:::AnSwEr InCoMpLeTe::: (NBA Live 2005)

[-BHZMAFIA-]

PISTONS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 8:30 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Pistons, 30-25; Suns, 43-14.
INJURY REPORT None

KEY MATCHUP: JOE JOHNSON VS. RIP HAMILTON
Johnson has been on a tear lately since returning from the All-Star Break avearging 27ppg, 4.6apg and 3.6rpg for the Suns. Rip Hamilton is the only starter for the Pistons who played in all 55 games and started. He leads Detroit in scoring with 21.7ppg. The last time these teams played, Hamilton went off with 31 points and Johnson scored 23 points for the Suns in a losing effort.

INSIDE THE PISTONS
Detroit is on a season-high 6 game road trip. They are 2-1 so far on the trip and have won two straight. The Pistons haven't quite looked like the same team from last season who won the NBA Championship. They hold the 5th spot in the East and are 7.5 games back out of the first spot.

INSIDE THE SUNS
The Suns are 1-2 since returning from the All-Star Break which isn't a good sign even though the Spurs are also struggling on a 3-game losing streak. The Suns two losses were both very close games that they could've won in the 4th quarter. Phoenix will look to rebound from the two previous games during their 3-game home stand.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Ben Wallace
PF-Rasheed Wallace
SF-Tayshaun Prince
SG-Rip Hamilton
PG-Chauncey Billups


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[-BHZMAFIA-]

hm, is it just me, or does your dynasty graphics seem smoother and stuff after micchy edited the trades

btw, walker is back to 8

i really should stop to be an asshole,and replay at your great dynasty
u really have one of the hottest dynasty`s here and that mag is nice its always fun to read your dynasty,and the pics are nice

thanks for the huge compliment. it really makes me want to continue and work hard on this dynasty with comments like that like ive said before. glad you like the mag and the pics. thanks to the x for sending that file to micchy, who sent the file to seraph, who sent it to me so now i have real good pics. also like to thank you pikks for you sending me yours

and i had it in the game for the clippers which was before micchy did the editing, and walker were no.88 when he played the suns at this time so thats why i didnt worry too much about changing it.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Suns’ First Quarter Spurt Ended Streak
Phoenix had an amazing 7 players in double figures

Pistons-96
Suns-108

Pistons Boxscore | Suns Boxscore


Rip Hamilton shot 5-5 from the free throw line Thursday night

PHOENIX, March 3 (Ticker) -- Who said the Suns could only win with their start five? After a two-game losing streak, Phoenix went off early in the first quarter scoring 33 points as the Suns ended their losing streak with a 108-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons. "We won this game because we finally got tough,” Coach D’Antoni said. Down the stretch, our bench gave us a great run and kept us in the game. Once we saw a little opportunity, a little hope, we got tough." The Suns bench went for 27 points outscoring the Pistons bench 27-14 as Jackson and McCarty both were in double figures.

"They made shots and we didn't," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "We got in early foul trouble in the first quarter and we had 14 offensive rebounds and didn't get into the bonus. It is tough." Phoenix shot the rock well from downtown tonight after struggling from outside after the All-Star Break. They shot 10-18 (55%) from three point land and dished out 26 assists in the game. "We are a high-powered team," said Suns center Amare Stoudemire, who had 16 points and 4 rebounds. "We were able to start the game off quick and never looked back. It was a great team effort out there tonight and the bench took a load off the starters in this game." Nash assisted on back-to-back baskets by Stoudemire to put Phoenix on top, 100-88, with just under two minutes left.

After Nash's free throws, Rasheed Wallace buried a 3-pointer to pull Detroit within eleven and, following a miss by Shawn Marion on the other end, Prince made another three that made the score 102-94 with 58 seconds left, but the Pistons only scored two points after that. Rip Hamilton scored 21 points and grabbed 4 rebounds for the Pistons, who had their two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 2-2 on their current six-game road trip. Ben Wallace only had 8 rebounds which was one of the main reasons the Suns led the rebounding edge 39-35 over the Pistons. The Suns snapped a four-game home losing streak against the Pistons and improved to 13-1 against Eastern Conference opponents at home. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni still sees room for improvement. "We didn't play extremely well," D'Antoni said. "The win for us was huge, but it is even better when we win and don't play well and win. I think we can run and play better against these guys, but they are the ultimate test."

