Invoking Celtic Memory: 1995 On (DDS:PB) - Page 2

Izulde · 05-02-2009, 04:45 PM

I took my usual New Year's hot cider on the first and settled down in my chair to examine the scouting reports of the incoming rookies. Unlike last year's deep class, this one looked to have two bona fide stars in big man Tim Duncan and swingman high schooler Tracy McGrady, with the pool quite shallow after that. Not a good year to have two first round picks in.

I began to think of the possibility of trading one of our firsts as I reviewed the trades of the previous month.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
SG Todd Day

Milwaukee Bucks receive
C Stanley Roberts
Los Angeles Clippers 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
Day, 27, has some scoring instincts, but has proven an inconsistent shooter. His greatest asset for the Clippers is his expiring $2.9 million expiring contract. He'll come off the bench.

What this means for the Bucks
The 26 year old Roberts is big on size at 7', 280 pounds, but he's small on talent and signed for another year. He's nothing more than a buried bench player and the 2nd round pick is likely a mid-round selection.

Winner: Clippers
Not only is Day more talented than Roberts, he's an expiring contract and an immediate contributor as the Red and White hunt for a playoff spot.

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Jamie Feick

Chicago Bulls receive
Denver Nuggets 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Nuggets
Feick, the last pick in the first round of the most recent draft, is a one note player as a rebounder. He provides youth to Denver's frontcourt and he'll get a lot more minutes with the Nuggets than he did with the Bulls.

What this means for the Bulls
Denver's 15-15 and Feick is a reserve, one that's nowhere near enough to propel the Nuggets to an upper echelon team. Although the draft class looks quite weak next year, having a likely mid-first round pick should still yield a more talented player than Feick.

Winner: Chicago
The Bulls will have to go into rebuilding mode eventually and stockpiling firsts is a good way to start doing that, especially for a player of as limited talent as Feick.

Utah Jazz receive
SG Erick Strickland

New York Knicks receive
Utah Jazz 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Jazz
Strickland looks to have decent all-around talent and is still developing his understanding of basketball. In fact, he was a steal with the 23rd pick in the 2nd round, 52nd overall. He'll slide in as the Jazz's 6th man and inject some youth into the aging Utah backcourt.

What this means for the Knicks
Given the weakness of the upcoming class and the high likelihood of the pick being a late first, it's not as uneven as Strickland's draft position suggests. On the other hand, the Knicks are a shocking 12-17 this season and their key players, including Patrick Ewing are all in their mid-30s.

Winner: Draw
Good trade for both teams.

Milwaukee Bucks receive
PF Don MacLean

New York Knicks receive
PF Marty Conlon
Milwaukee Bucks 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Bucks
Maclean's primarily a scorer and that's something Milwaukee needs more of our of their bench players, especially their big men. He becomes the first big off the bench.

What this means for the Knicks
Conlon's roster filler and an expiring $1.4 million contract. The second should be high, which will further aid New York's segue into a rebuilding project.

Winner: Draw
Maclean's an expiring contract too, at $800k and change. If he were signed for longer, this would probably be a slight edge to the Bucks, but he's not, so it's a draw.

A quick check around the league netted me the right deal I was looking for.

Boston Celtics receive
C Theo Ratliff
Dallas Mavericks 1999 2nd round pick

Dallas Mavericks receive
SG Sarath Minor
Boston Celtics 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Celtics
Boston's very thin at center and they don't have any youth there. Ratliff, while raw, gives them that much-needed young player at 23 years old. He's a great shotblocker already and has the potential to develop a very good inside shot and good defense.

What this means for the Mavericks
Given how hot the Celtics have been, this is probably a late first in a weak class. Minor is young, but mere roster filler.

Winner: Boston
A small trade, but a key pickup for the Celtics, who needed the youth and depth at center.

We nearly lost our first game of the new year, but we withstood the furious Cavaliers rally to eke out an 88-83 victory. Terrell Brandon and Brett Szabo doubled for Cleveland with 17 points, 14 assists and 11 points, 19 rebounds respectively, but we won thanks to Glen Rice's 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals and Theo Ratliff's great debut as our 6th man, with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Marcus Camby looked pretty good for the Mavericks with 15 points and 12 rebounds, but we overran Dallas 112-82. Allen Iverson scored 30 and Glen Rice was a fantastic second with 25 points.

The Knicks handed us our first loss in a long time, beating us 107-101 on Patrick Ewing's monstrous 36 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists and Derek Fisher's 26 points, negating Glen Rice's 33 points, Allen Iverson's 28 points and Larry Johnson's 16 points and 14 rebounds.

We rebounded with a 109-80 home whipping of the Kings, blowing off Mitch Richmond's 21 points and Olden Polynice's 11 points and 10 rebounds via Glen Rice's 32 points and Larry Johnson's 21 points and 11 rebounds. I can't tell you just how good it felt having those two on our team. After they'd given us so much trouble in Charlotte, now they were the ones causing problems to other teams for us. It's like the old saying goes, if you can't beat them, get them on your side.

126-95 made for sweet revenge versus the Knicks as we had 4 players with 20+ points: Glen Rice (28 points), Stephon Marbury (24 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds), Larry Johnson (21 points) and Allen Iverson (20 points). To top it all off, Theo Ratliff scored 10 off the bench. The Knicks' leading scorer was Hubert Davis with 17 reserve points.

Unfortunately, we got tired the next night in Atlanta and were blown out in the fourth quarter, losing 91-74. Mookie Blaylock pounded us for 22 points and Ken Norman torched us for 13 points off the bench. Glen Rice was the only player on our side who had any kind of form that night, finishing with 21 points.

It wasn't a good start to our five game road trip and a 39-19 2nd quarter did us in as we lost two games in a row for the first time since the early season, as the Spurs knocked us out 114-104. David "The Admiral" Robinson could not be denied as he had 35 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, Armon Gilliam posting 20 points and 11 rebounds. Although we played well in the second half, it just wasn't enough and nor was Allen Iverson and Glen Rice's 34 and 30 points or Stephon Marbury's 14 points and 11 assists.

Our losing skid hit 3 in Houston as we just couldn't catch up to them in a close 103-97 defeat. Hakeem Olajuwon ruled the post with 23 points and 15 rebounds, Sam Cassell sniped for 28 points and Mark Hendrickson doubled with 12 points, 12 rebounds. On our end, Stephon Marbury had 22 points, Theo Ratliff 18 bench points and 4 blocks, Pervis Ellison 13 bench rebounds.

The cold snap finally broke in Dallas the following night as we outlasted Marcus Camby's 14 points and 10 rebounds, Jason Kidd's 16 points and 10 assists and Monty Williams's 12 bench points to come out on top 93-85. Allen Iverson scored 27, Stephon Marbury netted 16 points and 13 assists and Brian Shaw didn't miss a shot all night, leading the reserves with 11 points.

We salvaged a 2-3 road trip a couple nights later in Toronto, ripping the Raptors 111-96. Dean Garrett, who'd been feeling the heat from Theo Ratliff for the starting center spot, broke through for 18 points and 10 rebounds in support of Glen Rice's 27 points, Allen Iverson's 24 points and Stephon Marbury's 16 points and 17 assists. Ratliff, by the way, had 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench. For Toronto, it was the usual two step with Damon Stoudamire scoring 26 and Juwan Howard hauling in 24 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately for the Canadian team, to play the Celtics, you needed more dance moves than that.

We came home and erased the memories of our three straight losses on the road with our third straight win, 113-103 over the Lakers. Glen Rice burned the Purple and Gold for 33 points and a glut of double-doubles reinforced him: Stephon Marbury (18 points, 13 assists), Larry Johnson (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Dean Garrett (11 points, 10 rebounds). The Lakers tried their best, but Cedric Cellabos's 25 points and Magic Johnson's 12 points and 10 assists just weren't up to snuff.

What a difference a year made. In 1995-96, the Pacers scared us, but in 96/97, we had no fear of Indiana and we proved it by routing them 99-77. Reggie Miller may have scored 23 and Dale Davis might have been a board machine with 13 points and 17 rebounds, but with Dean Garrett staying hot with 20 points, Larry Johnson matching those 20 points, with 10 rebounds and 5 assists on top of it and Stephon Marbury's 17 points and 10 assists, the outcome was never in doubt.

Our defense let Penny Hardaway run wild for 30 points and 12 assists, but we shut down the rest of the Magic, winning 98-84 in Orlando. Glen Rice led our counterattack with 28 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury applied the finisher with 21 points. Of course, the real reason we won and the reason why the Magic were 16-27, was because Shaquille O'Neal was out with a broken toe.

Home cooking the night after yielded a 101-89 win over the Grizzlies, Ashraf Amaya's excellent 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists undone by all five Celtics starters scoring 12 or more, headlined by Larry Johnson's 23 points and 9 rebounds, Glen Rice's 21 points and Dean Garrett's 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers were out for blood in Indiana and they got it, winning a 106-103 OT barnburner. Reggie Miller electrified with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, Rik Smits grabbed 23 points and 13 rebounds, Mark Jackson scored 22 and Bruce Bowen came up with a critical 12 bench points, while hounding Sherman Douglas to a game-killing 1 for 10 night. It was a heartbreaking loss, especially after Stephon Marbury's 22 points and 12 assists, Allen Iverson's 22 points, Larry Johnson's 21 points and 10 rebounds and Glen Rice's 21 points.

I had a bad feeling that we were going to be exhausted heading to Miami for our final game of the month the next night. Stephon Marbury certainly was, going 3 for 20. My fear rose when Alonzo Mourning bullied the middle for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, but Glen Rice, Larry Johnson and Allen Iverson banded together in Peach Grove Oath style with 29, 21 and 23 points respectively and Dean Garrett fought his way to 10 points and 13 rebounds in our 114-92 triumph.

It was a topsy-turvy month, but as February dawned, we were 31-14 with a commanding 7 game lead on the Bullets in the Atlantic. Unfortunately, we were also fourth in the East behind Indiana (34-11), Cleveland (32-13) and Chicago (31-13).

While the East boasted four 30+ win teams, only two held that distinction in the West - 34-13 Houston and 32-12 Utah. Phoenix and Seattle were deadlocked atop the Pacific at 28-15 and 29-16 respectively.

Celtics Leaders

Scoring
Glen Rice - 25.0
Allen Iverson - 20.7
Larry Johnson - 16.1

Rebounds
Dean Garrett - 8.4
Larry Johnson - 8.4
Glen Rice - 6.0

Assists
Stephon Marbury - 9.0
Larry Johnson - 4.2
Allen Iverson - 4.2

Blocks
Theo Ratliff - 1.9
Dean Garrett - 1.8
Pervis Ellison - 1.0

Steals
Allen Iverson - 1.7
Glen Rice - 1.4
Larry Johnson - 1.0

Izulde · 05-05-2009, 02:47 AM

January proved another quiet month for trades as teams prepared to wait for the deadline.

New Jersey Nets receive
C Kevin Willis

Miami Heat receive
New Jersey Nets 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Nets
At 34, the 7' 220 lb Willis is no longer the quality big man he once was, but still brings some scoring and excellent rebounding ability to a bench and will be the first reserve center. Odd move for the Nets, though, as they're clearly in rebuilding mode.

