New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

February Player of the Month – Ledaryl McMillian, Golden State Warriors – 29.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

February Rookie of the Month – Jehiel DeSantis, Denver Nuggets – 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

Wow what a statline from Jehiel last month, maybe something will come out of the draft after all.

It’s first versus first as Miami comes to visit and they quiet the crowd from the get go, getting out to a 31-26 first quarter lead. After that it was all Dallas as we racked up a 42-20 second quarter to cruise from that point, winning the match-up 124-108. Jack was spectacular with 32 points as Ryan Robinson showed he still has game with 15 points in 13 minutes off the bench. Kenneth Long tried his best with 21 points and 8 assists and even though Tim Greenberg had 31 points they just couldn’t keep up with us.

Dallas Mavericks 42-13

Another tough game (luckily at home) against the 42-15 Wizards but we weren’t so fortunate this time, getting knocked down 126-116 and didn’t get up. Rowan Taylor has become a scoring machine and tonight he didn’t disappoint with 36 points and 8 rebounds on 15/22 shooting. We had seven players in double figures but the team shot eight percent less than Washington with Jack being the main culprit, going 8/24 for 23 points.

Dallas Mavericks 42-14

I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington are the Eastern Conference Champions at the end of the season, that’s how good they are playing.

Jack is back to his best and we are back to winning as our captain had 28 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists as we beat up on the Bobcats 123-107. Earl and Nashon combined for 42 points as we shot a whopping 58% from three point land. James Blakemore is doing his best with 26 points but we just outgunned Charlotte like we have done all season long. We are never going to stop anyone, just outscore them.

Dallas Mavericks 43-14

The Suns are 19-36 but I’m always weary of a bad team having a good night but that didn’t happen here as we spanked them 58-29 in the first half to take the game easily 110-81. Nashon Smith led the way with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists but the benches were emptied early and everyone got a go. Kwame Cravens top scored for Phoenix with 20 points.

Dallas Mavericks 44-14

It’s four games in four nights and in our first one we get our revenge on Washington, wiping their home court with their blood in an emphatic 127-112 victory. Eight Dallas players were in double figures as Issiah Hemhill went 10/10 from the foul line for 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench to hamper Rowan Taylor, who only had 16 points. Jack struggled with his shot all game but to his credit did everything else with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.

Dallas Mavericks 45-14

Game two was another solid win, this time coming back from a double digit deficit to win against the Riders 107-97. The whole reason we were down by so much was the play of Art Stevenson, who went 12/16 from the field for 29 points and 9 rebounds and nearly won the game himself, but Luke Owens cancelled some of that play out with 0 points and 9 turnovers. We only had two decent players as Earl and Nashon combined for 48 points as Jack shot 2/17 from the field.

Dallas Mavericks 46-14

It’s back home and we pummel the Pacers 127-97 not behind Jack nor Jeff but Julius who had a career night with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks in a drool worthy display from the young kid. Ryan Robinson chipped in 10 points in 10 minutes off the bench. John Morris was the top scorer for Indiana with 17 points as they struggled all night long.

Dallas Mavericks 47-14

Our winning streak was snapped at five as Utah held onto a four point win as their biggest lead was 18 points in the third term before we roared back into the game but fell agonisingly short, losing 107-103. Mark Lewis was amazing, limiting Jeff Cunningham to 6 points and 6 fouls while adding 32 points and 14 rebounds himself in a man of the match performance. Jack shot better for 27 points but there was no stopping Lewis and as Lewis goes so does Utah.

Dallas Mavericks 47-15

In a complete 180 from the last game, Mark Lewis only had 13 points and Jack scored 31 points as we tore apart the Jazz on our home court 129-84. This is proof that home court advantage is a huge thing to have and luckily we have it right now for the whole playoffs. Seven Maverick players were in double figures as Williams Jones put up 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks 48-15

272 points were scored in our away game against Atlanta, all in regulation as we screamed to the finish line to beat out the Hawks 141-131. Earl Oliver and Jack led five other Mavericks in double figures with 27 points as Chris “The Wizard” Jones showed that he will not be forgotten with 33 points and 12 assists. Michael McQuay had 23 points in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 49-15

Again with the Jazz and again in Salt Lake City! Unsurprisingly we got smashed 120-102, not by Mark Lewis (he still had 22 points but went 4/12 from the stripe) but Dylan Callier and Gray Largent who combined for 37 points and 20 rebounds. Jeff Cunningham just can’t guard really good centres and the proof is his six fouls in six minutes, which must be some kind of record.

Dallas Mavericks 49-16

We get out 50th win of the season behind Jeff Cunningham’s 34 points to snake past the Bucks 125-111. All five of our starters had 12 points or more as we held the Bucks to only 42% from the field which is strange for this team. Wesley Fields top scored for Milwaukee with 21 points.

Dallas Mavericks 50-16

I don’t mind the Bulls at the moment but they just aren’t a contending team, they’re good but not great as shown by our 112-87 blowout. Jack had 26 points as Nashon Smith routed Raoul Dumas for 20 points while holding the new Bull to 1/3 shooting for 2 points. It’s sad to see JD Lawson coming off the bench but that didn’t stop him nabbing 19 points and 7 turnovers. That’s probably why he is on the bench.

Dallas Mavericks 51-16

It’s off to see the Bucks again and again we slaughter them, getting out to a 29 point lead before coasting to a 122-94 win. Jack Dawkins was the star this time with 23 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds and Earl Oliver was everywhere with 23 points and 10 rebounds, an equal game high. Christopher de Castro had 22 points for MIlwaukkee as they were again shut down by our defence, shooting 40% from the field.

Dallas Mavericks 52-16

Our starting five is carrying us at the moment which isn’t a bad thing but if we want to get through all the way we need some more output from the bench. The only output we had was Ryan Robinson’s 9 points and 7 assists as we withstand a furious fightback from the Hornets to win again 119-111. Jack was outstanding with 31 points and 8 rebounds as Jeff and Julius were both held quiet because of fouls. Aleksandras Gelezinkelio was drafted #31 five years ago and has become a very good player and had 23 points tonight while Jerry Benton was drafted #24 three years ago and is averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks a game but was held to only 21 points. Talk about getting value for your picks.

