Blast to the 'Ship - A Houston Rockets Story

[Rizzo]

Wow Royce is tearing it up. It's strange to see what players can do when given the chance, in my dynasty Royce was just a bench player/fifth starter because he didn't get a chance to grow.

Yes he is killing it. He made a HUGE jump in ratings in the offseason and was the #1 sleeper on the season in the magazines the game creates. Also, he was rated as the #6 SF in the league while Chandler Parsons was rated #8 at the same position. It was tough to move him but we got a great pick in return for him. The only drawback on White's game is his defense but I feel as if I can surround him with very good to great defenders then we can minimize his deficiencies on that end of the floor.

[Rizzo]

With the month now completed, we see that [color="Red"]Royce White[/color] made two out of three road trips, upping his Mental Health rating to 55 overall. Like I said before, if he gets it up to 65, then he will be free of his anxiety issue and will be a full time participant on the road for the Rockets.

[Rizzo]

January 2, 2014

Denver Nuggets (25-5) vs. Houston Rockets (15-15)

Nuggets – 137
Kenneth Faried – 32 PTS, 11 REB
Ty Lawson – 24 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL
Danilo Gallinari – 17 PTS

Rockets – 114
James Harden – 45 PTS
Royce White – 24 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST
Patrick Patterson – 14 PTS, 6 REB

Playing against the team with far and away the best record in the league, we got down 22 after the first quarter and just couldn’t climb out of the hole. We got blitzed in the first quarter on our home floor and against a team like the Nuggets, you aren’t coming back from that.

January 5, 2014

Toronto Raptors (18-13) vs. Houston Rockets (15-16)

Raptors – 131
Kyle Lowry – 19 PTS, 6 REB, 15 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Terrence Ross – 23 PTS, 8 REB
Andrea Bargnani – 19 PTS
DeMar DeRozan – 16 PTS, 5 REB, 3 STL

Rockets – 114
Royce White – 29 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 7 TO
James Harden – 17 PTS
JJ Redick – 14 PTS
Patrick Patterson – 11 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Cody Zeller – 10 PTS, 6 REB, 1 BLK
Trey Burke – 9 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL
Nerlens Noel – 3 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK, 1 STL

After beating the Raptors in Toronto two weeks ago, we allow them to come in and put a beat down on us for revenge in Houston. The middle two quarters doomed us as we were outscored by a combined 71-47 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

We are teetering on .500 ball and need to make a move. We will be doing some window shopping from now until the trade deadline. If we can swing a monster deal, we will do that. If we can tweak the roster with role players, we will do that as well. No asset, be it a player or a pick, is off limits right now.

January 7, 2014

Houston Rockets (15-17) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (18-15)

Royce White is with the Rockets en route to New Orleans.

Rockets – 118
James Harden – 27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
Mike Conley – 24 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Royce White – 22 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Omer Asik – 14 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK
Trey Burke – 14 PTS, 3 AST

Pelicans – 110
Eric Gordon – 33 PTS, 6 REB
Ryan Anderson – 16 PTS, 5 REB
Greivis Vasquez – 10 PTS, 13 AST
Anthony Davis – 8 PTS, 4 REB

Nothing like a game against the Pelicans to right the ship. The Rockets still sit at one game under .500 and will continue to try to win as much as possible to sneak into the playoffs. After today’s games, the Rockets are a half game out of the 8th spot. The Grizzlies and Kings are tied for the final playoff spot in the West.

[Rizzo]

January 9, 2014

Golden State Warriors (18-15) vs. Houston Rockets (16-17)

Warriors – 135
Klay Thompson – 27 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK, 1 STL
Stephen Curry – 26 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL
Harrison Barnes – 17 PTS, 5 REB

Rockets – 108
James Harden – 19 PTS
Royce White – 19 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 11 PTS, 4 AST
Trey Burke – 11 PTS, 2 AST
Cody Zeller – 10 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
JJ Redick – 10 PTS

We had seven players scoring 10+ points and still get beat by 27. The Warriors were on fire all game long from everywhere on the floor. They shot 59% overall, but 63% from three. Just a shooting exhibition put on by the Warriors.

