River Walk Chronicles ♦ ///

[Houndy]

Willie Lewis is the reason the Cavs are going all the way

[Mavs4Life]

VC on the Cavs? Anyways, tough week, but all games were close and good.

[Martti.]

I love that Rashard is still with the Magic. Sucks your undefeated start ended, but 10-2 isn't too bad.

[LegoLand]

Cavs rosters is really strong... Zach, VC better than LeBron

[kibaxx7]

Spurs go with the inside job -- top Granger, Hibbert, Pacers
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (IND :: SAS)

SAN ANTONIO (ESPN, November 23) -- Only three weeks into the season, and the San Antonio Spurs are already receiving dividends on their investments -- Michael Redd and Lamar Odom -- like they've been playing in this team for years. Both as reserves, Redd scored 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Odom posted 12, six rebounds and four assists as the Spurs recovered from their loss in Orlando with a 109-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Redd made his presence felt in the loss to the Magic, scoring season-highs of 16 points and seven rebounds. Playing for the second night in a row, the Pacers looked sluggish early as the Spurs opened the game with a 12-2 run. However, Indiana rallied behind Danny Granger, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half to help cut the deficit to 34-30. Roy Hibbert added 20 points, seven rebounds and two rejections for the Pacers, who were also boosted by Paul George and Thaddeus Young's performances off the bench, with 13 and 11 points, respectively. “I thought we went to relax mode in the third quarter and they kept playing,” said Pacers guard Darren Collison, who scored a season-low eight points. Newcomer Shannon Brown only had eight points while Serge Ibaka was scoreless.

The Pacers even showed their frustration late in the game as forward Tyler Hansbrough was ejected with 5:15 left in the contest: after tangling with Tiago Splitter, he got into a shoving match with Odom, gesturing to encourage a fight. “I don't know, he fell and just got up and came towards me,” said Splitter. “It was just a physical game all night long and tempers were high.” Six Spurs scored in double figures, each of them taking at least nine shot attempts, as the team had 27 assists on 42 field goals. “The guys got a roll going,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Of course, a couple of them did some work on their own, but we were always looking for the extra pass.” With 16 points apiece, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker led the Spurs, who had 66 points in the paint (against 32 by Indiana) and their bench had 46 points. Corey Maggette notched in 13 and Manu Ginobili 11. “This is a great win for us after the heartbreaking loss in Orlando,” added Ginobili. The Spurs (12-2) will fly tomorrow morning to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder (11-3), the 2nd seed in the West.

♦ Around The League :: Two teams that were initially considered to make noise in the West did some noise today, but in totally different circumstances. Both the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets relieved George Karl and Rick Adelman, respectively, of their coaching duties, the teams announced today. At 37-45, the Nuggets missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2002-03. With the additions of high-quality players like Delonte West, Tracy McGrady and rookie Tomas Keefe, they were bound to challenge for a playoff seed, but at 7-7 they are again missing on a postseason spot, with Nené struggling, and general manager Masai Ujiri made the move. “Decisions like this are difficult to make,” said Ujiri. “Next January, it would have been seven years with George next to us, and I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time we have decided to make a change.” Karl's dismissal came hours before the Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz, 99-92 at home in the coaching debut of interim head coach Theo Morris.

The Rockets, 6th seed in the West last year, lost 4-3 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round after recording a 45-37 record, reaching the postseason for the first time since 2008-09. General manager Daryl Morey decided to only make minor moves in the roster after the team gave the Thunder a chill in the first round, but the better team prevailed; Morey only added international prospects Ferdinand Alvarado (Puerto Rico) and Mauricio Caballero (Spain) through the past Draft in June -- no free agency additions. The team is also missing on a playoff seed, also at 7-7 and with Luis Scola averaging less than 10 points. “I want to thank Rick for all of his efforts on behalf of the Rockets,” said Morey. “Unfortunately, the overall performance level of the team has not approached what we felt was reasonable to expect.” Interim head coach Lamar Clark and the Rockets face the San Antonio Spurs, the first seed in the conference, this Saturday.

