Road to Glory II

These playoff series, wow. You wanted more out of Hinrich, you got it

It's pretty crazy isn't it? Too bad BG7 was the better man

Wow the Hornets don't want to lose easily!

Yep, they sure are putting up a heck of a fight! Keeps things interesting

Korver ties Finals record as Bulls outlast Hornets in OT to take 3-2 series lead

Kyle Korver knocks down one of his record-tying threes, this one from way downtown

Chicago, IL – Somehow, someway, all of Chicago’s championship teams had a three point shooter that played a big role in getting them the title.

John Paxson’s championship-winning trey in game 6 of the ’93 finals, BJ Armstrong’s reliable bombs from outside, and Steve Kerr’s game-clinching shot off the Michael Jordan Pass.

After tonight’s performance, we’ll have to add Kyle Korver to that list.

With the Bulls struggling out of the gate offensively, Korver stepped in and simply was unstoppable, as he knocked down 5 triples in the first half – including one to beat the buzzer at the end of the first – and finished the game with 8 threes, tying Boston Celtic guard Ray Allen for the most threes made in Finals history by one player. Korver finished with a game high 34 points, including the three ball that sent the game to overtime with 13.2 seconds remaining, the most he has ever scored in an NBA game, regular season or playoffs.

Korver’s brilliance, however, was not alone enough. As the gritty Hornets fought back and made big shots whenever the Bulls begin to gather momentum. Led by Ben Gordon’s 32 points and Chris Paul’s 12 point, 12 assist performance, the Hornets managed to keep themselves in the game and had a chance to win it, however Al Harrington’s (26 points, 6 assist) potential game winning jumper from 15 feet out was blocked by Taj Gibson with 4.2 remaining.

"I didn't think it was easy, getting the 3's up in the air," Korver said. "You look up and everybody is probably thinking, 'How did this guy get open?' But there's so much going on there -- big screens, misdirection plays, fastbreak buckets. I thought they did everything they could to keep me from shooting 3's, [but we] worked tirelessly."

Once in overtime, the Bulls followed the lead of the brilliance of Derrick Rose, as he tore it up, scoring 8 of the team’s 11 overtime points, and blocked 2 shots in the period, to lead the Bulls to a 111-108 OT victory. Rose would finish with 26 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds to earn the Jordan Player of the Game honors.

“It’s a big win, and a very close call” said Rose, “This game was very important to our team, we didn’t want to head off to New Orleans being down 3-2”

It wasn’t an elimination game, but the Bulls certainly played like it, having given up the hard-earned homecourt advantage from their game 2 victory in New Orleans the last game to a Ben Gordon buzzer beater, the Bulls’ backs were against the wall, even though the numbers don’t show it.

“Winning two straight elimination games on the road in the Finals? It’s darn near impossible” said Bulls coach Byron Scott, “I’m really glad the guys got the message tonight and played hard”

The Bulls’ efforts were evident in their work on the glass, as they grabbed 46 rebounds, 9 more than the Hornets and 21 more than what they had in their game 4 loss.

“Last game we won because we played harder on the glass,” said Emeka Okafor, who finished with 12 rebounds alongside 8 points and 7 assists, “They played with more intensity than us tonight and that’s why we lost”

The Series is now 3-2 in favor of the Bulls, and will shift back to New Orleans for the remaining games (game 7 if necessary).



Highlights




Player of the Game Highlights
Flash

Nightly Notable: Kyle Korver’s Finals record-tying performance
Flash

Right, can you make a decision on who has been the most useful in these playoffs? Hinrich, Rose, Korver, Shaq?

Nah, I got to be honest, this is a great series to read. I am really enjoying it. I know you can almost touch it, but not yet sir, not yet

KOOOOOOOOOOORRRVEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!

A lot of those 3s looked like he had a foot on the line but it's probably just his release.... Hornets are really not going down easy. Keep it up

Right, can you make a decision on who has been the most useful in these playoffs? Hinrich, Rose, Korver, Shaq?

