30/1/14
Oklahoma City Thunder [31-12] vs Charlotte Bobcats [21-20]
Thunder survive second half scare in Charlotte
OKC - 28 32 26 37 123
CHA - 23 18 37 40 118
Player of the Game: Louis Williams
(28pts, 7ast, 3reb, 1blk)
OKC _______ CHA
48-86 - FGM/A - 49-93
4-9 - 3PTM/A - 3-16
23-29 - FTM/A - 17-21
34 - Rebounds - 35
33 - Assists - 23
11 - Blocks - 7
8 - Steals - 5
24 - Turnovers - 18
14 - Fouls - 19
Top Scorers
Louis Williams - 28
Roy Hibbert - 22
Leandro Barbosa - 20
Abdullah Aswad - 19
Kevin Durant - 18
Charlie Villanueva - 16
Christian Eyenga - 15
Kevin Seraphin - 13
Michael Beasley - 12
Tiago Splitter - 12
James Harden - 11
Jonny Flynn - 9
Rolf Young - 9
Howie Jeffries - 9
Carl Landry - 8
Blake Griffin - 8
Assists
Louis Williams - 7
Leandro Barbosa - 5
Blake Griffin - 5
Rolf Young - 5
Eric Maynor - 4
Howie Jeffries - 4
Derrick Rose - 4
Abdullah Aswad - 4
Rebounds
Carl Landry - 13
Leandro Barbosa - 6
Roy Hibbert - 6
Blake Griffin - 6
Rolf Young - 5
Howie Jeffries - 5
Charlie Villanueva - 5
Video Highlights
Harden nails a three early on.
Young blocks Williams, then sets up a dunk for Eyenga at the other end.
Searaphin and Young play a one-two which ends in an alley-oop.
-----
I didn't play my starters in the second half due to my 18 point lead. The Bobcats got to within 3 points in the fourth quarter.
1/2/14
January 2014 Summary
January once again saw both Miami and Oklahoma City maintain their strangle holds on their respective conferences.
Portland still sit alone in second out west, whilst Cleveland hit form and are now five games behind the Heat in the east.
Memphis were the biggest surprise this month, dropping from 3rd to 12th. They have really been in poor form in recent weeks.
Deron Williams is at the top of his game at the moment. He is leading the scoring race and pushing for his second MVP award.Conference Standings
-----League Leaders
-----Monthly Awards
-----MVP Candidates
-----League Transactions
1/2/14
Oklahoma City Thunder [32-12] vs New York Knicks [27-17]
Thunder produce trademark comeback to beat Knicks
OKC - 27 28 39 43 137
NYK - 37 33 37 26 133
Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(37pts, 2reb, 2ast, 1blk, 3stl)
OKC _______ NYK
51-91 - FGM/A - 56-96
4-12 - 3PTM/A - 7-12
31-35 - FTM/A - 14-16
30 - Rebounds - 28
26 - Assists - 31
14 - Blocks - 9
9 - Steals - 11
20 - Turnovers - 20
10 - Fouls - 21
Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 37
Danilo Gallinari - 33
James Harden - 31
Carmelo Anthony - 30
Amare Stoudemire - 24
Blake Griffin - 24
Michael Conley - 19
Derrick Rose - 15
Zach Randolph - 12
Michael Beasley - 12
Assists
Derrick Rose - 10
Michael Conley - 8
Carmelo Anthony - 7
Amare Stoudemire - 5
Blake Griffin - 5
Rebounds
Blake Griffin - 8
Zach Randolph - 8
Amare Stoudemire - 8
Danilo Gallinari - 7
Roy Hibbert - 7
Video Highlights
Young fools Gallinari, then dunks.
-----
I was down by 21 points late in the second quarter.
Phil89 wrote:To be fair, you're probably judging them by reputation rather than skill level. The only 80+ rated players they have are Williams, Howard, Nene and Kobe (he's declined to 80 ovrl). Most of the veterans are mid-to-high 60's.
2/2/14
Harden: We are always confident of winning
Oklahoma City guard James Harden believes that his team will never shy away from a challenge, no matter how impossible it may seem.
They proved it again last night with a great comeback win in New York. The Knicks led by as many as 23 points, but the Thunder reeled them in.
It was superstar scorer Kevin Durant that sparked the turnaround. He piled on 37 points, whilst Harden himself finished the game with 31 points.
"We always have faith in our abilities," Harden said. "I guess winning four straight championships gives you the confidence that you can do anything."
The 'bearded assassin', as some have dubbed him, is in pretty good form lately. He is averaging an impressive 25 points a game in the last fortnight.
Harden and co. travel to Minnesota tomorrow to take on the Timberwolves. They'll be looking to continue their form heading into the all-star break.
