Road to Glory II

[Cruzerr]

So, I know that I have not followed this for a long time and I know that LeBron is in Kings and J Smoove is in Heat. Besides Beasley, is there anybody else new in Miami?

Also, what in the blue hell is Manu doing in Kings? And J.R in Spurs ?! Bosh in Washington?!

[Bucket]

A bit dislike sweep but good job.
AI plays very well for Sixers

[kibaxx7]

Tough to see the Spurs losing like that, and as the 7th seed!

[Valor]

So, I know that I have not followed this for a long time and I know that LeBron is in Kings and J Smoove is in Heat. Besides Beasley, is there anybody else new in Miami?

Also, what in the blue hell is Manu doing in Kings? And J.R in Spurs ?! Bosh in Washington?!

Well the Heat still have Jermaine O'Neal, but he's out for the season with a Torn ACL. They have the rookie of the year in Liam "Lamrock" Washburn and also Mike Conley.

Manu signed with the Kings along with Lebron in the summer of '10, Bosh joined Arenas and JR Smith signed with the Spurs last offseason along with (surprise) Greg Oden

A bit dislike sweep but good job.
AI plays very well for Sixers

I was surprised at the sweep myself, thought they'll take a few at home but I'm not exactly complaining!
Iverson belongs with the Sixers!!!

Tough to see the Spurs losing like that, and as the 7th seed!

No Manu and Timmy D is old man, Greg Oden hasn't exactly played up to expectations either

[Valor]

Smith, Noah Headline 2011-12 NBA All Defensive First Team
By Official Release
Posted May 1 2012 2:19PM

NEW YORK -- Miami Heat forward Josh Smith, winner of the 2011-12 Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award, and center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, who led the league in both rebounds (12.6) and blocks (3.0) this season, headlines the NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. By totaling 57 points overall, including 28 First Team votes, Smith edged Noah (50 points overall and 23 First Team votes) as the leading vote-getter.

Also selected to the All-Defensive First Team are forward LeBron James of the Sacramento Kings (45 points), Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (34 points) and guard John Wall of the Minnesota Timberwolves (30 points).

Smith averaged 2.6 steals (second in the NBA) and 2.8 blocks (third in the NBA) while leading the Miami Heat with 9.2 rebounds the game. With Smith anchoring the Heat defense, Miami allowed a league-best 90.8 points per game from the opposition.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of guards Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, last year's Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, forward Tyrus Thomas of the Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace.

The voting panel consisted of the NBA's 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Two points were awarded for a First Team vote and one point was awarded for a Second Team vote.

2011-12 NBA All-Defensive First Team

Position	Player	Team	1st	2nd	Points
Center	Joakim Noah	Chicago Bulls	23	4	50
Forward	Josh Smith	Miami Heat	28	1	57
Forward	LeBron James	Sacramento Kings	20	5	45
Guard	Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	13	8	34
Guard	John Wall	Minnesota Timberwolves	11	8	30

2011-12 NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Position	Player	Team	1st	2nd	Points
Center	Dwight Howard	Orlando Magic	8	5	21
Guard	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	8	4	20
Guard	Rajon Rondo	Boston Celtics	6	8	20
Forward	Tyrus Thomas	Washington Wizards	2	11	15
Foward	Gerald Wallace	Charlotte Bobcats	3	8	14

[Cruzerr]

Smith seems to be having a great season. Nice to see Noah in there too.

Also, I dont really want to go crazy again.. but WALL IN MINNESOTA ?!?!??!?!!?

This association trades rocks as the association too

[Valor]

Smith seems to be having a great season. Nice to see Noah in there too.

Also, I dont really want to go crazy again.. but WALL IN MINNESOTA ?!?!??!?!!?

This association trades rocks as the association too

Aside from his below-average offense, he's doing great. I guess you don't really need to play offense when you have D-Wade and Beasley on ur team
Wall was actually drafted by the Wolves since this association is done in 2K10. Oklahoma City screwed it up by taking Cole Aldrich with the first overall pick

[Valor]

2012 NBA Playoffs Preview: Conference Semifinals


Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers (69-13) v 5. Dallas Mavericks (49-33)

Key Rotation
Los Angeles Lakers: Steve Blake | Kobe Bryant | Ron Artest | Pau Gasol | Andrew Bynum | Lamar Odom | Matt Barnes
Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd | Caron Butler | Shawn Marion | Dirk Nowitzki | Marc Gasol | Jason Terry | Rodrigue Beaubois

Comment: The Dallas Mavericks were able to pull off the upset against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first round series. However, they are now against the three time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, who won a league-best 69 games and swept their first round opponent, the Portland Trailblazers. Caron Butler went off in the first round, matching Durant point for point while future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd were their usual brilliant selves. Can they repeat their success in the underdog role against the unstoppable Kobe Bryant and his Lakers?

