Polishing up GOLD:Rebuilding the Warriors (2005)

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

damn, I knew I should've forked out the pocket change for NLSC Insider

There's a 15 day free trial period starting effective immediately. Sign up now...

[-BHZMAFIA-]

For a minute, I thought J-Rich was going to be out for awhile. You still managed to win the game though.

I like the idea with the NLSC insider. It makes it seem alot more like you reading an ESPN article

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

For a minute, I thought J-Rich was going to be out for awhile.

Yup, that's what I though at first,too. back injuries are not to be taken lightly. All well in th end, though, would have been a shame for J-Rich to be sidelined with BD having just arrived...

I like the idea with the NLSC insider. It makes it seem alot more like you reading an ESPN article

Don't worry, it's free for all...

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

JANUARY 4, 2005

The Boston Globe – Sport News Report:

It was announced today by the Boston Celtics that the team has acquired Antoine walker from the Atlanta Hawks via trade. The Hawks will receive Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and Gary Payton in exchange, although sources from the Hawks organization verify that Payton will immediately be waived. It is rather certain that the Glove will resign with the Celtics and will be available for this afternoon’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Celtics’ GM Danny Ainge said that this was a great acquisition for the franchise, especially considering how little they had to give in return for a player of his caliber. We could reach no one in the Hawks’ front office, but it is speculated that giving away walker for virtually nothing is a sign that the team is already considering rebuilding and is dedicated to it effective immediately.



THE GAME: BOSTON CELTICS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS



It was Antoine Walker’s debut for the Celtics this season, and although he was in Boston for only a few hours prior to the opening tip-off, he was their best player in the first quarter. Be that as it may, it was far from enough for the Celts to stop the surging Warriors who went into this same dedicated to demolishing their opponents. Jason Richardson and Baron Davis played together for practically the first time since Baron’s arrival in Oakland, and they showed signs of grandeur. BD was passing it and J-Rich was putting it to rest in the basket, simple as that. With the addition of Mike Dunleavy’s hot shooting, it was natural that the Warriors led in the first quarter, 17 – 30. The second period was no different, with Golden State never looking back and continuing to pound the Celtics on offense while containing them with pressure defense. Jason Richardson, benefiting from Davis’ passing, finished the half with 16 points on the scoreboard, while Boston’s best player at the half was Marcus Banks with only 6 points and 3 assists to show. The halftime score was an impressive 37-56 for the Warriors.


Davis, Richardson and Dunleavy monopolized the Celtics’ defensive attention, resulting in many GS players finding easy ways to the basket, lie Rodney White…


During the third quarter of the game, Boston rallied and attempted a comeback, and partially succeeded. Paul Pierce got his motor running after a pointless first half, Antoine Walker was scoring and rebounding, while Gary Payton was orchestrating the offense well, resulting in the score being 66-79 at the end of the 3rd. That was as far as the Celtics would near their opposition, though, as Golden State got serious again in the 4th period to solidify their grip on the game. Davis dominated Payton both on offense and defense, Richardson started scoring again, with Vlade Divac providing his team with the inside presence they missed during the previous quarter. The lead went up to 25 with a few minutes to go, so Golden State took out its 12th man squad out on the floor for the closing moments. The Warriors convincingly win this game 87 – 106, for their second win in a row after the Davis trade.


The Warriors ruined Antoine Walker's return to the Celtics, playing one of their best games of the season so far...



POG: BARON DAVIS 18 pts – 13 ast – 2stl



GS TOP PLAYERS:


JASON RICHARDSON 25 pts – 3ast – 2stl – 10/15 FGs

MIKE DUNLEAVY Jr. 18 pts – 4/6 3pt

VLADE DIVAC 8 pts – 13rebs – 3ast – 2blk





GAME OF THE DAY:

MIAMI – NEW YORK 117 – 84 (Shaquille O’Neal 38 pts – 10rebs – 5ast – 3stl – 4blk)

[The X]

ahh, I see you've brought in the real life trades....nice....it pains me to see Vinsanity in Toronto still and Walker in Atlanta but I can't move them now....

[John WB]

Nice win. Hope you put together a string of wins, so you can make the Playoffs.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

ahh, I see you've brought in the real life trades....nice....

At first I though about letting things be, but seeing all those deadline moves, I had to step in in favor of realism . maybe the real Warriors have saved this dynasty along with their real life franchise, acquiring BD.

Nice win. Hope you put together a string of wins, so you can make the Playoffs.

I hope to be above the .500 mark before the ASW if I am going to have a cahnce in the deep Western Conference...

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

NLSC Insider Report – Members Only

Oakland Raiders NFL season report as of January 2nd, 2005

The regular 16 game season of the NFL ended today. The Oakland Raiders, after a dismal performance last year coming from a Super bowl appearance in 2002, have fared extremely well and finished 04 with a record of 12-4-0, second in the AFC only behind the amazing 16-0-0 New England Patriots who are the consensus favorite to win it all for their second Lombardi Trophy in a row.



After a slow start to the season, losing two of their first team games against the Steelers and Buccaneers, Oakland went on a 5-0 run before losing to the Carolina Panthers on week 9.



Following that loss, there came another run, this time a 6-0, to guarantee the team’s playoff appearance and AFC West title. Despite losing today to the Jaguars in the Oakland Coliseum in a meaningless game, the Raiders sported an overall record of 12-4-0, including twice defeating their divisional rivals (Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers ).
They will get one week’s worth of rest and will face the winner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6-0) – Baltimore ravens (9-7-0) wild card game.






San Jose Sharks NHL season report as of December 2nd , 2005

The Sharks are coming from a 03/04 campaign that saw them reach the Western Conference Finals and barely missing out on a chance to go to the NHL Finals and challenge for Lord Stanley’s Cup. They started the 04/05 regular season slowly, with 4 losses in their first 5 games during October, but have not looked back since. They now have the best record in the West, 3rd best in the NHL, with 28 games played and 39 points accumulated so far, courtesy of a 18-7-2-1 record.

- -


There, I hope this was a pleasant diversion from the Warriors…


Back to NBA, coming up: The Warriors go to New Jersey in hope of winning their 3rd in a row after Baron davis joined the team. Stay tuned…

[-BHZMAFIA-]

OMG! You have brought a new era to dynasties. That's a great idea with the NFL and NHL stuff. All I can say is great job(Y)(Y)(Y)

[Its_asdf]

Nice little touch with the other sports, although I'm a pure 100% basketball fan.

"NLSC Insider"? I wouldn't be surprised if that thing went bankrupt in the next few days.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

That's a great idea with the NFL and NHL stuff. All I can say is great job(Y)

Nice little touch with the other sports

Glad you guys liked it... I haven't actually played any of the other two games in months, I just set up a dynasty and let the CPU play the matches. It provides a good diversion when I do my Abs routine at home each day...

"NLSC Insider"? I wouldn't be surprised if that thing went bankrupt in the next few days.

We have to make some moolah, don't we?

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

JANUARY 6, 2005


GAME OF THE DAY:


SAN ANTONIO 106 – INDIANA 110 (Jamal Tinsley 27pts – 11ast – 5rebs – 6/9 3pt)




JANUARY 7, 2005

THE GAME: NEW JERSEY NETS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS



It was a very close opening quarter in East Rutherford, with neither of the two teams being able to shake the other loose and gain a significant lead in the first twelve minutes of play. Troy Murphy was making New Jersey’s weak frontcourt look even weaker, Jason Richardson was benefiting from some excellent Baron Davis passes to put up points on the board, and Elden Campbell grabbed the defensive boards for Golden State. New Jersey, on the other hand, was led offensively by Richard Jefferson’s driving baskets and Jason Kidd’s running of the break. The quarter ended 23-24. In the second period one of the two teams did manage to break out, and it was Golden State. Murphy kept on scoring as long as BD was passing the ball with the precision of threading a needle, J-Rich put up some monster dunks to silence the crowd, and Davis himself was scoring with mid-range jumpers. But the difference maker was backup guard J.R. Bremer, who stepped on the court mid-quarter to give Baron a breather, and proceeded to score 3 consecutive 3 pointers to elevate the Warriors lead to double digits. Jefferson was still trying, but the visitors wound up leading 43 – 56 at halftime.


Baron Davis did a little bit of everything in the first half to help his team take a 13-point lead into the break…

During the 12 minute period that was the 3rd quarter, Golden State’s dominance at both ends of the court persisted, thus resulting in the lead constantly expanding in favor of the visitors. Davis was infallible leading the team from the point, Murphy was proving to everybody that he is indeed one of the best defensive rebounders in the league at the moment, and Jason Richardson kept on putting the ball in the basket much to the joy of Mike Montgomery. Jason Kidd and Vince Carter were trying to keep up with them and help Jefferson out, but to no avail as the Warriors’ perimeter defense worked wonders in containing them. The third quarter ended with Golden State ahead, 67-84. In the 4th and final period of this basketball game, there was no excitement or drama, as New Jersey never appeared to have the mettle and passion required to make a successful comeback and challenge for the victory. Quite the contrary, in fact, as the Warriors’ backups took the court and played with energy constantly increasing the lead. In the end, Golden State had no problem taking this game 93 – 118, blowing the Nets away in their own home and making it 3 wins in a row.


A good all-around effort from Troy Murphy in the second half, helped Golden State significantly in securing a safe lead and clinching the game early…



POG: BARON DAVIS 17pts – 12ast – 6stl – 3rebs – 7/9 FGs


GS TOP PLAYERS:

TROY MURPHY 21pts – 14rebs – 8/11 FGs

JASON RICHARDSON 21 pts

J.R. BREMER 13pts – 5/6 FGs – 3/3 3pt




GAME OF THE DAY:

LA LAKERS 104 - HOUSTON 103 (Tracy McGrady 31pts – 9rebs – 8ast)

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Coming Up: The Warriors take a trip to Canada to face the Toronto Raptors in hope of increasing their win streak to 4. Will Baron Davis continue to rack up double digits in assists? Will the Raptors give the warriors a hard time? Stay put and find out...

[The X]

Glad you guys liked it... I haven't actually played any of the other two games in months, I just set up a dynasty and let the CPU play the matches. It provides a good diversion when I do my Abs routine at home each day...

haha, work those abs....which reminds me, I gotta jump on the exercise bike....

nice coverage of NFL and to a lesser extent NHL (which obviously isn't in a lockout in your dynasty )....I wish Live had graphics like Madden....who knows, if I get cable tv for NBA later this year for next NBA season then I'll start watching NFL again (I use to watch my fav team Miami Dolphins with Karim Abdul-Jabbar at RB) and maybe I'll buy Madden for its dynasty mode....until then....keep it up

[The X]

indirectly affecting all of your trades to mold my ideal Warriors team

Which is???

while I don't mind spamming 3 dynasties around here (Sit's, yours and mine), I thought I'd bring this one back to it's rightful place

let's see....well aside from adding Pape as your token guy, I would move Pietrus into starting lineup and have Dunleavy as an effective 6th man off the bench, which should be his role in real life when you think about it....that provides a dilemma as there are already some big 3's on the bench like White and Walton....so you'd have to deal someone, possibly Dunleavy or Walton

I can't remember the rest of your lineup off the top of my head....Murphy, yes....B-Diddy and J-Rich yes....Dunleavy Jr either 6th man or trade....

damn, I always seem to forget that you traded Pietrus off the bat to get Walton....I wouldn't have done that, but then again, I like Pietrus....okay, so everything I said about Pietrus, just scrap it....still think Dunleavy is more of a 6th man but White or Walton aren't NBA-calibre starters at the 3....

please post roster and what you think are your team's problems and I'll get my team's consultant, Mr. X, onto the job

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Roster:

C Vlade Divac 59

PF Troy Murphy 71

SF Mike Dunleavy 68

SG Jason Richardson 80

PG Baron Davis 88

6- SF Luke Walton 64

7- C Elden Campbell 55

8- PG JR Bremer 57

9- SG Jason Kapono 58

10- PF/SF Rodney White 56

11- PF/C Anders Biedrins 50

12- PG Troy Bell 51


IR1 - PF/SF(/C?) Nikoloz Tskisv... errr.. Skiti... no.... Chita... grrr... you know, Tskita...

IR2 - IR3 too obscure to even mention...


What is your diagnosis at first glance, doc?

[The X]

hmm....that C combo of Divac/Campbell (old Laker duo) won't hold for long....I'm assuming you use Murphy a lot at C with the lineup you have....

I guess you can survive with Divac as a starter for this season, but after that you either have to add a big, powerful 4 and move Murphy to C....although I'd like to see Murphy stay at PF, we can't always have what we want....

so for this position, either:
(a). bring in a C (shame you got Magloire in your NY one as he would have been a pretty good fit); or
(b ). move Murph to C and bring in a power 4 (let's see, Elton Brand, Emeka Okafor, Kurt Thomas....just someone who can provide interior help at both ends of the court)....

secondly, it pains me to see Dunleavy starting, he's a 6th man in my eyes....either move him to the bench, or trade him away....shame Pietrus is gone, he could have made a good 5th option as a starter where he would have been a defensive stopper who can also hit the open shot at the other end....

backcourt duo (J-Rich & B-Diddy) is great, don't mess with it at all....

there's nothing wrong with your backups at SF & PF....Walton and White are fine....although I'd like to see a Udonis Haslem-type player on that bench to provide toughness....

play Biedrins more he might be able to bring something to the table....same with Skita....although maybe not....

