[08] Flying High In The ATL-NBA Finals - Complete!

[Oskar]

Clutch's right. That's a nice dynasty, and I like the last update of ASW. Horford did very nicely, good job getting him the rookie challenge MVP award as well. Good luck in the ASW !

[Lamrock]

Both All-Star Saturday Events Won By Hawks

This whole season has been a dream-come-true for Hawks fans, so it is only fitting that Atlanta players would take home both the 3-point and Slam Dunk trophies. With Andrea Bargnani's narrow defeat of Antoine Walker, and Josh Smith edging out Dwight Howard, Atlanta is now 3/3 in All-Star Weekend events, and with either Joe Johnson or Mike Bibby taking home All-Star MVP tomorrow, the Hawks could sweep All-Star Weekend.

The first round of the Three-Point Shootout saw Bargnani with just 9 points after 3 racks, before scoring 10/12 in the final two to finish with 19. With Gilbert Arenas scoring 18, Kyle Korver with 18, Daniel Gibson with 14 and Dirk Nowitzki with 11, Bargnani advanced to the second round, with Antoine Walker the surprise leaded with 22. After Korver edged Arenas 9-8 in the bonus round, the second round was underway.

Korver completely blew it in the second round, scoring an embarrassing 7. Bargnani stepped it up in the second, having a perfect final three racks to score an all-time record 26. Fatoine, despite his best efforts, could not defeat the Italian and finished with a very strong 24.

Your 2009 Three Point Shootout Champion: Andrea Bargnani!

After Charles Barkley defeated NBA ref Dick Bavetta once again, this time in a Sumo Wrestling match, the Slam Dunk Contest was underway. Thaddeus Young was up first, but failed to hit an ambitious dunk and scored an abysmal 25. Dwight Howard was up next, and landed a layup, but still got a 50 due to wearing a Superman costume. Nate Robinson was up next, but played it safe on a simple dunk and scored 42. Josh Smith did a 720 between the legs dunk to get a 50.

All four players finished with 50's in the second round, and so Nate Robinson (92) and Thaddeus Young (75) were eliminated. Dwight Howard was up first, but fumbled his dunk attempts and ended up with 25. Smith wisely played it safe, and won the contest 87-71. In what was the least exciting Slam Dunk contest in recent history, Josh Smith claimed his second Slam Dunk title, and will go for a third trophy next year, should he be re invited.

Your 2009 Slam Dunk Contest Champion: Josh Smith!

Following the disappointingly dull Slam Dunk Contest, NBA commissioner (and asshole) David Stern appeared very angry. Tomorrow night, the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend will come to a close. Will the All-Star game be epic enough to recover from the lame Slam Dunk Contest? Will the Hawks sweep this weekend's awards? Tune in tomorrow night to find out.

God I hate the All-Star Weekend. I didn't play the Slam Dunk Contest, but I was lucky enough to have Josh win it. I hope its okay that I don't have a Game of the Month for February. I just want to finish this month up ASAP.

[homicide1550]

Hawks are really flying high now! They are dominating the ASW! And the Barkley-Bavetta rivalry escalated a notch, hehe.. That was really a nice read!

[Chaser7]

Lol you swept basically. Once the ASW is over it feels like the season goes much faster anyways.. for me at least.

[Skills]

Haha, funny ass recaps you got there! I haven't been following this as much as I should. I'm expecting JJ to pull off the MVP at the ASG no? Good luck.

[Lamrock]

Hawks Front Office

Chapter 4: Masterminds

A day after the trade of Acie Law to Toronto, Washburn saw that his defeat of Acie Law during Practice was on YouTube. He chuckled as he read the video's comments, full of skeptics, believers, racists and conspiracy theorists, before noticing his boss standing right behind him.

"Oh, right. Sorry Mr. Johnston, heh, I'll get back to work."

Johnston nodded and walked away. 'That was close..., thought Washburn, as he launched a game of Solitaire. With his team holding a 39-14 record going into the All-Star Weekend, Liam felt like his team was fine as is, and had been wasting most of his time in the office.