ESPN Prediction: Lakers in 6


2. New Orleans Hornets (66-16) v 3. Houston Rockets (62-20)

Key Rotation
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul | Ben Gordon| Al Harrington | David West | Emeka Okafor | Kemba Walker | Anthony Morrow
Houston Rockets: Jonny Flynn | Kevin Martin | Trevor Ariza | Antawn Jamison | Yao Ming | Martti Must | Shane Battier

Comment: In what is most likely to be the most intriging second round series of these 2012 playoffs, these two 60+ win teams will be going at each other for the right to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Both teams has advanced following a tough series respectively, with the 66 win Hornets dropping two straight to the San Antonio Spurs before wrapping things up in game 6, and the Rockets holding off LeBron James and the Sacramento Kings with a tight game 7 victory. Ultimately it'll depend on the supporting cast of both teams' superstars. Chris Paul and Yao Ming are going to do their part, but the role players will need to perform in order for their ball club to advance.

ESPN Prediction: Hornets in 7




Eastern Conference
1. Orlando Magic (61-21) v 4. Philadelphia 76ers (45-37)

Key Rotation
Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson | Vince Carter | Rashard Lewis | Brandon Bass | Dwight Howard | Mickael Pietrus | Dejuan Blair
Philadelphia 76ers: JJ Barea | Allen Iverson | Andre Iguodala | Renardo Sidney | Elton Brand | Thaddeus Young | Jrue Holiday

Comment: In a surprisng turn of events, Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers were able to knock off a Washington Wizards team that featured the All-Star trio of Arenas, Bosh and Tyrus Thomas; and advance to the Conference Semifinals. They will now undertake the role of the underdog once again as they face off agianst the 61 win Orlando Magic and their superman center Dwight Howard. The Magic swept the Hawks with relative ease and it's hard to see the Sixers winning more than a game.

ESPN Prediction: Magic in 5


2. Chicago Bulls (60-22) v 3. Miami Heat (56-26)

Key Rotation
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose | Kirk Hinrich | Luol Deng | Carlos Boozer | Joakim Noah | Sasha Vujacic | Kyle Korver
Miami Heat: Liam Washburn | Dwyane Wade | Michael Beasley | Josh Smith | Dan Hicks | Udonis Haslem | Michael Conley

Comment: Led by Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat were able to bounce back from a 1-3 deficit to advance past Carmelo Anthony and the Milwaukee Bucks in their Eastern Conference First Round matchup. However, they now face off against the red-hot Chicago Bulls, who finished the final two months of the season on fire and swept the Boston Celtics in the first round. Derrick Rose remains unguardable but the same could be said for former Bull and Chicago native Dwyane Wade. This series is full of intriging matchups and storylines that it makes it one of the most compelling series to watch.

ESPN Prediction: Bulls in 7

[Valor]

2012 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinals


Lineups Subjected to change



Starting Five

PG. Derrick Rose
SG. Kirk Hinrich
SF. Luol Deng
PF. Carlos Boozer
C. Joakim Noah

Bench

Sasha Vujacic
Kyle Korver
Shaquille O'Neal
Taj Gibson
Brad Miller
Jason Williams
Marcus Jordan


Inactive Rotation

Jeremy Lin

Head Coach: Byron Scott
Injury Report: N/A





Starting Five

PG. Jimmer Fredette*
SG. Dwyane Wade
SF. Michael Beasley
PF. Josh Smith
C. Dan Hicks

Bench

Udonis Haslem
Michael Conley
Quentin Richardson
Dorell Wright
Jerome Dyson
Chris Gray
Liam Washburn*

Inactive Rotation

Chris Wright
Elliot Williams
Jermaine O'Neal

Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra
Injury Report: Jermaine O'Neal - Out (Torn ACL), Jimmer Fredette - Hurt (Broken Finger)

* Indicates changes during the series



Game 1 Game Recap
Date/Time: May 5th 2012, 8:00pm
Location: United Center, Chicago IL
Series: Chicago Bulls 0-0 Miami Heat