Dallas Mavericks 53-16

I have no idea why the Sonics have only won 25 games this season but that doesn’t stop them from getting out to a 29 point lead. We fight and fight and fight but come up empty as even a 34-22 last quarter blitz couldn’t get us within 12 points, going down 114-102. Alfons Dietz had 19 points in the win while Travis Grigsby had a 15 points, 10 assist and 7 rebounds statline. Jack and Earl combined for 47 points but didn’t really have much else.

Dallas Mavericks 53-17

Jack didn’t like losing to the Sonics and decided to take his frustration out on Sacramento as we have a whopping 88 points in the paint for a very comfortable 129-114 win. Jack had 29 points but was overshadowed by Issiah Hemhill who put up 21 points and 9 rebounds in only 18 minutes off the bench as he didn’t like me saying the bench wasn’t good enough. I stand corrected Issiah, you guys rock. Ian Ransom was the high man for the Kings with 29 points.

Dallas Mavericks 54-17

Our last game of the month was an even easier win over Denver, as we got out to a 82-41 half time lead as the bench were emptied halfway through the third. Everyone got a go and scored at last once and played at least 10 minutes. Great fun game at home as the crowd loved seeing all of the guys who don’t always get a go getting a go.

Dallas Mavericks 55-17

We went 14-4 in the month and opened up a eight game lead over Oklahoma City but we only have a two game lead over Washington so winning games is still our priority. OKC (44-25) are leading LAL by three games as Golden State looks to have sewn up the best chance in the lottery.

As I said Washington are roaring along at 55-19, five games ahead of the 50-24 Heat with New Orleans on the cusp of 50 wins. Cleveland are lousy and deserve to be on the bottom at 20-56.

Dallas Top Points
Jack Dawkins – 24.2
Earl Oliver – 18.8
Jeff Cunningham – 16.4

Dallas Top Assists
Nashon Smith – 6.9
Jack Dawkins – 5.4
Earl Oliver – 3.3

Dallas Top Rebounds
Julius Hobbs – 8.5
Jack Dawkins – 6.8
Jeff Cunningham – 5.8

League Leaders
Points – Enrique Mendez (MIN) – 29.8
Assists – Reggie Dobbins (ORL) – 10.5
Rebounds – Bryce Metcalf (CHA) – 9.9
Blocks – Anthony Davis (OKC) – 3.0
Steals – Cedric Watson (SAS) – 2.8
Efficiency – Enrique Mendez (MIN) – 28.6

Rookie Leaders
Points – Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 14.0
Assists – Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 7.5
Rebounds – Jason Harriman (BKL) – 6.9
Blocks – Jason Harriman (BKL) – 1.5
Steals – Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 1.9
Efficiency – Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 15.7

Last Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. (1) C Josiah Williams (West Virginia), Junior, 6’11”, 278lbs
2. (4) SG Chris Horvath (New Mexico State), Sophomore, 6’2”, 209lbs
3. (2) SF Patrick Blizzard (Florida), Sophomore, 6’8”, 210lbs
4. (3) C Erik Morris (Kentucky), Freshman, 6’9”, 277lbs
5. (NR) SF Ryan O’Brien (Kansas), Senior, 6’5”, 209lbs

Thoughts – If Williams doesn’t go #1 then it’s a wrong pick, that’s how cut and dry this draft is. He won’t be a world beater but he is the best this draft can offer and he will change a team straight away. Don’t be surprised if Williams, Horvath and Blizzard are the top three (barring accidents, diva behaviour at the combine).

[zike_42]

We're doing all right, though there is some reason for concern. I can't put my finger on it...just doesn't seem to be consistency. I'm not sure.

I have a feeling it's our defence that's going to be our downfall. I've always stressed good defenders on my team, I would rather have a great defender/poor scorer than the other way around but this year I thought I would try something different. Yes we have Nashon Smith who is rated 90 (out of 100) for defence but he is the only rotation guy who is above 70, with three of our starters (Julius, Earl and Jeff) all under 50. It's my little experiment to see if a great offensive team can win it all but if it doesn't I'm going to blow it up in the off-season.

[zike_42]

March Player of the Month – Ledaryl McMillian, Golden State Warriors – 33.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

March Rookie of the Month – Jehiel DeSantis, Denver Nuggets – 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 2.4 stealsand 0.4 blocks per game.

Great season by DeSantis, really out of the blue and he looks to be an up and coming assist leader in a few years.

Our first game of April, in which we have to win as many as possible to stitch up home court advantage, was against the disappointing Cavs. We were down at half time by as many as 15 before we turned on the jets to take the 108-101 win to sink Cleveland even further. Jeff Cunningham led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds and even though Jack and Julius shot 8/29 together they did add 22 points, 25 rebounds and 8 assists between them. Rookie Jesse Rucker was amazing with 20 points and 11 rebounds to offset Ron Winston’s 5/23 night.

Dallas Mavericks 56-17

The winning keeps on going as we take care of business in a 127-118 away game against Detroit. Jack was outstanding with 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds while Jeff and Earl were also over 20 points in the game. Marlon Haymon (who I was looking at before nabbing Jeff) had 32 points on 15/19 shooting as even though the Pistons shot a crazy 58% from the field we outran them, going 51/93 from the field compared to Detroit’s 47/81.

Dallas Mavericks 57-17

That’s five wins in a row as we blast the Bulls 59-25 in the second half to cruise to a 120-88 road game. Earl Oliver shot a lot but he also hit a lot, going 12/25 for 30 points as Joe Duggins added 12 points and 5 rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench. Brad Largent was the lone hand for Chicago with 22 points and 10 rebounds, one of only three Bulls in double figures.

Dallas Mavericks 58-17

It seems that everytime I say something about our winning streak we lose the next game and this was no different, going down to San Antonio 117-114 as John Flanigan hit a three pointer to break the tie with 7.7 seconds to go as we couldn’t get a shot off. Flanigan had 23 points in 17 minutes off the bench, helping out Darcel Settles’ 25 points and 11 assists. Earl Oliver had 32 points in the loss as Jack was held to only 10 minutes due to fouls.

