New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

December Player of the Month – Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 37.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block per game.

December Rookie of the Month – Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

No trades (of worth) last month but I’m sure there is going to be some noise at the dead line.

It’s been a long time since the Lakers were anything decent and we keep it that way, smashing them 121-83. Ish had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks while Harms added 25 points as we had 16 blocks for the game compared to LA’s zero. Nathan Gordon is back at PG and only had 13 points and 4 assists.

Phoenix Suns 24-8

Great. At practice Olaf and Ish have a go at each other but I don’t think it’s anything serious, just a bit of testosterone flowing around. I tell them to pull their heads in and I don’t think anything will come out of it.

His game didn’t falter as Ish put up 36 points and 9 rebounds as we get our revenge on San Diego with a 117-104 away win. Harms was a great facilitator with 20 points and 13 assists as the Riders only had Ryan Holcomb being any resistance with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 25-8

Even though Harms was probably the best on the night with 21 points and 13 assists it was Roman who was the most damaging in our 120-96 win over Seattle. He went 10/14 for 24 points and held Peeter Petrauskas to only 7 points. Mitch Edwards led the Sonics with 21 points.

Phoenix Suns 26-8

Marques Jones for the Blazers had 25 points but there was no one else, especially James Jones who went 3/17 from the field as we beat my old team 104-92. Even though Ish had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Eric Owens made a big cameo with 13 points and 8 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

Phoenix Suns 27-8

Coach Jones decides to start Olaf at PG next to Harms which I’m not that happy about but it could work so I’ll allow it (not that I have much say in this). He only has 8 points and 5 assists as we don’t really have much guard depth behind him as Derek Whitworth has to play PG which isn’t in his skill set. We still win, beating the Neon without much fuss 108-92 as Ish was again our star with 28 points and 11 rebounds while Pin ripped 14 rebounds. Petrick Rancik is getting better and better and had 17 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Phoenix Suns 28-8

Olaf goes back to the bench and he does well with 8 points and 4 assists (close to what he had last game) and we just get past the Magic 117-112. We didn’t play well and shot terribly from the line, going 30/49 to just beat a Orlando side that is missing Juia Henchoz with a broken ankle AND Pete Edgerson who is nursing a broken finger so to say we didn’t play well is putting it nicely. Brodney Smith and Jim Harris did the big lifting with 54 points while Ish had 35 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 29-8

As usual it was Ish leading the way with 29 points and 11 rebounds but Harms went 6/7 for 24 points and 11 assists and Derek added a surprising 22 points as we beat the Grizz 125-103. Brian Henry had 21 points but Adam Bell was stuck in foul trouble with only 5 points in 13 minutes.

Phoenix Suns 30-8

It’s the big match up as we go into Houston to battle against the 26-3 Rockets. So it was all the sweeter when we rout them 128-107 as our defenders did the damage. Arthimus Smallwood got his with 20 points and 5 steals but James Carroll went 4/12 for only 9 points and they need him to fire to be in the game. Ish was the reason, having 30 points and 9 rebounds while Harms put up 29 points and 7 assists as this was a non-event. We ARE the best team in the league and the Rockets better keep winning because we’re after them.

Phoenix Suns 31-8

In one of the best games I’ve seen from a bench player, Sam Russell destroyed the Golden State Warriors to lead us to a 120-80 win. Tip Rice and Pin played each other to a standstill with neither guy playing more than 20 minutes but that’s where Sam came in. Playing 29 minutes he had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 4 blocks in a worthy man of the match performance. Ben Angeli was the only Warrior in double figures with 19 points.

Phoenix Suns 32-8

How I was wrong. Olaf and Ish continued their feud and actually had to be broken up by Billy Warren, our assistant coach. I reef them into my office and tell them to ship up or ship out, I’m not adverse to trading superstars if they don’t play along. Surprisingly it was Olaf who left in a huff as he might be looking to go somewhere that has more minutes for him.

So I go looking to see if I can find a trading partner to get Olaf some more minutes. Even though he’s only 21 years old he’s ready for a starting position and I don’t want to stunt him, especially if he’s going to start getting pissy. I see that Miami are playing Gellies Haswell at PG, a 6’6” SF who has no passing abilities but I can’t find a good trade because they don’t have many assets I want. So I call up Denver.

Phoenix trade:
PG Olaf Milosz
SG Ross Woods
PG Nigel Sowder
C Eric Owens

Denver trade:
PG Du Yip
2044 1st round pick
2045 1st round pick

Winner – Denver. Milosz has been grumbling about playing time and Phoenix accommodate his request. He goes to a team where he’ll be the primary ball handler which will be great for his career. The two first rounders won’t be lottery bound while Yip will be a great addition to the bench of the Suns. It’s just up to Milosz now to make good on his opportunity.

I sign Ruben Sheffer, Slavi Drnovsek and Brad Harris to the team to fill out our third string. I did get the short end of this trade but if it makes him happy so be it. Geez, I must be getting soft in my old age.

Olaf doesn’t disappoint in his first game as a Nugget with 17 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds as they won against the Sonics. Good luck.

Our first game post Olaf was a comfortable 113-92 win over Memphis as Harms led the way with 26 points and 12 assists. Ish must be missing Olaf as he only had 11 points and 4 rebounds but he was going up against Adam Bell who had 14 points and 5 rebounds in the loss.

Phoenix Suns 33-8

Well that was unexpected. The falling Thunder wipe the floor with us as Zan Tepavac and Brandon Bailey demolish our big men with 62 points and 19 rebounds to lead the 114-98 win. I’m not sure what happened but you get these kinds of games every now and again so I’m not that upset. Roman led us with 22 points but Ish fouled out in only 12 minutes.

Phoenix Suns 33-9

It’s not a losing streak though as we wipe the floor with the Heat and their horrible guard depth 119-97. Ish was back to his best with 32 points and 12 rebounds while Harms also doubled up with 12 points and 15 assists. Everyone got at least 10 minutes of game time as the game was over after the first quarter with a score of 43-19. Cory Shivers had 31 points for the Heat but got no help as Joey Peterson, who is averaging 33 points and 9 rebounds on the season, played 9 minutes as a precaution for a back injury.

Phoenix Suns 34-9

I’m surprised that the Wolves aren’t better than 20-19 with Axel Rancik, Steve Howard and Derion Perez. They weren’t good against us with Ish having 32 points and 9 rebounds and Slavi (Drnovsek) added 12 points in 7 minutes to lose to us 115-99. Axel Rancik had 32 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds while Derion Perez added 25 points but the rest of the team was horrid, shown by Justin Marshall’s 1/14 shooting night.

Phoenix Suns 35-9

We go up against Olaf and the Nuggets in our next game and Harms showed exactly who is the top dog with 24 points and 14 assists while Olaf had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as we won easy 111-98. Herb and Sam had 23 points together as we forced the Nuggets into 20 turnovers. Jarrad Prewitt had 20 points and 9 rebounds for Denver.

Phoenix Suns 36-9

In our last game of the month, Joey Peterson made up for his last game with 36 points and 10 rebounds while fouling out Pin in only 9 minutes. He also fouled out Sam in 20 minutes but at least Sam had 8 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks as we squeak out a 111-106 away win in Miami. Harms and Ish combined for 57 points as Peterson had Corey Shivers with 29 points but luckily we could keep the lead at the end.

Phoenix Suns 37-9

The Rockets are still leading the conference at 31-5 but we’re right behind them so I believe that we’ll overtake them by the end of the season. Dallas are in third place but they’re six games behind us. The Lakers are alright at home (10-9) but are horrid away from Staples (2-20) and are sitting on the bottom at 12-29.

The Pistons are just hanging on to the top spot in the East at 37-11 and are only on top because Orlando hasn’t played enough games at 33-10. Miami are light years behind those two at 27-20 while Atlanta have lost Michael McQuay and Jordan Williamson has a broken ankle so it’s no surprise to see them at 10-35.