January 11, 2014

New York Knicks (16-17) vs. Houston Rockets (16-18)

Knicks – 100
Carmelo Anthony – 39 PTS, 13 REB, 3 BLK, 7 TO
Amar’e Stoudemire – 12 PTS, 12 REB, 3 BLK, 7 TO

Rockets – 128
James Harden – 47 PTS (14-21 FG, 5-7 3PT, 14-16 FT)
Nerlends Noel – 13 PTS, 11 REB, 1 BLK
Royce White – 12 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
Mike Conley – 11 PTS, 6 AST, 4 STL

On a Sunday matinee, the Rockets put a beat down on the Knicks in Houston. James Harden had his way with every defender put on him, especially JR Smith. Two big offensive outputs by Anthony and Stoudemire were not enough to take down Houston.

January 12, 2014

Royce White’s anxiety flares up and will miss this three-game road trip.

Houston Rockets (17-18) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (19-13)

Rockets – 87
James Harden – 27 PTS, 6 REB, 2 STL
Mike Conley – 16 PTS, 8 AST
Ronnie Brewer – 10 PTS, 3 STL
Patrick Patterson – 6 PTS, 11 REB, 1 BLK

Lakers – 107
Dwight Howard – 27 PTS, 11 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK
Pau Gasol – 13 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK
Matt Barnes – 13 PTS, 7 REB
Kobe Bryant – 11 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST

We just aren’t the same team without Royce White and it showed tonight as we faded fast in the second half. There just wasn’t enough offensive firepower without him. We may have to look at shifting James Harden to the three to get more scoring on the floor at the same time.

[Rizzo]

January 13, 2014

Houston Rockets (17-19) vs. Sacramento Kings (20-17)

Rockets – 94
JJ Redick – 22 PTS
James Harden – 19 PTS, 5 TO
Trey Burke – 10 PTS, 3 AST, 7 TO
Ronnie Brewer – 10 PTS

Kings – 121
DeMarcus Cousins – 28 PTS, 18 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
Thomas Robinson – 18 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK
Marcus Thornton – 22 PTS

We go very small with JJ Redick at the two and James Harden at the three and get dominated on the glass 51-32. Welp, that backfired right in our face tonight.

January 16, 2014

Houston Rockets (17-20) vs. Utah Jazz (16-22)

Rockets – 106
Trey Burke – 25 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
James Harden – 26 PTS, 3 REB
Mike Conley – 12 PTS, 12 AST, 2 STL
JJ Redick – 12 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
Patrick Patterson – 11 PTS, 12 REB, 1 BLK
Omer Asik – 7 PTS, 10 REB, 7 BLK
Nerlens Noel – 6 PTS, 5 REB, 5 BLK

Jazz – 86
Paul Millsap – 13 PTS, 10 REB
Gordon Hayward – 15 PTS, 6 REB
Alonzo Gee – 12 PTS, 7 REB
Al Jefferson – 6 PTS, 12 REB, 3 BLK

We stick with the small lineup for one more game to weather the storm without Royce White and it worked well against a team that is more big man oriented like the Jazz. Trey Burke exploded off of the bench for 25 points on 11-15 shooting. Solid end to the three-game road trip.

Tomorrow night, we host the Grizzlies at home. Memphis currently holds the 8th spot in the Western Conference and is two games up on the Rockets. Could be a big game for us if we want to make the playoffs this season.

