Road to Glory II

[The X]

You need to go over to Virtual Hardwood forum, find badreligionau's thread and post this epic pic:

[Valor]

Holy shit, Shaq!

He beasted in this one

You need to go over to Virtual Hardwood forum, find badreligionau's thread and post this epic pic:

posted

[Valor]

Noah's Domination Propels Bulls to 3-1 Series Lead

Noah's offensive rebounding was a big reason why Chicago got the W

Chicago, IL - Derrick Rose had fouled out, and the Bulls were shooting horribly from the field.

No worries, they still had Joakim Noah to clean up the mess.

Noah took over in the paint, fouled out Dwight Howard, and finished with 16 points along with a career playoff high 18 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end (another career playoff high), while also blocking three shots to help lead the Chicago Bulls to a 91-86 game 4 victory here at the United Center to take a 3-1 series lead in these Eastern Conference Finals.

Luol Deng led the way with a game high 21 points, while Shaquille O'Neal added 17 points and 11 rebounds despite a rough shooting night.

Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose was in foul trouble all game and fouled out early in the fourth quarter, having played just 21 minutes. He would finish with a mere 15 points on 7-14 shooting, a big drop off from his usual production.

Similarily, Magic star center Dwight Howard was also hampered by foul trouble as he too fouled out early in the fourth quarter. He finsihed with just 7 points and 8 rebounds following 23 minutes of play and took just 4 shots in the game.

Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but he was 8 for 22 from the field and just 1-8 from three point land. Jameer Nelson had a much better game then game 3, but still only came up with 16 points and 10 assists on 4-10 shooting.

While it can be said that both teams played good defense, it was also just overall a bad night offensively, as open shots were missed one after the other. Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls went 0-12 from the field and finished with just one point while Vince Carter of the Magic had 14 following a 6-17 performance. Magic forward Brandon Bass also struggled as he finished with 6 points on 3-12 shooting.

"There's no excuse, we've got to hit those open looks" Lewis said, "Obviously losing Dwight was big, but they lost their star player too, so we are even"

"At the end of the day, we lost because we didn't hit our shots and they outrebounded us; that's not acceptable" he added

The Bulls had a staggering 17 offensive boards, led by Noah's 10, while the Magic in comparison only came up with 6.

"I need to play better next game" said Howard, "Our backs are against the wall, I need to step up"

He'd better do that, because if he doesn't, their season will be over and the Bulls will advance to the Finals for the first time since 1998.

The series will now shift back to Orlando for the potentially decisive game 5.






Highlights




Jordan Player of the Game Highlights

[kibaxx7]

Shaq never disappoints G5 win man, get this over with.

[Martti.]

Was expecting Rose to dominate this series, as he's guarded by Nelson, but it has been Shaq and Noah with great games, who go up against Dwight.

From Orlando, I like seeing Lewis still contributing.

Waiting for that 20-point game from Korver.

[Houndy]

Shaq's a monster....

[Valor]

Shaq never disappoints G5 win man, get this over with.

Cant wait for the Finals!! First time ever for any of my dynasties/associations if I recall correctly!!

Was expecting Rose to dominate this series, as he's guarded by Nelson, but it has been Shaq and Noah with great games, who go up against Dwight.

From Orlando, I like seeing Lewis still contributing.

Waiting for that 20-point game from Korver.

They have taken a liking to double teaming Rose everytime down the floor so others had to step up, and they did
Yeah Lewis is one dude that I am getting a headache about, Deng/Gibson can somewhat slow him down but he switches it up between outside and inside and really gives me a problem

Shaq's a monster....

At 40, too. Monster he is

[Valor]

Carter, Lewis steps up as Magic force game 6

Vintage Vince put on a show tonight at the Amway Center

Orlando, FL - Dwight Howard said at the end of game 4 that he was going to have to play great in order for the Magic to extend the series for another game.

To make a long story short, he didn't.

The Magic got the important W anyhow.

Behind Vince Carter's 25 point performance, the Magic used a strong defense and a late fourth quarter run to take the must-win game here in Orlando, 88-80, to force a game 6 in Chicago.

Rashard Lewis added 18 points, while Brandon Bass had 8 points and 10 rebounds as the Magic survive the game with Dwight Howard spending a considerable amount of time on the bench as he was again hampered by foul trouble.

Howard would finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play.

Both Howard and Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy refused to answer questions with regards to the officiating.

The Bulls, who had a chance to wrap up the series in 5 games and go to the NBA Finals, now finds themselves travelling home for some unfinished business.

Derrick Rose led the way in this game with a game high 32 points along with 12 assists and 6 rebounds, but he turned the ball over 4 times and did not exactly get much help from his teammates.