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 24.6
Michael Harmon – 22.0
Romanos Demosthenous – 13.2

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 9.9
Du Yip – 5.2
Romanos Demosthenous – 2.2

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 9.1
Ishmael Faye – 7.9
Sam Russell – 6.3

League Leaders
Points – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 33.2
Assists – Mack Haston (SAS) – 12.8
Rebounds – Kurt Lewis (ORL) – 9.9
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.6
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.3
Efficiency – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 32.2

Rookie Leaders
Points – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.6
Assists – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 6.4
Rebounds – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 3.9
Blocks – Rahmeen Penney (WAS) – 0.7
Steals – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 1.1
Efficiency – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 14.9

Second Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. SF Brandon Henry (High School), Senior, 6’7”, 217lbs
2. C Ely McDuffie (High School), Senior, 6’9”, 248lbs
3. C Cameron Gooden (Duke), Freshman, 6’10”, 259lbs
4. PF Kenny Boone (Kentucky), Sophomore, 6’10”, 228lbs
5. C Ben Webb (Texas Tech), Freshman, 6’10”, 258lbs

Thoughts – Henry is on top where he belongs and I expect him to stay there from now on. There isn’t much guard depth at the moment as there is only three guards in the top 25.

[zike_42]

January Player of the Month – Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 32.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

January Rookie of the Month – Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.3 steals nd 0.4 blocks per game.

Finally a decent trade for the season.

Atlanta trade:
PG Marcus Settles

New Orleans trade:
SF Matt Smith
2044 2nd round pick

Winner – Neither. On paper it should be a win for the Hornets as Settles is a much better player than Smith. But Settles will be stuck behind current starter Anthony Miller and up and coming star David Pearson for minutes. Smith is a bust with a contract far outweighing his production.

Cleveland trade:
C Albert Stapleton
C Pete Anderson

Milwaukee trade:
PF Reggie Smith
2044 2nd round pick

Winner – Milwaukee. This has to be one of the worst moves I’ve seen in a long time. Not only is Reggie Smith a terrible team cancer, he’s 34 years old and still owed $40.5 million over three years and he’s wrestling for minutes from Scott Oates, Abel Williams, Scott Dwiggins and youngster Gyasi Newman. All the while Milwaukee gets $9 million in expirings in Stapleton and Anderson. What are Cleveland thinking?

Good news! Marshod is almost 100% healthy! A couple of more days should do it but he’s been slotted into the starting five which has brought everyone’s spirits up a notch.

He only had 9 points and 6 rebounds in his first game back but obviously it’s going to take him a little while to get used to a real game. Ish had 31 points and 7 rebounds as we take care of the lowly Hawks 119-92. Harms added 24 points and 11 assists while Herb picked up the slack for Marshod with 18 points off the bench. Ryan Drexler had 23 points and 8 rebounds for ATL while John Meliet struggled for 12 points.

Phoenix Suns 38-9

We get even closer to the league leading Rockets with a 16-99 spanking and I’m sure that their confidence is shattered. Ish and Marshod combined for 45 points but it was a bench guy who did the damage as Yippy (Du Yip) went 10/15 for 26 points and 5 assists in 27 minutes. The downside was that Ruben Sheffer broke his hand and will be out for about two months. Bryant Reeves had 20 points as Arthimus Smallwood and James Carroll went a combined 6/22.

Phoenix Suns 39-9

That puts us only three games behind the Rockets now.

Ish and Harms were a two man wrecking crew like they were in Indiana with 61 points together as we blast the Bucks 129-93. Marshod is getting closer with 18 points while Tarrell McMahon had 12 points and 9 rebounds in only 13 minutes of playing time. Milwaukee didn’t have anyone as they shot 35% from the field and Antoine Bedard went 2/14 for only 6 points.

Phoenix Suns 40-9

Our last game before the All Star break was a simple 117-91 dismantling of the Warriors as it seems that Pin has the wood over Tip Rice in their rivalry. Our centre had 14 points and 18 rebounds while he held their centre, the best in the league, to 0/8 shooting for 5 points and 1 rebounds. Ouch. Ben Angeli led them with 22 points but we had Ish with 31 points in a counterpunch.

Phoenix Suns 41-9

The All Star break comes along and of course we have no participants in the Friday festivities as Indiana’s Lamar Traylor was much too good for everyone else, winning the Slam Dunk Contest 78-53 over OKC’s Todd Mintz. It was a very close Long Distance Shootout though as in the first round there was only four points separating first from last which is impressive for eight contestants. The final round was even close as Seattle’s Drew Martin scored 14 points, Philadelphia’s Eddy Wooley put up 15 points and Toronto’s Daniel Brazzle took the crown with 16 points. Great stuff.

Before I get to the Rookie/Sophomore game I want to go over how godly last season’s crop is already.

1 – PHI – PF Mathias Wabbes – 20.3ppg, 6.5rpg
2 – GSW – Quin Crosby – 11.2ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.7bpg
3 – PHO/TOR – C Rashon Woods – 6.7ppg, 7.5rpg, 2.1bpg
4 – BOS – PF Delawn Hooks – 20.0ppg, 7.3rpg
5 – MIN – SG Derion Perez – 21.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.8apg
6 – NYK – C Michael Porter – 10.5ppg, 8.7rpg
7 – MEM – PG DeAntoine Favors – 6.1ppg, 4.4apg
8 – MIL – PG Scott Clark – 6.8ppg, 2.2apg
9 – TOR – PF Mike Ward – 15.9ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.2bpg
10 – UTA – PG Marcus Johnson – (D-League) – 26.3ppg, 12.0apg, 4.1rpg, 2.4spg
11 – DEN – SG Vitali Gurevich – 16.6ppg, 6.2apg, 3.5rpg
12 – CLE – Marcus Jenkins – 22.7ppg, 5.3rpg, 1.5bpg

That’s in their second season! These kids still have many more years to get better and I can’t even fathom how some of these guys CAN get better!

So as you can expect the second year guys won the game easy, with seven of their players in double figures to win easy 133-101. Delawn Hooks was named the game’s MVP with 22 points and 10 rebounds with Vitali Gurevich adding 23 points in 19 minutes and Derion Perez having 14 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Our old man William Cornette led the first year guys with 21 points while Antoine Bedard had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

In what can only be explained as a bloodbath, the East looked like they were playing against a group of one legged meerkats in their 178-132 whitewash. They shot 68/111 from the field and a whopping 32/49 from three with Daniel Brazzle having a nice night with 6/6 from beyond the arc for 26 points and 7 assists. He wasn’t named All Star MVP as Brodney Smith bested him with 28 points and 8 assists and it was strange that no East player having double digit assists. Juia Henchoz and Eddy Wooley adding 20 points. Yeah, there were nine Eastern players with a dozen or more points. Our own Ishmael Faye led the West with 24 points and 7 rebounds as they ‘only’ shot 52%. West, meet incinerator.

Western Conference All Star Starters
Axel Rancik, Minnesota Timberwolves (5th selection)
Nathan Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers (5th selection)
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders (2nd selection)
Ishmael Faye, Phoenix Suns (7th selection)
Moshe Nagid, San Antonio Spurs (1st selection)

Western Conference All Star Reserves
Michael Harmon, Phoenix Suns (10th selection)
Shaun Tebbs, Dallas Mavericks (3rd selection)
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs (6th selection)
Brandon Bailey, Oklahoma City Thunder (2nd selection)
Gamal Hicks, Utah Jazz (1st selection)
David Baxley, Sacramento Kings (4th selection)
Zan Tepavac, Oklahoma City Thunder (4th selection)

Eastern Conference All Star Starters
Brodney Smith, Orlando Magic (1st selection)
Eddy Wooley, Philadelphia 76ers (1st selection)
Juia Henchoz, Orlando Magic (7th selection)
Deon Fox, Charlotte Bobcats (2nd selection)
Joey Peterson, Miami Heat (2nd selection)

Eastern Conference All Star Reserves
Winston Shannon, Indiana Pacers (3rd selection)
Rich Muckle, Brooklyn Nets (3rd selection)
Chris Bannon, Charlotte Bobcats (1st selection)
Pete Edgerson, Orlando Magic (5th selection)
Daniel Brazzle, Toronto Raptors (4th selection)
Lewis Jones, New Orleans Hornets (2nd selection)
Jamie McMillian, Detroit Pistons (7th selection)

One of those second year guys tearing up the league is Marcus Jenkins who made a mockery of Marshod with 35 points as the Cavs take us to school with a 113-100 scoreline. Pin had 10 points and 12 rebounds but broke his elbow in the fourth quarter to be another one of our guys who will miss a decent amount of time. Ugh.

Phoenix Suns 41-10

Sam will start for Pin.

We get back on the horse with a dominant 149-97 win over Nevada as Harms had 24 points and 16 assists. Marshod led the way with 28 points as the team hit 20 three pointers with Herb adding 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Petrick Rancik seems to have his best games against us and had 22 points tonight.

