2015 NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #5 Philadelphia
#2 Miami vs. #3 New York
Western Conference:
#5 Utah vs. #8 Golden State
#6 Phoenix vs. #7 Sacramento
We were 1-3 against the Sixers and are one of the teams that we don’t match up well against.
Eastern Conference Semi-Final Philadelphia vs. Toronto
Points Guard
Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo
18.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists vs. 13.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 11.0 assists
Paul has a slight injury which will hinder him a little, but he is still the best PG in the league and a perennial MVP candidate. All Rondo can hope for is to slow him down.
Winner - Philadelphia
Shooting Guard
Jrue Holiday vs. Reggie Williams
15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists vs. 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Holiday has found his place as a quick scorer but he is giving up a lot of body to Williams who is much taller and heavier than Jrue who will not be able to get his shot off as well.
Winner - Draw
Small Forward
Luol Deng vs. Kevin King
14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists vs. 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists
Starting SF Wesley Johnson is having back spasms which could end it for the Sixers as King was outstanding in the first round against the Wizards. Deng is a good defender but needs to step up his game to stay with King.
Winner - Toronto
Power Forward
Patrick Patterson vs. Tim Mozgov
14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists vs. 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Mozgov had his way with an All-Star Rashid Shiran and if it wasn’t for Dwight Howard Mozgov would probably be an All-Star. Patterson will be too small to handle Mozgov.
Winner - Toronto
Centre
Chris Walker vs. Dwight Howard
4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists vs. 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Normal starter Brandan Wright is injured but it doesn’t matter who is starting at C Dwight Howard will eat them for breakfast. There isn’t anyone more dominant at their position than Howard and should be the difference in the series.
Winner - Toronto
Bench
Wesley Johnson, Boroda Beketov, Brandon Wright vs. Ed Davis, Trent Bailey, DeMar DeRozan
If the Philadelphia bench players were all healthy it would be a draw but seeing as the Toronto bench are all fit they get the edge.
Winner – Toronto
Prediction – Toronto in 6.
The team knows we need to get these two home games done quickly before Paul and Johnson get healthy and we smash them 106-88. Kevin King continues his fine form with 26 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds with Tim Mozgov having 18 points and holding Patrick Patterson to 1/10 shooting. Chris Paul scores the most for the Sixers with 21 points, to go with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. The bad news was that Trent Bailey hurt his back and will be below normal for about a week.
Toronto leads 1-0
Our next game is even better as we have a largest lead of 49 points in our 122-76 win. We had six players in double figures led by Rajon Rondo’s 18 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds. Philadelphia shot 34% from the field with the worst shooter being Jrue Holiday going 5/23 for 15 points.
Toronto leads 2-0
Going to Philadelphia it’s like walking into the lion’s den. They are loud, angry and are out for blood. Especially with their new favourite son, Chris Paul, being fully healthy. But all that roaring was for nothing as we blow them out again 118-87 behind Kevin King with 29 points, and Reggie Williams’ 23 points. Chris Paul fouls out in 25 minutes for only 9 points while Rajon Rondo had 12 points and 11 assists.
Toronto leads 3-0
The crowd was different tonight, almost pleading for the series to continue after this game. Chris Paul obliges with a massive 40 points and 9 assists with Wesley Johnson coming off the bench to contribute 10 points. Kevin King shoots 8/20 for 20 points while it’s Rondo’s turn to foul out early as did bench player Earl Watson.
Toronto leads 3-1
Toronto is buzzing about an Eastern Conference match-up with New York as the Knicks are stunning the Heat and are up 3-1 but you should never count Miami out and you should NEVER look for the next round until you have finished off the current one. Luckily for us we are nearly unbeatable at home, winning 113-89 with Dwight Howard dominating with 30 points and 11 rebounds while Tim Mozgov (20 points) and Kevin King (25 points, 4 steals) helps him out. Rajon Rondo dishes out the goods with 13 points, 19 assists and 7 rebounds. All 76er starters are healthy with Luol Deng going off for 27 points but Chris Paul was held to 11 points. Onto the conference finals!
Toronto wins series 4-1
Miami won game 5 to send the series back to New York for a must win for the Knicks. #5 Utah snuffs out the Cinderella #8 Golden State’s hopes, winning 4-1.
#6 Phoenix beats #7 Sacramento in six and Miami forces a game 7 with a thrilling 113-111 win in New York behind Lebron James’ 44 points.
