River Walk Chronicles ♦ ///

[kibaxx7]

Lai, North Carolina jump to early lead, rout Williams, Kentucky
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (Kentucky :: N. Carolina)
NORTH CAROLINA, December 4 -- Having won the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and not qualifying for it in 2010, the North Carolina Tar Heels got to the best possible start against Kentucky. The Tar Heels took a big lead early, 16-4, and led by as many as 48 points in an 89-53 rout of the Wildcats. Marcus Ginyard scored 16 points -- in six field goals -- for North Carolina, who open the season with a win (1-0), while newcomer Leo Lai added 12 in his debut, in 6-of-13 shooting, and 4 assists. Center Tyler Zeller had 11 points and his backup Deon Thompson added 10 and 12 boards, without a turnover. “I think not qualifying for the NCAA tournament last year, it's keeping us more motivated to prove ourselves every game,” Lai said. Six Tar Heels reached double figures. Perry Stevenson led the Wildcats with 16 points to drop to 1-1; they beat Kansas 83-79 in their first game.

“I think our guys know how good they can be,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “I think this was a great start for us.” North Carolina took out their frustration on the outmatched Wildcats, who committed 14 turnovers, resulting in 10 fastbreak points for the Tar Heels. “Everybody's confidence is coming around,” Ginyard said. “This is going to be a good season for us. Everybody is on the same page.” The Tar Heels' tight pressing defense baffled Kentucky from the start as the Wildcats committed five consecutive turnovers, and North Carolina had a 14-2 run in the second quarter for a 21-point lead at halftime and never trailed again. “They blew us off the water,” Wildcats' point guard Jeff Williams said. “We had a lot of trouble shooting, but they obviously didn't tonight.” Williams shot 3-of-13 for 7 points, but had a team-high 5 assists. The Tar Heels shot 50 percent from the field (38-of-73) and also 50 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-10), but the key factor was North Carolina's bench advantage: 32-2, Kentucky's points coming from a layup by DeAndre Liggins. Darnell Dodson got his way for 15 points, but 7-of-26 from the field in a terrible night.



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Video Music :: Deadmau5 • “Not Exactly”

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[kibaxx7]

Kevin Love with a 22-22 nice

The only way the Wolves could score, it was him or Webster...

sooooo nice. lol

Glad you liked it.

Damn the Wolves got raped

I would say my bench killed the job.

Nice to see James Anderson with team high 17, TD almost perfect from the field.

Thanks John, posted that article "Spurs live on the arc", got excited and killed everyone's 3PT%

[Houndy]

That's an epic kill

Thierry, keep this up and all your past fails will be forgotten. Wonderful job.

[Fresh8]

Great NCAA update. Hope you can keep this up.

[dare]

Love that NCAA update man, good job

[hova-]

Sweeet update. Leo Lai had some nasty dunks.

[Valor]

Imma give you a double for both the awesome update and our awesome win
Nice to see my virtual self having some solid numbers despite playing only 23 minutes due to the massive blowout

oh, and this

Sweeet update. Leo Lai had some nasty dunks.

[kibaxx7]

Weekly Rewind N° 6 • Phoenix, Shannon Brown, injuries, rumors and more...
nba.com/spurs/morningcoffee | December 5th, 2010


SAN ANTONIO -- Welcome to the latest installment of my “Morning Coffee” blog, Spurs fanatics. I have some more tidbits here in the table for us to discuss. I'm doing a weekly report with things that happened around the league, including: in my opinion, the most interesting game of the week; signings & waivings; POTW honors; injury report and trading rumors. And starting from this coffee and on, Power Rankings and the All-Star game votes. Hope you join the discussion!