Phoenix Suns 42-10

It was Harms again who did the damage with 26 points and 12 assists as we breeze past the Wizards 109-91. Sam had a fantastic game with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks while holding Steve Respert to 8/24 shooting. The bad thing for Washington is that Respert was probably the best player for their side with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 43-10

Ish goes into beast mode with 35 points and 6 rebounds as we dismantle the Hornets 107-88 As usual Ish’s buddy was Harms with 23 points and 12 assists while Herb is making a name for himself off the bench with 12 points and 5 rebounds. It’s funny to see Buck Mason playing at centre, especially when he’s only 6’4”. He’s got some round to him at 314lbs but it’s pretty easy to shoot over him. Chris Bailey was New Orleans’ best with 18 points and 7 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 44-10

148-109 was the score of our last game of February as Ish and Harms did it again with 54 points between them. Everyone got at least 10 minutes of court time with Herb again doing his best off the bench with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Our old chums Alan Patton and William Cornette had different games as Patton put up 20 points while Cornette only added 8 points.

Phoenix Suns 45-10

It was a short month for us but it was a very good month, turning a three game deficit into a three game lead over the 41-13 Rockets. Dallas have slipped back again at 37-19 and we are starting to get a stranglehold on the conference. OKC are at the other end of the spectrum at 18-40.

It’s everything as usual with the East with Detroit and Orlando battling it out at the top and the rest just trying for the rest of the playoff spots. Atlanta are the worst team in the league at 11-49 and will be looking for draft prospects.

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 24.8
Michael Harmon – 21.8
Marshod Anderson – 15.6

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 10.1
Du Yip – 4.9
Romanos Demosthenous – 2.3

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 9.3
Ishmael Faye – 7.7
Sam Russell – 6.3

League Leaders
Points – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 32.8
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 12.6
Rebounds – Kurt Lewis (ORL) – 9.3
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.6
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.1
Efficiency – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 31.6

Rookie Leaders
Points – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.1
Assists – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 6.8
Rebounds – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 4.0
Blocks – Rahmeen Penney (WAS) – 0.6
Steals – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 1.1
Efficiency – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.2

Third Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. C Cameron Gooden (Duke), Freshman, 6’10”, 259lbs
2. PF Kenny Boone (Kentucky), Sophomore, 6’11”, 228lbs
3. PF niki Iliev (Bulgaria), 18 years old, 6’11”, 220lbs
4. C Ben Webb (Texas Tech), Freshman, 6’10”, 258lbs
5. SF Brandon Henry (High School), Senior, 6’7”, 217lbs

Thoughts – Gooden has come a long way since this season started. He’s presenting well, he’s putting his stamp on games and he could well be the number one pick this draft. I like seeing a Duke player battle a Kentucky guy for the top spot as neither school is anywhere near as good as they used to be 30 years ago.

[zike_42]

February Player of the Month – Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 31.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

February Rookie of the Month – Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

I’m disappointed as there weren’t any real good trades at the deal line so here are the best of the rest.

San Diego trade:
PG Brian Burks
2044 1st round pick

New York trade:
C Kevin Coley

Winner – Both. With the Riders gunning for a high playoff spot the first rounder isn’t really needed so they trade the expiring Burks for a good bench big that is a very good defender. Just flip that around and you’ll see why the Knicks did it as well.

Detroit trade:
PF Rod Brown
C Charles Dubbs

Cleveland trade:
SG Joe West
2044 2nd round pick

Winner – Detroit. The contracts are about the same while West is a better player than both Brown and Dubbs so it’s an easy win for the Pistons.

San Diego trade:
SG Dana Dare
SG Jason Williams
SG Jeff Caspers

Chicago trade:
SG Kelvin Cooper
2044 2nd round pick

Winner – San Diego. With Israel Payne out for a very long time with a torn MCL the Riders needed a guard that can pass the ball. Cooper isn’t all that good at it but he’s as good as the Riders will get, so trading away three scrubs for starting PG is a win in my books.

Our first game for March was a VERY easy 127-84 smashing of Sacramento as Harms was our star with 35 points and 10 assists. Ish was also great, going 9/11 for 26 points and 12 rebounds and Herb added 16 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. It seems every game has those three starring. David Baxley had 18 points for the Kings but they shot 38% to our 53%.

Phoenix Suns 46-10

The Kings get their revenge the very next night after beating us in the fourth quarter 28-15 to win the game 112-99. Yep, it was level at three quarter time before they blasted off. David Baxley was the reason with 37 points and 8 rebounds with Harms being our best with 24 points and 9 assists. It was funny (in a bad way) to see Yippy foul out in seven minutes. Six fouls, seven minutes.

Phoenix Suns 46-11

It’s back in the winning column with a 119-104 away win over the Hornets as Ish went 10/15 from the foul line for 29 points while Sam and Harms doubled up as we shot 58% from the field. Buck Mason is taking playing centre in his stride with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 47-11

Even with the Thunder being at 20-41 they gave us a serious fright as it was only the magic of Marshod Anderson to give us a 108-106 win. Marshod had 27 points to lead the team and Harms nearly had the mystical devil’s quadruple double with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 10 turnovers. Kelly Moreland had 18 points for OKC but needed 21 shots to get them.

Phoenix Suns 48-11

Mack Haston said enough of these Phoenix punks, I’ll beat them myself. And he did, putting up 26 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in San Antonio’s 111-102 win. He had help with Gustavo Fonseca and Dave Smith adding 43 points. Marshod was our best with 25 points but Ish and Harms only had 31 points between them.

Phoenix Suns 48-12

Geez, we just don’t want 50 wins as we fall to the Wolves this time with a 114-101 score line. Derion Perez is one of those sophomore superstars and had 25 points and 6 assists to add to Axel Rancik’s 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ish was our only player with 39 points and 8 rebounds as we just couldn’t stop the three ball from Minny.

Phoenix Suns 48-13

We get our revenge on the Spurs with a 112-100 win behind Marshod who is finally getting confident enough to get to his old level. He had 30 points while Harms added 29 points and Sam ripped down 17 rebounds as we played as good as we ever have. Mack Haston might have had 11 assists but he only scored 15 points which is great defence on our part.

Phoenix Suns 49-13

It keeps on rolling with a 121-110 win over the Bucks as our big three combined for 68 points, 24 rebounds and 14 assists and it was a thing of beauty to see these three guys being on the same level for once with Marshod missing so much time. Jim Meeking had 20 points and 9 rebounds for Milwaukee while runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award Antoine Bedard had 19 points. There is still a month to go but he has it in the bag.

Phoenix Suns 50-13

Woo, 50 wins!

What a track meet, with both teams shooting above 53% from the field as Bob Benton had one of the best shooting nights I’ve ever seen. He went a mind blowing 19/20 from the field and 5/5 from three for 47 points as the Jazz beat us 144-137. Gamal Hicks and Harms had a massive battle with Hicks having 36 points and 15 assists and Harms countering with 33 points and 15 assists. Marshod and Ish combined for 57 points but it was all Benton who will never shoot like that ever again. Seriously, 19/20!

Phoenix Suns 50-14

That’s more like it, as Bob Benton only had 6 points tonight as we get revenge on the Jazz with a 122-84 home win. Ish was our star (surprise, surprise) with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks while Tarrell McMahon added 16 points on 6/7 shooting off the bench. Gamal Hicks, Phil Magnum and Nathaniel Jackson combined to shoot 14/47 from the field which is probably why we won.

Phoenix Suns 51-14

Without Tip Rice (broken toe) the Warriors were no match for us as Ish did his thing with 33 points as we win easily 112-101. Herb had 13 points off the bench and Tarrell McMahon went 5/5 for 10 points in 9 minutes. Ben Angeli had 30 points for Golden State but even though they shot 55% from the field we were +14 on free throws and +8 on turnovers.

Phoenix Suns 52-14

It’s the first 20/20 game for assists that I’ve had for a while as Harms put up exactly that (20 points, 20 assists) while Herb added 23 points and 8 rebounds as we withstand a fightback from the Mavs to win 118-111. Chris Howard and Ben Jensen went 24/40 for 58 points but we again had less turnovers than our opponents which I really like.

Phoenix Suns 53-14

The game was over after the first quarter as we outscored the Neon 41-29 to win 127-99. Ish was our man with 28 points and 12 rebounds as seven of our guys were in double figures. Johannes Stankevicius had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Nevada.