Nah, I got to be honest, this is a great series to read. I am really enjoying it. I know you can almost touch it, but not yet sir, not yet

Hahaha probably Rose and Shaq, Rose being the best performer by far and Shaq being the most consistent
Thanks man, glad you are enjoying this final stretch

KOOOOOOOOOOORRRVEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!

Gimme that HOT SAUCE!!!!

A lot of those 3s looked like he had a foot on the line but it's probably just his release.... Hornets are really not going down easy. Keep it up

Yeh man can't believe they managed to always stay in the game till the very end despite all those runs I went on Gonna be tough to win it on their floor but just what we gotta do

Rose dominates as Bulls rout Hornets, wins first title since Jordan Era

Derrick Rose went off on the Hornets to bring back the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Chicago

New Orleans, LA – Derrick Rose isn’t one for pep talks or boasts.

So when the usually quiet and humble Bulls star told his team they were going to win game 6, you can be sure that something special was going to happen.

“I told the guys that I only packed enough for one game” Rose said, “One game is going to be enough for us to close thing out”

He made sure of it.

Playing like a man possessed, Rose tore apart fellow all-star point guard Chris Paul and his New Orleans Hornets with a career playoff high 48 points alongside 13 assists, and led the Chicago Bulls, from start to finish, to a dominating game 6, and championship-clinching, victory over the Hornets, 111-75.

With Rose being so aggressive and successive on offense, the rest of the Bulls took note and conserved their energy for the defensive end, effectively shutting down the rest of the Hornets sans Paul, who, despite all his effort and great play (and perhaps the benefit of the whistle too many a times), was unable to single handedly lift the Hornets out of the gigantic deficit that they were in ever since the first quarter.

The Bulls led by 12 at the end of one and 29 at half-time.

“They outplayed us, period” said Paul, “They played phenomenal basketball and just kicked our ass”

Paul finished with 35 points, 20 of which came from the free throw line (20-21), but was one of the only two Hornet to score in double figures and had 4 turnovers against the Chicago defense.

On the other hand, due to Rose’s aggressive and effective penetration, most of the other Bulls were able to score at a very efficient clip. Shaq, Noah and Boozer combined to shoot 16 for 24 from the field (66.6%) and turned in 32 points. While the hero of game 5 Kyle Korver added a further 8 points on 3 for 6 shooting.

So after 14 years following Jordan’s “Last Shot”, the Chicago Bulls are finally back on top with the Larry O’Brien trophy.

This time, it was all thanks to the home-grown kid from the Southside of Chicago, who rose (no pun intended) to stardom and attained success in rapid succession ever since being drafted by his hometown Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Having won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season and took the Bulls to the playoffs, where they had what is widely regarded as one of the best playoff series of all time against the then-reigning champion Boston Celtics, Rose and the Bulls suffered a setback in his second season, with the team battered from injuries, they fell short of the playoffs.

The summer of 2010 saw the arrival of rookie Evan Turner and Chicago was able to pair Rose up with the high-flying Josh Smith as well as superstar guard Dwyane Wade, who is also a Chicago native. The Bulls proceeded to win 55 games and advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics. However, Wade, Turner and the rest of the team had a fallout, and they were subsequently traded away.

Entering this season, the Bulls on paper had less talent than the previous year. Instead, Rose stepped up and raised the level of play of his teammates. Joakim Noah became an All-Star and led the league in both rebounds and blocks; Shaquille O’Neal despite being at 40 years old contributed big time, especially during the playoff run; Boozer was up and down but still averaged 16 and 8 for the season; while the wing duo of Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich provided consistent and excellent perimeter defense.

However, this team would not have gotten 60 wins and this run to the title, if not for their leader Derrick Rose, who averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists per game in the regular season, made big plays after big plays in the postseason, and in the end dominated the consensus front-runner for “best point guard in the NBA” Chris Paul in these finals. Rose was named Finals MVP after averaging 30.7 points, 8.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds over the 6 games played.

To top things off, this is one of those special ego-less stars that are very rarely seen around the league anymore.

The first thing he did after coach Byron Scott handed him the Larry O’Brien trophy, was to give it to the team’s retiring veterans – Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Williams.

