ruffryder8 wrote:What is Minnesotas record now?
29-34, 5th in the Midwest and 9th in the West. They were well above .500 and a top four team in the West when I made the trade. I don't know how I managed to pull off the deal, but I was struggling so I'm not complaining.
Another recap:
Chicago 115, Philadelphia 91
The Sixers led early in the game and although I took the lead by the first, they only trailed 28-27. However, from the second quarter onwards they went cold, as I built a 61-45 lead by the end of the first half. Philadelphia never threatened a comeback, their only serious run coming in final couple of minutes when it was too late.
Top Performers (Player of the Game in Bold)
Chicago:
Kevin Garnett - 30 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks
Kirk Hinrich - 17 points, 7 assists
Jamal Crawford - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals
Scottie Pippen - 15 points, 5 assists
Eddy Curry - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Tyson Chandler - 10 points, 4 rebounds
Philadelphia:
Allen Iverson - 30 points, 5 rebounds
Kenny Thomas - 24 points, 10 rebounds
Glenn Robinson - 10 points, 4 rebounds
Eric Snow - 10 points, 13 assists, 2 steals
Derrick Coleman - 7 points, 11 rebounds
My record is now 45-17, first in the league. My winning streak currently stands at 15, the longest active streak and the longest streak of any team so far this season. My next is opponent is...Philadelphia, at home this time.
Player Report
Since there's only 20 games left in the regular season, I thought I'd give my thoughts on each of the players on my roster, and how they have performed through the bulk of the season.
Team MVP - Kevin Garnett
Who else? After a slow start following the trade, KG has been simply awesome. I can't remember the last time he grabbed fewer than 10 rebounds, and he's had several 20-20 games, even finishing the month of February with a 30-30 performance. He's the main reason for the midseason explosion that could lead to a 60 win season.
Greatest Decline - Scottie Pippen
His numbers have suffered the most over the course of the season, but that's mainly due to the acquisition of KG. No longer the first option on offense, Pip still find ways to contribute. When KG played in only 9 minutes in a game back in February, Pip stepped up and filled the void on offense. He's still an important part of the rotation.
Greatest Improvement - Kirk Hinrich
After starting the season on the IR (just as his real life counterpart did), Hinrich has become my starting point guard after getting inconsistent minutes in his first few games. Though he's shooting a poor percentage from the field, Hinrich has managed to increase his scoring throughout the season as his minutes have increased. He's also distributing the ball very well.
The Three Cs
Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler's numbers have decreased slightly since KG's arrival. Curry is grabbing fewer rebounds and doesn't always get a lot of shots, but he's been playing fairly well as of late. Chandler is getting fewer minutes now that he's a sixth man, but is the best player off the bench. Inconsistent court time has taken its toll on his numbers though.
Crawford continues to play well having moved to shooting guard when I inserted Hinrich into the starting lineup. He scores in double figures consistently, is one of the team's best when it comes to steals, and sometimes racks up 7 or 8 assists if given a chance to handle the ball.
Donyell Marshall and Kendall Gill
Marshall and Gill don't always produce great numbers, but I have found they are reliable reserves. Marshall can fill in at either forward spot, playing solid defense and on a good night, providing the team with around 12 points and 8 rebounds. Kendall Gill mainly backs up Crawford at shooting guard, but also spends time at small forward and sometimes even point guard. Some games, he'll be instant offense off the bench.
Eddie Robinson, Corie Blount, Lonny Baxter and Tim Hardaway
With the KG trade forcing me to shuffle my frontcourt rotation, swingman Eddie Robinson doesn't get much court time, even racking up a few DNP-CDs just before the All-Star break. Occasionally I'll give him around 8 minutes of court time, but mostly he's been entering the game in garbage time, playing only a couple of minutes.
The same can be said of Corie Blount and Lonny Baxter. Blount was the backup centre before KG came to the Windy City. With Chandler now backing up Curry in the middle, Blount usually has to settle for garbage time. I'm interested to see what Baxter could do given the time, but there's just too much talent in front of him.
Of these four players, Tim Hardaway has been getting the most minutes recently. Even though he's the only point guard on the bench, I generally move Pippen or Crawford to point guard before bringing Hardaway off the bench. Sometimes fatigue or foul trouble will disrupt my regular substitution pattern though, at which point Tim Bug steps in and does a decent job of manning the point until Pip, Hinrich or Crawford are ready to take over again.