Phoenix Suns 54-14

I love seeing the Gamal Hicks/Michael Harmon rivalry unfold, as neither player likes the other and there’s a drive to best each other. Tonight it went to the Utah guard who had 35 points and 7 assists to our star 25 points and 7 assists. Luckily for us we had a guy called Ishmael Faye, who went 16/20 from the foul line for 28 points and 8 rebounds as we win by the smallest of margins, 120-119.

Phoenix Suns 55-14

Our last game of the month is against our biggest threat in the West, the Houston Rockets. They got out to a big lead, going up by 17 points in the third term and then we woke up. In the second half we outscored our opponents 71-45 to take the game and extend our lead 126-110. Harms had 30 points and 16 assists while our other two stars had 53 points and 18 rebounds as those three guys wrecked everything in their way. Tarrell McMahon did his best while he was out there with 10 points on 10 shots in only 8 minutes. James Carroll had 31 points but his runningmate in Arthimus Smallwood only had 9 points.

Phoenix Suns 56-14

With that win we now have a seven game buffer in the West with one month to go while Dallas are a distant third at 48-23. The Lakers and the Thunder are battling it out for last spot in the West at 25-48 and 25-44 respectively.

The East is pretty close at the top as well, as Orlando at 54-20 and Detroit at 52-22 in a battle for home court. Charlotte are probably out of the running at 45-29. Atlanta are far and away the worst team in the league at 15-56.

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 24.8
Michael Harmon – 22.0
Marshod Anderson – 16.6

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 10.3
Du Yip – 4.4
Romanos Demosthenous – 2.2

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 9.3
Ishmael Faye – 7.9
Sam Russell – 6.8

League Leaders
Points – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 33.6
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 12.6
Rebounds – Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 9.3
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.8
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.1
Efficiency – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 32.0

Rookie Leaders
Points – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 14.7
Assists – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 7.1
Rebounds – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 3.9
Blocks – Rahmeen Penney (WAS) – 0.6
Steals – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 1.0
Efficiency – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.1

Last Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. PF Kenny Boone (Kentucky), Sophomore, 6’11”, 228lbs
2. PF Travis Tyndell (Michigan State), Sophomore, 6’8”, 231lbs
3. PF niki Iliev (Bulgaria), 18 years old, 6’11”, 220lbs
4. C Ben Webb (Texas Tech), Freshman, 6’10”, 258lbs
5. PF Brian Crocker (UCLA), Junior, 6’8”, 230lbs

Thoughts – This really isn’t a guard draft as the first point guard is at #9 (Jason Jenkins) and the first shooting guard is all the way down in #18 (Dickey Nahra). Tyndell has come out of no-where with a great March Madness performance.

[zike_42]

March Player of the Month – Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 36.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

March Rookie of the Month – Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Twelve games to go and a six game lead over Orlando for home court advantage. We get a boost as Pin is back in the starting five as he’s been cleared to play.

The dozen games starts off well with Harms shooting 10/11 from the field for 33 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds as we beat the Wolves 122-104. Pin had 14 points and 9 rebounds in his first game back for a while and I’m happy with that production even if he only shot 6/19. Derion Perez led Minnesota with 24 points as Axel Rancik was held to 6/18 shooting.

Phoenix Suns 57-14

Harms really must want some time off as he put out the Neon with 28 points and 19 assists as we win again, this time a 126-114 away victory. Ish had 20 points and 6 rebounds while Roman had a nice night with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Glen Abrams was a one man army for Nevada with 30 points and 12 rebounds but we out shot them 51% to 42%.

Phoenix Suns 58-14

The Harmon train just keeps on rolling, this time having 34 points and 10 assists while Pin, Ish and Marshod having 18 points each as the Celtics just couldn’t keep up in a 110-98 game. Delawn Hooks is already a star and as soon as next season he’ll be a superstar and had 22 points in the loss. Cameron Brown had 18 points and it’s great to see our old captain.

Phoenix Suns 59-14

After four games in four nights it was going to be hard to win on night five, especially against the elite Pistons. So when Ben LaLane had 23 points and 9 rebounds as we only shot 45% from the field it was always going to be hard, going down to Detroit 106-97. The biggest stat to come out of this game was Sam Russell’s 12 points, 17 rebounds and 12 blocks off the bench! I can’t remember the last time someone had a triple double off the bench, let alone one with blocks. It’s his second career triple double.

Phoenix Suns 59-15

The Lakers aren’t very good. And they showed how bad they are by losing to us by nearly 50 points, 117-69. We just couldn’t miss, going 62% from the field to their 37% as Marshod missed only three games on his way to 37 points. Roman added 22 points and even though Harms only 6 points, he finished with 18 assists. Aaron DeManby had 14 points and so did Nathan Gordon who went 4/12.

Phoenix Suns 60-15

Woo, 60 wins!

It was our bench guys who were the main cog of our 129-97 win over Philadelphia. Sure Harms and Ish combined for 52 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists but our bench guys combined for 46 points to really put the screws in. Eddy Wooley has really become a star in this league and had 18 points and 9 assists but they just couldn’t do anything after Mathias Wabbes couled out in only 12 minutes.

Phoenix Suns 61-15

With six games to go we are seven games ahead of the Magic so playoff home court advantage is ours so like other years, we’ll rest our stars. Our new starters are Yip/Demosthenous/Celuck/Russell/Yuan. Coach was close to resting Pin but he said with his recent injury he wants to get as much court time as possible before the playoffs.

He does well in the minutes he had as Pin put up 25 points and 16 rebounds in only 28 minutes before fouling out as we beat the Knicks 106-101. Roman was also great with 24 points while Yippy added 17 points and 9 assists. Ezra Kidd and Will Campbell both had 18 points but the team shot 38% from the field.

Phoenix Suns 62-15

Pin again was the star with 20 points and 12 rebounds as it was the exact scoreline as last game as we beat the Kings 106-101. Yippy had 13 points and 13 assists while Tarrell McMahon was the super-sub with 16 points in 16 minutes. Joe Adras had a nice line with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists but he needed 29 shots to get them.

Phoenix Suns 63-15

We were always going to lose to the Cavs with this team so to go down by only seven was fine by me with the score being 116-109. Marcus Jenkins is in his second year and already a superstar and had 31 points tonight while David Forrest added 23 points and 12 assists. Yippy was our best with 22 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds and Derek Whitworth had 15 points and 7 rebounds. It’s not a win but I’m not upset.

Phoenix Suns 63-16

Sam might have only had 14 points but he also had 11 rebounds and 8 blocks to take home player of the game as we smash the Knicks again 104-87. Tarrell McMahon was the high man with 20 points and the high man of the game was second year man Michael Porter with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 64-16

It was Herb tonight with the great game with 27 points and 9 rebounds to lead ths team to a 113-98 win over Milwaukee. Roman chipped in 22 points and 9 rebounds and Yippy put up 16 points and 13 assists. Antoine Bedard showed his talent with 24 points but the team shot 35% from the field.

Phoenix Suns 65-16

Our last game of the season was a simple 128-102 win over San Diego. The reason it was so simple is that Ryan Holcomb broke his wrist five minutes into the game which is horrible luck for the playoff bound Riders. Pin took full advantage with 33 points and 11 rebounds but once this game was done everyone was worried for Holcomb. Hopefully he gets better quickly.

Phoenix Suns 66-16

Western Conference Final Standings
1 – Phoenix Suns – 66-16 (.805)
2 – Dallas Mavericks – 56-26 (.683)
3 – Houston Rockets – 56-26 (.683)
4 – San Antonio Spurs – 54-28 (.659)
5 – San Diego Riders – 47-35 (.573)
6 – Denver Nuggets – 46-36 (.561)
7 – Seattle Supersonics – 41-41 (.500)
8 – Minnesota Timberwolves – 40-42 (.488)
Last – Portland Trailblazers – 28-54 (.341)

Eastern Conference Final Standings
1 – Orlando Magic – 59-23 (.720)
2 – Detroit Pistons – 58-24 (.707)
3 – Charlotte Bobcats – 49-33 (.598)
4 – New Orleans Hornets – 48-34 (.585)
5 – Brooklyn Nets – 48-34 (.585)
6 – Boston Celtics – 47-35 (.573)
7 – Cleveland Cavaliers – 47-35 (.573)
8 – Philadelphia 76ers – 41-41 (.500
Last – Atlanta Hawks – 19-63 (.232)

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 24.1
Michael Harmon – 22.2
Marshod Anderson – 17.3

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 10.6
Du Yip – 4.8
Slavi Drnovsek – 2.4

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 9.2
Ishmael Faye – 7.9
Sam Russell – 7.0

League Top Points
Joey Peterson (MIA) – 34.4
Ryan Holcomb (SDR) – 27.0
Pete Edgerson (ORL) – 26.6

League Top Assists
Israel Payne (SDR) – 12.6
Lou Beck (POR) – 12.0
Mack Haston (SAS) – 12.0

League Top Rebounds
Joey Peterson (MIA) – 9.2
Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 9.2
Apolinary Dembowski (SDR) – 9.0

League Top Blocks
Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.8
Sam Russell (PHO) – 2.7
Dan Bonney (HOU) – 2.6

League Top Steals
Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.0
Axel Rancik (MIN) – 2.9
Buck Mason (NOH) – 2.5

League Top Efficiency
Joey Peterson (MIA) – 32.7
Eddy WOoley (PHI) – 27.8
Axel Rancik (MIN) – 27.3

Rookie Top Points
Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.2
William Cornette (IND) – 9.8
Derick Brown (CHI) – 8.1

Rookie Top Assists
Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 7.1
Derick Brown (CHI) – 4.0
Nigel Sowder (DEN) – 3.0

Rookie Top Rebounds
Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 3.9
William Cornette (IND) – 2.5
Eric Parker (MIA) – 2.1

Rookie Top Efficiency
Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.3
William Cornette (IND) – 8.2
Derick Brown (CHI) – 8.1

[zike_42]

2044 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Orlando vs. #8 Philadelphia
#2 Detroit vs. #7 Cleveland
#3 Charlotte vs. #6 Boston
#4 New Orleans vs. #5 Brooklyn

Western Conference
#1 Phoenix vs. #8 Minnesota
#2 Dallas vs. #7 Seattle
#3 Houston vs. #6 Denver
#4 San Antonio vs. #5 San Diego

We won the season series against the Wolves 2-1 but who cares about that? Philadelphia are in the playoffs! It’s the first time they’ve made it to the post season in ten years after wallowing in the basement for much of that time.

Western Conference First Round – Minnesota vs. Phoenix

Point Guard
Axel Rancik vs. Michael Harmon
23.7 points, 10.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds vs. 22.2 points, 10.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds

It’s so weird seeing Rancik in another uniform as he spent his first nine years at OKC. He’s still the magnificent guard but he’s going up against one of the best defensive guards in history. This is going to be one hell of a battle and will go a long way in seeing who wins this series.

Winner - Draw

Shooting Guard
Derion Perez vs. Romanos Demosthenous
21.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds vs. 13.1 points, 2.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds

At only age 21 Perez is already one of the best two guards in the league and he’ll only get better. He’s shooting at a good clip and he’s a good locker room guy. ‘Roman’ is going to need to pull out all of his defensive stops to at least slow down Perez, but all signs point to no.

Winner - Minnesota

Small Forward
Justin Marshall vs. Marshod Anderson
13.2 points, 1.9 assists, 6.1 rebounds vs. 17.3 points, 1.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds

Don’t let Anderson’s numbers fool you, he’s still the fantastic player he has always been. Injuries have railroaded his season but at full health it’s going to be a big series for him. Marshall is a above average player but he’s going to struggle against Anderson’s class.

Winner - Phoenix

Power Forward
Joe Dixon vs. Ishmael Faye
12.0 points, 0.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds vs. 24.1 points, 1.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds

The only good thing about Dixon is that he’s quite a good defender. He’s not going to get much else against Faye who is so excited to get another title he’s probably going to burst a blood vessel with excitement.

Winner - Phoenix

Centre
Steve Howard vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
12.2 points, 1.1 assists, 8.6 rebounds vs. 12.5 points, 1.1 assists, 9.2 rebounds

Howard has almost been forgotten now that he’s gone to Minnesota as he’s was the bee’s knees in Cleveland. He’s still that fantastic rebounder and gritty scorer but with Rancik and Perez now taking up most of the scoring load he’s been pushed to the background. Yuan is similar in style and situation as there are better scorers on the team and if he was on a less talented team he would be the number one option.

Winner - Draw

Bench
Gerald Watkins, Art Roberts, Axel Aspe vs. Du Yip, Sam Russell, Herb Celuck

If Rancik didn’t pick Minnesota then Watkins would have been starting in his rookie season but the Wolves don’t really go to their bench that often, with Rancik, Perez and Marshall all top fifteen in minutes played in the league. The Suns’ bench is instrumental in getting the team to the top and will increase leads when the starters are having a rest.

Winner – Phoenix

Prediction – Phoenix in five. There’s talent on the Minnesota squad but they don’t quite have the class that the Suns have at the moment.

Game one was a great statement game, as we pushed hard and fast and didn’t let Minny get any looks as we won easily 108-81. Ish, Marshod and Roman had 66 points while Harms fouled out with only 4 points and 12 assists. Yippy was a great substitute with 17 points and held Axel Rancik to 7/20 shooting. Roman was also great on the defensive end by holding Derion Perez to 0/5 shooting for only 3 points.

Phoenix leads 1-0

Our three best scorers were our three best players as Marshod, Ish and Harms combined for 74 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists as game two is ours as well, with the Wolves not hitting anything on the way to a 114-102 win. Our crowd aren’t really interested in first round games after already nabbing two championships and they just expect this team to move on. Steve Howard blew up with 27 points and 11 rebounds and Derion Perez got out from Roman’s shackles with 25 points.

Phoenix leads 2-0

The Minnesota crowd are a pretty intelligent crowd and they know good basketball when they see it, which is disappointing as the team just hasn’t been good enough of late. They haven’t made the playoffs (before this season) for five years and haven’t got out of the second round since they won it all with Enrique Mendez and Camah Williams way back in 2026. So to say they’re hungry is an understatement.

The team lets them down again, shooting terrible and just not playing very well as a unit as we take game three 109-88 and the Wolves look spent. Marshod had 26 points and 8 rebounds to lead us while Sam made up for Pin’s foul trouble with 14 points and 3 blocks in the playoffs. Axel Rancik is doing all he can for the team with 26 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds but was undone by Justin Marshall and Joe Dixon who combined to shoot 3/20.

Phoenix leads 3-0

It was a double whammy against us as we lost game four 111-105 with Axel Rancik doing the damage with 27 points and 8 assists and Ish strained an abdominal muscle and will be hurting for a while. He won’t miss any games but he won’t be too happy about it either. Ish still put up 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks but missed crucial minutes with his injury.

Phoenix leads 3-1

There were three sweeps with the two #3 seeds going through with Charlotte and Houston bringing out the brooms. San Antonio beating San Diego was always going to happen with Cliff Havens being out.

We weren’t going to lose two games in a row and I think Minny knew that as we blasted them away to move onto the next round with a score of 114-96. Marshod was back to his best with 31 points and 8 rebounds while Roman added 24 points. Ish wasn’t his best but still had 10 points and 9 rebounds. Art Roberts rose off the bench for the Wolves with 22 points and 8 rebounds but this was never in doubt.

Phoenix wins 4-1

Everyone reading this, please sit down. This news will shock you to your core. Philadelphia has knocked off #1 seed Orlando 4-1 to move onto the second round. It’s been 11 years since they’ve got past the first round and the people of Philly are delirious and of course it was their two young studs in Mathias Wabbes and Eddy Wooley who did the damage. Wabbes averaged 25.8 points and 10.6 rebounds and Wooley put up 21.4 points and 12.4 assists for the series. I never thought I would see the day.

Anyway, in the East #2 Detroit beat #7 Cleveland in six and #5 Brooklyn forced the small upset over #4 New Orleans in seven. The last series left in the West went the full distance as well with #2 Dallas making sure they didn’t get upset by beating #7 Seattle by nine.

[zike_42]

2044 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#2 Detroit vs. #3 Charlotte
#5 Brooklyn vs. #8 Philadelphia

Western Conference
#1 Phoenix vs. #4 San Antonio
#2 Dallas vs. #3 Houston

Losing the season series 1-2 against the Spurs has me a little worried as this team can turn it on when they want.

Western Conference Semi-Finals – San Antonio vs. Phoenix

Point Guard
Mack Haston vs. Michael Harmon
29.0 points, 10.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds vs. 16.8 points, 12.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds

The Spurs run everything through Haston and he lives for it. This is the most dangerous match-up for Phoenix even with Michael Harmon being a part of it as Haston is a live wire and he needs to pull out all of his defensive tricks to win this battle.

Winner - Draw

Shooting Guard
Gustavo Fonseca vs. Romanos Demosthenous
10.5 points, 2.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds vs. 17.0 points, 1.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds

This is the Demosthenous that people thought he could be when he was drafted #2 so long ago. He’s looking aggressive with the ball and he is blocking shots and stealing passes. Fonseca might not be able to stay with Roman as he’s giving up a lot of body.

Winner - Phoenix

Small Forward
Dave Smith vs. Marshod Anderson
12.0 points, 2.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds vs. 23.8 points, 1.0 assist, 6.8 rebounds

He may be only 6’4” but Dave Smith doesn’t give an inch. He’s one of the best defenders in the whole league and San Antonio’s enforcer. He will try and get into Anderson’s head after all of those injuries that Anderson suffered during the season and it will go a long way if the Spurs want to win this.

Winner - Phoenix

Power Forward
Josh Venner vs. Ishmael Faye
6.8 points, 1.0 assist, 7.8 rebounds vs. 20.2 points, 2.2 assists, 9.8 rebounds

Oh dear Josh Venner. You’ve come up against a Ish Faye who didn’t really like his performance last series and is hoping to make amends. Venner is a quality defender which will help him here but when Faye’s on a rampage not much can stop him.

Winner - Phoenix

Centre
Moshe Nagid vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
26.5 points, 0.5 assists, 12.8 rebounds vs. 14.0 points, 0.6 assists, 9.8 rebounds

Last series for the Spurs was a two man show, with Haston and Nagid dragging their team to the next round. Nagid is going to have to do that again with Shaheen Mason out for a long time with a leg injury. He’s got that talent to do it, but so does Yuan who might not score a lot but he does everything else really, really well.

Winner – San Antonio

Bench
Terry Whitworth, Paul Gilbert, Marques Martin vs. Du Yip, Sam Russell, Herb Celuck

The Spurs doesn’t really use their bench much with Whitworth playing the most minutes at sixteen per game. All three of the Suns’ player noted play that much or more, so if San Antonio’s starters get into foul trouble there could be trouble.

Winner – Phoenix

Prediction – Phoenix in six. The Spurs are better than their individual parts but they rely heavily on Nagid and especially Haston. If either of those two misfire, especially Haston, then they’re sunk.

In game one we got our wish, Haston had a rough night and two of their starters got into foul trouble. What we didn’t know was that Moshe Nagid would have a fantastic game with 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks and their bench would have Paul Gilbert (11 points, 4 blocks) and Terry Whitworth (10 points, 8 minutes) stepping up as we go down by the smallest of margins 105-104. Josh Venner only played 29 minutes but still had 17 points and 11 rebounds which was annoying. Ish had 22 points and Pin added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks but Marshod and Harms went a combined 4/22 which killed us.

San Antonio leads 1-0

We were always going to come out and spank our opponents game two and even with a small break at the start of the game we were in full control, tying the series 106-94. Roman was the destroyer this time with 19 points and 9 rebounds as Marshod was the game high scorer with 22 points. Mack Haston had a better game with 21 points and 10 assists and Moshe Nagid added 18 points and 6 blocks but we had 50 rebounds compared to their 35 which gave us heaps of second chance points (28-9).

Series tied 1-1

In a hugely surprising low scoring game, we shot 37% to their 44% which means we lost. No! We won because we shot 42 free throws compared to their 22 to take back home court advantage 91-88. Marshod and Ish had 19 points each but Harms had another rough night with only 11 points. Dave Smith was the high man for the game which is never good for San Antonio with 20 points but he, Venner, Nagid and Fonseca fouled out and Haston and Terry Whitworth had four fouls each.

Phoenix leads 2-1

Just like when we lost the first game and came out firing in the next, the Spurs were on fire in game four. Mack Haston had the best game of the series so far with 31 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds as they torched us 121-96. Dave Smith had the best of Marshod with 28 points as they shot 56% to our 41%. Ish was our best with 21 points but this was always going to be a uphill battle.

Series tied 2-2

All four series are tied at 2-2 which is great news.

After being bashed around for four games Pin has had enough and exploded in game five, going 11/17 from the field and 11/16 from the line for 34 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals as we win 112-103. He even hit a three pointer in the second quarter! Our bench also helped out with Sam and Yippy having 23 points and 11 rebounds. Dave Smith and Moshe Nagid had 22 points apiece but Mack Haston went 3/13 from the field.

Phoenix leads 3-2

I really want to win this game as going back to Phoenix for a game seven has too many variables that could end up in a loss. Luckily for us we were beasts, having 10 more field goal attempts and 14 more free throw attempts to take the game and the series 102-88. Pin and Ish were dynamic with 48 points, 26 rebounds and 6 blocks to shut Moshe Nagid down for good. Harms finally had a nice game with 21 points and 8 assists but Mack Haston again bested him with 24 points and 13 assists. I don’t think he’ll mind as we’re going through to the WCF and they’re not.

Phoenix wins 4-2

The rest of the series finished in six games as #2 Dallas getting past #3 Houston, #3 Charlotte upsetting #2 Detroit and #5 Brooklyn halting #8 Philadelphia. Damn, I think everyone wanted the Sixers to keep going.

[zike_42]

2044 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#3 Charlotte vs. #5 Brooklyn

Western Conference
#1 Phoenix vs. #2 Dallas

Our first regular season game against the Mavericks was a 52 point drubbing which was extremely depressing but that was before Marshod and Ish were playing and then we won the last two games pretty easily.

Western Conference Finals – Dallas vs. Phoenix

Point Guard
Andre Davenport vs. Michael Harmon
15.3 points, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds vs. 12.9 points, 9.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds

Harmon has been really struggling this post season. He’s battled niggling injuries and went up against two of the best point guards in the league in Axel Rancik and Mack Haston. He should get back to his best against the lesser Davenport. Davenport played well against the Suns last playoffs but he will be out of his depth here.

Winner - Phoenix

Shooting Guard
Shaun Tebbs vs. Romanos Demosthenous
22.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds vs. 15.0 points, 1.8 assists, 6.1 rebounds

Like usual, Tebbs is having a fantastic season and post season and unfortunately for Roman, he won’t change much this series. He just has a knack for doing the right thing in the right situation so if Phoenix wants to win they should stop Tebbs at any cost.

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Chris Howard vs. Marshod Anderson
24.6 points, 1.8 assists, 6.8 rebounds vs. 19.5 points, 1.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds

He’s finally injury free and even though he hasn’t hit his absolute highs yet, Anderson is the guy to worry about every time he’s on the court. Howard is also a great scorer who is the guy Dallas goes to when they need a big play.

Winner - Phoenix

Power Forward
Howie James vs. Ishmael Faye
11.0 points, 1.7 assists, 5.9 rebounds vs. 19.9 points, 1.5 assists, 7.8 rebounds

James is big, slow and only an average player. Faye is big, quick and one of the best players in the league, even at 32 years old. This could get ugly.

Winner - Phoenix

Centre
Ben Jensen vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
16.2 points, 0.7 assists, 7.2 rebounds vs. 17.1 points, 0.5 assists, 10.1 rebounds

The one knock on Jensen is that he’s a pretty terrible defender and the Suns are going to try and exploit that as much as possible. Yuan has been tearing it up so far this post season and he’ll probably continue to do that here.

Winner - Phoenix

Bench
Kenny Trombley, Devin Coffee, Nuh Shushud vs. Du Yip, Sam Russell, Herb Celuck

The Dallas bench has been vital for the success of the team, as both Trombley and Coffee are averaging at least 20 minutes a game and at least 11 points per contest. They’ve also combined for 8.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists so the team need them to keep firing. Phoenix’s bench aren’t quite as good but they are still very important for the team.

Winner – Dallas

Prediction – Phoenix in six. The Dallas team has talent and heart but Phoenix are out for blood and just have too much talent to let them lose.

Now this is when our crowd shows up. They’re here in full force and as loud as a nest of angry wolverines. They had plenty to cheer about too, with everyone in our starting five playing 39 minutes or more and playing well in them as we wipe the floor with the Mavs 108-85. Ish had 33 points and 8 rebounds while Pin and Roman combined for 38 points, 24 rebounds and 7 blocks. Even Harms, who went 3/9 for only 9 points had a decent game with 17 assists and 7 rebounds. Dallas was bombarded from the start, getting down by double digits in the first quarter, with Ben Jensen giving the most resistance with 18 points.

Phoenix leads 1-0

The Mavs played better in game two with Shaun Tebbs and Chris Howard having 58 points between them but they still shot badly, going 42% from the field. Against a team like us that is usually a death sentence and in this game it was, as we win again 113-107. Our big three did it all with 68 points, 26 rebounds and 12 assists. To be fair the scoreline wasn’t as close as the game was as Dallas got back some in garbage time.

Phoenix leads 2-0

The Mavericks have been to the playoffs 21 years out of the last 23 years with Kevin Garnett being head coach for 20 of those years. He’s won 1209 games with a winning percentage of .702 and have won it all seven times. A lot of that time I was general manager but it’s great to see the team continue on their winning ways. It also means they don’t like losing and are expecting to win these next two games at home because that’s what they do.

Unfortunately they had no match for Michael Harmon, who powered through the Dallas defense like a certain Ledaryl McMillian used to do with 35 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds as we win game three 127-107. Roman was also excellent, going 11/15 for 24 points and 6 rebounds as it was our starters who did the damage again. Chris Howard went toe to toe with Harms with 34 points but again it was our defense that won us the game, holding Dallas to 41% shooting.

Phoenix leads 3-0

You would think with their season on the line, their championship defense season on the line, which the Mavericks would put up a fight in game four. But alas, they were broken as we beat them easily to move onto the NBA Finals with a 115-104 win. That score line was complimenting the Mavs as our lead was out to as many as 22 points. Ish was the destroyer, going 14/16 for 34 points while Marshod added 22 points and Harms dished out 15 helpers. Again it was Shaun Tebbs and Chris Howard leading the way for Dallas with 58 points but I’m betting they are missing Matt Hackett right about now.

Phoenix wins 4-0

The average scoreline of the Charlotte vs. Brooklyn series was 144-127 which is simply insane. What was insane was that Brooklyn swept the Bobcats as they put up scores of 138, 151, 141 and 145 in their rout of Charlotte. After defeating one of my old teams, I’m up against another.

[zike_42]

2044 NBA Finals

#1 Phoenix vs. #5 Brooklyn

I don’t really know what to make of Brooklyn as both of our matches were in November when we still had Alan Patton and William Cornette. They love to score and so do we so this could be interesting.

Point Guard
Ryan Cornell vs. Michael Harmon
14.3 points, 11.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds vs. 14.5 points, 9.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds

After playing two and a half seasons in Phoenix before being traded for Marshod Anderson, Cornell has come to life in Brooklyn. He’s one of the best passers in the league (some might say THE best) and his defense is also top notch. He’s going to need to be on his best because Harmon had a fantastic series against Dallas and he wants another ring.

Winner - Phoenix

Shooting Guard
Nick Hughes vs. Romanos Demosthenous
13.2 points, 10.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds vs. 15.5 points, 2.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds

Never have I seen two players from the same team average over ten assists a game in so many games (17 contests). It’s insane and just goes to show how fast and how quickly this Brooklyn team scores. Hughes plays more point guard than Cornell does because at 5’11”, 159lbs he would have all kinds of problems guarding the much bigger Roman.

Winner - Draw

Small Forward
Rich Muckle vs. Marshod Anderson
24.6 points, 2.8 assists, 6.9 rebounds vs. 20.0 points, 1.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds

This is the meat of the NBA Finals right here. Both players were traded for each other and play fairly similar but not really. Muckle is a better defender/stealer/blocker but a much worse shooter (.397 career) and will really need to score more efficiently than just volume if they want this upset. Anderson might be nearing the end of being a superstar but he is still a fantastic player who is hoping to make amends for his recent injury troubles.

Winner - Draw

Power Forward
Steve Baxter vs. Ishmael Faye
17.2 points, 1.4 assists, 7.6 rebounds vs. 21.9 points, 1.5 assists, 8.2 rebounds

The Nets are pretty good at getting steals late in the first round and that’s what they have in Steve Baxter. He was drafted #28 four years ago and has excelled so far in his career. His colours will get lowered here against the surging Faye who is leading this team from the front.

Winner - Phoenix

Centre
Luigi Cannavaro vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
22.1 points, 1.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds vs. 15.7 points, 0.6 assists, 10.5 rebounds

Current general manager of the Phoenix Suns, Yaxley MacMillan, drafted Cannavaro at #9 nine years ago and he’s still looking the goods. He might not be the best rebounder out there but scoring 20+ a night at 60% shooting is pretty damn good. Yuan is the opposite it seems, grabbing every rebound out there but having other guys score for him. If Yuan can slow down Cannavaro then it might be lights out for the Nets.

Winner - Brooklyn

Bench
Ryan Lemeke, Marlin Bain, Sean Robertson vs. Du Yip, Sam Russell, Herb Celuck

Bain has been a beast this playoff run, averaging 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in only 21.1 minutes. They are great starter minutes and he will be a valuable asset. Lemeke is a decent scorer but other than that the Nets’ bench is filler. The Suns have one more important player with Yip, Russell and Celuck having meaningful contributions and seeing as three is bigger than two Phoenix wins this.

Winner – Phoenix

Prediction – Phoenix in six. The Suns have won two of the last three titles and they have too much talent to not make it another one.

It was disappointing to see that most of the crowd had bought into the hype of this team and were just expecting that the title would fall into their laps. A lot of people came late and the crowd just wasn’t very enthused or loud enough for an NBA Finals game. I almost wanted to lose game one to wake people up and get them back to the ferociousness of the first championship.

Marshod Anderson wouldn’t have any of that and even though he shot the same amount of shots, 27, as Rich Muckle, he hit many more. Marshod went 16/27 for 36 points to Muckle’s 10/27 for 23 points as we took game one 117-105. Ish was the best best player on the court with 24 points and 8 rebounds while Harms went 1/6 for 6 points and 6 turnovers. Steve Baxter had 16 points and 11 rebounds but Hughes and Cornell were only held to 12 assists, much less than their usual averages which means that they couldn’t dominate the ball.

Phoenix leads 1-0

That’s more like it! The crowd was full (of course) but they actually cared. Which seemed to have a great influence on the team as we won every quarter and never trailed to win 134-119. It was our starters that did the damage, with Harms (37 points, 19 assists) leading Roman, Ish and Marshod’s 77 points. You counted that right, four of our guys had 114 points tonight, five less than Brooklyn. Luigi Cannavaro and Steve Baxter played hard for 56 points and 18 rebounds but Rich Muckle was held to only 6/22 shooting.

Phoenix leads 2-0

The Nets haven’t missed the playoffs in fifteen years which is crazy and second only behind Dallas at 16 years. Also, did I tell you that they like to run? Yeah…

They ran. And ran and ran and definitely outran us as the Nets went on a 33-14 tear in the first quarter to demolish us 143-95 to get one back. Rich Muckle had a nice game with 31 points and 8 rebounds but did only shoot 9/22. Steve Baxter shot much better, going 12/14 for 24 points and 10 rebounds as the team hit 59% of their shots. Us on the other hand, only hit at 36% which absolutely means we were going to lose. Harms was our best with 21 points but let’s just skip past this game.

Phoenix leads 2-1

YES! I pumped my fist halfway through the final term of game four when Herb put in a dunk to put us up by 20 points and I just know that this title is ours. We ended up winning 119-98 but games like this haunt losing teams and I feel like the Nets might be broken. Marshod had 28 points and 8 rebounds while Ish, Pin, Roman and Harms all had double doubles to put us on track. Steve Baxter had 25 points but Rich Muckle again shot badly, going 8/22 for 23 points. He might get a lot of shots but he takes a lot of shots to get them. He’s averaging 21.2 shots attempted for only 24.3 points at .407 which just isn’t good enough and the main reason I traded him.

Phoenix leads 3-1

It was only a matter of time before the Nets become fully broken but I never thought that they would be done the very next game. It would have been nice to win it all on our home court but I'm not complaining as we smash them to oblivion 140-128 to take home another title! Ish was amazing with 39 points and 7 rebounds and Marshod backed him up with 33 points of his own as we shoot 58% to win our third title for Phoenix. Luigi had 33 points for the Nets but they were outmatched and outplayed!

The crowd was practically gone by the time the final siren had sounded but that didn’t matter for the small amount of fans that had made the trek from Phoenix who were in hysterics. The team was more relieved than crazy as this team was the favourite to win so it is always nice when the favourite gets up. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a hell of a lot of sweaty man hugs because there was plenty of them going around.

Phoenix wins 4-1

Ishmael Faye was named Finals MVP pretty unanimously with averages of 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 steals but all of our starters really had a great series.