Starting two guard Kirk Hinrich was again struggling with his shot and went scoreless after going 0-9 from the field; Luol Deng also struggled shooting as he finished with 4 points on 2-13 shooting while Carlos Boozer went 4-12 and finsihed with a mere 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The only other Bull to bring it consistently, seems to be the 40 year old Shaquille O'Neal, who has had a brillant series thus far. He finished with yet another double double tonight with 11 points and 10 boards (6 offensive) in just 22 minutes off the bench.

"My teammates played their part, it was my fault we lost this game" said Rose, "Maybe you can say they were missing some shots, but my turnovers definitely caused us to lose tonight"

"I gotta take care of the ball better" he added.

The Bulls will also have to play a little better on the inside defensively, as they allowed 44 points in the paint while the Magic shot 42% overall as a team. 24 of Orlando's 36 field goals were assisted baskets.

"I don't think our defensive rotation was good at all tonight" said Byron Scott, "Too many missed assignments"

The Bulls still have a 3-2 series lead and can wrap it up in game 6, but from the look of things, they will have to play better to beat this gritty Magic team.







Highlights
　 　
　 　
　 　

Jordan Player of the Game Highlights

[Houndy]

Ouch, I think an hero from the bench will end this series for you

[Houndy]

Ouch, I think an hero from the bench will end this series for you

[kibaxx7]

Hinrich alone gave the game to Orlando

[Justine.]

Love the Carter dunk pic Finish 'em!

[Martti.]

If Deng and Hinrich learn to shoot, then you got this.

[Valor]

Ouch, I think an hero from the bench will end this series for you

Shaq's already being that hero, I think without him I wouldn't have this advantage but yes, someone has to step up

Hinrich alone gave the game to Orlando

That he did...

Love the Carter dunk pic Finish 'em!

I hope so, them forcing a game 7 would be very, very scary for me

If Deng and Hinrich learn to shoot, then you got this.

Definitely

[Valor]

Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul highlight 2011-12 All-NBA First Team
By Official Release
Posted May 29th 2012 3:24PM



NEW YORK -- Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, who finished second in the ballot, highlight the 2011-12 All-NBA First Team. Bryant was once again the lone unanimous choice, receiving all 119 first-place votes. Joining Bryant and Paul on the First Team are LeBron James of the Sacramento Kings, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.

Earning his ninth All-NBA First Team selection, Bryant ties Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs for the most First Team selections amongst active players. The back-to-back NBA MVP led the Lakers to an NBA-best 69-13 mark, averaging a league-best 30.0 points to go alongside 4.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 steals.

Paul earns his fourth All-NBA First Team selection after leading the New Orleans Hornets to a record of 66-16. Behind Paul, the Hornets started the season 25-0, breaking the all-time record for best start to a season, as well as landing second place on the all time winning streak list. The 6'0 guard out of Wake Forest was second in the league in assists (9.9) and steals (2.6)

James, the 2008-09 and 2009-10 back to back Most Valuable Player, led the Kings again to a 46-36 record, good enough for the 6th seed in the Western Conference. This is James' fifth straight All-NBA First Team selection and sixth time overall.

Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the fifth consecutive season, finished third on the 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year votings. He was second in the NBA in both Rebounds (11.3) and Blocks (3.0) and led the Magic to an Eastern Conference-best 61-21 record.

Stoudemire, meanwhile, makes his third All-NBA First Team appareance and second straight. The Phoenix Suns forward finished fourth in the league in scoring (26.2), but was unable to lift the aging Suns to the playoffs as they finished their 2011-12 campaign with a record of 37-45.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat at guard, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol at forward, and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets at center.

The All-NBA Third Team includes San Antonio's Tony Parker and Atlanta's Joe Johnson at guard, Milwaukee's Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks at forward, and Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah at the center position.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Below are the results of the voting for the 2011-12 All-NBA Teams, with First Team votes in parentheses

All-NBA First Team

Position	Player	Team	First Team Votes	Total
G	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	119	595
G	Chris Paul	New Orleans Hornets	118	593
C	Dwight Howard	Orlando Magic	98	551
F	LeBron James	Sacramento Kings	118	593
F	Amare Stoudemire	Phoenix Suns	69	492

All-NBA Second Team

Position	Player	Team	First Team Votes	Total
G	Derrick Rose	Chicago Bulls	47	437
G	Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	24	392
F	Pau Gasol	Los Angeles Lakers	2	259
F	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	--	184
C	Yao Ming	Houston Rockets	2	258

All-NBA Third Team

Position	Player	Team	First Team Votes	Total
G	Joe Johnson	Atlanta Hawks	--	67
G	Tony Parker	San Antonio Spurs	--	62
C	Joakim Noah	Chicago Bulls	--	106
F	Dirk Nowitzki	Dallas Mavericks	--	135
F	Carmelo Anthony	Milwaukee Bucks	--	157

[Martti.]

