A LEGEND IS BORN II

[Its_asdf]

Oh man, I completely forgot that NLSC had an association section. I have a lot of catching up to do.

[Fresh8]

Blazers Hold Off Stealth’s Strong Final Quarter Performance

Preview | Box Score | Recap


Travis Outlaw stepped up at the right time

18 May, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Kevin Durant kept leading his side back from double digit deficits but Travis Outlaw kept pulling his team away from a desperate Seattle side. Durant scored 2 more points than Outlaw in an exciting matchup between the two opposing small forwards. “Travis Outlaw played a great game tonight. He and Kevin Durant provided a spectacle for the fans,” George Karl said after the game. Durant finished with 34 points while Outlaw led Portland with 32.

Jerryd Bayless had a great game off the bench with 20 points while Greg Oden asserted his dominance in the paint with an impressive 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Steve Nash was solid with 14 points and 7 assists.

Jeff Green and Trevor Ariza tried their best for his side as Seattle saw limited production from its starters Jason Kidd, Brad Miller, and Reshawn Tyson. Green scored 18 points from off the bench while Ariza added 15. Kidd was held scoreless but did throw in 14 assists.

Outlaw shone for his side as he started the second quarter with a big three pointer before adding a dunk in traffic on the next possession. That ignited a 10-2 game that broke the game open. Portland soon took a 15 point lead midway through the second quarter, the score 45-30. Portland’s frontcourt was too strong and big for Seattle as Brad Miller and David Lee struggled to make their presences felt; being scored upon and blocked.

The score ballooned to 51-33 before Coach Karl took a timeout. After a furious ribbing, Seattle came back out with a renewed vigor. Durant returned to the floor after a prolonged rest as he along with Ariza and rookie Rocky Akonnor helped Seattle make a 10-0 run. Adam Morrison’s three point bucket extended their run to 13 and the score was close at 54-47. Durant’s two free throws with 50 seconds left in the half pushed their total up to 49 as a Carlos Boozer’s put-back dunk just before the half ended added another 2 points to Portland’s 54. The teams left the floor with the halftime score at 56-49 and the home side confident that they could stick with their opponents.

The third quarter started in the same fashion as the second quarter and saw Portland reach yet another 20 point lead thanks to the scoring exploits of Outlaw and sixth man Bayless. Ariza and Akonnor once again led another charge back by Seattle. Seattle was able to pull back within 5 points with 2 minutes left in the third period but Portland were able to put on another handful of points and the momentum seemed to side with the Blazers.

Portland was up by 9 points and threatening to score on the last possession and enter the final break with a double digit lead, Seattle’s Akonnor came up with the play that wowed everyone in attendance. The rookie 7’3” big man played spirited defense against Portland’s Oden and intercepted a pass meant for the Blazers’ anchor with 9 seconds left. Akonnor then ran the fast break by himself but it was all a fizzer when he missed the layup. Although the rookie missed the shot, he prevented Oden from scoring a bucket that could have sealed the game. “Rocky’s steal kept us focused. If Portland led by 10 or 11, I’m not sure if we could have kept fighting back. It was setback after setback tonight and I could tell that everyone was just really tired and wanted it over and done with,” Jason Kidd said.

Akonnor’s steal did not matter in the end as Portland cruised to victory. They opened the final period with Nash scoring back to back layups and held their 15 point lead for the rest of the night. “I’m excited,” Nash stated after the match, “We’re up by two games with the next two in Portland. We are in a great position right now.”

George Karl stated that his team lost because of the physicality of the Portland frontcourt, Seattle lost in the battle on the boards 36-21 and gave up 13 offensive rebounds while grabbing just 3 for themselves. The head coach was pleased with the production of Akonnor, the rookie finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 5 blocks.