Dwayne Wade is held to 17 points and Chris Bosh doesn’t play because of injury as the Knicks win 117-96 behind Danilo Gallinari’s 37 points while shooting 8/17 three pointers. The Heat crowd is stunned as we go into battle with the legendary New York Knicks for a chance to play in the NBA Finals again.
You're Moving Us To Toronto?!!
by K.J. » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:12 pm
Great update!zike_42 wrote:Dwayne Wade is held to 17 points and Chris Bosh doesn’t play because of injury as the Knicks win 117-96 behind Danilo Gallinari’s 37 points while shooting 8/17 three pointers. The Heat crowd is stunned as we go into battle with the legendary New York Knicks for a chance to play in the NBA Finals again.
It is astounding how infrequently the Heat has been progressing in the playoffs of Pro Basketball 2.
In the first season of my Celtics, I was elated when the Bucks, of all teams, edged out the Heat in the First Round, mainly due to its lack of a good point guard and center. Likewise, in the second season, my Celtics edged out the Heat, despite its acquisition of Troy Murphy with the midlevel exception, after being 2-3 down in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Wade was playing point guard, where his lack of exceptional handling had been resulting in turnovers. During the free agency period at the start of my third season, besides resigning Troy Murphy to a long term contract, the Heat truly loaded up on bigs by signing Chris Kaman to a multiyear contact with the midlevel exception.
- K.J.
- Junior Member
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 6:43 am
by zike_42 » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:19 pm
K.J. wrote:Great update!
It is astounding how infrequently the Heat has been progressing in the playoffs of Pro Basketball 2.
In the first season of my Celtics, I was elated when the Bucks, of all teams, edged out the Heat in the First Round, mainly due to its lack of a good point guard and center. Likewise, in the second season, my Celtics edged out the Heat, despite its acquisition of Troy Murphy with the midlevel exception, after being 2-3 down in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Wade was playing point guard, where his lack of exceptional handling had been resulting in turnovers. During the free agency period at the start of my third season, besides resigning Troy Murphy to a long term contract, the Heat truly loaded up on bigs by signing Chris Kaman to a multiyear contact with the midlevel exception.
Thanks for the support!
I think it has to do with having Wade at PG and James at SG which makes their front court too small/soft to compete with bigger teams. Bosh isn't the strongest guy out there and James and Mike Miller should be around the other way. Sure James will get 40 points but Wade can't handle other PGs and the opposing bigs have their way with Udonis Haslem and in my dynasty over the hill Tim Duncan.
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Fri Jun 03, 2011 12:32 am
2015 NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #3 New York
Western Conference:
#5 Utah vs. #6 Phoenix
We split the season series 2-2 so having home court advantage is a must.
Eastern Conference Finals New York vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Raymond Felton vs. Rajon Rondo
16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists vs. 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 11.8 assists
Rondo is averaging a ridiculous 11.8 A/T ratio. That’s right, for a starting PG who is out there for 37 minutes a game he is averaging 1 turnover a game. Staggering. Felton is down a bit from his regular season numbers but can still bring it.
Winner - Toronto
Shooting Guard
Wilson Chandler vs. Reggie Williams
8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists vs. 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists
It’s the battle of the SFs out of position at the 2. Chandler is just a big body as they have used Felton and Varlam Bebutov at the same time.
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Danilo Gallinari vs. Kevin King
24.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists vs. 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists
If it was anyone else coming up against Gallinari the edge would go to New York because the Italian is playing out of his mind but going up against King will be hard. King didn’t have the best series against Philadelphia so look for a big series from him.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Marlon Sanden vs. Tim Mozgov
11.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists vs. 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Sanden has the size (6’11) to stay with Mozgov but is a below average defender who is exactly the type of player Mozgov likes. The big Russian has been fantastic this post season so look for more from him in this series.
Winner - Toronto
Centre
Amar’e Stoudemire vs. Dwight Howard
17.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists vs. 17.6 points, 9.6 points, 1.8 assists
The biggest match-up of the series with the veteran bigmen going up for a battle of the titans. This could very well be a match-up that will be talked about for 10 years or so. That big.
