Houston, We Had A Dynasty - Officially Retired

[Houndy]

I love Sir Charles' smiley.

Joel Anthony is the greatness that we all need. The Lakers are flat out

[kibaxx7]

2-0, the way it should be

[rise]

Impressed at how turrible the Wolves can be.

Keep it up man!

[Andrew]

Doesn't look like they'll be giving you much trouble. I'm still expecting a sweep, or moving on in five games tops.

[Stress Fracture]

Lakers are in their series. Phil starting to bitch the Clippers. Nice blowout victories.

[Axel The Great]

I love Sir Charles' smiley.

Joel Anthony is the greatness that we all need. The Lakers are flat out

Yeah, but you've been overusing it to the point where people would think you're obssessed with Sir Charles.

2-0, the way it should be

Impressed at how turrible the Wolves can be.

Keep it up man!

How are you impressed? The Wolves are turrible, nothing impressive about that.

Doesn't look like they'll be giving you much trouble. I'm still expecting a sweep, or moving on in five games tops.

Game 1 was a bit of trouble, but I pulled ahead in the second half. We'll see how things go in Minnesota.

Lakers are in their series. Phil starting to bitch the Clippers. Nice blowout victories.

Nothing too shocking about Phil's bitching, give the Clippers some fucking credit!!!

Don't know whether or not I'll be able to play too many games this weekend. Semester exams are next week here, but I'm not too concerned about them; we usually get a review, and I just breeze through every exam. Still, I'm sure I'll be able to recap more games than I did this past weekend.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, I've set up my future association thread. Clutch ( ) made the sig for it, love the background effect, and the fact that Yao's reaching out for the NBA Trophy, and he's a rocket. Thread won't get updates as this is still top priority, but just to save time over the Christmas holidays, I started it. Thanks again Clutch!

[Stress Fracture]

Oh man, I hope the Lakers will lose in the first round because of Phil's bitching of the Clippers!

GO CLIPPERS!!

[rise]

I don't care about bitching when it comes to the Lakers losing. As long as the opposing team isn't Orlando, I root against the Lakers. Always.

[Clutch]

again, NP on the sig man

now just finish off those pesky 'Wolves!

[Axel The Great]

Waferstick, unfortunately, the Lakers advanced.

z02, outside of the Texas teams, Orlando is my next favorite team, so any team that plays the Lakers is the team I'm rooting for.

Clutch, still don't understand how that was your first sig request. I'll finish off the Wolves, and from my next recap, they were pesky.

[Axel The Great]

RedNation News Article

Houston Rockets 104-87 Minnesota Timberwolves


Tough interior defense has bothered all but Chris Bosh in this series.

This game was a close one up until the end of the third quarter. The largest lead of the game for the Rockets was 12 through the first three quarters, and the Wolves actually tied the game at one point in the third, 70-70. The Rockets would go on an 8-0 run afterwards though, and it seemed that nothing else would be able to stop them.

Chris Bosh had a monster game, 34 points, 11 boards, and he went 14/18 from the free throw line. He seems to be the only one giving a big effort this series; he's the only one that can read and breeze right through the Rockets defense.

SPOTG-

Yao Ming
16 points | 13 reb | 2 ast | 5 blk

Top Scorers-
Rockets: Kevin Martin- 26
T-Wolves: Chris Bosh- 34

Board Crashers-
Rockets: Yao Ming- 13
T-Wolves: Chris Bosh- 11

Assists-
Rockets: Aaron Brooks- 8
T-Wolves: Jonny Flynn- 7

Box Score-
31 27 20 26 104
24 28 18 17 87


Kevin Love is averaging a meager 5 rebounds per game this series.

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Dunks seem to be the only way that Donte Greene can score; he's shooting the ball very poorly.

Houston Rockets 101-87 Minnesota Timberwolves


The three ball, or shots in general, weren't falling for the Rockets early on.

Despite a good start to the game defensively, the second quarter was atrocious for the Rockets. They shot 39% from the field in the first half, and the Wolves had a two point lead at halftime; their first lead of the series. "We played like excrement that first half, but things fell back together in the second half," said Shane Battier, who chipped in a much-needed 13 points and dished four dimes.

In the third quarter, the Rockets were down by six, and started on a 13-0 run, turning the tables on the Wolves. That made it a game. In the fourth quarter however, the Wolves went back to their turnover-generating ways, and jacking up bad shots. Poor fourth quarter execution has been a killer for the Wolves this series, and they are swept. "At least we made the playoffs. A great run, we just ran into a brick wall that was the reigning champions. That's all," said a disgruntled Kevin Love, who couldn't find his rhythm all series.

SPOTG-

Kevin Martin
32 points | 4 ast | 3 reb

Top Scorers-
Rockets: Kevin Martin- 32
T-Wolves: Chris Bosh- 27

Board Crashers-
Rockets: Yao Ming- 8
T-Wolves: Chris Bosh- 13

Assists-
Rockets: Aaron Brooks- 6
T-Wolves: Jonny Flynn- 8

Box Score-
23 19 28 31 101
16 28 19 24 87


Inconsistency from Boozer and Love hurt the Wolves' chances badly in this series.

Series Wrap-Up- The Rockets' backcourt speed and shooting ability proved too much for the Wolves. The Wolves were weak from the perimeter, and that's where the Rockets generated their points. By forcing their frontcourt out on the perimeter, that left the basket easy for the speedy backcourt to get to. The Wolves put up a fight in Minnesota, but it just wasn't enough, and their bad years of post-KG era continue.

In Other News:

Lakers Advance in Six:

After going up 3-1 in the series, the Lakers were in complete control. However, a career high 43 points from Amory Miller in Game 5 helped the Clippers to victory. The Lakers won by the slimmest of margins in Game 6, thanks to a game-winner by Lamar Odom. "Like I said, the Clipper curse remains. Now we move on to face the fluke champions that are the Rockets," Phil Jackson said over the subject.

Read More...

Nuggets Take Thunder to Limit, but Don't Prevail:

After some huge games by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games. The powerhouse team proved to be too much in Game 7 however, as the Thunder cruised to a 98-85 victory. Kevin Durant and LeBron James scored 30 points each.

Read More...

Phoenix Sweeps the Blazers:

Despite all of the talent, the Blazers are still faced with playoff woes. They couldn't defeat the run and gun Phoenix Suns. "You have to speed the game up; they are a halfcourt offense kind of team. You tire them out, and they have no chance," said veteran All-Star guard Steve Nash.

Read More...


Knicks Play Great Basketball, Force a Game 7:

The eighth-seeded New York Knicks force a Game 7 against the Orlando Magic. They don't prevail though, as Dwight Howard had a monster game of 35 points and 25 rebounds to seal an easy Game 7 win, 109-90.

Read More...

Miami Sweeps Detroit:

The fifth-seeded Miami Heat swept the Detroit Pistons. Many people expected a close series, but huge games from Dwyane Wade, who averaged 35 points per game, helped lead them to an easy sweep. "You gotta have good games from your stars and role players to win this easily in the playoffs," said the hustling Heat backup center Joel Anthony.

Read More...

New Jersey Advances After a Woeful Last Season:

If someone were to tell me that the Nets would be in the second round of the playoffs this season after a 20-win season last season, I'd say they were on crack. However, they defeated the Washington Wizards in six games, and look to really make a push now that they're this far in the playoffs.

Read More...

Without Stars, Indiana Sweeps Milwaukee:

If someone were to tell me that TJ Ford (19 ppg), rookie Elmo Ellison (22 ppg), and Mike Dunleavy (21 ppg) were to make a great trio, I'd say they're on cocaine. But it's true though, as all three of those players stepped up in the sweep against the seventh-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Lacking Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert, I'd say that's an excellent job.

Read More...

[Axel The Great]

2011 NBA Playoffs: Second Round Preview



These are the matchups for the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Let's focus on the Rockets-Lakers series. These two teams are rivals and know each other very well. A rematch of last year's conference finals, the Rockets prevailed in five games last time. This time around, the Lakers must be seeking revenge. Noteworthy is the fact that the Lakers handed the Rockets their only playoffs defeat last year. They'll be looking to beat the Rockets more than once in this series.



The Starters


C Andrew Bynum | PF Pau Gasol | SF Ron Artest | SG Kobe Bryant | PG Shannon Brown

The Bench


Lamar Odom | Glen Davis | Jordan Farmar | Luke Walton | Sasha Vujacic | Josh Powell | Sam Kruger

Inactive List


Crawford O'Connor | Adam Morrison



The Starters


C Yao Ming | PF Luis Scola | SF Shane Battier | SG Kevin Martin | PG Aaron Brooks

The Bench


Kyle Lowry | Ray Allen | Donte Greene | Chase Budinger | Jordan Hill | Jared Jeffries | Chuck Hayes

Inactive List


Brad Halstead | Gregory Costa

Keys to the Series:
Los Angeles Lakers:
Once again, the Rockets find themselves facing a powerful frontcourt. Last time, it was versatility in the Wolves' frontcourt. Now, it's size. Rebounding will definitely come easy for the Lakers' two seven-footers. If they outplay the Rockets' frontcourt, they're in for a great series. Also, the Lakers have Kobe, who is still a great scorer despite his age. Shane Battier, again, will be needed to slow him down. After Derek Fisher's departure, Shannon Brown has taken the starting point guard spot, despite considered by many to lack those skills. We'll see how it pans out.

Again, the 'Stache is inactive. This is where the Rockets need to take advantage; the very presence of the 'Stache is one you don't want to run into.

Houston Rockets:
The Rockets had no problems with the Lakers in the regular season. The claimed the season series 3-1, the only loss coming in a double overtime thriller. Kevin Martin will need to keep up his consistency in this series, and maybe get the Lakers' frontcourt in foul trouble. Yao Ming will also play a crucial role here; only thing better than two seven-footers is a seven-foot-six player. If Yao can be a 15-10 player or a 20-10 player, this can be the turning point of the series.

A great matchup is expected here. The rivalry of these two teams just makes it that much more interesting.
Prediction: Series goes to six games, Rockets advance.

[Kenny]

Haven't checked this in a while; presentation is looking outstanding and congrats on sweeping the Wolves. Hope you sweep the Lakers too... just make sure you don't foul Kobe's elbow too much

[Martti.]

Kick their buts!

[kibaxx7]

Good luck man, I'm sure this will be a very exciting series

[rise]

Rockets for the sweep!!! Go for it Axel.!!

[Andrew]

Timberwolves series wasn't even close when it was all said and done. Good luck against the Lakers!

[Houndy]

Rockers in 4

[Warlock95]

Beat LA! Beat Goodrich...I mean, Kobe.

[Mandich]

Good job sweeping the Wolves , good luck against Lakers

PS : on that Boozer pic who is sucking his balls ?

[Stress Fracture]

Phil's really bitching us. Clippers are !

Anyways, goodluck on this series. I bet there will be a sweep!

[George7]

Great Job sweeping Turrible Wolves!!!

Now if you manage to win the battle in the paint with Yao,i believe you will pass over the Lakers in 5-6 games

[Axel The Great]

Haven't checked this in a while; presentation is looking outstanding and congrats on sweeping the Wolves. Hope you sweep the Lakers too... just make sure you don't foul Kobe's elbow too much

Thanks for checking in. Anything to get Kobe out of the series.

Kick their buts!

I'll make sure of that.

Good luck man, I'm sure this will be a very exciting series

Exciting series for us.

Rockets for the sweep!!! Go for it Axel.!!

With the way the T-Wolves played in the first halves at Minnesota, I don't think a sweep is feasible. But we'll see how it goes, it's what I'm hoping anyway.

Timberwolves series wasn't even close when it was all said and done. Good luck against the Lakers!

Yeah, poor fourth quarter execution cost them Game 4.

Rockers in 4

That would silence Phil.

Good job sweeping the Wolves , good luck against Lakers

PS : on that Boozer pic who is sucking his balls ?

lol, that's Shane Battier. He did an excellent job guarding him this series, only laugh Boozer will get on that.

Beat LA! Beat Goodrich...I mean, Kobe.

Hehe, yeah. I'll beat him for his jersey thievery.

Phil's really bitching us. Clippers are !

Anyways, goodluck on this series. I bet there will be a sweep!

Not even the Clippers' LeBron-esque lottery pick could help them beat the Lakers. I'll make sure to silence arrogant and cocky Phil.

Great Job sweeping Turrible Wolves!!!