Noah all-NBA third? Well done, that usually goes to Lopez or Bargnani in 2K.

[Axel The Great]

Good to see Yao in there.

[hova-]

Really good NBA teams ... looking realistic

[Valor]

Noah all-NBA third? Well done, that usually goes to Lopez or Bargnani in 2K.

Yep, real happy to see Joakim get it, he's been ballin for me

Good to see Yao in there.

He's still going strong in my virtual world

Really good NBA teams ... looking realistic

Agreed, I'm glad 2K hasn't pulled out something weird on me so far

[Valor]

Bulls use late run to eliminate Magic, advance to NBA Finals

Noah’s efforts are a big reason why the Bulls are heading to the NBA Finals

Chicago, IL – A season ago, despite their talent, the Chicago Bulls were eliminated in the second round by the Boston Celtics.

Then came the Dwyane Wade drama, and the retooling of the roster.

Now, they are on their way to the NBA Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan was a Chicago Bull.

Despite an off-night for the Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose, who went 8 for 24 from the field and 3-7 from the free throw line to finish with 19 points and 8 assists, the Chicago Bulls used a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to seal the game and series with a 85-74 game 6 victory over the Orlando Magic, punching their ticket to the NBA Finals, where they will face off against the winner of the Dallas-New Orleans Western Conference Finals series (tied at 3 games apiece).

It was a total team effort tonight by the Bulls, with a tremendous effort on defense that was led by All-Star center Joakim Noah, who earned player of the game honors following a 10 point, 15 rebound, 3 block performance.

“Joakim has been terrific all year long” said Rose, “We wouldn’t have been in this position without him”

With Noah anchoring the paint and guarding Dwight Howard one on one, the Magic shot just 36% from the field, and were often forced to take tough, contested long jumpers. They were just 4 for 18 from three, an area of expertise for them under usual circumstances.

Howard did have one of his better games of the series, finally breaking free of his foul troubles and finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The rest of his team, however, didn’t fare too well.

Vince Carter led the Magic with 22 points, but was 9 for 23 from the field while Rashard Lewis was the third and final Magic to score in double figures, as he went 6 for 17 (2-7 3pt) for 14 points. Jameer Nelson finished with 8 points and 7 assists, but also struggled, going 4 for 11.

“They played better than us, they played harder than us” said Stan Van Gundy, “I thought we had a nice chance going into the fourth, but we blew it”

After being shut down to just 27 points in the first half, the Magic turned it on in the third quarter and came out on fire, outscoring the Bulls 27-16 in the period and looked to be back in it, but then the Bulls just took over and that’s all she wrote.

Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich finally broke out of their slump for the Bulls, as Hinrich broke the 0-21 shooting hole he’s had in the last two games with the first bucket of the game. He would then go on to finish with 8 points on 3 for 7 from the field while Luol Deng went 5 for 9 and 13 points to seal the deal for Chicago.

Kyle Korver came off the bench to add 11 points, while Shaquille O’Neal had another solid outing with 11 and 6.

Shaq is now heading back to the Finals, where he won his fifth ring last June with the LA Lakers. He’ll look to be just the third player in NBA history to win the title with three different franchises. Robert Horry and John Salley being the other two.

“I said I was going to help my boy D-Rose win a title,” said O’Neal, “So here we are, one more series to go and the Shogun’s job is finished”

The 40 year old has helped the Bulls plenty thus far, especially in this series against Orlando’s Dwight Howard, but now they’ll look for him for help even more, because Air Shaqness will be embarking on his 7th NBA Finals appearance this June.







Highlights




Jordan Player of the Game Highlights

[qfrmcpt310]

Alright! Now lets go get that trophy

[Houndy]

Finals here we come

[kibaxx7]

Sweet Finally Hinrich got out of that slump.

[Valor]

Alright! Now lets go get that trophy

Either Hornets or Mavs will be tough to beat (I did lose to both of them in the regular season..) but I'd hate to break the Bulls' 6-0 record in the finals so I'll do my best

Finals here we come

Sweet Finally Hinrich got out of that slump.

Indeed, as soon as he knocked down the first jumper I was thinking "This game's in the bag"

[Valor]

2012 Playoffs Conference Finals Summary



New Orleans Hornets (2) v Dallas Mavericks (5)
Hornets win Series 4-3

Comment: Veterans Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki has had an amazing run to this point in this year’s postseason, playing the role of the underdog, they fought all the way to the Western Conference Finals after knocking off Kevin Durant and the youthful Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as the Kobe-led reigning champions in the Los Angeles Lakers. However, their fairytale story comes to an end here, as there will once again be disappointment in Texas, as Chris Paul and his 66-win New Orleans Hornets power their way to the NBA Finals following a dominating 113-72 game 7 victory.