Spurs win in OKC, send message to the league -- but lose Maggette in the process
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (SAS :: OKC)

OKLAHOMA CITY (ESPN, November 24) -- The San Antonio Spurs sent a message to the Oklahoma City Thunder behind some drowning defense and a lot of Tim Duncan. Duncan took the team on his shoulders and scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds for a game-best plus-minus of +22 (no other Spur had more than +8) and Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Michael Redd all had 16 points each as the Spurs posted an impressive 111-98 victory against the Thunder, despite losing Corey Maggette with 1:30 left in the first half because of a sore foot. It was Redd's third consecutive game scoring in double figures (and seventh of the season) and Ginobili had a season-high 10 assists to make up for Maggette's absence. “All of these games are important, in their unique way,” said Redd. “We have to take each one individually and go out and give our best effort. So far we are doing great and we have to continue on this path.” But Duncan clarified: “We can't be completely satisfied with this win. We're going to probably see this team somewhere down the road in the postseason.”

The Spurs took an unexpected 14-point lead at halftime but the Thunder recovered and were down by only four in the start of the last period, but then Duncan went to work, scoring eight of his 18 points in the last eight minutes to keep OKC at bay. After starting the season 10-2, the Thunder have lost two of their last three games and are 11-4 -- the team only clinched a win against Minnesota, sandwiched between this game against the Spurs and a head-scratching 3-point loss at Detroit four days ago. Kevin Durant shot 11-of-18 from the field for 34 points and Russell Westbrook added 21 and nine assists. “It was a competitive game,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “The difference was Duncan. To his credit, he took it over. He was the difference.” But the real difference was San Antonio's commitment to the defensive end: they forced Oklahoma City into a season-worst 17 turnovers. Jeff Green added 15 points while James Harden had a season-low 5 points. “They frustrated me a little and I couldn't find my rhythm,” said Harden, who only attempted two field goals. “But I trusted my teammates and made plays where they counted.”

♦ Around The League :: The Washington Wizards acquired guards Ben Gordon and Marty Sharpe from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forwards Yi Jianlian and Toni Petrovic, Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld announced today. Originally selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 3rd pick overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, Gordon (6'3'', 200 lbs.) joins Washington after playing two and a half seasons with Detroit. In 14 games with the Pistons this year (3-11), Gordon averaged 16.1 points (his best since joining the team), 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33.6 minutes. Sharpe (6'4'', 205 lbs.) was selected 37th overall by the Pistons in the past Draft out of UCLA, and has yet to make his debut in the league. “We are delighted to welcome Ben and Marty to our squad and the community in Detroit,” said Grunfeld. “Ben is certain to make a contribution right away, while we hope Marty will develop into a good basketball player that will contribute to the success of the team.”

Yi (7'0'', 238 lbs), is in his fifth NBA season after being selected 6th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2007 NBA Draft out of the Chinese Basketball Association's Guangdong Southern Tigers. Last year, in all 82 games (8 starts) for the Wizards, Yi averaged 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 18.6 minutes of action. Yi joins Detroit after averaging 31.9 minutes, 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 15 games this season. Petrovic (6'7'', 214 lbs.), born in Croatia and selected by the Wizards in the past Draft out of Russia's CSKA Moscow, comes to Detroit with averages of .412% shooting and .500% from beyond the arc in 8.3 minutes in 15 games (all as a reserve). “We feel this is a trade that benefits both organizations. We will miss Ben and we thank him for his efforts,” said Pistons general manager Joe Dumars. “We are excited to add Yi to our team. He is an exciting bigman that plays with a passion that we hope will thrill the Palace fans.”

[kibaxx7]

Broken right arm is a blessing in disguise for me as I'll be working hard on my weak left

Sucks about going 1-2 this week but you are still in pretty good shape

Sixers still looking good, I think they can make the playoffs

Willie Lewis is the reason the Cavs are going all the way

They could use a little more help in the SF spot -- they only have Joey Graham and Jamario Moon, that's why VC started there

VC on the Cavs? Anyways, tough week, but all games were close and good.

Yep, VC was signed in the offseason. And yes, all very close games, down to the very last minute, not like this week...

I love that Rashard is still with the Magic. Sucks your undefeated start ended, but 10-2 isn't too bad.

