A LEGEND IS BORN II

[Fresh8]

Seattle Stealth Faces A Challenge in First Ever Series
Playoff First Round Preview: 4. LA Lakers (45-37) vs. 5. Seattle Stealth (50-32)

By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Junior Writer

The Seattle Stealth have improved drastically thanks to a couple of off-season coaching and personnel moves but do they have what it takes to get to the second round? Woody Hannes presents an in-depth position by position analysis.

Centre: Andrew Bynum is quickly on the rise and although his recovery from knee injury has not been met with averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, Bynum’s averages of 10.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 2.0 bpg look respectable. Bynum’s biggest strength is his size and ability to deter players from trying to get a shot off close to the hoop. Brad Miller, on the other hand, is on the decline. The smooth passing 7 footer still averages 9.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 2.3 apg but it remains to be seen if he can hold his own against his younger opponent on the defensive end.

Advantage: Lakers – Bynum has often gotten the better of Miller in their past matchups last season and with youth and energy on his side, I can’t see Miller winning this matchup.

Forward: Pau Gasol (18.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.3 bpg) is an All-Star forward while Luke Walton (8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.1 spg) may not be Lamar Odom but has done a solid job. Both Lakers forwards are able to do a bit of everything on the court with Gasol underrated by many opposition teams. Meawhile, David Lee (10.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) did not have a great start to his first year with Seattle but enjoyed a good run from the All-Star break onwards. Lee is a dangerous player but his lack of consistency on the offensive end lowers his value and he will need to step up against Gasol.

Kevin Durant finished the season with 30.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 2.3 apg. The NBA scoring champion has become a star in his third year and can score from anywhere on the floor, like Kobe Bryant. Durant, who is currently injured, will be the key to the success of the Stealth. He looked troubled by his right ankle in the team’s last game against the kings and was largely ineffective. Seattle fans need to hope he gets well quickly.

Advantage: Tie – Durant can score, score, and score but Gasol is close to his level because he does everything. Walton and Lee equal each other out; both of them have the ability to change a game but also pull their teams down when they are having a bad night.

Guards: Kobe Bryant is as good as he has been these last few years and is hungry because the window for success with the Lakers is slowly shutting. Bryant averaged 26.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.6 apg to prove that he still does a good job at filling up the stat sheet. Jordan Farmar, in his first year as full time starting PG, was a consistent third scoring option for LA after the loss of Lamar Odom. He put up 15 ppg and did well distributing the rock with 5.4 apg. Bryant (2.2 spg) and Farmar (1.7 spg) also had much success in forcing turnovers.

Jason Kidd may be the oldest player in this series but he still has it in him. He was an All-Star this season and just finished second in assists after leading for much of the season. Kidd’s averages 13.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 10.7 apg, and 1.9 spg have been his best in recent times, especially his scoring numbers. Jeff Green has provided Seattle with a solid option at the starting two guard spot. On any given night, the youngster is able to score 20 and he is also an improving man-on-man defender.

Advantage: Lakers – Kidd’s experience won’t help him run any faster and Farmar should take advantage of this on both ends of the floor. Bryant just won’t be stopped by Green alone.

Bench: The Lakers can boast of the presence of multiple championship wining PG Derek Fisher coming off the bench and the young Rodney Stuckey as well. Both players would be starting caliber PGs on any other NBA team. Bonzi Wells is also a contributor from off the bench for the Lakers but apart from these three guards, LA lacks any real depth.

Reshawn Tyson and Adam Morrison are both third picks from Drafts that have passed. Tyson, the Stealth’s prized rookie, averages 10 ppg this season and has recently seen increased court time. Many believe that Tyson is the only player on the Stealth roster who could keep up with Kobe Bryant without the help of a double team Morrison is a dangerous player who, if he picks his spots, could shoot a team out of the contest. Sebastian Telfair’s ball handling is to die for, Chris Wilcox and DJ White are athletic big men, and Jamal Magloire is buried on the bench but is the team’s best inside scorer.