Game Photos
Sheed shooting his high-arched jumper over Johnson
Richardson stretching for the one hand dunk
Stoudemire trying to fake Big Ben out with a pump fake
Marion catching the alley from Nash
Johnson dunking in two of his 18 points
Nash working the baseline against Rasheed Wallace
Arroyo shooting the fadaway over Nash in the corner

[Riot]

Very nice updates mafia, keep this dynasty up! I can't wait for the playoffs!

[-BHZMAFIA-]

TRAILBLAZERS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Trailblazers, 23-33; Suns, 44-14.
INJURY REPORT None

KEY MATCHUP: STEVE NASH VS. DAMON STOUDAMIRE
Stoudamire scored 22 points, but shot 8-23 from the field against the Suns from the last time they played on January 2nd. Nash scored 21 points and dished out 13 assists in the Suns 131-97 victory. He also had 38 points in the game earlier this season in November against the Blazers. Stoudamire has the ability to have greatn ights and is 3rd on the team in scoring averaging 14.8ppg. Nash averages 11apg against the Blazers this season.

INSIDE THE TRAILBLAZERS
The Blazers have been up and down this season and it's hard to tell where this team will be in the near future. They are coming off an upset win over the Indiana Pacers last night and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games.

INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix ended their 2-game losing skid against the Pistons on Thursday. A player from the Suns always have a huge career game against the Blazers this season. In the first metting, Nash went for38 points, and in the 2nd meeting, Stoudemire went for a career-high 51 points.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Zach Randolph
PF-Shareef Abdur-Rahim
SF-Darius Miles
SG-Derek Anderson
PG-Damon Stoudamire


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[Riot]

My blazers better own!

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Very nice updates mafia, keep this dynasty up! I can't wait for the playoffs!

thanks, dont worry, at this rate playoffs will be coming very soon. i predict around 2 weeks if i can keep the games coming

My blazers better own!

i guess you gave up on the twolves

[C89KF]

My blazers better own!

i guess you gave up on the twolves

ha!

[Riot]

No. Blazers are my 2nd favorite team. My Aunt and Uncle got my into them.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Suns Too Hot For Blazers
Johnson hurt early in 3rd quarter

Blazers-95
Suns-110

Blazers Boxscore | Suns Boxscore


Stoudemire scored 20 points on Saturday against the Trailblazers

PHOENIX, March 5 (Ticker) -- All-Stars Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire led the Phoenix Suns to another convincing win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Nash scored 23 points and dished out 12 assists and Stoudemire added 20 as the Suns rolled to a 110-95 triumph over the struggling Trail Blazers. The victory gave the Suns their first sweep of the Trail Blazers since the 1994-95 season. Phoenix won the three meetings this season by an average of 18 points. "Phoenix is a well-oiled machine," Portland interim coach Kevin Pritchard said. "They run up and down. They have great inside-outside guys. It is almost like you're trying to pick your poison. How do you stop them?"

Phoenix, which held a 32-19 edge after one quarter, pushed the advantage to 62-41 at the break behind 10 second-quarter points from Marion. Four Suns were in double figures at the break, including Stoudemire with 15. "It was a fairly easy game for us," Stoudemire said. "Portland has always been a high-caliber team and we look forward to playing them. We brought our 'A' game tonight." Marion added another 10 points in the third quarter and sat out the entire fourth after the Suns took a commanding 89-76 lead into the final 12 minutes. "After the second quarter we got the job done," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We got a lot of rest for our guys and the game went exactly the way we had hoped." Except for Suns guard Joe Johnson, who was injured off a drive to the basket early in the 3rd quarter as Darius Miles fouled him. He was holding his arm in pain and had to sit out for the rest of the game. “We hope that he is OK,” Coach D’Antoni said. “It will be a big loss for us to lose him for a long period of time.” An MRI will be done tomorrow morning on Johnson’s arm.

"The good thing about this team is that it has interchangeable parts," Jackson said. "We are going to need that in the playoffs. In games like this you need to go in and try to take command early, because you don't know if they get a lucky shot or fouls go their way." Darius Miles scored 16 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim collected 19 and 4 rebounds for Portland, which suffered its ninth loss in 11 games. "With the schedule we got, if we can't get people to grow up real fast, it is going to be ugly," Stoudamire said. "It's going to be tough to beat a team like Phoenix, but you have to find ways to compete."