I think the Magic can still make some noise (not like in real life... well, good noise). If I remember correctly, you traded for BG when you used the Wizards in an old Live story? He's back

Cavs rosters is really strong... Zach, VC better than LeBron

At 6-5 they are struggling right now, give them some time.

Great win over the Thunder but I'm not sure if starting Odom or Anderson, and keep using Lamar off the bench. But the real sixth man has been Redd -- playing much better than I first expected.

[Houndy]

I think we need more Willie Lewis updates

Nice wins, you're doing work

[Mavs4Life]

While OKC leads tonight in Dallas, you own them here

[kibaxx7]

I think we need more Willie Lewis updates

Nice wins, you're doing work

Monthly recap coming soon, you will see how the NLSCers are doing.

While OKC leads tonight in Dallas, you own them here

Yeah, I started playing in the 3rd and they made a rally, but I was able to score more with Manu and Redd in the fourth.

Ok -- I updated the whole index. Season 1 is completely finished, with the last updates I missed, and then Season 2 up to this point. Also added high points, rebounds and assists to every single game.

Week 6 coming soon, with 3 more games: at Houston and their new head coach, and two games in the AT&T against Hawks and Mavs. C&C please!

[Red Rocket]

You seem to really be on a roll here. Good win over the Thunder at their house. Going to be tough without Maggette though.

[kibaxx7]

Martin, Lowry, Rockets rally in George Karl's debut but fall to Spurs
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (SAS :: HOU)

HOUSTON (ESPN, November 26) -- No matter that they couldn't contain Lamar Odom and Tiago Splitter -- the Houston Rockets showed some signs of improvement under new head coach George Karl following the firing of Rick Adelman. Odom scored a team-high 19 points, and Splitter had 14, ten rebounds, two steals and two blocks in San Antonio's 103-94 win. Playing for a new coach, the Rockets showed plenty of motivation, particularly early. The Rockets led 25-22 at the start of the second period; a Chase Budinger's 3-pointer and two free throws by Kevin Martin got them up by eight, but it didn't last long: the Spurs brought them back to reality with a 35-9 run, never looking back again. Manu Ginobili added 18 points for the Spurs while Tim Duncan added 13, giving San Antonio the best record in the league at 13-2. “They did a good job running their offense,” said Tony Parker, who shot 3-of-13 for 11 points. “They played a much different style. I'm sure a coach like Karl will help them a lot this year.” Marcus Cousin made a promising debut with six points, six rebounds and a rejection in only seven minutes.

“We shared the ball a lot better tonight and we played with more energy,” said Karl. “They played with the kind of energy our fans can be proud of. This was a tough day, with the team in some tough circumstances, and they did great, despite the loss.” Karl went with a different lineup than Adelman, inserting Terrence Williams at small forward and benching Budinger, who finished with 11 points. Williams posted 10, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Martin scored a game-best 31 points, and Kyle Lowry added 15, four boards and nine assists, but after halftime, the Rockets never came closer than nine points. “It was better than some of our previous games, but we still have a long way to go,” said Lowry. Budinger added, “We played the right way. This time you could see a different flow.” The problem for Houston, which only shot 36 percent, was their defense (56-42 at the paint for the Spurs) and the fact that their bench, apart from Budinger, didn't step up: 42-22 for San Antonio's reserves. For the first time this season, both Yao Ming didn't crack the 10-point plateau: only nine points, while Luis Scola had seven but a season-high 19 rebounds.

♦ Around The League :: Two more head coaches were shown the door today: Utah's Jerry Sloan and Toronto's Jay Triano were relieved of their head coach duties. Sloan had been Utah’s head coach since 1988 and was the longest-tenured active coach with one team in major professional sports, as well as the longest-tenured head coach in NBA history. In almost 23 seasons with the Jazz, Sloan guided the team to 19 playoff appearances, two NBA Finals (1997 and 1998), seven division titles and a streak of 16 consecutive winning seasons (1988-2004). Until owner Gail Miller finds a replacement, assistant coach Claude Lindsey was today named interim head coach. Al Jefferson leads the team in scoring, with Deron Williams not going anywhere, Jamal Crawford melting nicely with the rest of the squad and Allen Iverson still making a solid contribution. “Decisions of this nature are always difficult, but it became clear to us that this was necessary in order to provide a new direction. We can only be grateful to Jerry in this two decades,” said Miller.