[Rizzo]

January 17, 2014

Memphis Grizzlies (18-16) vs. Houston Rockets (18-20)

Grizzlies – 114
Rudy Gay – 29 PTS, 5 REB
Tony Allen – 22 PTS, 3 STL
Jeremy Lin – 13 PTS, 5 REB, 12 AST, 7 TO

Rockets – 135
James Harden – 26 PTS, 3 REB, 2 STL
Omer Asik – 21 PTS, 5 REB
Trey Burke – 16 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
Royce White – 12 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST
JJ Redick – 12 PTS
Ronnie Brewer – 11 PTS
Nerlens Noel – 9 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK

A huge win over the Grizzlies as Memphis was without Marc Gasol who was sitting out due to a bruised sternum. We can only play the team they roll out on the floor and we don’t feel bad. Huge margin on the glass in Houston’s favor, 41-28, was the difference in this one.

After the game, Memphis GM Mike Hershey calls Kris Eisley and offers up a deal. Hershey knew that Patrick Patterson was on the trade block and came offering SF Quincy Pondexter, Hamed Haddadi and their 2014 first round pick. The only piece of value in that deal to us is the draft pick, but since it will be anywhere between 15-20, we pass on the deal.

Rich Petway, GM of the Toronto Raptors, also dials up Kris Eisley to talk trade. He’s very interested in our big man Omer Asik. Their offer: Amir Johnson and a 2nd round pick this year. We hang up the phone immediately.

January 20, 2014

Portland Trailblazers (20-20) vs. Houston Rockets (19-20)

Trailblazers – 121
Nicolas Batum – 32 PTS, 4 REB
Wesley Matthews – 31 PTS, 4 STL
LaMarcus Aldridge – 20 PTS, 12 REB
Rudy Gobert – 17 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK

Rockets – 126
James Harden – 36 PTS, 4 REB
Royce White – 25 PTS, 9 REB, 5 TO
Mike Conley – 12 PTS, 7 AST
Patrick Patterson – 10 PTS, 8 REB
Trey Burke – 10 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
JJ Redick – 10 PTS

Offensive explosion from Harden and Royce White to carry this team to a win over the Trailblazers. The win gets us within a half game of the Pelicans for the 8th spot in the playoffs.

January 22, 2014

Royce White will miss the four-game road trip. This could hurt very much…

Houston Rockets (20-20) vs. Toronto Raptors (23-17)

Rockets – 109
James Harden – 34 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL
Trey Burke – 19 PTS, 4 AST
Mike Conley – 17 PTS, 4 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL
Ronnie Brewer – 14 PTS, 7 REB
Nerlens Noel – 2 PTS, 9 REB, 6 BLK

Raptors – 100
Andrea Bargnani – 30 PTS, 12 REB
Iman Shumpert – 14 PTS, 2 STL
DeMar DeRozan – 12 PTS, 3 REB
Terrence Ross – 10 PTS, 5 REB, 3 BLK
Kyle Lowry – 8 PTS, 5 REB, 13 AST

We weather the storm without Royce White in our first game on the road. James Harden hit the glass hard with nine rebounds to go along with his 34 points. Trey Burke loves this small-ball lineup as he plays both point and shooting guard off the bench in situations like this.

January 24, 2014

Houston Rockets (21-20) vs. Chicago Bulls (19-25)

Rockets – 109
James Harden – 35 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL
Omer Asik – 16 PTS, 11 REB, 5 BLK
Mike Conley – 13 PTS, 7 AST, 3 STL
JJ Redick – 13 PTS
Trey Burke – 11 PTS, 7 AST

Bulls – 102
Derrick Rose – 27 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
Taj Gibson – 14 PTS, 18 REB, 5 BLK
Joakim Noah – 13 PTS, 15 REB
Alex Abrines – 15 PTS
Luol Deng – 13 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL

No Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer or Marquis Teague. The Bulls are hurting this season and currently have the 6th worst record in the league. After having high hopes coming into the season (predicted to finish 4th in the East), maybe adding a young talent in the draft to the current core will be able to put this team back in the thick of the Eastern Conference race next season.

