Road to Glory II

[Valor]

Griffin is Dunk Champion after spectacular showdown


Orlando, FL - Since being 'robbed' of the Dunk Contest title in 2006 when he was outlasted by the then Knicks rookie Nate Robinson, Andre Iguodala has always wanted to get another shot of wearing the Slam Dunk crown.

Maybe another year, Iggy.

Going into the finals with the highest score from the first round (98), Iguodala made an emphatic one hand tomahawk slam after catching it off the side of the back board, a variation of what Dwight Howard did in the 2009 Dunk Contest. On his second dunk of the finals he had a dunk that is a blend of his own behind-the-backboard dunk from the 2006 contest and Vince Carter's second dunk in the 2000 dunk contest. Unfortunately, as impressive as these dunks were, it did not gather as much liking from the fans as what Blake Griffin was able to do.

Griffin had a total of 94 in the first round and brought the crowd to their feet with his dunks in the final round. He first started with a alley opp honey dip, jumping over Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the process, before taking off from the right side, 45 degree angle of the key (edge of the free throw line) and completed a spectacular windmill dunk. The third year forward out of Oklahoma received 71% of the fan votes as he took home his first ever Slam Dunk Contest title.

"Man, he (Griffin) is like a bigger and more powerful version of James White" said teammate Eric Gordon, who threw him the alley-opp pass in the finals "I've never seen anybody else do a windmill from way back at the (free throw) line"

Russell Westbrook of the Thunder and Tyrus Thomas of the Wizards were eliminated in the first round after posting scores of 84 and 86 points, respectively.

Below are the scores posted by the 2012 Sprite Slam Dunk participants as well as some photos of their dunks.

[Valor]

Korver got the trophy as expected , Nate did good as well

I'm shocked at how good Nate was and how disappointing Steph Curry was

Nice win from Korver! Nate can't dominate every contest. Slam dunk contest is surely enough for him

Yup, it is indeed. I probably will go crazy if Nate wins another All Star Saturday event

[Mandich]

Very creative Griffin jumped over Sterling. Great job dude !

[George7]

Korver was great!Congrats on getting the trophy with Kyle!
As for Griffin,well I hope he does things like these IRL!

[Valor]

Very creative Griffin jumped over Sterling. Great job dude !

I hope he'll do something like that

Korver was great!Congrats on getting the trophy with Kyle!
As for Griffin,well I hope he does things like these IRL!

Yup, lets hope for a great show by Griffin in the dunk contest

[Valor]

2012 All Star Weekend Contest Results + Leaderboard

Thank you to all the participants in the contest, below are the results, points allocated, and the points leaderboard as well as instructions as to what you can do with these points

Contest Results

1. Slam Dunk Contest Participants
Martti - 1/4, 1 point
Sit - 1/4, 1 point
Axel - 1/4, 1 point

2. Three Point Contest Participants
Martti - 2/3, 2 points
Sit - 2/3, 2 points
Axel - 1/3, 1 point

3. Rookie Sophomore game Roster
Tied 1st - Martti. (12/20) 5 points
Tied 1st - Sit (12/20) 5 points
2nd - Axel (9/20) 4 points

4. All Star Game Roster
Tied 1st - Martti. (17/22) 8 points
Tied 1st - Axel. (17/22) 8 points
2nd - Sit (16/22) 6 points

BONUS CONTEST
No Winner


Leaderboard
1. Sit - 9+14 points = 23 points
2. Martti. - 0+16 points = 16 points
3. Axel. - 1+14 points = 15 points
4. Clutch - 7 points
5. Thierry. - 5 points
6. George7 - 1 point
- De8 - 1 point
- badreligionau - 1 point
- puttincomputers - 1 point
- Houndy - 1 point
- Justine. - 1 point
7. Lamrock - 0 points


How to use the points
Each point can be put into one attribute point. For traits such as vertical, speed, stamina, awareness...etc two points are needed. You can use your points at the start/end of these times: Preseason, All-Star Break, Offseason

Additionally, every rookie (and veterans in the future) will gain 4 points to use at the end of training camp every season, starting from their rookie season, this represents the effects of training camp. (Because if left to the CPU, none of you will improve and stay as a bench-warmer for your career)

Note: For those who have rookies, you have until the end of All Star Weekend (one day after I post the All Star game recap) to spend your points, otherwise you'll have to wait until offseason for your next chance

[Valor]

NLSC Prospects Update!