Winner - Draw
Bench
Varlam Bebutov, Chucky Durden, Anthony Randolph vs. Ed Davis, Trent Bailey, DeMar DeRozan
If Bebutov was starting on another team he would be an All-Star, no doubt. He is a lockdown defender and is a great facilitator and don’t be surprised to see him and Raymond Felton playing together. The Toronto bench has been talked about in depth about how they can turn leads into bigger leads while their starters are resting.
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Toronto in 7.
I can see that. Even though we have a few arrows in our direction, it’s not by enough to be a walkover series.
The crowd is going nuts and I’m sure I saw someone walking around with a wheelchair just so he can pretend to be injured so he can get a seat in this sold-out crowd and we beat the Knicks in the first half to a 112-102 win as Tim Mozgov shows his skills with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks while Dwight Howard puts Amar’e Stoudemire down a notch with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. Kevin King shoots 30 shots for 26 points and 7 assists as our starters carry us to a win. When Amar’e Stoudemire fouled out in 19 minutes all hope looked lost. Until Chucky Durden stepped on the court. At the end of the game Durden had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 12 blocks to keep the Knicks close but it just wasn’t enough.
Toronto leads 1-0
Big news as Dwight Howard strains his knee with 3 minutes to go in the game and will OUT for a week. Tim Mozgov slides to C while Ed Davis steps into the PF position. Let’s hope Davis shows why he wants to start permanently.
Ed Davis says ‘Dwight who?’ as he explodes for 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in our 118-101 win as our largest lead was 35 as the bench gets some playing time. Kevin King shoots better for 29 points while Matt Simpson fills in for the foul plagued Tim Mozgov with 11 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Raymond Felton had 16 assists and the Knicks were led by Danilo Gallinari’s poor shooting 19 points. Some fans have already started calling a sweep which is very dangerous and we don’t need to give New York any more ammunition for this fight.
Toronto leads 2-0
The furthest the Knicks have been since I have been in the league was the second round and this year the crowd wants to go all the way. It looked that way until Reggie Williams ignited in the third quarter on his way to 37 points as the Toronto Raptors outscored the Knicks 37-25 in the third to win 118-102 to take a 3-0 win. The Knicks tried the Felton/Bebutov backcourt and were smoked 53 points to 27 as Kevin King piled in 25 points and Tim Mozgov had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Amar’e Stoudemire finally broke free with 25 points and Wilson Chandler had 20 points off the bench but Danilo Gallinari was invisible for the whole game, shooting 3/15 from the field for 10 points. For a series as hyped as this one was it has been all one way traffic so far.
Toronto leads 3-0
That feeling we had going into game seven last season against Chicago is the exact same feeling that the whole of New York is feeling at the moment. They know that they are better but the way the team is playing is not showing the same fight. The crowd didn’t help as the Knicks were outscored in every quarter as we won 112-90 to punch our ticket into the NBA Finals for the second time in the past two years. Kevin King saved his best for last with 23 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals to completely shut out Danilo Gallinari again. Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 14 assists while Reggie Williams again beat up Raymond Felton for 27 points. Varlam Bebutov tried his hardest with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but it begs the question, with Bebutov a restricted free agent will he try and take his talents to a team that will start him? Only time will tell. Amar’e Stoudemire was again subpar with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Toronto wins series 4-0
#5 Utah has a commanding 3-1 lead over #6 Phoenix and can ice it at home in the next game. Which they do 104-96 behind Deron Williams’ 21 points and 9 assists.
Next up the NBA Finals! The Toronto Raptors versus the Utah Jazz!
Eastern Conference:
#1 Toronto vs. #3 New York
Western Conference:
#5 Utah vs. #6 Phoenix
We split the season series 2-2 so having home court advantage is a must.
Eastern Conference Finals New York vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Raymond Felton vs. Rajon Rondo
16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists vs. 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 11.8 assists
Rondo is averaging a ridiculous 11.8 A/T ratio. That’s right, for a starting PG who is out there for 37 minutes a game he is averaging 1 turnover a game. Staggering. Felton is down a bit from his regular season numbers but can still bring it.
Winner - Toronto
Shooting Guard
Wilson Chandler vs. Reggie Williams
8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists vs. 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists
It’s the battle of the SFs out of position at the 2. Chandler is just a big body as they have used Felton and Varlam Bebutov at the same time.
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Danilo Gallinari vs. Kevin King
24.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists vs. 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists
If it was anyone else coming up against Gallinari the edge would go to New York because the Italian is playing out of his mind but going up against King will be hard. King didn’t have the best series against Philadelphia so look for a big series from him.