What this means for the Heat
Lacking their own first round pick, Miami picks up a high 2nd for Willis. But could this move hurt their playoff chances?

Winner: Draw
Each side gives up a little something to get something that may not be the best fit for them.

I dreaded going to Cleveland to open the month and rightfully so, as the Cavaliers blew us out 97-72. Glen Rice looked great with 32 points, but the combined backcourt of Starbury and Allen Iverson went 8 for 34. In contrast, Terrell Brandon lit up for 21 points and 10 assists, a point total matched by Chris Mills.

We went home the next night to host the Spurs and it was a classic 1 on 1 superstar battle. David Robinson was magnificient with 36 points, 18 rebounds and 7 blocks, while Allen Iverson countered him with 42 points. In the end, we emerged 103-82 routers, aided in part by Theo Ratliff's 11 bench rebounds.

A slow start doomed us in Los Angeles, where the Clippers 31-19 first quarter lead proved insurmountable and we fell 106-93. Pooh Richardson and Loy Vaught torched us for 31 points and 13 assists and 30 points and 10 rebounds respectively, Todd Day adding on 17 bench points on top of it. Allen Iverson couldn't save us with 39 points this game and nor could Theo Ratliff's 10 bench points.

Things went from bad to worse as we continued the road trip in Oakland, losing 100-88. Great performances from Allen Iverson (32 points), Glen Rice (24 points) and Larry Johnson (18 points, 13 rebounds), but Joe Smith stepped up for the Warriors with 30 points and 15 rebounds and Latrell Sprewell was all over the court with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Three losses in a row we had after the Kings hammered us 109-95 in Sacramento. Allen Iverson stayed strong with 32 points and Dean Garrett posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, but we couldn't stop Mitch Richmond from scoring 30 or Brian Gant making his post presence felt with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

We finally got a road win in Denver, smashing the Nuggets 103-84 on Allen Iverson's 27 points and a pair of 10 point double-doubles: Larry Johnson with 10 rebounds besides and Dean Garrett with 15 rebounds extra. Sherman Douglas matched those 10 points off the bench as we withstood Dale Ellis's 17 bench points and Antonio McDyess's 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Our ardous road trip continued with a 117-78 humiliation by the Jazz, led by Karl Malone's 40 points and 16 rebounds, John Stockton's 14 points and 19 assists and Jeff Hornacek's 23 points. We could only offer Glen Rice's 20 points and Theo Ratliff's nice, but inadequate 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench in defense.

Of course, part of the problem was injuries we sustained during that long sequence of away games. To wit:

Stephon Marbury - Strained hamstring
Allen Iverson - Sore back
Glen Rice - Sore foot
Larry Johnson - Bruised foot
Pervis Ellison - Strained knee

When four of your five starters are hobbled by injury, victory's hard to come by.

And so it was no surprise when the Suns squashed us the next night 108-76, Sir Charles Barkley schooling us for 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Johson scored 28, Dennis Scott 22 and Michael Finley, who I'd been trying to get from Phoenix ever since the draft, doubling for 15 points and 10 assists out of the off-guard spot.

The All-Star skills competition had some interesting results. Greg Minor, the former Celtic, won the slam dunk contest, while Ray Allen, who we thought about drafting, won the 3 point contest.

AI and Starbury chose not to go to the Rookies-Sophomores game, preferring to rest their injuries for the season's stretch run and the playoffs. Absent that firepower, the second years rolled, 104-79, headline by MVP Damon Stoudamire with 24 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and a steal. I was both amused and glad to see Roy Rogers starting at power forward for the rookies, although he had a forgettable game. Theo Ratliff made the reserve squad for the Sophomores and had 4 points in 9 minutes.

Following the lead of our rookies, none of our injured starters opted for the All-Star game, which turned into a 103-80 laugher for the West, Karl Malone on fire and MVP with 25 points.

All-Star East Roster
PG Damon Stoudamire
SG Michael Jordan
SF Scottie Pippen
PF Chris Webber
C Vin Baker
Juwan Howard
Alonzo Mourning
Reggie Miller
Mookie Blaylock
Patrick Ewing
Glenn Robinson
Gheorghe Muresan

All-Star West Roster
PG John Stockton
SG Jason Kidd
SF Charles Barkley
PF Karl Malone
C Arvydas Sabonis
Jamal Mashburn
Mitch Richmond
Travis Knight
Tom Gugliotta
Kevin Johnson
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Jeff Hornacek

And then, right after the All-Star break, is when I made headlines again.

Boston Celtics receive
C Patrick Ewing

New York Knicks receive
PF Larry Johnson

What this means for the Celtics
Boston officially announces they're making a run for the title this year with this trade. Even at 34 years old, Ewing is still an All-Star force and with the Knicks a borderline playoff team this year, he moves to a championship contender in the Celtics in hopes of getting that elusive ring. The Celtics also free up financial flexibility, as Ewing's a free agent after this season.

What this means for the Knicks
At 27, Johnson is still young enough to be part of the Knicks rebuilding movement that starts with surprisingly successful second round rookie (32nd overall, 3rd pick in 2nd round) Derek Fisher, the PG. One of the best passing big men in the league, Johnson's a fantastic all-around player and will be one of the key players in New York for the next several seasons.

Winner: Draw
If Boston wins the East or the title, they'll have gotten what they set out to accomplish by acquiring Ewing. If they don't, it's a bust. As for the Knicks, although they prepare for the future, they're going to suffer fan outrage in the Big Apple for trading for their franchise face.

And in fact, that's exactly what happened. Both the Times and the Post vented their fury over their trade and all through the City, people bemoaned the loss of their beloved Ewing.

Although the move was a huge hit in Beantown, I was worried. Larry had been a real glue guy for us and I was nervous about the effect losing him would have on the team chemistry. But he was an injury risk according to the doctors and had in fact already been injured three different times that season. Given that, and his long contract, I had to move him while the getting was good.

We won 93-82 over the Nets in our first game post All-Star break. To be honest, the game wasn't even as close as the final numbers indicated. Allen Iverson led a balanced attack with 27 points, while Patrick Ewing had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in his Celtics debut, shutting down Priest Lauderdale.

The real test came the night after when Indiana came to town. And we passed, winning 84-80 in a gritty defensive battle. Dale Davis pulled down 22 boards and Reggie Miller scored 28, but it was Patrick Ewing who saved the night and the game with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Already he'd made himself worth a win.

At long last, an easy victory as we stomped the Hornets 111-92. Allen Iverson and Glen Rice teamed up for 31 and 20 points respectively, more than enough to counter Roy Rogers's 14 points and 11 rebounds.

A heartbreaking 84-81 home loss to the Sonics followed, Detlef Schrempf shredding us for 23 points as Seattle's balance negated Allen Iverson's 24 points and Patrick Ewing's 13 points and 11 rebounds.

We closed out in Chicago, upsetting the Bulls 96-85 on Glen Rice's 24 points and Patrick Ewing's 20 points and 13 rebounds. Stephon Marbury just missed both 20 points and a double-double with 19 points and 9 assists. Michael Jordan was unbelivea-bull with 35 points, but he couldn't carry the team by himself, not even with Dennis "The Worm" Rodman's 22 rebounds.

And so the short, rough month ended with us 37-21. We still commanded an 8 game lead over the Heat in the Atlantic though, and although still in fourth in the East, we had the 39-19 Bulls in our sights. 42-15 Indiana and 40-16 Cleveland remained the class of the conference.

Utah was the lone 40 win team in the West and just barely at that at 40-16, owning a 4 game edge on the Spurs. 37-19 Phoenix had opened up a 1.5 game lead on the Sonics.

NBA Leaders

Points
1. David Robinson (SA) - 25.7
2. Karl Malone (UTA) - 25.2
3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.1

Assists
1. John Stockton (UTA) - 12.0
2. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.8
3. Kevin Johnson (PHO) - 9.6

Rebounds
1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 14.2
2. David Robinson (SA) - 12.3
3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.7

Blocks
1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 4.2
2. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.3 - I'll confess to feeling a certain smugness at the draft experts when I saw this
T3. Shawn Bradley (PHI) - 3.0
T3. David Robinson (SA) - 3.0

Steals
1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.3
T2. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.2
T2. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.2

Rookies Leaders

Points
1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 21.6
2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 18.3
3. Ray Allen (CHA) - 18.0

Assists
1. Stephon Marbury (BOS) - 8.6
2. Randy Livingston (WAS) - 7.8
3. Tony Delk (PHI) - 7.3

Rebounds
1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 11.3
2. Travis Knight (GS) - 11.2
3. Amal McCaskill (UTA) - 10.9
4. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 10.0

Blocks
1. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.3
2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 2.9
3. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 2.5

Steals
1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 1.6
T2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 1.5
T2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 1.5

DaddyTorgo · 05-05-2009, 08:41 AM

Shoulda drafted Ray-Ray...

Izulde · 05-05-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Shoulda drafted Ray-Ray...

I think we'll be fine.

Neuqua · 05-06-2009, 03:17 AM

Glad to see Kittles play well!

Izulde · 05-06-2009, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Glad to see Kittles play well!

I figured you might.

Izulde · 05-07-2009, 06:30 PM

I knew March would largely determine our team's initial postseason destiny, just as I knew that many of the trades that occurred in February were a result of teams looking at the upcoming draft class and realizing how bad it was.

Houston Rockets receive
SG Wesley Persons

Phoenix Suns receive
Houston Rockets 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Rockets
Person, 25, has a deadly outside shot and good scoring instincts, but is average outside of that. Terrible passer for a guard, which could hurt if he runs the point.

What this means for the Suns
The first round pick could end up being higher than anticipated, because Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon broke his hand and is out until the start of April. On the other hand, selecting Erick Dampier late in the first this past draft now makes the Rockets look genius, as Dampier should fill in fairly well until Dream returns. Either way, this selection gives the Suns another shot to find a capable backup to Kevin Johnson at the point.

Winner: Draw
If Person's contract didn't expire after this season, it'd be advantage Houston.

Atlanta Hawks receive
C Jayson Williams

New Jersey Nets receive
Atlanta Hawks 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Hawks
Williams, 28, is a solid all around player, if a bit short to be manning the center spot. Averaged 9.7 rebounds out of the power forward spot with the Nets and is a board-grabbing machine. Not quite the scoring instincts that rookie Todd Fuller has though and while Williams is an overall upgrade, he still doesn't make the Hawks anything better than a one and done playoff team.

What this means for the Nets
Not a good class next year, which makes the likely mid-late 1st not worth nearly as much as it'd otherwise be. On the other hand, this move allows New Jersey to wholly commit to its youth moment of guys 25 or younger and continues their MO of having two firsts, which last year turned into Priest Lauderdale and Samaki Walker.

Winner: New Jersey
Even given the devalued nature of the first, the Nets get an injection of more young talent that will mature more in tune with Lauderdale, Walker, Matt Maloney, Ed O'Bannon, et. al.

