SimWorld Presents: Reaching for Greatness (A NBA2K Dynasty)

[AdamJones113]

Pistons 110, Hawks 78 (Series tied 1-1):
Detroit handily punished the Hawks in the second game of the series in Atlanta, with the loser being once again held below 80 points (Atlanta won the first game 92-72). The game was hardly in doubt after the beginning of the second quarter, when the Pistons' trio of Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris, and Reggie Jackson gelled the exact way they need to for the seventh-seeded Pistons to come out on top of the series. The Pistons won the all-important strength-on-strength matchup, going +15 in rebounds and +12 in points in the paint. The series heads back to the Palace for the next couple of games.

Cavaliers 115, Bulls 91 (Cavs lead series 2-0):
The big 3 led the charge with 71 total points, with LeBron flirting with a triple-double. It hasn't been an easy series for the Bulls so far—not that it was expected to be—but they aren't helping themselves. Getting outscored 26-10 in the third quarter after going into halftime in a good situation really killed Chicago here; D-Wade's 5-22 shooting performance cannot be replicated if Chicago wants to make another trip to The Land. The series heads to the Windy City, and hopefully better home fortunes for the Bulls, for the next two games.

Rockets 98, Grizzlies 89 (Series tied 1-1):
While the Rockets did win this one, it wasn't an easy win, and, more worryingly, Houston's high-powered offense failed to crack 100 points once again. That's promising for the Grizzlies, who are very happy to split the opening two games in Houston. They're licking their chops further at the fact that the Rockets' shooting hasn't returned from their doldrums; only some timely, and long-overdue, three-point success from Eric Gordon and Lou Williams saved the Rockets in this one (in a 4th quarter they won by 7 points). The Grizz, coming off a weak shooting night of their own, will get their home cracks in as the series transitions back to Memphis for the next two meetings.

Warriors 114, Nuggets 91 (Warriors lead series 2-0):
A game that was well over by halftime, where the Warriors led by a more-than-comfortable 21. Coasting the rest of the way, the Dubs showed how terrifying they'll be for future opponents, as Steph Curry and Draymond Green both fell just short of triple-doubles, and Kevin Durant's long arms seemed everywhere (he finished with 5 blocks and 27 points). The defense was there too, against a capable Nuggets team (albeit a decimated one). The series heads to high and flighty Denver for the next two games, but the Warriors should have plenty of time to catch their breath between those games and round 2.

[ronyell]

BOX SCORES

[ronyell]

April 19th, 2017

Watch Russ and Oladipo hook up for nasty alley-oop:




Chris Webber on NBATV: "The Utah Jazz are so versatile. They can matchup with anyone in the playoffs right now in my opinion. Everybody think the Clippers are struggling, well how about the Jazz are outplaying them."


John Wall on Crowder ejection:




Chris Paul refuses post game interview, avoids cameras after Game 3 loss to Jazz


Mark Cuban on Russell Westbrook: "Maybe if the guy worked more on closing games than he does dance routines with his teammates, he could see some success."


Gordon went for an MRI on shoulder after Game 3 win. Results were negative, will play in Game 4


Dwight Howard on pressure to win Game 3 in Detroit: "We gucci."


Phil Jackson to hold private meeting with owners, Melo & Hornacek.

[AdamJones113]

April 19, 2017

Raptors 94, Bucks 91 (Raptors lead series 3-0):
DeMar DeRozan hit three huge shots late to quiet the roaring Milwaukee crowd and see the Raptors to one game away from the a first-round sweep. The Raptors managed to set aside the raucous crowd and Giannis Antetokounmpo's huge triple double to win big in the 4th quarter, pulling ahead for the final time in the last 90 seconds (Toronto outscored Milwaukee 30-27 in the fourth, highest-scoring, quarter). The Bucks need to recoup immediately, despite the bitter loss; it's a team game, and their team just needs to play well enough to survive here. Just gotta win this home game first... then we all know a 3-1 comeback is possible.

Celtics 117, Wizards 93 (Celtics lead series 2-1):
There is great joy in Beantown, for Isaiah Thomas has found his shot. Thomas scored 32 points to lead the Celtics over the Wizards in DC to take an important 2-1 lead in the series, despite John Wall's big 27 point, 13 assist game. Avery Bradley chipped in 24 points of his own. The Celtics took a slim, four-point lead into the fourth, but rampaged in that final quarter to the tune of a 39-19 margin in the quarter. The Wizards know what they need to do, namely stop the three-point shot—they allowed 14-27 to Boston. It's not magic.