Advantage: Stealth – When Tyson, Morrison, Telfair, Wilcox, and Magloire come onto the floor, Seattle has a lineup that can hold their own against other starting lineups. The Lakers can’t match their depth from players 6 to 12.

Coaches: Phil Jackson and George Karl have both been around for a long time. It has been rumored that this will be Jackson’s last season as a head coach and time is running out for the coaching guru to chase that elusive tenth NBA ring. Karl has come to Seattle and instantly turned this team around. His reputation has definitely benefited from his first season with the Stealth.

Advantage: Lakers – Both coaches are known for motivating their players and both have helped their teams reach NBA Finals. However, Jackson has always had the upper hand over Karl including the last time Karl was coaching a Seattle team; that was in the 1996 NBA Finals.

Intangibles: The Lakers have more experience, size, and were 2-1 in the regular season. The Stealth are more versatile than the Lakers and their youth allows them to play with more energy. Something that should make Seattle feel a bit better is the fact that they were great playing at home.

Advantage: Tie – The games figure to be close and the Lakers’ collective experience should help them handle those kinds of situations. Seattle has home court advantage and that could prove the difference.

Result: Lakers in 6

[StupidBoy]

First Round Predictions

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-0
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-3
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-1
Magic beat Heat 4-3
Cavs beat Celtics 4-3

Bonus Predictions

Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Detroit Pistons
Finals MVP: Allen Iverson

[Cartar]

First Round Predictions

West

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-2
Trailblazers beat Rockets 4-3
Stealth beat Lakers 4-2

East

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-2
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Celtics beat Cavs 4-3

Bonus Predictions

Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Boston Celtics
NBA Champion: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Chauncey Billups

[Lamrock]

First Round Predictions:

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-2
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Trailblazers beat Rockets 4-2
Lakers beat Stealth 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-1
Hawks beat Pacers 4-3
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Celtics beat Cavs 4-2

Bonus Predictions:

Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Carmelo Anthony

[newc]

First Round Predictions

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-3
Lakers beat Stealth 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-1
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Celtics beat Cavaliers 4-3

Bonus Predictions

Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Detroit Pistons
Finals MVP: Allen Iverson

[homicide1550]

First Round Predictions

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-2
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-1
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Celtics beat Cavs 4-2

Bonus Predictions

Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Carmelo Anthony

[kibaxx7]

First Round Predictions
Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-2
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-1
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-2
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Celtics beat Cavs 4-3

Bonus Predictions
Western Conference Champion: New Orleans Hornets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Detroit Pistons
Finals MVP: Allen Iverson

[Mark.]

First Round Predictions

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-3
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-
Magic beat Heat 4-3
Celtics beat Cavs 4-3

Bonus Predictions
Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Carmelo Anthony (Wish it would be billups but I expect the game will go with the scorer)

[nba_baller]

West:
Hornets beat T'Wolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-2
Rockets beat Blazers 4-2
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

East:
Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-1
Heat beat Magic 4-3
Cavs beat Celtics 4-2

[Mandich]

I am following every recap of this association, im just too lazy to post, this is like a whole other world to me, you are simply amazing Sit

[The X]

First Round Predictions

Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-1
Rockets beat Trailblazers 4-3
Stealth beat Lakers 4-3

Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-
Magic beat Heat 4-3
Celtics beat Cavs 4-3

Bonus Predictions
Western Conference Champion: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champion: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champion: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Carmelo Anthony (Wish it would be The X but I expect the game will go with a non-rook)

Nice edit

Btw, you might want to fix up your Hawks beat Pacers result, how many games will the Pacers win?!?