Notes: Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was won by the Boston Celtics on the Miami Heats’ home court. Ray Allen (29), Paul Pierce (24), and Kevin Garnett (21) led the Celtics to a 104-98 victory. Heat superstar Dwyane Wade was held to 15 points… Reshawn Tyson started at SG and was again a total non-factor due to foul trouble and then eventually fouling out mid way through the final quarter. The rookie had just 6 points… Martell Webster tumbled to the ground after taking a charge from Jason Kidd, falling on his wrist. He went off the floor and immediate X-rays came back negative… The Stealth bench outscored Portland’s 51-36…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

Portland (Away) 32 – 24 – 29 – 37 – 122
Seattle (Home) 26 – 23 – 27 – 34 – 110

Jordan Player of the Game

Travis Outlaw
32 Points
13-17 FG
6-6 FT
4 Assists
2 Steals
2 Rebounds

Key Performers

Portland Trailblazers

J Bayless 20 pt, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 9-16 FG, 2-6 3PT
G Oden 19 pt, 10 reb, 2 ast, 6 blk, 9-10 FG, 1-1 FT
S Nash 14 pt, 7 ast, 5-18 FG, 2-6 3PT, 2-2 FT
C Boozer 12 pt, 8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 6-7 FG
B Roy 9 pt, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 3-12 FG, 0-4 3PT, 3-4 FT
L Aldridge 8 pt, 5 reb

Seattle Stealth (Trails Series 0-2)

K Durant 34 pt, 5 reb, 1 blk, 14-20 FG, 2-4 3PT, 4-5 FT
J Green 18 pt, 8-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 1-2 FT
T Ariza 15 pt, 2 stl, 7-13 FG
D Lee 13 pt, 2 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 6-11 FG, 1-1 FT
A Morrison 12 pt, 5-12 FG, 2-8 3PT

[Martti.]

Ty is really struggling. Now you have to step up and get those road wins!

[kibaxx7]

Yeah bro, you gotta come up strong at the road!

[XpLosibo]

the drama continues for the young fella u gotta stay away from the 3-0 twilight zone

[hova-]

the Blazers have such a stacked squad. Its nice that they turn out to be as good as they should be. Your main problem is under the basket. Championships have always been bound to decent big men/low post players .. Kareem, Shaq, TD .. even KG and Pau .. I don see that on your roster with Miller and Lee.

Still I hope you can turn things around. GL on the road.

[kaiser_kobe]

Man, hope that youll start a comeback in the next game...also nice mock draft, so I was compared to Grant Hill huh?...just hope that he dont have a serious injury in his career hehe ...

[Lamrock]

You'll probably take Game 3, but it looks like its over for you. Better luck next year!

[The X]

Good that Blazers are hopefully going to beat you. Makes my Nuggets' loss not seem so bad

[Fresh8]

X, you're a hater

[Valor]

if you play better defense, and get Ty on a roll, you would have a slight chance on coming back and winning the next 4
good luck man

[Fresh8]

Adam Morrison’s Two Magic Moments Steal Game Three

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Adam Morrison’s game-saving steal

20 May, 2010

PORTLAND (AP) – George Karl decided to go with Reshawn Tyson down the stretch. Tyson was underwhelming as he missed a layup before taking a wide open three point shot 1:17. He did not just miss, he had an airball. That prompted the coach to sub on Adam Morrison in place of the struggling rookie and Morrison delivered. Morrison’s mid range jumper gave his side a 1 point lead with 7.8 seconds left in the game.

It was the play on the other end of the court that sealed the match and made everyone sit up and take notice. Morrison, struggling for most of his NBA career after a distinguished College career, had finally arrived on the world stage. Morrison stripped the ball off of Greg Oden with 4.6 seconds left and that play will go down as one of the greatest plays in NBA playoffs history.

“It was not just the steal,” explained Kidd, a veteran of the game, “The atmosphere, the implications if we had lost this if Oden scored the look on everyone’s faces. No one saw this coming especially from Adam. We all know he’s a great player but he’s never really fit in (in the NBA) so this was a great great play.”

Morrison finished the game with 16 points, helping Seattle to avoid trailing Portland by three games heading into the next game. “I’m glad that the series is 2-1 instead of 3-0,” the shy and quiet Morrison said after the match, “I guess I’m just lucky that I was caught down in that part of the court with Rocky and Greg Oden. If it was anyone else in my shoes, I’m sure they would have come up with something like that too.”