In Toronto, Sam Delk was named interim head coach today in place of Triano. A native of Niagara Falls, Triano became the first Canadian born and Canadian trained coach in the NBA when he joined Lenny Wilkens’ staff for the 2002-03 season, and was promoted to head coach in May of 2009, finishing with an 95-150 record (.387) today. “This isn’t all on Jay, all of us share in the responsibility for where we’re at and where we need to go,” said Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo. “These decisions are never reached easily and this is no different. He helped change the culture here and worked every day to try to get this franchise turned in the right direction.” No. 1 pick from Switzerland, Alex Blevessi and Italian bigman Andrea Bargnani lead this team, in hopes of securing a playoff seed for the first time since 2008.

Duncan, Anderson, Blake lead Spurs in laugher over Hawks
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (ATL :: SAS)

SAN ANTONIO (ESPN, November 27) -- Gregg Popovich has been the San Antonio Spurs head coach for 16 years because he knows how to get the most from his team, providing a system that allows them to succeed: when one player goes down, another steps up. This time, stunning Atlanta with a second quarter they won't forget any time soon. Tim Duncan had 24 points and seven rebounds, and the Spurs got big-time contributions from bench players James Anderson and Steve Blake to blow the Atlanta Hawks out of the AT&T Center, 116-94 for their fifth victory in their last six games. “In this system, with these players, you've got to shine,” said Blake, who posted 13 points and eight assists in 18 minutes. “Pops has a winning mentality, so you want to come out and perform. James was also hitting his shots and we were making great plays, passing the ball to each other. And in that way, confidence builds all around the locker room.” Anderson scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, shooting a combined 9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-11 from beyond the arc with Blake. The Spurs shot 50 percent from the floor (55 percent from 3-point land), limiting Atlanta to only 35 percent.

“The guys have played pretty well together and the reserves have given us a tremendous lift,” commented Popovich. “From Anderson's point of view, he was able to make some really tough field goals, and from Blake's, his court vision tonight was tremendous.” Seven Spurs scored in double figures, as Tony Parker scored 14 points, Manu Ginobili added 13 and Lamar Odom and Michael Redd had 10 apiece, making for 39 points in the second period of the contest. And they've done it without forward Corey Maggette, who has been sidelined because of sore foot he sustained last week against Oklahoma City. Joe Johnson had 31 points and nine assists for the Hawks, while Josh Smith had 18 points and 14 rebounds. Rookie Jeff Williams, former member of the NLSC Academy, added 13 and four assists. “It seemed like we couldn't stop anybody in the first half,” said Michael Beasley, who notched in 12 points. “They ended up playing good defense. We blocked a couple of their shots, but they got a lot of second chance points. And when a team gets that kind of momentum, it's hard to put an end to it.”

♦ Around The League :: The Utah Jazz's Deron Williams and the Charlotte Bobcats' Tyrus Thomas today were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played November 20-26. Williams averaged 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists as the Jazz went 3-1. He posted a double-double, 14 points and 11 assists, on November 22 to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers and last night, he scored a game-high 36 points and eight assists against Golden State. Thomas led the Bobcats to a 4-0 week, averaging 21.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks to help keep Charlotte in the hunt for a playoff berth at 9-7. On November 20, he tallied 29 points, 16 rebounds and three rejections in a victory at Chicago, and two nights after that, 25 points, 15 boards and two blocks to defeat Houston.

Butler, Terry, Mavericks end worrying skid in fashion, thump Spurs
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (DAL :: SAS)

SAN ANTONIO (ESPN, November 29) -- The Dallas Mavericks started the season with a 3-1 record and looked to be solid. But after going 3-9 in the following three weeks, a team meeting led by team captains Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry provided some reassurance. A win led by these three guys -- plus the scoring punch of Caron Butler -- over the best team in the league, the city rivals, was even better. Butler scored 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Terry added 17 as the Mavericks bounced back, beating the San Antonio Spurs, 92-81. Nowitzki had a double-double with 16 and 12 boards, and Kidd tallied 15 points, six rebounds and eight dimes as Dallas never trailed, assisting 21 of 35 field goals and a season-low with only three turnovers. “It feels like you got a huge burden off your back. We really needed this victory,” said Kidd. “We played with a lot of positive energy, and we shared the ball. We never faltered and we played good for the whole 48 minutes.”