2/2/14
Teams take advantage of amnesty clause as deadline passes
NBA Commissioner David Stern today announced that 17 of the league's 30 teams have decided to use an amnesty clause to waive players.
A total of 29 players were submitted to be amnestied. Now the waived players' salaries won't count against their former teams' wage cap anymore.
Some teams only amnestied one player, but others were more ruthless. The Lakers dumped four, whilst the Knicks and Blazers waived three each.
The teams from the eastern conference were Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Orlando and Philadelphia.
Whilst the teams from the western conference were Denver, Houston, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Minnesota, New Orleans, Portland and Utah.
The upcoming free agent pool will potentially be the best in history. Most teams in the league are making moves to keep their options open.
Some teams are making room to sign multiple free agents, whilst other teams are simply clearing room to be able to re-sign their star players.
The biggest names include Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Adlridge, Brandon Roy, Andrew Bynum, Amare Stoudemire and Rajon Rondo.
Lots of teams are planning on copying the Miami model by teaming several superstar players together. It seems to be the best way to win.
The Heat have reached the NBA Finals in each of the four seasons since they signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade.* Wages are per season, not total over length of contract Boston
Jason Maxiell $9.2m/3yr
Othello Hunter $5.1m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $20.5mCharlotte
Shaun Livingston $12m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $69.5mCleveland
Hakim Warrick $9.9m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $44.9mDenver
Julian Wright $8.7m/3yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $34mDetroit
Louis Amundson $4.3m/4yr
Linas Kleiza $11.2m/3yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $40.3mHouston
Roko Ukic $5.1m/2yr
Mike Harris $4.7m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $14.4mIndiana
Dahntay Jones $11.9m/3yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $27.6mLA Clippers
Marcus Williams $8.1m/3yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $41.6mLA Lakers
Nate Robinson $11.5m/2yr
Kyle Weaver $4.9m/2yr
Mardy Collins $4.9/2yr
Derrick Brown $4.3m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $15.2mMinnesota
Luke Ridnour $9m/3yr
Nenad Krstic $4.6m/4yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $60.9mNew Jersey
Chris Quinn $4.7m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $56mNew Orleans
Rashad McCants $5.1m/4yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $43mNew York
Curtis Jerrells $8.4m/3yr
Bill Walker $8.6m/3yr
Renaldo Balkman $4.1m/4yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $63.7mOrlando
Brendan Haywood $9.8m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $53.2mPhiladelphia
Kelenna Azubuike $12.1m/3yr
Sergio Rodriguez $9.6m/3yr
Darko Milicic $10.3m/4yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $59.1mPortland
Will Bynum $10.6m/3yr
Roger Mason $4.5m/2yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $32.4mUtah
Sebastian Telfair $14.4m/3yr
Guaranteed contracts next season: $23.1m
2/2/14
2014 Free agency preview
With potentially one of the best ever free agent classes next season, teams are gearing up to make franchise-changing moves.
The salary cap next season will be around $62m. Only six teams will be over this figure next season as things currently stand.
Teams with $30m in cap space include the Celtics, Mavs, Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, Jazz, Raptors and Wizards.
Toronto, Utah and Washington all seem to be set for complete rebuilds, having already traded for expiring contracts this season.
Others actually have their star players expiring, like Andrew Bynum and Rajon Rondo for the Lakers and Celtics respectively.
Another interesting note is that Oklahoma City have two of their 'big three' expiring, superstars Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose.
It will be interesting to see if the small market team can afford to keep them. It's not impossible that they could lose them both.
Promising forward Rolf Young is also coming out of contract. He has been impressive off the bench along with Michael Beasley.Potential 2014 Cap RoomTeam Contracts
Eastern Conference
Western ConferenceNotable Free Agents
Centers
Al Jefferson, Andrew Bynum, Marc Gasol, Howie Murphy, Yao Ming, Tyson Chandler
DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik, Greg Oden, Robin Lopez, Marcin Gortat.
Power Forwards
LaMarcus Aldridge, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, Marreese Speights, Ryan Anderson,
Serge Ibaka, Chuck Hayes, Tyrus Thomas, Charlie Villanueva, Ed Davis, Channing Frye, Taj Gibson, Derrick Favors, JJ Hickson.
Small Forwards
Kevin Durant, Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger, Declan Giles, Paul George
Danilo Gallinari, Marvin Williams, Gordon Hayward, Wilson Chandler, Chase Budinger.
Shooting Guards
Brandon Roy, JR Smith, Marcus Thornton, Arron Afflalo, Evan Turner, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Courtney Lee.
