates - P/R/A/B/S

1. LeBron James - 27.7/7.5/7.3/1.0/1.0 - Numbers fell a bit in March, but LeBron continues to lead a terrible Cavs team to the second best record in the surprisingly tough East.
2. Yao Ming - 27.2/10.7/4.0/2.0/0.5 - The Rockets haven't exactly flourished in the month of March, but Yao has. The tall China man has put up consistently elite numbers.
3. Dirk Nowitzki - 28.1/9.0/4.9/1.0/0.8 - A case could be make for Dirk to be #1. Dirkules has put up season highs in nearly every category, and his Mavs are the best team in the league.
4. Kobe Bryant - 30.5/4.6/6.3/0.4/1.2 - Averaged 'only' under 25 points per game in March, but his Lakers continue to play very well, holding a 47-22 record.
5. Amare Stoudamire - 26.3/11.2/2.5/1.8/1.0 - Since the Elton Brand trade, the Suns have been on fire, crawling out from the cellar, to hold the 6th best record in the West. However, it has been Amare's play that has gotten them there.

West Player of the Month: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) - 27.7/9.6/4.9/0.9/1.2
East Player of the Month: Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) - 27.2/4.6/6.4/0.2/1.3

League Leaders

Points Per Game: Kobe Bryant (30.5)
Rebounds Per Game: Dwight Howard (12.9)
Assists Per Game: Jose Calderon (10.4)
Steals Per Game: Dwyane Wade (2.6)
Blocks Per Game: Tyson Chandler (2.6)
Field Goal%: Yi Jianlian (58.5%)
3PT%: Dirk Nowitzki (47.3%)
Free Throw%: Caron Butler (95.9%)

Season Standings:

Western Conference:

1x- 52-15 - Leader: Southwest Division, Western Conference, League
2x- 47-22 - Leader: Pacific Division
3x- 47-22
4xy- 45-27 - Winner: Northwest Division
5x- 45-24
6x- 44-26
7- 39-30
8- 38-33
--------------------
32-39
25-42
26-43
26-43
o- 18-52
o- 18-53
o- 17-54 - Worst Record in League

Eastern Conference:

1x- 48-19 - Leader: Southeast Division, Eastern Conference
2x- 47-22 - Leader: Central Division
3xy- 47-22 - Winner: Atlantic Division
4- 41-27
5- 41-28
6- 37-31
7- 35-33
8- 35-34
--------------------
33-36
34-39
30-40
28-43
27-43
o- 21-49
o- 19-49

Who's HOT, Who's NOT:

HOT

Phoenix Suns - A 11-2 month has pushed the Suns back in to the NBA's upper echelon. The Suns look to build on this success by continuing to raise their seed and possibly even take the division crown from the Lakers.
Los Angeles Clippers - The Nash/Brand trade was mutually favorable. The Clippers have solidified their playoff spot with a 10-4 March, and look to overtake the 2007 champion San Antonio Spurs in the final month.
Boston Celtics - A 12-2 March has propelled the Celtics to a division title, and a tie for the second best record in the Eastern Conference. Boston looks to make up the 2 game difference between them and the #1 Hawks.

NOT

Washington Wizards - At the end of last month, the Washington Wizards were just a game behind the 8th seed in the East. Fast forward to now. The Wizards have gone 3-11 in March and their playoff hopes are all but over.
Charlotte Bobcats - A 3-9 March has killed their playoff hopes, and has changed their team name to the Charlotte Lolcats.
Golden State Warriors - After the third straight awful month, the Warriors will have to pack it up and prepare for next year. The Mavs are safe in their 8th seed this year.

[dansensei]

Charlotte Bobcats - A 3-9 March has killed their playoff hopes, and has changed their team name to the Charlotte Lolcats.

that's nice

it's also nice that you already clinched a spot in the playoffs..

[Vif]

nice recap as always. LJ have very good numbers

[Lamrock]

How The Hawks Players Fared

In the first month using the post-trade deadline rosters, the Hawks posted a strong 9-4, starting the month off hot before cooling off towards the end. Joe Johnson's injury was a factor, but his return could not stop the Clippers from dismantling them on the last game of the month. Rudy Gay proved to be an effective, albeit inconsistent force, while Darko has proven to be a solid big off the bench. If the Hawks stay healthy and their chemistry holds up, it could be a long run for the Hawks.



Player Report Cards:

Honor Roll



TJ Ford: Ford has solidified his status as a top-tier point guard in the NBA this season. Scores nearly 16 points on over 50% shooting, has a 4/1 Assist/TO ratio and can also rebound and defend. Forget three point shooting, Ford is awesome. Grade: A+

Josh Smith: Smith continues to improve his stats every month. It is safe to say that Josh Smith has become the new Shawn Marion, averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in March. Grade: A

Joe Johnson: Johnson suffered an injury causing him to miss half of March. When he did play, the Hawks won (barring his not-quite 100% comeback). Johnson continues to lead his team in scoring, while shooting an amazing 53% as a swingman. Grade: A-

Al Horford: Big Al continues to complement his players perfectly. Averaging 14 points a game, Horford does not eat up too many of the team's possessions, and shoots a shocking 86% from the charity stripe. If his rebounding improves, he could be Dallas-bound next year. Grade: A-