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
PG Kenny Anderson

New Jersey Nets receive
Cleveland Cavaliers 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Cavaliers
The former #2 overall pick Anderson may be a bust relative to his draft slot, but he's still a very solid all-around player, particularly as a ballthief and handler. He's the perfect backup to Terrell Brandon and is a whopper of an expiring $4.17 million expiring contract besides.

What this means for the Nets
New Jersey keeps stockpiling picks for a very bad class, which is a little puzzling, given that the Cavs selection will certainly be late, but if they had no interest in retaining Anderson because of his disappointing career with the Nets, at least they got something for him.

Winner: Cleveland
In an East that's even tougher than it was last year, getting a quality player like Anderson for this price is great value.

Indiana Pacers receive
SG Hubert Davis

New York Knicks receive
Indiana Pacers 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Pacers
The 26 year old Davis is strictly a bench scorer, but then again, so is 37 year old Ricky Pierce, but Davis is younger and better.

What this means for the Knicks
A late first is fair value for Davis.

Winner: Draw
A dull trade really, but fair on both ends.

San Antonio Spurs receive
SF Desmond Mason

New York Knicks receive
San Antonio Spurs 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Spurs
Pardon us if we're getting flashbacks to last season when the Spurs picked up Armon Gilliam for J.R. Reid and their first and rode him all the way to the NBA Finals. Mason isn't an All-Star, but he's a filthy rebounder, averaging 8 boards a game out of the 3 spot, with beautiful passing ability and unreal discipline and understanding of the basketball game. Not a gamechanger, but the sort of glue player that makes the Spurs that much more likely to repeat their West title and maybe spur them to a championship.

What this means for the Knicks
Mason's 30 and under a long contract, so getting rid of him frees up New York's financial freedom. But like their New Jersey neighbors, the Knicks are suddenly accumulating firsts in a bad draft, which makes no sense. On the other hand, when they dealt Patrick Ewing, they signaled they were heading direct into rebuilding mode.

Winner: San Antonio
We see too many echoes of the Gilliam deal last year to call this anything but a clear-cut win for the Spurs.

Golden State Warriors receive
SG Bryant Stith

Denver Nuggets receive
Golden State Warriors 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Warriors
The 26 year old Stith is one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything, but isn't particularly good at any one thing. Still, having a jack-of-all trades player able to man both guard spots and the 3 as the 6th man is a nice pickup for the Warriors and likely better than anything they'd find in this year's draft. Signed for two more seasons after this as well at a resonable rate.

What this means for the Nuggets
After dealing their first for Jamie Feick, Denver finally gets a first back, but it's worse than what they originally have and they gave up a better player in Stith to do it.

Winner: Golden State
The Warriors don't look like contenders this year, but since Stith is young and not a one season rental, he doesn't have to be the one that pushes them over.

Seattle Supersonics receive
SF Rick Fox

Minnesota Timberwolves receive
Seattle Supersonics 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Sonics
Fox, like Stith, is a jack-of-all trades type only the 27 year old is strictly a swingman as 6th man. Unlike Stith, he's a half-year rental.

What this means for the Timberwolves
Seattle's not the powerhouse they were last year, but this is still a late first in a bad class.

Winner: Draw
Fair value trade, though Fox's talent is better than whatever the pick will return in all likelihood and we don't see his addition making Seattle legitimate conference contenders.

San Antonio Spurs receive
C Terry Mills
Detroit Pistons 1997 2nd round pick

Detroit Pistons receive
PF Ray Owes
C Will Perdue

What this means for the Spurs
San Antonio wasn't content to just sit with acquiring Mason. Here they pick up $2.5 million expiring contract Mills, a bench center who's a one-note player as a scorer. The difference is, he can shoot from inside, something none of the other Spurs reserves can do. The second round pick is a high one, possibly #30 overall, given how bad the Pistons are.

What this means for the Pistons
Detroit cut Perdue, so this trade is Owes for Mills and a high 2nd. Owes, 24, is raw, but has some potential to become a decent backup PF. Whether or not he achieves it is the question. Our guess says no.

Winner: San Antonio
The Spurs do it again here. Owes isn't worth the expiring contrafct of Mills to a rebuilding team like the Pistons and San Antonio just keeps getting stronger as they prep themselves for the playoffs.

Yes, that's right. 7 of 8 trades in February involved a first rounder, an NBA record. That's what a weak draft class will do for you.

I wasn't thinking about who we'd draft at the time. I was too focused on our season right then.

We started off by beating the Bucks 97-86. Despite the fact that our bench scored just 5 points, we still took the win on Patrick Ewing's 23 points and 16 rebounds, Allen Iverson's 25 points and Glen Rice's 20 points. Kobe Bryant came up short in trying to match AI, but still scored 22 for Milwaukee, Johnny Newman equalled Rice at SF with 20 points and Vin Baker was impressive with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks.

It took overtime to do it, but we put away the Clippers 105-97 in our next game. Patrick Ewing was Player of the Game with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks, Glen Rice hit that same 24 points, Theo Ratliff, who'd won the starting PF spot, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and Stephon Marbury doubled for 11 points and 12 assists. The combined efforts outmanned Pooh Richardson's 28 points, Loy Vaught's 13 points and 13 rebounds and Todd Day's 14 bench points.

We fell apart in the fourth quarter and dropped a 95-93 heartbreaker to the Cavaliers. Our bench scored just 4 points which frustrated me to no end. There wasn't anything on the free agent market either. 27 points and 10 assists from Stephon Marbury, 23 points from Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing's 21 points and 10 rebounds wasted, just like, that. For Cleveland, Terrell Brandon had a great all-around game of 27 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, Chris Mills scored 20 and Tyrone Hill snapped up 11 points and 18 rebounds. But the real story was their reserves outpointing ours 15-4.

The Bucks hoped for revenge when we went to Milwaukee, but Glenn Robinson's 21 points didn't stop our 94-84 victory. Patrick Ewing posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks and Allen Iverson scored 24 to carry us to the win.

Finally came a convincing win as we ripped the 76ers 98-71. Patrick Ewing owned the inside with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Allen Iverson scored 21 and Stephon Marbury had 10 points and 11 assists, even if he was outplayed by fellow rookie Tony Delk's 19 points and 10 assists for the losing cause.

But even though we were winning, I wasn't going to be happy until we finally managed to beat a good team with the Ewing lineup. We'd done it against the Bulls, but lost close games to the Sonics and the Cavaliers. Going to Cleveland the next night gave us another opportunity, but the Cavs crushed us 101-84 that only looked as close as it did thanks to our 10 point 4th quarter close. Four Cavaliers reserves scored 10 points or more, led by Jon Barry's 13 points. Couple that with Tyrone Hill's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing's paired 21 points didn't look so great.

We rebounded to shut down the Nets 85-65 on the two man show of Patrick Ewing (34 points, 15 rebounds) and Allen Iverson (23 points), but our bench continued to infuriate me.

At long last, a convincing March win over a good team. We beat the Magic with a 22 point, 10 rebound full health Shaquille O'Neal and topped Shaq, James Scott's 22 points and Nick Anderson's 12 points and 10 rebounds for a 111-91 win. Allen Iverson blazed for 32 points and 4 steals, Glen Rice scored 24, Theo Ratliff had a surprisingly pleasant 16 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury netted 11 points and 12 assists.

Antonio McDyess was beastly with 22 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals, but unfortunately for Nuggets fans, he was the only one to show up in our 108-84 pasting of Denver. Allen Iverson scored 23, Patrick Ewing and Glen Rice both had 20 point double-doubles with 13 and 10 rebounds respectively and Sherman Douglas snapped a long, long slumber spell on our bench with 15 points.

The Heat came to town and gave us a hell of a game on Nick Van Exel's 21 points, Alonzo Mourning's 20 points and 14 rebounds and Elliot Perry's 18 bench points, but we withstood their charge to prevail in a 109-106 classic. All five of our starters scored 10 or more, led by Glen Rice and Allen Iverson with 27 points each, AI tacking on 5 steals besides.

Indiana showed why they were the defending champions in beating us 88-73 in a scrappy game on the road. Rik Smits hammered us for 28 points and Mark Jackson scored 20, which was enough to deflate Patrick
Ewing's 15 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury's 13 points and 12 assists.

We went to Minneapolis the night after and played like crap, losing 105-93. Our defense went nowhere as all five Timberwolves starters scored 13 or more, highlighted by Sam Mitchell's 22 points, Tom Gugliotta's 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and Kevin Garnett's 13 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. That kind of balance couldn't be beaten with Allen Iverson's 20 points and Stephon Marbury's 18 points and 10 assists alone.

Hoping to regain our equilibrium, we headed to Philadelphia and won a 90-76 slugfest. Derrick Coleman had 21 rebounds and Darvin Ham scored 23 points, but Allen Iverson's 27 points and collective offensive balance saved the day for us.

We topped off March with a home and away against the Hawks and our second half rally fell just short in a nauseating 88-87 loss in the first game. Eric Williams got revenge on us with 34 points and Kenny Smith chipped in 13 bench points to negate Dontonio Wingfield's 11 bench points, Allen Iverson's 27 points and Patrick Ewing's 16 points and 11 rebounds.

97-79 was a nice inversion when it meant a win for us as it did in Atlanta to end things. Stephon Marbury scored 23, Glen Rice posted 21 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Iverson hit 20 points, easily negating the Hawks' 6 players in double-digit scoring, the only noteworthy one being Alan Henderson's 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The good news at the end of March: We clinched the Atlantic.
The bad news at the end of March: At 47-26, we were all but locked into the #4 seed and from the current standings, that meant a date with the same Hawks team we'd just split a home and away with. It didn't look too likely there'd be a shift in the #5 spot either, as the Heat were 36-36 and the closet team to 39-33 Atlanta with 9 games remaining.

The top seed in the East was still very much in play, with 54-19 Indiana holding off the Cavs by a mere half-game and the Bulls just 2 back of the Pacers.

50-22 Utah was facing a major scare in the Midwest, as the Spurs, after their shrewd wheeling and dealing, were just a game behind, the same margin 47-25 Seattle had on Phoenix, with the Warriors 3.5 back on the Sonics.

Still, I was happy with our progression and more importantly, so was our owner, as we'd gone from losing record before me to winning record and 7 seed in my first year to Atlantic title and 4 seed in my second season.

But one thing was clear.

Patrick Ewing would have to show me something in the playoffs or he wouldn't be back in Boston next season.

Cap Ologist · 05-07-2009, 07:46 PM

Aren't the division title winners automatic #1 and #2 seeds?

Izulde · 05-07-2009, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap Ologist

Aren't the division title winners automatic #1 and #2 seeds?

Nope. #1 and a guaranteed #4 seed. I don't remember if that's how it worked historically, but I suspect that DDS guarantees the lowest record division winner the #4 seed so that's what's operating here.

BYU 14 · 05-07-2009, 11:18 PM

Shocking to see Marbury passing the rock so much, you have blackmail material on him?

Izulde · 05-07-2009, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Shocking to see Marbury passing the rock so much, you have blackmail material on him?

I think it's Ewing and Rice imposing Veteran Rules on Starbury.

But then again...

Izulde · 05-07-2009, 11:50 PM

We didn't have much to play for those last games, so I wasn't overly concerned with how we did.