Game 2 Game Recap
Date/Time: May 7th 2012, 7:00pm
Location: United Center, Chicago IL
Series: Chicago Bulls 1-0 Miami Heat

Game 3 Game Recap
Date/Time: May 9th 2012, 5:00pm
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami FL
Series: Chicago Bulls 2-0 Miami Heat

Game 4 Game Recap
Date/Time: May 11th 2012, 9:00pm
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami FL
Series: Chicago Bulls 3-0 Miami Heat

Game 5 Game Recap
Date/Time: May 13th 2012, 7:30pm
Location: United Center, Chicago FL
Series: Chicago Bulls 3-1 Miami Heat

Chicago Wins Series 4-1

[maksie]

good luck in the semis,I think you'll win the series in 6

[homicide1550]

So it's also BullsHeat in your association.. Please beat the Heat!

[George7]

Please sweep them!!

[Valor]

good luck in the semis,I think you'll win the series in 6

Cheers man

So it's also BullsHeat in your association.. Please beat the Heat!

Yup, heres hoping I'll get revenge on them for what they did to my Bulls IRL, although their roster is completely different

Please sweep them!!

That would be very nice

[Valor]

Cavaliers' Hill Wins Kia Most Improved Player Award

By Official release
Posted May 3 2012 3:08PM

NEW YORK -- Jordan Hill of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the winner of the 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.

Hill received 400 of a possible 580 points, including 66 first-place votes, from a panel of 116 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. John Wall of the Minnesota Timberwolves (157 points, 11 first-place votes) and Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets (124 points, 16 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

Following his first two seasons spent largely on the bench with the Houston Rockets, Hill took his talents to Cleveland in the off-season eager for a fresh start. He received his opportunities on the rebuilding Cavaliers team and immediately made use of it. Starting and playing all 82 games of the season, Hill posted career highs of 12.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 29.6 minutes per contest. It was a +10.5 ppg, +7.9 rpg, and +1.2 bpg improvement over Hill's 10-11 campaign.

The 2011-12 Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The Kia NBA Performance Awards." The series, currently in its fourth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player, Sixth Man and Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards.

Below are the 2011-12 voting results of the top 8 vote getters.

Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Jordan Hill	Cleveland Cavaliers	66	21	7	400
John Wall	Minnesota Timberwolves	11	29	15	157
Ty Lawson	Denver Nuggets	16	10	14	124
Evan Turner	New Jersey Nets	11	3	5	69
Rajon Rondo	Boston Celtics	1	13	19	63
Ricky Rubio	Memphis Grizzlies	3	7	12	48
Joakim Noah	Chicago Bulls	3	6	13	46
Raymond Felton	New York Knicks	2	7	1	32

[hova-]

Beat the cHeat and Lamecock! I like that Mavs team with Gasol in there, although I prefer Chandler IRL. Hopefully they can give the Lakers fits. Hill proved all the doubters wrong, he got game if he gets the minutes!

[homicide1550]

Wow! Jordan Hill? really? Nice to see someone who is relatively unknown player to win a major award...

[Fresh8]

LAMROCK, I AM GOING TO RAPE YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTERS, YOUR DAUGHTERS.... NO ONE IS SAFEEEE!!!! JBFKHVBGSDHVBKHDBVGEBVEARF

[Cruzerr]

Lol at upper post.

Nice to see Hill win it.

[Valor]

Beat the cHeat and Lamecock! I like that Mavs team with Gasol in there, although I prefer Chandler IRL. Hopefully they can give the Lakers fits. Hill proved all the doubters wrong, he got game if he gets the minutes!

I shall do my best in beating the cHeat for sure!! It's personal

Wow! Jordan Hill? really? Nice to see someone who is relatively unknown player to win a major award...

Haha yup, second year in a row that the Cavs have someone that won the award. Now that Lebron is gone everyone has a huge stat-boost. Their "superstar" now is Nate Robinson man, he's averaging like 20-25+ ppg?

LAMROCK, I AM GOING TO RAPE YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTERS, YOUR DAUGHTERS.... NO ONE IS SAFEEEE!!!! JBFKHVBGSDHVBKHDBVGEBVEARF

This made my day I've been waiting for your response/outburst for a long time man, glad you didn't disappoint! Would be so good if you and Lamrock both wrote an article on the award/snub!