Dallas Mavericks 58-18

A 129-104 win over Memphis gives us a one game lead over Washington for the best record in the league with five games to go and we need to keep winning to stay ahead of them. Jack had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists as Jeff shot 12/14 from the field (!!) for 29 points in 26 minutes. Cort Majishun led the Grizzlies with 23 points and 7 assists.

Dallas Mavericks 59-18

We have two away games in two nights against the Blazers as everyone knows they can put points on the board in an instant. Tiburcio Tommasini had 30 points, Tobe Slaughter added 31 points in 24 minutes while Kevin Epps had a massive triple double with 16 points, 18 assists and 10 rebounds but it just wasn’t enough. Jack led seven Mavericks in double figures as we outlasted the Blazers 130-127 as Washington lost to Minnesota tonight, giving us a little breathing room.

Dallas Mavericks 60-18

It’s a better scoreline as the result stays the same as we defeat Portland again 117-105. Earl Oliver was amazing with 41 points as Nashon was close to a triple double with 8 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds. Tobe Slaughter was again great with 20 points but Tiburcio Tommasini was held to ‘only’ 21 points while Kevin Epps didn’t get close to a triple double.

Dallas Mavericks 61-18

An away win over Sacramento will clinch us the top spot in the league but it’s always tough going into their home. Jaymes Kincaid showed why with 45 points and 15 assists (14/21 FG, 8/11 3P, 9/12 FT) while Bill Parker added 31 points in 32 minutes off the bench as we were blasted off the court, going down 146-141 in regulation. The Kings shot 63% from the field and from three point land as we had no defence against them and I’m surprised that we got so close. Earl had 32 points and Jack added 30 points in our loss.

Dallas Mavericks 61-19

With two games to go we are ahead of Washington by two games so a win over New York will seal it and a win we get, beating the Knicks easily 115-96. Nashon Smith was amazing with 18 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 5 steals to be so close to a triple double. Terry McKenzie continued his fine season with 21 points and 12 rebounds but turned the ball over five times.

Dallas Mavericks 62-19

With only one game left in the season and it’s a dead rubber against Houston we trot out a line-up of –

PG – Ryan Robinson
SG – Isaac Holdan
SF – William Jones
PF – Joe Duggins
C – Issiah Hemhill

Obviously we lose but not by much, going down 102-97. Williams Jones was great with 26 points while Joe Duggins added 14 points and 12 rebounds to turn back the clock a few years. Andy Kante shot badly for 23 points while Jay Warren added 21 points in the win.

Dallas Mavericks 62-20

Western Conference Final Standings
1 – Dallas Mavericks – 62-20 (.756)
2 – Oklahoma City Thunder – 52-30 (.634)
3 – Utah Jazz – 51-31 (.622)
4 – Portland Trailblazers – 50-32 (.610)
5 – Nevada Neon – 48-34 (.585)
6 – Minnesota Timberwolves – 48-34 (.585)
7 – Los Angeles Lakers – 47-35 (.573)
8 – Denver Nuggets – 46-36 (.561)
Last – Golden State Warriors – 22-60 (.268)

There were eleven teams with a .500 record or better and another two games below even which is just crazy. This playoffs is going to a brutal gauntlet so whoever comes out of it will be the favourite to win the title it seems.

Eastern Conference Final Standings
1 – Washington Wizards – 61-21 (.744)
2 – Miami Heat – 54-28 (.659)
3 – New Orleans Hornets – 52-30 (.634)
4 – Atlanta Hawks – 49-33 (.598)
5 – Philadelphia 76ers – 49-33 (.598)
6 – New York Knicks – 44-38 (.537)
7 – Chicago Bulls – 44-38 (.537)
8 – Toronto Raptors – 40-42 (.488)
Last – Cleveland Cavaliers – 21-61 (.256)

Not as deep as the West but still has some elite teams. The favourites are obviously Washington and Miami but if Atlanta can have some luck look for them to upset someone.

Dallas Top Points
Jack Dawkins – 23.7
Earl Oliver – 19.7
Jeff Cunningham – 16.5

Dallas Top Assists
Nashon Smith – 7.0
Jack Dawkins – 5.5
Earl Oliver – 3.2

Dallas Top Rebounds
Julius Hobbs – 8.5
Jack Dawkins – 6.6
Jeff Cunningham – 5.9

League Top Points
Enrique Mendez (MIN) – 29.4
Mike Bickerstaf (OKC) – 29.2
Ledaryl McMillian (GSW) – 28.0

League Top Assists
Reggie Dobbins (ORL) – 10.4
Kevin Epps (POR) – 10.1
Darcel Settles (SAS) – 10.1

League Top Rebounds
Mark Lewis (UTA) – 10.0
Bryce Metcalf (CHA) – 9.8
John Nemitz (NEV) – 9.6

League Top Blocks
Anthony Davis (OKC) – 2.9
Carl Farmer (SEA) – 2.6
Antonio Henderson (SAS) – 2.5

League Top Steals
Cedric Watson (SAS) – 2.8
Jay Warren (HOU) – 2.5
Camah Williams (MIN) – 2.3

League Top Efficiency
Enrique Mendez (MIN) – 28.3
Mike Bickerstaf (OKC) – 28.2
Ledaryl McMIllian (GSW) – 25.5

Rookie Top Points
Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 14.5
Andrew Brown (IND) – 12.5
Jesse Rucker (CLE) – 11.9

Rookie Top Assists
Jehiel DeSantis (DEN) – 7.7
Russell Haymon (DET) – 4.4
Andrew Brown (IND) – 4.2

Rookie Top Rebounds
Jason Harriman (BKL) – 7.0
Jesse Rucker (CLE) – 7.0
Marquis Bowen (NYK) – 5.5

[jcomey]

So glad this is back.

[zike_42]

2029 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Washington vs. #8 Toronto
#2 Miami vs. #7 Chicago
#3 New Orleans vs. #6 New York
#4 Atlanta vs. #5 Philadelphia

Western Conference
#1 Dallas vs. #8 Denver
#2 Oklahoma City vs. #7 Los Angeles
#3 Utah vs. #6 Minnesota
#4 Portland vs. #5 Nevada

We won the season series 2-1 but we can’t take the Nuggets for granted. Yes they are an eight seed but they still won 46 games on the season which is just brain bending. This conference is brutal.