Later that day, he went down to team practice, only to find his players enjoying a laugh at his expense, looking at Josh Smith's laptop. Washburn looked at the screen and saw yet another Kobe spoof video, this time with an actor portraying him getting hit by a Taxi. As the video ended, a logo formed, with a Chess Knight inside of an Ace playing card.

'I wonder who that could have been', thought Washburn as he rolled his eyes.

After running several Defense drills individually with Mike Bibby, his undersized starting 2 guard, he received a phone call from a Private Name as practice ended.

"Did you get our little video, Liam?, asked a sinister voice.

"Yep. Twas hilarious. How did you and Billy meet, anyway?"

Washburn could vaguely hear someone in the background say "shit, he's on to us" before hearing the mysterious man say "I don't know what you are talking about. Unless you make a press conference, telling everyone that I- Acie let you win at 1-on-1, this photo will get out. HAHAHA!"

At that moment, Washburn was sent a photoshopped picture of a black man in an Acie Law jersey with his own face sloppily placed over the real one, paying a prostitute.

"Okay... you do that. See you Acie!", Washburn said as he hung up, trying to hold back laughter.

Washburn then walked over to the nearby garage to get his car. Since the tire-slashing incident, Liam has had to pay $200 a month to lock up his car.

Later that night, he received a call from the team owner.

"You have to get rid of Bibby before its too late!"

"Why?"

"A sex tape of him has been leaked on the internet."

"You serious"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?!"

"Kinda."

"Well I'm not. Get rid of him! Our image is already damaged enough by that decade of missing the playoffs. Do something about this, or else. Besides, him at the 2... I don't know. Just do something", the owner said, hanging up.

"Fuck."

--------------------

Major writer's block, but I wanted to get out another chapter and further the story. Less dumb jokes and nonsensical plot next time I hope.

[homicide1550]

OMG!! Its a Bibby sex tape!

Really interesting storyline there, so I guess Bibby will be the next one to be traded now..

[Tyler]

Wow. Bibby sex tape.
Wonder who you will trade for?

[Lamrock]

Howard Takes MVP As East Blows Out West

Eastern All-Stars 151, Western All-Stars 136

Phoenix, AZ - So much for a Hawks sweep. Nevertheless, the Eastern Conference dominated all aspects of the All-Star game en route to a fifteen point rout.

The first quarter was kept close throughout. Despite the East out-rebounding the West, and having two less turnovers, the lead was only 37-32. In the second, Gilbert Arenas exploded for 13 of his 21 points. Up 81-67 going into the second half, the Eastern Conference All-Stars had control for the rest of the way.

Dwight Howard led the way in the second half, helping the East maintain their lead as a consistent scoring and rebounding force. Howard finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds, both team highs. Chris Paul tried to keep the West in the game, but his 27 points and 10 assists were not enough.

Hawks stars Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson had solid games. In 11 minutes of action, Bibby had 7 points and 4 assists. Meanwhile, Johnson had 12 points in 19 minutes. Jason Terry, the other first-timer had 6 points in 5 minutes. Home team heroes Elton Brand and Amare Stoudamire played very well as their team's second unit frontcourt, giving a combined 36 points and 15 rebounds.

This was the 59th NBA All-Star Game. The East now leads the all-time series 37-22. Next year's game will take place in Dallas, Texas. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic was awarded MVP of the game.

NBA All-Star Game MVP: Dwight Howard: 31 Points, 12 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 3 Assists
MCDWYANE Shitass of the Game: Carlos Boozer: 0 Points, 2 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 0-4 FG

Top 5 Performers:

Dwight Howard (EAST): 31/12/3/3/0
Chris Paul (WEST): 27/3/10/0/1
LeBron James (EAST): 25/4/8/2/2
Gilbert Arenas (EAST): 21/3/7/1/5
Amare Stoudemire (WEST): 20/9/2/4/0

Hawks in the Game:

Joe Johnson: 12/2/3/0/2, 5-8
Mike Bibby: 7/1/4/1/1, 3-7

Eastern Conference: 37 44 34 36 151
Western Conference: 32 35 38 31 136

Notes:

- 13 players scored in double digits: 6 from the East, 7 from the West
- No pictures for this recap, nor a game of the month for February... sorry.
- Perhaps Mike Bibby only played 11 minutes because of the sex tape?
- February recaps and all that up next
- Woot! No more ASW!