January 26, 2014

Houston Rockets (22-20) vs. Indiana Pacers (20-21)

Rockets – 85
Nerlens Noel – 14 PTS, 9 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK
Mike Conley – 14 PTS, 3 AST, 6 TO
Trey Burke – 10 PTS, 4 AST
James Harden – 9 PTS (4-15 FG), 3 REB, 3 AST

Pacers – 106
Roy Hibbert – 23 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK
Danny Granger – 21 PTS, 13 REB
Paul George – 19 PTS, 12 REB
George Hill – 19 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST

One of the biggest and longest team in the entire league, the Pacers abused us as we played small once again with Royce White still not with the team. We were down 14 after the first quarter and never once made a run to even make it a game.

January 28, 2014

Houston Rockets (22-21) vs. Boston Celtics (10-35)

Rockets – 123
James Harden – 22 PTS, 6 REB
Mike Conley – 16 PTS, 7 AST
Nerlens Noel – 16 PTS, 7 REB, 2 STl, 2 BLK
Patrick Patterson – 13 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK
JJ Redick – 11 PTS
Ronnie Brewer – 11 PTS
Omer Asik – 10 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK
Trey Burke – 9 PTS, 8 AST
Cody Zeller – 7 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK

Celtics – 108
Ramon Sessions – 19 PTS, 5 AST, 6 TO
Rajon Rondo – 15 PTS, 9 AST
Avery Bradley – 14 PTS
Jared Sullinger – 13 PTS, 4 REB, 4 STL
Kevin Garnett – 11 PTS, 6 REB
Brandon Bass – 11 PTS, 8 REB

The Celtics are struggling mightily as Pierce and Garnett are aging horribly. They currently have the 3rd worst record in the league and probably cannot move either of their two veteran players for any asset worth noting.

January 31, 2014

Phoenix Suns (14-31) vs. Houston Rockets (23-21)

Suns – 97
Channing Frye – 18 PTS, 4 REB
Jared Dudley – 16 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL
MarShon Brooks – 14 PTS, 4 REB
Chandler Parsons – 13 PTS, 7 REB
Marcin Gortat – 12 PTS, 10 REB

Rockets – 116
Royce White – 25 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK
James Harden – 18 PTS, 6 REB
Patrick Patterson – 14 PTS, 6 REB
Nerlens Noel – 13 PTS, 8 REB, 1 BLK
Omer Asik – 10 PTS, 6 REB
Trey Burke – 10 PTS, 4 AST, 2 BLK

Royce White won the battle against former Rockets Chandler Parsons as we beat up on the Suns. This is especially good because we own their first round pick in this year’s draft due to the Parsons trade.

[Rizzo]

[color="Red"]Royce White Watch[/color]

After making one road trip and missing two last month, his Mental Health Rating now drops to a [color="Red"]54[/color]. Hate to see it go the wrong way, but it happens and we can only hope we get lucky and have it continue to rise.

[color="Blue"]Standings[/color]

Here are the current standings by conference:

Western Conference

1. Denver Nuggets (38-6)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-16)
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-17)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (26-18)
5. Los Angeles Lakers (25-18)
6. Houston Rockets (24-21)
7. Golden State Warriors (23-22)
8. Sacramento Kings (24-23)
9. Utah Jazz (23-23)
10. Portland Trailblazers (21-25)
11. San Antonio Spurs (21-26)
12. New Orleans Pelicans (20-25)
13. Memphis Grizzlies (18-24)
14. Dallas Mavericks (15-29)
15. Phoenix Suns (14-32)

The Houston Rockets currently hold the 6th spot in the West. This is an amazing turnaround since the Chandler Parsons trade. Not only have we played better, we have improved our assets by acquiring that third first-round draft pick. Speaking of those picks, we own the Suns' pick as well as the Mavericks' pick. The Suns currently have the 3rd worst record in the league while the Mavericks have the 5th worst. We can either make selections or move those picks to upgrade our roster. Lots of options available to Kris Eisley in the upcoming offseason.