Lol at upper post.

Nice to see Hill win it.

I thought it was pretty close between Hill, Wall and Lawson; all three made huge improvements and deserved it

[The X]

I like that you use a voting system. It's actually a good idea to use in theory at NLSC for awards. A sort of media thing. I know you're not really doing it, just thinking out loud. Open up PM voting for awards. If it wasn't so time consuming posting top 25 players' stats, I'd do it.

[Valor]

I like that you use a voting system. It's actually a good idea to use in theory at NLSC for awards. A sort of media thing. I know you're not really doing it, just thinking out loud. Open up PM voting for awards. If it wasn't so time consuming posting top 25 players' stats, I'd do it.

Cheers X, I just think the addition of the votes makes it more realistic
That idea of the NLSCers voting for the awards has crossed my mind too, but likewise it's too much of a bother to do

[Valor]

Rose dominates as Bulls blowout Heat in Game 1

Nobody from the Heat was going to stop Rose tonight

Chicago, IL - Dwyane Wade had a vision when he forced his way back to Miami in the off-season.

This was definitely not part of his plans.

Facing against his old team in his hometown city, the old team that he had abandoned after just one season, Dwyane Wade wanted nothing more than to triumph over Bulls superstar Derrick Rose in the post-season, where the former Chicago native duo faltered last year.

Too bad, Rose one-upped him this time round.

With 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists, Derrick Rose was just one rebound shy of his first career playoff triple double, and more importantly, led the Bulls to sweet revenge against the man who had betrayed them in the off-season; as the Bulls blowout the Heat 104-79, to take home the game 1 victory.

"We're not worried about all the offseason stuff," Rose said. "We're not worried about it. We're just trying to go out there and play hard, play with an edge, play with a lot of intensity."

He might've denied it giving them extra motivation, but his play certainly said otherwise.

After watching Wade go off for 18 points in the first half, Rose and the Bulls turned it on a notch coming out of half-time, both offensively and defensively, and never looked back since. They held Miami to just 15 points in the third quarter and limited Wade to just 12 points in the entire second half.

Wade still finished with 30 points and 5 assists, but he appeared frustrated with the defense in the second half and the Heat never quite found their game from that point on.

It doesn't help that Wade was booed by his hometown fans everytime he touched the ball.

"I'm a little hurt, but you gotta live with that" Wade said "If anything, it gives me motivation to play better"

His teammates might have to rub a little of those off him, in that case.

Only two other Heat players scored in double figures tonight, Josh Smith (15 points) and Michael Beasley (11 points). Smith also had 6 rebounds and 4 blocks, but aside from them nobody really helped Wade out on the offensive end of the floor.

Chicago certainly didn't let that opportunity slip away

"We took it on the chin tonight," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We gotta play better as a team"

Spoelstra might have to coach better, too.

In a bewildering move, Spoelstra benched his rookie of the year Liam Washburn, and instead started the injured, third-string point guard Jimmer Fredette, who finished with a mere 5 points on 2 for 13 shooting in 22 minutes.

What's more, Spoelstra only played Washburn for 7 minutes, the majority of which came in garbage time.

The NBA Rookie of the Year finished with just 1 point, 1 rebound, and 1 assist.

"I don't know why coach didn't play me," Washburn said "I'm definitely not hurt or anything, I am good to go. I don't know why, don't ask me about it"

The Bulls dominated the Heat in every single way here in game 1, playing harder, smarter, and definitely a whole lot better than Miami. They had a 55-37 rebounding advantage, including 12 offensive boards.

Both Noah and Boozer grabbed 12 boards for a double double, while Shaquille O'Neal came off the bench to produce 9 points and 9 rebuonds.

"You play defense. You play defense hard and the shot goes up and they get an offensive rebound, kick it out for a three or get a layup or a dunk," Josh Smith said after the game. "Those are demoralizing for a defensive team. We've got to figure out a way to clean that up."

For most Chicago fans and perhaps the entire organization, beating Dwyane Wade and the Heat here in the playoffs would indeed be sweet revenge.

They are on their way nicely.






Highlights

*Sorry guys, no video this time as it got corrupted in the processing phase

[Valor]

Second Round Results: Game 1

[Justine.]

What a game for Rose. A very great way to start the series man. This year's Playoffs is all about revenge

[Houndy]

Nice vengeance win. Wonder why Lamerock didn't play..