(63-19) First Round Wraps Up [4-0]

[rise]

Great wins.

Aaron Brooks is beasting it up, but he's not the leader of the team.

[kibaxx7]

Superb week by Brooks!

One team in my story also got a coach with Marc Jackson's face.

[shadowgrin]

That's nothing. 7-foot head coaches. Have a couple of them in my 2K10 association (my team's coach and Portland's).


A Brooks bitches! The A is for asshole haters!

[George7]

Was T-Mac booed in Houston??
Nice wins there.your team is sarting to heat up

[Murat]

Nicely done by Jeffries.

[Grandmama Johnson]

Brooks is taking over, but it looks like Chase Budinger is having a nice little run too. Any reason he's been able to turn it on the past couple games, Axel?

[Axel The Great]

Great wins.

Aaron Brooks is beasting it up, but he's not the leader of the team.

He's not? You're right! It's Jared Jeffries!

Superb week by Brooks!

One team in my story also got a coach with Marc Jackson's face.

It's not just his face, but the commentators (Harlan and Doris Burke) actually say "Mark Jackson". In the game though, it says Lee West is the head coach. I wonder if they have Jeff Van Gundy in this game, heck, even Mike Breen.

That's nothing. 7-foot head coaches. Have a couple of them in my 2K10 association (my team's coach and Portland's).


A Brooks bitches! The A is for asshole haters!

Wow, that's awesome.

As for your second comment, are you saying AB is an asshole, or are you A Brooks fan?

Was T-Mac booed in Houston??
Nice wins there.your team is sarting to heat up

No, he wasn't. And yes, I'm surprised to see we've only lost one game without K-Mart. Those wins are beginning to pile up, though.

Nicely done by Jeffries.

Well-earned garbage minutes.

Brooks is taking over, but it looks like Chase Budinger is having a nice little run too. Any reason he's been able to turn it on the past couple games, Axel?

Well I couldn't utilize Scola much in the last couple of games because of Milwaukee's double-team and the fact that the Cavs game was garbage time the whole way, and with Brooks jacking up shots, Bud was a nice option to shoot the three ball. Hopefully he can keep up those performances.

[Axel The Great]

K-Mart to Return

Posted by Axel Gomez, December 13, 2010 at 3:19 PM
For the past four games, Houston Rockets starting Shooting Guard Kevin Martin has been nursing a lower back strain, which he suffered during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Despite missing their superstar, the Rockets have gone 3-1 in Martin's absence, and he is expected to return in Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings.

Martin is still out day-to-day with back spasms now, but after the shot-bricking game against the Milwaukee Bucks, he wanted back in. "It was a big pain watching my team struggle with their shots out there, a pain even bigger than that of my back. I don't expect to give 25 or more minutes, but I just want to take it little by little, so as not to be rusty whenever I do have to play my regular 30 plus minutes," Martin said after Monday's team practice.

When teammate Yao Ming was asked about his return, he replied, "This is great. When our offense was struggling the past few games, we were bailed out by an opposing struggling offense, or bad defense. We've got a consistent player returning, now, so everything should be back to normal."

Other teammates were as excited as Yao was to hear of K-Mart's return. A certain player though, Aaron Brooks, didn't sound too happy about the idea, and was not available for a comment.

Head coach Rick Adelman was asked about his plans about Kevin Martin's playing time, and he replied, "He'll be coming off the bench next game. I am planning on playing him for just 12 minutes, and looking to increase that number gradually, until he fully recovers from his back strain. With Yao's 24-minute limit this season, that's 36 minutes I'll have to keep a close eye on next game."

Yao Ming has gone the whole season injury-free, and in some games has played more than 24 minutes. Putting Kevin Martin back in when he's not at 100% is a big risk, as further injuries could lead to Rick Adelman having to dictate 24 minutes a game for him as well, given Martin's history of injuries.

With Martin making a comeback, things are beginning to look even better for the Rockets and their league best record of 18-5. But can the Rockets roster stay healthy for the rest of the season?

Comments (4):

Posted by White Baller, December 13, 2010 at 4:33 PM:
I'm really excited. Can't wait. We've got some big games coming up, including the Miami Cheat.