Spurs 95, Thunder 83 (Spurs lead series 2-1):
Another game tied heading into the fourth, another game where one team showed its dominance in that one quarter. The Spurs turned on the offense, outscoring the Thunder 34-22 in the fourth. It's a bad sign, too, for the Thunder, since Russell Westbrook played the entire quarter; if OKC can't win with Russ on at home, they most certainly can't win with Russ off, road or home. As for smothering Kawhi, sure, he only shot 33% from the field, but 7 of his 22 came in the 4th quarter, and he did notch 14 rebounds—5 more than Russ.

Jazz 104, Clippers 79 (Jazz lead series 2-1):
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers; if you can't hold onto the ball, you can't score, and if you can't score, you can't win. The Clippers are case in point: they turned the rock over 21 times (to the Jazz's 8), including 6 times in a first quarter in which they scored a paltry 12 points. The shooting isn't there either for LA, and it most certainly is for the Jazz. The Clippers—Doc Rivers, CP3, and Blake Griffin especially—must right this ship before the damage becomes permanent. Losing game 4 in Utah would make a first-round exit, a franchise-changing exit, very very likely.

[AdamJones113]

Mike Conley went fourth overall to the Grizzlies

10 Years On: A Look Back at the 2007 Draft (Part 2)

Has ten years been long enough to right wrongs, and wrong rights?


April 19, 2017


Last time around, we looked at the very different cases of the first and second picks of the 2007 draft, Greg Oden (of The Ohio State!) and KD (Texas). This time around, we're going to finish discussing the top 10 picks and how that top 10 class has affected the NBA since their entry into the league, and, more specifically, how sometimes a player is left to the whims of his team—or teams. And how, somehow, the Memphis Grizzlies turned out to be the biggest player in this draft.

A little background: The Florida Gators won back to back NCAA championships with the starting five of Lee Humphrey, Taurean Green, Corey Brewer, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah. In their second championship game, they beat the Greg Oden- and Mike Conley-led Buckeyes to win the chip (coincidentally, Florida beat Ohio State to win the national championship that year in football as well).

A few player notes:
Al Horford went third, to the Hawks, and has been as solid and dependable as he was at Florida—albeit with less postseason success.
Mike Conley turned into a great pick for the Grizzlies in terms of value. This turned out to be a great draft for the Grizzles. Even though they had the best chance at the #1 pick in the lottery and didn't get it, that was a blessing in disguise, as they didn't wind up with Greg Oden, to which the Trail Blazers can confirm. More on that later.
Rounding out the three Gators in the top 10, Corey Brewer went to Minnesota and still hangs around the league today as a role player; Joakim Noah went to the Bulls at #9 as part of a deal that wound up working well for the... Memphis Grizzlies.

It's also important to note that this draft helped complete the first Big Three in Boston. The Sonics (ah, the Sonics) swung Ray Allen and the 35th pick, Big Baby Davis, to the Celtics for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Jeff Green (whom the Celtics picked at #5 on behalf of Seattle). Boston, of course, went on to win it all the next year, so essentially Jeff Green was traded to Seattle for a championship. And then he got traded back to Boston years later, but that's a different story.

Back to the Grizzlies for a moment. As we noted, they picked Mike Conley, who's been a stalwart for them at point guard, and very underrated to boot. They avoided the walking mess—or, rather, the limping mess—that used to be Greg Oden. But how did the Bulls' acquisition of the the Joakim Noah pick turn out well for Memphis? Simple. Zach Randolph went to the Knicks in that trade, got dealt almost immediately afterward, got suspended and released from that team, and signed on with the Grizz, where he found his form. The #8 pick, Brandan Wright (who was picked by the Bobcats and then swapped to the Warriors for Jason Richardson, essentially), signed on to the Grizz in 2015—though I'm not sure that they'd call it good for the squad, however. Oh, and yeah, this was the draft that got the Grizz Marc Gasol. More on that later.

As for the last two picks we haven't discussed, that's because there's not much to discuss. Yi Jianlian went 6th to the Bucks, and whose best moment was a long time ago (unless you count his mention in a great John Oliver episode). This draft was the first in which multiple draftees were from China, a feat not repeated until last season. The tenth pick in this draft was Spencer Hawes; ten is an important number for him, since he's mostly been the tenth man on the team (i.e. fifth off the bench)—or played like it—for most of his career.

Whew. That's part two. Next time around, we'll round out a mediocre first round that's not without a bit of Swaggy P flair.

[ronyell]

April 19th, 2017




AFTER MONTHS OF SPECULATION AS TO IF CHRIS BOSH WOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY BASKETBALL EVER AGAIN AND IF THE HEAT WOULD ALLOW HIM TO LEAVE, DOCTORS HAVE CLEARED BOSH TO PLAY. PAT RILEY HAS NOT COMMENTED ON THE SITUATION BUT IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE HEAT ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING BOSH'S SALARY ON THE BOOKS FOR NEXT SEASON.

[ronyell]

April 19th, 2017

[ronyell]

BOX SCORES