Winner - Draw
Power Forward
Marlon Sanden vs. Tim Mozgov
11.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists vs. 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Sanden has the size (6’11) to stay with Mozgov but is a below average defender who is exactly the type of player Mozgov likes. The big Russian has been fantastic this post season so look for more from him in this series.
Winner - Toronto
Centre
Amar’e Stoudemire vs. Dwight Howard
17.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists vs. 17.6 points, 9.6 points, 1.8 assists
The biggest match-up of the series with the veteran bigmen going up for a battle of the titans. This could very well be a match-up that will be talked about for 10 years or so. That big.
Winner - Draw
Bench
Varlam Bebutov, Chucky Durden, Anthony Randolph vs. Ed Davis, Trent Bailey, DeMar DeRozan
If Bebutov was starting on another team he would be an All-Star, no doubt. He is a lockdown defender and is a great facilitator and don’t be surprised to see him and Raymond Felton playing together. The Toronto bench has been talked about in depth about how they can turn leads into bigger leads while their starters are resting.
Winner – Draw
Prediction – Toronto in 7.
I can see that. Even though we have a few arrows in our direction, it’s not by enough to be a walkover series.
The crowd is going nuts and I’m sure I saw someone walking around with a wheelchair just so he can pretend to be injured so he can get a seat in this sold-out crowd and we beat the Knicks in the first half to a 112-102 win as Tim Mozgov shows his skills with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks while Dwight Howard puts Amar’e Stoudemire down a notch with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. Kevin King shoots 30 shots for 26 points and 7 assists as our starters carry us to a win. When Amar’e Stoudemire fouled out in 19 minutes all hope looked lost. Until Chucky Durden stepped on the court. At the end of the game Durden had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 12 blocks to keep the Knicks close but it just wasn’t enough.
Toronto leads 1-0
Big news as Dwight Howard strains his knee with 3 minutes to go in the game and will OUT for a week. Tim Mozgov slides to C while Ed Davis steps into the PF position. Let’s hope Davis shows why he wants to start permanently.
Ed Davis says ‘Dwight who?’ as he explodes for 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in our 118-101 win as our largest lead was 35 as the bench gets some playing time. Kevin King shoots better for 29 points while Matt Simpson fills in for the foul plagued Tim Mozgov with 11 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Raymond Felton had 16 assists and the Knicks were led by Danilo Gallinari’s poor shooting 19 points. Some fans have already started calling a sweep which is very dangerous and we don’t need to give New York any more ammunition for this fight.
Toronto leads 2-0
The furthest the Knicks have been since I have been in the league was the second round and this year the crowd wants to go all the way. It looked that way until Reggie Williams ignited in the third quarter on his way to 37 points as the Toronto Raptors outscored the Knicks 37-25 in the third to win 118-102 to take a 3-0 win. The Knicks tried the Felton/Bebutov backcourt and were smoked 53 points to 27 as Kevin King piled in 25 points and Tim Mozgov had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Amar’e Stoudemire finally broke free with 25 points and Wilson Chandler had 20 points off the bench but Danilo Gallinari was invisible for the whole game, shooting 3/15 from the field for 10 points. For a series as hyped as this one was it has been all one way traffic so far.
Toronto leads 3-0
That feeling we had going into game seven last season against Chicago is the exact same feeling that the whole of New York is feeling at the moment. They know that they are better but the way the team is playing is not showing the same fight. The crowd didn’t help as the Knicks were outscored in every quarter as we won 112-90 to punch our ticket into the NBA Finals for the second time in the past two years. Kevin King saved his best for last with 23 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals to completely shut out Danilo Gallinari again. Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 14 assists while Reggie Williams again beat up Raymond Felton for 27 points. Varlam Bebutov tried his hardest with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but it begs the question, with Bebutov a restricted free agent will he try and take his talents to a team that will start him? Only time will tell. Amar’e Stoudemire was again subpar with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Toronto wins series 4-0
#5 Utah has a commanding 3-1 lead over #6 Phoenix and can ice it at home in the next game. Which they do 104-96 behind Deron Williams’ 21 points and 9 assists.
Next up the NBA Finals! The Toronto Raptors versus the Utah Jazz!
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by Tim Moungey » Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:05 am
Wow. I don't know whether to be more stunned by your sweep or by the Jazz in the Finals.