Western Conference First Round – Denver vs. Dallas

Point Guard
Jehiel DeSantis vs. Nashon Smith
14.5 points, 7.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds vs. 13.7 points, 7.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds

The rookie sensation DeSantis has got better and better as the season has gone on and could be poised to break out even more in the playoffs. However, if Nashon Smith has anything to do with it he won’t make a sound, as Smith is the reigning All Defensive First Team PG and loves breaking down opponents.

Winner - Dallas

Shooting Guard
Jason London vs. Earl Oliver
22.6 points, 1.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds vs. 19.7 points, 3.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds

In one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory, Denver snatched London from the Bulls and haven’t looked back. His attitude is atrocious and if the Nuggets get down then London’s tantrums will soon follow. This is a great match-up to watch as both guards are elite scorers and want nothing more than to score more than the other.

Winner - Draw

Small Forward
Sean Morris vs. Jack Dawkins
14.7 points, 2.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds vs. 23.7 points, 5.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds

What can be said about Jack? He is the new Lebron James (without the defence) and is a triple double waiting to happen every night. His numbers are down from last season because of the added help in Oliver and Cunningham but Morris will need to muster all his strength if Denver wants to cause the upset.

Winner - Dallas

Power Forward
Leon Oliver vs. Julius Hobbs
13.4 points, 1.0 assist, 6.0 rebounds vs. 11.8 points, 1.3 assists, 8.5 rebounds

If Hobbs was on any other team he would be the focal point of the squad, but with the amount of talent the Mavericks have amassed he is happy at the moment to play glue guy. His defence is below average but his rebounding instincts are outstanding. Hobbs and Oliver were drafted consecutively two drafts ago in that monster PF draft that also included Michael McQuay and Andy Kante.

Winner - Draw

Centre
Nate Roberts vs. Jeff Cunningham
8.6 points, 1.0 assist, 5.9 rebounds vs. 16.5 points, 0.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds

In a massive blow to Denver Schuyler Vanderwerken broke his leg a while ago and even though he is nearly fully fit he won’t be 100% until after the series. He should play some minutes during this series but his output will be severely reduced. Which is a shame because Cunningham has trouble guarding good offensive centres and usually gets into early foul trouble, hampering the Mavericks.

Winner - Dallas

Bench
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kevin Jefferson, Kerwin Hucks vs. William Jones, Casey Floyd, Issiah Hemhill

It’s a strange roster by the Mavericks this season as during the tenure of GM Yaxley MacMillan they have at least one very good bench player on their roster, which they don’t have this season. They do have some serviceable bench guys in Jones, Hemhill and Ryan Robinson but they lack that dynamite ‘sixth starter’ guy. The Nuggets bench is woefully thin with Nate Roberts starting as MKG is the only decent guy coming off the pine.

Winner – Dallas

Prediction – Dallas in five. Without Vanderwerken the Nuggets aren’t going to get past the number one seed in the league so hopefully he can come back earlier than expected and give them some more fight.

It really doesn’t feel like ten years since I arrived in Dallas but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The city is fantastic, the people are charming and the Maverick fans are ravenous and, frankly, simply amazing. We went 36-5 at home on the season and even that is a down year here in Downtown Dallas. Before the game Jack made a stirring speech about wanting bring another championship to the city, back to where it belonged. He seems to be getting more comfortable with the captaining role every day, as the rest of the team seemed like they could take on a team full of X-Men running out onto the court. The game tight through the first half as we were down by two points at the long break as Jason London was putting on a show, having 20 points already. They extended their lead slightly at the last change as Jeff Cunningham was in foul trouble by Nate Roberts. Even though Roberts didn’t trouble the scoreboard much (11 points, 8 rebounds) he was too much of a handful for Jeff through the first three. Jeff got a blasting by Coach Garnett and thankfully for us and especially for him he took the advice to heart, scoring all 16 of his points in the last term as we rattled off a 37-23 last quarter to take game one 127-117. Jack led the way for us with 27 points while Julius Hobbs showed that he has arrived in the league with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jason London finished with 37 points but had seven turnovers as the Nuggets turned the ball over 23 times which gave us plenty of opportunities to take the win.

Dallas leads 1-0

Game two was completely different to game one, as we won every single quarter and held the Nuggets to 41% shooting (to our 55%) as we run roughshod over them 120-87 to really get the fans excited. Jack shot pretty badly for 28 points but it was Jeff Cunningham who looks to have taken Coach Garnett’s words to heart, going 12/20 for 28 points, but still only 3 rebounds. In one of the strangest games I have ever seen Earl Oliver play he only attempted two shots all game, hitting one. He wasn’t in foul trouble (two for the game) but ended up with 3 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in a very un-Oliver game. Jehiel DeSantis showed his might with 22 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds to nearly notch his first triple double while Jason London needed 27 shots to score 27 points in the loss.

Dallas leads 2-0

The Nuggets haven’t been to the playoffs in five years and the last time they made it out of the first round was way back in 2020 so saying that the Denver crowd was rowdy is a huge understatement. Sean Morris poked his head up for 25 points while Jason London continued to fill up the cup with 24 points. The biggest problem was that two of their starters, Jehiel DeSantis and Leon Oliver, shot 3/20 from the field together. To make matters worse for Denver Earl Oliver was back to his scorching scoring best, going 15/23 for 39 points and 7 rebounds as we wipe the floor with our opponents 130-108. We shot 59% from the field as Jack and Nashon combined for 42 points and 18 assists in a totally dominant team display.

Dallas leads 3-0

The Denver crowd is not in a good state of mind, they didn’t expect to be beaten so easily on their home turf. And rightfully so, as these two teams are the only two Western Conference squads to not lose double digit games at home (there were three in the East) so they expect greater things from their team. They were rewarded, as Jason London poured in 35 points while his backcourt running mate Jehiel DeSantis added 24 points and 9 assists to peg one back on us 120-111. The Nuggets hit 15 three pointers (11 from those two) and forced us to turn the ball over 18 times. Nashon, Earl and Jeff combined for 66 points, 18 assists and 14 rebounds but like in some games in the regular season, we couldn’t stop the Nuggets down the other end of the court.

