The Warrior Zone wrote:|---THE WARRIOR ZONE---|
Month In Review: April 2010
Record: 47-35 (3-5) | Home: 27-14 (2-2) | Road: 20-21 (1-3) | 3rd Pacific, 5th West
After a phenomenal March, injuries and luck caught up to the Warriors, as they slumped into the post-season with a 3-5 month in April. Fortunately, Ricky Rubio and Stephen Jackson made their returns, and didn't show much rust. Thankfully, we won our final game of our month against the Clippers to secure a first round match-up with the 48-34 Sacramento Kings, dodging series with division winners LA, Portland and San Antonio. The 47-35 finish is an 18 game improvement over last season's paltry 29 win showing,
Game Results:
Mavericks 103, Warriors 111 (45-30)
Suns 119, Warriors 107 (45-31)
Rockets 104, Warriors 128 (45-32)
Warriors 114, Hornets 109 (46-32)
Warriors 81, Spurs 96 (46-33)
Warriors 92, Blazers 103 (46-34)
Spurs 116, Warriors 107 (46-35)
Clippers 96, Warriors 105 (47-35)0
Player Averages: (Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks)
Steve Nash: 16.7 | 2.2 | 8.8 | 0.9 | 0.1
Anthony Morrow: 13.0 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2
Stephen Jackson: 16.4 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 0.1
Anthony Randolph: 16.8 | 11.2 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 1.8
Andris Biedrins: 9.0 | 9.9 | 1.0 | 0.3| 2.0
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Rudy Fernandez: 9.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.0
Ricky Rubio: 6.2 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 0.1
Salim Stoudamire: 9.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.0
Darko Milicic: 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9
Joel Przybilla: 3.7 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6
Chase Budinger: 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0
Mark Blount: 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1
Brian Cardinal 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0
Kyrylo Fesenko still has yet to play, as he is still a scrub.
Western Conference Standings:
Pacific------------------------Northwest-------------------Southwest
61-21-------------------- 57-25--------------------- 55-27
48-34-------------------- 46-36--------------------- 46-36
47-35-------------------- 35-47--------------------- 40-42
45-37-------------------- 30-52--------------------- 38-44
34-48-------------------- 18-64--------------------- 33-49
Eastern Conference Standings:
Atlantic----------------------Central----------------------Southeast
60-22-------------------- 51-31-------------------- 54-28
38-44-------------------- 41-35-------------------- 41-41
37-45-------------------- 36-46-------------------- 40-42
37-45-------------------- 34-48-------------------- 35-47
25-57-------------------- 32-50-------------------- 31-51
First-Round Playoff Seedings
(1) LA Lakers [61-21] Vs. (8) LA Clippers [45-37]
(4) Sacramento [48-34] Vs. (5) Golden State [47-35]
(3) San Antonio [55-27] Vs. (6) Denver [46-36]
(2) Portland [57-25] Vs. (7) Houston [46-36]
(1) Boston [60-22] Vs. (8) New Jersey [37-45]
(4) Chicago [45-37] Vs. (5) Charlotte [41-41]
(3) Cleveland [51=31] Vs. (6) Atlanta [40-42]
(2) Orlando [54-28] Vs. (7) Toronto [38-44]
Race 2 The MVP:
Kobe Bryant (27.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.4 APG; Lakers: 61-21)
LeBron James (29.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.5 APG; Cavaliers: 51-31)
Dwight Howard (24.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 2.9 BPG; Magic: 54-28)
Rajon Rondo (15.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 9.0 APG, 2.3 SPG; Celtics: 60-22)
Brandon Roy (22.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.4 APG; Blazers: 57-25)
Players Of The Month
East Player: Dwight Howard
West Player: Kobe Bryant
East Rookie: James Harden
West Rookie: Jrue Holiday
2010 Mock Lottery:
1. Minnesota: John Wall (Kentucky)
2. Utah (via New York): Evan Turner (Ohio State)
3. Utah: Wesley Johnson (Syracuse)
4. Miami: DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)
5. Indiana: Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
6. Memphis: Donatas Motiejunas (Lithuania)
7. Detroit: Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
8. Oklahoma City (via Phoenix): Cole Aldrich
9. Oklahoma City: Willie Warren (Oklahoma)
10. Washington: Xavier Henry (Kansas)
11. Milwaukee: Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
12. Philadelphia: Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
13. New Orleans: Damion James (Texas)
14. Golden State (via Dallas): Greg Monroe (Georgetown)
League Leaders:
Points Per Game:
1. LeBron James: 29.7
2. Kobe Bryant: 27.4
3. Michael Redd: 27.2
4. Kevin Durant: 26.9
5. Dirk Nowitzki: 26.2
42. Anthony Randolph: 16.9
Rebounds Per Game:
1. Dwight Howard: 12.0
2. Anthony Randolph: 11.3
3. Al Jefferson: 11.1
4. David Lee: 10.8
5. Carlos Boozer: 10.7
Assists Per Game:
1. Chris Paul: 10.1
2. Deron Williams: 9.6
3. Jose Calderon: 9.2
4. Rajon Rondo: 9.0
5. Steve Nash: 8.8
Steals Per Game:
1. Chris Paul: 2.4
2. Rajon Rondo: 2.3
3. Dwyane Wade: 2.0
3. Caron Butler: 2.0
5. Russell Westbrook: 1.9
18. Ricky Rubio: 1.4
Blocks Per Game:
1. Dwight Howard: 2.9
2. Josh Smith: 2.8
3. Andrei Kirilenko: 2.6
4. Josh Smith: 2.5
4. Marcus Camby: 2.5
11. Andris Biedrins: 2.0
Field Goal %:
1. Dwight Howard: .590
2. Carl Landry: .578
3. Anthony Randolph: .575
4. Chris Bosh: .574
5. Shaquille O'Neal: .568
Three Point %:
1. Jason Kapono: .505
2. Peja Stojakovic: .488
3. Rashard Lewis: .475
4. Danilo Gallinari: .470
5. Eddie House: .468
9. Anthony Morrow: .448
Free Throw %
1. Jose Calderon: .978
2. Chauncey Billups: .949
3. Steve Nash: .944
4. Peja Stojakovic: .942
5. Ray Allen: .939
Nelliepoints Standings:
Randolph: 18
Nash: 15
Morrow: 5
Biedrins: 5
Stoudamire: 2
Jackson: 1
Fernandez: 1
Rubio: 1
Randolph: 130
Nash: 111
Jackson: 67
Morrow: 39
Biedrins: 24
Fernandez: 16
Stoudamire: 9
Rubio: 8
Rip32 wrote:Greg Monroe is the perfect big man for Nellie Ball, I hope you get him!
2010 NBA Playoffs Preview: Conference Quarterfinals
By Kalab Washburn, RealGM
April 16, 2010 - The NBA regular season has concluded, and the first round match-ups are set. As usual, the Western Conference is densely populated with strong teams, while only half of the East's playoff teams even have winning records. The opening round of the post-season has some intriguing storylines, with the Staples series between Shaq's Clippers taking on Kobe's Lakers, the Bobcats making their first post-season appearance and the new-look Bulls, Magic and Cavaliers making their playoff debuts. Here are a series of previews for what's to come in each series.
Western Conference:(1) LA Lakers (61-21) Vs. (8) LA Clippers (45-37)
Lakers Rotation: D. Fisher | K. Bryant | L. Odom | P. Gasol | A. Bynum (S. Vujacic, L. Walton, J. Foster)
Clippers Rotation: R. Sessions | E. Gordon | G. Hill | B. Griffin | S. O'Neal (B. Davis, A. Kirilenko, M. Camby)
The defending champion Lakers lost a great deal of depth in the off-season, but thanks to strong chemistry, a fantastic starting five and a hall-of-fame coach, they have managed to win 61 games, good for tops in the league. The Clippers, meanwhile, are an extremely deep team full of talent, but all of their rotation players are either washed-up or inexperienced with very little middle ground. In this series between the two Los Angeles teams, former Laker center Shaquille O'Neal will renew his rivalry with Kobe Bryant. Despite the 16 win difference between the two teams, this series could be closer than you'd think, with the Clippers coming on strong after the all-star break (20-10). This is one to watch.
Expert Prediction: Lakers in 6.(4) Sacramento Kings (48-34) Vs. (5) Golden State Warriors (47-35)
Kings Rotation: K. Hinrich | K. Martin | A. Nocioni | C. Boozer | S. Hawes (T. Evans, C. Andersen, J. Thompson)
Warriors Rotation: S. Nash | A. Morrow | S. Jackson | A. Randolph | A. Biedrins (R. Fernandez, R. Rubio, S. Stoudamire)
This series sees a pair of California teams who made substantial off-season improvements square off. The Warriors have faced their fair share of adversity this season, but nonetheless finished the season with a strong 47-35 record. The Kings, meanwhile, have been far more consistent, but have underachieved slightly to a 48-34 record. The acquisitions of Carlos Boozer, Tyreke Evans, Chris Andersen and Kirk Hinrich were slated to make them contenders, but they have been merely a second-tier West team. Nonetheless, they are a very solid squad. The mercurial Golden State Warriors have a pair of legit stars in Steve Nash and Anthony Randolph, along with many decent role players around them. However, a lack of size, experience and organization has kept them from contention. The Warriors are an extremely dangerous team, but I think the more cohesive Kings take this in the end.
Expert Prediction: Kings in 6.(3) San Antonio Spurs (55-27) Vs. (6) Denver Nuggets (46-36)
Spurs Rotation: T. Parker | M. Ginobili | R. Jefferson | T. Duncan | B. Miller (M. Bonner, R. Mason, M. Finley)
Nuggets Rotation: C. Billups | J.R. Smith | C. Anthony | K. Martin | Nene (R. Wallace, S. Brown, R. Murray)
The San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets meet in the first round for the third time in six years. Both times, the Nuggets won game 1, before losing in 5 games. With the Spurs hitting their stride towards the end of the season, and the underachieving Nuggets slumping a bit in April, this looks to be the case again. Adding veteran center Brad Miller was just what the doctor ordered for the Spurs as they pulled away for an excellent 55-27 record. The Nuggets, or should I say, Thuggets, were bolstered by the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace, but their lack of defense and chemistry makes them non-contenders. Spurs cruise here.
Expert Prediction: Spurs in 5.(2) Portland Trailblazers (57-25) Vs. (7) Houston Rockets (46-36)
Blazers Rotation: R. Felton | B. Roy | D. Granger | C. Landry | L. Aldridge (C. Villanueva, J. Bayless, T. Outlaw)
Rockets Rotation: A. Brooks | M. Pietrus | S. Battier | C. Bosh | M. Yao (K. Lowry, R. Evans, O. Casspi)
After ripping off the Rockets in the Tracy McGrady-Chris Bosh deal, expectations were high for the new-look Houston Rockets. However, after a solid start to the season, Yao Ming got injured, and the Rockets had an awful March. Houston bounced back somewhat with the Chinese center's return, but by then, the Spurs had won the division. The Blazers made a flurry of offseason moves, and now have a ridiculously potent offensive team. Their defense is a bit suspect, but the Blazers have been unstoppable at times, with their depth and efficiency. The West's #2 team got a raw deal in the playoff seeding, drawing the Rockets, who, despite being the seventh seed, have serious potential to go deep in these playoffs. Chris Bosh is in his contract season, and this series could decide his fate.
Expert Prediction: Blazers in 6.