[Chaser7]

Haha a bibby sex tape, pretty creative though gotta hand it to you

THat would be a huge scandal, it'd be sooo fucking funny in real life. Nice recap though, too bad you didn't sweep the ASW but I can tell you really don't like it. haha

[homicide1550]

Solid numbers by the man-child Dwight Howard... But the Hawks did well in the ASW, 3 out of four awards is pretty good.. The Bibby sex tape will probably outshine Paris Hilton’s.

[SoukpBulldzers03]

Ha. I like the MCDWYANE Shitass of the Game. lol

[almightyx]

a sex tape? really? I woulda never thought of that. Who are you trading for now? When you said Liam was fine with the way the team was I kinda figured something was up. Nice job on ASW too. Too bad you couldn't get the sweep.

[Lamrock]

Joe Smith to Pistons for Barnes, Amir Johnson

Atlanta, GA - We all thought that the Atlanta Hawks were finished dealing, but that was not the case. With three days remaining before the trade deadline, the Hawks have traded PF/C Joe Smith to the Detroit Pistons for Matt Barnes and Amir Johnson. The Pistons will clear up cap space in the offseason, and upgrade at the Power Forward position as they continue their playoff push



With the forward positions stacked already, Matt Barnes does not seem to be a necessary cog in the rotation, and Amir Johnson is a step down from Joe Smith. All signs point to the Hawks making another move in the coming days, possibly involving undersized 2 guard Mike Bibby, who has recently been involved in an unconfirmed sex tape controversy. Whether the players will be used as trade bait, as placeholders, or as parts of the rotation is up in the air. Will the Hawks make their move before the trade deadline? Discuss it in our forums.

[Chaser7]

The amount of trades and roster moves you are making are getting excessive especially with another blockbuster coming up, you should stop. This was really pointless too.

[Tyler]

The amount of trades and roster moves you are making are getting excessive especially with another blockbuster coming up, you should stop. This was really pointless too.

He's only done 3 trades.

[Chaser7]

Um..... the amount of players he's brought in and shipped out is ridiculous. Not to mention 3 is a lot for half a season ... so... yourself haha

[Lamrock]

Wow, your pretty pissy about this Chaser, and you will be especially pissed at what comes next.

I'll be honest, I hated my team with Bibby at the two. Also, I have a poor attention span, and get bored of my players pretty quickly (read: my Warriors). I am sorry that you don't approve of this, but it is my dynasty. I sorta gave up on realism the first time I simmed a game.

[Chaser7]

I'm not pissed at all (its just a dynasty!), I'm just saying the trades are getting ridiculous. I was however mocking Crimson Penguin though haha. Esepcially since we all know you (Lamrock) have another trade coming up.

[Lamrock]

Hawks Front Office

Chapter 5: Cameos Galore!

"I don't know, Liam. We have the second best record in the league. This is just ridiculous. The players are complaining, thinking their next. Give the chemistry time to return."

"Jim, you know its not my idea. We need to get rid of Mike somehow. You should be happy: the small-ball experiment that you despised so much is over," Liam said to his Assistant GM, Jim Fayer.

"Yeah, but shit. This leaves us with what, 4 original guys?"

"Yeah...", Liam said as he made that out in his head. "But they are all main rotation guys. And who is going to miss Ellery? The dude was dogshit. And all Keith gave us was a bunch of trillions."

"Still... why does it have to be such a big trade?"

"Because Mike is an all-star. And the salaries need to be balanced anyway. I was just going to give Bibby, but they wanted Keith and Ellery too. This is happening Jim. I understand your point, but consider the positives: we get younger, we get something for Mike, who we really don't want to give a big contract, and we improve defensively," Liam argued, getting angry at the Californian.