Eastern Conference:

1. Washington Wizards (36-10)
2. Miami Heat (31-13)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (28-15)
4. Toronto Raptors (25-19)
5. Atlanta Hawks (24-21)
6. Detroit Pistons (24-22)
7. Indiana Pacers (22-22)
8. Milwaukee Bucks (23-23)
9. New York Knicks (21-24)
10. Brooklyn Nets (21-25)
11. Chicago Bulls (22-27)
12. Philadelphia 76ers (21-26)
13. Charlotte Hornets (14-31)
14. Boston Celtics (10-37)
15. Orlando Magic (6-38)

[color="Red"]Statistical Leaders - Houston Rockets[/color]

Points:

1. James Harden - 24.5
2. Royce White - 20.1
3. Trey Burke - 11.7
4. Mike Conley - 11.1
5. Omer Asik - 8.8

Rebounds:

1. Omer Asik - 7.1
2. Patrick Patterson - 6.4
3. Royce White - 6.4
4. Nerlens Noel - 5.3
5. Cody Zeller - 3.9

Assists:

1. Mike Conley - 5.9
2. Royce White - 4.8
3. Trey Burke - 3.1

Steals:

1. Mike Conley - 1.8
2. Royce White - 1.2
3. James Harden - 1.1

Blocks:

1. Omer Asik - 2.1
2. Nerlens Noel - 2.0
3. Patrick Patterson - 1.0

Efficiency

1. Royce White - 24.3
2. James Harden - 17.4
3. Mike Conley - 12.9
4. Omer Asik - 12.6
5. Nerlens Noel - 12.0

[Rizzo]

February 3, 2014

Royce White will be on the two-game Florida road trip.

Houston Rockets (24-21) vs. Miami Heat (32-13)

Rockets – 111
James Harden – 28 PTS, 4 REB, 7 TO
Mike Conley – 19 PTS, 3 AST, 4 STL, 5 TO
Omer Asik – 12 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK
Trey Burke – 12 PTS, 4 AST, 2 BLK

Heat – 100
LeBron James – 30 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 7 TO
Chris Bosh – 20 PTS, 7 REB
David West – 10 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK

We manage to pull out a huge road win in Miami against the Heat. LeBron did his thing and Chris Bosh had a great game himself, but we limited every other player on the Heat roster to just 16/49 shooting. We also won the rebounding battle by 11, which is to be expected against a smaller team like Miami.

February 5, 2014

Houston Rockets (25-21) vs. Orlando Magic (7-39)

Rockets – 125
Royce White – 24 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 7 TO
Trey Burke – 23 PTS, 5 AST
James Harden – 16 PTS, 2 STL, 19 MIN, Fouled Out
Cody Zeller – 15 PTS, 5 REB, 1 BLK

Magic – 112
Arron Afflalo -26 PTS, 3 REB
Rodney Stuckey – 20 PTS, 2 AST
Jameer Nelson – 18 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST
Gustavo Ayon – 17 PTS, 5 REB
Wilson Chandler – 16 PTS

Beating a seven win team is never an accomplishment, but a flawless road trip is especially when one of the teams is the Miami Heat. Royce White had been turnover prone as of late and needs to get that under control.

February 7, 2014

Minnesota Timberwolves (29-18) vs. Houston Rockets (26-21)

Timberwolves – 114
Kevin Love – 35 PTS, 11 REB
Chase Budinger – 20 PTS
Delonte West – 16 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
Derick Williams – 10 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST

Rockets – 124
James Harden – 28 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL
Royce White – 21 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 5 TO
Trey Burke – 20 PTS, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 8 PTS, 10 AST, 3 STL

A win over a good Minnesota team at home pushes our record to 27-21 and just a game and a half back of the Lakers for the 4th seed. We have put a cushion of two and a half games between ourselves and the Warriors and Jazz, who currently hold the 7th and 8th spots, respectively.

Royce White sprained his ankle in the game and could be limited the next few games.