Posted by AB, December 13, 2010 at 4:36 PM:
What's exciting about watching Fail-Mart chuck up 20 shots a game?

Posted by MillerLite, December 13, 2010 at 5:02 PM
@ AB, you do have a lot of experience in that department right? Care to enlighten us on the excitement?

Posted by Ariza's_Bricks, December 13, 2010 at 5:10 PM
@ AB, at least he doesn't brick the shots he chucks up.

[Radioman]

Nice to see K-Mart is recovering from his injury. Brooks had really nice stats over the last games

I dont know this guy called Halstead yet, because i didnt follow your whole last story, the new Scottie Pippen? must be a great talent

[shadowgrin]

are you saying AB is an asshole, or are you A Brooks fan?

Brooks is an asshole, if the haters can't accept that, they can suck it.

[Murat]

Miami Cheat

[Axel The Great]

Nice to see K-Mart is recovering from his injury. Brooks had really nice stats over the last games

I dont know this guy called Halstead yet, because i didnt follow your whole last story, the new Scottie Pippen? must be a great talent

Feel free to read up on him in my dynasty (link on my sig). Everyone liked him, he was a success!

are you saying AB is an asshole, or are you A Brooks fan?

Brooks is an asshole, if the haters can't accept that, they can suck it.

I don't know who the hell hates AB, but yeah, ^this.

Miami Cheat

"Miami Cheat" has been used MANY times here, why would that crack you up now?

To allow more reader interaction/participation, I'm allowing all NLSC Draftees (no matter in which draft class) to write an article about their player. PM your article to me, and I'll give you the heads up to post it here on my thread. Not really mandatory, but if I like it, I'll give your player a five-by-five boost in attributes (in other words, +5 in any 5 attributes of your choice). Anyone interested? But please, not all at once.

Week Eight recap tomorrow, and I'm hoping I can get another update up this weekend too.

[Axel The Great]

[18-5] Houston Rockets 98-79 Sacramento Kings [9-12]


Yao showing some weak-side defense. | K-Mart returned, and scored 13 points in 12 minutes

If you paired the first half of this game and the second half of this game, you'd think they were halves from different Houston vs. Sacramento games. The first half was very close; the Kings took an early lead in the first quarter, and finished strong. The Rockets were down 26-33 at one point in the second quarter, but sparked a 13-0 run, to make the score 39-33. Both teams would trade buckets to close out the first half, and the Rockets had a one-point lead afterwards.

Things would all go downhill for the Kings in the second half. The only positive thing for them was Tyreke Evans's game high 31 points. Former Rockets player Carl Landry was held to a sub-par six points, on an even more sub-par 1/13 shooting. On the other hand, the Rockets were firing on all cylinders, with Luis Scola's double-double of 18 points and 11 boards leading the way.

"Nice to see Kevin back and scoring the ball. He looked like he was fully healthy in those twelve minutes I saw him play," said the Performer of the Game, Luis Scola.

Player of the Game-

Luis Scola
18 points | 11 rebounds | 3 steals | 1 block | 8/12 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Aaron Brooks - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
Kevin Martin - 13 points, 5/12 FG
Courtney Lee - 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Kings:
Tyreke Evans - 31 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, 14/27 FG
Beno Udrih - 11 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

21 25 30 22 98
23 22 18 16 79

[19-5] Houston Rockets 90-102 Oklahoma City Thunder [17-8]


Yao continues to go through the season without a single trace of injury. | Jordan Hill slams it in with authority! Poster of the year!

Kevin scoring on Kevin. | James Harden was literally unstoppable.

The last time these two teams faced off in the Ford Center, the Thunder came out with an overtime victory. Both teams had won seven of their last eight games coming into this game, so everyone knew it would be a great game. The Rockets were seeking revenge in this game, and started on the right foot in the first quarter. Despite scoring 26 points in the first, the Rockets were shooting poorly from the field. For the first half, they shot only 33% from the field, which can be attributed to an atrocious second quarter. The only ones not shooting poorly for the Rockets was the dynamic backcourt of Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks. Brooks scored 20 points for the game, scoring four three-pointers and not missing a single one. Kevin Martin on the other hand scored 13 points, on 5/10 shooting and also dished out two assists in 14 minutes of action.