• Nash explodes for 41 as Suns outrun Warriors • A multi-headed monster led by Steve Nash's 41 points trumped coach Keith Smart, as the Phoenix Suns outran the Golden State Warriors 131-109 on December 2nd. The Suns have won two straight contests and stand 9th in the West with a 8-11 record, slowly reviving after losing five games in a row from November 14-22. “If we play like this all the time, we’re going to be tough to beat very soon,” Jason Richardson said; having played in Golden State from 2001-02 to 2006-07, Richardson scored 19 points. Phoenix shot 56 percent and held the Warriors to just 38 percent in the first half, and led 57-46 going into the third quarter. The Suns held advantages in assists, field goal percentage and turnovers; Stephen Curry and Vladimir Radmanovic combined for 48 points, but David Lee and Dorell Wright shot a combined 5-of-22 from the field. The third period was one of their strongest this season, with 38 points; they stayed big with Hakim Warrick, giving them an obvious advantage inside as Lee struggled, but still ran. The Phoenix train continued to roll into the fourth quarter, as the Suns opened the fourth with a 7-0 run and the lead reached 30; the Warriors posted a little run of their own, but Nash took over for Phoenix and the rest is history.

• Brown declares interest in entering free agency • Shannon Brown's agent flew to Los Angeles and called a meeting with him, confident they were close to hammering out a extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. But instead, they left the meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak far apart in negotiations. “We’re definitely not close as far as what we’re discussing and what we think fair market value is for Shannon,” Brown's agent said. While he declined to discuss numbers, he indicated there was a surprisingly “big” difference in the deals he and Kupchak proposed for the guard, but both sides “remain interested” in a new contract. “At this point I’m not as encouraged as I was a week ago, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t get done,” Brown, the Cleveland Cavaliers' first-round pick in 2006, said. “But as I've said to my agent, I would be interested in testing my value when free agency comes, with other organizations.” Kupchak could not immediately be reached for comment. After averaging 8.1 points and 2.2 rebounds last season, Brown won over Lakers fans with his high-flying dunks and coach Phil Jackson made re-signing him a top priority, despite averaging worst numbers than last year: 4.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.

• Players of the Week • The Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant and the Miami Heat's LeBron James today were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played November 28 - December 4. Durant and the Thunder only had a 1-3 week, but his numbers can't be ignored: averages of 35.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Leading the NBA in scoring (31.5 ppg) and PER (32.6), Durant added 3.0 assists and also 2.0 blocks per game last week. His 47-point, 12-rebound night at Ford Center on Nov. 29 against New Orleans helped the Thunder to win 112-94, and also scored 46 at Toronto to close the week, but the Raptors won 113-105. James led Miami to a 3-1 week, which included wins over Washington, Detroit and Cleveland. Scoring 26 or better in all four contests last week, James has now scored over 20 points in 16 of Miami’s 21 games this season. For the week, James averaged 27.5 points along with 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists, while also having 3.2 steals.

• Power Rankings • I would say the word of the week was “inconsistency”. Some results shown this week can make a difficult task of sorting out the middle of the pack in the initial Power Rankings of this 2010-11 season (remember, starting from this year, Power Rankings start in December). Fortunately, there are a few teams that make sorting out the top and bottom pretty easy. Best teams of the week? Toronto (3-0), LA Clippers (3-0) and Houston (4-1). The worst? Orlando (0-4), Dallas (0-4) and Indiana (0-4). Check the power rankings (Top 7) here.

• Injury report • Sorted by injuries with most duration, here you can check the full injury report. Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward Wesley Johnson left Friday's game against San Antonio with a left Achilles' tendon strain and didn't return. Johnson scored four points before leaving the game with 5:47 left in the first quarter. Dallas forward Shawn Marion will miss at least two weeks with a sprained shoulder, a major blow to the Mavericks. An MRI revealed the sprain and the Mavericks said that Marion, who was the team sixth man and was a key in the team's early success, is projected to be out for the next two to four weeks, a timetable that could keep him out until New Year. His loss figures to test the Mavericks like nothing else so far: without Marion, they had a 0-4 week.