“They match up with us pretty well,” said Manu Ginobili, who scored 17 points and five rebounds for the Spurs. “We always have a tough time beating them. Yes, we eliminated them last year in the playoffs, in only 5 games, but there were a couple of contests that could have gone either way.” Tim Duncan had 17 points of his own, 10 rebounds and a season-high six blocks for the Spurs, who could not overcome Lamar Odom's worst game of the season, with only 2 points and 0-of-10 from the field. “Based on how I shot the ball and how I only got one assist, I was never in the game,” said Odom, who was autocritical as the Spurs lost at home for the first time this season. “This one's on me.” Tony Parker scored 12 points but had four of the team's 10 turnovers, while James Anderson added 10 from the bench. San Antonio was limited to 38 percent from the field, even having the edge in rebounds (47-42), points in the paint (42-38) and reserve points (26-18).

♦ Around The League :: Despite that we are already in December, the free agent pool still has several players who could turn a season around. Looks like a couple of dominoes have yet to fall: some of the names are pretty valuable and we can't really understand how they don't have a team yet. Arron Afflalo, Nick Young, Josh Howard, Grant Hill... even Shane Battier doesn't have a team. Each of this free agents has his own unique qualities, their own value to be had beyond the biggest names, especially when it comes to filling specified roles, so it's understandable that they are waiting for the right offer. Teams like Golden State, Washington or Miami could benefit from one of these players as they are all short on shooting guards and small forwards. Expect news very soon.

[kibaxx7]

You seem to really be on a roll here. Good win over the Thunder at their house. Going to be tough without Maggette though.

Yeah, I got great wins over the Rockets and Hawks, but then had a tough time with Odom against the Mavericks. But Maggette's place is safe.

[Houndy]

Mavs too real

[Kenny]

Clearly the Hawks are starting the wrong Jeff

But yikes... he's gotta stop jacking up those threes.

[Axel The Great]

That Mavs loss aside (wasted opportunity with Dirk struggling ), you guys are on a roll. That win against the Rockets was big, but I'm pretty sure if Yao had attempted more shots in the 39 minutes he played, things may have been different.

[Mavs4Life]

MAVS YES! Other than that nice week, keep it going.

[kibaxx7]