- Tim Moungey
- Elite Member
- Posts: 2942
- Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:06 pm
by K.J. » Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:16 am
zike_42,
I think that you have been quite humble regarding your preview. In my opinion, the Raptors had the edge in every matchup except the bench. For instance, while Stoudemire is perhaps a marginal top 15 player, Howard could be the best player on a championship team, namely a top 5 player. In addition, you have King, who is potentially another top 5 player.
Good luck on your NBA finals against the Jazz. I shall resist from any predictions for fear of jinxing you!
I think that you have been quite humble regarding your preview. In my opinion, the Raptors had the edge in every matchup except the bench. For instance, while Stoudemire is perhaps a marginal top 15 player, Howard could be the best player on a championship team, namely a top 5 player. In addition, you have King, who is potentially another top 5 player.
Good luck on your NBA finals against the Jazz. I shall resist from any predictions for fear of jinxing you!
- K.J.
- Junior Member
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 6:43 am
by zike_42 » Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:59 am
@Tim - I was shocked also after the Knicks beat the Heat IN Miami in that game 7 which I thought they would carry over that momentum to our series.
And the Jazz making the Finals, the whole Western Conference has been a crapshoot all year. Not to sound too cocky but at the start of the playoffs I thought that whoever came out of the East would win the Finals series easy because there were so many average to below average teams in the West.
@KJ - I may have been glossing over my team in the preview a bit but Gallinari and Stoudemire were beasting it in their previous series. I was basing the match-ups on the playoffs alone and as King was slumping in the 76ers series and Gallinari almost beat the Heat by himself in a few games I thought that momentum would have carried over. I was wrong of course. And yes, Howard should have got the arrow now that I see Stoudemire being beaten by Tim Mozgov (who would be happy about beating the Knicks after they traded him).
And the Jazz making the Finals, the whole Western Conference has been a crapshoot all year. Not to sound too cocky but at the start of the playoffs I thought that whoever came out of the East would win the Finals series easy because there were so many average to below average teams in the West.
@KJ - I may have been glossing over my team in the preview a bit but Gallinari and Stoudemire were beasting it in their previous series. I was basing the match-ups on the playoffs alone and as King was slumping in the 76ers series and Gallinari almost beat the Heat by himself in a few games I thought that momentum would have carried over. I was wrong of course. And yes, Howard should have got the arrow now that I see Stoudemire being beaten by Tim Mozgov (who would be happy about beating the Knicks after they traded him).
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
by zike_42 » Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:56 pm
2015 NBA Finals
#1 Toronto vs. #5 Utah
I tell myself that if we are to win a championship, then this is the year. We went 65-17 in a brutal Eastern Conference while Utah went a decent 52-30 in a conference that had a 35-47 team in the playoffs. We have been the best team in the league for the last two years and this year will be our year.
We split the series 1-1 but we have only lost one game all playoffs and are looking hungry.
NBA Finals Utah vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Deron Williams vs. Rajon Rondo
20.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 11.0 assists vs. 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists
The match-up that Utah fans goes in their favour. Williams is a stud PG and is playing out of his mind, but in this series he is going to have to lift even more for them to have a chance.
Winner - Utah
Shooting Guard
Josh Howard vs. Reggie Williams
13.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists vs. 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Williams is showing how important he was to the 2011 championship winning Orlando team but stepping up his numbers dramatically in the New York series. Howard is a good defender and will have to be on his game as Williams can light it up.
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Boris Diaw vs. Kevin King
8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists vs. 25.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists
Too bad for the Jazz that their best defender in Andrei Kirilenko is out with a torn Achilles because King is a superstar. Diaw is tall but will not be able to keep up with King.
Winner - Toronto
Power Forward
Paul Milsap vs. Tim Mozgov
14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists vs. 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Before the New York series it would have been a draw but when Dwight Howard went down Tim Mozgov showed how good he can be. Milsap will be too small to contain Mozgov.
Winner - Toronto
Centre
Nikola Pekovic vs. Dwight Howard
22.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists vs. 16.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Howard is healthy and roaring to go as he feels like he was upstaged by Mozgov. He won’t have it all his way however, as this year’s playoffs has been Pekovic’s coming out party showcased by his gaudy numbers.