• All-Star Voting • The 2011 NBA All-Star Ballot was unveiled on November 18th, during a special tip-off event in Los Angeles, the Official Host City of NBA All-Star 2011, and All-Star Balloting began on November 25th at 3 p.m. ET. The 60th NBA All-Star Game, which will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at STAPLES Center on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. NBA All-Star 2011 in Los Angeles will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. Los Angeles and the STAPLES Center will host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time STAPLES Center will be the site of the annual celebration. STAPLES Center last played host to NBA All-Star in 2004, and L.A. also hosted the All-Star Game in 1963, 1972, and 1983. To vote for your Spurs players you'd like to see play in the NBA All-Star Game, text the player's LAST NAME to 69622 (MYNBA).


• West Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL), 1.113.313; Deron Williams (UTA), 792.386; Chris Paul (NO), 652.094; Monta Ellis (GS), 587.131; Brandon Roy (POR), 519.438.
• West Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC), 818.107; Carmelo Anthony (DEN), 670.641; Dirk Nowitzki (DAL), 590.777; Tim Duncan (SA), 512.037; Pau Gasol (LAL), 509.538.
• West Centers: Yao Ming (HOU), 470.596; Chris Kaman (LAC), 324.177; Andrew Bynum (LAL), 305.883; Emeka Okafor (NO), 262.754; Marcus Camby (POR), 230.910.

• East Guards: Dwyane Wade (MIA), 909.931; Derrick Rose (CHI), 545.768; Rajon Rondo (BOS), 521.438; Stephen Jackson (CHA), 496.409; Gilbert Arenas (WAS), 419.724.
• East Forwards: LeBron James (MIA), 1.058.534; Amar'e Stoudemire (NY), 607.620; Chris Bosh (MIA), 558.638; Josh Smith (ATL), 513.114; Gerald Wallace (CHA), 507.742.
• East Centers: Dwight Howard (ORL), 646.664; Brook Lopez (NJ), 399.119; Andrew Bogut (MIL), 334.463; Andrea Bargnani (TOR), 301.864; Al Horford (ATL), 279.538.
• Trade rumors • An NBA source said Boston Celtics guard Delonte West is drawing interest from numerous teams, including New York, Detroit and Indiana; general manager Danny Ainge said “they are all considerations”. Coach Doc Rivers added, “We will try to improve. That’s what we should do. We are going to keep trying to make our team better.” With many wild trade rumors of late, including those involving West and Nate Robinson, Ainge and Rivers say they won't trade the core members of the Celtics. That means the starting lineup of the team, despite being 8th in the East with a non-expected 10-10 record. Unless something extraordinary is tossed in Boston’s way, do not expect a trade. “I do think we need to add a couple of pieces, but last year we won 50 games and reached the Finals. That gives you a lot of confidence,” Rivers added. In other news, Cavs forward Leon Powe said that he wants to stay in Cleveland, after hearing reports that Memphis offered guard Acie Law in exchange.

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[kibaxx7]

That's an epic kill

Thierry, keep this up and all your past fails will be forgotten. Wonderful job.

A blowout! And thanks man, I'm actually really happy with how this one is going, but all my past fails forgotten? That will be very hard. This will have to last at least twice than badreligionau's Nuggets!

Great NCAA update. Hope you can keep this up.

Thanks bro. Excited about the Blue Devils season?

Love that NCAA update man, good job

Thanks man.

Sweeet update. Leo Lai had some nasty dunks.

Yep nice debut from Leo.

Imma give you a double for both the awesome update and our awesome win
Nice to see my virtual self having some solid numbers despite playing only 23 minutes due to the massive blowout

Thanks man. Certainly a blowout. I remember the Tar Heels putting Ed Davis in the last quarter (I edited his rating to 25), it was all but decided

[Houndy]

Absolutely, one successful Association is better than none.

[Martti.]

Great looking NCAA recap, I hope Georgia Tech plays soon.

[john26]

Nice to see Duncan still in top voting for West All Stars despite tough competition.