February 8, 2014

We travel to Portland for one game and Royce White is also coming with.[/b]

Houston Rockets (27-21) vs. Portland Trailblazers (22-27)

Rockets – 118
James Harden – 19 PTS, 22 MIN, Fouled Out
Patrick Patterson – 17 PTS, 8 REB
Royce White – 14 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST
Mike Conley – 14 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST
Trey Burke – 14 PTS
JJ Redick – 14 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST

Trailblazers – 108
LaMarcus Aldridge – 38 PTS, 13 REB
Wesley Mathews – 23 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Nicolas Batum – 20 PTS, 6 REB, 3 BLK
Damian Lillard – 11 PTS, 5 REB, 15 AST

This is the first time in my playing career of this game that I’ve seen a player from the losing team get named Player of the Game. Although the Blazers lost, LaMarcus Aldridge took home the honors, and rightfully so.

The Rockets are proud owners of a six game win streak and head home for four games with Milwaukee, Sacramento, Boston and Brooklyn coming to town.

Just a few days before the trade deadline, the Celtics decide to cash in on one of its assets by moving Paul Pierce to the Wizards for Emeka Okafor. The Wizards will also receive a 2nd round pick from Boston for this year’s draft. With the Wizards sporting the best record in the Eastern Conference, Boston did Pierce a favor by moving him to a contender so he could have another run at a title. Classy.

[Rizzo]

February 9, 2014

Toronto Raptors trade rookie PF Tony Mitchell and C Cole Aldrich to the Orlando Magic for SF Wilson Chandler and a 2014 2nd round pick.

February 10, 2014

Milwaukee Bucks (25-25) vs. Houston Rockets (28-21)

Bucks – 116
Monta Ellis – 33 PTS, 6 REB, 5 STL
Brandon Jennings – 22 PTS, 12 AST
Samuel Dalembert – 12 PTS, 15 REB, 3 BLK
John Henson – 15 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK

Rockets – 96
James Harden – 25 PTS, 9 REB, 7 TO
Trey Burke – 19 PTS, 2 AST
JJ Redick – 13 PTS
Ronnie Brewer – 12 PTS
Omer Asik – 4 PTS, 5 REB, 4 BLK

Seemed like our entire team was in foul trouble tonight and it really cost us this game. We got killed in the paint and turned the ball over way too much for any chance to win.

February 13, 2014

Sacramento Kings (24-28) vs. Houston Rockets (28-22)

Kings – 97
Marcus Thornton – 19 PTS
Isaiah Thomas – 15 PTS, 6 REB
Tyreke Evans – 14 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
Thomas Robinson – 13 PTS, 5 REB

Rockets – 128
James Harden – 18 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Trey Burke – 20 PTS, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 18 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Royce White – 15 PTS
Omer Asik – 12 PTS, 7 REB
Patrick Patterson – 10 PTS, 9 REB
Nerlens Noel – 6 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK

Harden leads the Rockets to a win, finishing just one assist shy of a triple-double. That’s the leadership we like to see out of our superstar guard.

February 15, 2014

Boston Celtics (12-42) vs. Houston Rockets (29-22)

Celtics – 91
Brandon Bass – 17 PTS, 11 REB, 3 STL
Avery Bradley – 17 PTS
Rajon Rondo – 11 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Kvin Garnett – 4 PTS, 4 REB, 3 BLK

Rockets – 119
James Harden – 28 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Trey Burke – 18 PTS, 4 REB
Mike Conley – 15 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Patrick Patterson – 10 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK

In the last game before the All-Star break, we get another win to run our record to 30-22, putting us a half game ahead of the Lakers for the 4th seed in the West. Who would have thought two months ago we would be fighting for homecourt advantage in a playoff series this year?

Keeping an eye on our draft picks, the Suns and the Mavericks currently hold the 4th and 5th worst records in the league, respectively. The East has the three worst teams this year: Orlando, Boston and Charlotte.