Dallas leads 3-1

There were two sweeps in the playoffs as #3 Utah took care of the very tame Timberwolves while #4 Portland took out last year’s Western Conference champions Nevada.

Back home and the effect was astounding, as we torched the Nuggets 40-27 in the second quarter and then 42-22 in the third to take an insurmountable lead in the game and series to take both 131-113. Earl Oliver didn’t seemed to like not shooting and had 34 points while Jack was close by with 29 points and 6 assists. Jason London and Jehiel DeSantis combined for 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds but didn’t get any help from their teammates as we shot 53% from the field and 22 more free throws in the game. Onto the next series!

Dallas wins 4-1

The other number one seed in Washington also got through in five games, beating Toronto easily. The biggest upset was #7 Los Angeles upending #2 OKC in fives games as Mike Bickerstaf was hampered with a bung shooting shoulder for most of the series. The other three series’ went the distance, as two of the three favourites went though in #2 Miami and #4 Atlanta. The upset was the #6 Knicks outlasted the Hornets 111-93 in game seven behind Terry McKenzie’s 32 points and 13 rebounds.

[zike_42]

2029 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Washington vs. #4 Atlanta
#2 Miami vs. #6 New York

Western Conference
#1 Dallas vs. #4 Portland
#3 Utah vs. #7 Los Angeles

We won the regular season series 3-0 and torched the Blazers in every game, with our lowest total being 117. There are going to be some fireworks in this series as both teams are geared towards a high offensive game.

Western Conference Semi-Finals – Portland vs. Dallas

Point Guard
Kevin Epps vs. Nashon Smith
15.0 points, 8.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds vs. 18.8 points, 7.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds

A match up of two of the very best point guards in the league. Smith had a great series against Denver and will hope to continue his fine form to shut Epps down. That’s going to be hard because Epps is probably the best all around PG in the league; sure McMillian is the best PG in the league while Camah Williams/Darcel Settles are the best passing point guards they don’t have the all around game that Epps has.

Winner - Draw

Shooting Guard
Brian Williams vs. Earl Oliver
6.5 points, 3.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds vs. 23.6 points, 5.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds

It’s strange that Tobe Slaughter isn’t starting at SG especially with his great season but Tom Thibodeau is known to play veterans over young guys. That doesn’t mean that Slaughter won’t get minutes because Oliver is going to rip through Williams with his merciless offensive game. This is one position that the Mavericks need to fire.

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Tiburcio Tommasini vs. Jack Dawkins
24.5 points, 2.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds vs. 24.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds

This is not only the match up of the series but the match up of the whole playoffs as both players are the best of the best. Jack is a better all around player but TT has the defensive chops to slow down the Dallas captain. I’m just drooling thinking about how fierce these two will be against each other.

Winner - Draw

Power Forward
Shannon Barker vs. Julius Hobbs
8.8 points, 1.5 assists, 8.3 rebounds vs. 13.6 points, 1.4 assists, 8.8 rebounds

Even though Hobbs is the fifth starter on this star studded Mavericks team he is no slouch. His scoring is getting better and his rebounding is a good as ever. His defence is disappointing but Barker doesn’t have the skills to punish Hobbs.

Winner - Dallas

Centre
Jimmy Forrest vs. Jeff Cunningham
20.3 points, 1.0 assist, 8.0 rebounds vs. 18.2 points, 1.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds

Forrest is the Blazers’ shining light. He is an amazing, dominant, ‘scary for opposing teams’ big man that will destroy Cunningham from the get go. Cunningham has had trouble guarding elite centres all his career and even though he should get some points back he will be well and truly nullified by Forrest.

Winner - Portland

Bench
Tobe Slaughter, Willis Owens, Camara Brinker vs. William Jones, Issiah Hemhill, Ryan Robinson

Slaughter, Owens and Brinker could be starting on other teams around the league quite comfortably while the top three Dallas bench players wouldn’t. That’s the short of it, Portland’s bench is simply incredible and will either extend Portland leads or claw back Portland deficits.

Winner – Portland

Prediction – Dallas in seven. This is as 50/50 as you can get as Portland can really trouble the number one seed with their ridiculous scoring threat. Forrest and the Blazer bench will have to fire for them to get the upset. I’m so excited for this match-up I can’t sleep.

This series needs to start well because even though we were the best team in the league all season long it could go bad if we lose one or two home games early. Lucky for us and our supporters we did start early, getting out to a 31-21 first quarter lead to take all the suspense out of the game, drawing first blood 137-107. The main reason was Jack Dawkins, who not only had 27 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds but also held Tiburcio Tommasini to only 20 minutes where he scored only 8 points. So far so good. Earl Oliver was another reason with 28 points while Jeff Cunningham held his own, putting up 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks while Jimmy Forrest shot 8/19 for 18 points. In summary – we played great and held our opposition to play our game, pretty easy huh?

Dallas leads 1-0

If we can get these two home games I’ll breath a little easier because honestly, the Blazers worry me a little if they get their groove on. We did well to limit them in game one but we need to keep the ball rolling. Unfortunately Kevin Epps had other ideas, putting up 17 points and 18 assists while Tobe Slaughter added 20 points from the bench as the Blazers won both the first and last quarters. Too bad we won the other two by much more to take game two 109-97 behind some fantastic defence. Jeff Cunningham had probably he best all around game as a Maverick with 26 points and 10 rebounds and more importantly fouled out Jimmy Forrest in only 16 minutes with 10 points. Tiburcio Tommasini was also neutralised with only 11 points guarding Jack, who had 28 points. It seems that after Coach Garnett’s blast of Jeff last series and the pre-series write up about how Forrest will dominate him it seems Jeff has a huge chip on his shoulder and wants as many people as possible to know about it.

Dallas leads 2-0

The Blazers were ready for us at the Rose Garden, blasting us in the first quarter 26-16 and extending their lead to 14 points at half time behind the finally awoken Jimmy Forrest who ended the game with 31 points and 15 rebounds. All of their usual contributors contributed, as Tobe Slaughter put up 22 points in 24 minutes while Tiburcio Tommasini added 20 points. We looked down and out at three quarter time stil down by double digits and Jack having a horrible night at 1/11 but our two new stars Jeff and Earl came to the party. Both had 32 points for the game and combined to score 35 of our 39 last quarter points as we shocked the Portland crowd with a 39-21 last quarter to steal a 118-105 win to take a choke hold on the series. Julius Hobbs went 3/10 from the field but 10/13 from the line for 16 points and 17 rebounds as the whole team rallied when their leader had a rough night.