"We are trading an all-star for two of the biggest jokes in the league"

"Yeah, but one of them is a young up-and-coming star and the other.. well he expires after next year, and you never know... he has potential."

Fayer sipped his coffee and sighed. "Well, I guess we have already picked at our roster so much that the guys will be used to it. The next month in a half is going to be pretty hard. Thank god I'm not coaching this team too," Fayer remarked as he left the room, conceding in defeat.

As Fayer walked towards his Toyota Chaser, he thought to himself 'Damn it, why didn't I take that Clipper job?'

--------------------

"Have you read the trade proposal Mr. Johnston?," Washburn asked.

"Yes. I love it. I don't know how you managed to get what you did for Bibby, especially since they are stacked at both guard positions," the owner of the Hawks replied.

"Yeah. I think they were in it for the expiring contract... so should I call to confirm it?"

"Yes. Good luck coaching the new guys," the old man said as he waved Liam out of the room.

--------------------

Two weeks earlier...

"Thanks for your help Mr. Troyer. Here of course, is your compensation," a tall man in a trench coat said as he handed over an envelope to a bald dwarf, humorously also in a trench coat.

"No, thank you. No one will discover that it isn't Mike Bibby, will they?"

"Of course not. I won't let you suffer that humiliation twice.... Hey wait, before we part ways, can you do that pinky thing?"

"Fuck you", the dwarf replied as he stalked away.

[Chaser7]

hahah Jim Fayer and his Toyota Chaser(7), priceless. I actually laughed out loud.

[Skills]

Ahaha the sex tape part killed me. I'm guessing you traded Bibby for an underrated shooting guard? Well no matter what, keep this up!

[almightyx]

Oh the suspense!!!! Hope you got someone you like in the trade. And WTH...a fake sex tape with Vern Troyer? Who's trying to get rid of Bibby? And what have you been smokin, comin up with this? You've got my attention though, this is hilarious, keep it up!

[Lamrock]

Hawks Get Gay for Bibby

Atlanta, GA - Whether or not Mike Bibby really was in a sex tape, he is paying the price for it. The Atlanta Hawks have sent him, along with rookie Center Ellery Cochrane and backup PG Keith McLeod to Memphis. In return, they will receive highflying swingman Rudy Gay and former #2 pick Darko Milicic.

The Hawks, who currently stand at a strong record of 39-14, attempted to play Mike Bibby at the Shooting Guard position, during the previous nine games. Despite the 7-2 record and first-time all-star appearance for the guard, all of Bibby's averages dropped, and he was a liability on defense. Coach/GM Liam Washburn seems to have faith in his small-ball lineup, but is now giving up on it after just nine games. Losing McLeod and and Cochrane are fairly innocuous losses, due to the fact that they seldom play.

Rudy Gay will likely slide into the starting SF position, pushing Joe Johnson back to the 2 guard spot, though Josh Childress could earn the starting nod instead. Darko Milicic gets yet another chance to shine, backing up Al Horford at Center, and allowing Bargnani more time backing up the forward positions. Darko is mostly in the trade to balance salaries however, due to his seven million dollar a year contract, balancing out Gay's rookie contract.


(Cochrane: No Picture on File)

The Grizzlies meanwhile, have been looking to dump Milicic and Gay for a while. With Jeff Green unhappy about playing the 4, Memphis has looked to ditch the other star SF, and in Bibby, finally found a good deal. While Memphis is pretty stacked at both guard positions, Bibby is a 13 million dollar free agent, and can give the Grizzlies both trade bait and veteran leadership. If Conley is dealt for a big man, Bibby could become a key part of the young team.

This trade marks the fourth made by first-year GM Liam Washburn. Only four players (Childress, Horford, Johnson, Smith) from the beginning of the season remain. No other trades have been made on the trade deadline.

[deihatein]

After reading your behind the scenes I have a guess that you will get Darko and yes my guess was right. I like your team now but I kinda think that you are stacked on the F position (Smith,Gay,Barnes,Childress). Your bench is stacked as well but still a solid team.

Due to the roster changes you made is your team chemistry is low?. Is your record 32-12? Cause it's say on the recap 39-14?.