Now I wait to see if the remainder of the Rookie Six players continue to play on or retire. And as you remember, I said that I would also retire once all of the Rookie Six players hung up the boots.

[zike_42]

How the Suns won their third Title

This season was one of change for the Suns, as not only did they trade away their captain Cameron Brown, but also the players that were dealt for Brown. The brass didn’t think that Alan Patton and William Cornette (the players Cameron Brown were traded for) were worthy enough to be on this team, so they struck again to nab aging superstar Ishmael Faye from the Pacers. This teamed him up again with Michael Harmon, and since then the team has been nigh on unstoppable. Here are the players who brought the city of Phoenix another title.

#3 SG Tobe Slaughter (Miami (OH)), 6’7”, 219lbs, 17 year pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 22 games, 0 starts, 6.8 minutes, 3.1 points, 0.5 assists, 0.6 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.0 blocks
Playoff Stats - DNP

#2 PG Slavi Drnovsek (Slovenia), 6’2”, 160lbs, 6 year pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 27 games, 0 starts, 11.4 minutes, 5.1 points, 2.4 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats - DNP

#4 SG Brad Harris (High School), 6’3”, 209lbs, 2 year pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 8 games, 0 starts, 4.4 minutes, 1.6 points, 0.1 assists, 0.5 rebounds, 0.1 steals, 0.0 blocks
Playoff Stats - DNP

#49 C Rueben Sheffer (Ohio State), 7’3”, 289lbs, 7 yaer pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 24 games, 0 starts, 10.4 minutes, 4.1 points, 0.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.0 steals, 0.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 6 games, 0 starts, 2.5 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.0 assists, 0.7 rebounds, 0.0 steals, 0.2 blocks

#18 SF Derek Whitworth (Colgate), 6’5”, 215lbs, 8 year pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 55 games, 14 starts, 15.2 minutes, 5.7 points, 0.8 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – 18 games, 0 starts, 3.8 minutes, 1.1 points, 0.2 assists, 0.3 rebounds, 0.0 steals, 0.0 blocks

#30 PF Tarrell McMahon (Auburn), 6’10”, 224lbs, 10 year pro
Acquired by – free agency
Stats – 69 games, 0 starts, 11.9 minutes, 6.7 points, 0.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks
Playoff Stats – 14 games, 0 starts, 4.4 minutes, 2.2 points, 0.2 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks

#32 PF Herb Celuck (Charlotte), 6’11”, 236lbs, 4 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 80 games, 11 starts, 20.0 minutes, 8.7 points, 1.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 0 starts, 14.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 0.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks

#40 C Sam Russell (UT-Chattanooga), 6’10”, 253lbs, 4 year pro
Acquired by – draft
Stats – 81 games, 38 starts, 22.7 minutes, 7.9 points, 0.9 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 2.7 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 0 starts, 19.1 minutes, 7.1 points, 0.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 2.1 blocks

#20 PG Du Yip (China), 6’0”, 182lbs, 8 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 79 games, 39 starts, 24.2 minutes, 10.5 points, 4.8 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.0 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 0 starts, 17.8 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.6 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.0 blocks

#35 SF Romanos Demosthenous (Greece), 6’6”, 227lbs, 6 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 82 games, 75 starts, 33.8 minutes, 13.1 points, 2.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 20 starts, 38.6 minutes, 16.0 points, 2.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks

#45 C Pin-zhen Yuan (China), 6’10”, 266lbs, 4 year pro
Acquired by – draft
Stats – 64 games, 64 starts, 29.0 minutes, 12.5 points, 1.1 assists, 9.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 20 starts, 33.1 minutes, 15.1 points, 0.8 assists, 9.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.2 blocks

#26 SF Marshod Anderson (Stanford), 6’5”, 200lbs, 10 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 46 games, 45 starts, 32.1 minutes, 17.3 points, 1.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 20 starts, 36.3 minutes, 21.6 points, 1.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks

#38 PF Ishmael Faye (Virginia Tech), 6’10”, 252lbs, 14 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 80 games, 80 starts, 36.2 minutes, 24.1 points, 1.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 2.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 20 starts, 37.2 minutes, 22.9 points, 1.3 assists, 8.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 2.0 blocks

#22 PG Michael Harmon [CAPTAIN] (Creighton), 6’4”, 157lbs, 11 year pro
Acquired by – trade
Stats – 76 games, 76 starts, 37.4 minutes, 22.2 points, 10.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 20 games, 20 starts, 36.3 minutes, 15.5 points, 10.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.5 blocks

Head Coach – Jeremy Jones, 60 years old, 23 years experience, 7 years with Phoenix, 3rd championship

1st Assistant – Tanner Williams, 59 years old, 25 years experience, 7 years with Phoenix, 3rd championship

2nd Assistant – Billy Warren, 67 years old, 8 years experience, 7 years with Phoenix, 3rd championship

3rd Assistant – Neil Dixon, 41 years old, 4 years experience, 4 years with Phoenix, 3rd championship

General Manager – Yaxley MacMillan, 64 years old, 32 years experience, 6 years with Phoenix, 12th championship

[zike_42]

I feel a little saddened because if not all of the Rookie Six retire, then this will definitely be my last season. So here is the last draft lottery.

16 – Miami (0)
15 – Sacramento (0)
14 – Nevada (0)
13 – Chicago (0)
12 – Milwaukee (0)
11 – Washington (0)
10 – Toronto (0)
9 – Utah (0)
8 – Golden State (-1)

Oklahoma City and their miniscule 3.3% chance have jumped.

7 – Los Angeles (-1)
6 – New York (-1)
5 – Portland (-1)
4 – Atlanta (-3)

The worst possible outcome for the worst team in the league.

3 – Oklahoma City (+5)
2 – Memphis (0)
1 – Indiana (+2)

Geez, the Pacers are stockpiling assets at an alarming rate. Don’t expect them in the lottery by next season.

I would love to see Ish and Harms get some kind of award because they both played really well this season.

Most Valuable Player:
Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 34.4 points, 0.9 assists, 9.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.7 blocks

When he leads the league in scoring and nearly rebounding you have to give it to him.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Arthimus Smallwood, Houston Rockets – 16.5 points, 1.9 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 1.4 blocks

He’s really coming along out there in Texas so I’m not too guilty that I traded him so quickly.

Sixth Man of the Year:
RT Adams, Charlotte Bobcats – 14.5 points, 6.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks

He’s kind of wasted off the bench as he’s definitely a starting calibre player.

Rookie of the Year:
Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 15.2 points, 7.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.3 blocks

Well, duh.

Coach of the Year:
Kevin Garnett, Dallas Mavericks – 56-26 (.683)

Coach Jones got flat out robbed on this one. Garnett’s team won ten less games than us! Not happy.

All NBA First Team:
Axel Rancik, Minnesota Timberwolves
Eddy Wooley, Philadelphia 76ers
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders
Ishmael Faye, Phoenix Suns
Joey Peterson, Miami Heat

All NBA Second Team:
Brodney Smith, Orlando Magic
Shaun Tebbs, Dallas Mavericks
James Carroll, Houston Rockets
Deon Fox, Charlotte Bobcats
Jamie McMillian, Detroit Pistons

All NBA Third Team:
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs
Nathan Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers
Marcus Jenkins, Cleveland Cavaliers
Lewis Jones, New Orleans Hornets
Brian Henry, Memphis Grizzlies

All Defense First Team:
Axel Rancik, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shaun Tebbs, Dallas Mavericks
Arthimus Smallwood, Houston Rockets
Buck Mason, New Orleans Hornets
Brandon Bailey, Oklahoma City Thunder

All Defense Second Team:
Ted Davis, Sacramento Kings
Phil Magnum, Utah Jazz
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders
Ishmael Faye, Phoenix Suns
Rashon Woods, Toronto Raptors

All Rookie First Team:
Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks
William Cornette, Indiana Pacers
Rahmeen Penney, Washington Wizards
Ray Caskill, Memphis Grizzlies
James Tyler, Charlotte Bobcats

All Rookie Second Team:
Gerald Watkins, Minnesota Tilmberwolves
Derek Brown, Chicago Bulls
Schin Howard, San Diego Riders
Desmond Taylor, Atlanta Hawks
Brad Newby, Washington Wizards

I won’t get to see this draft because [color="Red"]the remaining Rookie Six players have all called their retirements[/color], which means that I will step down and go off into retirement myself. It’s been a good run and I’ll do recaps of Cort Majishun, Jack Dawkins, Kenneth Long and Art Stevenson’s ceremonies.