The Rockets got their act together in the third quarter though, but that was overshadowed by the Thunder's 35-point third quarter tear, led by superstar Kevin Durant's 35 points. "It looked like nobody on our team could miss. We were scoring buckets like crazy!" said Jeff Green, who spent the whole game in foul trouble. The Thunder lead ballooned to 19 in the third, and going into the fourth, things looked hopeless for the Rockets.

"We tried to mount a comeback, but their defense was just too much for us. We simply had no answer for Kevin (Durant)," said a disgruntled Jordan Hill after the game, who put up numbers all across the board. The Thunder had 10 steals compared to the Rockets four, and also had seven blocks as a team. In the end, defense won the game for the Thunder. The Rockets will take a quick pit stop at home before going on a three-game roadtrip in California.

Player of the Game-

Kevin Durant
35 points | 9 rebounds | 2 assists | 2 blocks | 15/33 FG

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Aaron Brooks - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 6/16 FG
Kevin Martin - 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/10 FG
Jordan Hill - 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Yao Ming - 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Thunder:
James Harden - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 10/19 FG
Russell Westbrook - 17 points, 12 assists, 1 rebound, 5 steals
Nenad Krstic - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 7/10 FG

26 15 21 28 90
24 19 35 24 102

[19-6] Houston Rockets 114-105 Memphis Grizzlies [10-16]


Aaron Brooks stepping all over the giants with his game high 34 points. | Marc Gasol looked like his brother Pau, if not, better!

Rudy Gay's ineffectiveness in the second half cost the Grizzlies this game.

The scoring was pretty much balanced for both teams in this game. Each team had six players score in double figures, and one can tell that this was a very high scoring game. At halftime, both teams were shooting over 50% from the field, with Aaron Brooks's 23 points leading the Rockets. Rudy Gay on the other side had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists at halftime, putting up expectations for a triple-double of 20-10-10 for the game. Apart from his field goal percentage, those stats did not change in the second half, thank Shane Battier for that. "That's what I'm on this team for. To shut down the opposing team's best scorer. With Rudy out of his game, it was hard for Memphis to have any fighting chance," said the perennial defensive stopper.

The Rockets set out to a double-digit lead in the second half, holding a 15-point lead throughout most of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, everything looked in good shape for the Rockets, as it looked like they would cruise to the finish line. The double-digit lead evaporated to just three, with the score 103-100 in favor of the Rockets. With their undefeated streak at home on the line, they pulled away just in time, making the score 108-100. Apart from a few silly reach in fouls that put the Rockets in the bonus, the lead was never threatened again, as the Rockets are now a perfect 12-0 at home to start the season.

"This 12-0 start at home must be attributed to the fans we have. They spend their hard-earned money to come watch us play, and we give back to them by winning games. It's a good feeling to have the best record in the NBA because of these great fans," said Kevin Martin, who scored ten points, but on a sub-par 4/12 shooting.

Aaron Brooks's 34 points led the Rockets, as he scored three triples, all in the first quarter. "I'm just here to make up for Kevin's absence. I know he'll be back to getting his full playing time soon, and once that happens, it's full speed ahead towards the playoffs," said the speedy point guard.

Player of the Game-

Aaron Brooks
34 points | 9 assists | 1 rebound | 1 steal | 11/15 FG | 3/4 3P

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Yao Ming - 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Courtney Lee - 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Shane Battier - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Kevin Martin - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4/12 FG

Grizzlies:
Marc Gasol - 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 11/15 FG
Zach Randolph - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
OJ Mayo - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
Michael Conley - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
Sam Young - 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Rudy Gay - 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5/22 FG

35 29 28 22 114
27 30 26 22 105

[kibaxx7]

Nice to see my man Scola contributing like that

I can understand KD dropping 35, but how did you limit Mayo to 14? He always kills me.

[Bucket]

Thundeeeer.
Like Thierry • said how you stopped Mayo? When I played against him he scored 45...

[Axel The Great]

Nice to see my man Scola contributing like that

Yeah, Scola is beast.

I can understand KD dropping 35, but how did you limit Mayo to 14? He always kills me.

Thundeeeer.
Like Thierry • said how you stopped Mayo? When I played against him he scored 45...