Still, it felt good to beat the Magic 106-93 in Orlando. They were trying like hell to sneak in the 8th seed and they were one team I preferred not to see, even though we usually did well against them. Shaquille O'Neal got his with 21 points, 10 rebounds 4 blocks and 4 steals, Penny Hardaway dropped 25 points and David Benoit came off the bench for 13 points, but the collective might of Glen Rice (27 points, 11 rebounds), Stephon Marbury (25 points, 13 assists), Allen Iverson (20 points) and Pervis Ellison's 10 bench boards was just too much.

When a team's top performers come off the bench and score 12 points (Mario Elie, and 15 rebounds (Ray Owes), a 95-64 beatdown is no surprise and so it wasn't as we obliterated the Pistons. Patrick Ewing recovered from his 1 of 7 showing in Orlando with a cool 22 point, 13 rebound performance. He was aided splendidly by Glen Rice's 26 points and Allen Iverson's 24 points.

A couple nights later we went to New York and won our 50th game of the year, downing the Knicks 114-94. Larry Johnson had a team high 19 points, but those and Otis Thorpe's 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks and Charlie Ward's 17 bench points were quickly blistered by Patrick Ewing's 23 points and 12 rebounds in the city that once revered him as a god and franchise legend. Throw in Glen Rice's 22 points and Brian Shaw's shocking 19 bench points and our ease of victory is clear.

We came out flat at home against the Bullets the night after and Chris Webber made us pay with 35 points and 19 rebounds in an 87-82 loss. Gheorghe Muresan tacked on 16 points and 11 rebounds of his own, while Jim McIllvaine hauled in 15 bench rebounds. So much for Allen Iverson's Zhang Fei-esque 31 points and Theo Ratliff's near triple-double of 8 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.

Unbelievably, we lost our next game too, 97-92 to the Raptors. Juwan Howard raped us for 36 points and 16 rebounds as Theo Ratliff got slammed by foul trouble and we again had problems with bench rebounding, allowing Zan Tabak take 12 in. It was infuriating to waste Patrick Ewing's 20 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, Glen Rice's 22 points and Pervis Ellison's 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks off the bench like that, but there it was.

Glen Rice took his frustrations out on the Pistons for 37 points as we whipped them 89-68 to stop the bleeding. Patrick Ewing had an ugly 3 for 18 night, but still came out with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Mario Elie was again Detroit's lead scorer with 14 points, but at least Brian Evans doubled for 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Revenge was ours in DC as we battered the Bullets 104-82, overcoming Chris Webber's 24 points and 10 rebounds, Gheorghe Muresan's 10 points and 11 rebounds and 14 bench points each from Randy Livingston and Tim Legler. Allowing us to such were Allen Iverson (36 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists), Stephon Marbury (21 points, 10 assists) and Patrick Ewing (16 points, 10 rebounds).

Of course, we then had to go and lose 99-83 in New Jersey as Matt Maloney burned us for 31 points and Tracy Murray added more to the flames with 25 points. Stephon Marbury and Patrick Ewing scored 21 each for us, with Ewing grabbing 13 rebounds besides, but it was still ugly.

Fortunately we ended the regular season on a good note, outdueling Otis Thorpe's 14 points and 15 rebounds and Larry Johnson's 12 points and 15 rebounds with balance and Allen Iverson's 31 points and 5 steals.

Frustrated though I was with our wildly inconsistent play down the stretch, which made me wonder if I made the right move in trading for Ewing, I was happy with our 53-39 regular season record and Atlantic division title.

1996-1997 East Seedings
1. Chicago Bulls (61-21)
2. Indiana Pacers (60-22)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (60-22)
4. Boston Celtics (53-39)
5. Atlanta Hawks (46-36)
6. Miami Heat (42-40)
7. Washington Bullets (41-41)
8. Milwaukee Bucks (40-42)

Kobe Bryant got hot towards the end of the season and as a result, the Bulls had to be wary of losing in the first round again to an upstart 8 seed team.

1996-1997 West Seedings
1. Utah Jazz (57-25)
2. San Antonio Spurs (57-25)
3. Seattle Supersonics (56-26)
4. Phoenix Suns (54-28)
5. Houston Rockets (49-33)
6. Golden State Warriors (49-33)
7. Sacramento Kings (39-44)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (38-44)

The Dallas Mavericks just missed joining the Bucks in Top 5 worst to playoff team in a season by a single game.

NBA Leaders

Points
1. David Robinson (SA) - 25.9
2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.6
3. Karl Malone (UTA) - 24.5

Assists
1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 12.0
2. John Stockton (UTA) - 11.3
3. Kevin Johnson (PHO) - 9.3

Rebounds
1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 13.6
2. David Robinson (SA) - 12.6
3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.6

Blocks
1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 4.2
T2. David Robinson (SA) - 3.3
T2. Shawn Bradley (PHI) - 3.3

Steals
1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.4
T2. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.1
T2. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.1

Rookies Leaders

Points
1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 22.0
2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 19.4
3. Darvin Ham (PHI) - 18.3
4. Ray Allen (CHA) - 17.2

Assists
1. Stephon Marbury (BOS) - 8.8
2. Tony Delk (PHI) - 7.3
3. Moochie Norris (WAS) - 7.2

Rebounds
1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 11.3
2. Travis Knight (GS) - 11.2
3. Amal McCaskill (UTA) - 10.6

Blocks
T1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 3.2
T1. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.2
3. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 2.6

Steals
1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 1.7
2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 1.6
3. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 1.5

Boston Celtics Leaders

Points
1. Allen Iverson - 22.0
2. Glen Rice - 21.7
3. Patrick Ewing - 20.6
4. Stephon Marbury - 13.7

Assists
1. Stephon Marbury - 8.8
2. Allen Iverson - 4.0
3. Glen Rice - 3.1

Rebounds
1. Patrick Ewing - 10.7
2. Dean Garrett - 7.2
3. Glen Rice - 6.0

Blocks
1. Theo Ratliff - 2.2
2. Patrick Ewing - 1.9
3. Dean Garrett - 1.3

Steals
1. Allen Iverson - 1.7
2. Glen Rice - 1.4
T3. Theo Ratliff - 0.9
T3. Patrick Ewing - 0.9

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 04:31 AM

Iverson Proves He's The Answer In Rookie Season

A year ago, Allen Iverson was starring in the college ranks. Now he's already a star in his rookie year in the NBA.

He still remembers hearing the other one's name called first.

When everybody on the planet thought he was going to Milwaukee as the first overall pick, including himself, Allen Iverson and the rest of the world fell into shock and disbelief when high school graduate Kobe Bryant's name rang out instead.

It's something that The Answer has yet to fully forgive and he's determined to take it out on the Atlanta Hawks as his Boston Celtics prepare for their first round matchup in the playoffs.

"It was cool and all knowing how much Bobby Troilus wanted me and how he tried so hard to trade up", Iverson said, "But there's only one chance in your life to be the number one overall pick in the NBA draft and that was it. I vowed right then and there to make the Bucks pay for their mistake and to show Mr. Troilus and the Celtics how smart they were to get me."

Iverson went on to lead all rookies and the Celtics in scoring and steals at 22 points and 1.7 steals per game, ranking him 9th in the entire NBA in points per game, a half-point behind Pacers legend Reggie Miller.

"Of course we were thrilled to get him", Troilus remarked, "He was the player we unquestionably had #1 on our board. Honestly, had the Bucks taken him, we probably would have traded down some spots. That's how much we valued Allen over any other player in this year's rookie class."

It's safe to say that Iverson's definitely had the better rookie campaign of the two, as Bryant averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.4 blocks and 0.8 steals as the Bucks' starting point guard, while AI as the Celtics' starting shooting guard averaged 22 points, 4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Only time will tell which of the two ultimately has the better career.

But for now, both of the top two overall draft picks are getting set for the playoffs, as Bryant's Bucks surged in the second half of the season to unexpectedly go from worst in the NBA last year to the playoffs as the 8 seed in the East this year.

It should be a classic matchup between the Celtics and the Hawks in this opening round, as former Boston first round pick Eric Williams, who was traded to Atlanta last year along with Jibran Epps for Grant Long, Atlanta's 1996 1st round pick and their 1997 2nd round pick, is starting for the Hawks.

Point Guard
Stephon Marbury vs. Mookie Blaylock
Starbury's been overshadowed by Iverson's stellar rookie campaign and the trades to land Glen Rice and Patrick Ewing, but he's very quietly put together a solid first year of 13.7 points and 8.8 assists with a staggering 5.4 assists to turnover ratio. He's one of the key reasons why the Celtics had the fewest turnovers per game in the league during the regular season at 12.3, well ahead of the second place Pacers at 13.5. Starbury's capable of scoring point bursts as well, although he can be prone to off nights and doesn't play defense. Still one of the best passers in the league when he puts his mind to it.

Blaylock led the Hawks in scoring at 17.8 points per game to go with 5.6 assists, an astounding 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. He's got great hops for a point guard and is arguably the best ballthief in the game. He really found his shooting stroke this year, both outside and in after struggling some last season and the Hawks will need him to produce more of the same. Excellent on-ball defender who has the ability to shut Starbury down.

Advantage: Draw

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Eric Williams
The marquee matchup of this series. Iverson is already a franchise player and the scary part is, he hasn't fulfilled his potential yet. There's absolutely no weak spots in his game, other than being 6', 165 lbs. But you can't argue with his regular season numbers or his deadly 47.5% shooting, 36.4% from behind the arc.

Williams averaged 11.9 points and 1.2 steals per game, but he's not really a headliner player and in fact, has good, but nowhere great all-around game. His biggest advantage on Iverson in his 6'8, 220 lbs frame, but even that may not be enough to contain the explosive Celtics rookie, especially given Williams is hampered by a sprained toe. Desire for revenge will go a long way, but not far enough to win this battle and, arguably, ultimately the series.

Advantage: Celtics

Small Forward
Glen Rice vs. Stacey Augmon
Rice is a terrific shooter and a good rebounder, averaging 21.9 points, 6 rebounds and 1.4 steals during the regular season. Acquiring him and Larry Johnson from the Hornets was arguably Troilus's best move of the season, as it pushed the Celtics over the top. He also handles the ball almost as well as Starbury and AI, which goes a long way to explaining how careful Boston is with the rock. Only an average defender, however.

Augmon of the 11.7 points and 1.4 steals in the regular season is a defensive wizard and he has one mission this series: shut down Rice. If he can do that and Blaylock can hassle Starbury, then the Celtics will have to rely on Iverson and Ewing to pull them through. Doesn't really bring anything but defense to the table, but in this series, that's not a bad thing given the positional matchup.

Advantage: Celtics

Power Forward
Theo Ratliff vs. Alan Henderson
The second year Ratliff posted unimpressive numbers, as he had only 25 starts, but one statistic jumps out: 2.2 blocks per game. As of right now, that's what he is, a shotblocking specialist with some other defensive ability, but as he grows further into his game, he'll develop an inside shot and contribute more offensively.

Henderson, like Ratliff is a second year player still in development, but he made great strides this year and finished averaging 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals with greatly improved shot selection. Still, right now he's more in the JAG category.

Advantage: Draw

Center
Patrick Ewing vs. Jayson Williams
Now is the time the Celtics need Ewing to show why they traded away Larry Johnson for him. Ewing, who averaged 20.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks split between the Knicks and Celtics, still is a dominating defensive force and a big 7', 255 lb behemoth, but his rebounding instincts appeared to slip some as the season wore on and he definitely was hit and miss after coming to Boston. Age could finally be catching up to the 34 year old great.

Willimas averaged 11.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks during the regular season, but he's woefully outsized and outclassed here. The only edge he has on Ewing is rebounding, which should be able to limit the big man's ability for second chance tip-ins.

[b]Advantage: Celtics

Bench
The bench was Boston's Achilles heel last season and things aren't all that improved this year. Dean Garrett and Pervis Ellison are both defensive, rebounding shotblockers, the 30 year old rookie Garrett averaging 5.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in the regular season, and Sherman Douglas averaged 5.3 points, but the Celtics lack an offensive sparkplug off the bench and that's going to hurt.

Atlanta, on the other hand, has that sparkplug in 31 year old Kenny Smith, who averaged 9.5 points and rookie Todd Fuller had good all-around game with 8.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, showing he may not have been that big a reach at #11 after all. Matt Bullard showed scoring touch as well, averaging 7.1 points and raw but promising second round pick Vitaly Potapenko (11th pick in 2nd round, 40th overall) averaged 5.3 points. Fact of the matter is, the Hawks have such a deep bench, they didn't lose anything when Ken Norman went down for the year with an Achilles tear.

[b]Advantage: Hawks

Final Thoughts
This series boils down to Boston's megawatt starting five against the Hawks' incredible balance and depth. It's a -very- close matchup, one that could easily go the full seven games, particularly given the Celtics' likely reliance on their rookie backcourt, but having the homecourt edge should see the higher seed through.
Prediction: Celtics in 7

While I hoped to win, I knew it was going to be tough. Although many in the press pooh-poohed Atlanta's getting Jayson Williams in February, he'd really bolstered the Hawks' depth and his rebounding ability would give him a fighting chance against our aging star in Ewing.

Game One
The Hawks jumped out to a 29-22 first quarter lead, quieting the crowd in a hurry. I told the team in the huddle not to panic or to let nerves get to them, but to gradually chip away. It took until the third quarter, but we blew the doors off in the second half and won handily. Allen Iverson sparkled in his postseason debut with 28 points, Glen Rice sliced and diced the heralded defensive Augmon for 26 points and Patrick Ewing found his old playoff form with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Brian Shaw added insult to injury with 10 bench assists. Jayson Williams was the Hawks high scorer with 18 points and Matt Bullard had 10 bench points, but we made a statement this opening game on a lot of levels.
Final - Atlanta 82 Boston 100

Game Two
I was worried going into this one. We've had trouble with back-to-back games down the stretch and Atlanta again took a first quarter lead, 29-23. They made it a 10 point edge at halftime and unlike Game 1, we simply couldn't catch them in the second half, losing by a frustrating four points. Stacey Augmon tore into us for a shocking 22 points, Matt Bullard had another inspired game with 20 points off the bench and Kenny Smith added 13 points of his own as a reserve. We punted away Allen Iverson's 20 points, Patrick Ewing's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury's 10 points and 10 assists to even the series. It wasn't a good feeling at all.
Final - Atlanta 94 Boston 90

Game Three
The day off before we headed to Atlanta gave us the chance to refocus. What followed in Game 3 was an ugly defensive battle. No players broke 20 points, with the closest being Eric Williams with 19 for the Hawks. Matt Bullard had his third straight double-digit point game with 10 points, but we countered with 18 points a piece from Glen Rice and Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing's 12 points and 14 rebounds. In the end, a 25-15 fourth quarter bailed us out and we were able to walk out with the critical 2-1 series lead.
Final - Boston 84 Atlanta 75

Game Four
It was the Hawks' turn to have a game-changing fourth quarter as they outscored us 31-19 to beat us going away and tie the series up. Mookie Blaylock finally broke through with 21 points and Jayson Williams had his first good game with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Four games, four 10+ point outings by Matthew Bullard, who had 11. Allen Iverson had 23 points, Patrick Ewing 15 points and 12 rebounds, but Ewing was 4 of 13 for the night and he was averaging 6 turnovers a game in the series by himself.
Final - Boston 84 Atlanta 96

The Cavaliers put the sword to the Heat, sweeping them and the Jazz did the same thing to the Clippers. At least the Bucks managed to take a game from the Bulls, should we prove to advance, I thought to myself.

Game Five
This one was pretty much a must-win as far as I was concerned and I impressed that on the players before the game. I made sure to look directly at Patrick Ewing when I said it. He got the message and went out for his best game of the series with 30 points and 11 rebounds. All of our starters had 11 points or more, with Stephon Marbury double-doubling for 14 points and 12 assists and Pervis Ellison chipping in 12 bench points. Kenny Smith led Atlanta with 17 points off the bench and Jayson Williams had the poor man's double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but this game was all Celtics as they heeded my warning and put on their best game of the series at the right time for the 3-2 lead.
Final - Atlanta 73 Boston 102

Chicago would have no first round surprise exit this year, as they firmly eliminated the Bucks in five, as did the Pacers the Bullets and the Supersonics the Warriors. I didn't relish the thought of playing the Bulls if we advanced, but we had to win this round first.

Game Six
We needed that day off in between Game 5 and Game 6 to mentally and physically prepare ourselves. Like I've said before, we really struggled with back-to-backs that season. But then the Hawks pulled a dirty switch in Atlanta in Game 6. They put Stacey Augmon on Allen Iverson and held AI to a 2 for 14 night. In that light, Glen Rice's 27 points and Pervis Ellison's 10 bench points didn't look so good, especially not with Patrick Ewing going 1 for 12. Mookie Blaylock found his way to 14 points and 15 assists and Kenny Smith become the hot new Hawk bench flavor of the series with 14 points. Ugly, ugly game as we got our tails kicked and faced a Game 7.
Final - Boston 79 Atlanta 96

I took some small comfort in the fact that Phoenix/Houston and San Antonio/Sacramento were going the full boat as well, but it was a very small salve indeed.

Game Seven
An amped up home crowd. Could they be the 13th as 6th man we needed most? It was a tense, all-out war. Patrick Ewing fought his way to 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead our balanced attack, but in the end we couldn't stop Mookie Blaylock's 25 points or Atlanta from going on a run in the fourth quarter to advance. It was Mia leaving all over again and unlike her, I could only blame myself in this one.
Final - Atlanta 92 Boston 85

Why blame myself?

Simple.

Patrick Ewing Playoff Stats
17 points 13 rebounds 1.6 steals 1.9 blocks 5 turnovers 43.8%

Stephon Marbury shot horrible as well, 37.1%. I could excuse a sub-40 shooting percentage from Theo Ratliff, especially since he was -just- below the 40 mark, but not Starbury. Not after I'd invested so much in him.

Truth be told, bad shooting percentage as a team killed us and that's all there was to it.

Anyway, the Rockets upset the Suns and the Spurs held off the equally upset-minded Kings.

The Bulls gored the Hawks in 5 in the next round, as did the Jazz the Rockets and, much to my shock, the Sonics the Spurs. But the even bigger stunner was the Cavaliers upsetting the defending champion Pacers in 7 games.

Chicago crushed Cleveland's Cinderella chances in six games, while the Sonics and Jazz went the full limit, with Utah just barely scraping by to set up a Finals matchup of top seeds.

Michael "Air" Jordan had found his old form and was averaging 28 points, while the Jazz had the one-two 20+ point punch of Karl "The Mailman" Malone (27.6 points, 10 rebounds, 2.1 steals) and Jeff Hornacek (21.6 points) in addition to John Stockton's 14.6 points and 10.6 assists.

But then Dennis "The Worm" Rodman made his famous "The Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays" remark about Malone and a frustrated Jazz team got swept by the Bulls, much to my delight. I hated Malone and considered him an ass of the highest degree.

Air Jordan's Finals Points Numbers: 20, 31, 29, 35, 22

I watched the Finals with the team at my house. Allen Iverson just sat and watched His Airness for most of the series. And when the Bulls finally clinched, The Answer grinned, turned to me and said:

"I don't wanna be like Mike. I want to be better than him."

I remarked that those were big shoes to fill and I hoped he could do it.

Well, evidently that really ticked off Stephon "Starbury" Marbury, because the day after he released an article to the press complaining about how all he heard all day long was Iverson, Iverson, Iverson and that if I'd given him more shots against the Hawks, we'd have won the series. "I got to go somewhere where Starbury can be Starbury, you feel me?" he said, "And if the GM can't do that, he gotta send me somewhere where I can get my shots, lead my team to win and be #1 like I'm supposed to."

I didn't take too kindly to that and resolved to take care of the problem soon.

In the meantime, we had the lottery.

1997 NBA Lottery
13. Dallas Mavericks
12. Portland Trailblazers
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Orlando Magic
9. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Los Angeles Lakers
7. Toronto Raptors (-1)
6. Charlotte Hornets (-1)
5. Vancouver Grizzlies (-2)
4. Detroit Pistons (-3)
3. New York Knicks (+1)
2. New Jersey Nets
1. Chicago Bulls (+6)

It was unbelievable. The champion Chicago Bulls, thanks to that stupid Jamie Feick trade, won the Tim Duncan sweepstakes.

I was still processing Denver's stupidity when I went to attend the awards ceremony in New York.

1996-1997 NBA Awards

MVP
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.9 PPG 12.6 RPG 3.4 APG 3.3 BPG 1.9 SPG
Defensive Player of the Year
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.9 PPG 12.6 RPG 3.4 APG 3.3 BPG 1.9 SPG
Rookie of the Year
Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks - 14.2 PPG 11.3 RPG 2.6 APG 3.2 BPG 1.6 SPG
6th Man of the Year
Danny Manning - Phoenix Suns - 12.6 PPG 3.7 RPG 3.0 APG 0.8 BPG 1.3 SPG
Coach of the Year
Mike Fratello - Cleveland Cavaliers

Allen Iverson was furious at being passed over for Rookie of the Year and I couldn't blame him one bit. The Globe was up in arms about it as well, but it did no good. On the other hand, I didn't argue at all with The Admiral's sweeping the two major awards or Fratello repeating as Coach of the Year. He did more with less talent in Cleveland than, well, I suppose I did in Boston.

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Terrell Brandon - Cleveland Cavaliers
SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers
SF Glen Rice - Boston Celtics
PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG John Stockton - Utah Jazz
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Tom Gugliotta - Minnesota Timberwolves
PF Karl Malone - Utah Jazz
C Gheorghe Muresan - Washington Bullets

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Penny Hardaway - Orlando Magic
SG Jeff Hornacek - Utah Jazz
SF Glenn Robinson - Milwaukee Bucks
PF Loy Vaught - Los Angeles Clippers
C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks

While I loved seeing Rice get the All-NBA 1st Team award, I didn't understand Camby over Ewing at all or over Shaq or a whole lot of other centers in the league for that matter. Sure, Camby had a great rookie season, but All-NBA 3rd Team as a rookie?! It still boggles my mind to think of it.