[Rizzo]

February 16, 2014

All-Star Weekend Contests

Slam Dunk Contest

The field was comprised of Jan Vesley (WAS), Derrick Brown (ATL)
Sergey Karasev (NY) and Shane Larkin (MIL). Derrick Brown’s first round score of 73 was far and away the best score with Larkin edging Karasev by a couple points. In the finals, the crowd was wowed by the little man and the rookie from Milwaukee took home the hardware.

Long Distance Shootout

The field had plenty of capable shooters: Ben Gordon (CHA), Mario Chalmers (MIA), Richard Jefferson (GSW), Steve Nash (LAL), Jerryd Bayless (MEM), Stephen Curry (GSW), Luke Babbitt (POR) and Klay Thompson (GSW). You think the warriors like to shoot threes?

Babbitt (21), Curry (20) and Bayless (18) had the highest first round scores and moved on to the finals. Bayless choked with just 9 in the finals while Curry didn’t do much better with 11. Babbitt had a good outing with 18 points, crowning him the champ.

February 17, 2014

Rookie/Sophomore Game

Rookies – 114
Shabazz Muhammad – 22 PTS, 4 REB
Marko Todorovic – 4 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Norvel Pelle – 24 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK
Ben McLemore – 8 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST
Trey Burke – 19 PTS, 3 AST
Nerlens Noel – 0 PTS, 3 REB, 5 MINS
Alex Len – 2 REB
Rudy Gobert – 1 REB
Michael Carter-Williams – 4 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 6 TO
Tony Mitchell – 4 PTS, 1 REB
Reggie Bullock – 16 PTS, 1 AST, 1 BLK
Davis Bertans – 13 PTS, 5 REB

Sophomores – 157
Harris Barnes – 15 PTS, 6 AST, 4 STL
Thomas Robinson – 16 PTS, 6 REB
Jonas Valanciunas – 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK
Bradley Beal – 41 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL
Damian Lillard – 10 PTS, 10 AST
Andre Drummond – 2 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST
Draymond Green – 7 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
Meyers Leonard – 4 PTS, 2 REB
Kendall Marshall – 12 PTS, 11 AST
Austin Rivers – 24 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
Jared Sullinger – 6 PTS, 1 REB
Donatas Motiejunas – 7 PTS, 2 REB

The sophomores utterly dominate the rookies this year while Bradley Beal puts on a show to win the game’s MVP award. Nerlens Noel pulled his calf and played just five minutes. That is not what the Rockets’ brain trust wants to hear.

February 18, 2014

NBA All-Star Game

Western Conference All-Stars – 157
Kevin Durant – 18 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST
Kevin Love – 17 PTS, 7 REB,
Marcin Gortat – 19 PTS, 5 REB
Eric Gordon – 22 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL
Stephen Curry – 17 PTS, 5 REB, 13 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
DeAndre Jordan – 6 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK
Chris Paul – 15 PTS, 7 AST
LaMarcus Aldridge – 5 PTS, 2 REB
Nicolas Batum – 7 PTS, 1 BLK
Blake Griffin – 13 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
James Harden – 19 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
Kenneth Faried – DNP

Eastern Conference All-Stars – 174
LeBron James – 32 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK
Greg Monroe – 29 PTS, 11 REB, 4 STL, 3 BLK
Andrew Bynum – 20 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK
Paul George – 5 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
Derrick Rose – 12 PTS, 10 AST
Joakim Noah – 2 PTS, 1 AST, 1 BLK
Carmelo Anthony – 38 PTS, 5 REB
Monta Ellis – 23 PTS
Deron Williams – 2 PTS, 5 AST
Brandon Jennings – 2 PTS, 2 AST, 1 BLK
Trevor Booker – 7 PTS, 2 BLK
Kyrie Irving – 2 PTS, 9 AST

The East runs away with the All-Star game this year with, who else, LeBron James stealing the show as game MVP. In 12 less minutes, Carmelo Anthony did score 6 more points than James and on 3 less shot attempts. Something to think about…