Game Photos
Stoudamire using some dribble moves to try and shake Nash
Marion electrifying the crowd with the one hand slam
Randolph making his move towards the basket
Steve Nash getting the easy duece
Johnson backing down Anderson in the first half before being injured
DMiles using his long arms to grab the rebound

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Joe Johnson Hopes To Return Before End of the Season

By Josh Greene | March 6, 2005

Joe Johnson confirmed today that he will miss at least seven weeks due to his injury last night against the Portland Trailblazers to his right shooting wrist, but said he would not need surgery and was really hoping that he can return before the playoffs. "Unfortunately, I am done for the most of the regular season," Johnson said. "There is a chance, if rehab goes well, that I can still play close to the end of the season before the playoffs start. It just depends on what the rehab does. I feel pretty good about it.

"It's good news because I've talked to a lot of doctors. It's an injury that could take awhile to heal. I've prayed and asked God to heal me and I've still been going to practice working on running and dribbling and shooting with my left hand and its been great for me. It's unfortunate that I won't be able to help my team that much anymore on the court and try to capture that no.1 seed in the playoffs." Speaking publicly for the first time since injuring his right wrist in the Suns' 110-95 win over Portland on March 5, Johnson called an impromptu press conference today to tell everyone the big news.

"There's 10 other guys out there that can easily finish the season without me if I'm not able to play," he said. "We're going to win games, no doubt about it especially with a player like Jim Jackson filling in for me. We've got to keep doing what we've been doing, plugging guys in there. They don't have time to feel sorry for me. We don't have time to think about who's not out there. "It's a tough loss for us to lose Joe who was having such a great season," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We will truly miss him, but Jackson has a hole to fill and it's going to be up to our All-Star players and our bench to get us through the rest of the season."

With only about six weeks left on the NBA calendar, Johnson may not be ready to come back until the first round of the playoffs, or the last week of the season for the last couple of games.

[Riot]

Ouch, good luck without JJ. I'm sure the other JJ, Jim Jackson, will fill in perfectly.

[C89KF]

That JJ is not as good as the injured JJ

[pHLo]

That JJ is not as good as the injured JJ

hm... i don't think so

nice updates, mafia

[FendeR`]

I just realized what your dynasty's record is and what the actual Sun's record is, that's awesome, keep it up. We need to hear what Shivasquad has to say about his favorite player getting injured. :p

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Ouch, good luck without JJ. I'm sure the other JJ, Jim Jackson, will fill in perfectly.

yea im hoping he will with the same shooting abilities johnson has, but not the same type of penetration

That JJ is not as good as the injured JJ

no he isnt, but im hoping he can still put the same type of numbers...i need him to fill in a 17ppg void

nice updates, mafia

thanks

I just realized what your dynasty's record is and what the actual Sun's record is, that's awesome, keep it up. We need to hear what Shivasquad has to say about his favorite player getting injured. :p

yea its a couple of other teams in my dynasty that have the same record as their teams in real life too. i like it like that because it makes it pretty realistic. its like real life as the spurs and suns are battling for the first spot.

Thanks everybody for the compliments, it should be very interesting now to see how we play wihtout JJ and how well the other JJ will fill in. Get ready for a few updates today.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

SUNS VS. SUPERSONICS
KeyArena, Seattle, 6:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Suns, 45-14; Supersonics, 20-37.
INJURY REPORT Phoenix- Joe Johnson (broken bone in wrist); out indefinitely

KEY MATCHUP: JIM JACKSON VS. RASHARD LEWIS
Jackson is making his first start for the Suns and it won't be an easy task against Rahard Lewis. Jackson is averaging 7.8ppg off the bench and is known for his outside shooting. Lewis is a 6'10" small forward who can shoot it from the outside and is very athletic. Expect Walter McCarty to guard Lewis alot during the game as well.

INSIDE THE SUNS
This will be the Suns first game this season wihtout playing all five of their starters. Phoenix does have enough firepower to win wihtout Joe Johnson, but the question is how well will Jim Jackson play wiht the other four starters? This will be his first gam actually playing with the fast pace starters of the Suns.

INSIDE THE SUPERSONICS
The Sonics have been living off Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis too much and has resulted in a 20-37 record. The two players combine for 47.3ppg, 13.5rpg and 8.3apg for Seattle this season.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Jim Jackson
SG-Quentin Richardson
PG-Steve Nash


C-Jerome James
PF-Reggie Evans
SF-Rashard Lewis
SG-Ray Allen
PG-Luke Ridnour

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Hot-Shooting Marion Leads Suns Past Sonics
Jackson starting debut went very well tonight

Suns-125
Sonics-91

Suns Boxscore | Sonics Boxscore


Walter McCarty stepped his game up against Seattle tonight

SEATTLE, March 6 (Ticker) -- While the Seattle SuperSonics could not buy a basket from long range, the Suns could not miss. Marion made all but two of his five 3-pointers and scored 30 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 125-91 victory over the SuperSonics. A meeting of some of the best top 3-point shooting teams was a mismatch. Phoenix shot 10-21 from downtown along with 3-4 from Jim Jackson The Sonics were done in by a 3-of-16 performance, including Rashard Lewis’s 1-of-5. "They just missed, it happens," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's why you can't read that much into one game. They missed shots that they can make. Some days you are going to hit them and some days your not. It was just one of those nights."

Jim Jackson scored 18 points and dished out 7 assists in 25 minutes for the Suns and shot 5-6 from the field. "I kind of took what the defense gave me tonight," Jackson said. "I just took it upon myself to try and get open and let our great PG find me shots. They were paying a lot of attention to Steve (Nash), doubling him in full court, and he was just kicking it up and we were making plays." Jackson finished the scoring in the first quarter with his first 3-pointer and added 5 points in the second to help the Suns take a comanding 71-40 halftime lead. "Tonight Jackson was on fire and they had no answer for him and that's why we got the win," said Suns All-Star center Amare Stoudemire, who contributed 14 points.

"We've got to control the tempo," he said. "Most of their points were coming from outside. You've got to control the ball and get deflections, try to get in the passing lane and make them shoot over you." Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis combined to score 32 points and had Seattle's only three 3-pointers. Ridnour, was basically the only other spark for the Sonics starting group as he scored 13 points and dished out 4 assists. "We relied on the 3-point shot too much tonight and unfortunately those shots didn't go in," Radmanovic said. "And on the other end of the floor, they took us apart and basically did what they wanted. They had too many points in the paint and in transition, and that's what happens." Allen agreed with McMillan's take on the loss. "Defensively we kind of just let them have pretty much what they wanted and by the 2nd half I think we dug ourselves too deep a hole, and we really couldn't get out of it," he said.

Game Photos
Stoudemire adjusting his shot against James
Richardson switched positions as he played at shooting guard tonight
Nash flirted with almost another double-double for the season
Marion led Phoenix with 30 points against the Supersonics
Jackson penetrating to the goal and getting the easy two points
Ray Allen trying to make a move on Richardson on the wing
Jackson knocked down three 3-pointers in tonight's game

[Riot]

Jimmy played well for you! Good win over Seattle.

[FendeR`]

Btw, what game speed are you playing at? I have a dynasty with the Suns but even with a game speed of 38 (like in fgrep's sliders) I get scores of 120+ every game. Is it the game speed that you use more to get realistic scores, or is it just that you usually slow it down and use clock during your posessions?

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Jimmy played well for you! Good win over Seattle.

yea i was glad to get that first game out the way with him. he only missed one shot too

Btw, what game speed are you playing at? I have a dynasty with the Suns but even with a game speed of 38 (like in fgrep's sliders) I get scores of 120+ every game. Is it the game speed that you use more to get realistic scores, or is it just that you usually slow it down and use clock during your posessions?

ive been using fgrep's sliders since the beginning of my dynasty except i tweaked some things to make a little more harder. my speed is still at 40 though. i run alot with the suns, but at times i slow it down becuase it all depends on which team your playing too. i usually like to set up on offense and try to find open people or go inside. in the game against seattle, i did alot of running because both teams like to run, but when it got close to the end of the game and i knew that i was blowing them out, i wasnt going to keep running the scoreu p so i wasted all the clock then looked for a shot.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

SPURS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Spurs, 45-15; Suns, 46-14.
INJURY REPORT Phoenix- Joe Johnson (broken bone in wrist); out indefinitely

KEY MATCHUP: QUENTIN RICHARDSON VS. MANU GINOBILI
The quickness of Ginobili will be a hard task to keep up with and Richardson may can't do it all himself to contain the 2005 Slam Dunk Champion. He is one of the top canidates for 6th man, averaging 12.9ppg and 3.8apg in 60 games while starting in 24 of those games. Richardson recieved alot more touches last game with the injury of Johnson's broken wrist.

INSIDE THE SPURS
San Antonio is on a 3-game winning streak, but are just 5-5 in their last 10 games as they experience a drought in late February. The Spurs have dominated the Suns this season in the first game, winning 122-99. Supurs then snuck one out of Phoenix on January 21st with a 90-88 thriller.

INSIDE THE SUNS
This will be the Suns last game against the Spurs this season and they want to try and put a different result in this game. After coming very close to them in their last game in Phoenix, they have a good chance in tonight's game to capture a victory.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Rasho Nesterovic
PF-Tim Duncan
SF-Bruce Bowen
SG-Manu Ginobili
PG-Tony Parker


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Jim Jackson
SG-Quentin Richardson
PG-Steve Nash

[pHLo]

oh...
it's a pretty exciting matchup, i hope u'll make it, not only coz i don't like the spurs

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Big Four Goes Off; Suns Run Past Spurs
Fourth quarter swing gave the Suns an advantage

Spurs-101
Suns-115

Spurs Boxscore | Suns Boxscore


Duncan couldn't get it going in the game as he only scored 14 points

PHOENIX, March 9 (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Suns needed everyone at their best to hold off the San Antonio Spurs, who were outplayed in the last quarter. Phoenix scored 39 of its 115 points in the final quarter as they turned back the struggling Spurs, 115-101, and gained some ground for the NBA’s top record. The victory gave the Suns (47-14) wins over every team except the Mavericks, the first time they have done that since the 1994-95 season. But it was in no way a convincing triumph as the Spurs (45-16) nearly swept the Suns. Duncan, a two-time MVP, was held to just 14 points, but grabbed 13 rebounds. Ginobili, the 2005 Slam Dunk Champion went off in the game scoring 32 points on 13-27 shooting.

"The bottom line is we beat San Antonio, but I don't think it means anything for the future," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We definitely didn't put any fear in Ginobili or Duncan's eyes. We didn't play well until the last quarter, but that is what happens when you are psyched up for a game.” The Spurs fought back from an early 8-point deficit and threw a scare into the Suns in the 3rd quarter. But they had no answer for Nash, Richardson, Marion and Stoudemire. Phoenix’s “Big Four” combined for 94 points. "We ended the game with a lot of intensity and didn't let down until we the buzzer sounded," Stoudemire explained. "This was a must win for us because we stood too close to their record and we needed some space."

Stoudemire had a three-point play to give Phoenix an 95-88 lead early in the fourth quarter but sat with his fifth foul less than two minutes later. With him on the bench, the Spurs couldn’t get any closer than five points as Nash and Richardson took over. Both players had easy hoops before Stoudemire returned with 4:49 to go. He had two free throws, a dunk and two more free throws to keep the lead at double digits with just under two minutes remaining. Richardson had 22 points and 8 rebounds and Steve Nash added a team-high 29 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who had lost their last eight meetings with the Spurs, dating to the first round of the 2003 playoffs. "We pulled out a good win against a good team," said Marion. "We made some good stops held them down when we needed to and got the win."

Bowen scored 19 points for the Spurs, none in the fourth quarter. The Suns have won four in a row and ended a three-game run by the Spurs. "Yes, we lost but it was good for us because it showed us we can trust the system to keep us in games," Spurs swingman Brent Barry said. "If we defend properly and make an effort to do the things we are suppose to do on the court we can play with anybody regardless who is playing with us."

Game Photos
Amare showing Duncan that he can hang with the big boys
Stoudemire dunking over Nesterovic
Nash penetrating from the wing
Parker taking a tough fadeaway in the paint
Marion loses the ball from the double team
Ginobili gets the two hand dunk over Marion
Ginobili gets the two hand dunk over Marion

[Mark.]

Hey Mafia man,

Thanks for the word out a few days back.

I havent fully caught up on everything on this page (grrr ive moved out of home so only 56k now) but the All Star recap was off the hook, ive always said that you are the best recap writer here but you upped your game massively for the all star weekend, one particular paragraph that I thought was really effective was:

That's it from All-Star Weekend here in Denver. So, class, what did we learn?

On Friday, we noted that the league is in good hands. On Saturday, we found out that the point guard associated with Phoenix is really, really good and Ginobili can do just about anything. Last, but not least, on Sunday, we got a full picture of one of the best forwards to ever play the game. Now, it's on to the second half of the season. Nothing's settled yet. Not with Phoenix a mere game ahead of the Spurs for the best record in the league, and not with the Grizzlies and Rockets playing as well as any teams have had all year long. Sure, Miami's on a roll with a 6-game winning streak, but nothing's settled there either. Not with the Celtics and Pacers picking up steam in the East. So, it should be a great second half. And with scoring up across the league, it should be exciting as well.

Pure Brilliance

Ill finish catching up on the rest of the dynasty soon

Peace dude