Winner - Toronto
Bench
Mehmet Okur, Jose Calderon, Quincy Stidham vs. Ed Davis, Trent Bailey, DeMar DeRozan
Stidham has been great off the bench, averaging double figures and Toronto fans know all about Calderon but Ed Davis showed in the previous series that he is a great talent.
Winner – Toronto
Prediction – Toronto in 4.
We underestimated the Raptors last series and they swept the Knicks who were superior to the Jazz, so don’t be surprised the brooms come out. The last sweep in the NBA Finals was in 2010 as the Miami Heat blanked the Denver Nuggets.
In game one, the crowd knows that this is the time and Mr. Petway has given his all for it to happen. He has given every seat in the house a white shirt with the slogan ‘Our Time Is Now’ on the front. In the actual game, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo both have blinders with Williams going for 25 points and 14 assists while Rondo explodes for 27 points and 17 assists as we shoot 65% from the field, winning 122-114 to go up one game in the series. Rondo had lots of help in Reggie Williams who had 26 points, while both Tim Mozgov and Kevin King have 20 points apiece. The Jazz big men played superb, with both Mozgov and Howard fouling out as Ed Davis and Matt Simpson rise to the occasion with a combined 18 points and 11 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic outplayed Howard with 19 points, while Paul Milsap had 17 points. It was out defense that won it for us surprisingly as they scored 114 points, but we had 12 blocks and 7 steals in the game.
Toronto leads 1-0
Dwight Howard has picked up the flu coming home from the game. He won’t be out for long but we have a game in between which could be problematic. It wasn’t a problem at three quarter time as we were up by three points, but the Jazz outscored us by 10 points in the last term for a 100-93 win to knot the series at 1-1. Deron Williams played magnificently again with 29 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds while Nikola Pekovic had a field day on the sick Howard with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 6 blocks. Tim Mozgov had 20 points and 14 rebounds on 25 shots while Kevin King had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists but shot badly. We go to Utah having lost the home court advantage.
Series tied 1-1
Utah hasn’t been to the NBA Finals since 1998 when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat the Karl Malone lead Jazz, so to say this crowd has been waiting for the Finals to come back around is a huge understatement. But we had a statement to make ourselves, as last game was an embarrassment to our club. Kevin King lead the charge with 34 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in our 126-103 win to take back home court advantage. Tim Mozgov shot better for 22 points and 10 rebounds while Dwight Howard broke out from under Nikola Pekovic with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Again Deron Williams was the best for Utah with 25 points and 11 assists but therest of the starters were not much help as Pekovic shot 1/6 from the field for 12 points.
Toronto leads 2-1
Game four in Utah was insane. One of the best Finals games I have ever seen. Utah was up by 7 points at halftime and extended their lead to as much 16 points going into the fourth quarter. Deron Williams was unstoppable having 25 points and 9 assists in the game, helped by Nikola Pekovic’s 19 points and 10 rebounds. We then go on a 29-12 fourth quarter blitz to win by a single point, 104-103. Dwight Howard has 22 points and 16 rebounds while missing one shot, going 9/10 from the field. The biggest star of the game was Ed Davis who had 13 points and 3 rebounds in only 13 minutes to help spearhead the comeback. Even crazier, we didn’t hit any three pointers, going 0/12 from beyond the arc. We are up 3-1 and with all this momentum it will be a huge letdown if we lose the next game.
Toronto leads 3-1
Walking into the half filled arena before the game you can feel the desperation in the Utah crowd. I wish that it was a 2-2-1-1-1 format instead of 2-3-2 so we would be in Toronto and if we won the game we could celebrate the win with our fans. It doesn’t matter as we hold the Jazz to a pathetic 32% as they used all their energy in the last game as we are crowned the 2015 NBA Champions with a 117-83 win. To be honest this win was a bit of an anti-climax as the result was guaranteed at half time as we held a 70-40 lead and it would have been much better if we were in Toronto. Every Raptor player was on the court for at least 8 minutes as the benches were emptied early as Tim Mozgov was named Player of the Game with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin King had 24 points while Trent Bailey made the most of his time with 19 points in 21 minutes. Deron Williams had 19 points and 9 assists but was only one of three Jazz players to score in double figures.
Toronto wins series 4-1
As the siren sounded at the end of the game I streak down to the court to join in the celebrations, going straight to our team captain Rajon Rondo who sees me and gives me the biggest hug of my life. Screaming “We did it!” I close my eyes and soak in how far this team has travelled in just five years, and Rajon has been through it all. From being beaten nearly every game in our first season to the heartbreak of the 2013 NBA Finals loss to Dallas, he has been the leader of this team through it all. He never complained, he never let up and now he will be holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first ever championship for Canada.
