My Inaugural DDS dynasty: Leah Jamison
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by interstellarshadow » Fri Nov 07, 2014 10:32 pm
Due to a crash. January 16-31 needs to be redone. Welcome back to the land of the Living, Oliver Dobbins (At least for now).
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
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- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sat Nov 08, 2014 12:57 am
January 16, @ Orlando (19-18): W 110-97
Baykurt went off for 27 points and 11 rebounds. He also recorded a block and a steal. Harrington’s output wasn’t unimpressive either. He had 13 points, and 13 assists. He also had 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 6 boards. Dobbins managed 5 blocks and 3 steals, and we limited Orlando to 45% shooting on their home floor.
Record: 28-10
January 17, @ Boston (23-14): W 120-115
Dobbins had 23 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, a steal, and an assists on the night in the win against Boston. Baykurt had 3 blocks and 12 rebounds despite only scoring 8 points, and Harrington was also impressive with 19 points, 16 dimes, and 2 blocks. Qian Dai Had 28 points and 16 boards, while also blocking two shots and collecting 3 steals.
Record: 29-10
January 22, vs Orlando (20-20): W 109-83
Griff flirted with a triple-double, with 23 points, 10 dimes, seven assists and 3 blocked shots. Evans returned to the SG spot and was 11 for 18, scoring 25 points, and doing his thing on D, with a block and two steals. Dobbins didn’t really rebound tonight, but was excellent throughout the rest of his game as well, with 15 points, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Nagid had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
Record: 30-10
January 24, @ Detroit (26-15): L 111-116
A road loss in what is arguably the toughest stretch of the schedule isn’t the worst thing to have happen, especially when it took a monster effort from Nate Moore, who had 36 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks and 5 steals. Evans switched back to SF, with 9 points, a pair of blocks, 9 boards, 3 dimes, and a steal. Harrington scored 14 points, with 14 dimes, and recorded two steals, but had five turnovers. Perhaps most impressive for us on the night, however, was Dobbins, who had 25 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 steals, 2 dimes, and—sadly—6 turnovers. We stayed in the game, despite trailing by as many as 17, and almost closed the gap in the final minutes, but couldn’t finish the job.
Record: 30-11
January 26, @ San Antonio (21-21): W 128-112
This road trip turns West with a bounce-back win against the Outlaws. Baykurt had a game-high 30 points and 11 boards, also recording 3 blocks, but it was Griff with the performance of the night. He had 17 points on 7 for 10 shooting, 22 assists, 5 boards, and 2 blocks on the night. Clay was lackluster, but both Evans and Dobbins had a good showing.
Record: 31-11
January 27, @ Sacramento (15-25): W 122-105
Baykurt continued his scoring ways with 30 points, while only missing one of his 15 shots, and 9 rebounds. He also had four steals in the win. Evans also poured it in, making 11 of 15 on his way to 29 of his own. You would bet that a performance like that would be good for the PG, and you are right, as Harrington notched his 83rd double-double for the Freedom (27th of the season) with 17 points and 10 dimes.
Record: 32-11
January 29, @ Houston (16-26): W 122-112
Harrington was tired of not really being mentioned on the news articles, except as a ‘notable performer,’ so he poured in a bunch of his own points. He wasn’t particularly efficient with his shot, only making 12 of 28, but he was able to spend a while at the line, with 14 of fifteen free throws converted. He also had 13 dimes and 5 rebounds, which was good enough to show that he was, by no means, playing selfishly. All starters were in double figures, and Baykurt put together a double-double, with 25 points and 12 boards. DuJuan Stewart had 27 points to lead the Blast, despite the loss.
Record: 33-11
January 30, @ Phoenix (13-29): L 113-127
Ron Scholl was the man for Phoenix tonight, as he goes for 26, with 8 boards and 4 steals. He helped Phoenix hold a slim margin through the first half and built upon it in a monster 3rd quarter. It was closer in the fourth, but the Beams were victorious in the end.
Record: 33-12
Standing: 2nd East (4 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.2
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 11.3
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.3
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 4.0
Steals: Stevie Perine, GSS: 3.5
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA: 32.3
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 13.7
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.7
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 6.6
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.5
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.6
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 15.6
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan – SF – Utah (30.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 7.9 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.1 bpg)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke – C – San Diego (13.7 ppg, 1.2 apg, 6.6 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg)
Baykurt went off for 27 points and 11 rebounds. He also recorded a block and a steal. Harrington’s output wasn’t unimpressive either. He had 13 points, and 13 assists. He also had 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 6 boards. Dobbins managed 5 blocks and 3 steals, and we limited Orlando to 45% shooting on their home floor.
Record: 28-10
January 17, @ Boston (23-14): W 120-115
Dobbins had 23 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, a steal, and an assists on the night in the win against Boston. Baykurt had 3 blocks and 12 rebounds despite only scoring 8 points, and Harrington was also impressive with 19 points, 16 dimes, and 2 blocks. Qian Dai Had 28 points and 16 boards, while also blocking two shots and collecting 3 steals.
Record: 29-10
January 22, vs Orlando (20-20): W 109-83
Griff flirted with a triple-double, with 23 points, 10 dimes, seven assists and 3 blocked shots. Evans returned to the SG spot and was 11 for 18, scoring 25 points, and doing his thing on D, with a block and two steals. Dobbins didn’t really rebound tonight, but was excellent throughout the rest of his game as well, with 15 points, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Nagid had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
Record: 30-10
January 24, @ Detroit (26-15): L 111-116
A road loss in what is arguably the toughest stretch of the schedule isn’t the worst thing to have happen, especially when it took a monster effort from Nate Moore, who had 36 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks and 5 steals. Evans switched back to SF, with 9 points, a pair of blocks, 9 boards, 3 dimes, and a steal. Harrington scored 14 points, with 14 dimes, and recorded two steals, but had five turnovers. Perhaps most impressive for us on the night, however, was Dobbins, who had 25 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 steals, 2 dimes, and—sadly—6 turnovers. We stayed in the game, despite trailing by as many as 17, and almost closed the gap in the final minutes, but couldn’t finish the job.
Record: 30-11
January 26, @ San Antonio (21-21): W 128-112
This road trip turns West with a bounce-back win against the Outlaws. Baykurt had a game-high 30 points and 11 boards, also recording 3 blocks, but it was Griff with the performance of the night. He had 17 points on 7 for 10 shooting, 22 assists, 5 boards, and 2 blocks on the night. Clay was lackluster, but both Evans and Dobbins had a good showing.
Record: 31-11
January 27, @ Sacramento (15-25): W 122-105
Baykurt continued his scoring ways with 30 points, while only missing one of his 15 shots, and 9 rebounds. He also had four steals in the win. Evans also poured it in, making 11 of 15 on his way to 29 of his own. You would bet that a performance like that would be good for the PG, and you are right, as Harrington notched his 83rd double-double for the Freedom (27th of the season) with 17 points and 10 dimes.
Record: 32-11
January 29, @ Houston (16-26): W 122-112
Harrington was tired of not really being mentioned on the news articles, except as a ‘notable performer,’ so he poured in a bunch of his own points. He wasn’t particularly efficient with his shot, only making 12 of 28, but he was able to spend a while at the line, with 14 of fifteen free throws converted. He also had 13 dimes and 5 rebounds, which was good enough to show that he was, by no means, playing selfishly. All starters were in double figures, and Baykurt put together a double-double, with 25 points and 12 boards. DuJuan Stewart had 27 points to lead the Blast, despite the loss.
Record: 33-11
January 30, @ Phoenix (13-29): L 113-127
Ron Scholl was the man for Phoenix tonight, as he goes for 26, with 8 boards and 4 steals. He helped Phoenix hold a slim margin through the first half and built upon it in a monster 3rd quarter. It was closer in the fourth, but the Beams were victorious in the end.
Record: 33-12
Standing: 2nd East (4 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.2
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 11.3
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.3
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 4.0
Steals: Stevie Perine, GSS: 3.5
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA: 32.3
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 13.7
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.7
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 6.6
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.5
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.6
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 15.6
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan – SF – Utah (30.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 7.9 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.1 bpg)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke – C – San Diego (13.7 ppg, 1.2 apg, 6.6 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg)
- interstellarshadow
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by interstellarshadow » Sun Nov 16, 2014 10:02 pm
February 1, @ Seattle (22-21): W 107-95
Harrington led the charge with 19 points and 9 dimes on the night, also tallying a block and a pair of steals. Clay Holland converted 3 three-pointers on the way to scoring 21 points, and Baykurt had 12 points and 11 boards on the night for our team’s only double-double. Speed Center Chris Shelton was big for them, despite the loss, as he tallied 23 and 11 boards.
Record: 34-12
February 4, vs Utah (26-19): W 120-107
Harrington was spectacular tonight, scoring 29, with 11 dimes, 6 boards, 3 steals and a block. Scoring was easy for both teams, and thus rebounding suffered for everyone. Evans of 6 of 9 for 17 points and Dobbins scored 20. Baykurt was able to acquire 5 blocks and 2 steals to join his 13 points, while we were less than able to slow down Horan’s scoring, as he got 31.
Record: 35-12
February 5, @ Boston (32-16): L 124-130
In an overtime thriller, Boston was able to get the better of us behind 32 points from SG Brad Phelan. Hemsley had 21 and 13 dimes on the night as well. On the flip side, Harrington scored 26 points, had 17 dimes, and 7 rebounds in forty-six minutes of play. Evans had 20 points, and both teams had 7 players in double figures. We were down by six rebounds in the final tally, which, coupled with a lopsided free-throw line performance, was the chief reason we were unable to keep the lead.
Record: 35-13
February 6, vs San Diego (20-26): W 126-114
Harrington went off for 40 points and 11 dimes, with 6 boards, a block, and a steal, while Evans had 26 and 8 boards. Dobby had a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. He also did it on the defensive end, with 3 steals and four blocks. For the Riders, Luka Borstner, their leading scorer, had 26 points and 11 rebounds, while early ROY favorite David Burke had 17 points and 8 bards.
Record: 36-12
February 8, vs Houston (17-32): 115-89
Dobby was nasty against the Blast, with 34 points and 15 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks and a steal on the night. Since the playbook tonight was give it to Dobby and let him iso it out, Harrington only had 6 dimes, but managed to give himself a few points in the confusion. He had 22 on the night. DuJuan Stewart had 20 to lead the Blast, who shot 39% as a team.
Record: 37-13
February 11, @ Indiana (16-35): W 110-106
Harrington had 39 points and 10 dimes in the blowout win against Indiana. Robert Radl had 24 points for Indiana, and Alen Trumbic had 30, but neither performance was enough to outshine a solid all-around performance from the entire starting lineup for Philly.
Record: 38-13
February 12, vs Denver (33-18): W 115-94
Dobbins was beastly against Denver, with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 dimes, 6 blocks, and 2 steals Harrington had 20 points and 12 dimes, with 2 blocks and 3 steals, while Evans had 22 on 10 of 14 shooting at the SG spot, and Nagid had a 24 point, 6 rebound, and 4 steal outing.
Record: 39-13
Dunk Contest: Jody Jones blew away the competition in the first round, and used a solid finals showing to take the cake. Carl Regis came out of the D-league to put in token effort for Philly. He was a solid last in the competition.
Long Distance Shooting: Evans’ 17 points weren’t quite enough to get him out of the first round, instead Brian Dunlop, one of two who had 18 first round points (the leader of the first round had 20), scored 21 to take the finals.
Rookie-Sophomore Game: R 127-150 S
The backcourt trio of Hemsley, Evans, and Stewart was too much to hand as they scored in bunches, distributed the basketball, and played solid Defense. Hemsley had 21 and 9 dimes, with 2 steals, while Stewart had 31 points, 5 dimes, with 7 steals, and Evans had 21 points, 2 steals, and a block. The rookie effort was well distributed, with 8 players scoring in double figures (ten scored in all).
All Star Game:
Griff got the starting PG position for the Eastern All Stars, and put on a show. He had 16 points and 14 assists, despite his team losing by 7
Draft Watch:
1 (N/R). Elton Jones, C, 6’9”, 267, HS, 14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 16.0 rpg
2 (2). Jefferson Andrews, SF, 6’7”, 203, SO for Arizona: 21.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 6.4 rpg
3 (N/R). Siloma Maid, PF, 6’10”, 220, 19 y/o from Latvia, 22.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 8.8 rpg
4 (3). Icikas Stekel, C, 7’5”, 295, 19 y/o from Latvia: 19.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, 14.4 rpg
5 (1). J.B. Linderman, PF, 6’10”, 239, SO for Missouri: 21.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 5.9 apg
I don’t like either of the new additions to the top five. Jones looks a lot like Thomas Robinson did in the real world, and Magid is like a less good version of Stekel.
Harrington led the charge with 19 points and 9 dimes on the night, also tallying a block and a pair of steals. Clay Holland converted 3 three-pointers on the way to scoring 21 points, and Baykurt had 12 points and 11 boards on the night for our team’s only double-double. Speed Center Chris Shelton was big for them, despite the loss, as he tallied 23 and 11 boards.
Record: 34-12
February 4, vs Utah (26-19): W 120-107
Harrington was spectacular tonight, scoring 29, with 11 dimes, 6 boards, 3 steals and a block. Scoring was easy for both teams, and thus rebounding suffered for everyone. Evans of 6 of 9 for 17 points and Dobbins scored 20. Baykurt was able to acquire 5 blocks and 2 steals to join his 13 points, while we were less than able to slow down Horan’s scoring, as he got 31.
Record: 35-12
February 5, @ Boston (32-16): L 124-130
In an overtime thriller, Boston was able to get the better of us behind 32 points from SG Brad Phelan. Hemsley had 21 and 13 dimes on the night as well. On the flip side, Harrington scored 26 points, had 17 dimes, and 7 rebounds in forty-six minutes of play. Evans had 20 points, and both teams had 7 players in double figures. We were down by six rebounds in the final tally, which, coupled with a lopsided free-throw line performance, was the chief reason we were unable to keep the lead.
Record: 35-13
February 6, vs San Diego (20-26): W 126-114
Harrington went off for 40 points and 11 dimes, with 6 boards, a block, and a steal, while Evans had 26 and 8 boards. Dobby had a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. He also did it on the defensive end, with 3 steals and four blocks. For the Riders, Luka Borstner, their leading scorer, had 26 points and 11 rebounds, while early ROY favorite David Burke had 17 points and 8 bards.
Record: 36-12
February 8, vs Houston (17-32): 115-89
Dobby was nasty against the Blast, with 34 points and 15 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks and a steal on the night. Since the playbook tonight was give it to Dobby and let him iso it out, Harrington only had 6 dimes, but managed to give himself a few points in the confusion. He had 22 on the night. DuJuan Stewart had 20 to lead the Blast, who shot 39% as a team.
Record: 37-13
February 11, @ Indiana (16-35): W 110-106
Harrington had 39 points and 10 dimes in the blowout win against Indiana. Robert Radl had 24 points for Indiana, and Alen Trumbic had 30, but neither performance was enough to outshine a solid all-around performance from the entire starting lineup for Philly.
Record: 38-13
February 12, vs Denver (33-18): W 115-94
Dobbins was beastly against Denver, with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 dimes, 6 blocks, and 2 steals Harrington had 20 points and 12 dimes, with 2 blocks and 3 steals, while Evans had 22 on 10 of 14 shooting at the SG spot, and Nagid had a 24 point, 6 rebound, and 4 steal outing.
Record: 39-13
Dunk Contest: Jody Jones blew away the competition in the first round, and used a solid finals showing to take the cake. Carl Regis came out of the D-league to put in token effort for Philly. He was a solid last in the competition.
Long Distance Shooting: Evans’ 17 points weren’t quite enough to get him out of the first round, instead Brian Dunlop, one of two who had 18 first round points (the leader of the first round had 20), scored 21 to take the finals.
Rookie-Sophomore Game: R 127-150 S
The backcourt trio of Hemsley, Evans, and Stewart was too much to hand as they scored in bunches, distributed the basketball, and played solid Defense. Hemsley had 21 and 9 dimes, with 2 steals, while Stewart had 31 points, 5 dimes, with 7 steals, and Evans had 21 points, 2 steals, and a block. The rookie effort was well distributed, with 8 players scoring in double figures (ten scored in all).
All Star Game:
Griff got the starting PG position for the Eastern All Stars, and put on a show. He had 16 points and 14 assists, despite his team losing by 7
Draft Watch:
1 (N/R). Elton Jones, C, 6’9”, 267, HS, 14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 16.0 rpg
2 (2). Jefferson Andrews, SF, 6’7”, 203, SO for Arizona: 21.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 6.4 rpg
3 (N/R). Siloma Maid, PF, 6’10”, 220, 19 y/o from Latvia, 22.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 8.8 rpg
4 (3). Icikas Stekel, C, 7’5”, 295, 19 y/o from Latvia: 19.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, 14.4 rpg
5 (1). J.B. Linderman, PF, 6’10”, 239, SO for Missouri: 21.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 5.9 apg
I don’t like either of the new additions to the top five. Jones looks a lot like Thomas Robinson did in the real world, and Magid is like a less good version of Stekel.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
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- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:02 pm
February 20, vs Minnesota (29-23): W 104-85
Clay Holland started the game tonight and had 20 points to lead the team. We played stingy D and forced a nine turnover margin. No one was particularly efficient from the field (only 4 players shot 50% better (Evans, Baykurt, Havens and Thornton). It was an ugly game, but a good win for us.
Record: 40-13
TRADE:
Utah Blues send Shaun Horan to Waves for Ed Brown, 2013 2nd Round Pick (LAL)
Winner: Los Angeles
This is a blockbuster deal, without a doubt. Shaun Horan is an MVP favorite, and Ed Brown was an All Star last year (Reserve). When you read that sentence over in your head, this will make you see how one-sided this trade actually is. The best basketball player in the world is getting traded for a lowly near-All Star, and a second round pick. I don’t see exactly how Utah was willing to make this trade. They should have at least gone for a first-rounder. Anyways, now the Waves have the best ballplayer on the planet, and are looking to find their way back into contention.
February 22, vs Detroit (34-19): W 99-103
Still a bit cold as a team, we are able to win against the Gears behind 20 points and 7 boards from Harrington. Dobby had a double-double and some D, with 10 points, 10 boards, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. We make up for sloppy play, ceding 21 turnovers, by getting to the line early and often, crashing the boards hard, and playing hard nosed defense.
Record: 41-13
February 24, @ Atlanta (16-39): W 110-100
Griff went for 26 points and 10 dimes, also getting 5 boards, a block and a steal, while every other starter scored at least fourteen. Evans pulled out of a cold spell, scoring 15 on six for eleven shooting, and also gathering 5 boards and a block. It was, however, Baykurt who outperformed him, with 18 points, 15 boards, and 2 blocks. It was a good win to take advantage of a team that was struggling.
Record: 42-13
February 27, @ Detroit (35-20): W 119-108
Clay Holland went off for 28 points, making 4 of 8 from behind the arc, while Evans also scored 20, and Dobbins had 18. Griff had a goose egg in scoring, but posted 10 dimes. It wasn’t a great win, but we shot 50% as a team, and 42% from behind the arc, while holding the Gears to much worse shooting marks, so we are OK with the result.
Record: 43-13
February 28, vs New Orleans (32-25): L 111-118
Ryan Kurtz, the PG for New Orleans, had 22 points, 14 assists and 6 steals, on a statement night for them. Kurtz wants to prove himself as one of the elite PG’s in the game, and he was able to put on a show against Griff, who tweaked his knee yesterday against Detroit. Dobbins had 24 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and 4 blocks, while Evans had 21 and 7 boards. Jason Herron also scored 27 for the Wasps, who ended our 7 game winning streak.
Record: 43-14
Standing: 2nd East (3.5 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Shaun Horan, LAW: 30.1
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.4
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.9
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 3.9
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.5
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAW: 32.0
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 14.6
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 7.0
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.8
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.4
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.5
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 16.3
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, LAW (30.1 ppg, 5.5 apg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.1 bpg. 1 triple double)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR (14.6 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.0 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.5 bpg)
Clay Holland started the game tonight and had 20 points to lead the team. We played stingy D and forced a nine turnover margin. No one was particularly efficient from the field (only 4 players shot 50% better (Evans, Baykurt, Havens and Thornton). It was an ugly game, but a good win for us.
Record: 40-13
TRADE:
Utah Blues send Shaun Horan to Waves for Ed Brown, 2013 2nd Round Pick (LAL)
Winner: Los Angeles
This is a blockbuster deal, without a doubt. Shaun Horan is an MVP favorite, and Ed Brown was an All Star last year (Reserve). When you read that sentence over in your head, this will make you see how one-sided this trade actually is. The best basketball player in the world is getting traded for a lowly near-All Star, and a second round pick. I don’t see exactly how Utah was willing to make this trade. They should have at least gone for a first-rounder. Anyways, now the Waves have the best ballplayer on the planet, and are looking to find their way back into contention.
February 22, vs Detroit (34-19): W 99-103
Still a bit cold as a team, we are able to win against the Gears behind 20 points and 7 boards from Harrington. Dobby had a double-double and some D, with 10 points, 10 boards, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. We make up for sloppy play, ceding 21 turnovers, by getting to the line early and often, crashing the boards hard, and playing hard nosed defense.
Record: 41-13
February 24, @ Atlanta (16-39): W 110-100
Griff went for 26 points and 10 dimes, also getting 5 boards, a block and a steal, while every other starter scored at least fourteen. Evans pulled out of a cold spell, scoring 15 on six for eleven shooting, and also gathering 5 boards and a block. It was, however, Baykurt who outperformed him, with 18 points, 15 boards, and 2 blocks. It was a good win to take advantage of a team that was struggling.
Record: 42-13
February 27, @ Detroit (35-20): W 119-108
Clay Holland went off for 28 points, making 4 of 8 from behind the arc, while Evans also scored 20, and Dobbins had 18. Griff had a goose egg in scoring, but posted 10 dimes. It wasn’t a great win, but we shot 50% as a team, and 42% from behind the arc, while holding the Gears to much worse shooting marks, so we are OK with the result.
Record: 43-13
February 28, vs New Orleans (32-25): L 111-118
Ryan Kurtz, the PG for New Orleans, had 22 points, 14 assists and 6 steals, on a statement night for them. Kurtz wants to prove himself as one of the elite PG’s in the game, and he was able to put on a show against Griff, who tweaked his knee yesterday against Detroit. Dobbins had 24 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and 4 blocks, while Evans had 21 and 7 boards. Jason Herron also scored 27 for the Wasps, who ended our 7 game winning streak.
Record: 43-14
Standing: 2nd East (3.5 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Shaun Horan, LAW: 30.1
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.4
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.9
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 3.9
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.5
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAW: 32.0
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 14.6
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 7.0
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.8
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.4
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.5
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 16.3
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, LAW (30.1 ppg, 5.5 apg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.1 bpg. 1 triple double)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR (14.6 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.0 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.5 bpg)
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
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- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:48 pm
March 2, vs Portland (43-14):
Sitting atop the West with the same record as us, this Portland team is no joke. All the Finals predictions have Portland facing off with either us or New York, and it’s obvious why. But at the moment, Toxey is resting a painful ankle injury and is unlikely to get many minutes in this matchup tonight.
Result: W 110-101
Toxey didn’t dress for the game tonight, and instead, reserve SG Austin Jordan started at the point. Our starting backcourt had a very cold night, combining to go 4 for 22, missing all four threes and only getting 14 points between them. Harrington did manage 9 dimes and 5 assists to go with his 5 points, but Evans didn’t put up a huge amount of other production. Holland went for 16 off the bench, bit it was a big man’s night, as Baykurt got 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting, and Dobbins blocked 5 shots and picked up 3 steals.
It’s nice to know that we can still beat good teams (as Portland is, even without Toxey), when Harrington and Evans are cold.
Record: 44-14
March 4, vs Golden State (22-36): W 112-96
Harrington bounced back, getting 25 points, 4 steals, and 10 dimes and Evans had an efficient 17. Dobbins had 21 points and 10 boards, to go with 4 steals and 2 blocks. Nagid also joined in the thievery, with 5 pilfers of his own as we collected 18 on the night, and forced 30 turnovers. Cory Alexander did have 37 points and 13 boards for Golden State, but it wasn’t nearly enough. McSwain was a dud for the Spartans as he only reached double-digits in the worst stat of all. He gave up 13 TO’s on the night.
Record: 45-14
March 6, vs Chicago (30-30): W 122-107
The crash only postponed our loss of Dobbins for a little while. He went back down with a Torn Achilles which will put him out for at least 11 months. His injury put some fire in the team, and Baykurt went off for 34 points, 8 boards and 3 steals. Evans also scored in bunches, getting 24 of his own. With all this scoring, Harrington piled on the dimes, getting 14 to go with his 14 points, 6 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Record: 46-14
March 7, @ Brooklyn (34-25): L 117-124
We’re trying to figure out how to structure our defense, now that Dobbins, who was our leader in both blocks (at 2.4) and steals (1.8). Our first try wasn’t entirely a success as we let Brooklyn shoot 56% from the field, and our defense at PF is definitely lacking, as Josh Angeli went for 34. Colin Edwards ot his first start of the season, scoring 8, getting 4 dimes and 3 steals, but turning it over 5 times. Harrington had 23 points 12 dimes, 5 boards and 2 blocks, before fouling out in 43 minutes. Holland started at SF and had 22 points, 5 boards, 4 dimes, and 3 steals.
Record: 46-15
March 9, vs Indiana (18-42): W 113-93
Nothing like a 20 point win against a team like Indiana to experiment with. Clay Holland picked up player of the game, with 25 points and 7 dimes. Harrington had 25 and 6 dimes, while both had 2 steals and a block. Edwards started again, scoring 5, with 5 dimes, 2 steals and only 2 TO’s (in 25 minutes). Evans had 20 points, 6 dimes, and 5 boards off the bench.
Record: 47-15
March 13, @ Boston (44-20): W 105-91
Clay Holland picked up another POG, with 21 points, 7 boards, and 3 steals. We found a defensive formula that worked extremely well tonight, holding Boston to 38% on their home floor. Harrington had 15 points and 10 dimes, 3 boards away from a triple-double. Brandon Hemsley was limited to 9 points and 6 dimes, and never really seemed to be providing much of anything for the team. This was a good start to a four game stretch that sees us play 4 games straight against teams with 40+ wins.
Record: 48-15
March 15, @ New York (51-12): W 129-117
We made a season high 13 three pointers as a team, and played smart basketball with few mistakes to win against New York. Griff was phenomenal, scoring 29 points, with 11 dimes, and 3 steals. Nagid had 19 points and 10 boards for a double-double, and Holland had 27 points, including 5 threes. Evans was limited to 9 minutes, and had 7 points, without missing a shot. Edwards hurt his foot, and will be limited for about 5 days.
Record: 49-15
I try to talk coach into playing Evans more, since he is an extremely efficient scorer, with good defensive skills, but he was having none of it.
Draft Watch:
1 (2). Jefferson Andrews, SF, 6’7”, 203, SO Arizona, 18.2 ppg, 3.1 apg, 5.5 rpg
2 (3). Siloma Magid, PF, 6’10”, 220, 19 y/o Latvia, 22.9 ppg, 3.0 apg, 9.1 rpg
3 (1). Elton Jones, C, 6’9”, 267, HS, 15.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 16.6 rpg
4 (N/R). Aleksandr Chernyaev, C, 6’9”, 260, 20 y/o Russia, 20.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 7.0 rpg
5 (N/R). T.J. King, SG, 6’5”, 216, SR Lousiville, 25.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 9.9 rpg
Orlando Thomas is sixth with a huge triple-double for a statline (30 ppg, 13 apg, 12 rpg). I like Chernyaev’s defense, but I don’t know if it’ll come over to the NBA game.
Sitting atop the West with the same record as us, this Portland team is no joke. All the Finals predictions have Portland facing off with either us or New York, and it’s obvious why. But at the moment, Toxey is resting a painful ankle injury and is unlikely to get many minutes in this matchup tonight.
Result: W 110-101
Toxey didn’t dress for the game tonight, and instead, reserve SG Austin Jordan started at the point. Our starting backcourt had a very cold night, combining to go 4 for 22, missing all four threes and only getting 14 points between them. Harrington did manage 9 dimes and 5 assists to go with his 5 points, but Evans didn’t put up a huge amount of other production. Holland went for 16 off the bench, bit it was a big man’s night, as Baykurt got 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting, and Dobbins blocked 5 shots and picked up 3 steals.
It’s nice to know that we can still beat good teams (as Portland is, even without Toxey), when Harrington and Evans are cold.
Record: 44-14
March 4, vs Golden State (22-36): W 112-96
Harrington bounced back, getting 25 points, 4 steals, and 10 dimes and Evans had an efficient 17. Dobbins had 21 points and 10 boards, to go with 4 steals and 2 blocks. Nagid also joined in the thievery, with 5 pilfers of his own as we collected 18 on the night, and forced 30 turnovers. Cory Alexander did have 37 points and 13 boards for Golden State, but it wasn’t nearly enough. McSwain was a dud for the Spartans as he only reached double-digits in the worst stat of all. He gave up 13 TO’s on the night.
Record: 45-14
March 6, vs Chicago (30-30): W 122-107
The crash only postponed our loss of Dobbins for a little while. He went back down with a Torn Achilles which will put him out for at least 11 months. His injury put some fire in the team, and Baykurt went off for 34 points, 8 boards and 3 steals. Evans also scored in bunches, getting 24 of his own. With all this scoring, Harrington piled on the dimes, getting 14 to go with his 14 points, 6 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Record: 46-14
March 7, @ Brooklyn (34-25): L 117-124
We’re trying to figure out how to structure our defense, now that Dobbins, who was our leader in both blocks (at 2.4) and steals (1.8). Our first try wasn’t entirely a success as we let Brooklyn shoot 56% from the field, and our defense at PF is definitely lacking, as Josh Angeli went for 34. Colin Edwards ot his first start of the season, scoring 8, getting 4 dimes and 3 steals, but turning it over 5 times. Harrington had 23 points 12 dimes, 5 boards and 2 blocks, before fouling out in 43 minutes. Holland started at SF and had 22 points, 5 boards, 4 dimes, and 3 steals.
Record: 46-15
March 9, vs Indiana (18-42): W 113-93
Nothing like a 20 point win against a team like Indiana to experiment with. Clay Holland picked up player of the game, with 25 points and 7 dimes. Harrington had 25 and 6 dimes, while both had 2 steals and a block. Edwards started again, scoring 5, with 5 dimes, 2 steals and only 2 TO’s (in 25 minutes). Evans had 20 points, 6 dimes, and 5 boards off the bench.
Record: 47-15
March 13, @ Boston (44-20): W 105-91
Clay Holland picked up another POG, with 21 points, 7 boards, and 3 steals. We found a defensive formula that worked extremely well tonight, holding Boston to 38% on their home floor. Harrington had 15 points and 10 dimes, 3 boards away from a triple-double. Brandon Hemsley was limited to 9 points and 6 dimes, and never really seemed to be providing much of anything for the team. This was a good start to a four game stretch that sees us play 4 games straight against teams with 40+ wins.
Record: 48-15
March 15, @ New York (51-12): W 129-117
We made a season high 13 three pointers as a team, and played smart basketball with few mistakes to win against New York. Griff was phenomenal, scoring 29 points, with 11 dimes, and 3 steals. Nagid had 19 points and 10 boards for a double-double, and Holland had 27 points, including 5 threes. Evans was limited to 9 minutes, and had 7 points, without missing a shot. Edwards hurt his foot, and will be limited for about 5 days.
Record: 49-15
I try to talk coach into playing Evans more, since he is an extremely efficient scorer, with good defensive skills, but he was having none of it.
Draft Watch:
1 (2). Jefferson Andrews, SF, 6’7”, 203, SO Arizona, 18.2 ppg, 3.1 apg, 5.5 rpg
2 (3). Siloma Magid, PF, 6’10”, 220, 19 y/o Latvia, 22.9 ppg, 3.0 apg, 9.1 rpg
3 (1). Elton Jones, C, 6’9”, 267, HS, 15.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 16.6 rpg
4 (N/R). Aleksandr Chernyaev, C, 6’9”, 260, 20 y/o Russia, 20.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 7.0 rpg
5 (N/R). T.J. King, SG, 6’5”, 216, SR Lousiville, 25.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 9.9 rpg
Orlando Thomas is sixth with a huge triple-double for a statline (30 ppg, 13 apg, 12 rpg). I like Chernyaev’s defense, but I don’t know if it’ll come over to the NBA game.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Nov 23, 2014 6:42 pm
March 16, vs Boston (45-21): W 122-118
We use a huge 4th quarter comeback (41-28) to pull out the close win against Boston this time. Hemsley had 11 points and 10 dimes for the Irish, but Harrington showed that he had the better side of the matchup, scoring 36 and getting 11 assists. Havens had a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 11 boards in 23 minutes. Edwards wasn’t played due to his injury and Evans had 13 points on four of 5 shooting, also getting 4 boards, 3 dimes, and 3 steals in 22 minutes of play.
Record: 50-15
March 18, @ Miami (44-22): W 108-93
Harrington was only 1 rebound from a triple double before fouling out after 36 minutes of play. He had 28 points, 10 dimes, 9 boards, a block, and 2 steals. Evans came in off the bench to score 21, in 32 minutes. Havens had a double-double, playing 34 minutes. He had 11 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks. Bakurt was close to a very similar statline, with 13 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks of his own.
Record: 51-15
March 20, @ Atlanta (19-48): W 116-101
Clay Holland’s 28 dispatches the struggling Eagles handily. He also had 8 dimes and six boards. Harrington wasn’t far behind, with 27 points and 7 dimes. Baykurt had a double-double with 22 and 10 boards, also tallying 3 rejections and 2 steals.
Record: 52-15
March 21, @ Cleveland (25-41): W 115-91
Baykurt scored 31 and collected 14 rebounds, with 3 blocked shots to send away the Knights. Edwards scored a career-high 21, and Havens had a double-double, with 10 points and 10 boards, anchoring our defense with 7 blocks and 2 steals.
Record: 53-15
March 23, @ Milwaukee (21-46): W 110-80
Baykurt had 25 points and 12 rebounds as we dismantled the Moose, holding them to 32% from the field. Havens had a double-double too, scoring 11, with 11 boards, and 5 blocks. Harrington had 19, with 6 dimes, and Edwards had 6 points, with career highs in rebounds and dimes, with 5 boards, and 8 dimes. Harrington sat for much of the game, content to let others beat the struggling team.
Record: 54-14
March 25, vs Brooklyn (41-27): W 107-96
We get our revenge, catching them on the tail end of a back-to-back, and Harrington goes for 28, with 9 dimes, and 3 steals. Evans was inserted back into the starting lineup, and had 15 points on 5 for 12 shooting. Baykurt scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds, and Havens had 12 boards, despite only scoring seven on 1 for 11 shooting. However, Tyrone Dudley was hurt a couple games ago, tearing his ACL, and will be out for the rest of the season.
Record: 55-15
March 27, vs Sacramento (28-42): W 116-109
Thomas Havens had 28 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 steals on the night. Harrington had 20 points and 16 dimes, Baykurt had 23 and 10 boards, with 4 blocks, and Evans had 16. It was too much firepower for Sacramento to handle as they go down by 7.
Record: 56-15
March 29, vs Miami (47-24): W 109-102
Our injury woes continue, as Nagid dons street clothes with a broken ankle. He will be out for just over a month, putting him back into the lineup at about the same time as last playoffs. Havens had 18 points, 12 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks, and Harrington had 19 points, 8 dimes, 5 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Evans also had nineteen, shooting 50% from the field, and Holland had 18 off the bench.
Record: 57-15
Standing: 2nd (1 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.1
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.6
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 11.7
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 4.2
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAW, 30.9
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 15.0
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.9
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 7.0
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.3
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.7
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 16.8
Player of the Month: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.2 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR: 15.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.0 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg
We use a huge 4th quarter comeback (41-28) to pull out the close win against Boston this time. Hemsley had 11 points and 10 dimes for the Irish, but Harrington showed that he had the better side of the matchup, scoring 36 and getting 11 assists. Havens had a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 11 boards in 23 minutes. Edwards wasn’t played due to his injury and Evans had 13 points on four of 5 shooting, also getting 4 boards, 3 dimes, and 3 steals in 22 minutes of play.
Record: 50-15
March 18, @ Miami (44-22): W 108-93
Harrington was only 1 rebound from a triple double before fouling out after 36 minutes of play. He had 28 points, 10 dimes, 9 boards, a block, and 2 steals. Evans came in off the bench to score 21, in 32 minutes. Havens had a double-double, playing 34 minutes. He had 11 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks. Bakurt was close to a very similar statline, with 13 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks of his own.
Record: 51-15
March 20, @ Atlanta (19-48): W 116-101
Clay Holland’s 28 dispatches the struggling Eagles handily. He also had 8 dimes and six boards. Harrington wasn’t far behind, with 27 points and 7 dimes. Baykurt had a double-double with 22 and 10 boards, also tallying 3 rejections and 2 steals.
Record: 52-15
March 21, @ Cleveland (25-41): W 115-91
Baykurt scored 31 and collected 14 rebounds, with 3 blocked shots to send away the Knights. Edwards scored a career-high 21, and Havens had a double-double, with 10 points and 10 boards, anchoring our defense with 7 blocks and 2 steals.
Record: 53-15
March 23, @ Milwaukee (21-46): W 110-80
Baykurt had 25 points and 12 rebounds as we dismantled the Moose, holding them to 32% from the field. Havens had a double-double too, scoring 11, with 11 boards, and 5 blocks. Harrington had 19, with 6 dimes, and Edwards had 6 points, with career highs in rebounds and dimes, with 5 boards, and 8 dimes. Harrington sat for much of the game, content to let others beat the struggling team.
Record: 54-14
March 25, vs Brooklyn (41-27): W 107-96
We get our revenge, catching them on the tail end of a back-to-back, and Harrington goes for 28, with 9 dimes, and 3 steals. Evans was inserted back into the starting lineup, and had 15 points on 5 for 12 shooting. Baykurt scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds, and Havens had 12 boards, despite only scoring seven on 1 for 11 shooting. However, Tyrone Dudley was hurt a couple games ago, tearing his ACL, and will be out for the rest of the season.
Record: 55-15
March 27, vs Sacramento (28-42): W 116-109
Thomas Havens had 28 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 steals on the night. Harrington had 20 points and 16 dimes, Baykurt had 23 and 10 boards, with 4 blocks, and Evans had 16. It was too much firepower for Sacramento to handle as they go down by 7.
Record: 56-15
March 29, vs Miami (47-24): W 109-102
Our injury woes continue, as Nagid dons street clothes with a broken ankle. He will be out for just over a month, putting him back into the lineup at about the same time as last playoffs. Havens had 18 points, 12 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks, and Harrington had 19 points, 8 dimes, 5 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Evans also had nineteen, shooting 50% from the field, and Holland had 18 off the bench.
Record: 57-15
Standing: 2nd (1 GB)
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.1
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 10.6
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 11.7
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 4.2
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAW, 30.9
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 15.0
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.9
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 7.0
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.3
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.7
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 16.8
Player of the Month: Scott Stukes, WAS: 31.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.2 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR: 15.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.0 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sun Dec 07, 2014 4:25 pm
April 1, @ New York (58-14): W 134-131 (2OT)
It was a hell of a ride. Harrington was phenomenal, trying to prove that he had what it would take to lead this short-handed team to a finals appearance and championship. He scored 44 points on fifteen shots, had 17 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Tomas Havens had 25 points and 10 boards, with two blocks and 2 steals. Baykurt had 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals, though McEverett Woods held him to 8 points (He returned the favor—Woods only scored 6). Griffin was best for the Metros (as we knew he would be), scoring 39 points and leaping his way to 5 blocks, 10 dimes, and 7 boards.
Record: 58-15
April 3, vs Phoenix (17-56): W 128-98
Phoenix’s record is just about the opposite of ours, and it showed. With 3 players reaching 20 points (+ Evans, who had 19), it was hard to see this going any other way. We scored at least 30 in every quarter but the fourth, and shot 56% overall, plus 53% from 3. They had fewer assists than we did turnovers (12), and it comes easy. The one quip I would have is our free throw percentage. We missed 17 of our 40 free throws, which is unacceptable.
Record: 59-15
April 5, vs Washington (21-53): L 106-87
Scott Stukes Kobed the game, scoring 45 on 28 shots, draining every three he looked at (7 for 10), and playing stellar defense. With that combined effort, despite poor performances from every other player, he was able to shut us down. Granted, our play was essentially a one man show as well, with Harrington scoring 34, plus 4 dimes and 7 boards and only 2 others in double figures (Havens and Evans). We shot 42% as a team, and 30% from 3.
Record: 59-16
April 7, vs New York (60-15): W 129-125
Evans and Harrington combined for 60 points, 13 dimes, and 9 rebounds. It was a close game, where the scoring was concentrated in two players on each team. Jack and Griffin combined for 67 points, 13 dimes, and 8 rebounds. But we had some scoring from both Holland and Baykurt, who combined for 40 points. We allowed a 55% field goal percentage, to our 47% mark, but made 5 more threes and 5 more foul shots, pushing us to a 5 point win.
Record: 60-16
April 8, @ Chicago (39-37): W 111-92
Sitting half a game above .500, the Bison are holding on to that eighth seed, and a win against us only helps them keep the position. Ray Jonson had 22 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Bison, while Havens managed 23 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks. Baykurt had a double-double, with 15 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks. Harrington was pretty cold from the floor, but managed to get 11 boards, 6 dimes, and 9 points. Evans went 0-4 in 26 minutes off the bench (Edwards has been starting), and had 4 points, 4 dimes, and 3 boards. We shoot a dismal 37% from the field, and just get sunk by a deep effort from Chicago that had six players scoring in double figures.
Record: 60-17
April 11, vs Atlanta (21-56): W 126-103
Harrington had 40 points in the win. Had 4 dimes, 5 boards, and 2 blocks as well. Havens was 2 blocks away from a triple-double, scoring 10, with 11 boards. Baykurt had 21 and 13 boards and Evans shot 5 of 7 off the bench. We shot 54% as a team, and held Atlanta to 45%, and shot 90% from the free-throw line as a team (which was mostly Harrington’s doing, as he made 13 of 13 from the stripe).
Record: 61-17
April 14, @ New Orleans (44-35): W 114-108
Harrington got back to his passing ways, with 23 points and 14 dimes. He had 5 boards and 2 steals as well. Every game we play makes me want to get rid of Holland, and his inefficient shooting (when compared to Evans), as he scores 10 more points than Evans, in 18 more minutes, on 13 more shots. Edwards had 11, making 3 of 5 shots (all 3’s) and passing out 3 dimes, in 18 minutes. George Mapp had 25 points for the Wasps, to claim game-high honors. But the real big man of the game was Havens, who had 18 points, 14 boards, 2 steals and 5 blocks on the night.
Record: 62-17
April 15, vs Cleveland (28-51): W 120-95
The last three games of the season are against teams that probably cannot wait for the season to be over, so that they can prepare for the next, and hopefully get a better record. Tonight, we definitely made them look forward to the end of the season a little bit more. Harrington led the team with 23 points, also getting 10 dimes, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Evans had 15 points in 19 minutes, and Holland had 18, with 8 dimes. Edwards had 8 points and 4 dimes in his 27 mins.
Record: 63-17
April 18, @ Indiana (25-56): W 127-104
Harrington had 32 points and 15 dimes on the way to our 23 point victory, and we had 2 other players with more than 25 points. Holland had 25 points on 7 for 10 3-point shooting, with 7 dimes and 2 steals, while Baykurt had 26 points and 7 boards, with 2 steals. Havens had a double-double, with 16 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks (+ 2 steals). 22 from Alen Trumbic wasn’t anywhere close to enough to staunch the bleeding from that kind of firepower (especially because he had 7 turnovers).
Record: 64-17
April 19, vs Orlando (37-44): W 104-96
Harrington had 22 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Havens had 9 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks to lead us to an 8 point victory over the young, but competitive Mystics. They aren’t playing rookie Justin Wells nearly enough (he had only 8 minutes on the court), and our offensive firepower and stingy defense was hat one the game for us. We made more free throws than they took, and also put up points from behind the arc. A strong rebounding effort, which led to 54 rebounds, and a 6 board advantage, also helped keep this team away.
Record: 65-17
Season End Standings (West)
1. Portland Pioneers (58-24)
2. Dallas Rangers (55-27)
3. Denver Peaks (54-28)
4. Minnesota Coyotes (48-34)
5. Los Angeles Waves (42-40)
6. San Diego Riders (40-42)
7. Seattle Speed (40-42)
8. Utah Blues (38-44)
Sacramento Royals (35-47)
San Antonio Outlaws (33-49)
Golden State Spartans (31-51)
Houston Blast (25-57)
Phoenix Blast (20-62)
Season End Standings (East)
1. Philadelphia Freedom (65-17)
2. New York Metros (65-17)
3. Boston Irish (56-26)
4. Detroit Gears (51-31)
5. Miami Burn (51-31)
6. Brooklyn Hoops (49-33)
7. New Orleans Wasps (46-36)
8. Chicago Bison (45-37)
Orlando Mystics (37-45)
Cleveland Knights (29-53)
Indiana Racers (25-57)
Washington Americans (24-58)
Milwaukee Moose (24-58)
Atlanta Eagles (21-61)
Team Leaders:
Points: Griffin Harrington – 22.6
Assists: Griffin Harrington – 10.6
Rebounds: Naim Baykurt – 7.4
Blocks: Tomas Havens – 2.5
Steals: Oliver Dobbins – 1.6
Efficiency: Griffin Harrington – 27.5
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS – 32.0
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI – 10.6
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA – 11.9
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM – 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR – 3.3
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAL – 30.6
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR – 15.3
Assists: Robert Radl, IND – 4.9
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR – 7.2
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL – 1.2
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA – 1.6
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR – 17.2
Player of the Month: Scott Stukes (32.0 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.4 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.3 bpg)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke (15.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.2 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg)
Final Draft Watch:
1 (N/R). PG Orlando Thomas, 6’1”, 185, HS – 30.2 ppg, 13.2 apg, 11.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 2.3 spg
2 (4). C Aleksandr Chernyaev, 6’9”, 260, 20 Russia – 23.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.2 spg
3 (3). C Elton Jones, 6’9”, 267, HS – 16.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 18.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 2.4 spg
4 (N/R). C Roberto Marhsall, 7’4”, 270, SO Xavier – 18.5 ppg, 3.8 apg, 13.0 rpg, 2.6bpg, 0.5 spg
5 (N/R). C Icikas Stekel, 7’5”, 295, 19 Latvia, 18.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 13.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.6 spg
Okay. I take back some of what I said about Elton Jones. He’s shown through the end of the High School season, and a bunch of AAU ball, that he can actually ball. 18 rebounds per game is nothing to sneeze at. I like seeing Orlando Thomas getting recognition. He’s done it all this year, and will likely be high on people’s draft boards.
It was a hell of a ride. Harrington was phenomenal, trying to prove that he had what it would take to lead this short-handed team to a finals appearance and championship. He scored 44 points on fifteen shots, had 17 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Tomas Havens had 25 points and 10 boards, with two blocks and 2 steals. Baykurt had 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals, though McEverett Woods held him to 8 points (He returned the favor—Woods only scored 6). Griffin was best for the Metros (as we knew he would be), scoring 39 points and leaping his way to 5 blocks, 10 dimes, and 7 boards.
Record: 58-15
April 3, vs Phoenix (17-56): W 128-98
Phoenix’s record is just about the opposite of ours, and it showed. With 3 players reaching 20 points (+ Evans, who had 19), it was hard to see this going any other way. We scored at least 30 in every quarter but the fourth, and shot 56% overall, plus 53% from 3. They had fewer assists than we did turnovers (12), and it comes easy. The one quip I would have is our free throw percentage. We missed 17 of our 40 free throws, which is unacceptable.
Record: 59-15
April 5, vs Washington (21-53): L 106-87
Scott Stukes Kobed the game, scoring 45 on 28 shots, draining every three he looked at (7 for 10), and playing stellar defense. With that combined effort, despite poor performances from every other player, he was able to shut us down. Granted, our play was essentially a one man show as well, with Harrington scoring 34, plus 4 dimes and 7 boards and only 2 others in double figures (Havens and Evans). We shot 42% as a team, and 30% from 3.
Record: 59-16
April 7, vs New York (60-15): W 129-125
Evans and Harrington combined for 60 points, 13 dimes, and 9 rebounds. It was a close game, where the scoring was concentrated in two players on each team. Jack and Griffin combined for 67 points, 13 dimes, and 8 rebounds. But we had some scoring from both Holland and Baykurt, who combined for 40 points. We allowed a 55% field goal percentage, to our 47% mark, but made 5 more threes and 5 more foul shots, pushing us to a 5 point win.
Record: 60-16
April 8, @ Chicago (39-37): W 111-92
Sitting half a game above .500, the Bison are holding on to that eighth seed, and a win against us only helps them keep the position. Ray Jonson had 22 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Bison, while Havens managed 23 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks. Baykurt had a double-double, with 15 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks. Harrington was pretty cold from the floor, but managed to get 11 boards, 6 dimes, and 9 points. Evans went 0-4 in 26 minutes off the bench (Edwards has been starting), and had 4 points, 4 dimes, and 3 boards. We shoot a dismal 37% from the field, and just get sunk by a deep effort from Chicago that had six players scoring in double figures.
Record: 60-17
April 11, vs Atlanta (21-56): W 126-103
Harrington had 40 points in the win. Had 4 dimes, 5 boards, and 2 blocks as well. Havens was 2 blocks away from a triple-double, scoring 10, with 11 boards. Baykurt had 21 and 13 boards and Evans shot 5 of 7 off the bench. We shot 54% as a team, and held Atlanta to 45%, and shot 90% from the free-throw line as a team (which was mostly Harrington’s doing, as he made 13 of 13 from the stripe).
Record: 61-17
April 14, @ New Orleans (44-35): W 114-108
Harrington got back to his passing ways, with 23 points and 14 dimes. He had 5 boards and 2 steals as well. Every game we play makes me want to get rid of Holland, and his inefficient shooting (when compared to Evans), as he scores 10 more points than Evans, in 18 more minutes, on 13 more shots. Edwards had 11, making 3 of 5 shots (all 3’s) and passing out 3 dimes, in 18 minutes. George Mapp had 25 points for the Wasps, to claim game-high honors. But the real big man of the game was Havens, who had 18 points, 14 boards, 2 steals and 5 blocks on the night.
Record: 62-17
April 15, vs Cleveland (28-51): W 120-95
The last three games of the season are against teams that probably cannot wait for the season to be over, so that they can prepare for the next, and hopefully get a better record. Tonight, we definitely made them look forward to the end of the season a little bit more. Harrington led the team with 23 points, also getting 10 dimes, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Evans had 15 points in 19 minutes, and Holland had 18, with 8 dimes. Edwards had 8 points and 4 dimes in his 27 mins.
Record: 63-17
April 18, @ Indiana (25-56): W 127-104
Harrington had 32 points and 15 dimes on the way to our 23 point victory, and we had 2 other players with more than 25 points. Holland had 25 points on 7 for 10 3-point shooting, with 7 dimes and 2 steals, while Baykurt had 26 points and 7 boards, with 2 steals. Havens had a double-double, with 16 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks (+ 2 steals). 22 from Alen Trumbic wasn’t anywhere close to enough to staunch the bleeding from that kind of firepower (especially because he had 7 turnovers).
Record: 64-17
April 19, vs Orlando (37-44): W 104-96
Harrington had 22 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Havens had 9 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks to lead us to an 8 point victory over the young, but competitive Mystics. They aren’t playing rookie Justin Wells nearly enough (he had only 8 minutes on the court), and our offensive firepower and stingy defense was hat one the game for us. We made more free throws than they took, and also put up points from behind the arc. A strong rebounding effort, which led to 54 rebounds, and a 6 board advantage, also helped keep this team away.
Record: 65-17
Season End Standings (West)
1. Portland Pioneers (58-24)
2. Dallas Rangers (55-27)
3. Denver Peaks (54-28)
4. Minnesota Coyotes (48-34)
5. Los Angeles Waves (42-40)
6. San Diego Riders (40-42)
7. Seattle Speed (40-42)
8. Utah Blues (38-44)
Sacramento Royals (35-47)
San Antonio Outlaws (33-49)
Golden State Spartans (31-51)
Houston Blast (25-57)
Phoenix Blast (20-62)
Season End Standings (East)
1. Philadelphia Freedom (65-17)
2. New York Metros (65-17)
3. Boston Irish (56-26)
4. Detroit Gears (51-31)
5. Miami Burn (51-31)
6. Brooklyn Hoops (49-33)
7. New Orleans Wasps (46-36)
8. Chicago Bison (45-37)
Orlando Mystics (37-45)
Cleveland Knights (29-53)
Indiana Racers (25-57)
Washington Americans (24-58)
Milwaukee Moose (24-58)
Atlanta Eagles (21-61)
Team Leaders:
Points: Griffin Harrington – 22.6
Assists: Griffin Harrington – 10.6
Rebounds: Naim Baykurt – 7.4
Blocks: Tomas Havens – 2.5
Steals: Oliver Dobbins – 1.6
Efficiency: Griffin Harrington – 27.5
League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS – 32.0
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI – 10.6
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA – 11.9
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM – 4.2
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR – 3.3
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, LAL – 30.6
Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR – 15.3
Assists: Robert Radl, IND – 4.9
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR – 7.2
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL – 1.2
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA – 1.6
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR – 17.2
Player of the Month: Scott Stukes (32.0 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.4 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.3 bpg)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke (15.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 7.2 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.6 bpg)
Final Draft Watch:
1 (N/R). PG Orlando Thomas, 6’1”, 185, HS – 30.2 ppg, 13.2 apg, 11.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 2.3 spg
2 (4). C Aleksandr Chernyaev, 6’9”, 260, 20 Russia – 23.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.2 spg
3 (3). C Elton Jones, 6’9”, 267, HS – 16.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 18.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 2.4 spg
4 (N/R). C Roberto Marhsall, 7’4”, 270, SO Xavier – 18.5 ppg, 3.8 apg, 13.0 rpg, 2.6bpg, 0.5 spg
5 (N/R). C Icikas Stekel, 7’5”, 295, 19 Latvia, 18.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 13.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.6 spg
Okay. I take back some of what I said about Elton Jones. He’s shown through the end of the High School season, and a bunch of AAU ball, that he can actually ball. 18 rebounds per game is nothing to sneeze at. I like seeing Orlando Thomas getting recognition. He’s done it all this year, and will likely be high on people’s draft boards.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:49 am
Round 1 Playoffs Preview: #1 PHI vs #8 CHI
In a much awaited series that actually had the two top seeds trying to avoid this matchup, the short-handed Freedom face off against the Bison, bolstered by a 3-team blockbuster trade that brought premier shot-blocker Tengiz Tsulukidze to Chicago, and defensive-minded Center Tomas Havens to the City of Brotherly love. The seeding says some about the outcomes of the trade, but this series will be a good measuring stick.
Matchups:
Point Guard: Griffin Harrington (22.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 10.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.0 bpg) vs Jarrod Conway (18.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.1 bpg)
Winner: PHI. Harrington takes the cake here, with all-around superior numbers and a larger role. The bison have two very good PG’s in Conway and Jabahri Griffin, but neither can match the talent level of All-Star Griffin Harrington
Shooting Guard: Colin Edwards (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg) vs Nikica Tepavac (3.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.1 bpg)
Winner: PHI (It’s close, and largely irrelevant). Edwards draws an edge over Tepavac, not only because his name is easier to type and pronounce, but his youth actually does him credit. Evans’ playoff explosion last year shows that it is possible for a rookie to completely outshine himself in the playoffs, and Tepavac’s five years of experience have shown us exactly what he can do—which is just as good as what Colin has done so far, but nowhere near his potential). The bench players here will get the bulk of the minutes, and have the bulk of the impact. Thus concludes the summary of the people that no one understands why they are starting.
Small Forward: Clay Holland (14.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg) vs Adrian Korn (11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg)
Winner: Draw. These guys are almost the same player. True, Korn is a better passer, but Holland is a better shooter and scorer. Both rebound and defend at exactly the same clip, so it’s unlikely that this matchup will contribute any real differences to the game.
Power Forward: Naim Baykurt (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 3.2 bpg)
Winner: PHI. When Dobbins was healthy this wasn’t a matchup, but even Baykurt has the upper hand against Zulu. We saw it when he’s gone up against the Metros’ Woods, who is a better defender, and even scorer and rebounder and we’ll see it again here. Not even Zulu will be able to stop Baykurt.
Center: Clay Holland (11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.5 bpg) vs Lou Reyes (8.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg)
Winner: PHI. Ahem… Holland is to Reyes as Harrington is to Conway. He just is better in every category. Holland will eat him alive.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Carl Regis, J Broussard (Combined 25.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.5 bpg) vs Jahbari Griffin, W Datcher, D West (Combined 32.5 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 6.6 apg, 3.2 spg, 2.5 bpg)
Winner: CHI. While Evans is the best player on the bench of either team, Griffin, Datcher, and West are able to contribute a lot more than the combination from Philadelphia. Yet, Philadelphia’s rotation is barely 8 men deep, so that’s not too big of a deal.
Prediction: PHI in 5. Chicago can definitely be chippy enough to steal one, but I don’t see any combination of play that excludes their star Ray Johnson, whose broken wrist will keep him out of the lineup for another 45 days, that will allow them to get anything more out of the series.
Game 1 vs Chicago (Series tied 0-0):
The arena’s energy was lacking in the first, mostly due to poor play from our starters, which ended with us trailing by four, 18-22. The second started off no better, with an 8-2 run in the first three minutes which left us trailing by ten. But Evans got a steal—one of his 3 on the night—which he sprinted down the court with, to finish an and-one dunk. That got the crowd on their feet with something to really cheer about for the first time in the game. That energy helped us slowly whittle down their lead, tying it at 44 apiece at the half. We opened the third hot out of the gates, making our first 5 shots on the way to a 15-0 run, which got us our largest lead of the game. We coasted for a bit, but largely held on to that lead, with Griffin scoring the last basket of the game with 35 seconds to go. He made his only three to give us a 13 point lead: 104-91.
Clay Holland scored 21 on the way to earning player of the Game. He had 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also had 2 steals, but I didn’t actually like his performance. He had almost half of the team’s 16 turnovers, with 7. Havens and Edwards both scored 22 to tie for the team-high. For Chicago, the game-high scorer of Jarrod Conway had 26 points, 5 dimes, and 7 boards.
Game 2 vs Chicago (PHI lead 1-0):
We started off much better in the second game. Having found a playoff stride, we opened with 35 points in the first period, gaining a 15 point lead. Chicago pushed back, slowly evening it by halftime, at 56-all. They started off well in the third, gaining a six point lead, but we fought back, bringing it to 2 at the end of the third. Junior Broussard opened the 4th with a 3 to give us an 84-83 lead, which we didn’t relinquish.
Havens was dominant all game, scoring on 11 of 17 shots, and getting to the line for 16 free throws (he only made 8, but hey, he’s a big man). Baykurt was also putting in work, with 21 points and 15 rebounds—that and his four blocks made up for any shortcomings on that part of Havens’ game tonight. 3 players had 15 points, including Holland, Harrington, and (though you might be surprised) Broussard, as we win 115-101.
Game 3 @ Chicago (PHI lead 2-0):
Chicago doesn’t want to lose on their home floor. They prevented that early with their strong effort tonight. They tallied 12 blocks, and Conway scored 35 in a statement game that told us that they were not going to take us lying down. It was the first half which killed us, as we were outscored 17-21 in the first, and ceded another 36 (to our 24) in the second quarter, which set us up, despite both teams scoring 61 in the second half, for the loss. Harrington and Baykurt combined for 50 points, but that was really it.
Game 4 @ Chicago (PHI lead 2-1):
Chicago obviously tasted blood after that last game, and was ready to keep it. They opened strong, leading by four at the end of the first, and extending that to a 58-47 lead at the end of the half. However, instead of only playing well enough to not lose worse, this time, we were able to push back. They scored a few buckets early in the third, which extended their lead, but we quickly took the reins, pushing back for a 1 point lead. The fourth was a basketfest that came down to the final seconds. There was 2 seconds to go in the game, and we were down one, 114-115. Harrington, who had 10 assists on the night at that point, was taking the ball in after we used our last timeout. A complicated series of screens left Rowan Evans hurtling towards the basket, and the ball soaring over everyone’s heads. Looking at it, I thought it was going to hurtle out of bounds. But it didn’t. It hit high on the backboard, and bounced into Evans’ waiting hand, about 18 inches above and behind the rim. No one heard the whistle blow, and no one noticed Zulu falling into the stanchion.
It was called a charge. I couldn’t believe my ears. A beautifully timed and executed play was going to fall prey to Zulu and a game-saving charge call. But it went to review. The review reversed the decision, and instead made it a blocking foul on the shot. The basket was good, and Evans had a free throw. He made it, and the game closed with us winning 117-115.
#1 Portland was able to sweep #8 Utah in the west, and #3 Denver and #2 Dallas also won their respective series against San Diego and Seattle in four games.
Game 5 vs Chicago (PHI lead 3-1):
With our crowd anxious to finish the series, another poor first quarter did little to make them happy. But we turned it around in the second to tie it at 53. Both teams wanted to forget about the third—only 28 total points were scored, and Chicago built a 2 point lead—68-66. But we started the fourth with a 10-0 run, and never looked back.
Baykurt’s 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals were what won us the game, 104-98. Tomas Havens had 16 points and 14 boards, to go with 3 blocks, and Harrington filled out the block party with 14 points, 10 dimes, and 3 blocks of his own. Edwards and Evans made it 6 players in double figures, and we held Chicago to 38% from the field.
#4 Detroit was able to take out # Miami in 5, with #3 Boston v #6 Brooklyn, and #2 New York v #7 New Orleans, and #4 Minnesota v #5 Los Angeles continuing.
#5 Los Angeles was able to finish off their series in 6, while it took rivals New York and Boston 7 games to advance to second round, where they will face off.
In a much awaited series that actually had the two top seeds trying to avoid this matchup, the short-handed Freedom face off against the Bison, bolstered by a 3-team blockbuster trade that brought premier shot-blocker Tengiz Tsulukidze to Chicago, and defensive-minded Center Tomas Havens to the City of Brotherly love. The seeding says some about the outcomes of the trade, but this series will be a good measuring stick.
Matchups:
Point Guard: Griffin Harrington (22.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 10.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.0 bpg) vs Jarrod Conway (18.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.1 bpg)
Winner: PHI. Harrington takes the cake here, with all-around superior numbers and a larger role. The bison have two very good PG’s in Conway and Jabahri Griffin, but neither can match the talent level of All-Star Griffin Harrington
Shooting Guard: Colin Edwards (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg) vs Nikica Tepavac (3.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.1 bpg)
Winner: PHI (It’s close, and largely irrelevant). Edwards draws an edge over Tepavac, not only because his name is easier to type and pronounce, but his youth actually does him credit. Evans’ playoff explosion last year shows that it is possible for a rookie to completely outshine himself in the playoffs, and Tepavac’s five years of experience have shown us exactly what he can do—which is just as good as what Colin has done so far, but nowhere near his potential). The bench players here will get the bulk of the minutes, and have the bulk of the impact. Thus concludes the summary of the people that no one understands why they are starting.
Small Forward: Clay Holland (14.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg) vs Adrian Korn (11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg)
Winner: Draw. These guys are almost the same player. True, Korn is a better passer, but Holland is a better shooter and scorer. Both rebound and defend at exactly the same clip, so it’s unlikely that this matchup will contribute any real differences to the game.
Power Forward: Naim Baykurt (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs Tengiz Tsulukidze (10.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 3.2 bpg)
Winner: PHI. When Dobbins was healthy this wasn’t a matchup, but even Baykurt has the upper hand against Zulu. We saw it when he’s gone up against the Metros’ Woods, who is a better defender, and even scorer and rebounder and we’ll see it again here. Not even Zulu will be able to stop Baykurt.
Center: Clay Holland (11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.5 bpg) vs Lou Reyes (8.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg)
Winner: PHI. Ahem… Holland is to Reyes as Harrington is to Conway. He just is better in every category. Holland will eat him alive.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Carl Regis, J Broussard (Combined 25.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.5 bpg) vs Jahbari Griffin, W Datcher, D West (Combined 32.5 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 6.6 apg, 3.2 spg, 2.5 bpg)
Winner: CHI. While Evans is the best player on the bench of either team, Griffin, Datcher, and West are able to contribute a lot more than the combination from Philadelphia. Yet, Philadelphia’s rotation is barely 8 men deep, so that’s not too big of a deal.
Prediction: PHI in 5. Chicago can definitely be chippy enough to steal one, but I don’t see any combination of play that excludes their star Ray Johnson, whose broken wrist will keep him out of the lineup for another 45 days, that will allow them to get anything more out of the series.
Game 1 vs Chicago (Series tied 0-0):
The arena’s energy was lacking in the first, mostly due to poor play from our starters, which ended with us trailing by four, 18-22. The second started off no better, with an 8-2 run in the first three minutes which left us trailing by ten. But Evans got a steal—one of his 3 on the night—which he sprinted down the court with, to finish an and-one dunk. That got the crowd on their feet with something to really cheer about for the first time in the game. That energy helped us slowly whittle down their lead, tying it at 44 apiece at the half. We opened the third hot out of the gates, making our first 5 shots on the way to a 15-0 run, which got us our largest lead of the game. We coasted for a bit, but largely held on to that lead, with Griffin scoring the last basket of the game with 35 seconds to go. He made his only three to give us a 13 point lead: 104-91.
Clay Holland scored 21 on the way to earning player of the Game. He had 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. He also had 2 steals, but I didn’t actually like his performance. He had almost half of the team’s 16 turnovers, with 7. Havens and Edwards both scored 22 to tie for the team-high. For Chicago, the game-high scorer of Jarrod Conway had 26 points, 5 dimes, and 7 boards.
Game 2 vs Chicago (PHI lead 1-0):
We started off much better in the second game. Having found a playoff stride, we opened with 35 points in the first period, gaining a 15 point lead. Chicago pushed back, slowly evening it by halftime, at 56-all. They started off well in the third, gaining a six point lead, but we fought back, bringing it to 2 at the end of the third. Junior Broussard opened the 4th with a 3 to give us an 84-83 lead, which we didn’t relinquish.
Havens was dominant all game, scoring on 11 of 17 shots, and getting to the line for 16 free throws (he only made 8, but hey, he’s a big man). Baykurt was also putting in work, with 21 points and 15 rebounds—that and his four blocks made up for any shortcomings on that part of Havens’ game tonight. 3 players had 15 points, including Holland, Harrington, and (though you might be surprised) Broussard, as we win 115-101.
Game 3 @ Chicago (PHI lead 2-0):
Chicago doesn’t want to lose on their home floor. They prevented that early with their strong effort tonight. They tallied 12 blocks, and Conway scored 35 in a statement game that told us that they were not going to take us lying down. It was the first half which killed us, as we were outscored 17-21 in the first, and ceded another 36 (to our 24) in the second quarter, which set us up, despite both teams scoring 61 in the second half, for the loss. Harrington and Baykurt combined for 50 points, but that was really it.
Game 4 @ Chicago (PHI lead 2-1):
Chicago obviously tasted blood after that last game, and was ready to keep it. They opened strong, leading by four at the end of the first, and extending that to a 58-47 lead at the end of the half. However, instead of only playing well enough to not lose worse, this time, we were able to push back. They scored a few buckets early in the third, which extended their lead, but we quickly took the reins, pushing back for a 1 point lead. The fourth was a basketfest that came down to the final seconds. There was 2 seconds to go in the game, and we were down one, 114-115. Harrington, who had 10 assists on the night at that point, was taking the ball in after we used our last timeout. A complicated series of screens left Rowan Evans hurtling towards the basket, and the ball soaring over everyone’s heads. Looking at it, I thought it was going to hurtle out of bounds. But it didn’t. It hit high on the backboard, and bounced into Evans’ waiting hand, about 18 inches above and behind the rim. No one heard the whistle blow, and no one noticed Zulu falling into the stanchion.
It was called a charge. I couldn’t believe my ears. A beautifully timed and executed play was going to fall prey to Zulu and a game-saving charge call. But it went to review. The review reversed the decision, and instead made it a blocking foul on the shot. The basket was good, and Evans had a free throw. He made it, and the game closed with us winning 117-115.
#1 Portland was able to sweep #8 Utah in the west, and #3 Denver and #2 Dallas also won their respective series against San Diego and Seattle in four games.
Game 5 vs Chicago (PHI lead 3-1):
With our crowd anxious to finish the series, another poor first quarter did little to make them happy. But we turned it around in the second to tie it at 53. Both teams wanted to forget about the third—only 28 total points were scored, and Chicago built a 2 point lead—68-66. But we started the fourth with a 10-0 run, and never looked back.
Baykurt’s 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals were what won us the game, 104-98. Tomas Havens had 16 points and 14 boards, to go with 3 blocks, and Harrington filled out the block party with 14 points, 10 dimes, and 3 blocks of his own. Edwards and Evans made it 6 players in double figures, and we held Chicago to 38% from the field.
#4 Detroit was able to take out # Miami in 5, with #3 Boston v #6 Brooklyn, and #2 New York v #7 New Orleans, and #4 Minnesota v #5 Los Angeles continuing.
#5 Los Angeles was able to finish off their series in 6, while it took rivals New York and Boston 7 games to advance to second round, where they will face off.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Sat Dec 27, 2014 8:47 pm
Round 2 Playoffs Preview: #1 PHI vs #5 MIA
Both Philly and Maimi finished their 1st round series in 5 games, with Miami pulling off an upset against a team with an identical record and only a Division title to give seeding advantages. Despite all that, they finished 14 games back from the first seed, and their team doesn’t have enough firepower to take on the Freedom.
Positional Matchups (Stats from Playoffs)
Point Guard: Griffin Harrington (17.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 9.2 apg, 0.2 spg, 2.2 bpg) vs) Marcus Alexander (33.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg):
Winner: MIA Harrington and Alexander are both scoring points, and while Alexander has been lighting it up and Harrington has been a bit cold from the field, making little more than half as many of his attempts than he did before the playoffs. He still has managed to be effective, and has been disruptive defensively, so we will see what will happen. Alexander on the other hand has been red-hot against a Detroit club that had little defensive presence at the guard spots, and is susceptible to cooling off this series, with Harrington, Edwards, Evans, Holland, and Regis all taking turns defending the backcourt. As much as I want to however, I still gotta go with Alexander here, due to the massive discrepancy in scoring.
Shooting Guard: Colin Edwards (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg) vs Cain Allen (27.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.8 spg, 0.0 bpg):
Winner: MIA Edwards is showing that he can ball. He has the second-highest assist to turnover ratio on the Freedom, and is starting to actually put up real numbers. His defense is showing promise, but he’s also been shaky from the field. Allen on the other hand, has benefitted from the same lack of backcourt defense that Marcus Alexander did, and has the numbers to back it up. Until he cools off, he’s got this spot too.
Small Forward: Clay Holland (15.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg) vs Alan Duplessis (9.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.4 bpg):
Winner: PHI Holland isn’t a better rebounder than Duplessis, and despite a shaky stroke, he’s a lot better at putting points on the board. Also with defensive skills on the wing, I don’t see Duplessis being able to break 10 ppg for this series either.
Power Forward: Naim Baykurt (21.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.4 bpg) vs Jon Brown (10.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.8 bpg):
Winner: PHI Baykurt has taken over when everyone was struggling. He hasn’t made a jump shot all series (though, he only took 4), but he doesn’t need to when he’s making 58% of his field goals (which obviously come from inside). Add that to great rebounding on both ends, and spectacular defense, nobody is going to stop this man.
Center: Tomas Havens (17.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.6 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs Jeffrey Baker (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg):
Winner: PHI Philadelphia has a conservative system which doesn’t involve forcing a lot of steals and turnovers, but they are sure good at protecting the paint. That and Havens’ penchant for scoring inside put this matchup over the edge.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Junior Broussard, and Carl Regis (3 combined: 27.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.4 bpg) vs Tyler Popp, Jonte Johnson, and Orlando Dely (3 combined: 12.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg):
Winner PHI The top 3 contributors for Miami’s bench outscored by nearly 15 points per game, which, in a game where the goal is to accumulate points, is not a good sign. Defense also leans in favor of the Freedom, with steals numbers, and allowed points per shot.
Prediction: Philadelphia in 6. The guards are some of the more important positions, and Alexander and Allen have the upper hand there, but the rest of the team is going to overpower the Burn. I am not going to say it’ll be easy, but it will happen.
Game 1: vs Miami (Series tied 0-0):
I was going to write this in a way that created some suspense, but this game was everything that one could have wished for in a game 1. It was close through the first half, with us going down by two at the end of the first quarter and returning for a 1 point lead by half-time. Our poor jump-shooting continued to plague us, but we managed to put on pressure in other ways. Tomas Havens managed a triple double. Wait a second, you say. He can’t pass, how did he get a triple double? Just ask every person who attempted a shot at the rim. He seemed to tell all of them that they were not going to score. He had 18 points, eleven rebounds, and a career-high 10 blocks. He also had a pair of dimes, and a pair of steals. We piled on the turnovers, but with 15 team blocks, we didn’t succumb.
Winner: PHI 108-97
Game 2: vs Miami (PHI leads 1-0):
Rowan Evans was tired of it. Tired of it I say. He had 35 points and 9 rebounds in only 33 minutes. I guess I see the sense of keeping someone like him on the bench, to come out and give us a boost when we need it. But it wasn’t a boost that he gave us today, he literally just took over. He made 65% of his 20 shots and 9 of ten free throws, also showing stingy D with a steal and a block. Tomas Havens racked the blocks up as well, with 7, and we had two other 20 point scorers. Holland had 28, including 4 threes, and Baykurt went nine for 13 to score 24, also getting 4 blocks and 8 boards.
Winner: PHI 124-98
Game 3: @ Miami (PHI leads 2-0):
It’s all up to Miami now. This is the game they need to win, or it’s probably going to be broom time. Alexander did all he could, scoring 32 points—partly riding off a perfect night from the line (he was 14-14), but nobody else was really able to step up, especially when he fouled out in 39 minutes of play. Baykurt and Holland, on the other hand, had no trouble putting the ball in the basket. Baykurt had 25 points and 12 rebounds, with 5 blocks, and Holland had 24. Edwards had 9 dimes, and Evans had a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds). We come away with an 8 point win.
Winner: PHI 116-108
Game 4: @ Miami (PHI leads 3-0):
I certainly didn’t expect a sweep, but I’m ready for it (Though I bet I jinxed it). Down by 3 with a minute to go, I certainly thought I did, but Rowan Evans got the start, and saved his best for last. He spent a long time on the free throw line in the first three periods—so many that he only had registered 2 field goals—though he had 12 points. He then received a sharp pass on a cut, and found a way to lay the ball in despite a hard foul. He drained the free throw to tie it, and a Harrington steal resulted in an open Evans in the corner for the three. Nagid also returned from an injury that he received in the regular season, and played 28 minutes. Holland still had 24 points, but Baykurt had the biggest showing for our team, as his 24 was joined by 12 boards. Harrington didn’t score much—not for lack of trying, as he shot 3 for 15—but did acquire 12 dimes.
To the victor go the spoils, and the victor we were. Final score: 107-104
No other sweeps this week… New York and Boston were are tied up at two games apiece, along with Dallas and Denver, but LA is gunning for a second upset, leading Portland 3-1.
Both Philly and Maimi finished their 1st round series in 5 games, with Miami pulling off an upset against a team with an identical record and only a Division title to give seeding advantages. Despite all that, they finished 14 games back from the first seed, and their team doesn’t have enough firepower to take on the Freedom.
Positional Matchups (Stats from Playoffs)
Point Guard: Griffin Harrington (17.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 9.2 apg, 0.2 spg, 2.2 bpg) vs) Marcus Alexander (33.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg):
Winner: MIA Harrington and Alexander are both scoring points, and while Alexander has been lighting it up and Harrington has been a bit cold from the field, making little more than half as many of his attempts than he did before the playoffs. He still has managed to be effective, and has been disruptive defensively, so we will see what will happen. Alexander on the other hand has been red-hot against a Detroit club that had little defensive presence at the guard spots, and is susceptible to cooling off this series, with Harrington, Edwards, Evans, Holland, and Regis all taking turns defending the backcourt. As much as I want to however, I still gotta go with Alexander here, due to the massive discrepancy in scoring.
Shooting Guard: Colin Edwards (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg) vs Cain Allen (27.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.8 spg, 0.0 bpg):
Winner: MIA Edwards is showing that he can ball. He has the second-highest assist to turnover ratio on the Freedom, and is starting to actually put up real numbers. His defense is showing promise, but he’s also been shaky from the field. Allen on the other hand, has benefitted from the same lack of backcourt defense that Marcus Alexander did, and has the numbers to back it up. Until he cools off, he’s got this spot too.
Small Forward: Clay Holland (15.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg) vs Alan Duplessis (9.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.4 bpg):
Winner: PHI Holland isn’t a better rebounder than Duplessis, and despite a shaky stroke, he’s a lot better at putting points on the board. Also with defensive skills on the wing, I don’t see Duplessis being able to break 10 ppg for this series either.
Power Forward: Naim Baykurt (21.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.4 bpg) vs Jon Brown (10.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.8 bpg):
Winner: PHI Baykurt has taken over when everyone was struggling. He hasn’t made a jump shot all series (though, he only took 4), but he doesn’t need to when he’s making 58% of his field goals (which obviously come from inside). Add that to great rebounding on both ends, and spectacular defense, nobody is going to stop this man.
Center: Tomas Havens (17.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.6 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs Jeffrey Baker (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg):
Winner: PHI Philadelphia has a conservative system which doesn’t involve forcing a lot of steals and turnovers, but they are sure good at protecting the paint. That and Havens’ penchant for scoring inside put this matchup over the edge.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Junior Broussard, and Carl Regis (3 combined: 27.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.4 bpg) vs Tyler Popp, Jonte Johnson, and Orlando Dely (3 combined: 12.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg):
Winner PHI The top 3 contributors for Miami’s bench outscored by nearly 15 points per game, which, in a game where the goal is to accumulate points, is not a good sign. Defense also leans in favor of the Freedom, with steals numbers, and allowed points per shot.
Prediction: Philadelphia in 6. The guards are some of the more important positions, and Alexander and Allen have the upper hand there, but the rest of the team is going to overpower the Burn. I am not going to say it’ll be easy, but it will happen.
Game 1: vs Miami (Series tied 0-0):
I was going to write this in a way that created some suspense, but this game was everything that one could have wished for in a game 1. It was close through the first half, with us going down by two at the end of the first quarter and returning for a 1 point lead by half-time. Our poor jump-shooting continued to plague us, but we managed to put on pressure in other ways. Tomas Havens managed a triple double. Wait a second, you say. He can’t pass, how did he get a triple double? Just ask every person who attempted a shot at the rim. He seemed to tell all of them that they were not going to score. He had 18 points, eleven rebounds, and a career-high 10 blocks. He also had a pair of dimes, and a pair of steals. We piled on the turnovers, but with 15 team blocks, we didn’t succumb.
Winner: PHI 108-97
Game 2: vs Miami (PHI leads 1-0):
Rowan Evans was tired of it. Tired of it I say. He had 35 points and 9 rebounds in only 33 minutes. I guess I see the sense of keeping someone like him on the bench, to come out and give us a boost when we need it. But it wasn’t a boost that he gave us today, he literally just took over. He made 65% of his 20 shots and 9 of ten free throws, also showing stingy D with a steal and a block. Tomas Havens racked the blocks up as well, with 7, and we had two other 20 point scorers. Holland had 28, including 4 threes, and Baykurt went nine for 13 to score 24, also getting 4 blocks and 8 boards.
Winner: PHI 124-98
Game 3: @ Miami (PHI leads 2-0):
It’s all up to Miami now. This is the game they need to win, or it’s probably going to be broom time. Alexander did all he could, scoring 32 points—partly riding off a perfect night from the line (he was 14-14), but nobody else was really able to step up, especially when he fouled out in 39 minutes of play. Baykurt and Holland, on the other hand, had no trouble putting the ball in the basket. Baykurt had 25 points and 12 rebounds, with 5 blocks, and Holland had 24. Edwards had 9 dimes, and Evans had a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds). We come away with an 8 point win.
Winner: PHI 116-108
Game 4: @ Miami (PHI leads 3-0):
I certainly didn’t expect a sweep, but I’m ready for it (Though I bet I jinxed it). Down by 3 with a minute to go, I certainly thought I did, but Rowan Evans got the start, and saved his best for last. He spent a long time on the free throw line in the first three periods—so many that he only had registered 2 field goals—though he had 12 points. He then received a sharp pass on a cut, and found a way to lay the ball in despite a hard foul. He drained the free throw to tie it, and a Harrington steal resulted in an open Evans in the corner for the three. Nagid also returned from an injury that he received in the regular season, and played 28 minutes. Holland still had 24 points, but Baykurt had the biggest showing for our team, as his 24 was joined by 12 boards. Harrington didn’t score much—not for lack of trying, as he shot 3 for 15—but did acquire 12 dimes.
To the victor go the spoils, and the victor we were. Final score: 107-104
No other sweeps this week… New York and Boston were are tied up at two games apiece, along with Dallas and Denver, but LA is gunning for a second upset, leading Portland 3-1.
- interstellarshadow
- Junior Member
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
by interstellarshadow » Tue Jan 27, 2015 3:20 pm
It’s the NBA finals, and a rematch of a year ago. It’s a little different this time around. Tengiz Tsulukidze was traded in January for Tomas Havens, Oliver Dobbins is nursing a torn Achilles, and Jody Jones was traded for the rights to draft Edwards and Regis. Dallas still doesn’t have a point guard (even 6th man Buchanan doesn’t count (with a 0.9 A/TO).
Positional Matchups:
PG: Griffin Harrington (18.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 9.5 apg, 0.7 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs George Brown (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.2 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.2 bpg):
Winner: PHI: Here, Griffin Harrington almost gets to yell “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” Last year this was close matchup, but now it almost looks as if they aren’t in the same league.
SG: Colin Edwards (5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.2 bpg) vs Corey Akins (17.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.2 bpg)
Winner: Dallas: Colin is still quite raw, but his per 36 numbers aren’t bad at all (10 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.0 spg). Again, Edwards will probably spend most of his minutes at PG, when Harrington is on the bench, but the starting lineup includes him. Akins is one of the leading scorers at the SG spot, and is only slightly less of a facilitator than Brown. The head-to-head matchup isn’t great.
SF: Clay Holland (18.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg) vs Francisco Fuentes (17.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg):
Winner: PHI: Here, Clay is a tall, strong small forward, which matches up well with Fuentes, a natural PF. Holland is a good defender who excels at denying the ball, and can facilitate in a pinch, as well as score. This is a close split, but it worked out.
PF: Naim Baykurt (21.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 2.4 bpg) vs Lamont Hendrick (19.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg)
Winner: PHI: It’s all Naim at the PF spot. Through the playoffs, he is the only 20 and 10 player, and has kept up excellent numbers on the defensive end. Hendrick can try, but he isn’t close to matching that level of productivity.
C: Natan Nagid (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.5 bpg), vs Kevin Murphy (19.8 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.1 bpg)
Winner: Dallas: Kevin Murphy may be the best center in basketball at the moment. I only got away with calling Baykurt the only 20 and 10 player in the playoffs by two tenths of a point. This man can ball. Nagid has shown himself to be completely recovered, but there’s going to be a large gap anyways.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Tomas Havens, Nate Thornton vs Rod Buchannan, Angelo Broderick, Lamond Woods
Winner: PHI: If you don’t want to accept just the names, take this into account. Evans and Havens both had starting spots on this roster for a good portion of the season. Havens is due to regain full health in a few days, and Evans just spends most of his time flitting back and forth between the bench and the starting lineup. Together, these three combine for 27 points off the bench per game, while Buchannan, Broderick and Woods combine for a paltry 16. In a game where the point is to rack up points, you can see the discrepancy.
Prediction: PHI in 6
That was the prediction for last year, and I think it will happen this time. Philadelphia has another year of experience, and the team has jelled more and rallied behind the injury to Dobbins, who was their anchor.
Game 1: vs Dallas (0-0): W 118-108
40 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. Griffin Harrington used that stat-line to secure a victory in game 1 against the Rangers. Evans’s 18 was almost all of the bench’s contribution, as he shot 5-7 with 5 boards. Nagid had 19 and 9, while Baykurt had 17 and 12. Both teams teetered on the edge of 50% for shooting percentage, with our team making just slightly more, and the Rangers making slightly less than that .500 mark.
Game 2: vs Dallas (1-0): W 130-124
Harrington obviously wasn’t done tearing up the Rangers, as he piled on another 36 points, with 10 dimes, 5 boards and 3 steals. Baykurt came in close behind, with 23 points and 15 boards. Kevin Murphy went to school on Nagid, tallying 34 points and 13 boards. Evans had 20 bench points, out of 37.
Game 3: @ Dallas (2-0): L 102-117
George Brown finally got so tired of being schooled by Harrington that he spat out 32 points, 5 dimes, and 6 rebounds, to join with Kevin Murphy and Francisco Fuentes, who each had more than twenty of their own points. Albeit, Harrington had 23 points and 14 dimes, while Baykurt had 24 and 14 boards. Even Evans was able totally 19. The bright side was that Havens was put in for sixteen minutes, where he shot 3 of 3, had 8 points, and a block.
Game 4: @ Dallas (2-1): L 100-126
Havens was reinserted into the starting lineup, with Rowan Evans, who rewarded the decision with a 13-19 showing that scored 28 points. Yet that wasn’t enough to stop Kevin Murphy and the Dallas Rangers. Murphy had 24 points and 14 rebounds, along with a solid defensive presence. On the other hand, Harrington was as cold as ice throughout the game, missing shot after shot. He didn’t make a single field goal, though was 4-5 from the line. He did get 8 assists, but it wasn’t a good night for him.
Game 5: vs Dallas (2-2): W 109-106
A hard fought game through all four quarters, Harrington shook off last games’ struggles, and demanded all the attention of the opposing defense. He took 30 shots on the way to 31 points, but got the job done, with 8 dimes and 3 steals as well. However, it was Clay Holland who demanded the ball in the final quarter, which we started down 10. He stood up and knocked down 3 after 3, working his way to 26 points and a 3 point win.
Game 6: @ Dallas (3-2):
As much as I wanted to draw out the summary of this game, I really can’t. It wasn’t ever really in doubt. We shot 67.5% from the field, converted a majority of threes, and made a bunch of free throws. It didn’t matter that we allowed Dallas to shoot 50%. It didn’t matter that Fuentes had 30 points. We had two fewer assists than rebounds, and when your offense runs that smoothly, there is nothing that will stop you. Griffin was not the highest scorer of the game, nor the second highest. Nor yet was he the 3rd or fourth highest scorer. His 22 points were actually the 6th best mark on the night. Fuentes had 30, and both Nagid and Corey Akins scored 24. Evans and Lamont Hedrick scored 23. Harrington also had 15 dimes, and 2 blocks.
PHI 138-123
The Philadelphia Freedom are the 2013 NBA Champions!!
Positional Matchups:
PG: Griffin Harrington (18.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 9.5 apg, 0.7 spg, 1.4 bpg) vs George Brown (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.2 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.2 bpg):
Winner: PHI: Here, Griffin Harrington almost gets to yell “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” Last year this was close matchup, but now it almost looks as if they aren’t in the same league.
SG: Colin Edwards (5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.2 bpg) vs Corey Akins (17.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.2 bpg)
Winner: Dallas: Colin is still quite raw, but his per 36 numbers aren’t bad at all (10 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.0 spg). Again, Edwards will probably spend most of his minutes at PG, when Harrington is on the bench, but the starting lineup includes him. Akins is one of the leading scorers at the SG spot, and is only slightly less of a facilitator than Brown. The head-to-head matchup isn’t great.
SF: Clay Holland (18.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg) vs Francisco Fuentes (17.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg):
Winner: PHI: Here, Clay is a tall, strong small forward, which matches up well with Fuentes, a natural PF. Holland is a good defender who excels at denying the ball, and can facilitate in a pinch, as well as score. This is a close split, but it worked out.
PF: Naim Baykurt (21.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 2.4 bpg) vs Lamont Hendrick (19.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg)
Winner: PHI: It’s all Naim at the PF spot. Through the playoffs, he is the only 20 and 10 player, and has kept up excellent numbers on the defensive end. Hendrick can try, but he isn’t close to matching that level of productivity.
C: Natan Nagid (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.5 bpg), vs Kevin Murphy (19.8 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.1 bpg)
Winner: Dallas: Kevin Murphy may be the best center in basketball at the moment. I only got away with calling Baykurt the only 20 and 10 player in the playoffs by two tenths of a point. This man can ball. Nagid has shown himself to be completely recovered, but there’s going to be a large gap anyways.
Bench: Rowan Evans, Tomas Havens, Nate Thornton vs Rod Buchannan, Angelo Broderick, Lamond Woods
Winner: PHI: If you don’t want to accept just the names, take this into account. Evans and Havens both had starting spots on this roster for a good portion of the season. Havens is due to regain full health in a few days, and Evans just spends most of his time flitting back and forth between the bench and the starting lineup. Together, these three combine for 27 points off the bench per game, while Buchannan, Broderick and Woods combine for a paltry 16. In a game where the point is to rack up points, you can see the discrepancy.
Prediction: PHI in 6
That was the prediction for last year, and I think it will happen this time. Philadelphia has another year of experience, and the team has jelled more and rallied behind the injury to Dobbins, who was their anchor.
Game 1: vs Dallas (0-0): W 118-108
40 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. Griffin Harrington used that stat-line to secure a victory in game 1 against the Rangers. Evans’s 18 was almost all of the bench’s contribution, as he shot 5-7 with 5 boards. Nagid had 19 and 9, while Baykurt had 17 and 12. Both teams teetered on the edge of 50% for shooting percentage, with our team making just slightly more, and the Rangers making slightly less than that .500 mark.
Game 2: vs Dallas (1-0): W 130-124
Harrington obviously wasn’t done tearing up the Rangers, as he piled on another 36 points, with 10 dimes, 5 boards and 3 steals. Baykurt came in close behind, with 23 points and 15 boards. Kevin Murphy went to school on Nagid, tallying 34 points and 13 boards. Evans had 20 bench points, out of 37.
Game 3: @ Dallas (2-0): L 102-117
George Brown finally got so tired of being schooled by Harrington that he spat out 32 points, 5 dimes, and 6 rebounds, to join with Kevin Murphy and Francisco Fuentes, who each had more than twenty of their own points. Albeit, Harrington had 23 points and 14 dimes, while Baykurt had 24 and 14 boards. Even Evans was able totally 19. The bright side was that Havens was put in for sixteen minutes, where he shot 3 of 3, had 8 points, and a block.
Game 4: @ Dallas (2-1): L 100-126
Havens was reinserted into the starting lineup, with Rowan Evans, who rewarded the decision with a 13-19 showing that scored 28 points. Yet that wasn’t enough to stop Kevin Murphy and the Dallas Rangers. Murphy had 24 points and 14 rebounds, along with a solid defensive presence. On the other hand, Harrington was as cold as ice throughout the game, missing shot after shot. He didn’t make a single field goal, though was 4-5 from the line. He did get 8 assists, but it wasn’t a good night for him.
Game 5: vs Dallas (2-2): W 109-106
A hard fought game through all four quarters, Harrington shook off last games’ struggles, and demanded all the attention of the opposing defense. He took 30 shots on the way to 31 points, but got the job done, with 8 dimes and 3 steals as well. However, it was Clay Holland who demanded the ball in the final quarter, which we started down 10. He stood up and knocked down 3 after 3, working his way to 26 points and a 3 point win.
Game 6: @ Dallas (3-2):
As much as I wanted to draw out the summary of this game, I really can’t. It wasn’t ever really in doubt. We shot 67.5% from the field, converted a majority of threes, and made a bunch of free throws. It didn’t matter that we allowed Dallas to shoot 50%. It didn’t matter that Fuentes had 30 points. We had two fewer assists than rebounds, and when your offense runs that smoothly, there is nothing that will stop you. Griffin was not the highest scorer of the game, nor the second highest. Nor yet was he the 3rd or fourth highest scorer. His 22 points were actually the 6th best mark on the night. Fuentes had 30, and both Nagid and Corey Akins scored 24. Evans and Lamont Hedrick scored 23. Harrington also had 15 dimes, and 2 blocks.
PHI 138-123
The Philadelphia Freedom are the 2013 NBA Champions!!
- interstellarshadow
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- Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 2:33 am
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