River Walk Chronicles ♦ ///

[kibaxx7]

NEW YORK, February 1 -- The Miami Heat's LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Sprite, respectively, for games played during January. This is the third Player of the Month award in a row for James, and the second for Bryant, as the Laker won it in November. For every point scored by the players on the month, Sprite will donate $10 to charity. This month Sprite will donate $4,060 on behalf of James (406 points) and $2,550 on behalf of Bryant (255 points). This philanthropic aspect builds on Sprite’s strong appeal to the nation’s best basketball players as an official partner of the NBA.

James is averaging 25.6 points per game (5th in the league), to go with 7.5 rebounds (3rd among small forwards), 6.7 assists (15th in the league, 1st among forwards) and 2.2 steals (10th) in 48 games. James led Miami to a 11-3 record, including three straight wins to close January. LeBron's best nights in January were: a triple-double, 28 points, 12 boards and 12 assists in a 102-81 win over Milwaukee, on January 4; January 12, at Los Angeles against the Clippers, 19 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and four blocks; a season-high 42 points and 7 rebounds on January 28 against Detroit; and the following game, at Oklahoma City, 40 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The Heat have a league-best 37-11 record.

In 42 games, Kobe is averaging 26.5 points (3rd in the league), 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The Lakers went 12-3 on December, as Bryant posted some impressive performances: 39 points, six boards and five dishes on January 14, a loss to New Jersey; on January 17, against Oklahoma City, 33 points, six rebounds and four assists; January 28, versus Sacramento, 31 points, four boards and five assists; 27 points, four rebounds, six assists in a thriller overtime loss against Boston. The Lakers possess the best record in the West, 35-13, and dethroned the Heat on the 1st spot of the Power Rankings after 3 months. But the Spurs are only 0.5 games behind.

NEW YORK, February 1 -- The Minnesota Timberwolves' Wesley Johnson and the Washington Wizards' John Wall today were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month presented by T-Mobile, respectively, for games played during January. This is the second Player of the Month award for Johnson, who already won it in November, and third consecutive for Wall. For every point scored by the players on the month, T-Mobile will donate $20 to charity. This month, T-Mobile will donate $3,840 on behalf of Johnson (192 points) and $6,140 on behalf of Wall (307 points). Check a more complete rookie report here; other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Philadelphia's Evan Turner, LA Clippers' Blake Griffin, Memphis' Xavier Henry, Golden State's Jeremy Lin, Toronto's Ed Davis and San Antonio's Tiago Splitter.

Johnson is 3rd in scoring (12.7 ppg), while placing 5th in rebounds (6.4 rpg), 7th in assists (1.5 apg), 2nd in steals (1.4 spg), 4th in blocks (1.1 bpg) and 3rd in minutes (33.2 mpg) among rookies, but the Timberwolves are dead-last in the West, at 16-31, along the LA Clippers and Golden State. Griffin scored a career-high of 21 points on January 24 against Houston, along with seven rebounds, and in the following game against Oklahoma City (January 26), had a new career-high of 22 points. In a January 19 game against the Clippers at Los Angeles, Johnson showed his all-around skills with 17 points, seven boards and five assists.

Wall leads the rookies in points per game (18.0 ppg), in assists (5.6 apg) and in steals (2.0 spg), and had three double-doubles in this 31 days: the opening game of 2011, January 1, against New Orleans, 15 points and 10 assists; and in the last two games of the month, January 29 at Memphis, 13 points and 12 assists, to go with four rebounds, and 16 points and 10 assists on January 31 at Dallas. The Wizards are making a case for a lower-seed in the playoffs, standing 6th in the East with a 16-15 record.

[kibaxx7]

Nice recap, this month was an off month for you

Yep, worst than December

Good job running away from the rest of the pack in the west with the Lakers

Nice month for the Spurs. You are running away from the other teams.

The Lakers and I are battling until the very end.

Yes my team is ahead from you well at least for now. The Spurs are totally different from my story might think of something for them to improve.

Please, improve them man.

Will try to post Part 3 tonight, and then, FEBRUARY!

[The X]

Playoff picture looks pretty good on both sides

[Martti.]

It's not very common when a team, whose leading scorer averages 16.9 points, is 34-13. But the scoring is very spread out, nice job.

[The X]

It's not very common when a team, whose leading scorer averages 16.9 points, is 34-13. But the scoring is very spread out, nice job.

I wish I could have somebody average that much. My best has about 13ppg & are (pro-rata) 23-51

[hova-]

It's not very common when a team, whose leading scorer averages 16.9 points, is 34-13. But the scoring is very spread out, nice job.

I wish I could have somebody average that much. My best has about 13ppg & are (pro-rata) 23-51

You should try to make it like the Wolves in my D. Going for 34 wins with Rip Hamilton.

[kibaxx7]

[kibaxx7]

Playoff picture looks pretty good on both sides

Yep, I have to agree. I also like to see Memphis, Indiana, Knicks in there.

It's not very common when a team, whose leading scorer averages 16.9 points, is 34-13. But the scoring is very spread out, nice job.

I wish I could have somebody average that much. My best has about 13ppg & are (pro-rata) 23-51

You should try to make it like the Wolves in my D. Going for 34 wins with Rip Hamilton.

Really happy with the scoring burden. Everyone can score, I'm also getting familiar with their jumpshot releases, but I must admit I'd like to score with Parker a little more.

Removed the sticky tapes. Tomorrow -- February starts.

[Kubik]

Everything it's great! Love playoff tree and all award races!...Rose is beasting

[Bucket]

LeBitch again first in MVP candidates. TD fourth? Wow, nice

[chaim]

Check your PM!
Btw, Splitter is doing work. th man? Wow.

[hova-]

Timmy D at 2.9 blocks per game is nasty. Just like in my D I hate the steal numbers. In my D there are around 15 guys averaging 2+ steals per game. That's unrealistic as hell.

[kibaxx7]

Spurs kickstart February with 9-game Rodeo Trip
nba.com/spurs/beat | February 1st, 2011

SAN ANTONIO -- After suffering their worst home loss in almost 23 years, starting a lengthy road trip may not be the worst thing for San Antonio. Paying a visit to Portland, however, hasn't turned out well for anyone lately. The Trail Blazers (23-24) look for their eighth win in their last 10 games at home tonight, when they host the Spurs (34-13), who possess the NBA's best road record at 14-6, but are coming off a 133-122 loss to Houston at the AT&T Center that could damage their spirit. If our research is right, it was the highest points total by an opponent in the Spurs home ground since falling to the LA Lakers, 133-126 on April 18, 1988. San Antonio's offense sputtered in the overtime of in their loss to the Rockets, scoring only four points, all by Corey Maggette, and shooting 20 percent from the field in those 5 extra minutes. “We had a little lead in the first half, then they came back. We hung all the second half and then in the extra period we lost our juice, we just didn't have anything left and that was due to their great play,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “It was mentally debilitating.”

But now, we can see things with a glass-half-full approach. Tonight marks the start of the Spurs' annual rodeo road trip, when the San Antonio rodeo boots them from their home arena for almost three weeks, ending just before the All-Star break. San Antonio will play nine straight road games, and only 14 of its final 35 contests at home. The good news about the rodeo trip, however, is the Spurs' tradition -- looking at the history books, it's been when they've begun their late-season charge after lying in the weeds for more than half the season. And they're ready to make a similar move. Although San Antonio's recent results are cause for concern, losing 3 of their last 5 contests, it has spent half a season assimilating a lot of new players -- Maggette, Larry Hughes, Gary Neal, James Anderson, Tiago Splitter -- and playing through injuries to every single member of their starting 5 in different occassions. It's only now that the Spurs have really become comfortable with the pieces they have.

“With all the new players, it's probably the best thing that can happen to us, just be on our own without any distractions and see if we can shore up our defense and take care of the ball better, because those have been our two problems late in games -- turnovers and defensive lapses. That's what we're trying to overcome,” Popovich added. “It's been hard along the way, but right know, we know better who we want on the floor in the fourth quarters, and what combinations we like and don't like. So I'm hopeful that on this road trip we'll be able to use that knowledge and see where and what we are.” This year Rodeo Trip, following this game against the Blazers, features a very difficult battle at Los Angeles against the Lakers and a brief stop at Sacramento, to play against the Kings -- after that, the Spurs have five straight games against Eastern teams with losing records (Detroit, Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey) before a tough night on February 17 at Chicago. After the game against the Bulls, the NBA will enjoy the annual All-Star Weekend, as the Spurs will return home on February 23 against the Thunder. “We would have liked to win this last home game before leaving. Now we have to focus on the road trip,” Splitter said. “I have heard about the road trip before and I know that we do well. It’s where the team gets things together, bonds and improves as a team.”

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[kibaxx7]

Everything it's great! Love playoff tree and all award races!...Rose is beasting

Thanks man! Hopefully Splitter can go for the 6th Man Award. Rose is having a great year.

LeBitch again first in MVP candidates. TD fourth? Wow, nice

LeBron always win the MVP TD had a huge month!

Check your PM!
Btw, Splitter is doing work. th man? Wow.

Timmy D at 2.9 blocks per game is nasty. Just like in my D I hate the steal numbers. In my D there are around 15 guys averaging 2+ steals per game. That's unrealistic as hell.

Tim had that 9 block game against the Raps and then I think he had two games with 5 blocks Steal averages suck, a lot of guys are over 2+ steals here too.

[Houndy]

Sucks that you have that rodeo trip

[Valor]

I also like to see Memphis, Indiana, Knicks in there.[/b]

Aside from the Knicks? I don't

[hova-]

GOod luck on your rodeo trip. I hope Duncan can keep his play up like that.

[Lamrock]

Good luck on the rodeo trip. If home court advantage mattered in video games (though sometimes I'll tweak the foul sliders a bit in the home team's favor), your quest for the #1 seed would take a huge hit.

[Martti.]

Good luck on the trip. In simulation, most teams have negative road records, but as you play, I don't think your stellar record would be damaged too hard.

[Bucket]

Huh, 9 game road trip, good luck, hope TD get some awesome number

[kibaxx7]

Ginobili, Spurs race past Trail Blazers to start Rodeo Trip on a high note
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (SAS :: POR)
PORTLAND, February 1 -- Manu Ginobili isn't shy. So in the closing minutes, when the ball landed in his hands after three quick perimeter passes, he knew what he had to do. The scorer knocked down the shot from behind the arc, cementing San Antonio's 108-100 road victory against Portland. The play was emblematic of the Argentinian's play all night -- he wasn't afraid to pass up an open look, and most of the time he delivered. “That's what I call good basketball,” Ginobili said. “We give up good shots for great shots. All five guys touched the ball on that possession.” Manu had been making great shots all night, scoring 23 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field. He had two 3-pointers, along with three rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. And even more, he didn't waste any time -- he scored seven points in just five minutes of play in the first period. “Manu has huge talent, so you've got to utilize what he does best,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

San Antonio opened their yearly Rodeo Trip with a win, after losing head-scratching back-to-back games at home. “Being able to go on the road for a long period of time, and start with a victory is a big deal for the team,” Corey Maggette said. “I think it has to do with Manu stepping up, he's been a big key for us.” Maggette shot 5-of-9 for 14 points, while Tony Parker added 13 and six assists. DeJuan Blair took advantage of the Blazers' poor inside defense, shooting 1-of-4 from the field but a superb 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, for 10 points. George Hill, who struggled in the game against Houston, showed flashes of his talent -- at times, he was slicing into a lane, seizing his way to the rim for a rim-breaking dunk, but other times he was delivering easy baskets for his post players, finishing the contest with 10 points and nine assists. “I always like to bounce back aggressively after a game that I don't consider satisfying for me,” said Hill. The Spurs must now travel to Los Angeles to fight the Lakers. “We played a decent first half, but we have to meet every challenge especially now that we are on the road. We have to continue to play hard every game,” Tim Duncan added, who shot a season-low 3-of-13 from the field for 7 points -- one of those nights.

Even without their usual depth, the Spurs had enough poise to hold off this new-look Trail Blazers, who have some injury problems with Dante Cunningham and Sean Marks on the shelf. Brandon Roy had 19 points and a career-high 14 assists for Portland, and Marcus Camby added 16 points and 10 rebounds, 8-of-11 from the floor. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 points and Nicolas Batum added 13. “They're tough to cover, the whole team,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “You have to help on Manu a lot... they have a lot of weapons, and Maggette was the recipient of some of that. When they go to him, which they did a lot tonight, there was a mismatch there, and they took advantage of that.” The Spurs never trailed in the game, posting a 21-point lead in the middle of third quarter, but a 3-point barrage from Roy and Batum cut Portland's deficit to only 5 points in the fourth period. Then the Blazers emptied their energy, finishing 1-for-8 from the field to end the game as the Spurs shooting didn't slow down -- Manu's final shot sealed the triumph. “The positive thing we did tonight was that we were a true team. Everyone played his role to perfection. You have to have balance in your game, and you have to take advantage of your strengths,” Popovich explained.

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Video Music :: Sébastien Léger • “Jaguar”

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[kibaxx7]

Sucks that you have that rodeo trip

Actually, it's nice. Chance to get more team chemistry

Aside from the Knicks? I don't

It's nice to see some different teams for a change.

GOod luck on your rodeo trip. I hope Duncan can keep his play up like that.

Huh, 9 game road trip, good luck, hope TD get some awesome number

He struggled tonight, but thank God he struggled this game and not next game against Kobe.

Good luck on the rodeo trip. If home court advantage mattered in video games (though sometimes I'll tweak the foul sliders a bit in the home team's favor), your quest for the #1 seed would take a huge hit.

Thanks man.. and yes it would, it's tough to play all this road games in a row. Oden actually played good, he's the 6th Man of the squad

Good luck on the trip. In simulation, most teams have negative road records, but as you play, I don't think your stellar record would be damaged too hard.

I have 5 games against Eastern teams with losing records, and a game against the Kings, so these 6 are must-win games. Then the Lakers and the Bulls, tough contests.

Forgot to take the Team Stats pic

[Houndy]

Good win. Damaged Goods did good

[Justine.]

Excellent start prior to that road trip Balanced scoring, I like it.

[kibaxx7]

Good win. Damaged Goods did good

I have a lot of Damaged Goods, who do you mean?

Excellent start prior to that road trip Balanced scoring, I like it.

I check the boxscore a lot in-game to see who scored less points, then I try to score more with him.

Tonight -- rematch against the Lakers. Wish me luck!