Kevin Durant led Seattle with 22 points, Jason Kidd added 18, 7 assists, and David Lee scored 19. Rocky Akonnor was a surprise starter and the rookie big man delivered 8 points, 4 rebounds, as well as what Lee described as ‘20 deflections’. “I looked at the box score after the game and I was just surprised Rocky didn’t even have 1 block. I’m sure he had like 5 or 6 tonight, if anything, he changed a lot of shots tonight,” Lee stated.

Travis Outlaw led Portland with 22, Brandon Roy shook off a poor Game 2 showing with 21 points, and Carlos Boozer did the same by adding 15. Greg Oden continued to impress in the postseason with a haul of 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

The game was a high scoring affair with 5 Stealth players in double figures and 7 for the Blazers. The first quarter was competitive with Durant scoring 12, Kidd adding 9, and Steve Nash putting in a valiant effort to keep the home team in the game with 11 first quarter points. Seattle extended their lead to 37-27 in the second period and it looked to have sapped the life out of Portland but the Blazers capitalized on the complacency and sloppy play of the Stealth to come back. Two steals by Roy and points scored off of those turnovers awarded Portland with a lead late in the first half.

Behind strong play on both ends of the floor by Akonnor, Seattle regained a slim lead in the third quarter. The highest their lead got to was when the score was 78-71 just before a Portland time out. The two teams slugged it on from thereon in and the match was decided based on the play of the two teams in the dying moments of the match.

Oden’s dunk has the Blazers within 3 of Seattle; 103-100 with 3:50 left. Roy’s three tied the match up and Carlos Boozer’s mid range jumper gave his team with their first lead of the final quarter with 2:26 left. David Lee and Roy exchanged buckets before Lee was fouled on his shot attempt with 1:41 remaining. Lee’s shot rolled in and he converted the subsequent free throw. Seattle was up 110-109.

Boozer quickly dunked on the other end and Lee foolishly got in the way and sent Boozer to the line. Boozer finished off the three point play. With Seattle down by 2 points, the Stealth took a time out. Durant had been hot the whole final quarter but Karl decided to use Durant as a decoy to get Tyson a shot. The team went back out on the floor and went with the play, freeing up Tyson at the top of the key. Tyson’s air ball drew cheers from the crowd.

Boozer missed an easy two points on the other end before Kidd missed a layup opportunity. Lee grabbed Kidd’s miss and popped the ball back out to Kidd who this time sunk a rainbow three pointer. With 40 seconds remaining, Seattle was up 113-112. Seattle’s full court press was broken by Portland’s beautiful string of passes that culminated with a dunk from Boozer with half a minute remaining on the clock.

Kidd ran the clock down before passing to Lee for a shot attempt. Lee was hacked on the play and sent to the line for a pair of free throws. The career 78% free throw shooter sank both from the charity stripe and Seattle with a 1 point lead with 22.8 on the clock. Outlaw threw the ball down and Portland retook the lead at 115-116. Seattle called a timeout and Morrison came out to hit the game winning bucket with 7.8 left on the clock. He then made that soon-to-be famous defensive play on the other end and dribbled the clock out.

Notes: The Boston Celtics extended their series lead to 2 games as they pulled off a second straight win in Miami. The Heat got 32 points and 9 assists from Dwyane Wade but Paul Pierce led a Boston comeback in the third quarter. The Celtics outscored Miami 31-16 in the period to come within single digits of their opponents to start the final quarter. Pierce ended the game with 38 points… Kevin Durant did not talk to reporters after the game, Morrison replaced him at the podium… George Karl stated that although Akonnor did a ‘commendable’ job, the rookie is not guaranteed to retake the starting C spot… Seattle had great success from behind the arc, sinking 7 of 13 from long range. Portland made just 3 of 11…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

Seattle (Away) 31 – 29 – 35 – 22 – 117
Portland (Home) 26 – 35 – 27 – 28 – 116

Jordan Player of the Game

David Lee
19 Points
4 Rebounds
3 Assists
1 Block
8-9 FG
3-3 FT

Key Performers

Seattle Stealth (Trails Series 1-2)