♦ 2011, November 10 – Tim Duncan & Manu Ginobili @ New Orleans Hornets: On Mardi Gras celebrations, there was nothing for the Hornets to celebrate. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were flawless for San Antonio: Duncan scored 26 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds, while Ginobili added 23, as the Spurs got hot in the second quarter and rolled to a 106-90 victory over New Orleans, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Manu scored 18 points in the first half as the Spurs set an early tone, taking a 12-2 lead to start the game and a 58-39 advantage at intermission. With that 19-point cushion, Michael Redd started the third quarter and didn't disappoint, picking up where the Argentinian left off, scoring 13 points. “I know my role on this team,” said Redd. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice individually to have team success.” In the first half, San Antonio shot a great 6-of-10 from beyond the arc -- 9-of-16 for the game, taking a 81-61 lead with 1:28 left in the third. (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, November 15 - Corey Maggette vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Despite getting less playing time than last year, James Anderson is always sure to make the most of it. Anderson had all nine of his points in the last four minutes of the contest to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 101-91. Anderson, picked 20th overall by the Spurs last year, quickly became a rotation player as Corey Maggette's backup, but with the acquisition of Lamar Odom prior to this season, he saw his playing time being a little shorter. (...) Maggette shot 12-of-19 to lead San Antonio, for 24 points, 18 in the first half, and nine rebounds. “He had an unbelievable game before halftime,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He made shots and he made plays. He's been playing extremely well.” (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, November 23 - Michael Redd vs. Indiana Pacers: Only three weeks into the season, and the San Antonio Spurs are already receiving dividends on their investments -- Michael Redd and Lamar Odom -- like they've been playing in this team for years. Both as reserves, Redd scored 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Odom posted 12, six rebounds and four assists as the Spurs recovered from their loss in Orlando with a 109-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Redd made his presence felt in the loss to the Magic, scoring season-highs of 16 points and seven rebounds. Playing for the second night in a row, the Pacers looked sluggish early as the Spurs opened the game with a 12-2 run. However, Indiana rallied behind Danny Granger, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half to help cut the deficit to 34-30. Roy Hibbert added 20 points, seven rebounds and two rejections for the Pacers, who were also boosted by Paul George and Thaddeus Young's performances off the bench, with 13 and 11 points, respectively. (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, November 12 - Manu, Blair, Spurs look unstoppable vs. Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce started the contest 1-of-16 from the floor, but ended the game 7-of-9 to breathe some new life into the Celtics' hopes, and also Ray Allen (who suffered a sprained toe in the second period but returned) added 27 points. But the rest of the supporting cast never showed up, and San Antonio demonstrated what teamwork is all about. Manu Ginobili had 17 points; Corey Maggette, Tony Parker and Lamar Odom had 11 each, and Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair both posted double-doubles, making six Spurs in double figures and Boston look very ordinary in the process, cruising to a 98-84 victory. “We kept them in front of us and tried to make them get us from the outside,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “We forced them into some turnovers early on. We got inside looks (56-34), and our bench was stellar (33-16). That kind of set the tone.” (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, November 19 - Spurs explode in 3rd quarter, survive in OT vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: On Hardwood Classics night, it looked like the jerseys did have an effect this time. When Tim Duncan plays like his old self, a 14-point deficit in the first minutes of the second half isn't always insurmountable. Tim recorded his fifth double-double in the last six games with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high four blocks, Manu Ginobili added 27 points and the San Antonio Spurs stormed past the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, for a stunning 115-111 win. “This is a gut check victory for us. We needed it after our last game,” said Duncan. Corey Maggette had 19 points and nine rebounds (16 before intermission) while Lamar Odom contributed with 14 as a reserve. The Spurs were 0-for-7 from behind the arc, all in the first half, before Maggette ended the drought with 9:33 in the third to trigger a quick 8-0 run. Tony Parker shot 4-of-13 for 11 points, but had nine assists to made up for it. (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, November 24 - Spurs send message to the league -- but lose Maggette in the process @ Oklahoma City Thunder: The San Antonio Spurs sent a message to the Oklahoma City Thunder behind some drowning defense and a lot of Tim Duncan. Duncan took the team on his shoulders and scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds for a game-best plus-minus of +22 (no other Spur had more than +8) and Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Michael Redd all had 16 points each as the Spurs posted an impressive 111-98 victory against the Thunder, despite losing Corey Maggette with 1:30 left in the first half because of a sore foot. It was Redd's third consecutive game scoring in double figures (and seventh of the season) and Ginobili had a season-high 10 assists to make up for Maggette's absence. (Read More ... )

[kibaxx7]

NEW YORK, December 1 -- The Miami Heat's LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Sprite, respectively, for games played during October & November. Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Chicago's Derrick Rose, LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Portland's Brandon Roy, Miami's Chris Bosh, New York's Amar'e Stoudemire, Golden State's Monta Ellis, Orlando's Dwight Howard, Charlotte's Stephen Jackson, Houston's Yao Ming and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki.

James is third in the league in scoring, averaging 29.9 points on .512% shooting, which ranks third in the league among small forwards. To go along with his offensive production, he is the sixth small forward in the league in rebounds, averaging 8.2. He has helped the Heat get off to a league-best 14-2 start, putting it atop the Southeast Division and enjoying a 13-game winning streak. James' month was highlighted by his all-around performances: 44 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against New York on November 16, and 31, 11 and 10 the very next day at New Jersey; 34 points, eight and nine at Orlando (November 25); 33, 12 and seven against New Orleans (November 19).