Point Guards
Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Aaron Brooks, John Wall, Tony Parker, Rodney Stuckey, Mario Chalmers, Ramon Sessions
Gilbert Arenas, Goran Dragic, Jrue Holiday, Jose Barea, Jeremy Lin, Jerryd Bayless, Kyle Lowry.
3/2/14
Oklahoma City Thunder [33-12] vs Minnesota Timberwolves [19-26]
Thunder's stars combine for 81 against Wolves
OKC - 29 27 30 34 120
MIN - 22 22 29 24 97
Player of the Game: Kevin Durant
(41pts, 3reb, 4ast, 1blk)
OKC _______ MIN
50-86 - FGM/A - 41-87
4-9 - 3PTM/A - 6-14
16-19 - FTM/A - 9-12
30 - Rebounds - 27
29 - Assists - 19
14 - Blocks - 10
12 - Steals - 10
20 - Turnovers - 30
12 - Fouls - 11
Top Scorers
Kevin Durant - 41
Andre Iguodala - 35
DJ Augustin - 25
Blake Griffin - 21
Derrick Rose - 19
Bert Baker - 11
Ronny Turiaf - 10
James Harden - 10
Assists
Derrick Rose - 10
DJ Augustin - 8
Rebounds
Blake Griffin - 10
Bert Baker - 10
Ronny Turiaf - 9
Roy Hibbert - 8
Video Highlights
Young beats the half-time buzzer with a three.
Phil89 wrote:Hopefully
It's funny that it may not even happen though, depending on whether I finish this season before Live 13 comes out.
4/2/14
Clippers complete deal for Horford
The Los Angeles Clippers today took a big step towards being a contender by completing a deal with the Spurs for center Al Horford.
San Antonio received Serge Ibaka, Patrick Patterson, Shelden Williams and the Clippers' 2014 first round draft pick in exchange.
The Clippers also get young guard James Anderson in the deal. He will help balance out their bench and give them solid minutes.
Horford is in all-star form this season averaging and impressive 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks per game playing PF for the Spurs.
The Clippers obviously felt that Horford will add more scoring for them than Ibaka did. They are currently 9th in the league for points scored.
Pairing him with rebound machine Kevin Love could be a master-stroke. Love is second only to Dwight Howard in rebounding this year.
Statistically, Love and Horford are now the top rebounding duo in the league, combining for an impressive 26 rebounds per game.
San Antonio are seemingly throwing all their eggs into the Benjamin Morgan basket. They see him as the future star of their franchise.
The 22 year old center is in his fourth year in the league. His 7 ft 3 frame makes him an excellent defensive anchor for his team.
He was taken with pick 19 in 2010 and naturally has taken longer to develop as most big men do, but he's looking like a solid player.
Most commentators agree that he is definitely showing signs of having more of a Mark Eaton career, than a Hasheem Thabeet career.
Ibaka will make the Spurs a scarily-good defensive team. Their frontcourt now contains 3 of the top 15 shot-blockers in the league.
The trio of Ibaka, Morgan and Josh Smith are all averaging 2.5 blocks per game. They may have to work on the offense though.
Whilst Horford was scoring over 24 per game, Ibaka is averaging less than half of that this season. He will have to improve that.
Interestingly this deal gives the Spurs even more potential cap room for next season. Around about $40m to spend on free agents.
Of course the flip-side to that is that they do have Josh Smith, Kyle Lowry, Benjamin Morgan, JJ Hickson and now Ibaka expiring.
Emerging superstar Cameron Hunter and guard George Hill are the only major long-term contracts left on the Spurs' books now.
The Clippers are currently sitting in fifth with a 25-23 record, whilst the Spurs are only one spot behind in sixth with a 24-22 record.
LA Clippers receive
Al Horford - 27 - C - $23.71m - 2 years (88)
James Anderson - 24 - SG - $1.77m - 1 year (66)
Projected line-up:
Al Horford - Kevin Love - Declan Giles - Eric Gordon - Mo Williams
Bench options:
CJ Watson, Ernie Moller, Colton Sampson, Anthony Tolliver, James Anderson, Zaza Pachulia
San Antonio receive
Serge Ibaka - 24 - PF - $10.94m - 1 year (84)
Shelden Williams - 30 - C - $998k - 1 year (72)
Patrick Patterson - 24 - PF - $2.37m - 1 year (70)
Clippers' 2014 first round pick
Projected line-up:
Benjamin Morgan - Serge Ibaka - Josh Smith - Cameron Hunter - George Hill
Bench options:
Kyle Lowry, Shelden Williams, Delonte West, JJ Hickson, Patrick Patterson, Elliot Williams
Return to NBA Live Stories Hall of Fame
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests