November Player of the Month:
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 27.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Sapir Ruffin, Honolulu Sharks – 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Ruffin is a fantastic scorer but his defense in atrocious and he could be one of the worst defenders in the whole league.
There were three other trades apart from ours with Cleveland, and one of them is pretty big.
Honolulu trades:
PG Carlton Abrams
Phoenix trades:
C Jarvis Collier
Why for Honolulu:
They believe that Al Jefferson is more of a PF so they decided to go out and get a true C. Too bad Collier has THE worst attitude in the whole league and is already starting to turn on his teammates.
Why for Phoenix:
With both Sam Dye and Marlon Zinn jumping ship they were left without a PG. They also didn’t like Collier so in the process they killed two birds with one stone.
Winner – Phoenix
Collier will go through many, many different teams before his career is over.
New Jersey trades:
SG Kevin Martin
2018 1st round pick
New Orleans trades:
PF Tengiz Davidov
Why for New Jersey:
They want to see if they can be the team to tame the crazy Estonian, as New Jersey will be his sixth team in four years. He has talent; no one is denying that, but team tire of his attitude and downright mental behaviour.
Why for New Orleans:
The Hornets made this trade to get rid of Davidov straight up. They didn’t think that they would get a decent 6th man in Martin and a mid to low first out of him.
Winner – New Orleans
Read the previous trade’s winners notes and insert Davidov’s name instead of Collier’s.
Utah trades:
2018 1st round pick
Toronto trades:
PF Roy Michaels
Why for Utah:
Even though they are sitting at 3-13 and were primed for the shot at next draft’s #1 pick, they decided to hedge their bets and take last draft’s #1 pick. After averaging only 8.8 minutes a game with the Raptors last year Michaels is now starting and will hopefully grow into his enormous potential.
Why for Toronto:
Their front court is out of this world and young enough to stunt Michaels’ growth for years to come. So they hedged their bets as well and picked up a sure first top 3 draft pick for someone who is super talented, but was not getting enough playing time to grow.
Winner – Utah (for now)
Not much is known about next season’s draft so Michaels now is better than an unknown down the track.
Our first game for December is a 109-95 outclassing of Washington as Evan Turner again led the way with 34 points, while Orko had an outstanding all-around game with 20 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds but did hurt his back on a strong drive and will be less than 100% for a week or so. Josh Smith shot 1/10 for 2 points but made up for it with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Dontonio Seymour top scored for the Wizards with 20 points but John Wall is also having back problems and did not suit up.
Detroit Pistons 10-5
The next game was the next night and we were tired, so the 76ers took full advantage in pummelling us into the ground with a 117-88 licking. Chris Paul mauled Jeff Brown with 28 points and 10 assists while Luol Deng has found his way as a C with 15 rebounds. Jeff Brown was the best for us with 19 points and 6 assists but couldn’t stay in front of Paul.
Detroit Pistons 10-6
I was looking to see if anyone was willing to strike a deal, not really looking for anything but I did find a surprising partner.
Detroit trades:
SG Jeff Brown
SF Cedric Fields
Nevada trades:
2018 1st round pick
PG Carlos Lang
Why for Detroit:
The front office were getting sick of Brown’s inconsistency and poor attitude and were done waiting for him to blossom so they got the 3-13 Neon’s pick in this draft as well as a above average PG in Lang, who is now starting until Derrick Rose comes back from injury.
Why for Nevada:
They thought that Detroit weren’t using Brown right and want to see if they can unlock his full potential. It’s a dangerous ploy because the way they are travelling then the pick will be very high.
Winner – Detroit
The pick should be able to get someone better than Brown in this year’s draft, but if Brown pulls his finger out then the needle could sway the other way.
I recall Colin Horvath from the D-League and sign ex-Raptor Matt Simpson as back up because I had a niggling feeling that we were too weak at the five position.
Carlos Lang couldn’t have had an easier first game as we embarrass the Pacers 99-62 as they shoot 25% from the field. Tiago Splitter had 12 points and 15 rebounds while Josh Smith put up 15 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks. Ekpe Udoh joined in the block party with 8 points, 11 rebounds and 8 blocks. Indiana had two players in double figures with the high man being Hasheem Walker with 12 points on 20 shots. Ouch.
Jeff Brown’s first game was one to forget as he played 21 minutes and shot 1/7 for 4 points and 4 assists. He is Nevada’s 6th man.
Detroit Pistons 11-6
We go into Houston and come out with a 111-100 win with Evan Turner having 34 points but it was Josh Smith who led us with a 19 point, 9 rebound, 8 assist, 5 block and 3 steal performance. The Rockets had six players in double figures with three of them top scoring with 14 points apiece.
Detroit Pistons 12-6
San Antonio has been terrible and we heap on some more misery with a 129-93 burning. I’m turning into a broken record by saying Evan Turner top scored again, this time with 36 points while five other Pistons were in double figures. DeJuan Blair was probably their best with 11 points and 11 rebounds but they are right in the middle of a rebuild.
Detroit Pistons 13-6
Derrick Rose is still hampered by his injury but wants to play, so we demolish the Rockets 110-77 for him. Our captain had 15 points and 6 assists in 22 minutes with Tiago Splitter winning the player of the game award with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Rockets shot 35% with Boleslav Silajdic top scoring with 16 points on 19 shots.
Detroit Pistons 14-6
Sacramento has been good this year with the acquisition of Kenny Costa but it wasn’t enough for them to top us as we sneak out a 108-101 dethroning. Orko is fully fit and scored 25 points to make up for Evan Turner’s first real poor performance of 14 points. Ty Lawson helped from the bench with 11 points and 8 assists. Tyreke Evans did the damage witih 27 points while Kenny Costa had 25 points on 13 shots but did turn the ball over 8 times.
Detroit Pistons 15-6
I love playing Honolulu. It’s like a mini-holiday that work pays for. It’s even better when we win 116-106 on the back of Tiago Splitter’s 21 points and 13 rebounds with Orko having 25 points of his own. Sapir Ruffin showed his skills on his way to 33 points but the rest of the team was lacking.
Detroit Pistons 16-6
I cannot believe that Memphis is 18-4 on the season, but that didn’t mean anything when we beat them 98-88 as Derrick Rose picks up his first Player of the Game award since returning from injury. Rose had 21 points while Josh Smith picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds. The best for the Grizzlies was Darrell Holtz with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks but Ed Davis was chained to the bench with a DNP.
Detroit Pistons 17-6
That’s eight wins in a row with a 117-80 clipping of New Orleans. Orko had a great game with 19 points and 8 rebounds while both Josh Smith and Ekpe Udoh had 6 blocks. Andrew Reed is living up to his giant contract with 26 points and 15 rebounds but the team shot 33% from the field.
Detroit Pistons 18-6
We go into Memphis with the Grizzlies looking for revenge, and they get it with a 112-89 win that breaks our streak. Rudy Gay had 28 points while Darrell Holtz has quietly become an elite PF with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks as all five of their starters scored more than 13 points. We shot 39% and I don’t want to write up our best because frankly we didn’t have any.
Detroit Pistons 18-7
Toronto has lost one game all season (22-1), and that was to us so we want to make it double. And we do with a shocking 91-75 pummelling with Yao Ming getting the start and put up 16 points and 15 rebounds to show Dwight Howard he still has game. Orko had 10 points in 14 minutes while Kevin King was held to 3/12 shooting for 13 points. In fact, the whole Raptor team was held to 28% from the field and an unheard of 2/22 from three point land. It was amazing and put the rest of the league on notice of how good we are.
Detroit Pistons 19-7
Toronto comes around to our place again and this time it’s closer as the Raptors win 126-118 in overtime with Kevin King stepping up with 35 points while D&M combined for 22 points, 24 rebounds and 7 blocks. Yao Ming was again the star with 23 points and 8 rebounds while Derrick Rose inches closer to full health with 18 points and 10 assists before fouling out.
Detroit Pistons 19-8
I hate losing to the Celtics. Especially at home. And even more when they outscore us 37-24 in the fourth quarter to steal a 103-100 win. Jules Riley is coming off the bench and had 21 points while Chris Bosh had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Derrick Rose had 14 points with 10 turnovers and Evan Turner shot poorly for 20 points. All in all, it was a terrible game to watch on our end.
Detroit Pistons 19-9
It’s a Christmas Day miracle as we slow down the league leading New York Knicks by beating them in New York 104-93 in our own fourth quarter comeback where we outscored them 34-18. Evan Turner played Santa with 22 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds while Tiago Splitter and Orko were glad to be his elves with 19 points and 12 rebounds and 11 points and 10 rebounds respectively. Danilo Gallinari played the Grinch with 21 points on 23 shots.
Detroit Pistons 20-9
Ah revenge so sweet. We get back at the Celtics with the score being 110-108 with Evan Turner and Derrick Rose finally in tune with Turner having 34 points and Rose with 24 points and 8 assists. Andrea Bargnani was Boston’s best with 24 points and 13 rebounds but the strangest thing was that we didn’t attempt a three point shot.
Detroit Pistons 21-9
At the end of 2017 we are sitting in third place, seven games behind the East leader in Toronto who are 29-3. New York are close behind them with a 24-4 record and I’m happy to report that Nevada are 7-23 and dead last in the conference.
In the West, Dallas has taken the lead with a 23-10 record while Oklahoma City and Portland are in arms reach from them. The Lakers are still a disappointment at 19-12 while Utah is last at 5-22.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (20.5), Derrick Rose (13.8), Tiago Splitter (13.6), Osmo Koslewski (13.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Tiago Splitter (9.4), Josh Smith (7.0), Ekpe Udoh (4.5), Yao Ming (4.5)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (5.3), Ty Lawson (4.4), Evan Turner (4.4), Josh Smith (3.8)
League Top Points – Sam Dye MIA (23.9), Kevin Durant OKC (23.2), Marlon Zinn ORL (23.1), Raymond Felton NYK (22.7)
League Top Rebounds – Andrew Bogut LAC (12.8), Al Jefferson HON (11.5), Matt Bailey LAL (11.2), Marc Gasol MEM (11.0)
League Top Assists – Chris Paul PHI (11.9), Rajon Rondo TOR (11.1), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.4), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (9.3)
League Top Blocks – Justin Cabrera CHI (4.7), Darrell Holtz MEM (3.9), Mike Ohnstad LAC (3.9), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.9)
League Top Steals – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (2.3), Chris Paul PHI (2.0), Sam Dye MIA (1.9), Gerald Wallace CHA (1.9)
League Top Turnovers – Russell Westbrook OKC (4.3), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.2), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.1), OJ Mayo MEM (4.0)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (18.9), Sam Baron CLE (14.2), Luther Marquis MIL (14.1), Damon Alexander DEN (11.9)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.3), Damon Alexander SEA (5.6), Darrell Hoiberg HOU (4.5), Luther Marquis MIL (3.7)
Rookie Top Assists – Danny Gilmore IND (5.4), Sam Baron CLE (4.3), Al Jackson DAL (4.2), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.9)
First of draft prospects –
1 – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Reese would have been in the running for the top pick last season as a freshman if he decided to declare. But now in his second year he is a mile in front of anyone else in this class.
2 – PF Sarath Cardinal (Saint John’s) Freshman
He is probably the highest I have seen for a player of Indian decent, but he has a long way to go as he is very, very raw.
3 – PG Rickie Seegars (Mississippi State) Freshman
Is only 5’11 but he quickness and court savvy make him the best point guard in the class so far, as there is two other PGs who are very close on his heels.
4 – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
This draft class shows how much more equal the state of college basketball is these days. There wouldn’t be many drafts were a player from St. Johns, Mississippi State and Pepperdine would all be in the top five.
5 – PF Iaroslav Kupetski (Russia) 20 years old
Compared to other Russian PFs that have come through the draft he is a human Adonis, standing 6’10 and weighing 254lbs. Luckily for him he has some skills that are more back to the basket than face up and drive of the other Russians.
You're Moving Us To Toronto?!!
by zike_42 » Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:58 am
December Awards
Player of the Month:
Matt Bailey, Los Angeles Lakers – 21.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Sapir Ruffin, Honolulu Sharks – 20.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
December Trades
Los Angeles Lakers trades:
SF Quinn Trent
San Antonio trades:
PG Quincy Stidham
Why for the Lakers:
The Lakers have been struggling this season and some of that blame has to do with their PG depth. Rodney Stuckey is out with a broken wrist and the only other player who can play that position is SG Lloyd Grundman. Stidham is a decent playmaker who will not give you a lot but when the Lakers’ starting PG is Deron Williams they don’t need a lot, just a little from their bench.
Why for San Antonio:
Sitting at 6-26 the Spurs have well and truly given up on the season so getting a more talented player in Trent is good for a rebuilding team to stock up on good players.
Winner – Los Angeles Lakers
They filled a need while the Spurs got the better player he won’t help as much as Stidham will help Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Clippers trade:
2018 1st round pick
Minnesota trade:
PG Kyle Wallace
Why for the Clippers:
Second year Wallace is still raw but with time and experience could become a good starting PG. Too bad that Vlasi Kazapov is only 23 years old and will most likely hold down the Clippers’ starting position for 10 years or more. The pick should be in the twenties.
Why for Minnesota:
The Timberwolves now have two players who can play the point – starter Ricky Rubio and twelfth man Neil Dollar. That doesn’t give me much optimism for Minnesota going forward. The pick will be lower than where Wallace was picked so this trade doesn’t make any sense for the Timberwolves.
Winner – Los Angeles Clippers
Why did the Timberwolves make this trade again?
Portland trade:
SG Willie Warren
New Jersey trade:
SF Jonas Jerebko
Why for Portland:
For some reason Jerebko has that fine mix of being just good enough that other teams want him and being on a contract that is tradable. Why else would it be that he has been on five teams in the last seven years. He brings to the Blazers some toughness that the other SFs on the team don’t have.
Why for New Jersey:
Warren has one more year on his contract than Jerebko as well as being slotted as the Nets’ ninth man. They have 6’10, 224lb PF Tengiz Davidov starting at SG for some reason until Mo Williams comes back from injury. This Nets team is in disarray and needs a completely new start.
Winner – Portland
Blow the Nets up they are rotting from the inside. The Trailblazers get someone that will add to the team and will move them forward.
Denver trade:
2018 1st round pick
Charlotte trade:
PG Lawrence McSwain
Why for Denver:
They wanted the smallest backcourt line-up of all time and with this trade might have done it as they have 6’0, 177lb rookie Jeremy Dixon starting at PG with 6’3, 157lb second year man Lawrence McSwain at the two. Sure McSwain has loads of potential he might not get there being put in a position that will stunt his growth. Only time will tell though.
Why for Charlotte:
The Bobcats tried the ‘McSwain at SG’ ploy and it didn’t work so they ship him out for a potential lottery pick.
Winner – Denver
If having McSwain at SG works for them, which has all the signs that it will, then the pick will be lower.
We open up the New Year with a hangover as we lose to Portland by the score of 101-90. Brandon Roy is coming off the bench these days but it didn’t slow down his scoring as he had 23 points to lead all scorers. We shoot 40% from the field as Derrick Rose has one of his worst games with 7 turnovers and fouling out in only 31 minutes.
Detroit Pistons 21-10
To make matters worse Kobe Bryant said some, ahem, choice words to Evan Turner about how he is still better than Turner and should be given the chance to show the league again. I tell him to shut it or be ready for a new location.
A 118-99 win over Boston lifts my spirits with Derrick Rose bouncing back from his terrible performance with 32 points and 5 assists while Evan Turner took over point guard duties with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. For the losers, Chris Bosh had 25 points and 6 rebounds while Jules Riley pitched in with 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
Detroit Pistons 22-10
That’s three games in three days and we come out of the last game with a 104-84 reaming of New Jersey. Evan Turner went back to being a scoring machine with 30 pints while Derrick Rose offset his 5/19 shooting with 15 assists. Josh Smith had 14 points and 7 blocks in only 19 minutes off the bench. Brook Lopez had 19 points and 13 rebounds but having Tengiz Davidov at SG is just madness.
Detroit Pistons 23-10
Wow, four games in four days and we make it three wins with a come from behind to sneak past the Clippers 100-90. Tiago Splitter was our best with 22 points and 7 rebounds while Ty Lawson did his best from the bench with 10 points in 12 minutes. Andrew Bogut confirms that he plays his best against me with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks and was helped out by Vlasi Kazapov with 13 points and 12 assists.
Detroit Pistons 24-10
Now that is just stupid. We play another game the next night and we power through it with a 108-88 win over Charlotte. Evan Turner had 20 points and Derrick Rose doubles up as we hold the Bobcats to 38% shooting. I’m loving that this team’s defensive play as we can hold most of the teams in the league under 100 points on any given night.
Detroit Pistons 25-10
Our next game is not the next night, but we lose anyway with a 96-88 burning from Phoenix. Mario Hayes had 16 points and 10 rebounds on 23 shots but it was our turn to shoot sub .400 which was only a matter of time before we had an off game.
Detroit Pistons 25-11
Derrick Rose had 22 points and 8 assists but sprained his wrist in our 99-87 win over Milwaukee. All five of our starters scored in double figures while we held Milwaukee to 40% with Brandon Jennings was the worst culprit going 5/13 from the field. Rookie Luther Marquis had 22 points and has been a great surprise for the Bucks, averaging 14 points a game on the season.
Detroit Pistons 26-11
Ty Lawson gets the start for the injured Rose as we clip the Hornets 100-85 as Tiago Splitter showed his class with 25 points and 12 rebounds as we outrebounded New Orleans 58-36. Justin Cabrera has been traded again and this time he had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocks.
Detroit Pistons 27-11
Here is Cabrera’s file –
2013 – Drafted by the Clippers with the #2 pick
Nov 2014 – Clippers trade Cabrera to Houston for their 1st round pick
Oct 2015 – Houston trade Cabrera to Indiana for PF Greg Monroe
Feb 2016 – Indiana trade Cabrera to Philadelphia for C Chris Walker
Dec 2016 – Philadelphia trade Cabrera to Chicago for their 1st round pick
Jan 2018 – Chicago trade Cabrera to New Orleans for SG Marlon Kolder and C Reginald Barber.
And the worst part is he is only 25 years old, so I’m actually very interested in how many teams he will go through in his career. He might go through all 32 teams at this rate.
Our pick from Cleveland got better odds as we crush them 111-95 as Orko found his range with 25 points while Kobe Bryant puts his skills where his mouth iswith 19 points off the bench. Ex-Piston Dexter Floyd was nullified by Yao Ming with 8 points and 8 rebounds on 4/11 shooting. The Cavs shot a paltry 36% from the field which makes me feel all gooey inside.
Detroit Pistons 28-11
Shades of my Toronto team rear its head with a massive 120-78 clobbering of Chicago as we ream them 52-24 in the second half. Orko continues his great play with 23 points and 9 rebounds while Evan Turner had 23 points and Kobe Bryant caught fire with 10 points in 12 minutes. When Joakim Noah top scores with 18 points for the Bulls you know they are in trouble.
Detroit Pistons 29-11
Seattle has been better this year, winning eight games already but that doesn’t stop us from humbling them 115-83. Tiago Splitter is the man of the moment with 29 points but he was helped out by Evan Turner and Orko scoring 20 points apiece. I was surprised when Denver let go of Andre McQuay and it showed tonight as he scored 17 points for the Sonics.
Detroit Pistons 30-11
I was offered the Sonics job when they first joined the league and I had just left Toronto but I thought that I would give them a chance to grow on their own without all the pressure it would get from having me on the front office.
A half court heave that broke the Warriors hearts sealed us a 107-105 win as the unlikely AJ Price being the hero. He came on with five minutes to go and hit his only shot but luckily for us it was the game winner. Tiago Splitter was named player of the game for his 16 point, 8 rebound and 4 block performance while Aaron Brooks had an astonishing 20 points in only 14 minutes for Golden State.
Detroit Pistons 31-11
Our tremendous defense was again on show as we wipe the floor with New Orleans 112-88. Derrick Rose is still not a true point guard but that doesn’t matter when he has 27 points, with Orko backing him up with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Kyle Craig was the standout for the Hornets with 22 points but Andrew Reed was atrocious with 5/19 shooting and 4 turnovers.
Detroit Pistons 32-11
Dallas has been good but we have been better and showed it with a 105-86 beatdown. Derrick Rose was sensational with 21 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds while Evan Turner matched him with 21 points of his own. Lebron James did all he could with 31 points and 8 rebounds but the next highest scorer for the Mavs was Andrew Bynum with 14 points.
Detroit Pistons 33-11
Our largest lead against Minnesota was 42 points as we pound them into the ground with a 122-85 win. Evan Turner had 27 points while Ekpe Udoh rose from the bench for 10 points and 4 blocks in 20 minutes. Ex-Piston Jason Beck wanted revenge with 31 points and 7 rebounds starting at SF but it was another team who shot in the 30% range and was beaten by the Piston crush.
Detroit Pistons 34-11
Evan Turner was lights out in our 120-86 flogging of Miami with 37 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals with Derrick Rose feeding him all night with 21 points and 12 assists. We shot 53% from the field to their 39% as newly minted Sam Dye was horrid with 14 points on 6/23 shooting.
Detroit Pistons 35-11
I hate being in the same conference as Toronto because we have to play them a lot during the year. This time it wasn’t as bad as we waltz into Toronto and do a little jig on the way out with a 123-116 win was we shoot 54% from the field. Derrick Rose had 21 points and 12 assists while Tiago Splitter and Evan Turner did their best with 19 points and 21 points each. The real star was Josh Smith with 17 quick fire points in only 20 minutes. On the Raptors side, Kevin King took Orko to school with 38 points and Dwight Howard had 19 of his own but they just couldn’t stop us. Can we do that for a seven game series? Doubtful, but tonight I’m on top of the world.
Detroit Pistons 36-11
Another tough game with New York coming to visit us and we get pipped at the post with a 111-109 heartbreaker. Amar’e Stoudemire had 28 points while Kelvin Rivers took great care to tell our team that we lost as he had 9 points and 15 rebounds. Orko held Danilo Gallinari to a quiet game as the Italian had 4 points in the game while the Pole had 17 points and 6 rebounds. It was unfortunate but the Knicks have been the best in the league, even better than Toronto.
Detroit Pistons 36-12
In the battle between the two Phoenix defectors, Sam Dye had Marlon Zinn’s measure as the Heat point guard poured in 52 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks as the Heat won 114-98. Dye shot 18/26 from the field and 12/13 from the stripe which is just amazing for a 23 year old.
At the end of January we are still third in the East with Toronto on top with a 40-7 record, only because they have played six more games than New York who are on 34-7. Nevada is dropping like a stone and have a 10-35 record while our other draft pick Cleveland are fourth in the conference at 19-30.
In the West Dallas continue their dominance with a 30-15 record with Oklahoma City at 23-13 and the Lakers pulling their finger out with a 30-17 in third place. Utah are last with a 6-36 record with Seattle not far behind with at 10-39 which has beaten their last season’s win total.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (20.1), Derrick Rose (15.9), Tiago Splitter (15.0), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Tiago Splitter (8.9), Josh Smith (6.1), Yao Ming (5.8), Osmo Koslewski (4.9)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (7.2), Evan Turner (4.5), Ty Lawson (3.6), Josh Smith (3.0)
League Top Points – Sam Dye MIA (24.2), Kevin Durant OKC (24.2), Lebron James DAL (24.0), Marlon Zinn ORL (23.7)
League Top Rebounds – Andrew Bogut LAC (12.2), Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Marc Gasol MEM (11.0), Dwight Howard TOR (10.6)
League Top Assists – Chris Paul PHI (11.8), Rajon Rondo TOR (11.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.6), Deron Williams LAL (9.3)
League Top Blocks – Justin Cabrera NOH (4.4), Mike Ohnstad LAC (4.3), Darrell Holtz MEM (4.1), Dwight Howard TOR (3.6)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (1.9), Monta Ellis GSW (1.8)
League Top Turnovers – Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.3), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.2), OJ Mayo MEM (4.2)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.7), Luther Marquis MIL (14.5), Sam Baron CLE (13.8), Danny Gilmore IND (12.5)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.3), Damon Alexander SEA (5.6), Darrell Hoiberg HOU (4.9), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.5)
Rookie Top Assists – Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Sam Baron CLE (5.2), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.8)
Second round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Although his assist and block numbers aren’t mind blowing (3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks) his 26 points and 16 rebounds a game make up for it.
2 (4) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
His defensive statistics are very, very good – 3.4 blocks and 2.5 steals. Throw in sixteen and a half rebounds a game Hayden is THE player you want in a defensive power forward.
3 (NR) – SG Battal Selaniki (Turkey) 20 years old
Standing at 6’7 has given Selaniki the ability to hone his passing skills as well as using his leaping ability to average 28 points a game in the solid Turkey league.
4 (NR) – PG Marlon Stewart (Elon) Freshman
If it wasn’t for Stewart this reporter wouldn’t have known that Elon was a Div 1 school. At 6’1 he is taller than Seegars and is a better passer than his PG rival which makes him the best PG in the crop at this moment in time.
5 (3) – PG Rickie Seegars (Mississippi State) Freshman
His height has hurt him a little and his numbers have dropped, hence him being below Stewart in the rankings.
Player of the Month:
Matt Bailey, Los Angeles Lakers – 21.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Sapir Ruffin, Honolulu Sharks – 20.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
December Trades
Los Angeles Lakers trades:
SF Quinn Trent
San Antonio trades:
PG Quincy Stidham
Why for the Lakers:
The Lakers have been struggling this season and some of that blame has to do with their PG depth. Rodney Stuckey is out with a broken wrist and the only other player who can play that position is SG Lloyd Grundman. Stidham is a decent playmaker who will not give you a lot but when the Lakers’ starting PG is Deron Williams they don’t need a lot, just a little from their bench.
Why for San Antonio:
Sitting at 6-26 the Spurs have well and truly given up on the season so getting a more talented player in Trent is good for a rebuilding team to stock up on good players.
Winner – Los Angeles Lakers
They filled a need while the Spurs got the better player he won’t help as much as Stidham will help Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Clippers trade:
2018 1st round pick
Minnesota trade:
PG Kyle Wallace
Why for the Clippers:
Second year Wallace is still raw but with time and experience could become a good starting PG. Too bad that Vlasi Kazapov is only 23 years old and will most likely hold down the Clippers’ starting position for 10 years or more. The pick should be in the twenties.
Why for Minnesota:
The Timberwolves now have two players who can play the point – starter Ricky Rubio and twelfth man Neil Dollar. That doesn’t give me much optimism for Minnesota going forward. The pick will be lower than where Wallace was picked so this trade doesn’t make any sense for the Timberwolves.
Winner – Los Angeles Clippers
Why did the Timberwolves make this trade again?
Portland trade:
SG Willie Warren
New Jersey trade:
SF Jonas Jerebko
Why for Portland:
For some reason Jerebko has that fine mix of being just good enough that other teams want him and being on a contract that is tradable. Why else would it be that he has been on five teams in the last seven years. He brings to the Blazers some toughness that the other SFs on the team don’t have.
Why for New Jersey:
Warren has one more year on his contract than Jerebko as well as being slotted as the Nets’ ninth man. They have 6’10, 224lb PF Tengiz Davidov starting at SG for some reason until Mo Williams comes back from injury. This Nets team is in disarray and needs a completely new start.
Winner – Portland
Blow the Nets up they are rotting from the inside. The Trailblazers get someone that will add to the team and will move them forward.
Denver trade:
2018 1st round pick
Charlotte trade:
PG Lawrence McSwain
Why for Denver:
They wanted the smallest backcourt line-up of all time and with this trade might have done it as they have 6’0, 177lb rookie Jeremy Dixon starting at PG with 6’3, 157lb second year man Lawrence McSwain at the two. Sure McSwain has loads of potential he might not get there being put in a position that will stunt his growth. Only time will tell though.
Why for Charlotte:
The Bobcats tried the ‘McSwain at SG’ ploy and it didn’t work so they ship him out for a potential lottery pick.
Winner – Denver
If having McSwain at SG works for them, which has all the signs that it will, then the pick will be lower.
We open up the New Year with a hangover as we lose to Portland by the score of 101-90. Brandon Roy is coming off the bench these days but it didn’t slow down his scoring as he had 23 points to lead all scorers. We shoot 40% from the field as Derrick Rose has one of his worst games with 7 turnovers and fouling out in only 31 minutes.
Detroit Pistons 21-10
To make matters worse Kobe Bryant said some, ahem, choice words to Evan Turner about how he is still better than Turner and should be given the chance to show the league again. I tell him to shut it or be ready for a new location.
A 118-99 win over Boston lifts my spirits with Derrick Rose bouncing back from his terrible performance with 32 points and 5 assists while Evan Turner took over point guard duties with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. For the losers, Chris Bosh had 25 points and 6 rebounds while Jules Riley pitched in with 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
Detroit Pistons 22-10
That’s three games in three days and we come out of the last game with a 104-84 reaming of New Jersey. Evan Turner went back to being a scoring machine with 30 pints while Derrick Rose offset his 5/19 shooting with 15 assists. Josh Smith had 14 points and 7 blocks in only 19 minutes off the bench. Brook Lopez had 19 points and 13 rebounds but having Tengiz Davidov at SG is just madness.
Detroit Pistons 23-10
Wow, four games in four days and we make it three wins with a come from behind to sneak past the Clippers 100-90. Tiago Splitter was our best with 22 points and 7 rebounds while Ty Lawson did his best from the bench with 10 points in 12 minutes. Andrew Bogut confirms that he plays his best against me with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks and was helped out by Vlasi Kazapov with 13 points and 12 assists.
Detroit Pistons 24-10
Now that is just stupid. We play another game the next night and we power through it with a 108-88 win over Charlotte. Evan Turner had 20 points and Derrick Rose doubles up as we hold the Bobcats to 38% shooting. I’m loving that this team’s defensive play as we can hold most of the teams in the league under 100 points on any given night.
Detroit Pistons 25-10
Our next game is not the next night, but we lose anyway with a 96-88 burning from Phoenix. Mario Hayes had 16 points and 10 rebounds on 23 shots but it was our turn to shoot sub .400 which was only a matter of time before we had an off game.
Detroit Pistons 25-11
Derrick Rose had 22 points and 8 assists but sprained his wrist in our 99-87 win over Milwaukee. All five of our starters scored in double figures while we held Milwaukee to 40% with Brandon Jennings was the worst culprit going 5/13 from the field. Rookie Luther Marquis had 22 points and has been a great surprise for the Bucks, averaging 14 points a game on the season.
Detroit Pistons 26-11
Ty Lawson gets the start for the injured Rose as we clip the Hornets 100-85 as Tiago Splitter showed his class with 25 points and 12 rebounds as we outrebounded New Orleans 58-36. Justin Cabrera has been traded again and this time he had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocks.
Detroit Pistons 27-11
Here is Cabrera’s file –
2013 – Drafted by the Clippers with the #2 pick
Nov 2014 – Clippers trade Cabrera to Houston for their 1st round pick
Oct 2015 – Houston trade Cabrera to Indiana for PF Greg Monroe
Feb 2016 – Indiana trade Cabrera to Philadelphia for C Chris Walker
Dec 2016 – Philadelphia trade Cabrera to Chicago for their 1st round pick
Jan 2018 – Chicago trade Cabrera to New Orleans for SG Marlon Kolder and C Reginald Barber.
And the worst part is he is only 25 years old, so I’m actually very interested in how many teams he will go through in his career. He might go through all 32 teams at this rate.
Our pick from Cleveland got better odds as we crush them 111-95 as Orko found his range with 25 points while Kobe Bryant puts his skills where his mouth iswith 19 points off the bench. Ex-Piston Dexter Floyd was nullified by Yao Ming with 8 points and 8 rebounds on 4/11 shooting. The Cavs shot a paltry 36% from the field which makes me feel all gooey inside.
Detroit Pistons 28-11
Shades of my Toronto team rear its head with a massive 120-78 clobbering of Chicago as we ream them 52-24 in the second half. Orko continues his great play with 23 points and 9 rebounds while Evan Turner had 23 points and Kobe Bryant caught fire with 10 points in 12 minutes. When Joakim Noah top scores with 18 points for the Bulls you know they are in trouble.
Detroit Pistons 29-11
Seattle has been better this year, winning eight games already but that doesn’t stop us from humbling them 115-83. Tiago Splitter is the man of the moment with 29 points but he was helped out by Evan Turner and Orko scoring 20 points apiece. I was surprised when Denver let go of Andre McQuay and it showed tonight as he scored 17 points for the Sonics.
Detroit Pistons 30-11
I was offered the Sonics job when they first joined the league and I had just left Toronto but I thought that I would give them a chance to grow on their own without all the pressure it would get from having me on the front office.
A half court heave that broke the Warriors hearts sealed us a 107-105 win as the unlikely AJ Price being the hero. He came on with five minutes to go and hit his only shot but luckily for us it was the game winner. Tiago Splitter was named player of the game for his 16 point, 8 rebound and 4 block performance while Aaron Brooks had an astonishing 20 points in only 14 minutes for Golden State.
Detroit Pistons 31-11
Our tremendous defense was again on show as we wipe the floor with New Orleans 112-88. Derrick Rose is still not a true point guard but that doesn’t matter when he has 27 points, with Orko backing him up with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Kyle Craig was the standout for the Hornets with 22 points but Andrew Reed was atrocious with 5/19 shooting and 4 turnovers.
Detroit Pistons 32-11
Dallas has been good but we have been better and showed it with a 105-86 beatdown. Derrick Rose was sensational with 21 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds while Evan Turner matched him with 21 points of his own. Lebron James did all he could with 31 points and 8 rebounds but the next highest scorer for the Mavs was Andrew Bynum with 14 points.
Detroit Pistons 33-11
Our largest lead against Minnesota was 42 points as we pound them into the ground with a 122-85 win. Evan Turner had 27 points while Ekpe Udoh rose from the bench for 10 points and 4 blocks in 20 minutes. Ex-Piston Jason Beck wanted revenge with 31 points and 7 rebounds starting at SF but it was another team who shot in the 30% range and was beaten by the Piston crush.
Detroit Pistons 34-11
Evan Turner was lights out in our 120-86 flogging of Miami with 37 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals with Derrick Rose feeding him all night with 21 points and 12 assists. We shot 53% from the field to their 39% as newly minted Sam Dye was horrid with 14 points on 6/23 shooting.
Detroit Pistons 35-11
I hate being in the same conference as Toronto because we have to play them a lot during the year. This time it wasn’t as bad as we waltz into Toronto and do a little jig on the way out with a 123-116 win was we shoot 54% from the field. Derrick Rose had 21 points and 12 assists while Tiago Splitter and Evan Turner did their best with 19 points and 21 points each. The real star was Josh Smith with 17 quick fire points in only 20 minutes. On the Raptors side, Kevin King took Orko to school with 38 points and Dwight Howard had 19 of his own but they just couldn’t stop us. Can we do that for a seven game series? Doubtful, but tonight I’m on top of the world.
Detroit Pistons 36-11
Another tough game with New York coming to visit us and we get pipped at the post with a 111-109 heartbreaker. Amar’e Stoudemire had 28 points while Kelvin Rivers took great care to tell our team that we lost as he had 9 points and 15 rebounds. Orko held Danilo Gallinari to a quiet game as the Italian had 4 points in the game while the Pole had 17 points and 6 rebounds. It was unfortunate but the Knicks have been the best in the league, even better than Toronto.
Detroit Pistons 36-12
In the battle between the two Phoenix defectors, Sam Dye had Marlon Zinn’s measure as the Heat point guard poured in 52 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks as the Heat won 114-98. Dye shot 18/26 from the field and 12/13 from the stripe which is just amazing for a 23 year old.
At the end of January we are still third in the East with Toronto on top with a 40-7 record, only because they have played six more games than New York who are on 34-7. Nevada is dropping like a stone and have a 10-35 record while our other draft pick Cleveland are fourth in the conference at 19-30.
In the West Dallas continue their dominance with a 30-15 record with Oklahoma City at 23-13 and the Lakers pulling their finger out with a 30-17 in third place. Utah are last with a 6-36 record with Seattle not far behind with at 10-39 which has beaten their last season’s win total.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (20.1), Derrick Rose (15.9), Tiago Splitter (15.0), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Tiago Splitter (8.9), Josh Smith (6.1), Yao Ming (5.8), Osmo Koslewski (4.9)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (7.2), Evan Turner (4.5), Ty Lawson (3.6), Josh Smith (3.0)
League Top Points – Sam Dye MIA (24.2), Kevin Durant OKC (24.2), Lebron James DAL (24.0), Marlon Zinn ORL (23.7)
League Top Rebounds – Andrew Bogut LAC (12.2), Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Marc Gasol MEM (11.0), Dwight Howard TOR (10.6)
League Top Assists – Chris Paul PHI (11.8), Rajon Rondo TOR (11.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.6), Deron Williams LAL (9.3)
League Top Blocks – Justin Cabrera NOH (4.4), Mike Ohnstad LAC (4.3), Darrell Holtz MEM (4.1), Dwight Howard TOR (3.6)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (1.9), Monta Ellis GSW (1.8)
League Top Turnovers – Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.3), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.2), OJ Mayo MEM (4.2)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.7), Luther Marquis MIL (14.5), Sam Baron CLE (13.8), Danny Gilmore IND (12.5)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.3), Damon Alexander SEA (5.6), Darrell Hoiberg HOU (4.9), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.5)
Rookie Top Assists – Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Sam Baron CLE (5.2), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.8)
Second round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Although his assist and block numbers aren’t mind blowing (3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks) his 26 points and 16 rebounds a game make up for it.
2 (4) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
His defensive statistics are very, very good – 3.4 blocks and 2.5 steals. Throw in sixteen and a half rebounds a game Hayden is THE player you want in a defensive power forward.
3 (NR) – SG Battal Selaniki (Turkey) 20 years old
Standing at 6’7 has given Selaniki the ability to hone his passing skills as well as using his leaping ability to average 28 points a game in the solid Turkey league.
4 (NR) – PG Marlon Stewart (Elon) Freshman
If it wasn’t for Stewart this reporter wouldn’t have known that Elon was a Div 1 school. At 6’1 he is taller than Seegars and is a better passer than his PG rival which makes him the best PG in the crop at this moment in time.
5 (3) – PG Rickie Seegars (Mississippi State) Freshman
His height has hurt him a little and his numbers have dropped, hence him being below Stewart in the rankings.
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:37 pm
January Awards
Player of the Month:
Lebron James, Dallas Mavericks – 27.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 block per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
There was only two trades last month with one being a fairly big one, but not a surprise because I have already told you.
New Orleans trade:
SG Marlon Kolder
C Reginald Barber
Chicago trade:
C Justin Cabrera
Why for New Orleans:
The Hornets have a fantastic young starting line-up with all five being under 25 years old. Too bad that Cabrera will ruin it all with his awful attitude. New Orleans fans, revel in this squad while you can because Cabrera will be gone soon.
Why for Chicago:
Just like all the other teams before the Bulls who have tried to tame Cabrera they eventually gave up on him. Both incoming players are great defenders but poor at everything else and are slotted at 10th and 12th position.
Winner – Chicago
You know the deal by now, whoever trades Cabrera wins the trade.
Milwaukee trade:
2018 1st round pick
Memphis trade:
PF Joey Kouser
Why for Milwaukee:
The jumpshooting Kouser will be good for the Bucks as he will supplement the slower bigmen in Vandyke Bushnell and Ashley Mosley with his mobility.
Why for Memphis:
On paper the Grizzlies should be in shambles. They have one PG, two SGs and one SF with the rest of the team made up with PFs and Cs. But somehow they are sitting at 35-12. They decided to trim down their PFs ranks for a pick that is currently in the lottery.
Winner – Memphis
They don’t need six PFs on the team so getting rid of one of the weaker ones for a lottery pick is a good deal.
Our first game for February is an implosion as the Clippers outscored us 27-10 in the final term to give us our 13th loss on the season 106-99. Andrew Bogut was again the best with 17 points and 3 blocks as Los Angeles had seven players in double figures. Ty Lawson filled in for Evan Turner who injured his sternum with 20 points off the bench.
Detroit Pistons 36-13
Charlotte gives us a 116-100 win with Orko having 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Derrick Rose aided him with 26 points. Jarrett Jack was the top scorer for the Bobcats with 23 points as we scored 78 points in the second half.
Detroit Pistons 37-13
The medical staff tells me that Ty Lawson sprained his wrist and will be less than 100% for nearly two weeks.
The next night David (Nevada) played Goliath (Toronto) and the Raptors reversed the trend by beating the Neon by a massive 64 points, 126-62. Here are some stats –
Largest lead – 69
Quarter by quarter – 1st: 24-22, 2nd: 34-7. 3rd: 34-13, 4th: 34-20.
Toronto – 63%FG, 80%3P, 20/29FT. Nevada – 28%FG, 23%3P, 7/14FT.
Rajon Rondo – 18 points, 15 assists, Dwight Howard – 18 points and 12 rebounds.
No player on either team played more than 33 minutes with both benches being emptied very early.
Jeff Brown – 2/10FG for 5 points as the Neon had two players in double figures with Avustin Leonov top scoring with 15 points.
Another win, this time over Indiana with a 101-96 win with Tiago Splitter being our best with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Derrick Rose was close to a triple double with 12 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. All five Pacer starters were over 10 points but they shot terribly as Dennis Stone scored 14 points on 20 shots.
Detroit Pistons 38-13
An anaemic showing on our home court nets us a 102-87 loss to Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant top scored with 25 points while minimum salaried Pau Gasol was also great with 20 points and 13 rebounds. We had six players in double figures but the team shot 38% from the field in a terrible display of Basketball.
Detroit Pistons 38-14
The Nevada pick gets better as we stomp them 127-102 with Derrick Rose having a great all around game with 32 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. We also had five players in double figures by shooting 53% from the field. On the losing side Ted Ballinger had 20 points with Jeff Brown having a decent game of 16 points but shot poorly.
Detroit Pistons 39-14
The All Star weekend comes around again and Hasheem Walker (IND) wins the Slam Dunk Contest again but beating Earl Summerall (MIL) in the final. In the Long Distance Shootout Damion James (NJN) beat Nicolas Batum (TOR) and Bill Walker (DAL) by hitting 18 shots out of 30. What was funny is that both Batum and Walker had more than James in the first round but they both faltered when it counted.
In the Rookie/Sophomore game the Rookies came out on top in a shootout 138-130 with Luther Marquis (MIL) winning Player of the Game with 25 points and 5 rebounds. Orko started for the Sophomores and had 16 points while Jarvis Collier was the best for the second years with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
I wouldn’t call the All Star game a contest as the East got up by 40 points in their 146-116 win over the West. Dwight Howard won All Star MVP with 24 points and 20 rebounds and in a great surprise Evan Turner was named the East’s starting SG and had 11 points. Kevin Durant was the top scorer for the West with 25 points.
Western Conference Starters:
PG Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
SG Monta Ellis – Golden State Warriors
SF Lebron James – Dallas Mavericks
PF Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves
C Andrew Bogut – Los Angeles Clippers
Easter Conference Starters:
PG Chris Paul – Philadelphia 76ers
SG Evan Turner – Detroit Pistons
SF Kevin King – Toronto Raptors
PF Darrell Holtz – Memphis Grizzlies
C Dwight Howard – Toronto Raptors
Some thoughts about the All Star game:
-Rookie Sapir Ruffin was named to the Western team and played 10 minutes for 4 points and 4 rebounds. He is Honolulu’s first ever All Star participant.
-There were eight teams with two participants – Dallas (Lebron James and Rashid Shiran), Golden State (Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry), Oklahoma City (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) for the West and Toronto (Kevin King and Dwight Howard), Memphis (Darrell Holtz and Marc Gasol), Philadelphia (Chris Paul and Wesley Johnson), Orlando (Marlon Zinn and Blake Griffin) and Miami (Sam Dye and Dwayne Wade).
-There were seven players making their All Star debut in Greg Oden, Rashid Shiran, Nikolos Bocharkov, Sapir Ruffinm, Darrell Holtz, Marlon Zinn and Sam Dye. I’m surprised that this is Zinn’s first game but it definitely won’t be his last.
Our first game back from the festivities is a 115-102 loss to Philadelphia as Chris Paul was magnificent with 16 points and 19 rebounds with Joe Johnson being the recipient of Paul’s generosity with 25 points. Tiago Splitter had 25 points and 11 rebounds for our team but our backcourt combined for only 22 points.
Detroit Pistons 39-15
Josh Smith lashed out about his lack of playing time so I go shopping to see if I can find something. Too bad I completely forget about trading Smith and pull of a HUGE risk/even bigger reward trade which would either put us over the edge or get me fired.
Detroit trade:
PG Carlos Lang
PG Ty Lawson
PG AJ Price
2018 1st round pick (CLE)
Nevada trade:
C Travis Randolph
Why for Detroit:
Even though they are sitting pretty at 39-15 the front offices believe that they still don’t have what it takes to battle with New York and Toronto. So they go out and get a MVP candidate but team cancer Travis Randolph which could be the shot in the arm they need. It could bite them in the backside when the team turns on him but the Pistons are hoping that won’t happen until after the playoffs.
Why for Nevada:
For the second time this year the Neon have dealt with Detroit and this time they get something good out of their trade. Randolph is a cancer and needed to be surgically removed and the Cavs’ pick is currently slated as the 6th pick before the lottery.
Winner – Nevada
The old formula works true here in whoever trades away Randolph wins the deal.
I’m very nervous about this trade because I’m worried that Randolph will cause this team to fall apart.
I also trade Josh Smith to Indiana for George Hill to make up for the fact that I just traded away three point guards and I sign Kelyn Besecker and Corey Maggette to boost our bench strength.
The first game since the deal is a 111-106 loss to New Jersey with Brook Lopez dominating Travis Randolph with 34 points and 14 rebounds while holding our new centre to only 9 points and 5 fouls. Our stellar backcourt combined for 56 points and 13 assists but we need Randolph to step up.
Detroit Pistons 39-16
Another game in New Jersey results in another loss, this time a humiliating 103-72 scoreline. Derrick Favors this time stepped up with 21 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks while we shoot 33% as Orko was the worst with 5/16 from the field.
Detroit Pistons 39-17
We get back on track with a 136-89 demolition of the woeful Jazz as Orko has a fantastic game of 29 points and 10 rebounds. Seven other Piston players score in double figures with Travis Randolph showing what he can do with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Darrin Finley is the best for Utah with 27 points while #1 pick Roy Michaels had 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 40-17
Now this is the Travis Randolph I traded for as we suffocated Minnesota to a 94-77 win. Randolph was the difference with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 steals in a great all around game. He was helped by the other four starters scoring in double figures and keeping the Timberwolves to only 29%.
Detroit Pistons 41-17
After trading for our troubled centre we have gone 2-2 but they have all been away games but with that little slide we have fallen down to fifth in the East.
Toronto – 50-8
New York – 46-8
Memphis – 42-17
Philadelphia – 39-16
Detroit – 41-17.
The East is stacked once again. Nevada is last by a long way at 14-45 and I’m hoping the go even worse without their best player, netting us a high pick.
Dallas and the Lakers are battling head to head for the top seed in the West at 40-18 and 41-19 respectively while the rest of the conference has fallen off. Utah still only have seven wins and are hoping that they can get to double figures soon.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (19.1), Derrick Rose (16.4), Travis Randolph (15.1), Osmo Koslewski (14.8)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (9.6), Tiago Splitter (8.6), Yao Ming (6.0), Osmo Koslewski (4.8)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (7.5), Evan Turner (4.5), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.4)
League Top Points – Monta Ellis GSW (24.5), Lebron James DAL (24.2), Sam Dye MIA (23.9), Kevin Durant OKC (23.8)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.5), Marc Gasol MEM (10.8), Dwight Howard TOR (10.4)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.6), Chris Paul PHI (11.6), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.6), Deron Williams LAL (9.4)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.4), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.1), Mike Ohnstad LAC (3.9), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.7)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (2.0), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (2.0)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.1), Stephen Curry GSW (4.1)
Rookie Top Points – Sam Baron CLE (14.6), Luther Marquis MIL (14.5), Damon Alexander SEA (12.3), Danny Gilmore IND (12.1)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.5), Damon Alexander SEA (5.5), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.6), Donta Reese PHO (4.6)
Rookie Top Assists – Danny Gilmore IND (5.5), Sam Baron CLE (5.2), Al Jackson DAL (4.2), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.4)
Third round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Like Travis Randolph and Matt Bailey, Reese is a C who is the consensus #1 pick in this draft.
2 (NR) – PF Sarath Cardinal (Saint John’s) Freshman
Has become a more aggressive player this season but still has a long way to go to become a competent NBA player.
3 (2) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
Drops because of Cardinal’s improved play, not because of his own play. Still the best defender in the draft.
4 (4) – PG Marlon Stewart (Elon) Freshman
His numbers have dropped because of March Madness and Elon being overpowered by better teams, but he is still the best PG in the draft.
5 (NR) – SF JaRon Layton (Connecticut) Freshman
Is only 6’5 but is too slow to be able to stay with NBA SGs. He is strong and a great rebounder for his position but his height is a worry.
Player of the Month:
Lebron James, Dallas Mavericks – 27.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 block per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
There was only two trades last month with one being a fairly big one, but not a surprise because I have already told you.
New Orleans trade:
SG Marlon Kolder
C Reginald Barber
Chicago trade:
C Justin Cabrera
Why for New Orleans:
The Hornets have a fantastic young starting line-up with all five being under 25 years old. Too bad that Cabrera will ruin it all with his awful attitude. New Orleans fans, revel in this squad while you can because Cabrera will be gone soon.
Why for Chicago:
Just like all the other teams before the Bulls who have tried to tame Cabrera they eventually gave up on him. Both incoming players are great defenders but poor at everything else and are slotted at 10th and 12th position.
Winner – Chicago
You know the deal by now, whoever trades Cabrera wins the trade.
Milwaukee trade:
2018 1st round pick
Memphis trade:
PF Joey Kouser
Why for Milwaukee:
The jumpshooting Kouser will be good for the Bucks as he will supplement the slower bigmen in Vandyke Bushnell and Ashley Mosley with his mobility.
Why for Memphis:
On paper the Grizzlies should be in shambles. They have one PG, two SGs and one SF with the rest of the team made up with PFs and Cs. But somehow they are sitting at 35-12. They decided to trim down their PFs ranks for a pick that is currently in the lottery.
Winner – Memphis
They don’t need six PFs on the team so getting rid of one of the weaker ones for a lottery pick is a good deal.
Our first game for February is an implosion as the Clippers outscored us 27-10 in the final term to give us our 13th loss on the season 106-99. Andrew Bogut was again the best with 17 points and 3 blocks as Los Angeles had seven players in double figures. Ty Lawson filled in for Evan Turner who injured his sternum with 20 points off the bench.
Detroit Pistons 36-13
Charlotte gives us a 116-100 win with Orko having 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Derrick Rose aided him with 26 points. Jarrett Jack was the top scorer for the Bobcats with 23 points as we scored 78 points in the second half.
Detroit Pistons 37-13
The medical staff tells me that Ty Lawson sprained his wrist and will be less than 100% for nearly two weeks.
The next night David (Nevada) played Goliath (Toronto) and the Raptors reversed the trend by beating the Neon by a massive 64 points, 126-62. Here are some stats –
Largest lead – 69
Quarter by quarter – 1st: 24-22, 2nd: 34-7. 3rd: 34-13, 4th: 34-20.
Toronto – 63%FG, 80%3P, 20/29FT. Nevada – 28%FG, 23%3P, 7/14FT.
Rajon Rondo – 18 points, 15 assists, Dwight Howard – 18 points and 12 rebounds.
No player on either team played more than 33 minutes with both benches being emptied very early.
Jeff Brown – 2/10FG for 5 points as the Neon had two players in double figures with Avustin Leonov top scoring with 15 points.
Another win, this time over Indiana with a 101-96 win with Tiago Splitter being our best with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Derrick Rose was close to a triple double with 12 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. All five Pacer starters were over 10 points but they shot terribly as Dennis Stone scored 14 points on 20 shots.
Detroit Pistons 38-13
An anaemic showing on our home court nets us a 102-87 loss to Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant top scored with 25 points while minimum salaried Pau Gasol was also great with 20 points and 13 rebounds. We had six players in double figures but the team shot 38% from the field in a terrible display of Basketball.
Detroit Pistons 38-14
The Nevada pick gets better as we stomp them 127-102 with Derrick Rose having a great all around game with 32 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. We also had five players in double figures by shooting 53% from the field. On the losing side Ted Ballinger had 20 points with Jeff Brown having a decent game of 16 points but shot poorly.
Detroit Pistons 39-14
The All Star weekend comes around again and Hasheem Walker (IND) wins the Slam Dunk Contest again but beating Earl Summerall (MIL) in the final. In the Long Distance Shootout Damion James (NJN) beat Nicolas Batum (TOR) and Bill Walker (DAL) by hitting 18 shots out of 30. What was funny is that both Batum and Walker had more than James in the first round but they both faltered when it counted.
In the Rookie/Sophomore game the Rookies came out on top in a shootout 138-130 with Luther Marquis (MIL) winning Player of the Game with 25 points and 5 rebounds. Orko started for the Sophomores and had 16 points while Jarvis Collier was the best for the second years with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
I wouldn’t call the All Star game a contest as the East got up by 40 points in their 146-116 win over the West. Dwight Howard won All Star MVP with 24 points and 20 rebounds and in a great surprise Evan Turner was named the East’s starting SG and had 11 points. Kevin Durant was the top scorer for the West with 25 points.
Western Conference Starters:
PG Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors
SG Monta Ellis – Golden State Warriors
SF Lebron James – Dallas Mavericks
PF Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves
C Andrew Bogut – Los Angeles Clippers
Easter Conference Starters:
PG Chris Paul – Philadelphia 76ers
SG Evan Turner – Detroit Pistons
SF Kevin King – Toronto Raptors
PF Darrell Holtz – Memphis Grizzlies
C Dwight Howard – Toronto Raptors
Some thoughts about the All Star game:
-Rookie Sapir Ruffin was named to the Western team and played 10 minutes for 4 points and 4 rebounds. He is Honolulu’s first ever All Star participant.
-There were eight teams with two participants – Dallas (Lebron James and Rashid Shiran), Golden State (Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry), Oklahoma City (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) for the West and Toronto (Kevin King and Dwight Howard), Memphis (Darrell Holtz and Marc Gasol), Philadelphia (Chris Paul and Wesley Johnson), Orlando (Marlon Zinn and Blake Griffin) and Miami (Sam Dye and Dwayne Wade).
-There were seven players making their All Star debut in Greg Oden, Rashid Shiran, Nikolos Bocharkov, Sapir Ruffinm, Darrell Holtz, Marlon Zinn and Sam Dye. I’m surprised that this is Zinn’s first game but it definitely won’t be his last.
Our first game back from the festivities is a 115-102 loss to Philadelphia as Chris Paul was magnificent with 16 points and 19 rebounds with Joe Johnson being the recipient of Paul’s generosity with 25 points. Tiago Splitter had 25 points and 11 rebounds for our team but our backcourt combined for only 22 points.
Detroit Pistons 39-15
Josh Smith lashed out about his lack of playing time so I go shopping to see if I can find something. Too bad I completely forget about trading Smith and pull of a HUGE risk/even bigger reward trade which would either put us over the edge or get me fired.
Detroit trade:
PG Carlos Lang
PG Ty Lawson
PG AJ Price
2018 1st round pick (CLE)
Nevada trade:
C Travis Randolph
Why for Detroit:
Even though they are sitting pretty at 39-15 the front offices believe that they still don’t have what it takes to battle with New York and Toronto. So they go out and get a MVP candidate but team cancer Travis Randolph which could be the shot in the arm they need. It could bite them in the backside when the team turns on him but the Pistons are hoping that won’t happen until after the playoffs.
Why for Nevada:
For the second time this year the Neon have dealt with Detroit and this time they get something good out of their trade. Randolph is a cancer and needed to be surgically removed and the Cavs’ pick is currently slated as the 6th pick before the lottery.
Winner – Nevada
The old formula works true here in whoever trades away Randolph wins the deal.
I’m very nervous about this trade because I’m worried that Randolph will cause this team to fall apart.
I also trade Josh Smith to Indiana for George Hill to make up for the fact that I just traded away three point guards and I sign Kelyn Besecker and Corey Maggette to boost our bench strength.
The first game since the deal is a 111-106 loss to New Jersey with Brook Lopez dominating Travis Randolph with 34 points and 14 rebounds while holding our new centre to only 9 points and 5 fouls. Our stellar backcourt combined for 56 points and 13 assists but we need Randolph to step up.
Detroit Pistons 39-16
Another game in New Jersey results in another loss, this time a humiliating 103-72 scoreline. Derrick Favors this time stepped up with 21 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks while we shoot 33% as Orko was the worst with 5/16 from the field.
Detroit Pistons 39-17
We get back on track with a 136-89 demolition of the woeful Jazz as Orko has a fantastic game of 29 points and 10 rebounds. Seven other Piston players score in double figures with Travis Randolph showing what he can do with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Darrin Finley is the best for Utah with 27 points while #1 pick Roy Michaels had 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 40-17
Now this is the Travis Randolph I traded for as we suffocated Minnesota to a 94-77 win. Randolph was the difference with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 steals in a great all around game. He was helped by the other four starters scoring in double figures and keeping the Timberwolves to only 29%.
Detroit Pistons 41-17
After trading for our troubled centre we have gone 2-2 but they have all been away games but with that little slide we have fallen down to fifth in the East.
Toronto – 50-8
New York – 46-8
Memphis – 42-17
Philadelphia – 39-16
Detroit – 41-17.
The East is stacked once again. Nevada is last by a long way at 14-45 and I’m hoping the go even worse without their best player, netting us a high pick.
Dallas and the Lakers are battling head to head for the top seed in the West at 40-18 and 41-19 respectively while the rest of the conference has fallen off. Utah still only have seven wins and are hoping that they can get to double figures soon.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (19.1), Derrick Rose (16.4), Travis Randolph (15.1), Osmo Koslewski (14.8)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (9.6), Tiago Splitter (8.6), Yao Ming (6.0), Osmo Koslewski (4.8)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (7.5), Evan Turner (4.5), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.4)
League Top Points – Monta Ellis GSW (24.5), Lebron James DAL (24.2), Sam Dye MIA (23.9), Kevin Durant OKC (23.8)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.5), Marc Gasol MEM (10.8), Dwight Howard TOR (10.4)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.6), Chris Paul PHI (11.6), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.6), Deron Williams LAL (9.4)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.4), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.1), Mike Ohnstad LAC (3.9), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.7)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (2.0), Vlasi Kazapov LAC (2.0)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.1), Stephen Curry GSW (4.1)
Rookie Top Points – Sam Baron CLE (14.6), Luther Marquis MIL (14.5), Damon Alexander SEA (12.3), Danny Gilmore IND (12.1)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.5), Damon Alexander SEA (5.5), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.6), Donta Reese PHO (4.6)
Rookie Top Assists – Danny Gilmore IND (5.5), Sam Baron CLE (5.2), Al Jackson DAL (4.2), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.4)
Third round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Like Travis Randolph and Matt Bailey, Reese is a C who is the consensus #1 pick in this draft.
2 (NR) – PF Sarath Cardinal (Saint John’s) Freshman
Has become a more aggressive player this season but still has a long way to go to become a competent NBA player.
3 (2) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
Drops because of Cardinal’s improved play, not because of his own play. Still the best defender in the draft.
4 (4) – PG Marlon Stewart (Elon) Freshman
His numbers have dropped because of March Madness and Elon being overpowered by better teams, but he is still the best PG in the draft.
5 (NR) – SF JaRon Layton (Connecticut) Freshman
Is only 6’5 but is too slow to be able to stay with NBA SGs. He is strong and a great rebounder for his position but his height is a worry.
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:27 am
February Awards
Player of the Month:
Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors – 26.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 14.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
There were quite a few deadline trades but none of the ‘wow’ deals that have been dealt in recent years.
New Orleans trade:
2018 1st round pick
Memphis trade:
C Tony Ivener
Why for New Orleans:
I’m not particularly sure as the Hornets are sitting at 21-41 and Ivener is slated as their 9th man. Surely they could get someone in next year’s draft that can be better than 9th man.
Why for Memphis:
The Grizzlies have been great this year at 42-17 and Ivener has been averaging a whopping seven minutes a game. Picking up a pick that could be very high for someone that they don’t use is daylight robbery.
Winner – Memphis
By a country mile, which is 1.3 times the length of a city mile if I recall correctly.
Portland trade:
PF Ersan Ilyasova
Nevada trade:
PF Troy Murphy
Why for Portland:
With two of their big men battling injuries the Blazers decide to bolster their frontcourt with a veteran that has seen it all. At 37 years old Murphy may not be able to bring it as well as he could but his locker room presence will be a plus.
Why for Nevada:
I’m pretty certain that the Neon made this deal to make a deal because Ilyasova is currently slated as their 13th man which makes him inactive. He is 33 years old so he won’t get any better which makes this trade a head scratcher.
Winner – Portland
The Blazers get something positive while the Neon does not. Simple.
New York trade:
PF Anthony Randolph
Utah trade:
SG DeMar DeRozan
Why for New York:
DeRozan had a breakout year last season after leaving Toronto for Utah by averaging over 16 points a game. He was doing it this season as well so claiming the 27 year old has made the Knicks even stronger and more importantly taller in the backcourt.
Why for Utah:
The Jazz just love big men. Just how much do they love big men? Of their fifteen players, eleven are PFs or Cs. That’s right; they have two PGs, one SG and one SF on the team. I’m not quite sure what they are trying to achieve here but judging by their 7-43 record it’s not working.
Winner – New York
This trade makes no sense for the Jazz.
New York trade:
PF Eddie Edmond
SG Pete Conley
Cleveland trade:
PG Clark Kimm
Why for New York:
Kimm was being squeezed out of Cleveland because of the emergence of Sam Baron so the Knicks pounced and got a starting PG to play off the bench for scrubs. Nifty move by first year GM Chris Briggs.
Why for Cleveland:
As Sam Baron is quickly becoming the next Marlon Zinn the Cavs decided to trade Kimm while he still had trade value. Too bad the players they got back are sitting at 12th and 13th position on the depth chart and will go down the line when starting SG Matt Davis comes back from injury.
Winner – New York
Another deal that will keep them on top of the league.
Ouch, the Knicks got so much better and didn’t have to trade anything substantial away. On the subject of new bench staff there is a few recently retired players that have made the leap to coaching or the front office.
Kevin Garnett – 1st assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Damon Stoudamire – 2nd assistant with the Detroit Pistons
Steve Nash – General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers
Dan Dickau – 3rd assistant for the Phoenix Suns
Shareef Abdur-Rahim – 3rd assistant with the Sacramento Kings
Tim Duncan – General Manager of the Toronto Raptors
Jason Kidd – General Manager of the Washington Wizards
Sam Cassell – 2nd assistant of the Washington Wizards.
The first battle of March is a losing one, as we go down to Orlando 97-86 as we shoot 39% from the field. Marlon Zinn has been lighting it up all season and tonight was no different with 24 points and 10 assists, aided by bench man Anderson Varejao with 15 points and 11 rebounds. On our side Travis Randolph was the best with 20 points and 8 rebounds but took 18 shots which is terrible for a big man.
Detroit Pistons 41-18
We back that game up with a nail biting 2 point win over New York, 106-104. Travis Randolph made up for his poor shooting last game and had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists while Derrick Rose was close to his own triple double with 14 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 21 points while their superstar backcourt was held to only 32 points and 14 assists. They may sound like a lot but when they usually combine for 39 points and 13 assists it’s below their average.
Detroit Pistons 42-18
A game like that brings high confidence and we show how good we feel with a 115-89 thumping of the West leading Lakers. Evan Turner came with his A game in his pocket as he showed his skills for 30 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds while Derrick Rose had his back with 25 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds. On the losing side Matt Bailey has broken his finger and will be out for a month so Al Horford filled in and fouled out in 23 minutes.
Detroit Pistons 43-18
We fall back to Earth with a 102-87 thud as Orlando beat us again behind none other than Marlon Zinn who had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to make up for Blake Griffin’s 4/14 shooting. Derrick Rose had 23 points and Tiago Splitter and Travis Randolph had double doubles but we shot below 40% again.
Detroit Pistons 43-19
Travis Randolph is only a temporary solution at C as I am hoping that we either get the number one draft pick and get Chris Reese or someone will trade Reese for Randolph and our draft pick from Nevada.
In our game against Miami Orko shoots 1/10 for 6 points, Derrick Rose 4/12 and Evan Turner fouls out in only 19 minutes against Dwayne Wade. Yet we still won 91-83 as Travis Randolph goes bananas with 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 blocks as he decimated the Heat frontline. Sam Dye led the Heat with 21 points on 22 shots. Unfortunately Tiago Splitter sprained his toe and will be out for two weeks so Ekpe Udoh gets the nod for the next game.
Detroit Pistons 44-19
Derrick Rose was close to a triple double with 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in our 101-81 win over Cleveland. Travis Randolph was a great second man with 29 points and 14 rebounds while the Cavs were held to an astonishing 32% from the field with Carmelo Anthony going 4/18 on the night. A statistic that made me happy was that Dex Floyd played only 16 minutes before fouling out trying to defend Randolph.
Detroit Pistons 45-19
Sacramento comes to town and was another team to be beaten by the Piston Crush 95-88. Travis Randolph is hitting his stride with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks while Derrick Rose and Evan Turner both doubled up. Tyreke Evans had 20 points but all starting Kings shot ATROCIOUSLY.
Detroit Pistons 46-19
It’s Derrick Rose’s turn to annihilate a team as we win over the Bulls by 112-97. Rose had 25 points, 16 assists and 6 rebounds while Orko bounced back with 20 points. Carlos Boozer had the best game for the Bulls with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Emmett Cooper had 14 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds from the SF spot.
Detroit Pistons 47-19
The next night we go to Chicago for a night out as we win the game in the second quarter as we went on a 37-13 streak to run out winners 101-87. I feel like a genius with my Travis Randolph trade as he comes up aces again with 17 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks while Ekpe Udoh had 15 points and 3 blocks off the bench. All five Bulls starters were in double figures but they shot 35% from the field.
Detroit Pistons 48-19
The Pistons are third in the league in opponents points per game at just over 95 points a game, with the Raptors (91.9) and Thunder (94.9) the only teams above us. The Raptors are also leading the league in points per game at 112 a game which puts their winning differential at 20.1 points a game. That’s right; the Raptors win their games by an average of 20 points. Mind blowing and I made that team. Opponent FG% is all ours though as we are holding our opponents to only 41% a game which brings back memories of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.
The Miami Heat shoot 36% from the field in our 86-73 suffocation with Derrick Rose winning player of the game with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. All of our starters were in double figures but it was a slow grind of a game which bored many fans. Sam Dye and Dwayne Wade combined for 22 points on 10/31 shooting which doomed them from the start.
Detroit Pistons 49-19
In the battle of the cellar dwellers Nevada pumped Utah 120-96 in a strange game. On the Neon, Jeff Brown had 26 points; Ted Ballinger had 30 points while Avgustin Leonov had 24 points of his own but on the Jazz it was all Darrin Finley, the rarely used third year man who shot 16/28 and 10/15 from downtown on his way to 42 points, as the only other player in double figures for the Jazz was bench big man Thomas Freeman with 11 points.
We play the Bulls for the third time in a week and we end up going 3-0 with a 114-98 beatdown behind none other than Travis Randolph who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. Derrick Rose shot 2/10 but dished out 15 assists as Tiago Splitter came back from injury with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jonny Flynn top scored for Chicago with 20 points but we won every quarter in an easy game.
Detroit Pistons 50-19
The Mavs have been superb this season but it didn’t stop us from being rude house guests in our 108-84 stomping of Dallas. Derrick Rose made mince meat of rookie Tahric Tahid with 27 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds while Orko was his Robin with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Lebron James did his best with 28 points but you don’t win many games scoring 84 points on 40% shooting.
Detroit Pistons 51-19
It’s the battle of the elite PGs with ours coming out on top as we beat Philadelphia 97-92 to push our winning streak to nine games. Derrick Rose had 14 points and 12 assists while Chris Paul matched him with 13 points and 13 assists. It was our front court who won it for us with Orko having 11 points, 11 rebounds, Tiago Splitter helping himself to 15 points and 11 rebounds but Travis Randolph stole the show again with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 9 blocks. Boroda Beketov paced the 76ers with 22 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out while Wesley Johnson had a game to forget with 5/21 shooting for only 15 points.
Detroit Pistons 52-19
Our streak is snapped with a 106-88 smacking by the hand of Washington. Dontonio Seymour was the first to strike with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Omer Asik has been the push they needed with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Travis Randolph and Tiago Splitter combined to shoot 6/25 for a total of 15 points while Derrick Rose tried to keep the game close with 29 points and 8 assists.
Detroit Pistons 52-20
In a game we shouldn’t lose we gang up on Utah for a 107-82 swatting as Travis Randolph notches up another triple double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks while Dirk Nowitzki shows he still has it at 38 years old with 15 points in only 17 minutes off the bench. #1 pick Roy Michaels was good with 17 points and 9 rebounds but he is having a little trouble with all the pressure on his shoulders. I’m sure next season he will break out and show how much potential he has inside of him.
Detroit Pistons 53-20
Urgh. I hate losing to bad teams but we did tonight with a 114-106 embarrassment to Cleveland. Reggie Young is filling into his promise with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Dex Floyd bounced back for 12 points and 11 rebounds while holding Travis Randolph to 4/14 shooting. Derrick Rose was our best with 24 points and 11 assists but had 7 turnovers.
Detroit Pistons 53-21
We have moved up to third place with the usuals still above us (Toronto 66-9, New York 57-16) with Philadelphia breathing down our necks at 50-21. Nevada is still keeping our pick high with a 17-57 record and is sitting last in the conference.
In the West the Lakers are finally playing as a team and are sitting on top with a 50-23 record while Dallas is only a game and a half behind. Utah hasn’t got a 10 wins yet at 9-62 with Seattle three games in front and have won more than last season already.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (18.7), Derrick Rose (16.9), Travis Randolph (15.5), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (10.2), Tiago Splitter (8.4), Yao Ming (5.7), Osmo Koslewski (4.8)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (8.4), Evan Turner (4.4), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.5)
League Top Points – Lebron James DAL (24.9), Kevin Durant OKC (24.4), Monta Ellis GSW (23.4), Marlon Zinn ORL (23.2)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.5), Dwight Howard TOR (10.5), Marc Gasol MEM (10.5)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.4), Chris Paul PHI (11.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.7), Deron Williams LAL (9.6)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.3), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.2), Travis Randolph DET (3.9), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.8)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (2.0), Chris Paul PHI (1.9)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.1), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.0)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.8), Sam Baron CLE (14.5), Luther Marquis MIL (14.2), Jeremy Dixon DEN (12.4)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.4), Kenny Leith PHI (5.5), Damon Alexander SEA (5.3), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.5)
Rookie Top Assists – Sam Baron CLE (5.6), Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.2)
Fourth and last round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Averages 27.5 points and 17.1 rebounds a game and will be picked number one in this coming draft unless the general manager wants to get fired.
2 (NR) – PG Rickie Seegars (Mississippi State) Freshman
At the start of the season people were saying that Seegars was a SG pretending to be a PG but as time went on his assist numbers were steadily going up and his turnovers were slowing going down.
3 (5) – SF JaRon Layton (Connecticut) Freshman
Has shown that he can battle with bigger SFs and has displayed a knack for grabbing big rebounds.
4 (3) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
Is dropping down the board because of Pepperdine’s weak opponents and his shooting is iffy at best. He looks to get most of his points off put backs and passes in the key.
5 (2) – PF Sarath Cardinal (Saint John’s) Freshman
His erratic play has worried some scouts but the talent is definitely there and will bring over a billion fans to the team who drafts him. Look for politics to be a part of his selection.
Player of the Month:
Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors – 26.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 14.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
There were quite a few deadline trades but none of the ‘wow’ deals that have been dealt in recent years.
New Orleans trade:
2018 1st round pick
Memphis trade:
C Tony Ivener
Why for New Orleans:
I’m not particularly sure as the Hornets are sitting at 21-41 and Ivener is slated as their 9th man. Surely they could get someone in next year’s draft that can be better than 9th man.
Why for Memphis:
The Grizzlies have been great this year at 42-17 and Ivener has been averaging a whopping seven minutes a game. Picking up a pick that could be very high for someone that they don’t use is daylight robbery.
Winner – Memphis
By a country mile, which is 1.3 times the length of a city mile if I recall correctly.
Portland trade:
PF Ersan Ilyasova
Nevada trade:
PF Troy Murphy
Why for Portland:
With two of their big men battling injuries the Blazers decide to bolster their frontcourt with a veteran that has seen it all. At 37 years old Murphy may not be able to bring it as well as he could but his locker room presence will be a plus.
Why for Nevada:
I’m pretty certain that the Neon made this deal to make a deal because Ilyasova is currently slated as their 13th man which makes him inactive. He is 33 years old so he won’t get any better which makes this trade a head scratcher.
Winner – Portland
The Blazers get something positive while the Neon does not. Simple.
New York trade:
PF Anthony Randolph
Utah trade:
SG DeMar DeRozan
Why for New York:
DeRozan had a breakout year last season after leaving Toronto for Utah by averaging over 16 points a game. He was doing it this season as well so claiming the 27 year old has made the Knicks even stronger and more importantly taller in the backcourt.
Why for Utah:
The Jazz just love big men. Just how much do they love big men? Of their fifteen players, eleven are PFs or Cs. That’s right; they have two PGs, one SG and one SF on the team. I’m not quite sure what they are trying to achieve here but judging by their 7-43 record it’s not working.
Winner – New York
This trade makes no sense for the Jazz.
New York trade:
PF Eddie Edmond
SG Pete Conley
Cleveland trade:
PG Clark Kimm
Why for New York:
Kimm was being squeezed out of Cleveland because of the emergence of Sam Baron so the Knicks pounced and got a starting PG to play off the bench for scrubs. Nifty move by first year GM Chris Briggs.
Why for Cleveland:
As Sam Baron is quickly becoming the next Marlon Zinn the Cavs decided to trade Kimm while he still had trade value. Too bad the players they got back are sitting at 12th and 13th position on the depth chart and will go down the line when starting SG Matt Davis comes back from injury.
Winner – New York
Another deal that will keep them on top of the league.
Ouch, the Knicks got so much better and didn’t have to trade anything substantial away. On the subject of new bench staff there is a few recently retired players that have made the leap to coaching or the front office.
Kevin Garnett – 1st assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Damon Stoudamire – 2nd assistant with the Detroit Pistons
Steve Nash – General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers
Dan Dickau – 3rd assistant for the Phoenix Suns
Shareef Abdur-Rahim – 3rd assistant with the Sacramento Kings
Tim Duncan – General Manager of the Toronto Raptors
Jason Kidd – General Manager of the Washington Wizards
Sam Cassell – 2nd assistant of the Washington Wizards.
The first battle of March is a losing one, as we go down to Orlando 97-86 as we shoot 39% from the field. Marlon Zinn has been lighting it up all season and tonight was no different with 24 points and 10 assists, aided by bench man Anderson Varejao with 15 points and 11 rebounds. On our side Travis Randolph was the best with 20 points and 8 rebounds but took 18 shots which is terrible for a big man.
Detroit Pistons 41-18
We back that game up with a nail biting 2 point win over New York, 106-104. Travis Randolph made up for his poor shooting last game and had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists while Derrick Rose was close to his own triple double with 14 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 21 points while their superstar backcourt was held to only 32 points and 14 assists. They may sound like a lot but when they usually combine for 39 points and 13 assists it’s below their average.
Detroit Pistons 42-18
A game like that brings high confidence and we show how good we feel with a 115-89 thumping of the West leading Lakers. Evan Turner came with his A game in his pocket as he showed his skills for 30 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds while Derrick Rose had his back with 25 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds. On the losing side Matt Bailey has broken his finger and will be out for a month so Al Horford filled in and fouled out in 23 minutes.
Detroit Pistons 43-18
We fall back to Earth with a 102-87 thud as Orlando beat us again behind none other than Marlon Zinn who had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to make up for Blake Griffin’s 4/14 shooting. Derrick Rose had 23 points and Tiago Splitter and Travis Randolph had double doubles but we shot below 40% again.
Detroit Pistons 43-19
Travis Randolph is only a temporary solution at C as I am hoping that we either get the number one draft pick and get Chris Reese or someone will trade Reese for Randolph and our draft pick from Nevada.
In our game against Miami Orko shoots 1/10 for 6 points, Derrick Rose 4/12 and Evan Turner fouls out in only 19 minutes against Dwayne Wade. Yet we still won 91-83 as Travis Randolph goes bananas with 24 points, 18 rebounds and 13 blocks as he decimated the Heat frontline. Sam Dye led the Heat with 21 points on 22 shots. Unfortunately Tiago Splitter sprained his toe and will be out for two weeks so Ekpe Udoh gets the nod for the next game.
Detroit Pistons 44-19
Derrick Rose was close to a triple double with 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in our 101-81 win over Cleveland. Travis Randolph was a great second man with 29 points and 14 rebounds while the Cavs were held to an astonishing 32% from the field with Carmelo Anthony going 4/18 on the night. A statistic that made me happy was that Dex Floyd played only 16 minutes before fouling out trying to defend Randolph.
Detroit Pistons 45-19
Sacramento comes to town and was another team to be beaten by the Piston Crush 95-88. Travis Randolph is hitting his stride with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks while Derrick Rose and Evan Turner both doubled up. Tyreke Evans had 20 points but all starting Kings shot ATROCIOUSLY.
Detroit Pistons 46-19
It’s Derrick Rose’s turn to annihilate a team as we win over the Bulls by 112-97. Rose had 25 points, 16 assists and 6 rebounds while Orko bounced back with 20 points. Carlos Boozer had the best game for the Bulls with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Emmett Cooper had 14 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds from the SF spot.
Detroit Pistons 47-19
The next night we go to Chicago for a night out as we win the game in the second quarter as we went on a 37-13 streak to run out winners 101-87. I feel like a genius with my Travis Randolph trade as he comes up aces again with 17 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks while Ekpe Udoh had 15 points and 3 blocks off the bench. All five Bulls starters were in double figures but they shot 35% from the field.
Detroit Pistons 48-19
The Pistons are third in the league in opponents points per game at just over 95 points a game, with the Raptors (91.9) and Thunder (94.9) the only teams above us. The Raptors are also leading the league in points per game at 112 a game which puts their winning differential at 20.1 points a game. That’s right; the Raptors win their games by an average of 20 points. Mind blowing and I made that team. Opponent FG% is all ours though as we are holding our opponents to only 41% a game which brings back memories of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.
The Miami Heat shoot 36% from the field in our 86-73 suffocation with Derrick Rose winning player of the game with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. All of our starters were in double figures but it was a slow grind of a game which bored many fans. Sam Dye and Dwayne Wade combined for 22 points on 10/31 shooting which doomed them from the start.
Detroit Pistons 49-19
In the battle of the cellar dwellers Nevada pumped Utah 120-96 in a strange game. On the Neon, Jeff Brown had 26 points; Ted Ballinger had 30 points while Avgustin Leonov had 24 points of his own but on the Jazz it was all Darrin Finley, the rarely used third year man who shot 16/28 and 10/15 from downtown on his way to 42 points, as the only other player in double figures for the Jazz was bench big man Thomas Freeman with 11 points.
We play the Bulls for the third time in a week and we end up going 3-0 with a 114-98 beatdown behind none other than Travis Randolph who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. Derrick Rose shot 2/10 but dished out 15 assists as Tiago Splitter came back from injury with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jonny Flynn top scored for Chicago with 20 points but we won every quarter in an easy game.
Detroit Pistons 50-19
The Mavs have been superb this season but it didn’t stop us from being rude house guests in our 108-84 stomping of Dallas. Derrick Rose made mince meat of rookie Tahric Tahid with 27 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds while Orko was his Robin with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Lebron James did his best with 28 points but you don’t win many games scoring 84 points on 40% shooting.
Detroit Pistons 51-19
It’s the battle of the elite PGs with ours coming out on top as we beat Philadelphia 97-92 to push our winning streak to nine games. Derrick Rose had 14 points and 12 assists while Chris Paul matched him with 13 points and 13 assists. It was our front court who won it for us with Orko having 11 points, 11 rebounds, Tiago Splitter helping himself to 15 points and 11 rebounds but Travis Randolph stole the show again with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 9 blocks. Boroda Beketov paced the 76ers with 22 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out while Wesley Johnson had a game to forget with 5/21 shooting for only 15 points.
Detroit Pistons 52-19
Our streak is snapped with a 106-88 smacking by the hand of Washington. Dontonio Seymour was the first to strike with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Omer Asik has been the push they needed with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Travis Randolph and Tiago Splitter combined to shoot 6/25 for a total of 15 points while Derrick Rose tried to keep the game close with 29 points and 8 assists.
Detroit Pistons 52-20
In a game we shouldn’t lose we gang up on Utah for a 107-82 swatting as Travis Randolph notches up another triple double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks while Dirk Nowitzki shows he still has it at 38 years old with 15 points in only 17 minutes off the bench. #1 pick Roy Michaels was good with 17 points and 9 rebounds but he is having a little trouble with all the pressure on his shoulders. I’m sure next season he will break out and show how much potential he has inside of him.
Detroit Pistons 53-20
Urgh. I hate losing to bad teams but we did tonight with a 114-106 embarrassment to Cleveland. Reggie Young is filling into his promise with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Dex Floyd bounced back for 12 points and 11 rebounds while holding Travis Randolph to 4/14 shooting. Derrick Rose was our best with 24 points and 11 assists but had 7 turnovers.
Detroit Pistons 53-21
We have moved up to third place with the usuals still above us (Toronto 66-9, New York 57-16) with Philadelphia breathing down our necks at 50-21. Nevada is still keeping our pick high with a 17-57 record and is sitting last in the conference.
In the West the Lakers are finally playing as a team and are sitting on top with a 50-23 record while Dallas is only a game and a half behind. Utah hasn’t got a 10 wins yet at 9-62 with Seattle three games in front and have won more than last season already.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (18.7), Derrick Rose (16.9), Travis Randolph (15.5), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (10.2), Tiago Splitter (8.4), Yao Ming (5.7), Osmo Koslewski (4.8)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (8.4), Evan Turner (4.4), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.5)
League Top Points – Lebron James DAL (24.9), Kevin Durant OKC (24.4), Monta Ellis GSW (23.4), Marlon Zinn ORL (23.2)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (11.7), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.5), Dwight Howard TOR (10.5), Marc Gasol MEM (10.5)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.4), Chris Paul PHI (11.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.7), Deron Williams LAL (9.6)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.3), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.2), Travis Randolph DET (3.9), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.8)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.3), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Tyreke Evans SAC (2.0), Chris Paul PHI (1.9)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.1), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.0)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.8), Sam Baron CLE (14.5), Luther Marquis MIL (14.2), Jeremy Dixon DEN (12.4)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.4), Kenny Leith PHI (5.5), Damon Alexander SEA (5.3), Emmanuel Card GSW (4.5)
Rookie Top Assists – Sam Baron CLE (5.6), Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.2)
Fourth and last round of draft prospects (previous rank in brackets) –
1 (1) – C Chris Reese (Baylor) Sophomore
Averages 27.5 points and 17.1 rebounds a game and will be picked number one in this coming draft unless the general manager wants to get fired.
2 (NR) – PG Rickie Seegars (Mississippi State) Freshman
At the start of the season people were saying that Seegars was a SG pretending to be a PG but as time went on his assist numbers were steadily going up and his turnovers were slowing going down.
3 (5) – SF JaRon Layton (Connecticut) Freshman
Has shown that he can battle with bigger SFs and has displayed a knack for grabbing big rebounds.
4 (3) – PF Germaine Hayden (Pepperdine) Junior
Is dropping down the board because of Pepperdine’s weak opponents and his shooting is iffy at best. He looks to get most of his points off put backs and passes in the key.
5 (2) – PF Sarath Cardinal (Saint John’s) Freshman
His erratic play has worried some scouts but the talent is definitely there and will bring over a billion fans to the team who drafts him. Look for politics to be a part of his selection.
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:13 am
March Awards:
Player of the Month:
Lebron James, Dallas Mavericks – 28.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
We have eight games to on the season and are 12.5 games behind Toronto for first so we won’t be getting home court advantage throughout the season, however New York are only five games in front so if all goes to play we can snatch the second seed from them.
Game one is a 108-99 road win over Washington as all of our starters were in double figures (plus George Hill) with Evan Turner leading the way with 24 points and 6 rebounds. John Wall played well again Derrick Rose, having 15 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds while Michael Nicholson doubled up as well.
Detroit Pistons 54-21
The next night we bowled over Seattle 111-92 in a very comfortable win with Derrick Rose taking the reins tonight with 18 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds while Yao Ming had 18 points and 8 rebounds off the bench as Travis Randolph was hampered by fouls. Rookie Damon Alexander displayed great poise on his way to 21 points and 8 rebounds but his defense looks terribly and has earned the nickname ‘Damon Way-areyou? As a play on the actor Damon Wayans’ name. I know, not very good but bad nicknames stick sometimes.
Detroit Pistons 55-21
Every statistic leader in our 107-93 win over Denver was a Piston.
Points – Evan Turner: 22
Rebounds – Travis Randolph: 14
Assists – Derrick Rose: 9
Blocks – Travis Randolph/Tiago Splitter: 3
Steals – Travis Randolph: 3
Those numbers alone should show our dominance over the Nuggets with Jarrett Omara having a poor night with only 7 points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 56-21
One of our biggest tests came the next night as we went into Los Angeles with a date with the Lakers. Luckily for us the date went well as our biggest lead was a massive 42 points in our 122-80 routing of the Western Conference leaders. Derrick Rose led the way with 29 points as we held LA to a paltry 32% from the field. Matt Bailey toyed with Travis Randolph all night for 28 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks while shooting 20 free throws (making 14) while Randolph was fouled out in only 15 minutes with 2 points to his name.
Detroit Pistons 57-21
Monta Ellis is the hero with 26 points and a last second three pointer as the Warriors break our hopes of getting that second seed with a 93-92 nail biter. Ex-Piston Josh Smith had 11 points and 3 blocks off the bench but I caught up to him after the game and he is still not happy coming off the bench. I don’t blame him as he is still only 31 years old and can contribute to a team. On our side Travis Randolph had 20 points and 10 rebounds but we couldn’t keep up with their run and gun play.
Detroit Pistons 57-22
We take our anger out on Phoenix, blasting them 104-79 in a textbook defensive display. Evan Turner and Orko led the way scoring wise with 21 and 20 points respectively but to keep All Star Nikolos Bocharkov to only 2/11 shooting and the whole Suns team to 28% is magnificent.
Detroit Pistons 58-22
The next night it was a matchup of New York and Utah as the Knicks got out to a 58 point lead before winning 134-79 in front of a home crowd. They shot 62% from the field and 11/19 (58%) from three point land. The sad part is that the Jazz don’t have their upcoming pick because they traded it to Toronto for Roy Michaels, who shot 5/18 for 13 points and 9 rebounds in this game.
Cleveland were no match for us in our 121-97 pasting as Carmelo Anthony was the only Cavalier over 13 points with 36 points. On our side Orko was the only Piston BELOW 13 points as Derrick Rose led the way with 29 points and 8 assists with Tiago Splitter backing him up with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 59-22
Win number sixty comes in our last game of the season as we roll the Sharks 114-70 on the back of a 70-28 first half with six of our players in double figure points with George Hill being the best, scoring 18 points in only 18 minutes off the bench. Honolulu shot 30% with Adam Holley being the best of a bad bunch with 13 points. For some reason the Sharks attempted 38 three pointers, connecting on only 11 of those shots.
Detroit Pistons 60-22
Philadelphia 132 – Portland 67. Read the score line again. The 76ers won by 65 points, nearly as much as Portland scored for the whole game. Another amazing statistic – Joe Johnson scored 29 points on 12/16 shooting in only 17 minutes off the bench. If he kept that going for a whole 48 minutes he would have scored 82 points, beating Kobe Bryant’s mark in 2006.
Here are the final regular season standings –
Eastern Conference:
1st – Toronto Raptors – 72-10 (.878)
2nd – New York Knicks – 64-18 (.780)
3rd – Detroit Pistons – 60-22 (.732)
4th – Philadelphia 76ers – 59-23 (.720)
5th – Memphis Grizzlies – 57-25 (.695)
6th – New Jersey Nets – 53-29 (.646)
7th – Orlando Magic – 52-30 (.634)
8th – Boston Celtics – 45-37 (.549)
Last – Nevada Neon – 19-63 (.232)
Another seven teams with over 50 wins which means that the team who wins this conference will probably win the title. Nevada has the third worst record in the league which is great for our lottery chances.
Western Conference:
1st – Dallas Mavericks – 58-24 (.707)
2nd – Los Angeles Lakers – 58-24 (.707)
3rd – Portland Trailblazers – 47-35 (.573)
4th – Oklahoma City Thunder – 45-37 (.549)
5th – Golden State Warriors – 44-38 (.537)
6th – Los Angeles Clippers – 43-39 (.524)
7th – Denver Nuggets – 43-39 (.524)
8th – Minnesota Timberwolves – 42-40 (.512)
Last – Utah Jazz – 10-72 (.122)
The West is so bad that the Washington Wizards who were left out of the playoffs in the East with a 45-37 record would have been equal fourth in the West.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (18.6), Derrick Rose (17.1), Travis Randolph (15.3), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (10.2), Tiago Splitter (8.4), Yao Ming (5.7), Osmo Koslewski (4.7)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (8.5), Evan Turner (4.3), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.6)
League Top Points – Lebron James DAL (25.5), Kevin Durant OKC (23.7), Monta Ellis GSW (23.1), Marlon Zinn ORL (22.9)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (12.0), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.3), Marc Gasol MEM (10.7), Dwight Howard TOR (10.5)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.5), Chris Paul PHI (11.3), Deron Williams LAL (9.6), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.5)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.4), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.1), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.9), Travis Randolph DET (3.8)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.2), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Chris Paul PHI (1.9), Tyreke Evans SAC (1.9)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.3), Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.1), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.9), Sam Baron CLE (14.5), Luther Marquis MIL (14.1), Jeremy Dixon DEN (12.4)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.3), Kenny Leith PHI (5.6), Damon Alexander SEA (5.2), Darrell Hoiberg HOU (5.1)
Rookie Top Assists – Sam Baron CLE (5.7), Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.0)
Player of the Month:
Lebron James, Dallas Mavericks – 28.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Rookie of the Month:
Jarrett Omara, Denver Nuggets – 11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
We have eight games to on the season and are 12.5 games behind Toronto for first so we won’t be getting home court advantage throughout the season, however New York are only five games in front so if all goes to play we can snatch the second seed from them.
Game one is a 108-99 road win over Washington as all of our starters were in double figures (plus George Hill) with Evan Turner leading the way with 24 points and 6 rebounds. John Wall played well again Derrick Rose, having 15 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds while Michael Nicholson doubled up as well.
Detroit Pistons 54-21
The next night we bowled over Seattle 111-92 in a very comfortable win with Derrick Rose taking the reins tonight with 18 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds while Yao Ming had 18 points and 8 rebounds off the bench as Travis Randolph was hampered by fouls. Rookie Damon Alexander displayed great poise on his way to 21 points and 8 rebounds but his defense looks terribly and has earned the nickname ‘Damon Way-areyou? As a play on the actor Damon Wayans’ name. I know, not very good but bad nicknames stick sometimes.
Detroit Pistons 55-21
Every statistic leader in our 107-93 win over Denver was a Piston.
Points – Evan Turner: 22
Rebounds – Travis Randolph: 14
Assists – Derrick Rose: 9
Blocks – Travis Randolph/Tiago Splitter: 3
Steals – Travis Randolph: 3
Those numbers alone should show our dominance over the Nuggets with Jarrett Omara having a poor night with only 7 points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 56-21
One of our biggest tests came the next night as we went into Los Angeles with a date with the Lakers. Luckily for us the date went well as our biggest lead was a massive 42 points in our 122-80 routing of the Western Conference leaders. Derrick Rose led the way with 29 points as we held LA to a paltry 32% from the field. Matt Bailey toyed with Travis Randolph all night for 28 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks while shooting 20 free throws (making 14) while Randolph was fouled out in only 15 minutes with 2 points to his name.
Detroit Pistons 57-21
Monta Ellis is the hero with 26 points and a last second three pointer as the Warriors break our hopes of getting that second seed with a 93-92 nail biter. Ex-Piston Josh Smith had 11 points and 3 blocks off the bench but I caught up to him after the game and he is still not happy coming off the bench. I don’t blame him as he is still only 31 years old and can contribute to a team. On our side Travis Randolph had 20 points and 10 rebounds but we couldn’t keep up with their run and gun play.
Detroit Pistons 57-22
We take our anger out on Phoenix, blasting them 104-79 in a textbook defensive display. Evan Turner and Orko led the way scoring wise with 21 and 20 points respectively but to keep All Star Nikolos Bocharkov to only 2/11 shooting and the whole Suns team to 28% is magnificent.
Detroit Pistons 58-22
The next night it was a matchup of New York and Utah as the Knicks got out to a 58 point lead before winning 134-79 in front of a home crowd. They shot 62% from the field and 11/19 (58%) from three point land. The sad part is that the Jazz don’t have their upcoming pick because they traded it to Toronto for Roy Michaels, who shot 5/18 for 13 points and 9 rebounds in this game.
Cleveland were no match for us in our 121-97 pasting as Carmelo Anthony was the only Cavalier over 13 points with 36 points. On our side Orko was the only Piston BELOW 13 points as Derrick Rose led the way with 29 points and 8 assists with Tiago Splitter backing him up with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 59-22
Win number sixty comes in our last game of the season as we roll the Sharks 114-70 on the back of a 70-28 first half with six of our players in double figure points with George Hill being the best, scoring 18 points in only 18 minutes off the bench. Honolulu shot 30% with Adam Holley being the best of a bad bunch with 13 points. For some reason the Sharks attempted 38 three pointers, connecting on only 11 of those shots.
Detroit Pistons 60-22
Philadelphia 132 – Portland 67. Read the score line again. The 76ers won by 65 points, nearly as much as Portland scored for the whole game. Another amazing statistic – Joe Johnson scored 29 points on 12/16 shooting in only 17 minutes off the bench. If he kept that going for a whole 48 minutes he would have scored 82 points, beating Kobe Bryant’s mark in 2006.
Here are the final regular season standings –
Eastern Conference:
1st – Toronto Raptors – 72-10 (.878)
2nd – New York Knicks – 64-18 (.780)
3rd – Detroit Pistons – 60-22 (.732)
4th – Philadelphia 76ers – 59-23 (.720)
5th – Memphis Grizzlies – 57-25 (.695)
6th – New Jersey Nets – 53-29 (.646)
7th – Orlando Magic – 52-30 (.634)
8th – Boston Celtics – 45-37 (.549)
Last – Nevada Neon – 19-63 (.232)
Another seven teams with over 50 wins which means that the team who wins this conference will probably win the title. Nevada has the third worst record in the league which is great for our lottery chances.
Western Conference:
1st – Dallas Mavericks – 58-24 (.707)
2nd – Los Angeles Lakers – 58-24 (.707)
3rd – Portland Trailblazers – 47-35 (.573)
4th – Oklahoma City Thunder – 45-37 (.549)
5th – Golden State Warriors – 44-38 (.537)
6th – Los Angeles Clippers – 43-39 (.524)
7th – Denver Nuggets – 43-39 (.524)
8th – Minnesota Timberwolves – 42-40 (.512)
Last – Utah Jazz – 10-72 (.122)
The West is so bad that the Washington Wizards who were left out of the playoffs in the East with a 45-37 record would have been equal fourth in the West.
Detroit Top Points – Evan Turner (18.6), Derrick Rose (17.1), Travis Randolph (15.3), Osmo Koslewski (14.4)
Detroit Top Rebounds – Travis Randolph (10.2), Tiago Splitter (8.4), Yao Ming (5.7), Osmo Koslewski (4.7)
Detroit Top Assists – Derrick Rose (8.5), Evan Turner (4.3), Osmo Koslewski (1.9), George Hill (1.6)
League Top Points – Lebron James DAL (25.5), Kevin Durant OKC (23.7), Monta Ellis GSW (23.1), Marlon Zinn ORL (22.9)
League Top Rebounds – Matt Bailey LAL (12.0), Andrew Bogut LAC (11.3), Marc Gasol MEM (10.7), Dwight Howard TOR (10.5)
League Top Assists – Rajon Rondo TOR (11.5), Chris Paul PHI (11.3), Deron Williams LAL (9.6), Russell Westbrook OKC (9.5)
League Top Blocks – Darrell Holtz MEM (4.4), Justin Cabrera NOH (4.1), Andrew Bogut LAC (3.9), Travis Randolph DET (3.8)
League Top Steals – Sam Dye MIA (2.2), Monta Ellis GSW (2.2), Chris Paul PHI (1.9), Tyreke Evans SAC (1.9)
League Top Turnovers – Vlasi Kazapov LAC (4.3), Russell Westbrook OKC (4.3), Boleslav Silajdic HOU (4.1), Jonny Flynn CHI (4.1)
Rookie Top Points – Sapir Ruffin HON (17.9), Sam Baron CLE (14.5), Luther Marquis MIL (14.1), Jeremy Dixon DEN (12.4)
Rookie Top Rebounds – Jarrett Omara DEN (7.3), Kenny Leith PHI (5.6), Damon Alexander SEA (5.2), Darrell Hoiberg HOU (5.1)
Rookie Top Assists – Sam Baron CLE (5.7), Danny Gilmore IND (5.3), Al Jackson DAL (4.3), Jeremy Dixon DEN (3.0)
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:04 am
2018 NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #8 Boston
#2 New York vs. #7 Orlando
#3 Detroit vs. #6 New Jersey
#4 Philadelphia vs. #5 Memphis
Western Conference:
#1 Dallas vs. #8 Minnesota
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #7 Denver
#3 Portland vs. #6 Los Angeles Clippers
#4 Oklahoma City vs. #5 Golden State
Our series was split with the Nets at 2-2 and they match up well with us but I’m hoping that the acquisition of Travis Randolph will put us over the hump.
Eastern Conference First Round: New Jersey vs. Detroit
Point Guard
Devin Harris vs. Derrick Rose
12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists vs. 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists
Rose is the Pistons’ leader on and off the court and after his slow start with injury he has brought this team together and has wrangled the, for a better word, crazy Travis Randolph to play team basketball for the time being. Harris is a decent point guard with solid defensive skills but he will have his hands full with Rose.
Winner - Detroit
Shooting Guard
Gilbert Arenas vs. Evan Turner
15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists vs. 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Another tough cover for the Nets as Arenas has lost a step at 35 years old as well as being three inches shorter and will not being to stay in front of the All NBA player.
Winner - Detroit
Small Forward
Tengiz Davidov vs. Osmo Koslewski
12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists vs. 14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Although Davidov is a terrible person his basketball skills are undeniable. He is a fantastic inside/outside scorer with passable defense. ‘Orko’ as he is known in Detroit, Koslewski has oodles of potential to be a top 10 player in the league but at this moment in time he is on par with Davidov.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Derrick Favors vs. Tiago Splitter
15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists vs. 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
The two rocks of the both teams as Favors and Splitter have played every game for their respectively clubs and have held the wheel when the seas have been rough. One statistic that is not shown is that Favors blocks 3.7 shots a game which puts him sixth in the league and loves to make the big defensive play.
Winner – New Jersey
Centre
Brook Lopez vs. Travis Randolph
16.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists vs. 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists
The matchup that should determine the series as whoever gets away from their opponent can run amok with the basketball. The Piston gets the nod because of his superb defensive skills.
Winner - Detroit
Bench
Damion James, Mo Williams, Joshua Potter vs. Yao Ming, Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki
It’s the young brigade versus the grey squad as New Jersey’s bench should be able to run and gun while the Detroit bench are more experienced and well rounded.
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Detroit in five.
The battle between the two starting power forwards was the difference in this game with Tiago Splitter notching up 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks but Derrick Favors topped that with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks to help New Jersey stun our Piston crowd with a 94-89 win to lead the series. Brook Lopez demolished Travis Randolph with 22 points and 18 rebounds to Randolph’s 7 points and 5 blocks. Our backcourt tried their hardest, combining for 42 points but Favors and Lopez were on a whole other level to us mortals.
New Jersey leads 1-0
Before the game Kobe Bryant ripped into our team and called them soft for the way they didn’t stand up to the Favors onslaught and the speech worked as we blasted the Nets 108-84 with Derrick Rose taking the lead with 29 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in a fantastic all around game. Favors and Lopez were held to a combined 19 points and 21 rebounds on 7/19 shooting. Evan Turner was a great running mate for Rose with 23 points and 9 rebounds to make up for Travis Randolph’s poor performance again with 13 points on 13 shots.
Series tied 1-1
The New Jersey crowd could feel the upset and their team fed off that as they took a 2-1 series lead with a 106-93 win which the score was more complementary towards us as the game was a blowout. Brook Lopez was the best with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while one of the Nets guards stepped up in Gilbert Arenas with 21 points. Orko got away from Tengiz Davidov with 20 points in his first showing of the series while Derrick Rose was held to only 2/11 shooting for 6 points. I have the same feeling as I did in 2013 as my then 70-12 Raptors lost to the eighth seed Bulls in the first round.
New Jersey leads 2-1
I’m really worried now that we lose again, 105-98 to go down 3-1 in the series. Brook Lopez and Derrick Favors combined for an unheard of 47 points, 25 rebounds and 8 blocks compared to our front line of 30 points, 15 rebounds and 11 fouls. Urgh, I’m not happy with this team at the moment and I’m afraid that we might not get out of this series.
New Jersey leads 3-1
There was only one sweep with #2 Lakers squashed the #7 Nuggets in four games.
Going back to Detroit is soothing for the soul with our 94-81 win to claw back into this series behind Tiago Splitter’s 15 points and 15 rebounds as well as Travis Randolph shooting poorly for 7 points, 10 rebounds and 9 blocks. Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant sustain injuries which will deplete our bench stocks Gilbert Arenas had 34 points for the Nets while Brook Lopez shot 3/19 for only 9 points which is the polar opposite of his last game.
New Jersey leads 3-2
#1 Toronto takes care of #8 Boston in five games as they are looking primed for a fourth consecutive championship.
The city of New Jersey is ready for this to finish here. They don’t want to go back to Detroit, they want our blood in this game. Brook Lopez had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks while Damion James scores 23 points in 29 minutes for the Nets. Unfortunately for them Derrick Rose didn’t want to finish his season just yet with 23 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as we hold the Nets to 39% shooting in our series tying 106-93 win. We had seven players in double figures including the injured Kobe Bryant with 12 points in only 15 minutes off the bench. That feeling I had two games ago? Gone, and I’m expecting a series winning game back in Michigan.
Series tied 3-3
There were three series ending in six games, and all won by the underdog. #5 Memphis upset #4 Philadelphia as well as the same seeded Golden State upending Oklahoma City. The biggest surprise - #8 Minnesota taking out the Western Conference one seed Dallas with Lebron James being held to only 11.8 points a game in the series on 36% field goals. Ouch.
Speaking of field goals, Travis Randolph is shooting an embarrassing 31.5% from the field for his 11.5 points a game. As you might have already guessed, he will not be coming back to Detroit next season.
There is only so much one person can do as Brook Lopez showed tonight, as the centre had 35 points and 17 rebounds in a fanastic display of skill. Too bad the rest of the team shot 35% from the field as we eliminate the Nets 106-96 and my heart still hasn’t recovered. Orko was wonderful with 26 points and 5 rebounds while Evan Turner took out Gilbert Arenas with 22 points of his own. Phew, we dodged a bullet tonight but we can’t rest on this game and regroup for the next series.
Detroit wins series 4-3
In the other series, the Clippers took care of Portland but not without some scares as they won their game seven 117-110 in overtime as Andrew Bogut took the game over with 20 points, 23 rebounds and 7 blocks to nullify Brandon Roy’s 35 points. #2 New York finished off Orlando with a 115-100 win in spite of Marlon Zinn’s 27 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds. Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Amar’e Stoudemire all scored over 20 points to lead the way.
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #8 Boston
#2 New York vs. #7 Orlando
#3 Detroit vs. #6 New Jersey
#4 Philadelphia vs. #5 Memphis
Western Conference:
#1 Dallas vs. #8 Minnesota
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #7 Denver
#3 Portland vs. #6 Los Angeles Clippers
#4 Oklahoma City vs. #5 Golden State
Our series was split with the Nets at 2-2 and they match up well with us but I’m hoping that the acquisition of Travis Randolph will put us over the hump.
Eastern Conference First Round: New Jersey vs. Detroit
Point Guard
Devin Harris vs. Derrick Rose
12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists vs. 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists
Rose is the Pistons’ leader on and off the court and after his slow start with injury he has brought this team together and has wrangled the, for a better word, crazy Travis Randolph to play team basketball for the time being. Harris is a decent point guard with solid defensive skills but he will have his hands full with Rose.
Winner - Detroit
Shooting Guard
Gilbert Arenas vs. Evan Turner
15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists vs. 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Another tough cover for the Nets as Arenas has lost a step at 35 years old as well as being three inches shorter and will not being to stay in front of the All NBA player.
Winner - Detroit
Small Forward
Tengiz Davidov vs. Osmo Koslewski
12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists vs. 14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Although Davidov is a terrible person his basketball skills are undeniable. He is a fantastic inside/outside scorer with passable defense. ‘Orko’ as he is known in Detroit, Koslewski has oodles of potential to be a top 10 player in the league but at this moment in time he is on par with Davidov.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Derrick Favors vs. Tiago Splitter
15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists vs. 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
The two rocks of the both teams as Favors and Splitter have played every game for their respectively clubs and have held the wheel when the seas have been rough. One statistic that is not shown is that Favors blocks 3.7 shots a game which puts him sixth in the league and loves to make the big defensive play.
Winner – New Jersey
Centre
Brook Lopez vs. Travis Randolph
16.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists vs. 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists
The matchup that should determine the series as whoever gets away from their opponent can run amok with the basketball. The Piston gets the nod because of his superb defensive skills.
Winner - Detroit
Bench
Damion James, Mo Williams, Joshua Potter vs. Yao Ming, Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki
It’s the young brigade versus the grey squad as New Jersey’s bench should be able to run and gun while the Detroit bench are more experienced and well rounded.
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Detroit in five.
The battle between the two starting power forwards was the difference in this game with Tiago Splitter notching up 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks but Derrick Favors topped that with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks to help New Jersey stun our Piston crowd with a 94-89 win to lead the series. Brook Lopez demolished Travis Randolph with 22 points and 18 rebounds to Randolph’s 7 points and 5 blocks. Our backcourt tried their hardest, combining for 42 points but Favors and Lopez were on a whole other level to us mortals.
New Jersey leads 1-0
Before the game Kobe Bryant ripped into our team and called them soft for the way they didn’t stand up to the Favors onslaught and the speech worked as we blasted the Nets 108-84 with Derrick Rose taking the lead with 29 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in a fantastic all around game. Favors and Lopez were held to a combined 19 points and 21 rebounds on 7/19 shooting. Evan Turner was a great running mate for Rose with 23 points and 9 rebounds to make up for Travis Randolph’s poor performance again with 13 points on 13 shots.
Series tied 1-1
The New Jersey crowd could feel the upset and their team fed off that as they took a 2-1 series lead with a 106-93 win which the score was more complementary towards us as the game was a blowout. Brook Lopez was the best with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while one of the Nets guards stepped up in Gilbert Arenas with 21 points. Orko got away from Tengiz Davidov with 20 points in his first showing of the series while Derrick Rose was held to only 2/11 shooting for 6 points. I have the same feeling as I did in 2013 as my then 70-12 Raptors lost to the eighth seed Bulls in the first round.
New Jersey leads 2-1
I’m really worried now that we lose again, 105-98 to go down 3-1 in the series. Brook Lopez and Derrick Favors combined for an unheard of 47 points, 25 rebounds and 8 blocks compared to our front line of 30 points, 15 rebounds and 11 fouls. Urgh, I’m not happy with this team at the moment and I’m afraid that we might not get out of this series.
New Jersey leads 3-1
There was only one sweep with #2 Lakers squashed the #7 Nuggets in four games.
Going back to Detroit is soothing for the soul with our 94-81 win to claw back into this series behind Tiago Splitter’s 15 points and 15 rebounds as well as Travis Randolph shooting poorly for 7 points, 10 rebounds and 9 blocks. Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant sustain injuries which will deplete our bench stocks Gilbert Arenas had 34 points for the Nets while Brook Lopez shot 3/19 for only 9 points which is the polar opposite of his last game.
New Jersey leads 3-2
#1 Toronto takes care of #8 Boston in five games as they are looking primed for a fourth consecutive championship.
The city of New Jersey is ready for this to finish here. They don’t want to go back to Detroit, they want our blood in this game. Brook Lopez had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks while Damion James scores 23 points in 29 minutes for the Nets. Unfortunately for them Derrick Rose didn’t want to finish his season just yet with 23 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as we hold the Nets to 39% shooting in our series tying 106-93 win. We had seven players in double figures including the injured Kobe Bryant with 12 points in only 15 minutes off the bench. That feeling I had two games ago? Gone, and I’m expecting a series winning game back in Michigan.
Series tied 3-3
There were three series ending in six games, and all won by the underdog. #5 Memphis upset #4 Philadelphia as well as the same seeded Golden State upending Oklahoma City. The biggest surprise - #8 Minnesota taking out the Western Conference one seed Dallas with Lebron James being held to only 11.8 points a game in the series on 36% field goals. Ouch.
Speaking of field goals, Travis Randolph is shooting an embarrassing 31.5% from the field for his 11.5 points a game. As you might have already guessed, he will not be coming back to Detroit next season.
There is only so much one person can do as Brook Lopez showed tonight, as the centre had 35 points and 17 rebounds in a fanastic display of skill. Too bad the rest of the team shot 35% from the field as we eliminate the Nets 106-96 and my heart still hasn’t recovered. Orko was wonderful with 26 points and 5 rebounds while Evan Turner took out Gilbert Arenas with 22 points of his own. Phew, we dodged a bullet tonight but we can’t rest on this game and regroup for the next series.
Detroit wins series 4-3
In the other series, the Clippers took care of Portland but not without some scares as they won their game seven 117-110 in overtime as Andrew Bogut took the game over with 20 points, 23 rebounds and 7 blocks to nullify Brandon Roy’s 35 points. #2 New York finished off Orlando with a 115-100 win in spite of Marlon Zinn’s 27 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds. Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Amar’e Stoudemire all scored over 20 points to lead the way.
- zike_42
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by zike_42 » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:54 am
cyrisnyte wrote:Was a nail biter for Detroit. Looking forward to seeing the next round!
When we won it wasn't so much relief but 'about time' sort of thing as I was sure the series was going to be a cake walk so when we got 3-1 down I was really angry at the team. They must have heard me through the computer screen.
- zike_42
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by zike_42 » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:59 am
2018 NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #5 Memphis
#2 New York vs. #3 Detroit
Western Conference:
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #6 Los Angeles Clippers
#5 Golden State vs. #8 Minnesota
We split the series 2-2 but the Knicks were right up there with the Raptors this year so to start with we need a road win as well as holding serve with our home games. It’s a tough cover but if we click then I think we have a real shot at causing the upset.
Eastern Conference Semi Finals Detroit vs. New York
Point Guard
Derrick Rose vs. Varlam Bebutov
19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists vs. 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists
The reason that Bebutov had such a poor series is because he went up against the Marlon Zinn buzzsaw and came out on the wrong end. Rose isn’t as good as Zinn but he was outstanding in bringing the Pistons back from the dead against New Jersey. Look for this battle to be a key one.
Winner - Draw
Shooting Guard
Evan Turner vs. Raymond Felton
17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists vs. 29.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Felton was, simply, on fire against Orlando with four games over 30 points and another one with 29. Turner will give him headaches as he is six inches taller than Felton and will make him play defense.
Winner – New York
Small Forward
Osmo Koslewski vs. Danilo Gallinari
17.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists vs. 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Gallinari was another Knick that was subpar as he shot a shade over 40% from the field in that series. Orko stepped up his game late in the previous series so look for his confidence to grow if he can get a string of quality games under his belt.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Tiago Splitter vs. Kelvin Rivers
14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists vs. 3.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Rivers will split his time at PF with Marlon Sanden who is actually playing more minutes than the ex-Piston. Look for Rivers to come out firing after the Pistons dumped him earlier in his career. Splitter should have an easier job against Rivers than he did with the fantastic defender in Derrick Favors.
Winner - Detroit
Centre
Travis Randolph vs. Amar’e Stoudemire
10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists vs. 15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Randolph was utter embarrassed by Brook Lopez and he will be out for revenge against the poorer defender in Stoudemire. Add to the equation that Randolph is averaging 5.4 blocks per game in the playoffs and the Knicks should be worried about this matchup.
Winner - Detroit
Bench
Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant vs. Marlon Sande, Clark Kimm, DeMar DeRozan
Two of the three prominent bench players for the Knicks were picked up in shrewd trades at the deadline and should help the Knicks more than if they weren’t there. For the Pistons, Yao Ming is nursing a knee injury and will be ineffective for most of the series which will hurt the chances of Detroit’s bench.
Winner – New York
Prediction – New York in six.
Game one can be described in one word: barnburner. Danilo Gallinari was the best for the Knicks with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks as the Knicks draw first blood with a 123-115 win that seemed to be stuck in fast forward. Raymond Felton continued his fine form with 29 poitns and Varlam Bebutov shot badly for 21 points and 9 assists. On our side, Tiago Splitter and Travis Randolph combined for 40 points, 20 rebounds and 8 blocks and shockingly we outshot them 52% to 44% but they hit 8/18 three pointers to our 0/4.
New York leads 1-0
Travis Randolph put his crazy to good use with 32 points, 17 rebounds and 8 blocks but we still lose 112-105 as Raymond Felton is putting Evan Turner to the sword with 31 points. We just can’t win when we turn the ball over 20 times as Orko had seven of them in a forgetful game. We outshoot them again which really grinds my gears and we need to stay with them and play our game instead of reacting to their gameplan.
New York leads 2-0
Coming back to Detroit is usually good but when the Knicks take a 28-16 first quarter lead all the hype went out of the building. It staying like that until we went on a 39-19 fourth quarter charge to force overtime, but unfortunately New York pushed past us 15-8 in the extra time to take a commanding 3-0 lead with a 113-106 win. Danilo Gallinari was again on fire with 27 points and 10 rebounds while Raymond Felton and Varlam Bebutov both scored over 20 points. Travis Randolph put his hand up for us with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks but fouled out in the fourth quarter. So did Derrick Rose who had a terrible game with 8 points and 5 assists on 4/13 shooting which is not the game we need from our captain.
New York leads 3-0
The Detroit crowd is just hoping for a win to not get swept, and luckily the team answers the call with a 110-90 win to send it back to New York. Travis Randolph continued his fine form with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks while Orko got the best of Gallinari with 26 points of his own. Varlam Bebutov, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kelvin Rivers all doubled up but when a team shoots 36% from the field they rarely win the game.
New York leads 3-1
#5 Golden State end #8 Minnesota’s fairytale run with a 4-0 sweep which the rest of the series’ are all at 3-1.
Going into New York is always hard but when the team is on the brink of moving onto the Conference Finals they are downright obnoxious. See if you can guess which team is which in these quarter splits –
1st – 34-10
2nd – 30-42
3rd – 15-20
4th – 28-21
Give up? Luckily for us we were on top as we send the series back to Detroit with a 107-93 win behind Orko’s 28 points and Travis Randolph’s 22 points and 6 blocks. If it wasn’t for his awful attitude Randolph would be one of the best, if not the best centre in the league, and that is counting Matt Bailey and Dwight Howard. For the Knicks, Amar’e Stoudemire has his best game for the series with 21 points and 19 rebounds while Varlam Bebutov top scores for New York with 22 points on 19 shots.
New York leads 3-2
The other two series are finished with #1 Toronto stamps out #5 Memphis 4-1 while #2 Lakers take the LA crown by eliminating the #6 Clippers by the same margin. That means that our series is the only one to go to six games.
Detroit is pumped. The whole state of Michigan is pumped. And I’m pretty sure that everyone outside of the state of New York is pumped for us to send the series to seven games. Unfortunately for them the Knicks got out to a 24 point lead in the third term and I saw a few people head for the exits. Unfortunately for those people, Evan Turner and Tiago Splitter decided that they weren’t finished fighting and put on a 35-22 fourth quarter practically by themselves to snatch the win with a 113-112 heart stopper. Turner had 27 points while Splitter backed him up with 20 points and 12 rebounds for himself while Derrick Rose kept them well fed with 17 assists. Danilo Gallinari did much of the early damage with 38 points on 9/18 three pointers but couldn’t get any help from his teammates, especially their backcourt who shot 10/26 for only 27 points between Felton and Bebutov.
Series tied 3-3
As this is the last series alive the whole world is tuned into this last game and are wondering if we can do the unthinkable and win two series while being down 3-1 at one stage in the contest. Good for us is that we get out to a 23 point lead to win the series 128-115 to create a dream matchup with Toronto. Derrick Rose was the hero with 28 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds while Tiago Splitter having 26 points while newly healthy Yao Ming came up big for the bench with 11 points and 4 rebounds in only 20 minutes. Gallinari had 33 points for the Knicks but shot 11/25 from the field while Varlam Bebutov had 22 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds to try and stay with Rose. My heart starts again after we get to our hotel and I can relax and watch the replay on Sportscenter because for the most of it the game is just one big blur. Up next, my old team Toronto.
Detroit wins series 4-3
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #5 Memphis
#2 New York vs. #3 Detroit
Western Conference:
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #6 Los Angeles Clippers
#5 Golden State vs. #8 Minnesota
We split the series 2-2 but the Knicks were right up there with the Raptors this year so to start with we need a road win as well as holding serve with our home games. It’s a tough cover but if we click then I think we have a real shot at causing the upset.
Eastern Conference Semi Finals Detroit vs. New York
Point Guard
Derrick Rose vs. Varlam Bebutov
19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists vs. 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists
The reason that Bebutov had such a poor series is because he went up against the Marlon Zinn buzzsaw and came out on the wrong end. Rose isn’t as good as Zinn but he was outstanding in bringing the Pistons back from the dead against New Jersey. Look for this battle to be a key one.
Winner - Draw
Shooting Guard
Evan Turner vs. Raymond Felton
17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists vs. 29.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Felton was, simply, on fire against Orlando with four games over 30 points and another one with 29. Turner will give him headaches as he is six inches taller than Felton and will make him play defense.
Winner – New York
Small Forward
Osmo Koslewski vs. Danilo Gallinari
17.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists vs. 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Gallinari was another Knick that was subpar as he shot a shade over 40% from the field in that series. Orko stepped up his game late in the previous series so look for his confidence to grow if he can get a string of quality games under his belt.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Tiago Splitter vs. Kelvin Rivers
14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists vs. 3.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Rivers will split his time at PF with Marlon Sanden who is actually playing more minutes than the ex-Piston. Look for Rivers to come out firing after the Pistons dumped him earlier in his career. Splitter should have an easier job against Rivers than he did with the fantastic defender in Derrick Favors.
Winner - Detroit
Centre
Travis Randolph vs. Amar’e Stoudemire
10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists vs. 15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Randolph was utter embarrassed by Brook Lopez and he will be out for revenge against the poorer defender in Stoudemire. Add to the equation that Randolph is averaging 5.4 blocks per game in the playoffs and the Knicks should be worried about this matchup.
Winner - Detroit
Bench
Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant vs. Marlon Sande, Clark Kimm, DeMar DeRozan
Two of the three prominent bench players for the Knicks were picked up in shrewd trades at the deadline and should help the Knicks more than if they weren’t there. For the Pistons, Yao Ming is nursing a knee injury and will be ineffective for most of the series which will hurt the chances of Detroit’s bench.
Winner – New York
Prediction – New York in six.
Game one can be described in one word: barnburner. Danilo Gallinari was the best for the Knicks with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks as the Knicks draw first blood with a 123-115 win that seemed to be stuck in fast forward. Raymond Felton continued his fine form with 29 poitns and Varlam Bebutov shot badly for 21 points and 9 assists. On our side, Tiago Splitter and Travis Randolph combined for 40 points, 20 rebounds and 8 blocks and shockingly we outshot them 52% to 44% but they hit 8/18 three pointers to our 0/4.
New York leads 1-0
Travis Randolph put his crazy to good use with 32 points, 17 rebounds and 8 blocks but we still lose 112-105 as Raymond Felton is putting Evan Turner to the sword with 31 points. We just can’t win when we turn the ball over 20 times as Orko had seven of them in a forgetful game. We outshoot them again which really grinds my gears and we need to stay with them and play our game instead of reacting to their gameplan.
New York leads 2-0
Coming back to Detroit is usually good but when the Knicks take a 28-16 first quarter lead all the hype went out of the building. It staying like that until we went on a 39-19 fourth quarter charge to force overtime, but unfortunately New York pushed past us 15-8 in the extra time to take a commanding 3-0 lead with a 113-106 win. Danilo Gallinari was again on fire with 27 points and 10 rebounds while Raymond Felton and Varlam Bebutov both scored over 20 points. Travis Randolph put his hand up for us with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks but fouled out in the fourth quarter. So did Derrick Rose who had a terrible game with 8 points and 5 assists on 4/13 shooting which is not the game we need from our captain.
New York leads 3-0
The Detroit crowd is just hoping for a win to not get swept, and luckily the team answers the call with a 110-90 win to send it back to New York. Travis Randolph continued his fine form with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks while Orko got the best of Gallinari with 26 points of his own. Varlam Bebutov, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kelvin Rivers all doubled up but when a team shoots 36% from the field they rarely win the game.
New York leads 3-1
#5 Golden State end #8 Minnesota’s fairytale run with a 4-0 sweep which the rest of the series’ are all at 3-1.
Going into New York is always hard but when the team is on the brink of moving onto the Conference Finals they are downright obnoxious. See if you can guess which team is which in these quarter splits –
1st – 34-10
2nd – 30-42
3rd – 15-20
4th – 28-21
Give up? Luckily for us we were on top as we send the series back to Detroit with a 107-93 win behind Orko’s 28 points and Travis Randolph’s 22 points and 6 blocks. If it wasn’t for his awful attitude Randolph would be one of the best, if not the best centre in the league, and that is counting Matt Bailey and Dwight Howard. For the Knicks, Amar’e Stoudemire has his best game for the series with 21 points and 19 rebounds while Varlam Bebutov top scores for New York with 22 points on 19 shots.
New York leads 3-2
The other two series are finished with #1 Toronto stamps out #5 Memphis 4-1 while #2 Lakers take the LA crown by eliminating the #6 Clippers by the same margin. That means that our series is the only one to go to six games.
Detroit is pumped. The whole state of Michigan is pumped. And I’m pretty sure that everyone outside of the state of New York is pumped for us to send the series to seven games. Unfortunately for them the Knicks got out to a 24 point lead in the third term and I saw a few people head for the exits. Unfortunately for those people, Evan Turner and Tiago Splitter decided that they weren’t finished fighting and put on a 35-22 fourth quarter practically by themselves to snatch the win with a 113-112 heart stopper. Turner had 27 points while Splitter backed him up with 20 points and 12 rebounds for himself while Derrick Rose kept them well fed with 17 assists. Danilo Gallinari did much of the early damage with 38 points on 9/18 three pointers but couldn’t get any help from his teammates, especially their backcourt who shot 10/26 for only 27 points between Felton and Bebutov.
Series tied 3-3
As this is the last series alive the whole world is tuned into this last game and are wondering if we can do the unthinkable and win two series while being down 3-1 at one stage in the contest. Good for us is that we get out to a 23 point lead to win the series 128-115 to create a dream matchup with Toronto. Derrick Rose was the hero with 28 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds while Tiago Splitter having 26 points while newly healthy Yao Ming came up big for the bench with 11 points and 4 rebounds in only 20 minutes. Gallinari had 33 points for the Knicks but shot 11/25 from the field while Varlam Bebutov had 22 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds to try and stay with Rose. My heart starts again after we get to our hotel and I can relax and watch the replay on Sportscenter because for the most of it the game is just one big blur. Up next, my old team Toronto.
Detroit wins series 4-3
- zike_42
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by zike_42 » Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:36 am
2018 NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #3 Detroit
Western Conference:
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #5 Golden State
Strange may it be but we won the regular season battles 3-1 but the Raptors are a whole different kettle of fish in the playoffs and they are hungry to get rid of me as soon as humanly possible.
Eastern Conference Finals – Detroit vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Derrick Rose vs. Rajon Rondo
16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists vs. 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 12.0 assists
Rajon Rondo is his usual steady self as his playoff A/T ratio is a mind blowing 13.3. I can’t remember someone who is averaging 12 assists a game yet turning the ball over only 0.9 times a game. Rose had a round to forget against the Knicks apart from the last game so he needs to pick his game up to keep up with the Toronto captain.
Winner - Draw
Shooting Guard
Evan Turner vs. Trent Bailey
17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists vs. 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists
On any other team Bailey would be a 20 point a game scorer but he just does the things that his coach tells him to for the betterment of the team. He also has the size to stay with Turner but the Piston should have the advantage in this matchup due to his superior talent.
Winner - Detroit
Small Forward
Osmo Koslewski vs. Kevin King
17.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists vs. 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists
‘Orko’ stood up mightily last round and will need to up at least three more levels to compete with King. If King was to go to another team then he would be an MVP candidate for 10 more years. Even now on this stacked team he is in the running for All NBA honours and will tear Orko apart.
Winner - Detroit
Power Forward
Tiago Splitter vs. Tim Mozgov
15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists vs. 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Probably the most level matchup as both players are capable of lighting up the scoresheet on one night and go missing the next. The Russian has two inches on the Brazilian but Splitter has better hands and skills.
Winner - Draw
Centre
Travis Randolph vs. Dwight Howard
15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists vs. 20.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Randolph is one of probably two players that can stand up to Howard with the other one being the Lakers’ Matt Bailey. The downside is that Randolph is known to be very inconsistent and can be taken out of games by strong, bruising centres like Dwight Howard. This matchup may well decide this series.
Winner - Draw
Bench
Yao Ming, Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki vs. Reggie Williams, Zach Randolph, Demond Neeser
The only weakness in the Raptors’ bench is that they have no point guard depth. At all. Other than that most of the Toronto bench could start for lesser teams. With Yao Ming back from injury the Pistons might be able to stay with Toronto’s bench but it’s doubtful for a whole series.
Winner – Toronto
Prediction – Toronto in five.
I don’t think I have seen my face or heard my name more times than when I touched down in Toronto. As their adopted son when I was in Canada I was loved but now I have defected I may as well have stolen all the puppies in the country. None of that matters now as if we want to win this series we need to make a statement and win a game in Toronto. Too bad Kevin King went into beast mode with 38 points as the Raptors draw first blood with a 110-84 shellacking. Trent Bailey chipped in with 22 points and 10 assists while Tim Mozgov ripped down 17 rebounds. We shot 38% as no-one really stood out as all of the statistics were in Toronto’s favour.
Toronto leads 1-0
The Canadian crowd can smell blood and the team pounced as they embarrassed us 98-71 with Kevin King continuing his fine form with 30 points and Tim Mozgov having 20 rebounds. Evan Turner tried his best with 22 points but Derrick Rose needs to score more than 10 points and Orko needs to do something, anything for us to continue.
Toronto leads 2-0
For all the cold weather and crime, when Detroit wants to they can be a hell of a town. Without a doubt there must have been over 100,000 people in or around the stadium with people lining up for a spot in front of the giant television outside the arena more than four hours before tip-off. We can’t go down 3-0 and think that we can pull the series back like we did with New Jersey and New York because when Toronto gets a lead it’s very hard to get it back from them. So when Evan Turner has 25 points in the game and we have a 12 point lead at three quarter time all is going to plan. But you know the Raptors will come back and they stormed home 35-23 in the final term to gain a 3-0 lead in the series with a 101-91 win. Dwight Howard dismantled Travis Randolph with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks while Kevin King, Tim Mozgov and Trent Bailey all scoring 18 points as well. We shoot 42% to their 36% but Toronto went to the foul line 39 times to our 23 which killed our fight.
Toronto leads 3-0
One win. We only need one win not to get swept which is all we are hoping for at the moment. Which hurts all the more as we surrender so easily to the tune of 100-81 as we get swept in the conference finals. Shooting 34% from the field never wins games and I’m just a little depressed that our season finished so anti-climactically. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 14 rebounds while Kevin King top scored with 30 points but on our side our best was Ekpe Udoh off the bench with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench. I don’t know what else to say other than I hope we get a good draft pick in the lottery so we can get back at these dirty Canadians.
Toronto wins series 4-0
The Lakers lead their series 3-1 going back to LA and they take care of business in game 5 with a 114-105 win behind Deron Williams’ 24 points and 15 assists.
2018 NBA Finals
Toronto vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Point Guard
Rajon Rondo vs. Deron Williams
11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.1 assists vs. 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 11.1 assists
Winner - Lakers
Shooting Guard
Trent Bailey vs. Rodney Stuckey
15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists vs. 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Kevin King vs. Andre Iguoadala
21.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists vs. 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Winner - Toronto
Power Forward
Tim Mozgov vs. LaMarcus Aldridge
14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists vs. 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Winner - Lakers
Centre
Dwight Howard vs. Matt Bailey
18.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists vs. 27.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Winner - Lakers
Bench
Reggie Williams, Zach Randolph, Demond Neeser vs. Al Horford, Jamaal McFadden, Emeka Okafor
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Toronto in six. This will be the first time in the Raptors’ title defense that they have a challenge but all the pressure will lay on the young superstar Matt Bailey’s shoulders. At only 21 years old he is a top three player in the league and is scorching this post season.
Game One @Toronto
Los Angeles Lakers 112 Toronto 108
Player of the Game – Andre Iguodala – 25 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Matt Bailey fouled out in only 13 minutes as Dwight Howard had his way with him but Al Horford was the hero with 16 rebounds off the bench to steal home court advantage.
Game Two @Toronto
Los Angeles Lakers 95 Toronto 123
Player of the Game – Tim Mozgov – 22 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks
Bailey comes back with 29 points and 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough as Toronto’s bench stood up, outscoring the Lakers’ bench 43-22 as the Raptors shoot a crazy 56% from the field to get revenge.
Game Three @ Los Angeles
Toronto 77 Los Angeles Lakers 72
Player of the Game – Tim Mozgov – 21 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks
In one of the worst meltdowns in NBA Finals history, the Lakers lose the final term 20-3 as they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Mat Bailey shot 8/25 for 23 points and 10 rebounds while Dwight Howard attempted one shot all game, hitting it, for 2 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Game Four @Los Angeles
Toronto 108 Los Angeles Lakers 88
Player of the Game – Dwight Howard – 25 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks
LaMarcus Aldridge was the only light for the Lakers with 23 points but the rest of the Lakers shot a woeful 37% from the field as Trent bailey and Kevin King also scored over 20 points.
Game Five @Los Angeles
Toronto 115 Los Angeles Lakers 101
Player of the Game – Kevin King – 27 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks
The largest lead was 21 points as the Raptors win their fourth consecutive championship which hasn’t been done since Boston won eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. The Lakers were a worthy opponent but when the Raptors are even close to 100% they are a juggernaut that cannot be stopped. Can they win five?
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #3 Detroit
Western Conference:
#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #5 Golden State
Strange may it be but we won the regular season battles 3-1 but the Raptors are a whole different kettle of fish in the playoffs and they are hungry to get rid of me as soon as humanly possible.
Eastern Conference Finals – Detroit vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Derrick Rose vs. Rajon Rondo
16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists vs. 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 12.0 assists
Rajon Rondo is his usual steady self as his playoff A/T ratio is a mind blowing 13.3. I can’t remember someone who is averaging 12 assists a game yet turning the ball over only 0.9 times a game. Rose had a round to forget against the Knicks apart from the last game so he needs to pick his game up to keep up with the Toronto captain.
Winner - Draw
Shooting Guard
Evan Turner vs. Trent Bailey
17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists vs. 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists
On any other team Bailey would be a 20 point a game scorer but he just does the things that his coach tells him to for the betterment of the team. He also has the size to stay with Turner but the Piston should have the advantage in this matchup due to his superior talent.
Winner - Detroit
Small Forward
Osmo Koslewski vs. Kevin King
17.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists vs. 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists
‘Orko’ stood up mightily last round and will need to up at least three more levels to compete with King. If King was to go to another team then he would be an MVP candidate for 10 more years. Even now on this stacked team he is in the running for All NBA honours and will tear Orko apart.
Winner - Detroit
Power Forward
Tiago Splitter vs. Tim Mozgov
15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists vs. 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Probably the most level matchup as both players are capable of lighting up the scoresheet on one night and go missing the next. The Russian has two inches on the Brazilian but Splitter has better hands and skills.
Winner - Draw
Centre
Travis Randolph vs. Dwight Howard
15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists vs. 20.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Randolph is one of probably two players that can stand up to Howard with the other one being the Lakers’ Matt Bailey. The downside is that Randolph is known to be very inconsistent and can be taken out of games by strong, bruising centres like Dwight Howard. This matchup may well decide this series.
Winner - Draw
Bench
Yao Ming, Ekpe Udoh, Dirk Nowitzki vs. Reggie Williams, Zach Randolph, Demond Neeser
The only weakness in the Raptors’ bench is that they have no point guard depth. At all. Other than that most of the Toronto bench could start for lesser teams. With Yao Ming back from injury the Pistons might be able to stay with Toronto’s bench but it’s doubtful for a whole series.
Winner – Toronto
Prediction – Toronto in five.
I don’t think I have seen my face or heard my name more times than when I touched down in Toronto. As their adopted son when I was in Canada I was loved but now I have defected I may as well have stolen all the puppies in the country. None of that matters now as if we want to win this series we need to make a statement and win a game in Toronto. Too bad Kevin King went into beast mode with 38 points as the Raptors draw first blood with a 110-84 shellacking. Trent Bailey chipped in with 22 points and 10 assists while Tim Mozgov ripped down 17 rebounds. We shot 38% as no-one really stood out as all of the statistics were in Toronto’s favour.
Toronto leads 1-0
The Canadian crowd can smell blood and the team pounced as they embarrassed us 98-71 with Kevin King continuing his fine form with 30 points and Tim Mozgov having 20 rebounds. Evan Turner tried his best with 22 points but Derrick Rose needs to score more than 10 points and Orko needs to do something, anything for us to continue.
Toronto leads 2-0
For all the cold weather and crime, when Detroit wants to they can be a hell of a town. Without a doubt there must have been over 100,000 people in or around the stadium with people lining up for a spot in front of the giant television outside the arena more than four hours before tip-off. We can’t go down 3-0 and think that we can pull the series back like we did with New Jersey and New York because when Toronto gets a lead it’s very hard to get it back from them. So when Evan Turner has 25 points in the game and we have a 12 point lead at three quarter time all is going to plan. But you know the Raptors will come back and they stormed home 35-23 in the final term to gain a 3-0 lead in the series with a 101-91 win. Dwight Howard dismantled Travis Randolph with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks while Kevin King, Tim Mozgov and Trent Bailey all scoring 18 points as well. We shoot 42% to their 36% but Toronto went to the foul line 39 times to our 23 which killed our fight.
Toronto leads 3-0
One win. We only need one win not to get swept which is all we are hoping for at the moment. Which hurts all the more as we surrender so easily to the tune of 100-81 as we get swept in the conference finals. Shooting 34% from the field never wins games and I’m just a little depressed that our season finished so anti-climactically. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 14 rebounds while Kevin King top scored with 30 points but on our side our best was Ekpe Udoh off the bench with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench. I don’t know what else to say other than I hope we get a good draft pick in the lottery so we can get back at these dirty Canadians.
Toronto wins series 4-0
The Lakers lead their series 3-1 going back to LA and they take care of business in game 5 with a 114-105 win behind Deron Williams’ 24 points and 15 assists.
2018 NBA Finals
Toronto vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Point Guard
Rajon Rondo vs. Deron Williams
11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.1 assists vs. 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 11.1 assists
Winner - Lakers
Shooting Guard
Trent Bailey vs. Rodney Stuckey
15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists vs. 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Kevin King vs. Andre Iguoadala
21.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists vs. 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Winner - Toronto
Power Forward
Tim Mozgov vs. LaMarcus Aldridge
14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists vs. 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Winner - Lakers
Centre
Dwight Howard vs. Matt Bailey
18.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists vs. 27.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Winner - Lakers
Bench
Reggie Williams, Zach Randolph, Demond Neeser vs. Al Horford, Jamaal McFadden, Emeka Okafor
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Toronto in six. This will be the first time in the Raptors’ title defense that they have a challenge but all the pressure will lay on the young superstar Matt Bailey’s shoulders. At only 21 years old he is a top three player in the league and is scorching this post season.
Game One @Toronto
Los Angeles Lakers 112 Toronto 108
Player of the Game – Andre Iguodala – 25 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Matt Bailey fouled out in only 13 minutes as Dwight Howard had his way with him but Al Horford was the hero with 16 rebounds off the bench to steal home court advantage.
Game Two @Toronto
Los Angeles Lakers 95 Toronto 123
Player of the Game – Tim Mozgov – 22 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks
Bailey comes back with 29 points and 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough as Toronto’s bench stood up, outscoring the Lakers’ bench 43-22 as the Raptors shoot a crazy 56% from the field to get revenge.
Game Three @ Los Angeles
Toronto 77 Los Angeles Lakers 72
Player of the Game – Tim Mozgov – 21 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks
In one of the worst meltdowns in NBA Finals history, the Lakers lose the final term 20-3 as they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Mat Bailey shot 8/25 for 23 points and 10 rebounds while Dwight Howard attempted one shot all game, hitting it, for 2 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Game Four @Los Angeles
Toronto 108 Los Angeles Lakers 88
Player of the Game – Dwight Howard – 25 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks
LaMarcus Aldridge was the only light for the Lakers with 23 points but the rest of the Lakers shot a woeful 37% from the field as Trent bailey and Kevin King also scored over 20 points.
Game Five @Los Angeles
Toronto 115 Los Angeles Lakers 101
Player of the Game – Kevin King – 27 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks
The largest lead was 21 points as the Raptors win their fourth consecutive championship which hasn’t been done since Boston won eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. The Lakers were a worthy opponent but when the Raptors are even close to 100% they are a juggernaut that cannot be stopped. Can they win five?
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