[C-77]

Firrst round Predictions
West
Hornets beat Timberwolves 4-1
Nuggets beat Jazz 4-3
Rockets beat Blazers 4-2
Lakers beat Stealth 4-3

East
Pistons beat Wizards 4-0
Hawks beat Pacers 4-1
Heat beat Magic 4-2
Cavaliers beat Celtics 4-3

Bonus Prediction
Western Conference Champions: Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Champions: Detroit Pistons
NBA Champions: Denver Nuggets
Finals MVP: Chauncey Billups

[Fresh8]

Chapter 18

Reshawn was distraught, “What do you mean I can’t shout in here?”
The security guard was trying to get him to move on, “Please, you’re making my job here difficult.”
“You don’t understand!” Ty began cursing.
The security guard put his hand on Ty’s shoulder to which Ty quickly turned around and knocked away.
“Get your hands off me!”
“You need to calm down.”
“I’m not fucking calming down, that’s my mom in there!”
“This is a hospital! Why don’t you respect all the other patients?”
Ty didn’t like what he heard and he took a swing at the guard. His punch missed and he was quickly pushed into the wall.
“Ok, I will have to force you to leave now.”
The security guard called for another two guards to come up to the level they were on and the three of them escorted Ty out of the hospital. One of them stayed with him because they felt sorry for the kid. Ty’s eyes were red and he just sat on the bench and rested his head back. He looked up at the sky.
“This can’t be happening to me,” he muttered to himself.
Then Ty got up and looked over his shoulder, the security guard asked him, “What are you doing?”
Ty nodded, “Running” and then bolted.

* * *

“Run!”
The players sprinted up and down the court. It was hot in the small gymnasium and coach was happy with the effort his team was putting in. As they finished their last lap, half of the players stumbled to the side of the court to grab a drink from their water bottles. The others stood around, still puffing from the running, and chatted to each other about how their summer breaks had been.
“Oh man I’m tired,” Reshawn Tyson panted as he lay in a heap on the floor.
“Get up you lazy bugger!” yelled Coach Williams, as the plump man hurried onto the court with a towel.
Coach Williams threw the towel in Reshawn’s face, “Clean it up.”
Reshawn quickly got up and used the towel to wipe the sweat off the court as Williams lectured, “I don’t want any injuries before the season has even begun. Now get into two lines and start doing lay ups!”
Reshawn threw the towel aside, near the sideline, and got in line behind childhood friend Rocky Akonnor. It was great to be back training as a team. Ty had missed the scrimmages and the camaraderie that his college team had to offer to him. He had missed it even more when he took into perspective all of the troubles in his life that mostly existed off of the hardwood.

* * *

“These nightmares affect you?” the psychiatrist asked him.
“Yeah, they do,” Ty answered.
“Can you tell me more?”
“I’ve already told you all of them. I just keep having them as if they are reruns and never stop.”
“So you just have recurring nightmares about your brother and mother?”
Ty nodded.
“And you’re still blaming yourself for their deaths?”
“But I am…” Ty sounded desperate.
“No, you’re not.”
“If I was…”
The shrink shook her head and continued, “You can’t go back and change your life. Everything happens for a reason Reshawn. You are a big star and your mom gave you that opportunity to get to this stage of your life. She wouldn’t want to see you upset like this.”
Ty began to cry, “She could have been here…”
“You need to learn to accept that she is gone. Tayshawn is gone too. Reshawn, you need to move on.”
Ty covered his face, took a deep breath, and shook his head, “I’ve tried and the nightmares won’t go away.”
The shrink frowned, “I think that’s enough for today. Take this to help you sleep and let’s hope you don’t have your dreams. I will get in contact with the team doctor and tell him what you’re taking.”
Ty took a bottle of pills from Dr Ling, “Thanks doc.”
He walked out onto the street and threw the pills out in a nearby trashcan; he knew that the pills weren’t strong enough anyway.

The Stealth improved as the season wore on. After the All-Star game, Seattle was back to business with Kevin Durant and Jason Kidd at the helm. With most of the team picking up injuries here and there, concerns did rise about whether they were deep enough to hold onto their great position on the standings.
As Sit said to one of the coaching staff during the middle of March and in the midst of another winning streak, “These guys are proving me wrong.”
Jeff Green had stepped up as the starting shooting guard and never let go of his spot. Adam Morrison worked with a renewed passion and improved his form on his three point shot but found it hard to crack into the starting lineup. He was slowly coming to terms about coming off the bench and his changed role. He still would have liked a trade but he was coming off-contract at the end of the season so he was just focused on not causing any trouble. His buddy Brad Miller on the other hand was not happy with Coach Karl.
“I don’t know why Coach isn’t playing me,” this time it was Miller complaining to Morrison.
“Man, what did you tell me before?” Morrison was stretching, “Let it go.”

It was late in March and the Stealth was visiting the Boston Celtics. It was a close affair with pesky Seattle never letting the home side out of their sight. Durant had 38 points close to the end of the game. Seattle was up by three points with 56 seconds left. Boston had just called a timeout.
Doc Rivers gathered his five on-court players in a small huddle on the court, “Ok, we need to get the ball to Paul. KG look here! Get the ball to Paul, Paul is going to create some space. Pass it inside, we will create some space so that we can kick back out for a shot to tie this.”
Meanwhile, George Karl was surrounded by his whole team on the bench. Karl was going through about staying calm and not letting the crowd get to them. The Boston faithful had been in his ear all game.
“We’re in a great position right now, we’re up by three,” Karl briefed his troops, “They need to hit a tough shot to get back in this game. We have the shot clock and we have time on our side. Let’s shut them down and hold onto it and get ourselves another bucket.”
The teams marched back onto the floor, Durant singled out Paul Pierce.
“So what’s the plan?” Durant asked Pierce.
Pierce looked at Durant, “Kid, don’t even talk to me.”
“You think you’re some tough guy huh?”
Garnett was preparing to inbound the ball; all he was waiting for was the ref to hand it to him. Pierce and Durant were trying to bump each other out of the way. Garnett had the ball in his hands now and was looking for Pierce. Durant held his ground and stayed in between Pierce and the ball. Pierce was frustrated.
“Hey! What’s this?” Durant yelled at the ref.
Pierce has elbowed Durant in the rib and pushed him aside so that he could make a cut to the ball. There was no call. Pierce caught the ball and spun around to face the hoop. Without Durant there, he started dribbling towards the hoop. The Seattle defense was scattered and disorganized as Pierce pulled up at the low block. He drew the coverage of Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox. Pierce smiled and pivoted then passed the ball out onto the perimeter. Ray Allen was wide open on the perimeter. He had plenty of time to look down at his feet and looked up again and took a shot. It was textbook.
The crowd roared as the PA announcer yelled into his mic, “Ray Allen! For three!”
“You like that?” Pierce had run up to Durant and talked in his face.
Durant retorted, “All talk.”
Pierce wasn’t going to have any of that and shoved Durant. Durant fell hard on his back and lay there. Whistles were blown and play was stopped as the crowd booed. Jeff Green was the first to run up to Pierce and he shoved him backwards. Pierce shoved him back and started yelling at Green.
“What you got? You got nothing!” Pierce was taunting him.
Other players had stepped in between both of them while Seattle’s team doctor was on the floor checking up on Durant. Durant was helped up by Chris Wilcox and DJ White.
“It’s ok, only a bit winded,” Durant gasped as he returned to the bench.
Seattle called a time out and the refs were issuing Pierce with a technical. After the time out, Durant hit both of his free throws at the charity stripe but the Stealth turned the ball over on the inbounds. Boston ran the clock down and got the ball to Garnett who scored a hook shot, over Wilcox, to tie the game. Then it was Durant’s turn to try and create something special and that’s what he did as he sliced through Boston’s defense to score on a drive with time winding down.
“Yeah!” Durant tugged at his jersey and looked up at the scoreboard to see that only a few seconds were left.
Boston called one last time out and Durant had the last laugh; Pierce threw up an air ball at the buzzer. Seattle won 123-121.

* * *

Kevin Durant had his right ankle heavily strapped. His heart was pumping faster than ever as he kept going through scenarios of how the next game would go down. He opened his eyes and saw his teammates stretching and warming up in front of him.
“Hey rookie,” Durant shouted at Ty, “You better play with your head on tonight!”
Ty ignored him and walked out of the room. Durant laughed as the physio leaned in to ask him if he was a bit harsh.
“I’m only joking,” Durant lied; he just wanted to stir things up.
Ty walked out into the corridor and waited for his teammates to join him. He looked at the television screen to see Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Chris Webber doing a preview for the game. Ty turned around and saw a man who looked familiar. The man nodded and Ty blinked. He knew he had seen him before.
“Ty!” Karl called over to the rookie.
His teammates had all come out to join him and all were in a huddle.
“Game one,” Karl stated, “This is big. We’re at home and we always play well at home. Let’s go out there and make a statement!”
Durant chimed in, “Boys, let’s show them what we got. We ain’t scared of Kobe.”
Jason Kidd began saying something, at which point Ty remembered who he had just seen. He looked behind him again but the man was gone.
“Ty, you alright?” Karl asked him.
Ty switched his focus back to the huddle, “Yeah, sorry.”
“Let’s go out there and get them,” Kidd said.
The Stealth then jumped up and down in their huddle, shouting at the top of their lungs. Kidd began to run towards the tunnel and onto the Stealth court. The younger guys began to give chest bumps to each other before following their team captain.
“Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” Akonnor asked Ty as the two of them came into the view of their home fans from inside the tunnel.
“I’m fine,” Ty reassured his best friend.
Akonnor laughed, “Then run faster!”
The crowd was roaring and in a frenzy as Durant was the last player to get out onto the court. He saw himself being projected onto the scoreboard and started lifting both arms in the air as a sign to cheer louder. The atmosphere was insane; this was playoff basketball.

[newc]

I am following every recap of this association, im just too lazy to post, this is like a whole other world to me, you are simply amazing Sit

exactly the same thing for me - i'm too lazy to post here too but your dynasty ir really great

[Valor]

Great story here mate, i am guessing that the man is Ty's father?

wakakaka love how you made both Paul Pierce and Durant seem like idiots

[Martti.]

Damn, just astonishing writing.. Nothing else to say.

[Lamrock]

God I love this dynasty. What a fantastic chapter. Pierce is a prick. Can't wait to see if you won game 1.

[Fresh8]

Thanks for the comments guys! Reason I'm not replying by quoting and all that is because I'm stuck on the stupid laptop that lags big time... my other pc is fucked up and I'm currently trying to reinstall windows on a pc we got that we havent used much. Once that is done, need to save all the stuff on the old pc harddrive and reinstall windows on that one as I think theres a virus on it.

Not to worry though as I've got plenty of updates tucked aside... most of the first round has been played! So get ready for round 1 to begin!

Next game will be posted tonight or tommorrow.

Just waiting for a few guys to fill out their predictions...

[Mark.]

Oh yeah lol Hawk will beat Pacers 4-2

[C-77]

Pierce is a bastard KD owns him ,good luck at game 1 dude

[hulkamaniac9876]

Damn Sit, those back stories are awesome!

[Fresh8]

Thanks hulkamaniac... haven't seen you post here before. Welcome!

Looks like no one else will be posting predictions which means that round one entries are closed now! No more will be accepted after this post!

Game 1 posted soon!

[Fresh8]

Kidd Powers Stealth To Game One Victory

Preview | Box Score | Recap


Kobe Bryant took a few hard hits; the Lakers never had a chance in Seattle

17 April, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle hosted their first ever postseason game under the Stealth moniker at the Key Arena against their much fancied opponents the Los Angeles Lakers. Seattle’s relative inexperience was supposed to be their downfall and so the team relied upon the veteran leadership of Jason Kidd to get through Game 1; resulting in a huge win.

Kidd was phenomenal, digging deep in order to keep going in a game where it was crucial for him to step up because teammate and scoring champion Kevin Durant was under the weather. The 37 year old had an amazing 18 points and 15 assists. “This is why we signed him,” General Manager of the Stealth Will Sit, seated courtside, said, “Kidd has bucket loads of experience and he was the motor of this team all season long. Tonight he was the team.”

Kidd led five other players in double figures. The best of them were Adam Morrison who scored 18 from off the bench and Jeff Green who also had 18. David Lee finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while Brad Miller helped his team set the tone with 10 of his 14 points in the first quarter.

Kobe Bryant scored a game high 32 points with the next highest scorers, Andrew Bynum and Bonzi Wells, with 12 apiece.

The Lakers knew that they were in for a long night and they knew it after the first possession when Luke Walton threw up an air ball from behind the arc. Brad Miller grabbed the ball and passed it to Kidd who threw it down the court to Jeff Green who scored a layup. Green’s bucket was the franchise’s first ever playoff basket and caused the crowd to go wild. The fans did not stop cheering for the home side and the Lakers did not come any closer than 2 points for the rest of the night.

“That was a very painful loss,” Bryant said, “The worst part is that we lost Jordan (Farmar).” Bryant was referring to the Lakers’ starting PG, Jordan Farmar, getting injured in the second quarter. After the Lakers went on a huge scoring run, capped by Kidd’s three pointer with 2:02 left in the first quarter and the Stealth ahead 36-15, Farmar scored 7 of his 9 points during a Lakers’ 12-0 run in the second quarter. Farmar’s effort allowed the Lakers to edge closer to the Stealth but he went down after Adam Morrison committed a hard foul on him, which outraged the Lakers.

“He pushed him in the back,” Pau Gasol said after the game. Bryant added, “Morrison should have been ejected.” Kidd held a different view, “It’s unlucky the young kid got hurt but this is playoff basketball. Adam was just being physical. If I was him, I would have done the same. No easy buckets.”

After Farmar left the match with 4:16 left in the second quarter, Seattle went on a 12-2 scoring run. Morrison scored all three of his three pointers in that run while Reshawn Tyson reiterated the Stealth’s physical play and tactics by fouling Bryant hard on his way to the hoop. Bryant made both free throws after not having the chance to put up a shot but Tyson’s message was clear: Seattle was here to win.

“There’s been a lot of negative press lately,” Coach George Karl stated, “I told my guys to go out there and play physical and make a statement. If we win the first game and make a statement, then the other team knows what we are about.”

The rest of the game saw Seattle cruise to victory. Bryant came out in the last quarter as aggressive as ever with consecutive drives to the hoop resulting in made buckets but also with him sprawled on the floor. Phil Jackson admired the hustle but warned his star player that he was getting too old for it, “I said to Kobe after the game that he was going to hurt himself doing that. We need him for the rest of the series.” Bryant went on to score 12 points in the last quarter and was able to help cut the lead to 12. However, that prompted George Karl to reinsert Kidd into the game and the veteran delivered with a series of well-executed passes and solid defense on the other end of the floor.

“It was the Jason Kidd show,” Bryant was astonished about the performance of his Team USA partner, “He can still ball for an old guy but I’m not surprised. Jason Kidd is a full professional.” Included in Kidd’s highlights were a series of nifty no look passes and bounce passes to David Lee and Brad Miller that set the two big men multiple times for easy buckets.

Kidd also had two steals resulting in coast to coast buckets while the play that got the whole stadium rocking was his intercept and full court pass to Reshawn Tyson for a rim-rocking dunk. “That was sick,” Durant who is injured stated.

The two teams meet again in two days for Game 2.

Notes: Tyson looked a bit dazed in his playoff debut as he went 3 for 14 from the field and finished with 7 points… Kevin Durant’s said his twisted ankle was still swollen and he was getting acupuncture on it. “Yao Ming actually told me about sticking needles in it and I was skeptical at first but it actually works,” Durant claims… The Stealth bench outscored their counterparts 39-26 while the whole team also outrebounded the Lakers 47-32…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

LA Lakers (Away) 22 – 21 – 24 – 28 – 95
Seattle (Home) 38 – 22 – 27 – 29– 116

Jordan Player of the Game

Jason Kidd
18 Points
15 Assists
2 Rebounds
2 Steals
2 Turnovers
7-10 FG
2-3 3PT
2-2 FT

Key Performers

Los Angeles Lakers

K Bryant 32 pt, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 13-25 FG, 3-7 3PT, 4-4 FT
A Bynum 12 pt, 7 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 5-8 FG, 2-2 FT
B Wells 12 pt, 4 reb, 3 ast, 6-12 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-2 FT
L Walton 10 pt, 4 reb, 5 ast, 5-14 FG, 0-4 3PT
J Farmar 9 pt, 5 ast, 4-14 FG, 1-10 3PT, 0-2 FT
P Gasol 6 pt, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 4-3 FG

Seattle Stealth (Lead Series 1-0)

J Green 18 pt, 5 ast, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 8-11 FG, 2-4 3PT
A Morrison 18 pt, 3 reb, 1 stl, 6-11 FG, 4-7 3PT, 2-2 FT
D Lee 15 pt, 7 reb, 5 ast, 5-10 FG, 5-6 FT
B Miller 14 pt, 7 reb, 2 ast, 7-9 FG
K Durant 12 pt, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4-8 FG, 0-3 3PT, 4-4 FT

[Fresh8]

Playoff News

Jordan Farmar: Torn Achilles

April 18, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – In a major blow for the Lakers, Jordan Farmar was diagnosed with a torn Achilles, which sidelines him for 8 to 10 months. A visibly upset Farmar confronted press with the news. The Lakers starting PG left the press conference on crutches and will fly back to Los Angeles in the evening.

Farmar was hurt after being fouled by Seattle’s Adam Morrison in Game 1 of their first round playoff series. Farmar was going up for a layup when Morrison fouled him from behind. Farmar left the game for good with 4:04 left in the second quarter with the Lakers trailing 32-43.

Farmar averaged 15 ppg and 5.4 apg for the Lakers during the regular season.

Read More…

- - -

Chris Paul’s Late Heroics Save Hornets

April 18, 2010

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Chris Paul hit back to back jumpers and a game clinching three pointer to save the New Orleans Hornets from dropping their first game to the eighth seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Paul’s 7 points came in the final minute in which Minnesota did not score a point and saw them fall 91-87.

Paul hit a floater in the lane before stealing the ball off Mike Bibby on the end. He scored on the fast break, putting his team up 88-87 with 46.7 seconds remaining. Mike Miller missed a jumper on the other end as time expired on the shot clock before Paul scored a dagger three at the other end to put his side up by 4. The Wolves failed to convert on another shot, David West grabbed the rebound and held onto the ball to seal the win.

Paul finished with 20 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals while West had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blokcs. Minnesota was led by Mike Miller’s 16 points, Rashad McCants’ 14, and Al Jefferson’s 13 points and 7 rebounds.

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Andrew Watson Brilliant In Playoff Debut

April 18, 2010

DENVER (AP) – Andrew Watson did not need to look no further than his team captain Carmelo Anthony for inspiration. Before the game, Watson asked Anthony how to prepare himself for the game and handle the playoff atmosphere. Anthony told him to stay calm and not to try to do too much.

Watson took on Anthony’s advice and finished with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in Denver’s 95-82 series opening win. Anthony was brilliant in his own right, finishing with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. The other member of their ‘big three’ Chauncey Billups added 18 points and 6 assists.

Deron Williams was mediocre as he had a 13 point effort but did dish out 8 assists. Kyle Korver led the Jazz with 18 points and Andrei Kirilenko struggled against Anthony’s stifling defence, finishing with just 12 points and 9 rebounds.

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Wizards Struggle In Game One

April 18, 2010

DETROIT (AP) – The Washington Wizards couldn’t even keep the game close with their more fancied opponents, the Detroit Pistons, cruising to victory. Detroit led from start to finish and ended up as 108-91 winners.

Rip Hamilton paced his side with 21 points and Allen Iverson scored 20 points and added 7 assists. Iverson was also instrumental in slowing down the Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas. Washington’s best player was DeShawn Stevenson who had 21 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Antawn Jamison had 21 points and 8 rebounds.

Rookie PG Klemen Pirc played 18 minutes and contributed 6 points and 4 assists.

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[hulkamaniac9876]

I've been reading your thread for a while now. Was just too lazy to register and comment.

P.S. The Seattle Stealth deserve better jerseys.