“It just shows how great of a person he is” said O’Neal, who has won his sixth NBA title “He actually lobbied for Coach Scott to let Jay (Williams) to get on the floor one last time tonight”

Williams injured his ankle prior to game 5 and was deactivated for that game. Winning his second title, the 36 year old was filled with emotion as Derrick handed the trophy to him.

“Going out like this, on my own terms and as a champ, this is the perfect ending” said Williams, “I’ve had a long ride but like the big fella (Shaq), it’s time to ride off into the sunset”

For Chris Paul and the Hornets, it’s not such a perfect ending.

After breaking the NBA record for the best start in NBA history with a 25-0 record out of the gate, Paul led his red-hot Hornets to 66 wins (second in West) and all the way to the Finals after knocking off the Spurs, the Rockets, and finally the pesky Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Despite all this, Derrick Rose and the Bulls were just too much to overcome.

“We’ll be back next year” said Paul, “Congrats to Derrick and them guys, but it’s our turn next year”

You can be sure he’ll deliver on his word, but for now, the time belongs to D-Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

Let the parade begin.






Highlights




Player of the Game Highlights
Flash

You did it, great. It has been an awesome playoff series

Well that was easy... (or at least that game) Good job and your recaps are just awesome-looking

It was clearly a battle of Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. And as the result, Rose came out victorious. Congratulations!

Totally forgot you had Turner at one point. It all came back, that he was a little bitch on your team.

Way to end the season, without Wade, I didn't think you could do it, but Rose really is the MVP.

Try to keep this team together in the off-season.

CHAMPSS!

Lin finally gets his championship ring. Good work finishing this off, Valor. Headed to the HOF methinks.

Congratulations. Rose played incredibly, it was the way to an easy victory.

You did it, great. It has been an awesome playoff series

Cheers man, it's been fun

Well that was easy... (or at least that game) Good job and your recaps are just awesome-looking

Haha yeah Rose went on fire and that was that

It was clearly a battle of Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. And as the result, Rose came out victorious. Congratulations!

I actually think CP3 hurt his team by being a little too aggressive and they really never got anyone else going...oh well, good for me I guess

Totally forgot you had Turner at one point. It all came back, that he was a little bitch on your team.

Way to end the season, without Wade, I didn't think you could do it, but Rose really is the MVP.

Try to keep this team together in the off-season.

Cheers man, Rose is the MVP for sure I think I'm gonna retire this one though...maybe i'll do a 2k12 one or 2k13 one sometime in the future but who knows, we'll see what happens

CHAMPSS!

Lin finally gets his championship ring. Good work finishing this off, Valor. Headed to the HOF methinks.

Haha not quite the same Linsanity as IRL but still, he did his part here Thanks for the praise man, couldn't have done it without all of you readers

Congratulations. Rose played incredibly, it was the way to an easy victory.

Nobody stopped him when he got hot and that's all she wrote

Ah, just got to watch this! Sweet job winning the championship man, well deserved.

Congrats on bringing the ship back to Chicago. Kind of weird Chicago won the title against New Orleans in my Franchise as well

Ah, just got to watch this! Sweet job winning the championship man, well deserved.

Thanks man! It was nice to finally get one

Congrats on bringing the ship back to Chicago. Kind of weird Chicago won the title against New Orleans in my Franchise as well

Haha for real? What a coincidence

Sorry for the lack of updates fellas, I'll wrap this up for sure but too much work from uni right now, exams coming up and the semester's finishing soon so please do be patient

2012 NBA Finals Recap


NBA Finals Results
New Orleans Hornets (2) v Chicago Bulls (2)


Top Performers
New Orleans: Chris Paul – 17.5 ppg, 10.7 apg | Ben Gordon – 20.8 ppg | David West – 13.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg
Chicago: Derrick Rose - 30.7 ppg, 8.7 apg, 3.8 rpg | Shaquille O’Neal – 12.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg | Kyle Korver – 12 ppg, 62.1% 3pt (18/29)

Comment: In an epic battle between two 60-win teams led by two of the best point guards in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls have come away with the Larry O’Brien Trophy following 6 hard-fought games and stand atop the basketball world for the first time since “Jordan’s Last Dance”.