Dallas leads 3-0

Game four started well as Tiburcio Tommasini had three fouls in seven minutes before fouling out in only nine minutes. Crazy huh? What was crazy is the loss of their star SF seemed to jolt the team into life as Jimmy Forrest went into beast mode with 39 points and 7 rebounds as Kevin Epps and Tobe Slaughter combined for 46 points, leading the Blazers to shoot 57% from the field and the win 124-113. Jack had 27 points while Earl added 22 points (with 6 turnovers) but it was the Cunningham vs. Forrest battle that lost it for us as Jeff was held to only 15 points and 2 rebounds and as you know, Forrest did a little better.

Dallas leads 3-1

Just like against Denver we are hoping to move onto the next round with a game five win at home. The first half was a very close affair, as neither team got out to a lead more than five points, with the Blazers leading by that much. Unfortunately Tiburcio Tommasini finally woke up from his sleep with a blistering 33 points while Jimmy Forrest continued his dominance of Jeff with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Hell, even when Kevin Epps shoots badly (1/8) he does everything else well with 10 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds as the Blazers peg another one back 116-105. Jack and Julius combined to shoot 8/27 as our best players were Issiah Hemhill with 14 points in 19 minutes and William Jones with 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench, at least they shot well.

Dallas leads 3-2

Two series closed in five games, as #1 Washington brushed past #4 Atlanta while #3 Utah didn’t surprise anyone by moving on in five over the #7 seed Lakers.

This is it, game six and I don’t want the Blazers to have a chance to steal this series from us so a win here is extremely important. It started badly as the Blazers got out to a 40-30 first quarter lead behind their two stars with Tiburcio Tommasini adding 33 points and Jimmy Forrest nullifying Jeff Cunningham again with 28 points. However, after that first quarter it was like a completely different game as we outscored Portland 33-24, 34-24 and 40-25 in the next three to blast us into the Western Conference Finals 137-113. Jack was back to his best with 37 points with Earl adding 32 points as we shot a blistering 57% from the field and 65% from three to wipe the Blazers off the court. Seriously, it was like we were giving them a double figure head start just to make the game a little interesting.

Dallas wins 4-2

The Heat/Knicks series went the distance and it is the second consecutive series for New York to go to seven games so you know they are buggered. Terru McKenzie didn’t show it with 32 points and 13 rebounds while Vlado Prazina added 30 points but the Knicks were sloppy, as they just couldn’t slow down the Heat and were forced to foul and foul often with a 32-21 foul count in favour of Miami as the defending champions moved on with a 118-107 win behind Eryk Charnowski’s 30 points.

[zike_42]

2029 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Washington vs. #2 Miami

Western Conference
#1 Dallas vs. #3 Utah

We lost the season series 1-2 and I’m worried about this Utah team, moreso than I was with Portland. They are perfectly built around their superstar Mark Lewis and they just play together like they have been a team for 10 years. As they say, “a superstar team will always beat a team of superstars.”

Western Conference Finals – Utah vs. Dallas

Point Guard
Bret Davis vs. Nashon Smith
10.6 points, 12.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds vs. 15.5 points, 7.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds

I don’t know what they put in their water down in Utah but Davis has been playing out of his mind. All through his career he was a good but not great PG but now he looks like Jason Kidd, running the offence like he has years to make a decision. Smith will need to slow him down as Davis has a lot of the ball and if Smith can disrupt that it could trickle down to the whole team.

Winner - Draw

Shooting Guard
Sean Gilmore vs. Earl Oliver
13.8 points, 1.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds vs. 24.9 points, 4.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds

Gilmore was a part of the previous championship winning Dallas teams and was gutted when he was forced to leave by the league but he has found a new home in Salt Lake City. His scoring is passable but his defence will have to be up to scratch as Oliver has been on a tear lately and would love to get to his first ever NBA Finals.

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Gray Largent vs. Jack Dawkins
11.7 points, 1.1 assists, 9.4 rebounds vs. 23.4 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds

He may have been overshadowed by the exciting talent in the draft all those years ago but Largent is definitely making his name heard. Being drafted with Dawkins, Mike Bickerstaf, Kenneth Long and Terry McKenzie just to name a few, Gray has worked tirelessly to make sure people knew who he was and he carved out his niche as one of the best rebounding SFs in the league. He’s a good enough scorer but combining the massive frame of Mark Lewis with a 6’11”, 231lb Largent puts opponents in a spin. He will need all that length to stay with Jack Dawkins, the man who will dictate how far the Mavericks go in these playoffs.

Winner - Dallas

Power Forward
Dylan Callier vs. Julius Hobbs
22.2 points, 0.8 assists, 6.4 rebounds vs. 12.4 points, 1.3 assists, 9.6 rebounds

Another player to benefit greatly from playing with Mark Lewis, Callier has no put the rest of the league on notice. He is a terrible scorer outside the key, can’t pass to save himself, an average rebounder, shot blocker and stealer but he can score, has great hands and can defend. This is a tantelising match-up as Callier and Hobbs are very similar and will need to lift to get their team to victory.

Winner - Draw

Centre
Mark Lewis vs. Jeff Cunningham
24.4 points, 0.9 assists, 11.3 rebounds vs. 18.8 points, 1.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds

As with Portland, their centre is their shining light. Lewis has been undervalued lately because he is now 31 years old and still can’t hit a free throw but that doesn’t stop him from being the best damn centre in the league. He has a highest score of 58 points and his most rebounds in a game is 27 and just thinking about he should dominate Cunningham is delightful. Cunningham might get a lot of flak for being a terrible defender but if he can muster up even a 5/10 on defence it will go a long way to getting into his first ever NBA Finals (like Earl Oliver).

Winner - Utah

Bench
PJ Fowler, Nathaniel Jackson, Jevin Lindeman vs. William Jones, Issiah Hemhill, Ryan Robinson

Who knew that Nathaniel Jackson, they rookie who feel to #30 last draft after being a top five prospect for a while during the season and then fell like a stone because he wasn’t very good would turn out to be pretty good? He still can’t defend but his scoring is enough for a bench player. Honestly, both of these teams rely heavily on their starters so any additional production out of their benches would be favourable.