Eastern Conference:(1) Boston Celtics (60-22) Vs. (8) New Jersey Nets (37-45)
Celtics Rotation: R. Rondo | R. Allen | P. Pierce | K. Garnett | K. Perkins (G. Davis, T. Lawson, E. House)
Nets Rotation: B. Jennings | D. Harris | V. Carter | J. Yi | B. Lopez (A. Varejao, C. Douglas-Roberts, K. Dooling)
The New Jersey Nets currently play an exciting small-ball lineup that's fun to watch and fun for opposing teams' offensive players. Running a three-guard lineup let by rookie Brandon Jennings, the Nets have been subpar and inconsistent all year, but were lucky to sneak into the playoffs in the awful Eastern Conference. The Celtics started out the season ridiculously hot, before cooling down and finishing with a conference best 60 wins. The team is full of all-stars and proven winners who should have no problem dispatching the Nets. New Jersey is fun to watch, but the 2008 champs will destroy them.
Expert Prediction: Celtics in 4.(4) Chicago Bulls (45-37) Vs. (5) Charlotte Bobcats (41-41)
Bulls Rotation: D. Rose | J. Salmons | R. Artest | A. Stoudemire | J. Noah (L. Deng, R. McCants, F. Garcia)
Bobcats Rotation: D.J. Augustin | J. Harden | G. Wallace | S. Marion | T. Chandler (N. Robinson, B. Diaw, R. Bell)
Here's an interesting series. The red hot Bobcats have streaked into the post-season, and are making their first franchise playoff appearance. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a blockbuster trade that landed them Amar'e Stoudemire, which has yielded positive, albeit somewhat underwhelming result. STAT's addition hasn't quite turned Chicago into the elite Eastern Conference power that some pundits had expected, and Ron Artest's return to the team didn't give them much of a boost either. Charlotte is making their first playoff appearance, but their team is arguably more experienced, with vets Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler among others. Not to mention, the Bobcats swept the season series 3-0. This should be the most interesting first round match-up, and I have to go with the underdogs here.
Expert Prediction: Bobcats in 7.(3) Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) Vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks (40-42)
Cavaliers Rotation: M. Williams | R. Hamilton | L. James | A. McDyess | Z. Ilgauskas (D. West, M. Barnes, A. Daye)
Hawks Rotation: M. Bibby | J. Johnson | M. Williams | J. Smith | A. Horford (A. Iverson, M. Evans, Z. Pachulia)
The Cleveland Cavaliers kick off what could be their last title run with LeBron James against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks started off the season poorly, but after spending nearly the entire season on the outside looking in, sneaked into the playoffs with a 6-3 April. With a star of their own (Joe Johnson) coming off of the books, The Hawks should be poised to perform well in the playoffs. The Cavs, meanwhile, acquired veterans Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess. The deal really hasn't made much of an impact yet, but the former Pistons could win a playoff game or two for them. The Hawks match up well, and are pretty talented for a 40 win team, but I think LeBron and the Cavs will be too much for them here.
Expert Prediction: Cavaliers in 6.(2) Orlando Magic (54-28) Vs. (7) Toronto Raptors (38-44)
Magic Rotation: C. Paul | C. Lee | P. Stojakovic | R. Lewis | D. Howard (M. Gortat, J.J. Redick, E. Ilyasova)
Raptors Rotation: J. Calderon | T. McGrady | T. Ariza | L. Scola | A. Bargnani (J. Graham, M. Banks, W. Ellington)
This one will probably be a wash. The Magic are the odds-on title favorites this season after acquiring Chris Paul in a blockbuster deadline deal with the Hornets. Their extremely stacked and talented team is far better than their 54-28 record suggests, and should be a dominant force in this league for years to come. The Raptors are just happy to be their. Their shallow, no-defense team are simply waiting out the season for Tracy McGrady's contract to expire, and any playoff wins they accumulate would be gravy.
Expert Prediction: Magic in 4.
De8 wrote:If the Finals was Magic and Lakers, it would be very very interesting
Lamrock wrote:Everyone but Cartar has Golden State winning the first round. You guys sure like to pick the "underdog"
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