You've gotta have an elite defender. I crowded him with Courtney Lee, didn't give him any elbow room, and so as a result, he had to force up a lot of his shots. He went 5/13 from the field. Rick Adelman preaching defense?

Hopefully I can get Week 9 up today or tomorrow, just need to play the last game against the Clippers.

[Axel The Great]

Chapter 5 - The Three

"So how was he?" asked Axel over his phone. It was Saturday, December 18, the day after the Rockets had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center. Axel was in his parked car at Rockets headquarters, talking to Rockets head scout James O'Brien over the phone about the player of interest, Brad Halstead.

"He was excellent. He had a triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also had four blocks, and held the opposing team's best scorer to 6 points on 2/12 shooting," O'Brien replied.

"Wow, that's monstrous. Is his shooting form any good? Did you also get to talk with his head coach?" Axel asked, filling up with questions. "His shooting form is a bit unorthodox, kind of like an Antawn Jamison-esque technique, although he can hit the three with some consistency. A bit inconsistent from the free throw line, but I'm sure a good shooting coach would fix that if we were to draft him," O'Brien replied.

"Well, what about his attitude? Intangibles? Work ethic? Did you talk to him and his coach?" Axel asked, bombarding O'Brien with a bunch of questions.

"He's very arrogant, and thinks he's above everyone else. That's a major drawback. He's got an excellent work ethic, though. His coach said he's always looking for a way to get better and improve his game. Bad thing is, though, he doesn't take criticism very lightly," O'Brien said.

"Wow... I'm sure that can be fixed, though. We can make Shane Battier his mentor, and he can maybe fix his attitude. The talent and versatility this guy has is amazing though. Will you do a further report on him?" Axel told O'Brien.

"Sure. Give me a week, and I'll hopefully have a quality report done," O'Brien replied. "OK, sure thing, sir. I'll talk to you later, then, bye," Axel said, and hung up. He got out of his car, and entered Rockets headquarters, carrying a small stack of papers under his arm.

He was greeted by Adriana, the headquarters secretary. They had been "seeing" each other outside of work for a month now. She asked him, "Hey, what are those papers for?"

"Oh, it's top secret. The boss needs 'em," Axel replied, making an effort to look innocent. Adriana eyed him suspiciously, and asked, "don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. It's just that this is between me and owner Leslie Alexander. Wouldn't want anyone to find out about this and lose my job after a month," Axel replied, the look of innocence fading from his face, and turning into a business-like look.

"Please?" she asked him politely, like a schoolgirl asking for candy. Axel saw her face, and it completely changed his mind. Her face had googly eyes, and an innocent, child-like smile, just begging for him to tip the truth over. Axel submitted to Adriana's charm, and spilled the beans.

"It's a long story, but I guess you'll also be asking for the story if I don't tell you. You see, the boss and I are trying to put NBA Commissioner David Stern out of business, but there's reason. These papers, are evidence that he's been rigging the league, in other words, paying officials extra for games to go the way he wants them. We believe he's at it again this season, and planning a Lakers-Heat Finals. Since those two teams in the NBA Finals would boost TV ratings, and more fans would go watch, this would bring the league a lot more revenue, but at the expense of crowning an undeserving champion," Axel told the long story. "Man, you women are so nosy," he added.

Adriana disregarded that last comment, and said, "Well, I have a friend who has a... somewhat of a connection to Stern. She lives in New York, and knows one of his daughters. I can contact her, if that'll help a bit?"

"Oh, yes. That'd be excellent. Call her, and tell me what she says. I gotta go," Axel said. He winked at her, and went into his office...

••••••••

David Stern was in his office at NBA headquarters in New York. He was eating his breakfast, and looking at the NBA schedule for upcoming games. He noticed that there was a Miami Heat and Houston Rockets game coming up in a couple of weeks, and an idea struck him.

He picked up his touch screen cell phone, and scrolled down to call "Joey Crawford". "Hello," someone said at the other end. "Hey, Joey. How have you been, it's David," Stern said.