I don't like Bremer and Bell as backup PG's....Bell is a nice 3rd string PG, but I don't like Bremer as a backup....just my opinion though....I'm guessing you've got him as a shooter and he probably doesn't play much....but I'd like to see some insurance at the PG spot, so if B-Diddy goes down, which is always a good possibility, that you have someone that you can live with to run your team....

Kapono's solid as a SG/SF and a nice situation-type player....maybe someone like Marko Jaric (a PG/SG) off the bench would be nice....doesn't have to be him but someone who can play both the PG and SG spots off the bench as I prefer my SG's to have some ballhandling ability which Kapono clearly doesn't....

in summary, at 1st glance, your main needs are some interior defense and rebounding....you could really use a shotblocker....even if it were a Dalembert-type player....this player could be a starting C or PF depending on where you want to play Murphy....

secondly, decide what you want to do with Dunleavy....

thirdly, bring in a combo guard to strengthen the bench and perhaps another PF/C, depending on what you do with my 1st point....

oh yeah, almost forgot about Pape Sow

feel free to head off to my dynasty and post your comments on my roster....as always, just my opinion and what works for my playing style doesn't necessarily work for you....hope my thoughts helped though


X

[JakeTheBlazer]

i agree with The X, you have to figure out what to do with dunleavy...i think i would probably start luke walton ahead of him for awhile since you already have Jrich and Bdiddy starting, they provide enough fire power for your first unit, and i'd bring dunleavy off the bench when you sit one of them, so that way your scoring doesn't drop off too much....I think walton is a nice complimentary player for your starters, and he could hit a few open jump shots for you.

[Fresh8]

Go and trade Dunleavy for a young big man... not sure bout whos o nthe market though... Walton would be abetter fit as I see him as more of a team player!

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

I wish Live had graphics like Madden....

I wish EA's Madden team takes the next NBA Live project... Madden 05 is th ebest Sports game out there right now, if NBA 2k5 was of this quality, i'd probably quit my job to keep playing

hmm....that C combo of Divac/Campbell (old Laker duo) won't hold for long....I'm assuming you use Murphy a lot at C with the lineup you have....

Murphy can play C due to his 6'11", plus he's agile anough to make heavier guys have trouble following him outside... although in real life he can't score jack from th epaint unless he's unguarded so i won't make him the starting C as that would be very unrealistic. I'll keep mim as a tall PF who can shoot the jumper and grab most every defensive board... He's averaging 15.5 ppg - 10.1 rpg right about now... much like his actual stats,BTW...

secondly, it pains me to see Dunleavy starting, he's a 6th man in my eyes....either move him to the bench, or trade him away....

I am considering trading him away.... but so far he has been having some reveration-type games where he just makes everything from afar and winds up scoring 20 points or more. Streak shooter and slow off the dribble, too weak to play PF, but he would be a good leader for my 2nd unit, true. I just don't think Luke walton is ready for starter duties yet. If Mike gets shipped off somewhere near the deadline, then Luke wil step up, for sure...

shame Pietrus is gone, he could have made a good 5th option as a starter where he would have been a defensive stopper who can also hit the open shot at the other end....

Nah, I never could use Pietrus effectively in LIve, does not fit my playing style. I prefer guys who can dribble the ball, have a quick first step and can shoot the mid/long range with consistency... Mickael can't dribble if his life depended on it...

backcourt duo (J-Rich & B-Diddy) is great, don't mess with it at all....

You just caught me in the middle of shipping them off to Toronto for Pape... Guess I'll have to reconsider now...

I'd like to see a Udonis Haslem-type player on that bench to provide toughness....

Elden Campbell is one tough guy with his 280 lbs... although he's too slow to play the 4 spot...

play Biedrins more

He's a good backup, just does not have a shooting touch to play PF... too weak for a C... will probably evolve in th efuture, though...

I don't like Bremer and Bell as backup PG's....Bell is a nice 3rd string PG, but I don't like Bremer as a backup....just my opinion though

I agree with you there. Bell is better in PG than you think though... he was the 16th overall pick in '03, you know... Let's hope BD's knee holds up

you could really use a shotblocker....

I agree with you on this one... Could be what I'll be looking for for when and if I decide to shop Dunleavy Jr...

feel free to head off to my dynasty and post your comments on my roster

Hmmm, I might just do that... thanks for your input in this one, bud

i think i would probably start luke walton ahead of him for awhile since you already have Jrich and Bdiddy starting, they provide enough fire power for your first unit, and i'd bring dunleavy off the bench when you sit one of them, so that way your scoring doesn't drop off too much....

Hmmm, that seems to be the consensus in here... but I still don't think Luke Walton can carry the load of a starter...yet, so Mike stays put at the 3 for now...

Go and trade Dunleavy for a young big man...

Another connsensus opinion. I might just do that, just a bit later to see how things go...



Thanks for the feedback guys, appreciate it. I agree with most of the things said, I just will refrain from moving anybody in the middle of a winning streak, maybe near the deadline there will be some activity...

[The X]

good to see you've taken some of the pointers on board, but yep, don't trade anyone when you're on a winning streak....wait until the team & the involved players struggle

yeah, I like Troy Bell as well, but you must remember he was a HUGE stretch at 16 back in '03....he was a bubble 1st Round pick after good pre-draft workouts/camps and for some reason, Jerry West took a punt on him and Dahntay Jones, who both could have been picked up with late 1st or early 2nd Round picks....

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

wait until the team & the involved players struggle

Knock on wood....

I like Troy Bell as well, but you must remember he was a HUGE stretch at 16 back in '03

I do not even remember him in '03.... or much of that class other than the first 8 picks... Summer of '03 I was busy with exam finals...

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

JANUARY 8, 2005


GAME OF THE DAY:


CLEVELAND 120 – NEW YORK 102 ( LeBron James 34pts – 9ast – 5rebs)





NLSCInsider Report – Oakland Raiders:

In a defensive struggle at Heinz field, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 12 - 7 at Heinz field and will face the Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum on January 16th in the AFC divisional game.



JANUARY 9, 2005

THE GAME: TORONTO RAPTORS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS



The Warriors started this game playing very good defense, and locking their opposition to just 4 points scored after the first 6 minutes of play, with the score being an impressive 4 – 15 with 5:58 to go. Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson were scoring at will, with Baron Davis feeding them easy baskets at every opportunity. Toronto picked its game up a bit, enough to score 11 more points to close the quarter trailing 15 – 26. In the second period, not much changed in the Raptors’ favor, despite Alonzo Mourning and Rafer Alston’s attempts at reducing the deficit. Baron Davis was piling up in the assists department, finishing the half with 8, and leading his team admirably from the point. In addition, Murphy’s rebounds were keeping Toronto from attempting fast breaks, helping the Warriors close the half ahead 33 – 47.


J-Rich and Troy Murphy were the beneficiaries of some excellent BD passing in the first half, resulting in a breakout performance for their team…

The second half got off to another good start for the visiting team, with the home Raptors being unable to mount any sort of comeback, lacking considerably in the offensive department. Even in the rare occasion when Golden State’s defense faltered , their shots weren’t falling or they were committing stupid, unforced turnovers. As a result, the visitors not only maintained their lead but even managed to increase it slightly, finishing the quarter 49 – 67, with Golden State’s offensive production in the final minutes being the sole courtesy of Mike Dunleavy’s 4 back-to-back three pointers. That was enough to further demoralize Toronto, who was unable to rectify things , all the way up to the end. With some good defense in the final period, letting in points only in the final 5 minutes when their defensive interest waned,the Warriors defeated the Raptors easily 69 – 89.


Richardson scored only 2 points in the second half, but played excellent defense keeping Mo Peterson scoreless for the duration…




POG: MIKE DUNLEAVY Jr. 18pts – 4/5 3pt



GS TOP PLAYERS:

BARON DAVIS 11pts – 13ast

JASON RICHARDSON 17pts – 8rebs

TROY MURPHY 15pts – 11rebs






GAME OF THE DAY:

SEATTLE 93 – MIAMI 103 (Shaquille O’Neal 25pts – 8rebs)

[The X]

uggh....what an ugly game....89-69....16-18, wow it's looking good for Warriors since getting B-Diddy....I see why you don't want to mess with the team's rhythm as they seem to be going alright....Dunleavy must have heard all the "experts" saying he should be traded and he's come out and stepped up....

[John WB]

Nice win, even though it was only against the Raptors.