The iconic photo from this championship is of Dwight Howard, Tim Mozgov and myself standing with the trophy. I am not short by any means being 6’4 but having 7’1 Tim Mozgov and 6’11 Dwight Howard standing on either side of me holding the trophy above my head made me feel like the smallest guy in the whole stadium. I have been told it is a hilarious snap but I don’t have the guts to look at it lest I start to blush again.
All I can think of as the guys get their team photo taken with that magnificent trophy is that I could have been wallowing at the bottom of the Big East ladder but now I’m a part of the best team in the world. Crazy.
CONGRATULATIONS THE TORONTO RAPTORS, THE 2015 NBA CHAMPIONS!!!
Kevin King was named Finals MVP as in the five games he averaged 23.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game. Tim Mozgov should be happy with his performance in the Finals series with 19.8 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.
I won’t be sleeping for week, but I will have to see who gets the expansion teams, but that will be for another time.
#1 Toronto vs. #5 Utah
I tell myself that if we are to win a championship, then this is the year. We went 65-17 in a brutal Eastern Conference while Utah went a decent 52-30 in a conference that had a 35-47 team in the playoffs. We have been the best team in the league for the last two years and this year will be our year.
We split the series 1-1 but we have only lost one game all playoffs and are looking hungry.
NBA Finals Utah vs. Toronto
Point Guard
Deron Williams vs. Rajon Rondo
20.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 11.0 assists vs. 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists
The match-up that Utah fans goes in their favour. Williams is a stud PG and is playing out of his mind, but in this series he is going to have to lift even more for them to have a chance.
Winner - Utah
Shooting Guard
Josh Howard vs. Reggie Williams
13.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists vs. 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Williams is showing how important he was to the 2011 championship winning Orlando team but stepping up his numbers dramatically in the New York series. Howard is a good defender and will have to be on his game as Williams can light it up.
Winner - Toronto
Small Forward
Boris Diaw vs. Kevin King
8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists vs. 25.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists
Too bad for the Jazz that their best defender in Andrei Kirilenko is out with a torn Achilles because King is a superstar. Diaw is tall but will not be able to keep up with King.
Winner - Toronto
Power Forward
Paul Milsap vs. Tim Mozgov
14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists vs. 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Before the New York series it would have been a draw but when Dwight Howard went down Tim Mozgov showed how good he can be. Milsap will be too small to contain Mozgov.
Winner - Toronto
Centre
Nikola Pekovic vs. Dwight Howard
22.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists vs. 16.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Howard is healthy and roaring to go as he feels like he was upstaged by Mozgov. He won’t have it all his way however, as this year’s playoffs has been Pekovic’s coming out party showcased by his gaudy numbers.
Winner - Toronto
Bench
Mehmet Okur, Jose Calderon, Quincy Stidham vs. Ed Davis, Trent Bailey, DeMar DeRozan
Stidham has been great off the bench, averaging double figures and Toronto fans know all about Calderon but Ed Davis showed in the previous series that he is a great talent.
Winner – Toronto
Prediction – Toronto in 4.
We underestimated the Raptors last series and they swept the Knicks who were superior to the Jazz, so don’t be surprised the brooms come out. The last sweep in the NBA Finals was in 2010 as the Miami Heat blanked the Denver Nuggets.
In game one, the crowd knows that this is the time and Mr. Petway has given his all for it to happen. He has given every seat in the house a white shirt with the slogan ‘Our Time Is Now’ on the front. In the actual game, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo both have blinders with Williams going for 25 points and 14 assists while Rondo explodes for 27 points and 17 assists as we shoot 65% from the field, winning 122-114 to go up one game in the series. Rondo had lots of help in Reggie Williams who had 26 points, while both Tim Mozgov and Kevin King have 20 points apiece. The Jazz big men played superb, with both Mozgov and Howard fouling out as Ed Davis and Matt Simpson rise to the occasion with a combined 18 points and 11 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic outplayed Howard with 19 points, while Paul Milsap had 17 points. It was out defense that won it for us surprisingly as they scored 114 points, but we had 12 blocks and 7 steals in the game.
Toronto leads 1-0
Dwight Howard has picked up the flu coming home from the game. He won’t be out for long but we have a game in between which could be problematic. It wasn’t a problem at three quarter time as we were up by three points, but the Jazz outscored us by 10 points in the last term for a 100-93 win to knot the series at 1-1. Deron Williams played magnificently again with 29 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds while Nikola Pekovic had a field day on the sick Howard with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 6 blocks. Tim Mozgov had 20 points and 14 rebounds on 25 shots while Kevin King had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists but shot badly. We go to Utah having lost the home court advantage.
Series tied 1-1
Utah hasn’t been to the NBA Finals since 1998 when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat the Karl Malone lead Jazz, so to say this crowd has been waiting for the Finals to come back around is a huge understatement. But we had a statement to make ourselves, as last game was an embarrassment to our club. Kevin King lead the charge with 34 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in our 126-103 win to take back home court advantage. Tim Mozgov shot better for 22 points and 10 rebounds while Dwight Howard broke out from under Nikola Pekovic with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Again Deron Williams was the best for Utah with 25 points and 11 assists but therest of the starters were not much help as Pekovic shot 1/6 from the field for 12 points.
Toronto leads 2-1
Game four in Utah was insane. One of the best Finals games I have ever seen. Utah was up by 7 points at halftime and extended their lead to as much 16 points going into the fourth quarter. Deron Williams was unstoppable having 25 points and 9 assists in the game, helped by Nikola Pekovic’s 19 points and 10 rebounds. We then go on a 29-12 fourth quarter blitz to win by a single point, 104-103. Dwight Howard has 22 points and 16 rebounds while missing one shot, going 9/10 from the field. The biggest star of the game was Ed Davis who had 13 points and 3 rebounds in only 13 minutes to help spearhead the comeback. Even crazier, we didn’t hit any three pointers, going 0/12 from beyond the arc. We are up 3-1 and with all this momentum it will be a huge letdown if we lose the next game.
Toronto leads 3-1
Walking into the half filled arena before the game you can feel the desperation in the Utah crowd. I wish that it was a 2-2-1-1-1 format instead of 2-3-2 so we would be in Toronto and if we won the game we could celebrate the win with our fans. It doesn’t matter as we hold the Jazz to a pathetic 32% as they used all their energy in the last game as we are crowned the 2015 NBA Champions with a 117-83 win. To be honest this win was a bit of an anti-climax as the result was guaranteed at half time as we held a 70-40 lead and it would have been much better if we were in Toronto. Every Raptor player was on the court for at least 8 minutes as the benches were emptied early as Tim Mozgov was named Player of the Game with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin King had 24 points while Trent Bailey made the most of his time with 19 points in 21 minutes. Deron Williams had 19 points and 9 assists but was only one of three Jazz players to score in double figures.
Toronto wins series 4-1
As the siren sounded at the end of the game I streak down to the court to join in the celebrations, going straight to our team captain Rajon Rondo who sees me and gives me the biggest hug of my life. Screaming “We did it!” I close my eyes and soak in how far this team has travelled in just five years, and Rajon has been through it all. From being beaten nearly every game in our first season to the heartbreak of the 2013 NBA Finals loss to Dallas, he has been the leader of this team through it all. He never complained, he never let up and now he will be holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first ever championship for Canada.
The iconic photo from this championship is of Dwight Howard, Tim Mozgov and myself standing with the trophy. I am not short by any means being 6’4 but having 7’1 Tim Mozgov and 6’11 Dwight Howard standing on either side of me holding the trophy above my head made me feel like the smallest guy in the whole stadium. I have been told it is a hilarious snap but I don’t have the guts to look at it lest I start to blush again.
All I can think of as the guys get their team photo taken with that magnificent trophy is that I could have been wallowing at the bottom of the Big East ladder but now I’m a part of the best team in the world. Crazy.
CONGRATULATIONS THE TORONTO RAPTORS, THE 2015 NBA CHAMPIONS!!!
Kevin King was named Finals MVP as in the five games he averaged 23.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game. Tim Mozgov should be happy with his performance in the Finals series with 19.8 points and 10.0 rebounds a game.
I won’t be sleeping for week, but I will have to see who gets the expansion teams, but that will be for another time.
- zike_42
- Elite Member
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:52 am
Return to DDS: Pro Basketball 2 Dynasty Reports
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests