Andrew's Chicago Bulls Dynasty - November 2006

[Andrew]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm afraid I've got some more bad Laker news in bonus coverage, dada.

January 9th, 2006
Toronto (99) at Chicago (107)
Raptors' streak ends in Chi-Town
[ Boxscore ]

Toronto's three game winning streak was snapped tonight as Chicago got some help from the usual suspects...and an unlikely one. Mike Sweetney, acquired in the Eddy Curry trade this past offseason, scored 20 points including 13 in the second quarter while grabbing 3 rebounds and handing out 2 assists as the Bulls took a 107-99 victory, their tenth win over the Raptors in their last eleven meetings.

Chicago again found themselves behind after the first quarter but clearly mindful of the tough task of playing catchup they've endured in recent games, attacked the Raptors aggressively in the second and with two free throws by Andres Nocioni with 3.4 seconds left tied the game at 49 heading into halftime. The run continued in the third quarter with Deng scoring 10 points as the Bulls used fast break opportunities to push the lead up to 13.

The Raptors however were not about to lay down for the home team. Mike James, Morris Peterson and Jalen Rose led a late surge to cut into the deficit and reduced the lead to three by the end of the third. Chicago tried to recapture the momentum as the third quarter began but relinquished the lead 80-79 after a three pointer by Morris Peterson. After trading the lead on the next few possessions the Bulls held a slim 83-82 advantage before Sweetney's three point play put them ahead for good.

Toronto hit a couple of three pointers to cut into a 13 point lead but it was too little, too late. Chicago did not play any of their starters for the final two minutes and the lead would not dip below seven for the remainder of the game.

Notes: Jose Calderon played only 9 minutes due to foul trouble. He picked up two fouls early in the first quarter and was replaced by Mike James for most of the contest after picking up two more fouls after re-entering the game in the third...Mike Sweetney led the Bulls in scoring for the first time this season...Chicago had won 9 straight against Toronto before the Raptors' victory on December 14th, 2005. The teams will meet twice more this season.

BONUS COVERAGE!

January 9th, 2006
Indiana (127) at LA Lakers (63)
Pacers trounce Kobeless Lakers
[ Boxscore ]

Playing their first game in a two week stretch without injured superstar Kobe Bryant, the Lakers demonstrated just how valuable the three time NBA champion is to the team. The Lakers were embarrassed at home as they totalled the lowest number of points in a game (63), quarter (4, in the third) and the largest margin of defeat (64) in franchise history post-1954.

Von Wafer started in place of Bryant and played 35 minutes, scoring 9 points as well as collecting 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Chris Mihm led the team with 18 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. The Lakers committed 28 personal fouls in total, 23 by the starters alone. Kwame Brown also fouled out and Lamar Odom was forced to sit for most of the third quarter after picking up his fourth.

Indiana's attack was relentless as all five starters scored in double digits, three accounting for 20 or more points led by Ron Artest's 32. Artest was 11/19 from the field, 10/10 from the foul line and had 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Jermaine O'Neal poured in 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in addition to blocking 2 shots and handing out 2 assists. Jamaal Tinsley had a double double with 11 points and 10 assists.

The Pacers shot 43-79 from the field (54%) including 7/15 from beyond the arc (47%) and 34/38 from the free throw line (89%). In contrast, the Lakers were just 26/78 from the field (33%), 1/9 from downtown (11%) and 10/20 (50%) from the charity stripe.

The Lakers are expected to be without Bryant for at least another four games, all of which are against teams with winning records including three divison leaders. The Lakers are 12-22 on the year while Indiana improved to 19-13 with the victory.

Notes: The Lakers were outscored 36-4 in the third quarter...both teams grabbed 43 rebounds with Los Angeles winning the battle on the offensive glass 17-9...Phil Jackson was called for a technical foul in the third quarter after voicing his displeasure on Lamar Odom's fourth foul.

January 11th, 2006
Chicago (102) at Minnesota (94)
Bulls escape Target Center with victory
[ Boxscore ]

Though they lost 102-94, the Minnesota Timberwolves showed the Chicago Bulls they couldn't take anything for granted. Chicago held a seemingly commanding 14 point lead heading into the fourth after closing out the third quarter in style. However, the Bulls began the fourth quarter with a shot clock violation and spurred on by the cheers of the home crowd, the Timberwolves began a run that almost won the game.

Ben Gordon had different ideas though, scoring 8 of his 36 in the fourth quarter as the Bulls withstood the rally and sealed the game from the free throw line in the final minute. Minnesota would come within two and had a chance to tie the game coming up with steals as the Bulls looked rattled at the offensive end. Forced to foul Gordon after a defensive rebound the Timberwolves saw the deficit climb back to four after Gordon made both free throws to make it 98-94 with 17.9 seconds remaining. Minnesota would not score again but twice fouled giving the Bulls the opportunity to extend the lead in the closing moments.

Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak led the fourth quarter assault for the Timberwolves, finishing with 29 and 27 points respectively. Szczerbiak hit two big threes down the stretch and did a good job of limiting Luol Deng who finished with 10 points on 5/16 shooting. Gordon was the star of the night though, scoring 36 points and connecting on 6/11 from downtown, 13/23 overall in the game. Rookie Rashad McCants contributed 9 points and a career high 11 assists before fouling out in the final minute. Anthony Carter had 10 points and 10 assists.

Notes: Prolific at the free throw line in the last two contests, Chicago had only 13 attempts against the Timberwolves connecting on 12. Minnesota shot 9/12 from the charity stripe...Chicago dominated the boards outrebounding the Timberwolves 46-22 (including 15-8 on the offensive glass), their largest rebounding margin of the season...Minnesota registered 29 assists to Chicago's 16. Chicago leads the league with an average of 28.3 apg while Minnesota averages 22.8 apg.

Current Record: 22-14
Next Opponent: Indiana Pacers

[Srbija]

Cool stuff

[hova-]

I like your style of writing really impressive !

And Ben Gordon is doin really well, he is an outsider scorer ?

[Andrew]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, Gordon's an Outside Scorer by default, that's the only FSS ability he's currently got in my Dynasty.

[HonorGlow]

Hey Andrew...I see that you're closing in on the midseason! I'll PM you your liveGMC login crudentials so you can submit your midseason pstats! I like how your going Dynasty old school and really letting your words paint the picture of the Bulls progress...Baby bulls rock!

[Andrew]

Thanks HonorGlow, only a few more to go now until the halfway point.

January 13th, 2006
Clippers lose Maggette

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to be without starting forward Corey Maggette for up to a week due to back spasms. Maggette appeared to injure his back during the second quarter of last night's 103-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Though he returned and finished the game having played 33 minutes and scoring 23 points, he lacked his usual explosiveness. He is expected to be back by the 18th when the Clippers will once again take on the Phoenix Suns in the Staples Center.

January 14th, 2006
Indiana (132) at Chicago (139) 2OT
Bulls hold off visiting Pacers in double overtime thriller
[ Boxscore ]

Indiana is coming up behind Chicago in the Central Division, but we will have to wait a little longer before overtaking them. Though they outscored the Bulls 55-47 in the second half including coming up with a crucial steal to force the first overtime where they appeared to have the game in hand, Indiana could not escape Chicago with the victory as the Bulls pulled out the double overtime win.

The Bulls raced out to an early lead as Ben Gordon opened the game with two three pointers, hitting his first four shots of the game. However, the Bulls went cold and the Pacers capitalised opening up a nine point lead by the end of the first quarter. Chicago would dominate the second quarter however, holding Indiana to 11 points while scoring 28 of their own to grab control of the game heading into the second half.

Though the Pacers would cut into the deficit in the third quarter the Bulls still appeared to be in control of the game. In the fourth however Chicago made some costly turnovers and the Pacers showed they were far from beaten. In the final 17 seconds, the Bulls looked to hold for a final shot but the play broke down and Ron Artest made a layup to knot it up at 96 apiece as the game went into overtime.

In the first minute of the extra session the Bulls suffered a blow when Ben Gordon was forced to leave the game with an arm injury. Stephen Jackson hit two threes in the period including one to put the Pacers up 110-106 and the seemingly out of reach. The Bulls refused to quit and scored on the next possession before forcing Indiana to cough up the ball on a three second lane violation their next trip down the floor. Mike Sweetney hit two free throws to tie the game with 22.7 seconds left. The Pacers held for a final shot but swarming defense forced Tinsley into a rushed three as time expired.

Gordon returned in the second overtime as the Bulls finally looked like seizing control of the game as they jumped out to a 120-114 lead early. Indiana came roaring back as David Harrison made a couple of putbacks and Chicago missed some easy layups. Chicago held a 128-125 lead when Kirk Hinrich intercepted a pass by Anthony Johnson and found Gordon on the break for a layup for a five point lead late in the second overtime. The Bulls would seal the game from the free throw line for their fifth straight win. Shawn Kemp and Tyson Chandler were huge for Chicago in the two overtimes, finishing with 28 points and 20 points respectively. Kemp had 11 rebounds while Chandler added 12.

Jermaine O'Neal led all scorers with 32 points shooting 15/23 from the field in addition to racking up 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Gordon was the high man for the Bulls with 30 on 10/18 shooting with 10 assists. Hinrich struggled from the field but managed 13 points and 13 assists as well as 3 steals.

Notes: Indiana attempted only six free throws, making four...the Bulls lost the battle of the boards 42-39 (16-9 on the offensive glass)...14 of the 22 players who played in the contest scored in double digits with five scoring 20 or more.


Chandler had only one block, but contributed plenty elsewhere

[Mark.]

Nice huge win there, your stats are getting super realistic, have you made the jump up to superstar yet??

EDIT: Actually I mean, "Nice High Scoring Win"

[Srbija]

Good win Lucky Gordon returned

[Andrew]

Nice huge win there, your stats are getting super realistic, have you made the jump up to superstar yet??

Ages ago.

[HonorGlow]

Thanks HonorGlow, only a few more to go now until the halfway point.

All set to go! Login crudentials sent and enabled! Looking forward to your stats!

[Andrew]

Thanks. Figures that just as I've got the game to a more realistic level and I've brought the scores down I'd have a double OT game to pad the stats just before I reach the next submission point for LiveGMC.

[Andrew]

January 16th, 2006
Denver (107) at Chicago (102)
Nuggets get road win behind big fourth quarter
[ Boxscore ]

Just as Chicago appeared to have the game in hand, the Nuggets' late rally and 32 fourth quarter points led to a 107-102 Denver victory. Kenyon Martin's dunk put the Nuggets ahead for good 96-94 and Voshon Lenard's three point play the next trip down the floor appeared to seal the win for the Nuggets, who improved to 19-20.

Denver's frontcourt abused Chicago at both ends, with Marcus Camby scoring 20 points, blocking two shots and grabbing 15 rebounds including 8 at the offensive end. Not to be outdone, Martin scored 20 of his own and collected a game high 18 rebounds while Carmelo Anthony, hampered by foul trouble, scored 18 points in just 28 minutes. For the Bulls, Kirk Hinrich was a rebound shy of a triple double with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Ben Gordon led seven Bulls in double digits with 18 points in addition to 5 assists.

The Nuggets began the game strong outscoring the Bulls 22-8 in the first 8 minutes. Chicago would recover and finished the quarter down 29-25 after Hinrich hit a three at the buzzer. For the next two quarters Chicago appeared to be in control, outscoring Denver 30-22 in the second and keeping them at bay as both teams scored 24 in the third. The Bulls' lead would balloon to 11 midway through the fourth but the lead would slip away as a determined Nuggets team forced the Bulls to take several poor shots and crashed the boards at both ends. Down by five, the Bulls appeared poised to make a final run but a missed three and a bad pass picked off by Camby on consecutive possessions allowed the Nuggets to pick up the road win.

Notes: Chicago again held a large advantage from the free throw line attempting 18 foul shots and connecting on 14 while Denver shot a season low 5/5 from the charity stripe...Martin and Camby alone almost equalled Chicago's total rebounds (34), falling one shy...Darius Songaila scored a season high 10 points in 10 minutes for the Bulls.

January 18th, 2006
New York (88) at Chicago (94)
Bulls survive slow start, defeat Knicks
[ Boxscore ]

After one of their worst halves of the season, Chicago rebounded with a dominating second half for a 94-88 victory. Ben Gordon scored 14 of his 22 points in the third quarter including a runner as time expired to give Chicago its first lead of the game 67-66. The Bulls outscored the Knicks 59-40 in the second half including a 32-18 third quarter after scoring a season low 35 points in the first half.

New York exploded out of the gate scoring the first 9 points of the game before Andres Nocioni made a jumper from 15 feet to get Chicago on the board. However, the Bulls would remain scoreless for the next few possessions while New York ran its lead up to 11. The drought appeared to be over as Chicago stormed back trailing 17-14 late in the quarter but New York finished with a flurry and pushed the lead back to nine by the end of the period.

It would be more of the same in the second quarter as Chicago struggled to score, particularly Gordon who scored only 4 first half points on 2/8 shooting. Gordon found other ways of contributing tallying 5 rebounds and 5 assists through the first two quarters but the Knicks were relentless and held a 13 point lead heading into halftime. After the break, New York attempted to put the game out of reach and early on led by 14 but Chicago's run was about to begin.

After Gordon's third quarter performance allowed Chicago to outscore New York by 14 and take a one point lead into the final period, the Knicks drew first blood to recapture the lead but relinquished it on the next play and would trail for the rest of the game. Chicago would ice the game from the free throw line but uncharacteristically missed six of their last nine free throw attempts, finishing 11/20 for the game.

Notes: Chicago won the rebounding battle 45-33 including a 19-8 advantage on the offensive boards...New York shot a season low 3/6 from the foul line...Eddy Curry, traded from Chicago to New York this past offseason, remains sidelined with a bone spur in his foot.

January 20th, 2006
Houston (96) at Chicago (105)
McGrady scores 38, but Bulls are victorious
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls withstood a fourth quarter run and 38 points from Tracy McGrady as they defeated the Houston Rockets 105-96 in the United Center. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 24 points on 11/16 shooting and Tyson Chandler added 20 more off the bench as Chicago outscored Houston 13-6 in a furious final two and a half minutes.

Chicago jumped out to an early lead to begin the game and though the Rockets found their rhythm the Bulls held a six point lead at the quarter break with Chandler scoring 8 first quarter points. The Bulls held onto the lead throughout the second despite McGrady finishing the half with 21 points but briefly fell behind by a point in the third before recapturing the lead heading into the fourth.

T-Mac proved troublesome throughout the fourth and kept Houston in the game with his hot shooting and some pesky defense on Gordon who had to pass up several shots because of McGrady's wingspan. Juwan Howard was also a big factor in keeping the game close with his rebounding. The former Fab Five member snared 16 boards including 11 at the offensive end, also contributing 15 points. All-Star centre Yao Ming scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds but was frequently denied the ball and had one of his shots blocked by Andres Nocioni, who finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Bulls.

Notes: Chicago was outrebounded 44-32 including a 19-7 disadvantage on the offensive glass...Chicago shot 54.8% from the field while Houston shot 47.8%...the Rockets had as many made free throws as three pointers (5)...Houston committed three times as many personal fouls as the Bulls (21-7).


Yao's shot is turned back by Nocioni

[Tuomas]

I really like your presentation; it makes the game feel much more realistic. Great game by Camby, too bad that you lost of course. Denver's frontcourt is solid.

[Mark.]

Nice recap, a loss to start but then you had 2 good wins, even though the Chicago one was a slow start, its a good sign that you can win even though you played poorly in the 1st half

[hammertime23]

grreat dynasty one of the best up and running, keep it up.

[Andrew]

Thanks for the comments guys, glad you enjoyed the latest updates.

[Andrew]

January 21st, 2006
Chicago (94) at Indiana (98)
Indiana gains revenge for double OT loss
[ Boxscore ]

A week after losing to Chicago in double overtime, the Indiana Pacers exacted some revenge on their home floor as they defeated their Central Division rivals 98-94. Stephen Jackson led the Pacers with 25 points and scored 12 in the second quarter (including 3/3 from downtown) as Indiana turned the momentum in their favour.

Chicago led 28-24 after the first but found themselves on the end of a Pacer run to end the quarter. The momentum carried into the second quarter where Indiana captured the lead and though Chicago trailed by only one in the closing seconds, rookie point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius nailed a long three to extend the gap to four heading into halftime. The Bulls took the lead briefly in the third but as the teams entered a dogfight in the final three minutes Luol Deng was forced to leave the game with a leg injury. He would return in the fourth but did not score again, finishing with 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Indiana appeared to be close to giving up their lead late in the fourth but Chicago went cold from the field. A late three by Gordon appeared to give the Bulls a chance as they trailed 94-91 but were forced to foul on the next play allowing the Pacers to seal the game. Andres Nocioni was forced to leave the game with 19 seconds remaining after a collision with Jackson, who would connect on two more free throws before Gordon drilled a three pointer as time expired for a final score of 98-94.

Notes: Stingy in giving up fouls in recent games, the Bulls put the Pacers on the free throw line 21 times (where they made 13) while only attempting 8 foul shots themselves, converting 6...Shawn Kemp was held scoreless for the first time this season...Ben Gordon scored 30 points in their previous meeting, a double overtime Bulls win in Chicago...the Bulls won the rebounding battle 43-40 (both teams grabbed 11 offensive rebounds) but the Pacers dished out more assists (25-16) and committed fewer turnovers (11-20).

January 22nd, 2006
Deng, Nocioni day-to-day

CHICAGO, IL -- After being shaken up during the Bulls' 98-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers last night, forwards Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng are listed as day-to-day. Nocioni took a stiff shot to the ribs in a collision with the Pacers' Stephen Jackson while an awkward landing after attempting to block a Jamaal Tinsley shot has left Deng with a sore achilles tendon. Chicago does not play again until Wednesday the 25th and with the extended rest may not be without either player when they take on the Raptors in Toronto. Both players will make the trip to Toronto and are expected to be a game time decision.

That makes 41 games so I've submitted my latest pstats files to LiveGMC. Hopefully with the adjusted sliders and lower scores my score will be a little better.

[Matthew]

The cream rises as Andrews dynasty is revived . 2-2 since the return and 41 games in. any ASW news?

[Andrew]

Not yet, though I'm hoping to get someone into each of the events. I've been scouting fairly consistently and since I'm on pace to make the Playoffs and finish with a top ten record, it's been easier to focus on prospects that will likely be available when I'm on the clock. I've been toying with the idea of giving myself the Knicks' pick as in real life but that feels like a bit of a cheat even if it's realistic. There's a couple of players expected to go late in the first round (it's a strong draft) that I'm interested in so I might try to acquire a pick from another top team closer to the deadline.

[dada]

Tough loss to the Pacers but a great start to January. What is it, 8 out of 10 games won? I think this is probably the only Dynasty I check time to time and I cant get over how you keep the stats fairly accurate while playing 12 minute quarters.

[Anthony15]

Gordon 37 points Is he the leading scorer in the league right now?

[hammertime23]

i love nocioni rejecting yao

[Mark.]

Tough loss dude, but those are awesomely realistic scores both teams taking only 80 shots, ive hardly ever had that happen in my dynasty, I think I might have held the mavs to 75 shots....

[Andrew]

Tough loss to the Pacers but a great start to January. What is it, 8 out of 10 games won? I think this is probably the only Dynasty I check time to time and I cant get over how you keep the stats fairly accurate while playing 12 minute quarters.

Thanks dada. I'm 8-3 so far but I'm still happy with how it's gone especially since the games themselves have been challenging (even if the comeback code accounts for that a lot of the time). I'm pretty happy with how the sliders are working out with the scores.

Gordon 37 points Is he the leading scorer in the league right now?

Tied for second with Nowitzki (28.4 ppg) at the moment, I've been distributing the scoring a bit more lately and the lowered scores are bringing his average down a bit as well.

Tough loss dude, but those are awesomely realistic scores both teams taking only 80 shots, ive hardly ever had that happen in my dynasty, I think I might have held the mavs to 75 shots....

Thanks, as I said I'm pretty happy with how the sliders have been working out so far, I might try lowering the FG sliders a little more but it's not too bad. FG% is sometimes a little higher than it should be but the scores seem to come out alright most of the time.

Thanks for the feedback all.

[Matthew]

Not yet, though I'm hoping to get someone into each of the events. I've been scouting fairly consistently and since I'm on pace to make the Playoffs and finish with a top ten record, it's been easier to focus on prospects that will likely be available when I'm on the clock. I've been toying with the idea of giving myself the Knicks' pick as in real life but that feels like a bit of a cheat even if it's realistic. There's a couple of players expected to go late in the first round (it's a strong draft) that I'm interested in so I might try to acquire a pick from another top team closer to the deadline.

Who would you use as bait to get that pick?