League Leaders
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS (35.4)
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI (10.4)
Rebounds: Cory Alexander, GSW (11.2)
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI (4.1)
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR (3.5)
Rookie League Leaders
Points: Brandon Hemsley (BOS, 14.2)
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE (6.9)
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL (7.3)
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY (3.7)
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU (1.8)
February 1, vs Golden State (24-20): L 108-120
For the first time since we acquired Tsulukidze, we shoot a slightly worse percentage than the opponent (42.5 vs 43) and we go down the rabbit hole accordingly. League-leading scorer Cory Alexander burned us for 35 points, while we held him to shooting 11 of 27.
Record: 32-12
February 3, vs Milwaukee Moose (8-39): W 118-95
Back to our efficient form, we shot 56% on our way to the victory. Dobbins had 20 points, 7 boards, a block, and a pair of steals, while Griff’s contribution was 13 points, 15 assists, and 6 rebounds. Evans was our lead rookie, scoring 15 points on 100% shooting, with five rebounds, 4 assists, and a block (all in 26 minutes of play).
Record: 33-12
February 4, vs Chicago Bison (15-28): W 132-91
A forty point blowout is usually a bit boring to be a part of (whether you’re on the floor or in the crowd), but Griff and Zulu managed to keep themselves interested. Harrington had 25 points, 11 assists and 4 rebounds, while Zulu had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 7 blocks. Baykurt did only what was necessary for the double-double, with exactly 10 points and rebounds. In 16 minutes, scoring 6 of six field goals, and 5 of six free throws, Rowan Evans had 17 points, 2 steals, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Record: 34-12
February 10, @ Houston Blast (19-28): W 123-109
Dobbins had 22 points and eleven rebounds; yet, more impressively, he had 4 blocks and four steals. Harrington had 22 points, and 13 assists, as well as six rebounds and a steal. Baykurt started, and scored 25, tallied 2 blocks, a steal, and 5 rebounds. With fifteen points, Zulu added 4 blocks, a steal, an assist, and 5 rebounds of his own.
Record: 35-12
February 11, @ San Antonio Outlaws (14-33): L 100-103
Outlaws SG Hughes had a near triple-double, with 25 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, beating down Griff, who only was able to put out 17, 7 and 4. Both Evans and Jones were able to score 20 points, with a bit of defense as well. Zulu had 6 blocks and 7 rebounds to go with his 13 points and 3 steals, while we fall.
Record: 35-13
February 13, @ Los Angeles Waves (26-22): L 97-114
We fall despite 28 points from Dobby, largely due to great effort by Waves SF Terrell Cleaver who had 36 points, 3 boards, and 3 steals. Rowan Evans was disappointing in his start, only scoring 8 points, and fouling out after 23 minutes of play.
Record: 35-14
February 15, @ Phoenix Beams (19-29): W 114-92
We get back at losing to the Waves, by beating up on their rival, the Beams. Dobby went ballistic with 17 points and 19 rebounds, to go with 2 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Griff Harrington had 18 and 8, while Zulu had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
Record: 36-14
[SIZE="4"]All Star Weekend!!!
[/SIZE]Dunk Contest:
Robert Gray, a shooting guard from Atlanta, took the dunk contest by storm by improving on his impressive dunks for the final.
Long Distance Shootout:
Alfons Korda, a power forward for Orlando, was the surprise of the final, coming from having the lowest qualifying score from the first round, he nailed 24 points (10 more than his first round score) in the final to take home the trophy.
Rookie/Sophomore Game: S 148-140
The sophomores beat up on the Rooks, as Griff Harrington drops 42 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block on their heads. Jones was able to score 20 points in 30 minutes for the Rooks, but Evans played for only 7 minutes, and went scoreless.
All-Star Game: E 163-141
Eastern Starters:
Marcus Alexander, Burn
Marcus Griffin, Metros
Scott Stukes, Americans
Barry Jones, Irish
Tyrone Dudley, Hoops
Teams with Most All-Stars: Brooklyn Hoops (2)
Western Starters:
Shaun Horan, Blues
Cory Alexander, Spartans
Kevin Murphy, Rangers
Corey Atkins, Rangers
Justin Toxey, Pioneers
Teams with Most All-Stars: Dallas Rangers (2)
Griff had 24 points and 6 assists off the bench for the East as they fended off the East, but Stukes, the Small forward for the Americans, had 30 points, which claimed the All-Star MVP award.
February 19, @ Portland Pioneers (41-8): L 95-126
We haven’t played a home game since February 4th, and it is showing. We give up a near Triple-double to Toxey (33 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and four steals), and our leading scorer was Jones, with 21. Both teams had only 4 players in double figures, but 3 of those four had more than 20 for the Pioneers.
Record: 36-15
February 20, @ Dallas Rangers (45-7): W 116-108
Griff had 28 and 8 assists to take down the Rangers, pushing both Zulu and Jones over 20 points as well, with his exquisite playmaking. Defense was abound Zulu added 6 blocks and a steal, both Harrington and Nagid had 2 steals, and we held the Rangers to 43%.
Record: 37-15
February 22, @ Seattle Speed (9-43): W 115-88
I confirm a rumor that I have Roberson, an inactive bench player, on the block for a trade before a win against the Speed. Griff really likes going off against weak teams, and he showed it tonight with 32 points, 6 assists, 3 boards, 2 blocks, and a steal. Naim Baykurt had a respectable 21 off of the bench, showing he was fully healthy
Record: 38-15
February 23, @ Denver Peaks (34-19): W 121-113
Baykurt graced the starting line up with his presence again, and made the most of it. He had 35 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal. Zulu flexed his blocking ability, and rejected 8 shots, to add to his 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Yet Harrington had a night to forget, turning the ball over more times than assisting (6-5), and only collecting 7 points.
Record: 39-15
February 25, vs Minnesota Coyotes (26-29): W 120-102
Baykurt continued his strong play into this game, scoring 29, collecting 14 boards, blocking a shot, and stealing the ball twice. Griff showed that he was not, indeed, in a true funk, by scoring 24 to go with 14 assists and 6 rebounds. Dobby and Zulu combined for 33 points, 9 blocks, and 13 rebounds, even though Zulu fouled out after only 26 minutes of play.
Record: 40-15
February 27, @ Washington Americans (25-33): W 129-114
Zulu had nary a block in this game, but he did have 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal, so I am not mad. Harrington had 26 points and 10 assists, also tallying 2 steals and a block, while Dobby had 20, and Baykurt had 23.
Record: 41-15
The Gears pulled away during my long road-trip, they are now 4 games ahead of us.
Standing: 2nd East (1st Atlantic)
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, Blues
Rookie of the Month: Brandon Hemsley, Irish
Draft Watch # 3:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (N/R). Steve Martin, C (SO-Elon): 6’9, 284
3 (N/R). Mike Anderson, PF (SO-Kansas State): 6’11, 253
4 (N/R). Carl Regis, PF (SO-Michigan State): 6’7, 240
5 (N/R). David Burke, C (JR-South Carolina): 6’10, 255
That was a lot of turnaround in the draft stock. Green (#5) fell all of the way to 11th, and the others weren’t that much better off.
My Inaugural DDS dynasty: Leah Jamison
50 posts
• Page 2 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
by interstellarshadow » Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:57 pm
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:58 pm
March 1, vs New Orleans Wasps (35-21): W 133-105
With 24 points and fifteen assists, it is Griff who was the most outstanding player for our side. Zulu almost got his second triple-double, with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks, but was just a little short. Also with 20 points were Dobbins, with 23, and Baykurt, with 21. Evans has taken the starting spot from Jones for this game—let’s see if it continues.
Record: 42-15
March 4, vs Los Angeles Waves (29-29): L 98-116
Natan Nagid broke his arm, and will be out for about two months, recovering, and we suffer a big loss, in part due to early foul trouble for Harrington, all around mediocre offense, and crappy defense that allowed a 50% shooting percentage from a .500 team. Here’s a statistic for you. As a team, we managed only 9 assists (and had 32 TO).
Record: 42-16
March 6, vs Brooklyn Hoops (38-23): W 131-114
I took this win as confirmation that we got the better end of the trade, since without our true center, we still are able to trounce the Hoops. Defense wasn’t a priority for either team, as we score at a near-60% clip, and letting Brooklyn convert better than half of their attempts. 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals from Dobbins won the night, while PF T.J. Jones (someone who has averaged 13.5 minutes in 23 games with us, after being called up from 16 D-league games) got the nod for the starting center position, he had 6 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block during his 24 minutes of play (where he was 3/9).
Record: 43-16
March 8, vs New York Metros (34-27): L 116-112
Harrington had 20 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 turnovers for us tonight, while McEverett Woods made his case for Rookie of the night, blocking 8 shots, to with 6 points, 4 steals, and 5 boards. Our strength is inside the paint, and Woods was able to nullify it better than we could eliminate theirs. They scored precisely 1 more field goal than we did, (it was a 3), and that was all the difference they needed.
Record: 43-17
March 10, @ Detroit Gears (49-12): W 118-97
The comeback win that everybody needed came against the team that everyone wanted to beat—#1 seeded Detroit. Baykurt led the team from the bench, with 30 points, 12 boards, and 2 blocks, while Dobbins had 18 points, 6 blocks, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Record: 44-17
March 11, @ Minnesota Coyotes (28-32): W 129-116
Harrington had folded into the woodwork for a couple days, but is now back in typical fashion. He had 26 points and 11 assists, also garnering 3 rebounds and a steal, as we down the Coyotes. Naim Baykurt, now kept out of the starting line-up by Nate Thornton (a SF, playing at the C), had 21 and 8, while Evans and Jones put up respectable numbers (14 points and 11 points, respectively).
Record: 45-17
March 13: @ Orlando Mystics (24-39): W 128-120
Dobbins was the best player of the night, with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, while Griff finally records his first Trip-dub (and it’s the right kind), with 21 points, 10 assists, and 11 boards. We make 8 of 11 threes as a team, and 54% of all shots, and can’t help but win. Evans was great, scoring 22 on 8 of 9 shooting.
Record: 46-17
March 15, vs Miami Burn (28-35): W 107-79
A twenty-eight point win, and our best scorer had ‘only’ 26? That means that our team is well rounded enough not to rely on the scoring of one single player (something we already knew). But Dobbins still had a monster night, taking those 26 points, adding 14 rebounds, and putting away a pair of rejections. 3 double-doubles were achieved by Freedom players, and none of them were Harrington. Zulu had 13 points, 10 boards, 2 steals, and 4 blocks on the night, and Baykurt completes the trio with 23 points and 12 boards, plus 2 blocks and three steals. Evans tried out passing, and went for 10 points, 5 boards, and six dimes—while only turning the ball over twice. I see good things in this boy’s future. It’s always helpful for a win when the other team wastes sixteen possessions on threes and makes the least of it, to score at a 0% clip.
Record: 47-17
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 34.7
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.0
Rebounds: Kevin Murphy, DAL: 11.1
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.4
Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 15.1
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE: 7.6
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL, 7.0
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY: 4.1
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU: 1.8
Essentially no turnover this period.
With 24 points and fifteen assists, it is Griff who was the most outstanding player for our side. Zulu almost got his second triple-double, with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks, but was just a little short. Also with 20 points were Dobbins, with 23, and Baykurt, with 21. Evans has taken the starting spot from Jones for this game—let’s see if it continues.
Record: 42-15
March 4, vs Los Angeles Waves (29-29): L 98-116
Natan Nagid broke his arm, and will be out for about two months, recovering, and we suffer a big loss, in part due to early foul trouble for Harrington, all around mediocre offense, and crappy defense that allowed a 50% shooting percentage from a .500 team. Here’s a statistic for you. As a team, we managed only 9 assists (and had 32 TO).
Record: 42-16
March 6, vs Brooklyn Hoops (38-23): W 131-114
I took this win as confirmation that we got the better end of the trade, since without our true center, we still are able to trounce the Hoops. Defense wasn’t a priority for either team, as we score at a near-60% clip, and letting Brooklyn convert better than half of their attempts. 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals from Dobbins won the night, while PF T.J. Jones (someone who has averaged 13.5 minutes in 23 games with us, after being called up from 16 D-league games) got the nod for the starting center position, he had 6 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block during his 24 minutes of play (where he was 3/9).
Record: 43-16
March 8, vs New York Metros (34-27): L 116-112
Harrington had 20 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 turnovers for us tonight, while McEverett Woods made his case for Rookie of the night, blocking 8 shots, to with 6 points, 4 steals, and 5 boards. Our strength is inside the paint, and Woods was able to nullify it better than we could eliminate theirs. They scored precisely 1 more field goal than we did, (it was a 3), and that was all the difference they needed.
Record: 43-17
March 10, @ Detroit Gears (49-12): W 118-97
The comeback win that everybody needed came against the team that everyone wanted to beat—#1 seeded Detroit. Baykurt led the team from the bench, with 30 points, 12 boards, and 2 blocks, while Dobbins had 18 points, 6 blocks, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Record: 44-17
March 11, @ Minnesota Coyotes (28-32): W 129-116
Harrington had folded into the woodwork for a couple days, but is now back in typical fashion. He had 26 points and 11 assists, also garnering 3 rebounds and a steal, as we down the Coyotes. Naim Baykurt, now kept out of the starting line-up by Nate Thornton (a SF, playing at the C), had 21 and 8, while Evans and Jones put up respectable numbers (14 points and 11 points, respectively).
Record: 45-17
March 13: @ Orlando Mystics (24-39): W 128-120
Dobbins was the best player of the night, with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, while Griff finally records his first Trip-dub (and it’s the right kind), with 21 points, 10 assists, and 11 boards. We make 8 of 11 threes as a team, and 54% of all shots, and can’t help but win. Evans was great, scoring 22 on 8 of 9 shooting.
Record: 46-17
March 15, vs Miami Burn (28-35): W 107-79
A twenty-eight point win, and our best scorer had ‘only’ 26? That means that our team is well rounded enough not to rely on the scoring of one single player (something we already knew). But Dobbins still had a monster night, taking those 26 points, adding 14 rebounds, and putting away a pair of rejections. 3 double-doubles were achieved by Freedom players, and none of them were Harrington. Zulu had 13 points, 10 boards, 2 steals, and 4 blocks on the night, and Baykurt completes the trio with 23 points and 12 boards, plus 2 blocks and three steals. Evans tried out passing, and went for 10 points, 5 boards, and six dimes—while only turning the ball over twice. I see good things in this boy’s future. It’s always helpful for a win when the other team wastes sixteen possessions on threes and makes the least of it, to score at a 0% clip.
Record: 47-17
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 34.7
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.0
Rebounds: Kevin Murphy, DAL: 11.1
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.4
Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 15.1
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE: 7.6
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL, 7.0
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY: 4.1
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU: 1.8
Essentially no turnover this period.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Sep 14, 2014 12:23 pm
March 18, vs Atlanta Eagles (26-38): W 114-105
Number 5 in a row is good. Also good is 30 points, 9 rebounds, and seven blocks from Zulu, who was 10 for 18 and 10 for 12 from the line. Baykurt had 25 and 13 boards, while 22 points and 15 assists were Griff’s contribution, which isn’t to be overlooked. Even SG Brandon Huss’s 37 point outburst wasn’t enough to pull even against us.
Record: 48-17
March 20, vs Detroit Gears (52-14): W 124-100
Baykurt had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists, while picking up a steal and block, in our win against #1 seed Detroit. Yet we can’t discount the play of any of the other regular starters. Griff had 17 points and 12 assists, Dobby was a defensive demon with 4 blocks and 6 steals, but he also got it done on the other side of the court with 22 points and 13 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards, and Zulu was good as well, he had 19 points, 5 blocks and 8 rebounds.
Record: 49-17
March 21, @ Boston Irish (46-20): W 135-111
Our team’s quite willing to trade off who the best player is on any given night, and tonight, that player was Griff Harrington, who had 33 points, 6 assists, 3 boards, and a block. It really was only a two man show for us this time out, with Zulu pulling his weight by blocking 4 shots, scoring 25 points, and grabbing 7 boards. We shot 58% and nailed 11 of 21 threes, and stormed through the Garden like it was ours.
Record: 50-17
March 24, @ Cleveland Knights (37-31): W 111-86
Griff’s second triple double is spectacular. He had 29 points, 17 assists, ten rebounds, and a pair of blocks. As a team, we shoot about 54%, and hold the Knights to only 38%, which is a formula for a win in almost any situation. Evans started and shot 8 for 11 on his way to 20 points, 3 boards, and 2 dimes, while Zulu had himself another block party (with 8). Baykurt had a double-double, with 15 points and 12 boards, and so did Dobbins, with 15 points and 10 boards.
Record: 51-17
March 25, @ New York Metros (42-28): L 106-123
We have our win streak snapped before it can reach 9, due to quick and severe foul trouble for our two main defensive bigs (Zulu and Dobby). Baykurt played for all but one minute of the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but he couldn’t make up for the other’s absence. Harrington had 23 and 12 assists, but turned the ball over 6 times, as Evans and Jones combine for 31 points.
Record: 51-18
March 27, vs Indiana Racers (37-33): W 113-100
Griff had a monster outing from the field, scoring 31 points, to go with 10 assits, 5 rebounds, a steal, and 2 blocks, while Rookie of the night goes to Jones, whose 19 points and 7 assists were just as impressive as his 6 steals and 5 boards.
Record: 52-18
March 29, vs Orlando Mystics (24-46): W 125-92
Baykurt had 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, while Zulu had 24, 10 boards, and 5 blocks, and Griffin Harrington had 25, 12 assists, and 2 each steals and blocks. Our 58% Field goal percentage is the capper on yet another dominating performance.
Record: 53-18
March 31, @ Indiana Racers (37-34): W 107-74
Griff dismantled the opposing defense systematically to score 20 points, with 12 dimes, 5 rebounds and 4 steals (a season high). Evans had 21 and rebounds were plentiful as each of the big men had double digit totals in that category.
Record: 54-18
Standing: 1st East (Head-to-head tiebreaker)
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, SF, Utah Blues
Rookie of the Month: Justin Maye, PF, Milwaukee Moose
Draft Watch # 4:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (N/R). Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
3 (4). Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206
4 (N/R). Xavier West, SG (HS-N/A): 6’4, 218
5 (5). David Burke, C (JR-South Carolina): 6’10, 255
Number 5 in a row is good. Also good is 30 points, 9 rebounds, and seven blocks from Zulu, who was 10 for 18 and 10 for 12 from the line. Baykurt had 25 and 13 boards, while 22 points and 15 assists were Griff’s contribution, which isn’t to be overlooked. Even SG Brandon Huss’s 37 point outburst wasn’t enough to pull even against us.
Record: 48-17
March 20, vs Detroit Gears (52-14): W 124-100
Baykurt had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists, while picking up a steal and block, in our win against #1 seed Detroit. Yet we can’t discount the play of any of the other regular starters. Griff had 17 points and 12 assists, Dobby was a defensive demon with 4 blocks and 6 steals, but he also got it done on the other side of the court with 22 points and 13 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards, and Zulu was good as well, he had 19 points, 5 blocks and 8 rebounds.
Record: 49-17
March 21, @ Boston Irish (46-20): W 135-111
Our team’s quite willing to trade off who the best player is on any given night, and tonight, that player was Griff Harrington, who had 33 points, 6 assists, 3 boards, and a block. It really was only a two man show for us this time out, with Zulu pulling his weight by blocking 4 shots, scoring 25 points, and grabbing 7 boards. We shot 58% and nailed 11 of 21 threes, and stormed through the Garden like it was ours.
Record: 50-17
March 24, @ Cleveland Knights (37-31): W 111-86
Griff’s second triple double is spectacular. He had 29 points, 17 assists, ten rebounds, and a pair of blocks. As a team, we shoot about 54%, and hold the Knights to only 38%, which is a formula for a win in almost any situation. Evans started and shot 8 for 11 on his way to 20 points, 3 boards, and 2 dimes, while Zulu had himself another block party (with 8). Baykurt had a double-double, with 15 points and 12 boards, and so did Dobbins, with 15 points and 10 boards.
Record: 51-17
March 25, @ New York Metros (42-28): L 106-123
We have our win streak snapped before it can reach 9, due to quick and severe foul trouble for our two main defensive bigs (Zulu and Dobby). Baykurt played for all but one minute of the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but he couldn’t make up for the other’s absence. Harrington had 23 and 12 assists, but turned the ball over 6 times, as Evans and Jones combine for 31 points.
Record: 51-18
March 27, vs Indiana Racers (37-33): W 113-100
Griff had a monster outing from the field, scoring 31 points, to go with 10 assits, 5 rebounds, a steal, and 2 blocks, while Rookie of the night goes to Jones, whose 19 points and 7 assists were just as impressive as his 6 steals and 5 boards.
Record: 52-18
March 29, vs Orlando Mystics (24-46): W 125-92
Baykurt had 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, while Zulu had 24, 10 boards, and 5 blocks, and Griffin Harrington had 25, 12 assists, and 2 each steals and blocks. Our 58% Field goal percentage is the capper on yet another dominating performance.
Record: 53-18
March 31, @ Indiana Racers (37-34): W 107-74
Griff dismantled the opposing defense systematically to score 20 points, with 12 dimes, 5 rebounds and 4 steals (a season high). Evans had 21 and rebounds were plentiful as each of the big men had double digit totals in that category.
Record: 54-18
Standing: 1st East (Head-to-head tiebreaker)
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, SF, Utah Blues
Rookie of the Month: Justin Maye, PF, Milwaukee Moose
Draft Watch # 4:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (N/R). Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
3 (4). Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206
4 (N/R). Xavier West, SG (HS-N/A): 6’4, 218
5 (5). David Burke, C (JR-South Carolina): 6’10, 255
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:53 pm
April 1, vs Miami Burn (33-39): W 127-104
Rowan Evans seems to have stolen the starting spot from Jones, and took advantage, scoring 27 points on 9 for 11 shooting and making all 3 attempts from deep. However, Griff stole the show again, with 18 points and 18 dimes, as well as a pair of blocks. Jones also nailed 8 of his 11 shots, playing 19 minutes on his way to seventeen points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds. Today wasn’t a day for rebounding (probably since both teams shot better than 50% (PHI 61.2%, MIA 50.7%)), and our lead rebounder was Zulu with 6.
Record: 55-18
April 3, @ Atlanta Eagles (30-43): W 116-110
Having gone 4-5 since our last meeting, Atlanta was hopeful that things were looking up, but we showed them that, as the #1 seed, we were still in charge. With 27 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks, it was Griff’s night. He’s decided that, with less than 10 games left in the season, since he leads the league in assists by more than 100 dimes, he can’t be overtaken, and so he’s started scoring more.
Record: 56-18 (Still tied with Detroit)
April 4, @ Washington Americans (29-45): W 139-124
We had a bit of a scare in the first, ending up down by 5 at the break, but Griff led us back with a 42 point 3rd quarter, on the way to a 14 point lead. He had a near triple-double on the night: 25 points, 15 dimes, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and a block. We had a 16 rebound margin as we send the team to the lottery, where it belongs.
Record: 57-18 (Detroit lost, so +1 game)
April 7, @ Miami Burn (35-40): W 114-107
Rookie Jody Jones was the player of the game tonight with 20 points, 3 dimes, 10 rebounds, and a pair of blocks, leading our team in both scoring a and rebounding (he had 5 offensive boards). Dobbins had 18 points, 9 boards, a pair of blocks, 3 dimes, and a steal, while 17 points and 13 assists were Griff’s contribution. Evans had 17 as well, with a steal, and two each rebounds and assists. Zulu’s 6 blocks were his main selling point, but he also had 11 points and 9 rebounds in the 7 point win.
Record: 58-18 (Detroit lost again, so +2 games)
Notable game: Milwaukee @ Detroit: 63-123:
That’s the largest margin of victory in a NBA game ever. Detroit scored more points in the paint than Milwaukee was able to score, period. Holy crap.
April 9, vs Washington (29-47): W 120-110
We had even more of a scare tonight, down by eight at the end of the third quarter. But we open the fourth with a 10-0 run and ride the momentum to the ten point win. Griff Harrington’s 20 points, 7 dimes, four rebounds, steal, and block were the most impressive on the night, but Rowan Evans, who started, wasn’t far behind. He had 1 points, 5 dimes, 3 boards, a steal, and a block on the night. Jones also played well, with both players putting in more than 30 minutes due to foul trouble. He nearly had a triple-double, with 16 points, 9 boards, and 7 dimes. Both were their usual efficient selves, and shot 13 for 21 combined as we extend our win streak to 8.
Record: 59-18
April 12, vs Boston Irish (55-22): W 117-107
Double-doubles abound, we extend our win streak to a season high 9 games. Dobbins fouled out after 36 minutes of play, but before he put up an impressive stat line. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals, shooting 50%. Zulu fouled out much earlier in the game, but was on track to look even better from the floor. He had 18 points on 7 of nine shooting, with 3 blocks and 4 rebounds. Evans also had 18, but wasn’t quite as impressive in the rest of his game, though he shot 9 for 11 and collected 6 rebounds.
Record: 60-18
April 14, @ New Orleans (44-34): W 118-97
Win streak = 10! Evans score 27 points on 10 for 15 shooting but was again outshined by a near triple-double from Harrington, who had 17 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Zulu was also excellent, with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Jones only played 17 minutes of the bench, and had 5 points and 5 rebounds, along with a pair of assists, a steal, and two blocks.
Record: 61-18
April 15, vs Orlando Mystics (25-54): W 127-79
Another blowout win stretches the streak to 11, and Harrington was the chief force four out team. He had 29 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Baykurt had 20 points and 13 rebounds, while the double-double club was also joined by Zulu, with 13 points and 10 rebound, and Dobby with 17 points, 2 blocks, 3 steals, and 10 boards as we cement the #1 seed.
Record: 62-18
April 17, vs New Orleans (45-35): W 122-98
With the #1 seed officially ours, and no chance of overtaking either of the West teams that have more wins than us, I would have rested our stars, but the Head coach had other ideas. With 27 points and 17 assists—plus 3 rebounds, a block, and 3 steals—Griff Harrington was our MVP, even garnering a chant to that effect when he was at the line. Rowan Evans didn’t miss any of his 10 shots on the night, making 2 threes as well. He had 22 points, 6 boards, and a pair of dimes. Baykurt also had 26, also garnering 9 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Record: 63-18
April 19, @ New York Metros (51-30): L 106-111
Our final game of the season is a loss, despite heroics from our starters. Baykurt had 24 points, Zulu had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks, Dobbins had 12 points and 14 rebounds, Harrington had 10 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks, Evans had 14 points, and Jones had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Yet it wasn’t quite enough as we go down by five points in the end of a tight game. Our win streak ends at twelve and the season end with a L1 in our streak column.
Record: 63-19
Player of the Month: Cory Alexander, GSW
Rookie of the Month: Rowan Evans, PHI
Evans has been on fire lately, and it’s nice to see him get recognition for it. He shot a ridiculous 70% from the floor, averaging 19.8 points per game, and missed 3 three pointers all month. He is incredibly motivated, durable, and a very likable gym rat, someone who can be super valuable to our team for a long time to come.
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 34.7
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.5
Rebounds: Kevin Murphy, DAL: 11.1
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.5
Field Goal %: Kevin Murphy, DAL, 63.7%
3-point%: Alfons Korda, ORL, 47.3%
Free Throw %: Griffin Harrington, PHI, 92.9%
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA, 32.5
Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 15.0
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE: 7.9
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL, 7.1
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY: 3.8
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU: 1.9
Field Goal %: Rowan Evans, PHI, 59.5%
3-point%: Brandon Helmsley, BOS, 37.8%
Free Throw %: Brandon Hemsley, BOS, 85.9%
Efficiency: McEverett Woods, NY, 17.8
Final Draft Watch:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (2). Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
3 (N/R). Mike Anderson, PF (SO-Kansas State): 6’11, 253
4 (3). Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206
5 (N/R). Nick King, SG (FR-Gonzaga): 6’6, 218
OK, so I think that we might be able to name #5 Nick King after Nick Young, Swaggy T. It looks like he might pay a bit more attention on defense than his namesake, which is good, but the real story of the Draft is Wells. He may be a bit short for a SF, but he looks to be the goods. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in an All-Star game by year 3. He led the NCAA in scoring, averaging 35.5 a game for Arizona. He also has excellent rebounding instincts and can pass the ball pretty well. His defense is not off the charts, but he should be able to hold his own, especially with his blocking ability.
My guy, Colin Edwards has fallen to 18th, even though his stats have only improved over the season. I think that those numbers indicate something more than someone just taking advantage of crappy competition, but only time will tell.
So, I really liked what zike did when he put some of you in a draft class, but I can’t seem to edit my draft class at all (even in commissioner mode), it’s been a problem in all my saves, so… But I would like to do the same. So if you comment, I’ll assign you a draft position (1-20—so you don’t get to go to a top-seeded team unless there are trades), and I’ll change the player’s name after he gets drafted.
Rowan Evans seems to have stolen the starting spot from Jones, and took advantage, scoring 27 points on 9 for 11 shooting and making all 3 attempts from deep. However, Griff stole the show again, with 18 points and 18 dimes, as well as a pair of blocks. Jones also nailed 8 of his 11 shots, playing 19 minutes on his way to seventeen points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds. Today wasn’t a day for rebounding (probably since both teams shot better than 50% (PHI 61.2%, MIA 50.7%)), and our lead rebounder was Zulu with 6.
Record: 55-18
April 3, @ Atlanta Eagles (30-43): W 116-110
Having gone 4-5 since our last meeting, Atlanta was hopeful that things were looking up, but we showed them that, as the #1 seed, we were still in charge. With 27 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks, it was Griff’s night. He’s decided that, with less than 10 games left in the season, since he leads the league in assists by more than 100 dimes, he can’t be overtaken, and so he’s started scoring more.
Record: 56-18 (Still tied with Detroit)
April 4, @ Washington Americans (29-45): W 139-124
We had a bit of a scare in the first, ending up down by 5 at the break, but Griff led us back with a 42 point 3rd quarter, on the way to a 14 point lead. He had a near triple-double on the night: 25 points, 15 dimes, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and a block. We had a 16 rebound margin as we send the team to the lottery, where it belongs.
Record: 57-18 (Detroit lost, so +1 game)
April 7, @ Miami Burn (35-40): W 114-107
Rookie Jody Jones was the player of the game tonight with 20 points, 3 dimes, 10 rebounds, and a pair of blocks, leading our team in both scoring a and rebounding (he had 5 offensive boards). Dobbins had 18 points, 9 boards, a pair of blocks, 3 dimes, and a steal, while 17 points and 13 assists were Griff’s contribution. Evans had 17 as well, with a steal, and two each rebounds and assists. Zulu’s 6 blocks were his main selling point, but he also had 11 points and 9 rebounds in the 7 point win.
Record: 58-18 (Detroit lost again, so +2 games)
Notable game: Milwaukee @ Detroit: 63-123:
That’s the largest margin of victory in a NBA game ever. Detroit scored more points in the paint than Milwaukee was able to score, period. Holy crap.
April 9, vs Washington (29-47): W 120-110
We had even more of a scare tonight, down by eight at the end of the third quarter. But we open the fourth with a 10-0 run and ride the momentum to the ten point win. Griff Harrington’s 20 points, 7 dimes, four rebounds, steal, and block were the most impressive on the night, but Rowan Evans, who started, wasn’t far behind. He had 1 points, 5 dimes, 3 boards, a steal, and a block on the night. Jones also played well, with both players putting in more than 30 minutes due to foul trouble. He nearly had a triple-double, with 16 points, 9 boards, and 7 dimes. Both were their usual efficient selves, and shot 13 for 21 combined as we extend our win streak to 8.
Record: 59-18
April 12, vs Boston Irish (55-22): W 117-107
Double-doubles abound, we extend our win streak to a season high 9 games. Dobbins fouled out after 36 minutes of play, but before he put up an impressive stat line. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals, shooting 50%. Zulu fouled out much earlier in the game, but was on track to look even better from the floor. He had 18 points on 7 of nine shooting, with 3 blocks and 4 rebounds. Evans also had 18, but wasn’t quite as impressive in the rest of his game, though he shot 9 for 11 and collected 6 rebounds.
Record: 60-18
April 14, @ New Orleans (44-34): W 118-97
Win streak = 10! Evans score 27 points on 10 for 15 shooting but was again outshined by a near triple-double from Harrington, who had 17 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Zulu was also excellent, with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Jones only played 17 minutes of the bench, and had 5 points and 5 rebounds, along with a pair of assists, a steal, and two blocks.
Record: 61-18
April 15, vs Orlando Mystics (25-54): W 127-79
Another blowout win stretches the streak to 11, and Harrington was the chief force four out team. He had 29 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Baykurt had 20 points and 13 rebounds, while the double-double club was also joined by Zulu, with 13 points and 10 rebound, and Dobby with 17 points, 2 blocks, 3 steals, and 10 boards as we cement the #1 seed.
Record: 62-18
April 17, vs New Orleans (45-35): W 122-98
With the #1 seed officially ours, and no chance of overtaking either of the West teams that have more wins than us, I would have rested our stars, but the Head coach had other ideas. With 27 points and 17 assists—plus 3 rebounds, a block, and 3 steals—Griff Harrington was our MVP, even garnering a chant to that effect when he was at the line. Rowan Evans didn’t miss any of his 10 shots on the night, making 2 threes as well. He had 22 points, 6 boards, and a pair of dimes. Baykurt also had 26, also garnering 9 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Record: 63-18
April 19, @ New York Metros (51-30): L 106-111
Our final game of the season is a loss, despite heroics from our starters. Baykurt had 24 points, Zulu had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks, Dobbins had 12 points and 14 rebounds, Harrington had 10 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks, Evans had 14 points, and Jones had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Yet it wasn’t quite enough as we go down by five points in the end of a tight game. Our win streak ends at twelve and the season end with a L1 in our streak column.
Record: 63-19
Player of the Month: Cory Alexander, GSW
Rookie of the Month: Rowan Evans, PHI
Evans has been on fire lately, and it’s nice to see him get recognition for it. He shot a ridiculous 70% from the floor, averaging 19.8 points per game, and missed 3 three pointers all month. He is incredibly motivated, durable, and a very likable gym rat, someone who can be super valuable to our team for a long time to come.
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 34.7
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.5
Rebounds: Kevin Murphy, DAL: 11.1
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.5
Field Goal %: Kevin Murphy, DAL, 63.7%
3-point%: Alfons Korda, ORL, 47.3%
Free Throw %: Griffin Harrington, PHI, 92.9%
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA, 32.5
Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 15.0
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE: 7.9
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL, 7.1
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY: 3.8
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU: 1.9
Field Goal %: Rowan Evans, PHI, 59.5%
3-point%: Brandon Helmsley, BOS, 37.8%
Free Throw %: Brandon Hemsley, BOS, 85.9%
Efficiency: McEverett Woods, NY, 17.8
Final Draft Watch:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (2). Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
3 (N/R). Mike Anderson, PF (SO-Kansas State): 6’11, 253
4 (3). Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206
5 (N/R). Nick King, SG (FR-Gonzaga): 6’6, 218
OK, so I think that we might be able to name #5 Nick King after Nick Young, Swaggy T. It looks like he might pay a bit more attention on defense than his namesake, which is good, but the real story of the Draft is Wells. He may be a bit short for a SF, but he looks to be the goods. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in an All-Star game by year 3. He led the NCAA in scoring, averaging 35.5 a game for Arizona. He also has excellent rebounding instincts and can pass the ball pretty well. His defense is not off the charts, but he should be able to hold his own, especially with his blocking ability.
My guy, Colin Edwards has fallen to 18th, even though his stats have only improved over the season. I think that those numbers indicate something more than someone just taking advantage of crappy competition, but only time will tell.
So, I really liked what zike did when he put some of you in a draft class, but I can’t seem to edit my draft class at all (even in commissioner mode), it’s been a problem in all my saves, so… But I would like to do the same. So if you comment, I’ll assign you a draft position (1-20—so you don’t get to go to a top-seeded team unless there are trades), and I’ll change the player’s name after he gets drafted.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Sep 14, 2014 4:05 pm
Eastern Conference:
Standings (Preseason place in parentheses):
1. Philadelphia Freedom (6), 63-19
2. Detroit Gears (1), 61-21
3. Boston Irish (3), 58-24
4. New York Metros (2), 52-30
5. Brooklyn Hoops (11), 48-34
6. Cleveland Knights (8), 46-36
7. New Orleans Wasps (12), 45-37
8. Indiana Racers (13), 41-41
9. Miami Burn (5), 39-43
10. Washington Americans (9), 33-49
11. Atlanta Eagles (10), 32-50
12. Chicago Bison (7), 29-53
13. Orlando Mystics (4), 26-56
14. Milwaukee Moose (14), 14-68
Only two guesses were completely right, one was Boston, at 3rd, and the was Milwaukee at last.
Western Conference:
1. Dallas Rangers (1), 67-15
2. Portland Pioneers (9), 65-17
3. Denver Peaks (8), 46-36
4. Utah Blues (6), 42-40
5. Los Angeles Waves (5), 42-40
6. Golden State Spartans (4), 42-40
7. Minnesota Coyotes (2), 40-42
8. Sacramento Royals (3), 37-45
9. Houston Blast (13), 37-45
10. Los Angeles Riders (7), 34-48
11. Phoenix Beams (12), 31-51
12. San Antonio Outlaws (11), 19-63
13. Seattle Speed (10), 18-64
This was a better list, with only one playoff team projected in the lottery.
Standings (Preseason place in parentheses):
1. Philadelphia Freedom (6), 63-19
2. Detroit Gears (1), 61-21
3. Boston Irish (3), 58-24
4. New York Metros (2), 52-30
5. Brooklyn Hoops (11), 48-34
6. Cleveland Knights (8), 46-36
7. New Orleans Wasps (12), 45-37
8. Indiana Racers (13), 41-41
9. Miami Burn (5), 39-43
10. Washington Americans (9), 33-49
11. Atlanta Eagles (10), 32-50
12. Chicago Bison (7), 29-53
13. Orlando Mystics (4), 26-56
14. Milwaukee Moose (14), 14-68
Only two guesses were completely right, one was Boston, at 3rd, and the was Milwaukee at last.
Western Conference:
1. Dallas Rangers (1), 67-15
2. Portland Pioneers (9), 65-17
3. Denver Peaks (8), 46-36
4. Utah Blues (6), 42-40
5. Los Angeles Waves (5), 42-40
6. Golden State Spartans (4), 42-40
7. Minnesota Coyotes (2), 40-42
8. Sacramento Royals (3), 37-45
9. Houston Blast (13), 37-45
10. Los Angeles Riders (7), 34-48
11. Phoenix Beams (12), 31-51
12. San Antonio Outlaws (11), 19-63
13. Seattle Speed (10), 18-64
This was a better list, with only one playoff team projected in the lottery.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:28 am
Eastern Conference Playoffs, round 1 Preview
#1 Philadelphia (63-19) v #8 Indiana (41-41)
Season Series: PHI 3, IND 1.
Positional Rankings:
PG: Griff Harrington (19.4 pts, 4.4 reb, 10.5 apg, 1.1 stl, .7 blk, 3.9 TO) v Romaine Rodenbach (20.3 pts, 4.7 reb, 7.2 ast, .7 stl, .6 blk, 3.3 TO)
Both Harrington and Rodenbach are their team’s best players, setting the pace for points and assists, but the per-minute numbers definitely favor Harrington, who is comparatively productive in almost 3 minutes less per game. What to look out for here is defense. Rodenbach isn’t a good defensive guard—in fact he is well below average (Think Lillard, Irving, a less drastic Harden) and while Griff isn’t a Rondo, Paul, or Conley, he still can hold his own, at least a little.
Winner: PHI, I can’t see Rodenbach matching up well to Harrington, as he was outscored in every matchup, by an average of 10.7 points. Harrington is going to eat him for breakfast.
SG: Rowan Evans (12.0 pts, 1.9 ast, 3.1 reb, .6 stl, .1 blk 1.3 TO) v Vernon Winkfield (16.7 pts, 1.8 ast, 6.9 reb, 1.7 stl, .8 blk)
Going on pure numbers here, Winkfield has a distinct advantage on Evans, including about 160 games of experience. Both have been on fire recently, but the main difference is efficiency. Evans led Rookies in FG%, and led the association in TS%. He was sixth on the all-league field goal ratings. Jody Jones can also ball, and they will be sharing minutes as rookies at this position.
Winner: IND, Vernon Winkfield beats out Evans, but I think that Philly’s SG position is going to be the more dominant.
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (12.9 pts, 1.3 ast, 6.9 reb, 1.1 stl, 4.2 blk) v Alen Trumbic (16.0 pts, 1.4 ast, 5.5 reb, 1.1 stl, .6 blk)
Okay. Zulu is a mobile 6’11 big man who leads the league in blocks. Expect him to take full advantage of the 6 inches (and 40 lbs) he has on Trumbic. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that an average of a double-double by Zulu this series isn’t out of the question. Look for above average numbers in essentially every stat.
Winner: PHI, Tengiz and Trumbic aren’t even comparable
Frontcourt: Since neither team has a center starting this series, I will lump both the Power Forward and Center position into a ‘Frontcourt’ monster category.
PHI: Naim Baykurt (16.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .8 stl, 1.6 blk) & Oliver Dobbins (14.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 stl, 1.9blk)
IND: Arthur Hays (10.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 stl, .6 blk) & Lafayette White (9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .8 stl, .4 blk)
I would hesitate to even call this matchup a contest. Baykurt and Philadelphia’s resident house elf are going to eat this pair alive, especially since Lafayette White is replacing their injured Anthony Hampton (not that he would fare much better) who is out with a torn knee tendon.
Winner: PHI x2
Bench:
PHI Notables: Jody Jones, Delvin Mouring, Nate Thornton
IND Notables: Cliff Gaines, Angelo Broderick, Eric Cook
Indiana’s first 3 off the bench combined for 17.3 points per game this season, compared to the 21.9 from Philly. But that isn’t even the biggest discrepancy. Philly’s all backcourt group averaged 9.5 rebounds, combined, while the group for Indiana, (none of whom are shorter than 6’6) were about a rebound and a half behind. Assists are the same: 6.1 for PHI, 4.7 for IND.
Winner: PHI
Prediction: Philadelphia Freedom in 5
This is a conservative estimate. It’s what it’ll take for the big men to slaughter their opposition, but if Harrington decides to go for 40 more than once, it’s broom time.
Game 1: vs Indiana Racers (Tied 0-0):
The first quarter was all Harrington. He had 16 points, off of 7-9 shooting, (making both attempts from 3) and was nasty on the offensive glass. Yet, it was still quite close, due to our allowing 14 free throw attempts in the first period. We led 37-31. We entered the break with another good quarter, leading 62-53. Tsulukidze was being a beast, (at least where offense wasn’t concerned), and we were in comfortable control of the game. We pull ahead to a resound 115-89 blowout win that emphasized how one-sided this series really was. Zulu ended with 12 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals, but Rowan Evans and his insane shooting percentage strikes again. He shot 11 of 15, including 2 of 3 from deep on his way to 28 points and 6 rebounds. He also had a block and four steals (which turned into plenty of dunks).
Game 2: vs Indiana (PHI leads 1-0):
Indiana was determined not to be embarrassed again, and put up a hell of a fight through all four quarters, where defense reigned king. Neither team shot better than 40% from the field. Behind by a singular point at the half, the coach berated the team that a 25 point win doesn’t make you unbeatable, and while we couldn’t turn the game around until the beginning of the forth, where we blew away their lead and coasted to an 8 point victory. Evans stole the show again, scoring 29 on an insane 100% shooting clip, complete with 5 threes and a pair of free throws, grabbed 6 boards, and had 5 steals. He did have 7 TO’s but no one was complaining to seriously.
Off we go to Hoosierville. 92-84
Game 3: @ Indiana (PHI leads 2-0):
It’s the playoffs, and in the playoffs, the home team’s fanbase usually goes insane. Indianapolis wasn’t any different, though there was a little less luster in the support of a .500 team going up against the 63-win powerhouse that was Philly. That trepidation was a crack in their armor, just as much as their defense was. We found those cracks, examined them, and pried at them until the whole works fell apart, allowing Harrington to truly step out into full form. He had 32 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, and four steals. Evans’ 20 came on an efficient 9 for 13 shooting, and Baykurt managed a double-double. Dobbins was quick to get into foul trouble, but Nate Thornton had his back, managing 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of steals in a reserve outing for the guy. 125-98
Game 4: @ Indiana (PHI leads 3-0):
No team, or fanbase likes getting eliminated, but its worse when it happens on your own floor. That’s exactly what the Racers were pulling out all stops trying to avoid tonight. Trailing by only a deuce at the half, and trimming that lead down to one at the end of the third was a great accomplishment for the crowd, but Baykurt’s strength at the Center position was just too much for cook, who spent only 22 minutes on the floor because of foul troubles, or anyone else who was put out to guard him. He had 24 points on a clean 11 for 18 night, and even though the Legendary Philly backcourt had an off night, the Big Guys took care of business. Zulu had 7 blocks on the night.
Everyone is sharing hugs as the team celebrates the conclusion of the first step in their journey to the trophy. Every man on this team wants a ring, and they all know what it takes. I join in the festivities, savoring the moment. It’s not quite justification for every brash move I’ve made, but I feel it coming. 106-91
#1 Philadelphia (63-19) v #8 Indiana (41-41)
Season Series: PHI 3, IND 1.
Positional Rankings:
PG: Griff Harrington (19.4 pts, 4.4 reb, 10.5 apg, 1.1 stl, .7 blk, 3.9 TO) v Romaine Rodenbach (20.3 pts, 4.7 reb, 7.2 ast, .7 stl, .6 blk, 3.3 TO)
Both Harrington and Rodenbach are their team’s best players, setting the pace for points and assists, but the per-minute numbers definitely favor Harrington, who is comparatively productive in almost 3 minutes less per game. What to look out for here is defense. Rodenbach isn’t a good defensive guard—in fact he is well below average (Think Lillard, Irving, a less drastic Harden) and while Griff isn’t a Rondo, Paul, or Conley, he still can hold his own, at least a little.
Winner: PHI, I can’t see Rodenbach matching up well to Harrington, as he was outscored in every matchup, by an average of 10.7 points. Harrington is going to eat him for breakfast.
SG: Rowan Evans (12.0 pts, 1.9 ast, 3.1 reb, .6 stl, .1 blk 1.3 TO) v Vernon Winkfield (16.7 pts, 1.8 ast, 6.9 reb, 1.7 stl, .8 blk)
Going on pure numbers here, Winkfield has a distinct advantage on Evans, including about 160 games of experience. Both have been on fire recently, but the main difference is efficiency. Evans led Rookies in FG%, and led the association in TS%. He was sixth on the all-league field goal ratings. Jody Jones can also ball, and they will be sharing minutes as rookies at this position.
Winner: IND, Vernon Winkfield beats out Evans, but I think that Philly’s SG position is going to be the more dominant.
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (12.9 pts, 1.3 ast, 6.9 reb, 1.1 stl, 4.2 blk) v Alen Trumbic (16.0 pts, 1.4 ast, 5.5 reb, 1.1 stl, .6 blk)
Okay. Zulu is a mobile 6’11 big man who leads the league in blocks. Expect him to take full advantage of the 6 inches (and 40 lbs) he has on Trumbic. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that an average of a double-double by Zulu this series isn’t out of the question. Look for above average numbers in essentially every stat.
Winner: PHI, Tengiz and Trumbic aren’t even comparable
Frontcourt: Since neither team has a center starting this series, I will lump both the Power Forward and Center position into a ‘Frontcourt’ monster category.
PHI: Naim Baykurt (16.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .8 stl, 1.6 blk) & Oliver Dobbins (14.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 stl, 1.9blk)
IND: Arthur Hays (10.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 stl, .6 blk) & Lafayette White (9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .8 stl, .4 blk)
I would hesitate to even call this matchup a contest. Baykurt and Philadelphia’s resident house elf are going to eat this pair alive, especially since Lafayette White is replacing their injured Anthony Hampton (not that he would fare much better) who is out with a torn knee tendon.
Winner: PHI x2
Bench:
PHI Notables: Jody Jones, Delvin Mouring, Nate Thornton
IND Notables: Cliff Gaines, Angelo Broderick, Eric Cook
Indiana’s first 3 off the bench combined for 17.3 points per game this season, compared to the 21.9 from Philly. But that isn’t even the biggest discrepancy. Philly’s all backcourt group averaged 9.5 rebounds, combined, while the group for Indiana, (none of whom are shorter than 6’6) were about a rebound and a half behind. Assists are the same: 6.1 for PHI, 4.7 for IND.
Winner: PHI
Prediction: Philadelphia Freedom in 5
This is a conservative estimate. It’s what it’ll take for the big men to slaughter their opposition, but if Harrington decides to go for 40 more than once, it’s broom time.
Game 1: vs Indiana Racers (Tied 0-0):
The first quarter was all Harrington. He had 16 points, off of 7-9 shooting, (making both attempts from 3) and was nasty on the offensive glass. Yet, it was still quite close, due to our allowing 14 free throw attempts in the first period. We led 37-31. We entered the break with another good quarter, leading 62-53. Tsulukidze was being a beast, (at least where offense wasn’t concerned), and we were in comfortable control of the game. We pull ahead to a resound 115-89 blowout win that emphasized how one-sided this series really was. Zulu ended with 12 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals, but Rowan Evans and his insane shooting percentage strikes again. He shot 11 of 15, including 2 of 3 from deep on his way to 28 points and 6 rebounds. He also had a block and four steals (which turned into plenty of dunks).
Game 2: vs Indiana (PHI leads 1-0):
Indiana was determined not to be embarrassed again, and put up a hell of a fight through all four quarters, where defense reigned king. Neither team shot better than 40% from the field. Behind by a singular point at the half, the coach berated the team that a 25 point win doesn’t make you unbeatable, and while we couldn’t turn the game around until the beginning of the forth, where we blew away their lead and coasted to an 8 point victory. Evans stole the show again, scoring 29 on an insane 100% shooting clip, complete with 5 threes and a pair of free throws, grabbed 6 boards, and had 5 steals. He did have 7 TO’s but no one was complaining to seriously.
Off we go to Hoosierville. 92-84
Game 3: @ Indiana (PHI leads 2-0):
It’s the playoffs, and in the playoffs, the home team’s fanbase usually goes insane. Indianapolis wasn’t any different, though there was a little less luster in the support of a .500 team going up against the 63-win powerhouse that was Philly. That trepidation was a crack in their armor, just as much as their defense was. We found those cracks, examined them, and pried at them until the whole works fell apart, allowing Harrington to truly step out into full form. He had 32 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, and four steals. Evans’ 20 came on an efficient 9 for 13 shooting, and Baykurt managed a double-double. Dobbins was quick to get into foul trouble, but Nate Thornton had his back, managing 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of steals in a reserve outing for the guy. 125-98
Game 4: @ Indiana (PHI leads 3-0):
No team, or fanbase likes getting eliminated, but its worse when it happens on your own floor. That’s exactly what the Racers were pulling out all stops trying to avoid tonight. Trailing by only a deuce at the half, and trimming that lead down to one at the end of the third was a great accomplishment for the crowd, but Baykurt’s strength at the Center position was just too much for cook, who spent only 22 minutes on the floor because of foul troubles, or anyone else who was put out to guard him. He had 24 points on a clean 11 for 18 night, and even though the Legendary Philly backcourt had an off night, the Big Guys took care of business. Zulu had 7 blocks on the night.
Everyone is sharing hugs as the team celebrates the conclusion of the first step in their journey to the trophy. Every man on this team wants a ring, and they all know what it takes. I join in the festivities, savoring the moment. It’s not quite justification for every brash move I’ve made, but I feel it coming. 106-91
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
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- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:18 pm
Joining us in the broom closet was #1 Dallas, who destroyed #8 Sacramento. #3 Boston, #3 Detroit, and the Los Angeles Waves managed to close things up with only one extra (the Waves completing a minor upset as the 5 seed). #6 Golden State upset #3 Denver in six, just as #2 Portland upheld the status quo. Only one matchup went the distance, between the two NYC teams, the Metros and the Hoops. It took the Metros all 7 to take out Brooklyn, as the assumed Rookie of the Year enters the 2nd round.
Preview: #1 Philadelphia Freedom v #4 New York Metros
Season Series: PHI 1, NYM 4
Positional
PG: Griffin Harrington (22.3 ppg, 8.3apg, 3.8 reb, 1.8 spg) v Cain Allen (23.9 ppg, 8.1 apg, 5.4 reb, 2.0 spg)
Stat-wise, Allen seems to be better, but he also spent more than 7 more minutes on the floor than Harrington did. He also was playing against a much weaker defensive team in the Hoops (Remember Dudley?) Harrington’s assist numbers are also irregularly low, since he only dished out 2 in game 1, and then had 9, 12, and 10 in the last three.
Winner: PHI: Harrington is probably a top 1 or 2 PG in the league, while Allen is definitely top 10, it should be an exciting matchup, but Harrington has the Upper hand.
SG: Rowan Evans (21.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.3 spg, .8 bpg) v Marcus Griffin (26.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.9 spg, .9 bpg)
Young blood versus the old in this match-up. Both played about 2000 minutes this season, and the big difference was that of quality vs quantity. It was Evans who shot almost 60% from the field, and Griffin whose 48% shooting yielded 22 points per game. In the playoffs, however, Evans showed what he was capable of with the starting role. He shot an unfair 71% from the field, and demonstrated that he was a defensive force to be reckoned with. And that is what Griffin should be most worried about. He turned the ball over 5 times a game last series and could lose the series for the Metros if that continues.
Winner: PHI, the overall impact of Evans was tremendous last series. If he keeps up that level of play, he’ll eat Griffin alive.
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 4.3 bpg) v Darius Keady (22.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.5 spg, 1.0 bpg)
This is a hard position to judge, because Zulu rarely plays as a SF, since we have such a large big man rotation and Keady is a natural SG. Both are good at what they do, yet, in the Playoffs, defense always beats offense. Keady’s size and quickness will allow him to cause a lot of personal trouble for Zulu, so he takes home this matchup.
Winner: NYM
PF: Oliver Dobbins (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg) v McEverett Woods (5.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, .3 apg, .6 spg, 3.1 bpg)
If these playoffs have proved anything, it’s that the (presumed) Rookie of the Year isn’t ready for playoff basketball yet. That’s a long way off from saying anything about how his career develops, but it does indicate how truly outmatched he will be by the talent on this team.
Winner: PHI
C: Naim Baykurt (17.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.3 bpg) v Georgi Stoickkov (17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.0 spg, 2.4 bpg)
OK, just based on stats, these two look to be just about evenly matched, right? If anything, Baykurt might have a slim advantage. Yet, there is a very big reason why I think that New York has the advantage here. That reason is size. Stoickkov has oodles of it. He is 7’4. I am going to repeat that for emphasis. He is 7’4. He also weighs in at just under 300 lbs, giving him both 7 inches and 60 lbs on Baykurt. Since he has the stamina to play 37 minutes per game for the Metros, I don’t see Baykurt matching up well.
Winner: NYM
Disclaimer: Take all of these frontcourt matchups with a grain of salt since our frontcourt rotation is pretty positionless.
Bench: Jody Jones, Nathan Nagid, Delvin Mouring v Rick Lyles, Mike Hopper, Nathaniel & Courtney Toney
Both teams run rotations that aren’t very deep—eight players and 9 players respectively. But Jody Jones and Nagid give the advantage to the Freedom, since they are able to put up real numbers and actively contribute to a W, while most of the Metros’ bench is just filler.
Prediction: Freedom in 7. They only were able to pull together 1 win against them during the regular season, and that is what worries me about this series. The playoffs are considered a whole different animal, and it’ll have to be if Philly wants to make it to the finals.
Game 1: PHI v NYM (Series tied 0-0):
Rowan Evans is going to be the difference-maker in this series. Either he plays well, and Philly wins, or he doesn’t and they lose. Tonight, Evans fouled out after 21 minutes of play, and they lost. Dobbins had 23 points and 18 boards. Baykurt scored 26, to go with 9 rebounds, but it fell short as Griffin had 40 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and a pair of steals. Metros steal game 1: 119-102
Game 2: PHI v NYM (NYM leads 1-0):
Our crowd knows the importance of game two, and 20,444 fans inside the sold out Freedom Center made the building shake in support of our team. Oliver Dobbins put them on our back, and scored 27, with 14 boards. Evans had 16, despite poor (for him) shooting, and Jones also had 19 on 7 for 12. It was Evan’s defense that made some of the greatest difference, as he had five steals and force untold turnovers. We take back home court advantage: 117-110
Game 3: PHI @ NYM (Series tied 1-1):
Darius Keady took was the David to Zulu’s giant, scoring 30 and grabbing 10 rebounds in front of the 6’11 defensive big. Allen and Griffin were hot on his heels with 29 and 28, respectively. It was a game to forget from our side, as no player managed to reach 20 and only 6 made double figures. On the plus side, Natan Nagid returned and played 34 minutes. They win again: 134-104
Game 4: PHI @ NYM (NYM leads 2-1):
The best way to counteract the effects of a great crowd, like the one that the Metros enjoy, was to score… a lot. Evans led the way, gathering 29 points on 75% shooting, making all 3 three pointers, Harrington had 22, and Dobbins had 21. Evans continued to justify my prediction that this was his series, as he took over this game 136-121
No sweeps in this series. Only the Dallas-LA series is uneven, with Dallas leading 3-1.
Game 5: PHI v NYM (Series tied 2-2):
This is the game where we dominate, where we claim the series. It may not seem like it, but it is a must win for us. I don’t think that we can win game 6 away from home, so we need to do all we can to make sure we’re not the ones on the chopping block when it comes. Our crowd is preparing to rock the world with their energy and enthusiasm for our team, and we need every bit of it. Both teams fought for the lead at every corner of the floor, no team leading by more than 5 through any minute of it. But in the final moments of regulation, down by 3, it was the crowd who willed Harrington to make his floater, despite the foul. His free throw was a given, but the chants of ‘MVP, MVP’ made it all the sweeter. With the crowd behind us so strongly, the Metro’s showed their weariness in the extra period, and we took advantage, outscoring them 20-8. Baykurt led our team in scoring, playing 24 minutes off the bench—he had 28 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal (talk about using your time wisely). Dobbins and Evans were equally important to the team effort, both scoring 21 and contributing on the defensive end. It was Harrington who saved the team though. He had 20 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, and a pair of steals. The final score read 128-116
No rest for the wicked after game five as Los Angeles managed to extend the series…
Game 6: PHI @ NYM (PHI leads 3-2):
The small forward spot was full of scoring, as Baykurt’s 41 and Keady’s 38 would attest to. Both of them had 13 rebounds, but Baykurt added a few blocks and 5 assists to his tally. The difference was, no one else really was able to make shots fall on our team, and the series goes the distance: 109-121
#2 Detroit and #1 Dallas advance to the Conference finals in 6 games, while Golden State and Portland are the other matchup to go the distance.
Game 7: PHI v NYM (Series tied 3-3):
If you’ve never been to a game 7, you wouldn’t understand the fervor that the crowd generates. Every time there was a score by the Freedom, you wouldn’t be able to hear it if a rock band had brought all there amps to 11 and started to play on the court. Yet, whenever a Metro would make a shot, someone all the way up in the nosebleeds would here it if the ref dropped a pin. Baykurt scored 34 and had 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Zulu didn’t have a huge impact, but played hard-nose defense, had 7 boards, and made a few plays. 22 points from Evans was a huge help, and Nagid had 19. We dribble out the clock and move on, 125-119
On that final possession, no one was in their seats. Everyone was preparing to rush on court and congratulate someone. It took all the efforts of the security to make sure that the players could make it to their locker rooms. I couldn’t believe the relief I felt at seeing that 6 point lead. We had gone down big early, and slowly fought our way back into it. It was a dirty, tough, stressful game, and I am beyond glad it’s over.
Portland lost game 7 to #6 Golden State, who managed their second upset in their Cinderella journey through the playoffs.
Preview: #1 Philadelphia Freedom v #4 New York Metros
Season Series: PHI 1, NYM 4
Positional
PG: Griffin Harrington (22.3 ppg, 8.3apg, 3.8 reb, 1.8 spg) v Cain Allen (23.9 ppg, 8.1 apg, 5.4 reb, 2.0 spg)
Stat-wise, Allen seems to be better, but he also spent more than 7 more minutes on the floor than Harrington did. He also was playing against a much weaker defensive team in the Hoops (Remember Dudley?) Harrington’s assist numbers are also irregularly low, since he only dished out 2 in game 1, and then had 9, 12, and 10 in the last three.
Winner: PHI: Harrington is probably a top 1 or 2 PG in the league, while Allen is definitely top 10, it should be an exciting matchup, but Harrington has the Upper hand.
SG: Rowan Evans (21.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.3 spg, .8 bpg) v Marcus Griffin (26.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.9 spg, .9 bpg)
Young blood versus the old in this match-up. Both played about 2000 minutes this season, and the big difference was that of quality vs quantity. It was Evans who shot almost 60% from the field, and Griffin whose 48% shooting yielded 22 points per game. In the playoffs, however, Evans showed what he was capable of with the starting role. He shot an unfair 71% from the field, and demonstrated that he was a defensive force to be reckoned with. And that is what Griffin should be most worried about. He turned the ball over 5 times a game last series and could lose the series for the Metros if that continues.
Winner: PHI, the overall impact of Evans was tremendous last series. If he keeps up that level of play, he’ll eat Griffin alive.
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 4.3 bpg) v Darius Keady (22.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.5 spg, 1.0 bpg)
This is a hard position to judge, because Zulu rarely plays as a SF, since we have such a large big man rotation and Keady is a natural SG. Both are good at what they do, yet, in the Playoffs, defense always beats offense. Keady’s size and quickness will allow him to cause a lot of personal trouble for Zulu, so he takes home this matchup.
Winner: NYM
PF: Oliver Dobbins (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg) v McEverett Woods (5.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, .3 apg, .6 spg, 3.1 bpg)
If these playoffs have proved anything, it’s that the (presumed) Rookie of the Year isn’t ready for playoff basketball yet. That’s a long way off from saying anything about how his career develops, but it does indicate how truly outmatched he will be by the talent on this team.
Winner: PHI
C: Naim Baykurt (17.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.3 bpg) v Georgi Stoickkov (17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.0 spg, 2.4 bpg)
OK, just based on stats, these two look to be just about evenly matched, right? If anything, Baykurt might have a slim advantage. Yet, there is a very big reason why I think that New York has the advantage here. That reason is size. Stoickkov has oodles of it. He is 7’4. I am going to repeat that for emphasis. He is 7’4. He also weighs in at just under 300 lbs, giving him both 7 inches and 60 lbs on Baykurt. Since he has the stamina to play 37 minutes per game for the Metros, I don’t see Baykurt matching up well.
Winner: NYM
Disclaimer: Take all of these frontcourt matchups with a grain of salt since our frontcourt rotation is pretty positionless.
Bench: Jody Jones, Nathan Nagid, Delvin Mouring v Rick Lyles, Mike Hopper, Nathaniel & Courtney Toney
Both teams run rotations that aren’t very deep—eight players and 9 players respectively. But Jody Jones and Nagid give the advantage to the Freedom, since they are able to put up real numbers and actively contribute to a W, while most of the Metros’ bench is just filler.
Prediction: Freedom in 7. They only were able to pull together 1 win against them during the regular season, and that is what worries me about this series. The playoffs are considered a whole different animal, and it’ll have to be if Philly wants to make it to the finals.
Game 1: PHI v NYM (Series tied 0-0):
Rowan Evans is going to be the difference-maker in this series. Either he plays well, and Philly wins, or he doesn’t and they lose. Tonight, Evans fouled out after 21 minutes of play, and they lost. Dobbins had 23 points and 18 boards. Baykurt scored 26, to go with 9 rebounds, but it fell short as Griffin had 40 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and a pair of steals. Metros steal game 1: 119-102
Game 2: PHI v NYM (NYM leads 1-0):
Our crowd knows the importance of game two, and 20,444 fans inside the sold out Freedom Center made the building shake in support of our team. Oliver Dobbins put them on our back, and scored 27, with 14 boards. Evans had 16, despite poor (for him) shooting, and Jones also had 19 on 7 for 12. It was Evan’s defense that made some of the greatest difference, as he had five steals and force untold turnovers. We take back home court advantage: 117-110
Game 3: PHI @ NYM (Series tied 1-1):
Darius Keady took was the David to Zulu’s giant, scoring 30 and grabbing 10 rebounds in front of the 6’11 defensive big. Allen and Griffin were hot on his heels with 29 and 28, respectively. It was a game to forget from our side, as no player managed to reach 20 and only 6 made double figures. On the plus side, Natan Nagid returned and played 34 minutes. They win again: 134-104
Game 4: PHI @ NYM (NYM leads 2-1):
The best way to counteract the effects of a great crowd, like the one that the Metros enjoy, was to score… a lot. Evans led the way, gathering 29 points on 75% shooting, making all 3 three pointers, Harrington had 22, and Dobbins had 21. Evans continued to justify my prediction that this was his series, as he took over this game 136-121
No sweeps in this series. Only the Dallas-LA series is uneven, with Dallas leading 3-1.
Game 5: PHI v NYM (Series tied 2-2):
This is the game where we dominate, where we claim the series. It may not seem like it, but it is a must win for us. I don’t think that we can win game 6 away from home, so we need to do all we can to make sure we’re not the ones on the chopping block when it comes. Our crowd is preparing to rock the world with their energy and enthusiasm for our team, and we need every bit of it. Both teams fought for the lead at every corner of the floor, no team leading by more than 5 through any minute of it. But in the final moments of regulation, down by 3, it was the crowd who willed Harrington to make his floater, despite the foul. His free throw was a given, but the chants of ‘MVP, MVP’ made it all the sweeter. With the crowd behind us so strongly, the Metro’s showed their weariness in the extra period, and we took advantage, outscoring them 20-8. Baykurt led our team in scoring, playing 24 minutes off the bench—he had 28 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal (talk about using your time wisely). Dobbins and Evans were equally important to the team effort, both scoring 21 and contributing on the defensive end. It was Harrington who saved the team though. He had 20 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, and a pair of steals. The final score read 128-116
No rest for the wicked after game five as Los Angeles managed to extend the series…
Game 6: PHI @ NYM (PHI leads 3-2):
The small forward spot was full of scoring, as Baykurt’s 41 and Keady’s 38 would attest to. Both of them had 13 rebounds, but Baykurt added a few blocks and 5 assists to his tally. The difference was, no one else really was able to make shots fall on our team, and the series goes the distance: 109-121
#2 Detroit and #1 Dallas advance to the Conference finals in 6 games, while Golden State and Portland are the other matchup to go the distance.
Game 7: PHI v NYM (Series tied 3-3):
If you’ve never been to a game 7, you wouldn’t understand the fervor that the crowd generates. Every time there was a score by the Freedom, you wouldn’t be able to hear it if a rock band had brought all there amps to 11 and started to play on the court. Yet, whenever a Metro would make a shot, someone all the way up in the nosebleeds would here it if the ref dropped a pin. Baykurt scored 34 and had 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Zulu didn’t have a huge impact, but played hard-nose defense, had 7 boards, and made a few plays. 22 points from Evans was a huge help, and Nagid had 19. We dribble out the clock and move on, 125-119
On that final possession, no one was in their seats. Everyone was preparing to rush on court and congratulate someone. It took all the efforts of the security to make sure that the players could make it to their locker rooms. I couldn’t believe the relief I felt at seeing that 6 point lead. We had gone down big early, and slowly fought our way back into it. It was a dirty, tough, stressful game, and I am beyond glad it’s over.
Portland lost game 7 to #6 Golden State, who managed their second upset in their Cinderella journey through the playoffs.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sat Sep 27, 2014 9:06 am
2012 Eastern Conference Finals: #1 Philadelphia v #2 Detroit
Matchup Preview:
Season Series: PHI 3 – DET 1
PG: Griffin Harrington (17.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 7.8 apg, 1.7 spg) v Kurtis Scholl (27.2 ppg, 3.2, 7.6 apg, 1.0 spg)
During the regular season, Kurtis Scholl wasn’t even close to contesting Harrington for a top spot on the list of the best PG’s in the league. But with Harrington’s decline through the first two rounds, and Scholl’s stepping up to take Detroit games over, this series will be a hot matchup between the two.
Winner: Draw
SG: Rowan Evans (18.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.8 spg) v Tadeusz Sbroczynksi (11.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6.9 apg, .6 spg)
Rowan Evans has been surprising everyone with his consistently impressive play during the postseason so far, while Sbroczynksi hasn’t had a particularly praise-worthy month since the playoffs started. At 37, its reasonable to expect his play to start falling off, but we’ll have to keep in mind his experience in the matchup against Evans. Look for big numbers from Evans due to sub-par defense, and a decrease in steal numbers.
Winner: PHI
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.5 bpg) v Billy Wallace (15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, .7 spg, 1.2 bpg)
Zulu will be happy to face off against someone who approaches his size after having to deal with someone much smaller and quicker. He’s going to eat Billy up. Wallace isn’t a bad player, but Zulu is going to be hungry and there is little that he can do against someone as strong as Tengiz is.
Winner: PHI
PF: Oliver Dobbins (16.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.5 bpg) v Nate Moore (19.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 2.8 bpg)
This is one of the most anticipated matchups of the series. It probably isn’t going to be that close, and it probably isn’t going to go our way, however. Moore is probably one of the top 3 PF’s in the game, and he plays like it. His efficiency isn’t spectacular, with a .500 FG% through the postseason, but he has an 80% stopping percentage on drives, and forces 2.4 TO’s per game. He is one of the League’s true two way players .
Winner: DET
C: Naim Baykurt (21.0 ppg, 8.6 prg, 1.5 apg, .7 spg, 1.6 bpg) v Reggie McAfee (14 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2apg, 3 bpg)
McAfee has to show that he is truly healthy after missing most of the first and all of the second round of the playoff’s due to a broken finger. When healthy, he anchors the best frontcourt in the league, and will look to show it. Meanwhile Baykurt is riding peak form and will be looking to show dominance against a player just trying to get back into the swing of things.
Winner: Draw
Bench: Jody Jones, Natan Nagid, Delvin Mouring v Raymond Elloie, Ronell Wise, Donald Fox
Elloie is edging ever closer to the end of his career, but is still so good that when either McAfee or Moore step off for a spell, the Gears want for nothing. However, the rest of their bench isn’t so reliable. On Philly’s side. Nagid showed that he was back and ready to go after his late-season injury. He wasn’t particularly efficient, but could still showed he could do his thing.
Winner: Draw
Prediction: Toss-up in 7
I really can’t tell which of us will take this series in the end. If any of our players go off, the series is ours, possibly in less than 7 games, but I could also see Detroit slowing things down so much that we can’t beat them.
Game 1: PHI v DET (Series tied 0-0):
You’d think that at home, with four players scoring 20 points apiece, we would be pretty safe about taking a win in this game, right? Nope. In fact, it wasn’t particularly close. That all came down to rebounds. Remember me saying the Gears had the best front court in the league? Well they used that size to outrebound ups by a margin of 15! Meanwhile, Griff Harrington had 9 rebounds, a team high. Also, apparently my coach likes Jones more than Evans, because he started tonight. Both did very well, but Evans’ performance definitely made me a believer of him over Jones. He went 8 for 11 (getting 22 points), had 3 rebounds (2 more than Jones), 4 assists (3 more than Jones), and a steal (1 more than Jones). But Ah well. Back to the drawing board for game 2 as we go down 121-136.
Game 2: PHI v DET (DET leads 1-0):
A 10 point loss puts us on the road and down 2-0. Evans started, and while he gave a subpar performance, so did almost everyone else. Zulu had 15 points, and 12 rebounds, but did little else, Dobbins had 19 and 5 steals, but turned the ball over 5 times, Baykurt managed 28 points, but missed 8 free throws. As a team, we shoot a terrible 36% and go 1 for nine from behind the arc (Evans made our only 3). Detroit takes us down 118-108.
The Rangers lead against the Spartans 2-0, going to Golden State for the next two.
Game 3: PHI @ DET (DET leads 2-0):
This game is must win for us, as I cannot recall any team winning four in a row after going down 3-0. And we cannot pull it off. Scholl schorches Harrington for 29 points, and the best we can offer back is 20 from Baykurt and 19 from Evans. Their efforts were negated by 22 from Moore and a 11 rebound margin for the Gears as they trounce us by 13, 126-113.
Game 4: PHI @ DET (DET leads 3-0):
By this point in the series, I’ve essentially given up any hope of moving on, yet the team wasn’t content to just roll over and let them win. Bykurt went for 29 points, while Griff Harrington was the story of the match, going 10 for 17, making 6 of 7 free throws, scoring 27, and piling on 10 dimes. He finally looked like his regular season self, and we only let the Gears lead by a single point 3 times over the course of the game where we led by as much as 23. Final result: 123-104!
Game 5: PHI v DET (DET leads 3-1):
3 more wins left to take the series. I know that I’m kidding myself if I believe we can do it, but I can’t make myself let go of that hope. Baykurt scored 39 and managed to keep my hopes alive! The crowd came to the game a little dreary. They knew that the Gears were, in all likelihood, going to take this game, and they were dreading having them celebrate on our home floor. But at the end of the first half, up by 14, the crowd realized that it wasn’t yet our time to die, and once we took back the floor, they seemed to get louder with every possession, trying to will us back into the series. Harrington was having so much fun that he forgot to score the ball. He miss all four shots he took, and promptly gave up and started passing instead. He managed to acquire 13 shiny new dimes for his collection. Evans scored 23, showing off his ungodly efficiency, and the whole team was laughing like maniacs as we took home our second win of the series, 132-105!
Game 6: PHI @ DET (DET leads 3-2):
Everybody and their grandmother knew that the Palace of the Auburn Hills was going to be a terrifying place for this game six. Motor City looked at us and believed that if we were able to take game six, and go back home for game 7, they would be toast. We would have too much momentum and to excited a crowd to lose. So they made it their business to win this game at all costs. But Rowan Evans told the world—and did it twice—that we weren’t afraid of them, that under no circumstances would we back down, and that this game was ours. And it was, even before it started. Yes it looked close through the first half, with Detroit even getting a 9 point lead for a while and going into the 3rd with a nickel for a lead. But that magical 3rd quarter came along and I couldn’t leave my seat to get a drink of water if I was dying of thirst. Evans finished the game with 43 points on 16 of 24 shooting, going 7 for 8 from deep, and gathering 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Harrington was back on point, scoring 21, dishing 17 dimes (mostly to Evans) and pilfering his way to four steals. We take our third win in a row to even the series and go Home for game 7, 123-104!
Game 7: PHI v DET (Series tied 3-3):
I almost couldn’t bring myself to attend the game. I didn’t want to see the magic of the last 6 days die. If we lost, I wasn’t sure how I’d react. Eventually, thinking of all the players I would let down if I didn’t show, I forced myself into the car, and drove to the stadium, arriving only an hour early. And I regretted it almost immediately. Detroit made a huge push that silenced the crowd. When the half-time buzzer sounded, we were only a few points in the hole, after giving up an 11-0 run and pushing back, but the court was so quiet that people in the nosebleeds heard it when the PA announcer sneezed into his sleeve (and away from his mike). While the crowd was busy being depressed, the locker was filled with thunder, fire, and brimstone. Coach Jones made it absolutely clear that this wasn’t a game that we were allowed to lose. That even if we suffered 11 injuries, that one last person was going to win us this game. The third quarter wasn’t the magical thing of the last game, but a tiresome, grinding battle to even the score. But even it we did. That gave us the momentum to push through the 4th and take a 13 point lead to win the game and advance to the NBA finals, 116-103.
The Rangers-Spartans series went the distance as well, but Dallas righted their ship and advanced to the finals, with 3 players pushing 30 points, 139-112.
Matchup Preview:
Season Series: PHI 3 – DET 1
PG: Griffin Harrington (17.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 7.8 apg, 1.7 spg) v Kurtis Scholl (27.2 ppg, 3.2, 7.6 apg, 1.0 spg)
During the regular season, Kurtis Scholl wasn’t even close to contesting Harrington for a top spot on the list of the best PG’s in the league. But with Harrington’s decline through the first two rounds, and Scholl’s stepping up to take Detroit games over, this series will be a hot matchup between the two.
Winner: Draw
SG: Rowan Evans (18.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.8 spg) v Tadeusz Sbroczynksi (11.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6.9 apg, .6 spg)
Rowan Evans has been surprising everyone with his consistently impressive play during the postseason so far, while Sbroczynksi hasn’t had a particularly praise-worthy month since the playoffs started. At 37, its reasonable to expect his play to start falling off, but we’ll have to keep in mind his experience in the matchup against Evans. Look for big numbers from Evans due to sub-par defense, and a decrease in steal numbers.
Winner: PHI
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.5 bpg) v Billy Wallace (15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, .7 spg, 1.2 bpg)
Zulu will be happy to face off against someone who approaches his size after having to deal with someone much smaller and quicker. He’s going to eat Billy up. Wallace isn’t a bad player, but Zulu is going to be hungry and there is little that he can do against someone as strong as Tengiz is.
Winner: PHI
PF: Oliver Dobbins (16.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.5 bpg) v Nate Moore (19.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 2.8 bpg)
This is one of the most anticipated matchups of the series. It probably isn’t going to be that close, and it probably isn’t going to go our way, however. Moore is probably one of the top 3 PF’s in the game, and he plays like it. His efficiency isn’t spectacular, with a .500 FG% through the postseason, but he has an 80% stopping percentage on drives, and forces 2.4 TO’s per game. He is one of the League’s true two way players .
Winner: DET
C: Naim Baykurt (21.0 ppg, 8.6 prg, 1.5 apg, .7 spg, 1.6 bpg) v Reggie McAfee (14 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2apg, 3 bpg)
McAfee has to show that he is truly healthy after missing most of the first and all of the second round of the playoff’s due to a broken finger. When healthy, he anchors the best frontcourt in the league, and will look to show it. Meanwhile Baykurt is riding peak form and will be looking to show dominance against a player just trying to get back into the swing of things.
Winner: Draw
Bench: Jody Jones, Natan Nagid, Delvin Mouring v Raymond Elloie, Ronell Wise, Donald Fox
Elloie is edging ever closer to the end of his career, but is still so good that when either McAfee or Moore step off for a spell, the Gears want for nothing. However, the rest of their bench isn’t so reliable. On Philly’s side. Nagid showed that he was back and ready to go after his late-season injury. He wasn’t particularly efficient, but could still showed he could do his thing.
Winner: Draw
Prediction: Toss-up in 7
I really can’t tell which of us will take this series in the end. If any of our players go off, the series is ours, possibly in less than 7 games, but I could also see Detroit slowing things down so much that we can’t beat them.
Game 1: PHI v DET (Series tied 0-0):
You’d think that at home, with four players scoring 20 points apiece, we would be pretty safe about taking a win in this game, right? Nope. In fact, it wasn’t particularly close. That all came down to rebounds. Remember me saying the Gears had the best front court in the league? Well they used that size to outrebound ups by a margin of 15! Meanwhile, Griff Harrington had 9 rebounds, a team high. Also, apparently my coach likes Jones more than Evans, because he started tonight. Both did very well, but Evans’ performance definitely made me a believer of him over Jones. He went 8 for 11 (getting 22 points), had 3 rebounds (2 more than Jones), 4 assists (3 more than Jones), and a steal (1 more than Jones). But Ah well. Back to the drawing board for game 2 as we go down 121-136.
Game 2: PHI v DET (DET leads 1-0):
A 10 point loss puts us on the road and down 2-0. Evans started, and while he gave a subpar performance, so did almost everyone else. Zulu had 15 points, and 12 rebounds, but did little else, Dobbins had 19 and 5 steals, but turned the ball over 5 times, Baykurt managed 28 points, but missed 8 free throws. As a team, we shoot a terrible 36% and go 1 for nine from behind the arc (Evans made our only 3). Detroit takes us down 118-108.
The Rangers lead against the Spartans 2-0, going to Golden State for the next two.
Game 3: PHI @ DET (DET leads 2-0):
This game is must win for us, as I cannot recall any team winning four in a row after going down 3-0. And we cannot pull it off. Scholl schorches Harrington for 29 points, and the best we can offer back is 20 from Baykurt and 19 from Evans. Their efforts were negated by 22 from Moore and a 11 rebound margin for the Gears as they trounce us by 13, 126-113.
Game 4: PHI @ DET (DET leads 3-0):
By this point in the series, I’ve essentially given up any hope of moving on, yet the team wasn’t content to just roll over and let them win. Bykurt went for 29 points, while Griff Harrington was the story of the match, going 10 for 17, making 6 of 7 free throws, scoring 27, and piling on 10 dimes. He finally looked like his regular season self, and we only let the Gears lead by a single point 3 times over the course of the game where we led by as much as 23. Final result: 123-104!
Game 5: PHI v DET (DET leads 3-1):
3 more wins left to take the series. I know that I’m kidding myself if I believe we can do it, but I can’t make myself let go of that hope. Baykurt scored 39 and managed to keep my hopes alive! The crowd came to the game a little dreary. They knew that the Gears were, in all likelihood, going to take this game, and they were dreading having them celebrate on our home floor. But at the end of the first half, up by 14, the crowd realized that it wasn’t yet our time to die, and once we took back the floor, they seemed to get louder with every possession, trying to will us back into the series. Harrington was having so much fun that he forgot to score the ball. He miss all four shots he took, and promptly gave up and started passing instead. He managed to acquire 13 shiny new dimes for his collection. Evans scored 23, showing off his ungodly efficiency, and the whole team was laughing like maniacs as we took home our second win of the series, 132-105!
Game 6: PHI @ DET (DET leads 3-2):
Everybody and their grandmother knew that the Palace of the Auburn Hills was going to be a terrifying place for this game six. Motor City looked at us and believed that if we were able to take game six, and go back home for game 7, they would be toast. We would have too much momentum and to excited a crowd to lose. So they made it their business to win this game at all costs. But Rowan Evans told the world—and did it twice—that we weren’t afraid of them, that under no circumstances would we back down, and that this game was ours. And it was, even before it started. Yes it looked close through the first half, with Detroit even getting a 9 point lead for a while and going into the 3rd with a nickel for a lead. But that magical 3rd quarter came along and I couldn’t leave my seat to get a drink of water if I was dying of thirst. Evans finished the game with 43 points on 16 of 24 shooting, going 7 for 8 from deep, and gathering 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Harrington was back on point, scoring 21, dishing 17 dimes (mostly to Evans) and pilfering his way to four steals. We take our third win in a row to even the series and go Home for game 7, 123-104!
Game 7: PHI v DET (Series tied 3-3):
I almost couldn’t bring myself to attend the game. I didn’t want to see the magic of the last 6 days die. If we lost, I wasn’t sure how I’d react. Eventually, thinking of all the players I would let down if I didn’t show, I forced myself into the car, and drove to the stadium, arriving only an hour early. And I regretted it almost immediately. Detroit made a huge push that silenced the crowd. When the half-time buzzer sounded, we were only a few points in the hole, after giving up an 11-0 run and pushing back, but the court was so quiet that people in the nosebleeds heard it when the PA announcer sneezed into his sleeve (and away from his mike). While the crowd was busy being depressed, the locker was filled with thunder, fire, and brimstone. Coach Jones made it absolutely clear that this wasn’t a game that we were allowed to lose. That even if we suffered 11 injuries, that one last person was going to win us this game. The third quarter wasn’t the magical thing of the last game, but a tiresome, grinding battle to even the score. But even it we did. That gave us the momentum to push through the 4th and take a 13 point lead to win the game and advance to the NBA finals, 116-103.
The Rangers-Spartans series went the distance as well, but Dallas righted their ship and advanced to the finals, with 3 players pushing 30 points, 139-112.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:34 pm
NBA Finals 2012! #1 Philadelphia Freedom (63-19) vs #1 Dallas Rangers (67-15)
Matchup Preview:
Season Series: PHI 2 – DAL 0
PG: Griffin Harrington (17.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8.5 apg, 1.5 spg) v G Brown (19.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.4 apg, 0.9 spg)
Brown isn’t listed as a PG, and has been averaging more than 3.5 TO’s per game, but used a 57% field goal percentage through the first three round of the postseason to post a 22.2 Efficiency, topping Harrington’s 19.5. He is also one of the best at preventing opposing guards from gaining any penetration into the paint, stopping more than 90% of drive attempts. At this point, all Harrington really has on him is his ability to read passing lanes, on both Offense and Defense, for steals and dimes.
Winner: DAL
SG: Rowan Evans (20.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg) v Corey Akins (21.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.6 apg, 0.6 spg)
Evans’ efficiency went down slightly in the last series, but he also took 50 shots on his way to 101 points over the last four games. If Philly wins, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy became the first Rookie to win the Finals MVP. Yet, his matchup is a superb scorer and the matchup will be tight.
Winner: Draw
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.9 bpg) v Lamont Hedrick (15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, .7 spg, 1.2 bpg)
Hendrick, a 6’8 PF, is one of the best in the league, but his playoff stats against the superb defenses have been pretty underwhelming. Neither his defense nor offense is very flashy, though he knows what he is doing. Since he isn’t really a big part of the offense for Dallas, I expect to see Zulu ready and able to shut him down, and perhaps do something on the other end.
Winner: PHI
PF: Oliver Dobbins (16.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.6 bpg) v Francisco Fuentes (16.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.8 bpg)
Oliver Dobbins has just come off a favorable performance against a much better player than Fuentes, is going to have an easy series, expect him to get a little more offensive focus than in the past few rounds.
Winner: PHI
C: Naim Baykurt (21.8 ppg, 7.7 prg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.7 bpg) v Kevin Murphy (19.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.9 bpg)
Murphy is arguably the best player for the Rangers, and will look to exert his dominance over Baykurt. He has 20 lbs on him, and several years of experience. An All-Star starter usually doesn’t have too much to worry about a guy that wasn’t even in the running for a reserve spot. I think that Baykurt will be distinctly outmatched, but don’t count him out.
Winner: DAL
Bench: Jody Jones, Natan Nagid, Nate Thornton v Ernest Hargrove, Jerome Horan, Juhan Vasiliauskas
Dallas runs an incredibly shallow rotation, because only Hargrove is able to really produce much off of the bench, averaging 7.8 pts and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, whereas Nagid and Jones have been in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season, and have each spelled the starters during the playoffs. Thornton has also adequately produced during Philly’s run.
Winner: PHI
Prediction: PHI in 6
Philly is incredibly grateful that Portland lost in the second round, and didn’t come out of the West, and is instead fighting the 1 seed. This is an easier matchup for them, but if Murphy stomps all over Baykurt, or the guard matchup is too overpowering they can definitely steal a match or two more and bring the series to 7 games and possibly win.
Game 1: PHI @ DAL (Series tied 0-0):
It’s the finals. The finals attract the strongest, biggest, loudest crowds, and the arena is deafening. Dallas rode that, the decibels helping them to a 57.5% conversion clip. We outrebounded them by 2 boards, but that wasn’t going to make a big difference. Harrington had 21 and 9 dimes, with a pair of steals and 3 blocks, but we couldn’t do it. Corey Akins had 30 points, 7 dimes, 2 boards, and a steal on the way to Dallas’ 118-102 victory.
Game 2: PHI @ DAL (DAL leads 1-0):
17 points and 14 dimes from Harrington lead us past the Rangers in game 2. We hold them to a 36.1% shooting percentage, with a 9 rebound margin. Akins was held to only 7 points, while 7 Freedom players were in double digits (Harrington, 17; Zulu, 16 (and 10 boards and 5 blocks); Dobbins, 15p, 9r, 3s, 2b; Baykurt, 15; Nagid, 14p, 10r; Evans 11; Jones, 11). Even 21 points from Fuentes wasn’t enough to pull Dallas out of the hole as they look at a 3 game road trip where we can take the series, losing 87-104.
Game 3: PHI v DAL (Series tied 1-1):
Until today, most pundits would give the Playoffs MVP (if we won) to Evans or Baykurt, but Harrington wants to outshine everyone with his finals performance. Today he scored 50 points for the first time in his career, totaling 54 on the night. But that wasn’t even close to all. He had 11 dimes, 3 steals, 5 boards, and one of the most spectacular blocks of the night. Evans performed well, tallying 22, to go with 5 boards of his own. Akins had 30, but no one could stop Harrington, and that cost Dallas game 3, 109-124.
Game 4: PHI v DAL (PHI leads 2-1):
Baykurt won’t give up his MVP chances without a fight, as he scores 31 and grabs 12 boards, yet Harrington was just as good, scoring 27, with 14 dimes as we continue to drown the Rangers. It’s beginning to look like they don’t really have any chance, as we pull down a 23 point win 103-80.
Game 5: PHI v DAL (PHI leads 3-1):
No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, but if Dallas wins here, they get the next two games at home, and might be able to pull it off. That chance is slim, but it could happen. What Philly fans are really worried about is that they won’t be able to see the Championship celebration on their home floor, so they are going all out tonight. The atmosphere at halftime was amazing. We were up by 8, and it looked like we could just ride it out to a game 5 celebration in the City of Brotherly Love, but we couldn’t pull it off. They evened the game by the end of the third, and pulled out a similar margin in the final period, with the crowd getting quieter each time the ball went into the basket.
Game 6: PHI @ DAL (PHI leads 3-2):
Losing the finals on your home court is honestly one of the worst experiences in the world of basketball fandom, and the Dallas crowd was trying to avoid that with every iota of their energy. They helped the team power their way to a 30-22 lead at the end of the first, and pushed for a few more points by halftime, where they led 70-60. By this point the crowds at the Philadelphia viewing party’s were screaming 3 words. “F--- the Ref’s!” They had called more fouls on us than we had taken foul shots, and they were making them at an almost 80% clip. We cut their lead to 6 at the beginning of the final period, but they pushed back out, commanding a 12 point victory to even the series and bring a 3-1 finals comeback within reach. We lose 117-129.
Game 7: PHI @ DAL (Series tied 3-3):
This has to be the craziest postseason ever. We expectedly rip apart Indiana in the first round, go the distance with New York in the second, fall 3-0 to Detroit before rallying for a game 7 victory, and Dallas is pushing back from a 3-1 deficit to force a game 7. And what a game 7 it was. Ahead by one at the end of the first, we push the lead out to 2 by the end of the half. We even commanded a 12 margin before they pushed back in the third, leading by 4. They pull away in the fourth and win 115-108. After watching the game, I wasn’t mad or disappointed, just shocked. We had a 3-1 lead and blew it, Portland Trail Blazers style, as George Brown went for 37, and Baykurt answered for 34. I suppose that all of the NBA conspiracy theorists will look at the free throw margin (which was spectacular) and point to that as evidence of rigging, but I think it just shows that they wanted it more. Our team is incredibly inexperienced, with our eldest starter only a 4th year player. It worked wonders for our salary cap, but didn’t let us win.
The 2011-2012 NBA Champions are the Dallas Rangers!
Matchup Preview:
Season Series: PHI 2 – DAL 0
PG: Griffin Harrington (17.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8.5 apg, 1.5 spg) v G Brown (19.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.4 apg, 0.9 spg)
Brown isn’t listed as a PG, and has been averaging more than 3.5 TO’s per game, but used a 57% field goal percentage through the first three round of the postseason to post a 22.2 Efficiency, topping Harrington’s 19.5. He is also one of the best at preventing opposing guards from gaining any penetration into the paint, stopping more than 90% of drive attempts. At this point, all Harrington really has on him is his ability to read passing lanes, on both Offense and Defense, for steals and dimes.
Winner: DAL
SG: Rowan Evans (20.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg) v Corey Akins (21.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.6 apg, 0.6 spg)
Evans’ efficiency went down slightly in the last series, but he also took 50 shots on his way to 101 points over the last four games. If Philly wins, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy became the first Rookie to win the Finals MVP. Yet, his matchup is a superb scorer and the matchup will be tight.
Winner: Draw
SF: Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.9 bpg) v Lamont Hedrick (15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, .7 spg, 1.2 bpg)
Hendrick, a 6’8 PF, is one of the best in the league, but his playoff stats against the superb defenses have been pretty underwhelming. Neither his defense nor offense is very flashy, though he knows what he is doing. Since he isn’t really a big part of the offense for Dallas, I expect to see Zulu ready and able to shut him down, and perhaps do something on the other end.
Winner: PHI
PF: Oliver Dobbins (16.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.6 bpg) v Francisco Fuentes (16.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.8 bpg)
Oliver Dobbins has just come off a favorable performance against a much better player than Fuentes, is going to have an easy series, expect him to get a little more offensive focus than in the past few rounds.
Winner: PHI
C: Naim Baykurt (21.8 ppg, 7.7 prg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.7 bpg) v Kevin Murphy (19.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.9 bpg)
Murphy is arguably the best player for the Rangers, and will look to exert his dominance over Baykurt. He has 20 lbs on him, and several years of experience. An All-Star starter usually doesn’t have too much to worry about a guy that wasn’t even in the running for a reserve spot. I think that Baykurt will be distinctly outmatched, but don’t count him out.
Winner: DAL
Bench: Jody Jones, Natan Nagid, Nate Thornton v Ernest Hargrove, Jerome Horan, Juhan Vasiliauskas
Dallas runs an incredibly shallow rotation, because only Hargrove is able to really produce much off of the bench, averaging 7.8 pts and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, whereas Nagid and Jones have been in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season, and have each spelled the starters during the playoffs. Thornton has also adequately produced during Philly’s run.
Winner: PHI
Prediction: PHI in 6
Philly is incredibly grateful that Portland lost in the second round, and didn’t come out of the West, and is instead fighting the 1 seed. This is an easier matchup for them, but if Murphy stomps all over Baykurt, or the guard matchup is too overpowering they can definitely steal a match or two more and bring the series to 7 games and possibly win.
Game 1: PHI @ DAL (Series tied 0-0):
It’s the finals. The finals attract the strongest, biggest, loudest crowds, and the arena is deafening. Dallas rode that, the decibels helping them to a 57.5% conversion clip. We outrebounded them by 2 boards, but that wasn’t going to make a big difference. Harrington had 21 and 9 dimes, with a pair of steals and 3 blocks, but we couldn’t do it. Corey Akins had 30 points, 7 dimes, 2 boards, and a steal on the way to Dallas’ 118-102 victory.
Game 2: PHI @ DAL (DAL leads 1-0):
17 points and 14 dimes from Harrington lead us past the Rangers in game 2. We hold them to a 36.1% shooting percentage, with a 9 rebound margin. Akins was held to only 7 points, while 7 Freedom players were in double digits (Harrington, 17; Zulu, 16 (and 10 boards and 5 blocks); Dobbins, 15p, 9r, 3s, 2b; Baykurt, 15; Nagid, 14p, 10r; Evans 11; Jones, 11). Even 21 points from Fuentes wasn’t enough to pull Dallas out of the hole as they look at a 3 game road trip where we can take the series, losing 87-104.
Game 3: PHI v DAL (Series tied 1-1):
Until today, most pundits would give the Playoffs MVP (if we won) to Evans or Baykurt, but Harrington wants to outshine everyone with his finals performance. Today he scored 50 points for the first time in his career, totaling 54 on the night. But that wasn’t even close to all. He had 11 dimes, 3 steals, 5 boards, and one of the most spectacular blocks of the night. Evans performed well, tallying 22, to go with 5 boards of his own. Akins had 30, but no one could stop Harrington, and that cost Dallas game 3, 109-124.
Game 4: PHI v DAL (PHI leads 2-1):
Baykurt won’t give up his MVP chances without a fight, as he scores 31 and grabs 12 boards, yet Harrington was just as good, scoring 27, with 14 dimes as we continue to drown the Rangers. It’s beginning to look like they don’t really have any chance, as we pull down a 23 point win 103-80.
Game 5: PHI v DAL (PHI leads 3-1):
No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, but if Dallas wins here, they get the next two games at home, and might be able to pull it off. That chance is slim, but it could happen. What Philly fans are really worried about is that they won’t be able to see the Championship celebration on their home floor, so they are going all out tonight. The atmosphere at halftime was amazing. We were up by 8, and it looked like we could just ride it out to a game 5 celebration in the City of Brotherly Love, but we couldn’t pull it off. They evened the game by the end of the third, and pulled out a similar margin in the final period, with the crowd getting quieter each time the ball went into the basket.
Game 6: PHI @ DAL (PHI leads 3-2):
Losing the finals on your home court is honestly one of the worst experiences in the world of basketball fandom, and the Dallas crowd was trying to avoid that with every iota of their energy. They helped the team power their way to a 30-22 lead at the end of the first, and pushed for a few more points by halftime, where they led 70-60. By this point the crowds at the Philadelphia viewing party’s were screaming 3 words. “F--- the Ref’s!” They had called more fouls on us than we had taken foul shots, and they were making them at an almost 80% clip. We cut their lead to 6 at the beginning of the final period, but they pushed back out, commanding a 12 point victory to even the series and bring a 3-1 finals comeback within reach. We lose 117-129.
Game 7: PHI @ DAL (Series tied 3-3):
This has to be the craziest postseason ever. We expectedly rip apart Indiana in the first round, go the distance with New York in the second, fall 3-0 to Detroit before rallying for a game 7 victory, and Dallas is pushing back from a 3-1 deficit to force a game 7. And what a game 7 it was. Ahead by one at the end of the first, we push the lead out to 2 by the end of the half. We even commanded a 12 margin before they pushed back in the third, leading by 4. They pull away in the fourth and win 115-108. After watching the game, I wasn’t mad or disappointed, just shocked. We had a 3-1 lead and blew it, Portland Trail Blazers style, as George Brown went for 37, and Baykurt answered for 34. I suppose that all of the NBA conspiracy theorists will look at the free throw margin (which was spectacular) and point to that as evidence of rigging, but I think it just shows that they wanted it more. Our team is incredibly inexperienced, with our eldest starter only a 4th year player. It worked wonders for our salary cap, but didn’t let us win.
The 2011-2012 NBA Champions are the Dallas Rangers!
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Wed Oct 01, 2014 3:44 pm
Lottery Chances:
Miami: 1.1%
New York: 2.0%
Los Angeles ®: 3.5%
Washington: 4.1%
Seattle: 6.1%
Dallas: 6.7%
Chicago: 9.8%
Orlando: 9.9%
San Antonio: 14.7%
Seattle: 18.7%
Milwaukee: 23.3%
Pick 11: Miami Burn (0)
Pick 10: New York Metros (0)
Pick 9: Los Angeles Riders (0)
Pick 8: Washington Americans (0)
Pick 7: Seattle Speed (0)
Pick 6: Chicago (-1)
The champions are moving up in the lottery! WTF
Pick 5: San Antonio (-2)
Pick 4: Milwaukee (-3)
Ouch.
Pick 3: Dallas (+3) I am starting to believe the Rigging theory.
Pick 2: Seattle (0)
Pick 1: Orlando (+3)
Awards:
MVP: Shaun Horan, SF for the Utah Blues (31.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, 6.8 rpg, 1.9 spg, 0.9 bpg)
DPOY: Justin Toxey, PG for the Portland Pioneers (25.3 ppg, 8.4 apg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 spg, 0.0 bpg)
Sixth Man: John Paben, SG for the Los Angeles Waves (14.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.7 spg, 0.0 bpg)
Rookie of the Year: McEverett Woods, PF for the New York Metros (10.4 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.7 rpg, 1.5 spg, 3.8 bpg)
Coach of the Year: Shyrone McMaster, POR (65-17)
All League 1st team:
PG: Justin Toxey, POR
SG: Romaine Rodenbach, IND
SF: Shaun Horan, UTA
PF: Cory Alexander, GSS
C: Kevin Murphy, DAL
All League 2nd team:
PG: Marcus Alexander, MIA
SG: Corey Akins, DAL
SF: Skott Stukes, WAS
PF: Josh Angeli, BKN
C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM
All League 3rd team:
PG: Griffin Harrington, PHI
SG: Darius Keady, NYM
SF: Ramaz Artsruni, PHO
PF: Barry Jones, BOS
C: Bratislav Pauk, CLE
All Defense 1st team:
PG Justin Toxey, POR
SG Darius Keady, NYM
SF Shaun Horan, UTA
PF: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI
C: Kevin Murphy, DAL
All Defense 2nd team:
PG: Dennis Thomas, DEN
SG: Vernon Whitefield, IND
SF: Ramaz Artsruni, PHO
PF: McEverett Woods, NYM
C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM
All Rookie 1st team:
PG: Brandon Hemsley, BOS
SG: Jody Jones, PHI
SF: Boyd Gurley, POR
PF: McEverett Woods, NYM
C: Tyler Popp, WAS
All Rookie 2nd team:
PG: Alan Smith, CLE
SG: DuJuan Stewart, HOU
SF: Rowan Evans, PHI
PF: Justin Maye, MIL
C: Lou Reyes, CHI
I would have thought that I would have gotten a tiny bit more All-NBA recognition, but I agree with just about everything else. Except for the DPOY award. That dude didn’t have a block all year. That should automatically preclude him from the award… Oh well.
Miami: 1.1%
New York: 2.0%
Los Angeles ®: 3.5%
Washington: 4.1%
Seattle: 6.1%
Dallas: 6.7%
Chicago: 9.8%
Orlando: 9.9%
San Antonio: 14.7%
Seattle: 18.7%
Milwaukee: 23.3%
Pick 11: Miami Burn (0)
Pick 10: New York Metros (0)
Pick 9: Los Angeles Riders (0)
Pick 8: Washington Americans (0)
Pick 7: Seattle Speed (0)
Pick 6: Chicago (-1)
The champions are moving up in the lottery! WTF
Pick 5: San Antonio (-2)
Pick 4: Milwaukee (-3)
Ouch.
Pick 3: Dallas (+3) I am starting to believe the Rigging theory.
Pick 2: Seattle (0)
Pick 1: Orlando (+3)
Awards:
MVP: Shaun Horan, SF for the Utah Blues (31.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, 6.8 rpg, 1.9 spg, 0.9 bpg)
DPOY: Justin Toxey, PG for the Portland Pioneers (25.3 ppg, 8.4 apg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 spg, 0.0 bpg)
Sixth Man: John Paben, SG for the Los Angeles Waves (14.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.4 rpg, 0.7 spg, 0.0 bpg)
Rookie of the Year: McEverett Woods, PF for the New York Metros (10.4 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.7 rpg, 1.5 spg, 3.8 bpg)
Coach of the Year: Shyrone McMaster, POR (65-17)
All League 1st team:
PG: Justin Toxey, POR
SG: Romaine Rodenbach, IND
SF: Shaun Horan, UTA
PF: Cory Alexander, GSS
C: Kevin Murphy, DAL
All League 2nd team:
PG: Marcus Alexander, MIA
SG: Corey Akins, DAL
SF: Skott Stukes, WAS
PF: Josh Angeli, BKN
C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM
All League 3rd team:
PG: Griffin Harrington, PHI
SG: Darius Keady, NYM
SF: Ramaz Artsruni, PHO
PF: Barry Jones, BOS
C: Bratislav Pauk, CLE
All Defense 1st team:
PG Justin Toxey, POR
SG Darius Keady, NYM
SF Shaun Horan, UTA
PF: Tengiz Tsulukidze, PHI
C: Kevin Murphy, DAL
All Defense 2nd team:
PG: Dennis Thomas, DEN
SG: Vernon Whitefield, IND
SF: Ramaz Artsruni, PHO
PF: McEverett Woods, NYM
C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM
All Rookie 1st team:
PG: Brandon Hemsley, BOS
SG: Jody Jones, PHI
SF: Boyd Gurley, POR
PF: McEverett Woods, NYM
C: Tyler Popp, WAS
All Rookie 2nd team:
PG: Alan Smith, CLE
SG: DuJuan Stewart, HOU
SF: Rowan Evans, PHI
PF: Justin Maye, MIL
C: Lou Reyes, CHI
I would have thought that I would have gotten a tiny bit more All-NBA recognition, but I agree with just about everything else. Except for the DPOY award. That dude didn’t have a block all year. That should automatically preclude him from the award… Oh well.
- interstellarshadow
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