Led by the Chicago native Derrick Rose, who was drafted number 1 overall by the Bulls 4 years ago in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Bulls finished this year’s regular season with 60 wins, which incredibly is only the 5th best record in the league this season (Lakers – 69, Hornets – 66, Rockets – 62, Magic – 61) and the second in the East, however, as the second seed in the East they would soon overcome all obstacles in their path and dispatched their opponents en-route to the NBA Finals, where the league MVP runner-up Chris Paul, widely considered as the best Point Guard in the NBA today, was ready and waiting following a down to the wire, 7 game series with Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

The Hornets rode the momentum following their game 7 victory in the Western Conference Finals and hit Chicago with force, with CP3 nailing the game winning three point shot at the buzzer to sink the hearts of the Bulls. However, being as resilient as they are, the Bulls fought back valiantly and finally ended the back and forth series in game 6, with Rose dropping a career playoff high 48 points to rout New Orleans and clinching the title.

It is a storybook ending for NBA veterans Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Williams, who cap off illustrated careers with one final championship ring. O’Neal now ties his old teammates Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, as well as the great Michael Jordan with 6 titles, and definitely looks to be a lock for the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield; while the flashy point guard Jason Williams goes out with his second ring after brilliant stints with the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat (where he won his first title), the Orlando Magic, and now the Chicago Bulls. Both are set to retire at season’s end.

For the rest of the Derrick Rose-led Bulls though, this could just be the very beginning of another run of multiple titles as the famed Chicago Dynasty is once again back in existence.

Bulls Win Series 4-2
Finals MVP: Derrick Rose

Afterword

This association story started back in March 2010. It was more than two years ago when I decided to start a sequel to my Road to Glory story, it wasn't exactly a sequel in the normal sense, but I had fun playing the game, recapping it, writing the (crappy) stories, and of course, reading all the feedback that you guys give and chatting with everyone that was following on these boards. It has been a great ride from start to finish, and as I'm not really the type to give long speeches (i.e. Sit ), I will make this short and simple by just giving a big Thank You to each and everyone of you that was at any point reading and following this story. Without your fellow enthusiasm for basketball I don't think I would've found as much motivation and incentive to keep this story going for such a long time.

I said at the end of Road to Glory that it was my most successful dynasty/association to date, but this has surpassed it in every single way, going all the way from around 800 posts and 12k views at that time for RTG all the way to the current 1.47k posts and just under 58k views. This is all due to you, my awesome viewers.

Special thanks to those who have been with me since my very humble beginnings, Sit, Lamrock, Thierry, Martti, hova. You all have given me inspiration, constructive criticism, great feedback..etc, it has been a great ride. Sorry if I didn't mention everybody, but I'm no less grateful to you all as well.

I know I'm not the best at writing, or creativity, or presentation, but I know for sure that my love for the game is pretty much unparalleled, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading the story and felt that same love for the game of basketball through my writings. I don't know what's going to happen from here on, but I may not be retired from this section just yet, so keep your eyes out and somewhere down the line I might return with another association story.

Until then, take care everybody, and once again thank you.

Valor

I'm going to be honest that I didn't follow this as much as I have before. (I think I stop reading when the Lakers got eliminated by the Mavs? lol) Anyways good to see you finish another story.

I'm going to be honest that I didn't follow this as much as I have before. (I think I stop reading when the Lakers got eliminated by the Mavs? lol) Anyways good to see you finish another story.

Totally understandable, aside from the fact that your team got bounced, I've been very up and down with this in terms of updates, going on plenty of hiatuses before finally wrapping things up now thanks for following anyways, it was great having all of you around

It was a great association, great writing and great games. Cheers to you Valor

Hope to see another one soon - you probably don't know me but I was following this before I even made an account. Probably my favorite association ever and I think I speak for many when I say it was motivating. Congrats to you for that...

Top work mate. Well done on getting that title too!