[Mandich]

The Derrick Rose-Rajon Rondo race for the 2nd guard spot in the east will be interesting to see

[kibaxx7]

Duncan, Ginobili, Spurs outduel Paul, Hornets in thriller
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (NOH :: SAS)
SAN ANTONIO, December 5 -- There's nothing like the swagger. The San Antonio Spurs are again on a winning streak after beating the New Orleans Hornets in a 100-97 thriller in which Tim Duncan scored 20 points, including two jumpers in the final minute. Duncan, who also grabbed 15 rebounds, said: “You win games like this when you play well and never lose your focus. Our confidence was high going into the game, now it's much higher after this win.” And why not? With the Hornets up by 10 at halftime, they looked as if they were going to cruise to an easy win, but Hornets forward David West cringed as the Hornets began to fritter away their lead. “I'm proud of that run we had, but I think from the beginning of the game they were the aggressors. They came out playing physical. We had our lead at halftime, but then they came back. I think sometimes we wait to get hit like that before we go out there and hit somebody.” The Spurs seized control with a spectacular third quarter in which Duncan, with foul trouble, played just three minutes and didn't score in the Spurs' 25-14 onslaught. Manu Ginobili carried the Spurs over his shoulders and scored 11 of his 19 points in that period, to surge past New Orleans and lead by the minimum going into the last 12 minutes. It was back and forth the rest of the night.

West led the Hornets with 15 points, including a dunk with 1:09 left that tied it at 95. The Spurs worked the ball to Ginobili, whose jumper over Marco Belinelli gave them a 97-95 lead. The Hornets fouled intentionally in a try to consume time, but Tony Parker made both free throws for a 99-95 score. Chris Paul made a layup, Parker another free throw and then Belinelli tried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, but the miracle couldn't be consumed. “I don't think he'll get that open for the last shot probably ever again in his career. Maybe he was too open,” Paul joked. Belinelli added, “I just missed it. I had a chance to win the game, but it didn't go in. If I get that look again, I'm going to take the same shot.” Belinelli was 1-of-9 from 3-point territory before that shot; some people are still wondering why coach Monty Williams called the last play for him. Parker added 16 points for San Antonio. Larry Hughes didn't feel comfortable this time and was limited to nine points. “Our defense didn't work in the second half, it was a mess,” Hornets coach Williams said.

The Spurs had a 10-point lead of their own with 7:44 left in the fourth, but New Orleans fought back and even led 92-88. Belinelli started in place of Willie Green and finished with 14 points, 10 in the second half. Green finished the night with 14 points off the bench, while Paul was limited to 2-of-11 shooting for 8 points. “Somehow, we have to get more consistent. It's not about a play in a clipboard. We just need to figure ourselves out. Nobody is satisfied with how we're playing,” Green said. Jerryd Bayless had 11 points off the bench and Trevor Ariza 10 with four assists for the Hornets, who fell to 8-12. Ginobili was 11-of-11 from the charity stripe, a season-high. “I've been making a big effort since the summer to work on my free throws. I shoot at least 50 free throws every practice, so when it comes down to them in games and you're tired, it's a huge factor,” he said. DeJuan Blair added 8 points and 7 rebounds for San Antonio.

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Video Music :: Phonique ft. Erlend Oye • “For The Time Being” [Funkagenda & Trophy Twins F.A.T.T. Mix]

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[kibaxx7]

Absolutely, one successful Association is better than none.

Yeah of course, but I think 50 fails have more weight than one success.

Great looking NCAA recap, I hope Georgia Tech plays soon.

I think I have them scheduled for the 3rd week. Will check who comes this time...

Nice to see Duncan still in top voting for West All Stars despite tough competition.

Thanks John, it's gonna be hard for TD, but I think he made a statement with this 20-15 game!

The Derrick Rose-Rajon Rondo race for the 2nd guard spot in the east will be interesting to see

Yes it will... also interested to see if all Miami Thrice will be there...

Also... thanks to EVERYONE because I'm in a personal record of 9 pages... I think 20 games was a record before too, so I will be passing that one too with the next game.

[hova-]

Wow, first of all congratz on sticking to it. It's finally a story that fulfills your potential, it's going great.