Passing



Rudy Gay: A very strong second option who can explode at any time. Gay put up very strong numbers in March (20/5/5) but was marred by inconsistency. His first game was a 37 point explosion, but he could not always capitalize as the first option with Johnson out. Still, Gay's explosiveness makes him a very valuable part of the team. Grade: B

Darko Milicic: Darko does not shoot very well but makes up for it by filling up the stat sheet very quickly in a short amount of time, and being a solid defensive force in the frontcourt. Grade: B-

Andrea Bargnani: Bargnani seems to be turning into Vladimir Radmanovic. While he has been a valuable 3pt gunner, Bargs hasn't rebounded well for a seven-footer, and hasn't shot a great percentage from the field. Still, Bargnani has had some good games coming off the bench and should improve in time. Grade: C+

Josh Childress: Same old story for Childress. He is good when he is on the court, but he only plays 15 minutes a night. Josh failed to capitalize when he slotted into the starting spot with Johnson's injury though, and can not fill up the stat sheet a la Wally Szczerbiak. Grade: C+

Wally Szczerbiak: Inefficient, but a great jolt off the bench. Wallyworld continues to give the Hawks a handy boost of scoring when he plays, and looks to be a solid role player on this team for years to come. Grade: C

Struggling



Anthony Johnson: Has played around 10 minutes a night backing up TJ Ford. Coach Washburn likes to slot Joe Johnson at the 1 sometimes, and with Anthony continuing to be ineffective, JJ could be the official backup Point Guard. Grade: D

Matt Barnes: He just isn't that good. In his limited minutes, he is just subpar, shooting poorly and not really accomplishing much of anything. Grade: D-

Amir Johnson: Wants more playing time. Will get it when he stops sucking. Grade: F

[Chaser7]

what do u mean he could be dallas bound? Sorry I don't have much time to read and follow dynasties right now (let alone update mine) because I just started college and its been crazy.

[Lamrock]

Oh shit, I forgot you were college age. No problem about not checking often. Totally understandable. I wish some of the 05 and 06 dynasty makers would come back and help bring this section back to respectability, now that our best dynasty will be slowing a bit.

What I meant by Dallas-bound was the 2010 all-star game.

[Chaser7]

Wait Dallas is getting the 2010 All-star game? I thought it hadn't be announced yet. Oh yeah the few times I've checked the site in the last couple weeks have been mostly filled with terrible noob dynasties. I don't understand how some of them are so bad after like 5 or 6 attempts...

[Lamrock]

Flying High In The ATL Prediction Game: April 2009!

We now enter the final prediction game round of the regular season! The past month once again broke the record with 10 entrants. Cool Cat won the round with 9 correct guesses (Chaser7 also got 9, but the Mavs point did not count due to it being after the Game of the Month recap) ratrac manages to hold on to the top spot for another month. Due to Live's retarded scheduling system, my team plays 39 home and 43 away games on the season, and plays all the way until the end of April. Either way, here is the template!

Code:

[b]@ Kings[/b]
[b]@ Blazers[/b]
[b]@ Timberwolves[/b]
[b]Vs. Bobcats[/b]
[b]Vs. Heat[/b]
[b]@ Celtics[/b]
[b]@ Raptors[/b]
[b]@ Pistons[/b]
[b]@ Cavaliers[/b]
[b]Vs. Magic[/b]
[b]Vs. Wizards[/b]
[b]@ Bucks[/b]
[b]@ Bucks[/b]
[b]@ Raptors[/b]
[b]@ Nets[/b]

15 Games. 4 Home. 11 Road.

Leaderboard:

1. ratrac: 29 Points (7)
2. dei.: 24 Points (6)*
3. Chaser7: 20 Points (8)*
T4. airBerlin: 18 Points (0)
T4. Skillmatic: 18 Points (7)
6. Crimson Penguin: 14 Points (6)
7. Martti.: 13 Points (0)
T8. Cool Cat: 9 Points (9)
T8. Dustball: 9 Points (0)
10. dansensei: 8 Points (0)
T11. Vif: 7 Points (7)
T11: KobeBryant24: 7 Points (7)
T11. balozunite: 7 points (6)
T11. homicide1550: 7 Points (0)
15. Ipsofire: 6 Points (0)

As always, continue to make predictions, follow this dynasty and tell me if I made a tallying mistake!

[dansensei]

@ Kings W
@ Blazers W
@ Timberwolves W
Vs. Bobcats W
Vs. Heat W
@ Celtics L
@ Raptors W
@ Pistons L
@ Cavaliers L
Vs. Magic L
Vs. Wizards W
@ Bucks W
@ Bucks W
@ Raptors W
@ Nets W

you have back-to-back games at milwaukee???

[deihatein]

@ Kings W
@ Blazers W
@ Timberwolves W
Vs. Bobcats W
Vs. Heat W
@ Celtics L
@ Raptors W
@ Pistons W
@ Cavaliers W
Vs. Magic W
Vs. Wizards W
@ Bucks L
@ Bucks W
@ Raptors W
@ Nets W

I dont see you losing that much games since some of the teams you gonna be facing is weak but that's just my opinion.

Waiting for a game of the month

[Martti.]

@ Kings W
@ Blazers W
@ Timberwolves W
Vs. Bobcats W
Vs. Heat L
@ Celtics L
@ Raptors W
@ Pistons W
@ Cavaliers L
Vs. Magic W
Vs. Wizards L
@ Bucks W
@ Bucks W
@ Raptors W
@ NetsW

Good luck!