Now if you manage to win the battle in the paint with Yao,i believe you will pass over the Lakers in 5-6 games

Yao can't do it alone though, Scola and the rest of them will need to be aggressive and attack the paint. Hopefully I won't be annoyed by the shot-blocking and the offensive rebounding and what-not.

Holy shit! Overwhelmed by the amount of replies! I'll have more updates this week. Though it may be semester exams, I'm not too worried, as I'll play and study, but more study though. Hopefully I'll be able to wrap this up by the end of next week.

PS: I also have an epilogue and another surprise planned once I finish the playoffs.

[Andrew]

Sounds good.

[Axel The Great]

RedNation News Article

Rockets Demolish Lakers

Houston Rockets 97-77 Los Angeles Lakers


A huge start for Yao to the series!

I think everybody expected a win for the Rockets, but not this much of a win. The Rockets forced 16 turnovers (eight in the first quarter alone), and had 14 steals as a team. Nothing was going well for the Lakers, well, maybe except Kobe's usual scoring. He outscored K-Mart by two points, but considering that Kobe nearly doubled K-Mart's minutes, you can say Martin won the scoring battle. The Rockets played a very fast-paced game all night long, and the Lakers grew tired with every minute, leading to a blowout Game 1 victory for the Rockets.

Phil Jackson was to be interviewed after the game, but completely disappeared from the Toyota Center.

SPOTG-

Yao Ming
18 points | 12 reb | 2 blk | 1 ast | 1 stl

Top Scorers-
Rockets: Kevin Martin- 28
Lakers: Kobe Bryant- 30

Board Crashers-
Rockets: Yao Ming- 12
Lakers: Andrew Bynum- 18

Assists-
Rockets: Aaron Brooks- 8
Lakers: Kobe Bryant and Shannon Brown- 3

Box Score-
33 25 20 19 97
17 14 21 25 77


Offensive rebounding did help Andrew Bynum accumulate 14 points, but other than that, he wasn't much of a threat, offensively.

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The play of the playoffs. Kobe and Gasol posterized!!!

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Jared Jeffries had a solid eight points and five boards in Game 1.

Houston Rockets 98-85 Los Angeles Lakers


Kevin Martin was really uncomfortable this game; he shot 9/28 from the field.

Though the score wouldn't tell you this, the game was pretty exciting. The Rockets struggled to make shots in the second quarter, which carried over to the third quarter. After holding a 29-point lead in Game 1, the Rockets' largest lead of the game was 16, and the Lakers came within four in the third, before the Rockets pulled away to make it an 11-point game.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers willed the lead down to six, but after securing important defensive rebounds, and shooting the ball well, the Rockets managed to pull away. Going into Los Angeles, the Rockets might want to keep their guard up, because another poor shooting night from Kevin Martin could cost them a game. "I shat bricks tonight," local sources heard Kevin Martin telling his wife as they left Toyota Center.

SPOTG-

Kevin Martin
30 points | 4 ast | 1 reb | 1 blk

Top Scorers-
Rockets: Kevin Martin- 30
Lakers: Kobe Bryant- 27

Board Crashers-
Rockets: Yao Ming- 13
Lakers: Andrew Bynum- 10

Assists-
Rockets: Aaron Brooks- 7
Lakers: Shannon Brown- 9

Box Score-
29 22 23 24 98
18 25 20 22 85


Yao Ming scored 21 points and grabbed 13 boards and is clearly outperforming LA's frontcourt.


Donte Greene's stellar play of 10 points and three boards off the bench earned him the full fourth quarter of play.

In Other News...

Thunderstruck in Phoenix
After a close 112-108 victory in Game 1, the Thunder head home to Oklahoma City to take control of the Phoenix Suns, who won Game 2 of the series. These two teams can really challenge the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals.

Read More...


Heat stun the Magic
The fourth seeded Miami Heat take a 2-0 lead against the Orlando Magic heading back to Miami. Joel Anthony had an excellent Game 2 with 23 points and 15 boards, and with Dwyane Wade's 38-point game, the Heat took Game 2 100-91.

Read More...

New Jersey, Indiana Tied At One
The Nets blew out the second-seeded Pacers in Game 2 102-84, and now head to New Jersey with the series tied at one.

Read More...

Tomorrow's my last day of school for the semester; I'm exempt from taking Friday's semester exams. Starting tomorrow, it's full speed ahead.