You really won that game at the line. The Hornets played turrible, CP3 2-11 from the field ... The big fundamental 20/15 -> decent.

[thatwizardguy]

Huh, where is the Wizards in the top 7? are you sure you print screened properly

[john26]

Belinelli FTL

[dare]

Wow that's a record for you? Good job man. But still there are things here that you might change here, not reading all the recaps

[kibaxx7]

Corey Maggette is “ahead of schedule” with ankle recovery
nba.com/spurs/beat | December 6th, 2010

SAN ANTONIO -- Shortly before the Spurs tipped off against the New Orleans Hornets, you could see Corey Maggette's silhouette emerging from the tunnel in the AT&T Center, wearing a basic black sport coat; “basic black”, that color the Spurs fans know very well; Maggette moving along without any help. A little bandage in his ankle was still noticeable, but Maggette was able to sit down with his teammates on the bench for the first time since he twisted his right ankle on November 30, when he suffered a collision with Golden State's Andris Biedrins. Maggette flew with the team to Los Angeles last week, as the Spurs played against the Clippers, to meet with his doctors to see how he has progressed; doctors performed the check up December 1. “I wanted to see how I was doing,” Maggette said, with an all-white “Corey Cares Foundation” cap on his head (Maggette's community program “to serve, mentor and inspire the less fortunate”).

Although he is making progress, Maggette said he wouldn't rush to get back. “The doctors were happy with the way things looked. They said I was ahead of schedule for the way I was looking.” He added he was pleased that he no longer has to walk around with assistance. “Still got to keep it slow, though. I have to be on the sidelines for another game, just continue like that with the rehab,” he said. Maggette, who was acquired by the Spurs on October 25 in a four-team deal with Golden State, Chicago and Milwaukee, will be able to play on December 10 when the Spurs host the Atlanta Hawks, 2nd in the East with a 15-6 record, in the 2nd Hardwood Classics night of the season. Two days earlier, December 8, without Maggette, the Spurs will be hosting the Warriors (8-12, West 12nd) in their 2nd meeting this season. Maggette has already melted with the rest of the Spurs, averaging career-lows in points (12.0) and rebounds (4.1) but career-highs in steals (1.1) and blocks (0.8), in a more defensive role. The Spurs are currently leading the West, with a 14-6 record; Oklahoma City comes second, at 14-7, while Houston, the LA Lakers and Dallas sit at the 3rd, 4th and 5th seeds, respectively, all with a 13-7 record.

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[kibaxx7]

Wow, first of all congratz on sticking to it. It's finally a story that fulfills your potential, it's going great.

You really won that game at the line. The Hornets played turrible, CP3 2-11 from the field ... The big fundamental 20/15 -> decent.

Thanks Hov... should have used the Spurs with this players a long time ago. I was down by 10, then tied, up by 10, tied, decided at the last 2 mins. Great contest.

Huh, where is the Wizards in the top 7? are you sure you print screened properly

I think they are in the Top 15, if I remember correctly. Close to the top 7, but no cigar. I think they can be a dark horse for the playoffs, though.

Belinelli FTL

He actually was a head-scratcher for me when I was up by 10 and they made a run of their own. But apart from that, he was a ghost.

Wow that's a record for you? Good job man. But still there are things here that you might change here, not reading all the recaps

What could I change? I'm happy with how it looks right now because I'm playing all the games, ain't simming anything.

[shadowgrin]

Wow that's a record for you? Good job man. But still there are things here that you might change here, not reading all the recaps

What could I change? I'm happy with how it looks right now because I'm playing all the games, ain't simming anything.

He's probably referring to the length of it and not how it looks.

[Jackal]

Or that it's fucking boring and a drag to read.

Content > Looks. (Does not apply to females & you.)

[Murat]

Wow. Faggette injured. Oh no.



2500th post at Thierry's association. I'll never forget that. Nice 9 pages, I want more of it.

[Mandich]

congrats on your record