K Durant 22 pt, 4 ast, 4 stl, 9-12 FG, 2-2 3PT, 2-2 FT
J Kidd 18 pt, 7 ast, 2 stl, 6-13 FG, 2-2 3PT, 2-2 FT
A Morrison 16 pt, 3 ast, 1 stl, 7-9 FG, 2-2 3PT
B Miller 8 pt, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl
J Green 12 pt, 3 ast, 5-7 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT
R Tyson 8 pt, 3-15 FG

Portland Trailblazers

B Roy 21 pt, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 ast, 10-12 FG, 1-1 3PT
T Outlaw 22 pt, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 11-21 FG, 0-2 3PT
G Oden 18 pt, 11 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk, 9-14 FG
C Boozer 15 pt, 2 reb, 4 ast, 7-9 FG
S Nash 13 pt, 5 ast, 6-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 1-1 FT
J Bayless 12 pt, 3 ast, 5-7 FG, 1-2 3PT
L Aldridge 11 pt, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk, 5-7 FG

[Valor]

woot! Morrison coming up big for you, with a game saving steal just like Ariza had done so many times in the real life playoffs
great win

[hova-]

Hell yeah! Big steal by Morrison. Still those Blazers impress me. 7 guys in double figues and hell look at th e balanced stats and the shooting. This will be very hard. Your 3pt shooting helped you out. I hope this continues. GL!

[chinoy316]

Are you kidding me?!? Adam Morrisson?!? Hahahaha...

[kibaxx7]

As hova said, all stats very balanced. Nice, incredibly important win.

[Martti.]

It's about time Morrison delivers Nice win, but damn, Tyson can't shoot anymore.. Rocky had a good game from the starting five also.

[Lamrock]

Nice win. Good to see your still in it. AMMO got 16 points, 3 assists and 1 steal than he would have if it were real life.

[The X]

Great to see the star players (i.e. Adam Morrison) stepping up. Let's see my 4-3 series win come to fruition

[Its_asdf]

I'm happy to see Adam Morrison perform well. I usually have a distinct hate for one dimensional white dudes but I've tended to be more sympathetic towards Morrison for some reason (maybe it's the diabetes). I'm predicting another win on your part to tie this thing up.

[Fresh8]

Team Effort From Seattle Helps Tie Series

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Brandon Roy (7) won the scoring battle
but Kevin Durant (35) was on the winning team

22 May, 2010

PORTLAND (AP) – Following the high intensity drama of Game 3, Portland and Seattle delivered yet another treat for basketball fans with another close battle in Game 4. The away team led for much of the match before the Blazers stamped their authority in the game during the third quarter. The teams entered the fourth separated by just a point and that culminated in another exciting finish.

The story for Seattle could not have been any more unexpected as the Seattle starters, with the exception of Kevin Durant, struggled for much of the game. The game started ay a blindingly quick pace as Jason Kidd, David Lee, and Durant put their wizardry on show. However, Kidd and Lee cooled off and Durant became a one man show.

Durant could only keep his team ahead with limited help for so long; Brandon Roy caught fire in the third period and a scoring battle between Roy and Durant ensued. Roy scored 17 of his 27 points in the third quarter. Roy hit four three pointers including one with 1:16 left to give his team their biggest lead of the night at 60-67.

As the Blazers romped through the third period and took their first lead of the game, Stealth head coach George Karl looked down his bench. He later admitted, “I don’t trust any of my bench guys as much as my starters but I had to take a gamble.”

On came little used PF Chris Wilcox and mid-season signing Trevor Ariza and the two of them made all the difference, keeping Seattle in the game. Wilcox and Ariza scored all their points in the second half. Wilcox surprised everyone when he sank three jumpers that were closer to the three point line than mid-range. The player assigned to defend him, Carlos Boozer, was shocked, “I didn’t know he (Chris Wilcox) could shoot a 18, 20 foot jumper.”