Durant led the Thunder to a 13-5 start, averaging a double-double for the first time in his career: 31.5 points (1st in the league) to go with 11.4 rebounds (fourth). He compiled 12 double-doubles and also shot .941% from the free throw line (2nd in the league). On November 7, Durant scored 34 points to go along with 17 boards, three assists and three blocks in a victory against the Nets. In the next encounter against New Jersey (November 19), he had 46 points and 13 rebounds, and on November 26, posted 37 and 11 to defeat the Bulls at Chicago.

NEW YORK, December 1 -- The Toronto Raptors' Alex Blevessi and the Golden State Warriors' Scott Ross today were named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month presented by T-Mobile, respectively, for games played during October & November. Check a more complete rookie report here; other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Cleveland's Willie Lewis, Minnesota's Andrew Ferguson, New Jersey's Chris Hova, Detroit's Predrag Rodic, Sacramento's Dolph Lundgren Jr., LA Clippers' Johnny Grady, Atlanta's Jeff Williams, Charlotte's Will Sit, Portland's Wade Ramsey and New Orleans' Axel Gomez.

Blevessi is the leader in scoring (18.3 ppg), offensive rebounds (2.2 orpg) and minutes (40.1 mpg), while placing 3rd in rebounds (8.6 rpg), 3rd in assists (6.1 apg), 6th in steals (1.7 spg) and 5th in blocks (1.1 bpg) among rookies. He is leading the Raptors to a 10-8 record (.556%), setting a career-high of 31 points on October 31 against Atlanta. He posted five double-doubles, including 17 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana (his first game), 25 and 10 against Charlotte (November 13) and 21 and 11 at Portland (November 20). He also had a triple-double against Orlando in a double-overtime win, with 12 points, 12 boards, 12 assists and three blocks. To close the month, he notched in 22, nine and nine in a win against Denver.

Ross ranks 3rd in scoring (15.4 ppg), 3rd in blocks (1.3 bpg) and 7th in minutes (32.3 mpg) among rookies, while his 4.9 rebounds put him 3rd among rookie small forwards. Shooting .458% for the month, he scored a career-high 25 points at Portland (November 11), had 22 and six rebounds at Minnesota (November 19) and 21 and seven boards against Cleveland (November 23). He started all 18 games for the Warriors (9-9) this season.

[kibaxx7]

Mavs too real

They are struggling, but when I intervened in the 3rd quarter I couldn't outscore them. Butler was great

Clearly the Hawks are starting the wrong Jeff

But yikes... he's gotta stop jacking up those threes.

I think Teague played less than 10 minutes, you played the rest of the game, so you are making an impact.

That Mavs loss aside (wasted opportunity with Dirk struggling ), you guys are on a roll. That win against the Rockets was big, but I'm pretty sure if Yao had attempted more shots in the 39 minutes he played, things may have been different.

Yeah, but I went double-team with Yao almost the entire game and he didn't shoot as usual. You might remember this

MAVS YES! Other than that nice week, keep it going.

Thanks man!

Helvetica for the win.

[Houndy]

Leading the Cavs baby

[KidJustin]

Clippers top of the division

[kibaxx7]

Leading the Cavs baby

You're doing a great job so far man.

Clippers top of the division

I'm actually surprised. No CP3, no Tough Juice, no Billups. Only Griffin and Johnny Grady, the rook.

My dad made a few tweaks in my computer (new motherboard) so I had to format the C disk. Do not worry, I made a backup of the save files so I just need some time to re-install everything again.

[mp3]

Is this one still rolling?

[kibaxx7]

Is this one still rolling?

Yes it is! As I said, I need some time to install everything again. I'm not stopping this anytime soon

[kibaxx7]

Spurs retiring...

To all the followers:

It was a fun ride while it lasted, but I'm bringing both my Spurs and Pacers associations to an end. As you may know by now, things have not improved since the last time I updated them, with my school and job draining all my free time. Even more, with 2K13 just around the corner ( ), there's no important breaks to keep them going in the same way as before. I will try to post some updates in "How is your Association going?", but just wanted to officially retire them and say thanks to everyone who read and commented all throughout this two years. Means a lot to me!

Wish me luck and (perhaps) a nomination into the HOF? New Thierry association coming soon!


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