"I've been great. Doing what I do best: pissing off black people just for the hell of it," Crawford said, and they both laughed. "Listen, I'm appointing you as an official for the Heat-Rockets game coming up on December the 29th. I want you to 'help' the Heat win it at Houston. This is a very important game, the Rockets have the best record in the league, and could end up interfering in our plan to have a Lakers-Heat Finals. They've gone too far in defeating the Lakers twice, and with the Heat winning that game, that could prove crucial to who gets homecourt advantage in the playoffs. I want that advantage to go to either the Lakers or the Heat," Stern explained.

"Sure thing, boss. I will make sure that the Rockets lose. And for fun, who should I assess technicals to?" Crawford asked. "Ah, Yao Ming. I've always hated that tall, injury-prone asian bastard. If he gives you reason, get him ejected with two technical fouls, that would be satisfying," Stern said, with an evil look on his face.

"OK then. Deal is done, I won't let you down," said Crawford, and hung up. David Stern sat back in his luxurious, comfortably cushioned rolling chair, and laughed an evil laugh. He raised his glass, and said, "Here's to some more league revenue after the season's end. For some Lakers-Heat Finals in the years to come," and chugged down on his expensive wine.

••••••••

"Yao with the rebound. 30 seconds left in the game and the Rockets lead 107-106. AB will take it up the court," Rockets play-by-play commentator, Bill Worrell said. The Rockets were in the final 30 seconds of the game against Sacramento at Arco Arena.

"Now if you're the Kings here, what do you do in this situation?" asked Worrell. "Well, you have to get a stop, and if not, launch a quick shot at the other end," Rockets color commentator Matt Bullard replied.

"15 seconds in the game. AB still dribbling. Kevin Martin comes off a screen, he's wide open!" exclaimed Worrell.

"Aaron, Aaron! Right here, man!" yelled Martin from the left corner. Aaron Brooks simply looked at him, still dribbling, and looked up at the shot clock. With 13 seconds left in the game, Brooks launched a three over Beno Udrih.

"Aaron Brooks puts up the three... GOOOT IIIT! Cold-blooded three by Aaron Brooks, with nine seconds left in the game!" said Worrell with excitement, "Timeout Sacramento."

Kevin Martin was the last to arrive to the Rockets timeout huddle, and instead of discussing defense with the others, sat down on the bench, and eyed Aaron Brooks with a look of bitterness on his face. "Greedy bastard," Martin muttered under his breath, as Rick Adelman called him up to the huddle.

After the timeout, the Rockets pressured Tyreke Evans, who had the ball, and he was forced to chuck up a three that was way off; it kissed the glass, and clanked off the side of the rim. Luis Scola grabbed the rebound, and held the ball secure with two hands for the last three seconds until the buzzer sounded. The Rockets won 110-106.

After shaking hands with the Kings team, Kevin Martin rushed to the locker room. On his way there, he crossed paths with Aaron Brooks; they both stopped and looked at each other, eye-to-eye. "It's on," Kevin Martin told him, "it's on." Martin walked away towards the locker room, not forgetting to give high fives to loyal Sacramento fans of his on the way there.

POLL ADDED: Who's the leader of this Rockets team?

[Houndy]

Yao is the true leader. Screw Martin and Brooks' little competition, it's all about the Foot.

[Lamrock]

I've always seen Shane Battier as the Rockets' true leader. You don't need to be the team's best player to be the leader.

[|)e8*]

Damn Stern! Anyways good job winning

[Murat]

Kevin Martin 4ever

[Axel The Great]

Yao is the true leader. Screw Martin and Brooks' little competition, it's all about the Foot.

Hard to be a leader when you're only out there for half a game.

I've always seen Shane Battier as the Rockets' true leader. You don't need to be the team's best player to be the leader.

This. Shane Battier I think is the leader of the current Rockets. Too bad he's getting old.

Damn Stern! Anyways good job winning

The game was simmed, but yeah, there's the cHeat.

Kevin Martin 4ever

More like Rockets 4ever to me.

Will play the last game of the week against the Clippers, and then I'll recap. Afterwards, the last week of December, when I'll be facing Joey Crawford and the Miami (C)Heat.

I will also leave the poll up for an indefinite amount of time.

[kibaxx7]

Gotta say Battier too.

[Bucket]

Brooks

[George7]

AB all the way!!