Karl smiled when asked about Wilcox’s range, “He did stretch the Portland defense didn’t he?” Ariza’s hustle and energy play helped make his team mates refocus. He even hit two big three pointers, one at the buzzer at the end of the third quarter and another to start the fourth quarter. Ariza’s three to start the fourth put Seattle up 72-71 early on before Wilcox scored back to back hook shots over Boozer.

Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net for long stretches of the final quarter as Seattle continued to hold a comfortable lead. With time winding down, the Blazers would make one final push to try and pull out a win and take a 3-1 series lead. Steve Nash’s triple with 1:55 left, pulled his team within 4 points at 84-80. Roy then hit a long two pointer with 1:07 remaining, the score reaching 84-82.

And as everyone seemed to have forgotten about Durant, he made sure that no one would at the end of the night. After having his shot blocked by Greg Oden, Durant gathered up the swat and saw that there was only 10 seconds left on the clock. He passed to Kidd and then ran around him to grab the handoff. Durant continued to dribble out near the three point line and pulled up to nail a bucket. Unfortunately, the officials called it a two because his foot appeared to be on the line. The Stealth forced a stop on the other end and called a timeout. After it, Durant hit a beautiful fade away jumper with 32 seconds left and the Stealth had an 88-82 advantage.

Boozer would have a put back dunk with 11 left on the clock and the Stealth would move the ball up the court quick enough to avoid the foul. Durant missed a wild jump shot but David Lee would grab the rebound and send it back out to Kidd. Kidd threw the shot up to avoid the foul and Lee grabbed his second straight offensive board as time wound down.

“We’ve come back from 0-2 down and it’s time for us to win at home,” Durant told reporters, “There’s no excuse if we lose Game 5. It’s absolutely important that we win that game.” In the home team’s locker room, Steve Nash shared the same sentiments, “Whoever wins Game 5 is going to win the series. I guarantee that.”

Notes: The Boston Celtics are on the verge of sweeping the Miami Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals after winning Game 3 at home 113-108. Dwyane Wade was held to 12 points on just 5 for 16 shooting but team mates Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers stepped up. Beasley had 26 points, 11 rebounds and Chalmers added 25 and 6 assists. However, Boston were too strong being led by Ray Allen’s 27 points, Paul Pierce’s 23, and Kevin Garnett’s 19 points and 12 rebounds… Blazers G Martell Webster has a sprained wrist and does not expect to play many minutes… Brandon Roy noted after the game, “I don’t usually take too much notice of individual matchups but put this on record, I don’t like Durant much as a person or a player.”…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

Seattle (Away) 27 – 23 – 17 – 21 – 88
Portland (Home) 24 – 18 – 27 – 15 – 84

Jordan Player of the Game

Kevin Durant
17 Points
3 Rebounds
5 Assists
1 Steal
1 Block
8-15 FG
1-3 3PT

Key Performers

Seattle Stealth (Trails Series 2-2)

C Wilcox 12 pt, 6-7 FG
J Kidd 11 pt, 11 ast, 5-11 FG, 1-4 3PT
R Tyson 11 pt, 3 reb, 3 ast, 4-7 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FT
T Ariza 10 pt, 1 reb, 4-6 FG, 2-4 3PT
B Miller 6 pt, 9 reb

Portland Trailblazers

B Roy 27 pt, 4 reb, 11-23 FG, 5-11 3PT
C Boozer 16 pt, 9 reb, 2 ast, 7-7 FG, 2-2 FT
J Bayless 11 pt, 4-8 FG, 2-3 3PT
T Outlaw 10 pt, 3 ast, 5-12 FG, 0-4 3PT, 0-2 FT
S Nash 7 pt, 8 ast, 3-13 FG

[Lamrock]

Looks like you guys are going to the finals now. Its crazy that all 4 games so far have been won on the road. Hope you can buck that trend and take game 5. Good luck. Go Seattle!

[XpLosibo]

finally, the rook played his best in this series

[The X]

Gotta luv the way Brandon Roy is playing

[Martti.]

Two more wins in a row and my prediction goes correctly.