Winner – Draw

Prediction – Dallas in six. This all depends on the Lewis/Cunningham match-up; if Lewis can explode then Utah will be right there for the upset, if he falters then so does the Jazz.

It was strange to see Jack so pumped for the game, not because he is the captain or it’s his first time in the conference finals but because everyone was talking about Mark Lewis being the best player in the series and it seems that he took that as an insult. Starting the game he went a little too hard, trying to be everywhere but after a bit he settled down and destroyed everyone. He went 14/30 (most of those misses were in the first half) for 38 points to lead us to a first game win 126-109. He didn’t have all the glory though as Jeff Cunningham fouled out in 16 minutes for only 6 points but Mark Lewis didn’t take advantage, also fouling out in 22 minutes. The reason? Issiah Hemhill, who went 5/9 from the field for 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks filling in for Jeff and nullified Lewis.

Dallas leads 1-0

After a 18-18 first quarter tie I did not expect what happened next. Mark Lewis had 21 points but didn’t have any help as we went 42-25, 33-27 and astonishingly 27-8 in the last quarter to totally blow the Jazz out of the water 120-78. Jack led the way again with 30 points and 8 rebounds but it was Joe Duggins’ turn to come up big off the bench with 7 points and 14 rebounds. Total domination as the Dallas crowd was in a frenzy, cheering wildly for every basket after quarter time.

Dallas leads 2-0

Going back to Utah the SLC crowd was raucous, ready for a fight. Bret Davis was ready as well, going 8/11 from the field for 24 points and 13 assists while holding Nashon Smith to only 10 points. Jack also had an off game; sure he scored 32 points but he went 9/25 from the field. Earl Oliver took up the slack with 30 points as Mark Lewis was again ineffective as he only played 19 minutes before fouling out as Jeff Cunningham had 22 points (but also fouling out) and we took a stranglehold on the series by winning 135-119.

Dallas leads 3-0

Who knew that we would be up 3-0 in the WCF with a chance to move on to the NBA Finals against the juggernaut Jazz? Luckily for Utah, Dylan Callier decided that he would channel Karl Malone and smash us, going 11/12 for 27 points and 12 rebounds as Mark Lewis was again caught in foul trouble as he was limited to only 21 minutes for 12 points and 7 rebounds. We held a one point lead at three quarter time led by Jack’s 24 points and 9 rebounds and Julius Hobbs’ 15 points and 18 rebounds.

And then Earl Oliver took over.

Our star SG went ballistic, hitting 17 points in the last term to equal Utah’s quarter total for 32 total points as we rattled off a 31-17 last term to win the game 111-96 and the series 4-0 to shock the basketballing world.

Dallas wins 4-0

In the East, Miami won the first two games at home but was drawn back into the fight as Washington won the next two behind Rowan Taylor going crazy. Yes, that means that the first four games were won by the away team. Game five was another away win as Miami took a 3-2 lead with game six at home. Unfortunately for the Wizards the Heat won their home game as Cederic Mapp scored 31 points to lead Miami to try and go back to back with a 130-104 win. Can we stop Miami?

[zike_42]

2029 NBA Finals

#1 Dallas vs. #2 Miami

We started the season against Miami and we will finish the season against the Heat and we beat them both times we played them. Honestly, even though Miami are the defending champions I would rather play them than the Wizards.

NBA Finals – Miami vs. Dallas

Point Guard
Kenneth Long vs. Nashon Smith
15.6 points, 9.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds vs. 15.5 points, 7.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds

Kenneth Long is another of the stupidly talented players of the 2025 draft to try and get to the top and his resume is already looking good: All Star game MVP, All NBA 2nd team, NBA Finals MVP from last year it is fantastic. He will need to play well against the current All Defence First Team PG as Long has had a down playoffs so far and will need to step up his game to go back to back.

Winner - Miami

Shooting Guard
Cederic Mapp vs. Earl Oliver
9.2 points, 3.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds vs. 24.0 points, 4.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds

Everyone knew that Oliver had the talent to be a top five player but the way he has handled the pressure from not only his teammates, his coaches and his fans but from himself as well. During his stint in Portland Earl was known to go into his shell went shots weren’t dropping but he has finally spread his wings in Dallas and it’s paying off handsomely. Mapp isn’t that good of a defender so if Oliver can get on a roll it will be lights out for Miami.

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Keith Selden vs. Jack Dawkins
13.6 points, 2.2 assists, 6.6 rebounds vs. 25.4 points, 5.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds

Let me say something right off the bat – Keith Selden is a below average defender. He is also quite slim and isn’t the smartest player on the court. All of these factors could lead Captain Jack (an honour bestowed personally on Jack Dawkins from the previous captain in Stephen Jackson) to have a huge series and could single handedly bring back the trophy to the Big D.

Winner - Dallas

Power Forward
Tim Greenberg vs. Julius Hobbs
17.7 points, 0.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds vs. 12.8 points, 1.2 assists, 10.5 rebounds

One of the match-ups that Miami have to exploit to have a fighting chance as Greenberg is a fantastic scorer and more importantly big enough to hold onto Hobbs. Tim’s defence is top notch as well which could nullify the young Maverick. This is a definite X-Factor battle.

Winner - Draw

Centre
Eryk Charnowski vs. Jeff Cunningham
17.3 points, 1.1 assists, 6.4 rebounds vs. 17.1 points, 0.9 assists, 6.1 rebounds

What can be said of Jeff Cunningham, going up against two of the greatest big men in the game in Jimmy Forrest and Mark Lewis and besting them both after being written off from the beginning? He limited Mark Lewis, arguably the best centre in the game right now, to 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 fouls per game in only 22.5 minutes in the four games. This defensive effort from Cunningham is completely abnormal from someone who usually gives up as many as he gets. If he can hold down Charnowski (another sizzling centre) then the trophy is a good as their’s.

Winner – Miami (although on Cunningham’s recent form it should be closer to a draw)

Bench
Lance Ellis, Ross Lampley, Art Haynes vs. William Jones, Issiah Hemhill, Ryan Robinson

Miami’s bench is legendary. Ellis is nursing a bruised sternum and even though he should play he won’t be fully fit until game four or so which will hurt them but Lampley and Haynes are fantastic while defensive specialist centre Austin Huge should be a huge advantage taking on Jeff Cunningham. Another series where Dallas’ bench should be blown away by the depth and talent of their opponents.

Winner – Miami

Prediction – Dallas in six. The Heat will have to be on fire from the get go to snatch an away win and with Lance Ellis hurting it could be too much for Miami to go back to back.

It’s been five years since we won our last championship, before all of the drama over our ex-owner and when Matt Brown nearly had the most assists in a season ever. How time flies, and how time makes fans crazy. Our crowd was immense as we had an old fashioned blue out, as our owner Mr Perry splurged for everyone in the crowd to get a blue T-shirt that said “The Time Is Now” with our logo. I’m pretty sure I saw about four red Miami Heat jerseys as they stood out like sore thumbs in the sea of blue and weren’t looking very happy about it.

To the game proper, Kenneth Long had a devil’s triple double with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 turnovers as Jeff Cunningham took another scalp as he scored 24 points to Eryk’s 10 points and 9 rebounds. We weren’t out of the woods though as Cederic Mapp added 21 points as it was all level at three quarter time. That made the crowd even louder as there were reports of people calling into emergency services thinking an earthquake was occurring because of the noise. All of our stars fired with Captain Jack leading the way with 25 points and 9 rebounds, Earl adding 21 points while Nashon finished with 20 points. Too bad none of those guys was the real star of the game as Ryan Robinson turned back the clock, scoring all 13 of his points in the last term as we outscored the Heat 26-15 to take first blood 114-103.

Dallas leads 1-0

We were onto a good thing and no-one in Dallas wanted that to stop. What did stop was Kenneth Long’s form, going 2/11 for 8 points, 10 assists and 7 turnovers as Nashon Smith is riding him into the ground, which is the exact reason why I brought him aboard. Tim Greenberg showed his scoring chops with 22 points and 8 rebounds but Eryk Charnowski was again frustrated, only scoring 16 points. That means that we had full reign of the ball with Long turning it over and Eryk not doing anything exciting as we win again, this time more comfortably 110-95. Earl Oliver was electric with 32 points while Jack Dawkins and Julius Hobbs shot badly but combined for 22 rebounds.

Dallas leads 2-0

I’m pretty sure if The Beatles in their prime were in the same airport as our team they wouldn’t have got a second look as all eyes were on the Mavericks on their way to Miami. Our reception was cold and icy from the balmy Miami population, as nearly everyone in the city wouldn’t even give us the time of day, making anyone that had anything to do with the team wait until everyone else was served before paying attention. I waited 20 minutes for an beer from a local bar before the game even though there was only three other people in the actual place.

Captain Jack returned the favour with 30 points while Earl Oliver put up 23 points but like the general public, the Heat weren’t ready to play nice. Kenneth Long was close to a devil’s quadruple double with 34 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 9 turnovers as the Heat held on to a slim lead all game to get one back 111-105. Eryk Charnowski still can’t get away from Jeff with only 10 points in 23 minute before fouling out but we couldn’t stop anyone else, shooting 44% compared to Miami’s 53%.

Dallas leads 2-1

If we can steal a game in Miami it will give us a major boost as the NBA Finals series is run 2-3-2 so if we win the next game we will have three tries to clinch the title. Kenneth Long only had 5 turnovers to go with his 22 points but it was our turn to explode from the field, shooting 53% with Nashon leading the way with 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds (10/13 shooting) as we take a massive, massive, MASSIVE 115-101 win to go to the brink of immortality. Jack added 21 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds as Jeff Cunningham should be named All Defensive Player right now as he fouled out Eryk in only 24 minutes. ONE MORE GAME! Can you feel it?

Dallas leads 3-1

In game five Earl Oliver was simply unstoppable, going 16/22 from the field for a whopping 40 points as we lose 112-108. Wait, we lost? Yep, in a very tight contest as neither team got a double digit lead it was Miami well publicized depth that won it for them as seven Heat players were in double figures, led by the now healthy Lance Ellis with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Kenneth Long still hasn’t got his shooting touch down, going 2/9 but still handed out 13 assists and only turned it over four times. Jack had 22 points and 9 assists but Jeff finally lost a battle to Eryk, fouling out in only 19 minutes.

Dallas leads 3-2

The good news is that if we do win one of the next two homes games we can celebrate with our lunatic fans instead of those cold, heartless Miami guys (as you might guess I’m writing this in Dallas). All I can say is that game six will go down as one of the biggest anticlimaxes in history as we had the top four scorers in the game, our biggest lead was 29 points and we took home the glory with a 134-107 spanking. Captain Jack lived up to his hype with 37 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds as Nashon Smith added 20 points and 8 assists. But who cares about the stats? We just won the championship! I raced down the stairs while getting mobbed by the people in the crowd to centre court as the whole team surround me and the coaching staff. Everyone on the team weren’t there for our last title but the coaches were and the players were very keen on showing their gratitude with a massive group hug which covered my $5000 suit in sweat, but I didn’t mind at all. As you might expect, the photo of the NBA Finals was the moving mass of sweaty basketballers enveloping myself and the coaches as confetti and streamers rained from the roof. In a surprise move Jeff Cunningham took home the Finals MVP. Surprising because he only averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds a game in the Finals but because of his total dismantling of one of the best centres in the league in Eryk Charnowski. He did everyone proud and in a shocking display I actually saw Coach Garnett shed a tear when he mobbed Jeff as Coach was the one to really push Jeff to the limit after calling him out in the first round.

How sweet it is...

Dallas wins 4-2

[jcomey]

Awesome! I really hope you carry this out through the careers of the current players. I want to see how Jack, and Kenneth Long, do over the course of their careers.

[zike_42]

Awesome! I really hope you carry this out through the careers of the current players. I want to see how Jack, and Kenneth Long, do over the course of their careers.

Definitely, I'm 49 years old now (in game) so another 15 or so years will put me right in retirement age so I think I'll bow out when the last of the Rookie Six goes.