NLSC Draft Class 2012
NAME | POS | HT | AGE | FROM
M.Moore | PG/SG | 6'4" | 24 | New Zealand
J.Martin | PF/SF | 6'5" | 20 | Philippines
M.Jackson | SF/SG | 6'8" | 20 | Michigan State
W.Bernard | PF/C | 7'0" | 24 | Domincain Republic

NLSC Draft Class 2013
G.Koukoulis | SG/PG | 6'1" | 17 | Greece
A.Gomez | PG/SG | 6'3" | 21 | Texas
M.Nissley | SG/PG | 5'9" | 24 | Georgia
C.Cruz | PG | 6'1" | 20 | Philippines


Remember, if you haven't applied yet to participate your virtual self in my association, you are all welcomed to do so.

PM me under the title NLSC Prospects Application with the following details...

Name
Age
Position(s)
Height
School/Country
Body Type
Body Tone
Perhaps give me a comparison of how you look as well, such as "i look something like yao" (doesn't have to be a baller, just someone that is well known) so i can try to make a face that is similar
Sig Shot, Free Throw Style
preferred Shoe brand
any accessories (head band, armsleeve...), length of socks
Playing Style (good if there are any NBA Comparisons)
5 Strengths
5 Weaknesses

The Prospects will be anywhere ranging from Mid-Late First Round to Early Second Round Picks, if you are lucky, you might become a lottery pick!

Note: Your attributes will be determined by a vast of factors ranging from strengths and weaknesses, height and weight, as well as age (more mature players have higher rating but less upside, vice versa), so even if you were drafted low there is always the possibility of catching up since the higher rated draftees won't have as much potential as you!

Currently although the prospects projected positions have a large spread, all the prospects are within 2-3 overall points of each other. It is purely the game's decisions i reckon, nothing I can do about that sorry

[kibaxx7]

Griffin over Sterling, that was nice

[Valor]

Griffin over Sterling, that was nice

Cheers, I hope he sees this somehow and actually does it

[Valor]

East Prevails in Overtime as Superman Takes Home MVP

Chris Bosh's three at the buzzer sent the game to overtime, where the East came on top

Orlando, FL - Chris Bosh wasn't spectacular on offense tonight, he didn't make double digits scoring, was 3 for 9 from the field and had only one three.

Too bad for the West, that one three pointer cost them the game.

With 1.2 seconds remaining, the Wizards All-Star forward lined up from beyond the arc and fired it, then pumped his fists in triumph as the game was sent into overtime at the buzzer.

From there, All Star Game MVP Dwight Howard made sure the job was done, as the East outlasted the Western Conference All Stars, 129-124 in overtime for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game victory.

The hometown All-Star center scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on 10 for 13 shooting en-route to his MVP trophy, perhaps what's more amazing is he connected on 4 of his 5 free throw attempts.

"Guys were feeding me the ball, the crowd was behind me and everything was going good" said Howard following the game "It was a lot of fun out there tonight"

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls dropped 21 points for the East while Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat added 16. Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas scored a quick 15 from off the bench in 14 minutes to help the cause.

Other Eastern Conference All-Stars in double figures include Milwaukee's Carmelo Anthony (12), and Chicago's Joakim Noah (10 pts, 6 reb).

For the West, last year's All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant once again led the way, scoring 20 points on a very efficient 7 for 12 display from the field, but no one else on the West had 15 or more, despite having 7 other players aside from Bryant in double figures.

Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James both had 14, but LeBron went 2 for 7 from three point land while the seven foot shooter of the Mavericks didn't even attempt one from downtown.

What's more peculiar was the substitution patterns from the West head coach Grant McCloud, who is head coach of the New Orleans Hornets. As his starting backcourt of Bryant and Paul only played 19 and 13 minutes each.

McCloud attributed those to the recent injury suffered by Paul and also a request from Lakers coach Phil Jackson to limit Kobe's minutes.

Paul had 13 points and 5 assists in his limited time, but one must wonder what the outcome would be if he had played more than just 13 minutes.

Eitherway, this victory allows the Eastern Conference All-Stars to pull away again in the All Time series, as they now lead 37-24, having lost last year's match up.






Highlights




2012 All Star Game MVP Highlights

[Kubik]

Wow Noah in ASG! It's nice..Rose and Howard beasting!

[kibaxx7]

How's Biedrins there, and not Tim D to be with Parker?

[Valor]

Wow Noah in ASG! It's nice..Rose and Howard beasting!

Yup, Noah is an All Star here (and would be in real life if not for the damn injury...)

How's Biedrins there, and not Tim D to be with Parker?

I dunno myself, but I don't see you complaining when the rosters came out!

[Valor]

Note: Last Call for NLSCers Mid-Season Upgrades

Per title, this will be the last chance for you rookies to spend your earned points on improvements, below is the latest leaderboard of point spread.

Leaderboard
1. Sit - 23 - 23 = 0 points*
2. Martti. - 16 points
3. Axel. - 15 points
4. Clutch - 7 points
5. Thierry. - 5 points
6. George7 - 1 point
- De8 - 1 point
- badreligionau - 1 point
- puttincomputers - 1 point
- Houndy - 1 point
- Justine. - 1 point
7. Lamrock - 0 points


How to use the points
Each point can be put into one attribute point. For traits such as vertical, speed, stamina, awareness...etc two points are needed. You can use your points at the start/end of these times: Preseason, All-Star Break, Offseason

Additionally, every rookie (and veterans in the future) will gain 4 points to use at the end of training camp every season, starting from their rookie season, this represents the effects of training camp. (Because if left to the CPU, none of you will improve and stay as a bench-warmer for your career)

If you (Martti, Lamrock, Sit, Clutch, Thierry) do not spend your points now, you'll have to wait until the offseason for your next chance to do so. The rookie of the year award is still up for grabs so be sure to make that final boost!

[Martti.]

I'll wait until the off-season.

[kibaxx7]

I'll wait until the off-season.

Me too. It's not like I could grab ROY.

I dunno myself, but I don't see you complaining when the rosters came out!

I didn't see it that time Just a quick read.

[Lamrock]

Fuck. I forgot to make my picks!

[Valor]

I'll wait until the off-season.

Can't believe you're not going to gun for the ROY award...or maybe the Larry O'Brien Trophy

Me too. It's not like I could grab ROY.

You could grab some more minutes though

Fuck. I forgot to make my picks!

Sorry mate, gave you guys 2 or 3 days to do it

[Martti.]

I'll go for MIP next season.

[Valor]

I'll go for MIP next season.

Haha sure thing

Sit and Clutch has until I write and post the trade deadline article to pm or post any desired improvements

[Martti.]

Clutch hasn't been here for like a month.

[Valor]

Clutch hasn't been here for like a month.

I know, but he's still eligible so yeah, just throwing that out

[Fresh8]

+3 consistency (if does not exist, give to 'clutch')
+5 shot off dribble
+5 shoot in traffic
+5 mid range (if mid range is in the high 80s already, put towards dribbling please)
+5 passing

Martti, I'm going for MVP

[Valor]

+3 consistency (if does not exist, give to 'clutch')
+5 shot off dribble
+5 shoot in traffic
+5 mid range (if mid range is in the high 80s already, put towards dribbling please)
+5 passing

Martti, I'm going for MVP

Wts this? Sit wants to pass better?

added, trade deadline article just finished n coming right up

[Valor]

Grading the Deals: NBA Trade Deadline 2012
17th February, 2012

Salary sheds, adding missing pieces, fixing up chemistry issues - This is what the NBA Trade Deadline is all about.

For this year's deadline, transactions and deals happened all over the place. Some were for salary cap purposes, some were to give their team a mid-season boost, and others are just to bring in missing pieces.

Here's a look at the deals that went down, and how they'll affect the teams and players involved, this year and beyond.

Bulls Trade Anthony Morrow, Sean Williams, and 2013 protected 1st round pick to the Hornets for Sasha Vujacic

See the in-depth article here


Hornets Trade Darren Collison and Drew Gooden to the Pacers and JJ Barea, Renardo Sidney to the Sixers; Sixers deal Marreese Speights, Ronny Turiaf and Kurt Thomas to the Hornets; and Pacers send Quincy Pondexter to the Sixers and their 2012 2nd round pick to the Hornets

Despite having the best record in the NBA and are just on a tear, the New Orleans Hornets has had disgrunted players due to the lack of playing time, especially at the point guard position where there are three able starters aside from MVP candidate Chris Paul. With this move they solidify their front court bench, as well as solving those chemistry issues at the same time.

For the Pacers, this nets them a very good point guard in Darren Collison and a dependable backup big in Drew Gooden for simply their second round pick and a potential player in Pondexter.

In Philly's case, they too get a big upgrade at the point guard position in JJ Barea, a potential player in Pondexter and also a solid backup power forward in Renardo Sidney for several of their backup bigs. There was a small glut of bigs in Philly and this solved that jam while netting them a new starting point guard.

Grade for Hornets: B
Grade for Pacers: A+
Grade for Sixers: B+


Blazers Trade Luke Walton, Nicolas Batum and the Blazers' 2012 2nd round pick to the Timberwolves for Luis Scola and Joey Graham

Being on the fringe of the playoffs, the Blazers need a jolt and Luis Scola should be the boost they desperately need on the front court. With Greg Oden leaving for San Antonio (and getting injured again) in the offseason, they needed help on the inside and Luis Scola should make a world of difference. Giving up Batum could hurt in the long run, but Scola is not that old and should fit in with the young Portland core.

For the Timberwolves, they needed improvements on the wings and here comes former NBA Champion Luke Walton alongside the youngster Nicolas Batum. The Wolves probably gave up too much in Scola and will still be just a lowly lottery team but this mixture of experience and youth should help them in their rebuilding plans.

Grade for Blazers: B+
Grade for Timberwolves: B-


Nuggets Trade Rodney Stuckey to the Toronto Raptors for Jarret Jack and the 2013 2nd round draft pick of Toronto.

With the departure of Carmelo Anthony in the offseason to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets had looked to rebuild themselves by trading away Chauncey Billups back to the Detroit Pistons and acquiring the young and hyped Rodney Stuckey in a sign and trade by the Pistons. Stuckey was signed to a 6 year, 58 million dollar deal and the Nuggets had hoped he'll deliver. Instead, Ty Lawson stepped up and took over the reigns of the Nuggets team alongside their free agent acquisitions Tracy McGrady and Zach Randolph. This is an excellent move by the Nuggets in offloading the horrible contract of Stuckey and getting a more manageable one in Jack's 2 year, 11 million dollar deal.

For the Raptors, they needed a better point guard desprately and here is Stuckey. This is a gamble that he will florish again, because the contract that comes with him is hideous. In a related move, the Raptors also fire head coach Jay Triano after 3 1/2 seasons and replaced him with Wesley Horton.

Grade for Nuggets: A
Grade for Raptors: C


Magic Trade Marcin Gortat to the Knicks for DeJuan Blair and the Knicks' 2012 2nd round pick

Pure salary dump move by the Magic for a better one - signing Dwight Howard to a 6 year, max extension worth $126 million; and the player they got back is half decent as well. Blair will provide another interior rebounding presence for a team that jacks up more threes than Charles Barkley eats Krispy Kremes.

The Knicks, on the otherhand, solidifies a position that they have not had a decent player in for years. Gortat should start right away and provide a huge difference on the interior, he is also mobile enough to take part in the run and gun system of New York.

Grade for Magic: A-
Grade for Knicks: A-


Suns Trade Lazar Hayward and Greg Monroe to the Utah Jazz for C.J. Watson and C.J. Miles

Currently going back and forth with the Portland Trailblazers for the 8th spot in the Western Conference standings, Phoenix needed a sparkplug and with this deal, they are hoping it is C.J Watson. Watson will help strengthen the weakpoint of the Suns' second unit backcourt tremendously and the Suns are hoping that this is all they need for that final push for the playoffs.

The Jazz has been loaded with point guards for a while so this is a good move for them to free up some of that stack of playmakers on the team, Hayward and Monroe are both decent players with a lot of potential and fits in with Utah's current needs.

Grade for Suns: B-
Grade for Jazz: B