Series MVP: Chris Paul – 20.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 10.0 apg, 3.9 spg, 0.6 bpg, 53% FG, 43% 3PT, 94% FT

Series Recap

Game 1
New Orleans Hornets 100-74 Dallas Mavericks
Comment: Chris Paul records 29 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals as his Hornets outmatched the Mavericks in every way. Dirk Nowitzki recorded 20 points and 8 rebounds, but gets no help from his teammates and the Mavs drop the first game of the series.

Game 2
New Orleans Hornets 96-101 Dallas Mavericks
Comment: Paul was again spectacular as he racks up 25 points, 6 boards, 10 assists and 8 steals, but this time the Mavs came as a team and takes home court advantage. Dirk led Dallas with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Jason Kidd turns in a 20-6-6 performance, missing only one field goal (7-8) for the game.

Game 3
Dallas Mavericks 99-92 New Orleans Hornets
Comment: Building off their game two momentum, the Mavs continued their good play upon return to the American Airlines Center. Jason Kidd turned in an outstanding game and finished with 20 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals, while Dirk Nowitzki crashed the boards like a man possessed, racking up 15 rebounds along with his 17 points. Caron Butler also chipped in big time, as he led the game in scoring with 22. For the Hornets, things just didn’t click offensively, as Paul finished with just 12 points, but had 12 assists and 4 steals. Ben Gordon led the Hornets with 19 and they take a 1-2 deficit in the series.

Game 4
Dallas Mavericks 85-95 New Orleans Hornets
Comment: In what was practically a must-win game for New Orleans, Chris Paul showed why he was a serious MVP candidate, as he put up 29 points, 9 assists, and 6 steals to lead the Hornets to a crucial game 4 victory to even the series at 2 games apiece. Paul also had plenty of help in the form of David West, who had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory. The Mavs, on the otherhand, had their offense stalled by the Hornets. Caron Butler again led the team with 22 points, but was 8-24 from the field while Dirk Nowitzki notched 20 points and 9 rebounds in the losing effort.

Game 5
New Orleans Hornets 88-103 Dallas Mavericks
Comment: It was the Mavericks time to come up in the clutch, as the Dallas Mavericks come up with a 20-2 run late in the fourth quarter to take home the 3-2 series lead in the Big Easy. Butler shook off game 4’s struggles and finished with 29 points, Nowitzki added 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jason Kidd dished out 15 assists alongside his 10 points and 8 rebounds. Emeka Okafor picked up the slack for New Orleans, as he finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 block shots, but with Paul having a bad night, the Hornets could never recover and will face elimination on the road in game 6.

Game 6
Dallas Mavericks 70-99 New Orleans Hornets
Comment: Defense wins championships, or at least, playoff games. That is exactly what happened here in game 6. The Hornets clamped down on D in the face of elimination, and forced a game 7 at home. It was a collective effort as five Hornets finished in double figures while the Mavs only had two. Okafor once again led the team with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Nowitzki finished with 23 points for the Mavericks.

Game 7
New Orleans Hornets 113-72 Dallas Mavericks
Comment: It just wasn’t meant to be for the veteran Dallas Mavericks, as they were blown out in game 7 by CP3 and the Hornets. Nowitzki tried his best, scoring 25 points along with 10 boards, but his Mavs just was no match for the young legs of the Hornets. Al Harrington led the team with 28 points and 8 rebounds, while Chris Paul chipped in with 18 points and 12 assists and was name series MVP.


Orlando Magic (1) v Chicago Bulls (2)
Bulls win Series 4-2

Comment: Despite the fact that it was Orlando who had the better regular season record and thus, home court advantage, the Chicago Bulls were favored to win the series coming into the Eastern Conference Finals; and to make a long story short, they simply did not disappoint. Behind the stellar play from Derrick Rose, and the outstanding play of the Bulls' centers Joakim Noah and Shaquille O'Neal, the Chicago Bulls manage to hold off Dwight Howard and a resurgent Vince Carter as they take the series in six games.

Series MVP: Derrick Rose - 25.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 47% FG, 22% 3PT, 70% FT

Series Recap

Game 1
Orlando Magic 111-101 Chicago Bulls

Game 2
Orlando Magic 91-98 Chicago Bulls

Game 3
Chicago Bulls 95-78 Orlando Magic

Game 4
Chicago Bulls 91-86 Orlando Magic

Game 5
Orlando Magic 88-80 Chicago Bulls

Game 6
Chicago Bulls 85-74 Orlando Magic