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics
SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors
SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls
PF Chris Webber - Utah Jazz
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Mookie Blaylock - Atlanta Hawks
SG Bobby Phills - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Derrick McKey - Indiana Pacers
PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves
C Dikembe Mutombo - Milwaukee Bucks

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG Allen Iverson - Boston Celtics
SG Kerry Kittles - Toronto Raptors
SF Darvin Ham - Philadelphia 76ers
PF Roy Rogers - Charlotte Hornets
C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Stephon Marbury - Boston Celtics
SG Ray Allen - Charlotte Hornets
SF Malik Rose - Miami Heat
PF John Wallace - Los Angeles Lakers
C Brett Szabo - Cleveland Cavaliers

I took a savage satisfaction in seeing Rogers on the 1st Team. Showed those draft "experts" a thing or two, I did.

After the awards dinner, I told Patrick Ewing we wouldn't need his services next season. He thanked me for my honesty and said because I was forthright about it, he would agree to be traded in the short window available at the beginning of the offseason.

Of course, nobody was interested in dealing for a 35 year old-to-be center, especially not one who'd hit free agency and was coming off a subpar postseason performance on top of it.

The good news was, Clifton Gross was so pleased with our division title that he authorized me to spend up to $15 million over the cap, but, as he warned me, "If you're spending that kind of money, I want to see something more than a first round exit."

Stephon Marbury was drawing a ton of interest in teams, but the minute we inquired about an elite player of their own, they suddenly hemmed and hawed and seemed disinterested, so I decided to sit and wait.

Given our disappointing first round defeat, I opted to let the entire staff go and hired all fresh ones. 46 year old Booker Punt was a prize capture as our first assistant, though I had to pay him $1.8 million a year to bring him in. He was a genius at tactics and shared some similiar philosophies to mine. I didn't know that he was head coach material, but he was certainly a far better right hand man than anyone else I'd ever had and he made a pleasant conversationalist.

Mock Draft
Of course, everyone was talking about Tim Duncan going to the Chicago Bulls at #1. And while I considered Tracy McGrady the #2 player in the class, Lithuanian center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had rocketed up the charts in the months leading up to the draft, so much so that a lot of mocks were picking him to go second to the Nets, arguing that an international post tandem of Priest Lauderdale and Zygskas, as I liked to call him, would be an unstoppable pair of 7'3 monsters to build around. Personally, I thought they'd take McGrady, though they did love Matt Maloney.

We could, if we wanted, have the #4 pick in the draft. The Pistons didn't see anything worth having beyond those three mentioned players and were willing to take Starbury for it. Naturally it wasn't a deal I was going to take unless one of those three players fell.

1997 Mock Draft
1. C Tim Duncan - Chicago Bulls
2. C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - New Jersey Nets
3. SF Tracy McGrady - New York Knicks
4. PG Brevin Knight - Detroit Pistons
5. SF Tariq Abdul-Wahad - Vancouver Grizzlies
6. PF Keith Van Horn - Charlotte Hornets
7. C Michael Stewart - Toronto Raptors
8. SF Danny Fortson - Los Angeles Lakers
9. SG Rick Brunson - Philadelphia 76ers
10. SG Kevin Ollie - Orlando Magic
11. PF Lawrence Funderburke - Minnesota Timberwolves
12. SG Chauncey Billups - Portland Trailblazers
13. PG Bobby Jackson - Dallas Mavericks
14. SG James Cotton - Los Angeles Clippers
15. PF Jerald Honeycutt - Sacramento Kings
16. PG Dejaun Wheat - Milwaukee Bucks
17. C Keith Closs - Washington Bullets
18. PF Etdrick Bohannon - Boston Celtics
19. PG Antonio Daniels - New Jersey Nets
20. C Chris Antsey - Denver Nuggets
21. SG Derek Anderson - Phoenix Suns
22. SG Marko Milic - Dallas Mavericks
23. SF Keith Booth - Phoenix Suns
24. C Kelvin Cato - Minnesota Timberwolves
25. SG Ron Mercer - New York Knicks
26. C Tony Battie - New York Knicks
27. C Scot Pollard - New York Knicks
28. PF Maurice Taylor - New Jersey Nets
29. C Adonal Foyle - Chicago Bulls

While we needed a starter-quality big man, Bohannon wasn't it. That's also not a typo you're seeing with the Knicks having three straight first round picks and four overall.

There were a few players who looked like they might attract my interest if we stayed at 18, but the more and more I looked at the draft class, the more and more it felt like we might simply just deal out of it.

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 08:58 AM

*cough* Ray Allen *cough*

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

*cough* Ray Allen *cough*

Coffee Warlord · 05-08-2009, 12:32 PM

I'm loving the Bulls with Tim Duncan.

Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Duncan? Sign me up.

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

Trade for him?

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I'm loving the Bulls with Tim Duncan.

Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Duncan? Sign me up.

That's pretty much not fair.

Although I wonder if he won't be quite as much the stud since he'll be overshadowed by MJ...

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 12:42 PM

Coffee Warlord: Yeah that would be one scary, scary team. And goodbye Luc Longley too, probably.

DaddyTorgo: It's a possibility.

DaddyTorgo x 2: Not for too terribly long, I'd imagine. Jordan's 33 or 34 at this point, I forget which.

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 12:43 PM

good point izulde

Neuqua · 05-08-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I'm loving the Bulls with Tim Duncan.

Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Duncan? Sign me up.

Radii · 05-08-2009, 02:30 PM

wow what an awful looking draft class. One of my favorite college players ever comes out next year in Antawn Jamison. Oh yeah, Vince Carter too, but meh, always liked Jamison better

Fun read, keep it up!

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radii

wow what an awful looking draft class. One of my favorite college players ever comes out next year in Antawn Jamison. Oh yeah, Vince Carter too, but meh, always liked Jamison better

Fun read, keep it up!

hey be nice! that's the draft where the RL-Celtics missed out on Timmy Duncan improbably and Pitino drafted Chauncy and Ron Mercer with their 2 first-round picks and then preceeded to trade Chauncy away before the ink on his contract was dry (or so it seemed).

Okay you're wait - it sucks.

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 04:02 PM

DaddyTorgo: You're right though, it doesn't make that team any less scary for another year or two.

Neuqua: Heh, wait till free agency

Radii: Thanks

And yeah, I agree, it's a terrible, terrible class. Next year's class does look pretty good and deep though.

DaddyTorgo: Funny you say that...

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 04:02 PM

Word got out, as it so often does in the sports world, of our plans to trade Stephon "Starbury" Marbury and before we knew it, our office was overwhelmed with calls, e-mails and letters asking us to trade for Ray Allen. The Hornets, despite getting ripped off by us last year, were willing to talk. Muggsy Bogues wasn't getting any younger at 33 and they had no real other passers available, which is why they were hoping Brevin Knight would fall to them.

It was something I considered, but I disliked the idea of being swayed by armchair GMs in our fanbase and so decided to keep waiting.

We invited a broad spectrum of players to work out for us and got some sense of some of the moves we might make in the draft. And then it was time.

1997 NBA Draft First Round

I hoped that the Bulls front office would still be feeling the effects of post-championship hangover and pass on Tim Duncan.

"With the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select... Tim Duncan, power forward, out of Wake Forest*. The New Jersey Nets are now on the clock."

The tidal wave of cheers was simultaneously pleasant to hear and disheartening. Oh well, I loved what the Bulls organization had done with the franchise and if we didn't get him, I'm glad Chicago did, even if it went a long way to ensuring the continuation of Bulls dominance.

2. SF Tariq Abdul-Wahad - New Jersey Nets

My jaw dropped and the crowd gasped when this pick was made. Abdul-Wahad wasn't on anybody's radar as a top 3 pick and there he was going 2nd overall.

3. C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - New York Knicks

Smart play by the Knicks there, who were affirming to the world that the Patrick Ewing era was over.

I called the Pistons to try and trade up to the #4 spot, but Detroit wasn't interested after events fell out how they did.

4. SF Tracy McGrady - Detroit Pistons

That was who we were hoping to trade up for and to see him go off the board was disheartening. Although a high schooler, I thought McGrady could be mentored by Glen Rice and then take over for him.

With nobody else worth trading up for, I sat back and watched.

5. PF Keith Van Horn - Vancouver Grizzlies
6. PG Brevin Knight - Charlotte Hornets

And just like that, all our leverage to get Ray Allen from the Hornets vanished. Not many people thought Knight would fall to #6, considering him a lock to the Pistons at #4. Damned Nets.

7. C Chris Antsey - Toronto Raptors

This pick left even the experts speechless with shock. There was some speculation the 7 foot Australian wouldn't even be picked in the first at all, let alone in the Top 10. Sheer madness it was in Canada.

8. PF Lawrence Funderburke - Los Angeles Lakers

Seeing another blown pick, though not quite as outrageous as Antsey, warmed the cockles of my heart, especially since it was the Lakers, whose first next year we owned, screwing up.

9. SF Danny Fortson - Philadelphia 76ers
10. PG Bobby Jackson - Orlando Magic

The Magic made a surprise pick in Jackson, given that they had Penny Hardaway who was still young, but evidently they saw something in him I didn't.

11. C Michael Stewart - Minnesota Timberwolves
12. SG Kevin Ollie - Portland Trailblazers
13. C Kelvin Cato - Dallas Mavericks

I didn't get Dallas taking Cato at all. Why him when Marcus Camby, the All-NBA 3rd Teamer as a rookie was on the squad? So much for the Mavericks' playoff hopes the next season.

14. SG Marko Milic - Los Angeles Clippers

I had my eye on a few different players at the spot, but the more I looked them, the more one of them stood out to me, so I contacted the Kings about moving up. For the price of #18, plus the Mavericks 1999 2nd round pick, they were willing.

15. SG Chauncey Billups - Boston Celtics

The experts thought it was a great pick, with J.P. Gorski commenting that Billups could've very easily been a Top 10 selection. They also had some discussion of where Starbury might go in a deal, as the selection seemed to further cement his imminent departure.

16. SG Rick Brunson - Milwaukee Bucks
17. C Keith Closs - Washington Bullets*

A rare mid-list correct pick by the mocks.

18. C Tony Battie - Sacramento Kings
19. PF Jerald Honeycutt - New Jersey Nets
20. SG Anthony Parker - Denver Nuggets
21. SF Keith Booth - Phoenix Suns*

I gave that one to the mock drafters because they did have Booth going to the Suns, just at 23 instead of 21.

22. SG Charles Smith - Dallas Mavericks
23. SG Derek Anderson - Phoenix Suns
24. PF Etdrick Bohannon - Minnesota Timberwolves

And then the Knicks trio.

25. SG James Cotton - New York Knicks
26. PF Maurice Taylor - New York Knicks
27. PF Tim Thomas - New York Knicks

New York certainly made the most out of their four first round picks. Cotton was projected as a possible late lottery and Thomas was a guy we were considering at 18 before Billups fell.

28. PF Austin Croshere - New Jersey Nets
29. C Adonal Foyle - Chicago Bulls*

I wanted to come out of the draft with a power forward, so I traded Dean Garrett to the Knicks for the 33rd overall pick, which I used to take Chris Crawford out of Marquette. I loved watching his career with the Golden Eagles and he filled a need for us.

Post-draft looks revealed that Chauncey Billups could potentially step in as our starting point guard right away if we dealt Starbury. Chris Crawford looked to have good offensive game, but very little in the way of rebounding skills and not much understanding of how the pro game flowed.

It was a good thing I'd gotten Clifton Gross's permission for a higher payroll, because even with renouncing everyone, we were at 10 players and almost $2.1 million over the cap.

Then the league office announced a $2.5 million approximate salary cap increase, so we were suddenly $500k and change under. While nice, it put a crimp in our free agency plans.

Summer League
SG Chauncey Billups
PF Chris Crawford
C Theo Ratliff

The summer league opened with an ugly 92-80 loss to the Magic. Theo Ratliff went 0 for 5, negating Chris Crawford's exclamation point 26 points.

We evened it up with a 94-74 caning of the Nets. Tariq Abdul-Wahad was a monster with 31 points and 11 rebounds, but balance, keyed by Howard Eisley's 19 points and 10 assists and fellow invitee Anthony Silvine's 11 bench points got us the win. Eisley was getting a long look as Brian Shaw's replacement at backup point guard and I loved that he showed flashes of being an offensive sparkplug.

Chauncey Billups finally broke out with a 26 point game and Howard Eisley doubled again for 25 points and 11 assists in our 106-77 rout of the 76ers. Reserve Brent Scott added 11 rebounds.

I wasn't surprised to lose 99-95 to the overloaded Knicks summer squad and was quite pleased with Howard Eisley's 24 points and Chris Crawford's 20 points.

We edged the Heat 100-95 thanks to Howard Eisley's 29 points and 10 assists and I became alarmed at the notion he was playing so well he'd end up pricing himself out of our range.

A close 79-76 loss to the Bullets in D.C. ended our summer league, Chauncey Billups posting 21 points and Howard Eisley netting 12 points and 10 assists.

One thing I learned from the summer league was that Theo Ratliff had to go. He looked horrible all summer long and he wasn't showing anything of the improvement that he needed to.

Free Agency
That summer was big on names like Hakeem Olajuwon, Jeff Hornacek, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, and so on, but they were all well into their 30s and so not as attractive as might first look.

Detroit made the first signing of the summer and pulled off a coup in stealing Gheorghe Muresan from the Bullets with a 5 year, $13.6 million deal. With Muresan to pair alongside up and coming Jermaine O'Neal, suddenly the Pistons had a fearsome post game.

As if the Bulls weren't already ridiculously good, they snapped up Sam Cassell from the Rockets on a 5 year, $15.8 million contract. Between drafting Duncan and swiping Cassell, Chicago looked once again the top basketball town in all the land, as their offseason was going fantastically.

Patrick Ewing took a 1 year, $1.8 million contract to head to San Antonio on the same day that we lost our bid to get Dennis Rodman, who took less money to go back to the Bulls and summer league star Howard Eisley decided to stay with the Jazz, preferring them over us with equal money.

We recovered by giving A.C. Green another try in a Celtics uniform at minimum and stealing 32 year old Celtics-killer Kenny Smith from the Hawks on a one-year minimum. We also grabbed 26 year old defensive guru Bo Outlaw on a two year low exception, as perimeter defense on the bench was something we'd lacked.

And then we pulled the trigger.

Boston Celtics receive
C Erick Dampier
Houston Rockets 2000 1st round pick

Houston Rockets receive
PG Stephon Marbury

What this means for the Celtics
The 23 year old Dampier may be extremely raw, but he's got sizzling potential in all areas as a center, from scoring, to rebounding to defense. A butterfingers in terms of handling the ball is his only knock. But this move is the best thing that could've happened to his career. Rather than being forced to sit behind Hakeem Olajuwon for another year or two, he moves front and center to the Celtics starting five spot, filling Boston's hugest hole with youth and talent after two years of stopgaps in Dikembe Mutombo and Patrick Ewing. What the first round pick will turn into is anybody's guess.

What this means for the Rockets
Starbury, like Dampier for the Celtics, completes Houston's biggest problem area. He'll be an instant star with the Rockets and provides the cornerstone for the rebuilding project that's to come after Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler retire in the next year or two.

Winner: Draw
It's too difficult to say without knowing what that first rounder turns into who wins this. Marbury is infinitely more talented than Dampier, but on the other hand, Boston has a young replacement for him with the just-drafted Chauncey Billups, while the Rockets are putting all their chips for a title run on this season, maybe next, by sacrificing their future center in Dampier.

A risky gamble, yes, but I couldn't stand another season of having somebody like Theo Ratliff at center and the Patrick Ewing debacle made me swear off fading stars.

Speaking of which:

Boston Celtics receive
Utah Jazz 1999 1st round pick

Utah Jazz receive
C Theo Ratliff

What this means for the Celtics
Boston GM Bobby Troilus is known for his love of stockpiling first round picks and he's shown a certain shrewdness at guessing where picks are likely to fall. With the Jazz relying on 34 year old Jeff Hornacek and John Stockton, along with 35 year old Karl Malone, Troilus is betting Utah will have one last hurrah in '97 before going into rebuilding mode in '98.

What this means for the Jazz
Ratliff may not have the rebounding potential of fellow 24 year old Amal McCaskill, who averaged 10.6 boards last season, but he's a better option on offense and defense, with otherworldly shotblocking skills and still developing defense.

Winner: Boston
Even if it's another late first, the Celtics should be able to find a player comparable to Ratliff. The only question might be Boston's lack of interior defense, but that's where just-signed Bo Outlaw comes in.

Bench defense in general had been a problem for us the last two years and with the memory of Atlanta's bench still haunting my sleep at night, I signed 36 year old Derek Harper and 32 year old Chris Dudley to minimum one year deals towards the end of free agency. I thought Dudley could replace Pervis Ellison as the primary backup center, since he could play defense in addition to rebounding and shotblocking. While Harper would fight for minutes, I still felt safer having him on the team.

[b]Training Camp/b]

Camp was a mixed bag. On the one hand, Chauncey Billups had a magnificent camp and firmly cemented himself as the starting point guard. On the other hand, Allen Iverson didn't improve much, Chris Crawford took a step back defensively, even as he improved rebounding and Erick Dampier while making major strides as a rebounder, appeared not to have the scoring instincts and defensive potential we thought we were getting out of him.

Still, I felt reasonably good about the team.

Season Preview

Of course, everyone was picking the Bulls to repeat. For some strange reason, Philadelphia was getting a lot of love, picked for second, while Detroit was tabbed for third in the East, which I could see. We were picked to just miss the playoffs at #9, as the media pointed to Erick Dampier's 34.1% shooting during his rookie year and nobody believed Chris Crawford would do well at power forward or that Chauncey Billups would make anybody forget Stephon Marbury.

The West rankings were a complete joke, with Dallas and Minnesota picked as 1-2. It wasn't until San Antonio at #3 that they started making sense and even the Lakers at #5 was preposterous.

But I was determined to make a mockery of those rankings that had us out of the playoffs. I felt we were good enough to repeat as Atlantic champions and 4 seeds, though I didn't think we, or anyone else, had a prayer of beating the Bulls.

1997-98 Boston Celtics Opening Night Roster
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Allen Iverson
SF Glen Rice
PF Chris Crawford
C Erick Dampier
6th Kenny Smith (PG/SG)
7th Bo Outlaw (PF/C)
8th Chris Dudley (SF/PF/C)
9th Pervis Ellison (PF/C)
10th Derek Harper (PG/SG)
11th Sherman Douglas (SG)
12th A.C. Green (SF/PF/C)
Inactive
Dee Brown (SG/SF)
Dana Barros (PG)

DaddyTorgo · 05-08-2009, 04:44 PM

nice!

i have always been bummed that billups didn't get a longer look here in boston - when he started to grow into himself i was a frequent finger-pointer about that. dampier should provide some potential, and it seems you've got a hell of a lot of #1 picks to play with coming up.

what is your draft-picks situation anyways?

hoopsguy · 05-08-2009, 05:43 PM

It was Pippen, not Rodman, who dropped the "Sunday" line on Malone.

Back on board reading your dynasties now that you seem to have settled into a groove with one

Izulde · 05-08-2009, 10:33 PM

DaddyTorgo: Thanks.

I couldn't believe he was still there at 15. If anything, I thought he'd go earlier than projected at 13, into the top 10 even. As far as picks go:

1998 - Celtics, Lakers
1999 - Celtics, Jazz
2000 - Celtics, Rockets

hoopsguy: Ah, so you're right.

Funny, I swore it was Rodman, because it sounded like something The Worm would say, so in this universe, it was him.

Glad to have you back around, by the way.

Izulde · 05-09-2009, 02:09 AM

If we had an Achilles heel heading into that cold Halloween night against the Bucks, it was that we didn't have a lockdown defender in the starting lineup. And indeed, we allowed 106 points, including 29 points to Vin Baker, 18 bench points to Terry Dehere, 15 points and 11 assists to Kobe Bryant and 12 points and 14 rebounds to Dikembe Mutombo. But it didn't matter, as we scored 122 to win easily, Glen Rice scoring 32, Allen Iverson going one better at 33 and Kenny Smith providing 10 bench points. Erick Dampier had a quiet Celtics debut with 7 points and 7 rebounds and while Chris Crawford scored 10 in his pro debut, he jacked up 5 of 16 to get them. Far better was Chauncey Billups's 16 points on 6 of 12.

The behemoth Bulls were next and in Chicago the evening after no less. Given those parameters, the 115-97 rout was no surprise and I settled for being satisfied with Allen Iverson's 23 points and Glen Rice's 20 points. Michael Jordan ruled us for 33 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Cassell added 29 points and Tim Duncan looked anything but a rookie with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. It really was ridiculous how good they were that year.

Chauncey Billups had his first 20+ point game as a pro with 25 points in our next game as we beat the Suns 106-89. Glen Rice continued his torrid early-season form with 24 points and 12 rebounds and Bo Outlaw stunned with 20 bench points. Great to see from our defensive specialist. Charles Barkley did well with 20 points and 14 rebounds and defending 6th Man of the Year Danny Manning scored 12 bench points.

Back to .500 we fell with a heartbreaking 115-114 loss to the Magic, outscored 31-22 in the fourth quarter. It was a damned shame too, especially with Chris Crawford breaking out 23 points, a total matched by Glen Rice. Chauncey Billups got his first double-double with 18 points and 12 assists, Allen Iverson scored 25 and Bo Outlaw showed the previous game was no fluke with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks off the bench. James Scott led the Magic with 24 points, Jerome Williams doubled for 15 points and 12 rebounds and Drew Barry and Bobby Jackson powered the reserves with 14 and 11 points respectively.

The Jazz whipped us far worse than the 99-82 final indicated. Glen Rice had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Allen Iverson grabbed 24 points and 11 rebounds, but they were nothing against Karl Malone's 25 points, Jeff Hornacek's 23 points and John Stockton's 16 points and 12 assists.

Erick Dampier was looking like a huge mistake, shooting 25.9% and fouling out twice in five games. In fact, he only had one game with fewer than 5 fouls. I couldn't condone that so I went with a small lineup, inserting Bo Outlaw at center.

The initial results weren't great, but we still overcame the Bullets 92-86, dodging the Big Bullet himself, Chris Webber, with 34 points and 11 rebounds thanks to Glen Rice and Allen Iverson with 23 and 22 points respectively.

We went to Milwaukee the next night and won another shootout 111-100. Allen Iverson was on fire with 38 points, Glen Rice made his presence felt with 30 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford scored 21 to counter Vin Baker and Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson's 22 points a piece.

Stephon Marbury came ready to play and rose up for 23 points and 13 assists against us, Wesley Person scored 13 bench points and Hakeem Olajuwon netted 19 points and 12 rebounds, but Glen Rice was unstoppable in scoring 46 points with 9 rebounds as we starstruck the Rockets 115-94. Allen Iverson scored 29 and Kenny Smith played great off the bench with 12 points and 11 assists.

Our joy was short-lived however, as Christian Laettner burned us for 30 points and the second half was all Hornets in a 109-93 loss. Cedric Henderson chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds and not even Allen Iverson's 27 points or 10 and 11 points from Kenny Smith and Erick Dampier respectively could save us.

Golden State owned us entirely in a 112-99 embarassment. Joe Smith was a force with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Travis Knight fought for 14 points and 11 rebounds, Latrell Sprewell garnered 15 points and 10 assists and Tim Hardaway scored 21. In response, Glen Rice scored 23, Chauncey Billups had 12 points and 11 assists and Erick Dampier scored 13 off the bench.

With Dampier's improved play and Chris Crawford's frustrating inconsistency, I made another lineup change, putting Dampier back in at center and shifting Bo Outlaw to power forward.

The shift paid off in a 98-78 dismantling rematch of the Hornets. Allen Iverson scored 30, Glen Rice 22 and Kenny Smith came through with 13 bench points. Christian Laettner did score 24, but he shot 20 times and no other Hornets were on form.

I was wary going against the Pistons' promising frontcourt, but my lineup changes translated into a second straight sub-80 point allowance, a 113-75 crushing engineered by Allen Iverson's splendid 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, Glen Rice's 24 points and Chris Crawford's 10 bench points. Jermaine O'Neal shined for Detroit with 20 points and 17 rebounds, but he was the only Piston to do so.

We allowed 95 points against the Nets, chiefly because of Tariq Abdul-Wahad's 22, but we still won 110-95 on Glen Rice's 31 points and 13 rebounds and a season-high 18 points from Erick Dampier.

Allen Iverson scored 24 and Erick Dampier doubled for 12 points and 15 rebounds, but our game against the Bullets to end the month was still in doubt until Bo Outlaw contained Chris Webber enough to limit him to 21 points and 19 points and Keith Closs's 12 points and 10 rebounds were all but a layup worth of free throws as we prevailed 93-86.

Although we'd gotten off to a rough start, it felt like we'd finally found a lineup that worked for us and that win over the Bullets was enough to make us 9-5 and put in a tie with Washington for the Atlantic lead. The Bulls actually lost a few games in November, but they were still 12-3 at month's end. Biggest surprise: the Pistons at 10-5.

Utah looked good out West at 12-4, but the Spurs were 10-3, both better than Pacific leaders Golden State and Phoenix at 11-5 and 10-5 respectively. The Lakers, whose pick we owned, were treading slightly below .500 water at 6-9.

Izulde · 05-09-2009, 02:34 PM

Only one trade that first month of the 1997 season, but it was interesting at least.

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
SF Tracy Murray

New York Knicks receive
Cleveland Cavaliers 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Cavaliers
Murray, 26, is an average all-around player save for his punishing outside shot, which adds another dimension to Cleveland's attack. He also injects much needed youth into the Cavs' swingman situation and in fact steps in as the starting SF.

What this means for the Knicks
Four first round picks evidently weren't enough for New York, which is now starting three rookies, has a fourth rookie as their 6th man and has a second year player as their starting point guard. They're the youngest team in the league and yet they're a respectable 5-10. This pick'll be another late first, but given the Knicks' value picks in this past, weak class, that's not a bad thing.

Winner: Draw
Both teams benefit, but Murray's expiring this season.

Although I'd been tempted to go trigger pulling myself earlier in the year, I was glad I hadn't. We kept our winning ways going, starting off December with an 88-74 win over the Heat. Allen Iverson carried us practically by himself with 32 points, leading the charge that overcame Ed Gray's 23 points and Nick Van Exel's 21 points.

Another ugly game followed in Miami, Nick Van Exel's 28 points the main culprit in our 83-80 loss. Derek Harper had 14 bench points, but when Erick Dampier went 2 for 17, you knew things were bad.

Then we lost 88-77 in Philadelphia, Allen Iverson's 26 points negated by Darvin Ham's 19 points and 13 rebounds, Derrick Coleman's 17 points and 13 rebounds and Jerry Stackhouse's 14 bench points.

After Jayson Williams beat us up for 20 points and 11 rebounds and we lost 96-91 at home the following night to the Hawks, I'd had enough. There was no reason to be losing when Allen Iverson was scoring 29 points and Chris Dudley of all people had 10 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench.

And thus came a trade.

Boston Celtics receive
SF Tom Gugliotta
Minnesota Timberwolves 1998 1st round pick

Minnesota Timberwolves receive
C Erick Dampier
PG Sherman Douglas
Boston Celtics 2000 2nd round pick

What this means for the Celtics
Boston GM/head coach Bobby Troilus has been said to be very unhappy with his team's offensive production lately and so he goes out and gets 28 year old Gugliotta, a two-time All-Star and All-NBA player who the Timberwolves have for some reason been trying to unload repeatedly. Off he goes now and he'll bring his accurate shooting and high energy game to the Celtics' PF spot. His one weakness is ballhandling, so it'll be interesting seeing how he adapts to his new position and team. While Minnesota's 10-7 right now, it's hard saying what effect this trade will have on them.

What this means for the Timberwolves
Dampier didn't last long in Boston thanks to his poor shot selection, but the Timberwolves don't care. His defense and rebounding talents will make him the starting center in Minneapolis, displacing rookie Michael Stewart and Sherman Douglas is going to get his shot at starting at the point over Terry Porter. Strange moves in both cases, as Stewart and Porter seem better than what the T-Wolves are bringing in, though in any case, Minnesota is now much deeper and also gets to start Isiah Rider at small forward, something they've been wanting to do.

Winner: Boston
It's hard to imagine the Celtics doing much worse than their three straight losses and although Boston's having to start Chris Dudley at center now, he may fit the Green and White's scheme better than Dampier did. And they pick up a first on top of it.

We lost our fourth straight game, a sickening 106-99 overtime defeat to the Raptors in Toronto. It was bombs away for the Purple Dinos, with 25 points and 11 rebounds from Juwan Howard, 24 points from Damon Stoudamire, 20 points from Kerry Kittles and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Chris Antsey. Allen Iverson scored 26 for us and Tom Gugliotta had 18 in his Celtics debut. Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford led the bench with 11 and 16 points respectively.

The drought finally broke the night after as we beat the 76ers 107-97. It was amazing to do it, considering Tony Delk tore us apart for 33 points and 13 assists, Clarence Weatherspoon netted 15 points and 10 rebounds and Derrick Coleman picked up 17 points and 10 rebounds. But Allen Iverson scored 26 and Kenny Smith and Chris Crawford contributed 15 and 11 bench points to see us through.

We hosted the Raptors and crushed them 107-81 in a sweet revenge game as Glen Rice snapped free for 35 points, outmatching Juwan Howard's 34, Allen Iverson scored 21 and Chris Crawford had his third straight great bench showing with 16 points.

The Bulls came next and we handed them just their 5th loss of the year, 95-88. Sam Cassell scored 22 and Toni Kukoc had 16 bench points for Chicago, but Allen Iverson led all scorers with 24 points, Tom Gugliotta got his first Celtic double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Chris Crawford made it 4 in a row with 12 bench points.

The Hornets flat-out destroyed us in Charlotte 101-77 for our first loss since the trade. Cedric Henderson scored 25, Grant Long was just nasty off the bench with 23 points and Christian Laettner and Roy Rogers double-doubled with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 points, 13 rebounds respectively. Glen Rice and Chauncey Billups were our top men with 26 and 20 points a piece.

Tom Gugliotta picked up a hand injury, so I put him on the bench and sent Bo Outlaw out at PF for our marquee matchup against Minnesota the next night. We destroyed them 103-83. Kevin Garnett was Player of the Game with 25 points and 15 rebounds and Sherman Douglas continued the ex-Celtic revenge thing with 12 bench points, but Allen Iverson scored 25, Chauncey Billups wasn't far off with 22 points and Glen Rice completed the triple with 21 points.

I started paying more attention to team injuries after that, so when Chris Dudley strained his knee against the Timberwolves, I had Bo Outlaw at center for our game in Los Angeles against the Lakers. I'm happy to say we won 100-75, cruising behind Tom Gugliotta's 29 points and 6 steals, Chauncey Billups's 21 points and Glen Rice's cheap double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds. The best the Purple and Gold did was 15 points each from rookie Lawrence Funderburke and Eddie Jones.

I was even happier to tell Cassie at dinner afterwards that I'd met someone else in Boston, one of the cheerleaders for the Celtics strangely enough. Nicole and I had met last season when she came to my office to ask me about ordering new uniforms for the squad. I agreed and joked that we should go out for coffee to discuss the details. She accepted and we started dating, with things getting more serious over the summer. I hadn't asked her to marry me yet. Things were still too tense with the topsy-turvy nature of our season for me not to feel stressed and wedding planning on top of it would, I felt, cause a coronary.

The injuries continued to pile on as Allen Iverson sustained a bruised shoulder, but since we had no replacement for him, I kept him in the lineup as we headed to Portland the next night and won 96-88. Tom Gugliotta shouldered the load with 26 points, Bo Outlaw supported with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Crawford woke up for 12 bench points as we overcame Clifford Robinson's 20 points, Arvydas Sabonis's 11 points, 11 rebounds, Rod Strickland's 13 points and 15 assists and Chris Mills's 14 bench points.

That pair of back-to-back wins was so nice I didn't mind as much as I thought I would the 97-86 loss in Seattle, although we blew it with a disastrous 33-21 fourth quarter. Gary "The Glove" Payton suffocated us for 27 points, John Salley had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Kenny Gattison led 3 Supersonics reserves in double-digit scoring with 10 points and 11 assists. Great game by our frontcourt, though as Tom Gugliotta netted 25 points and 12 rebounds, Glen Rice was just off that pace with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Bo Outlaw burst out for a surprise 20 points.

I was worried about exhaustion in Vancouver the next night, but we allowed just two Grizzlies in double-digit scoring; rookie Keith Van Horn with 34 points and Ashraf Amaya with 18 bench points. In counterpoint, Glen Rice scored 24, Tom Gugliotta continued to fit in seamlessy with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Pervis Ellison and Chris Crawford bounced off the bench for 10 rebounds and 12 points.

We were finally fully healthy as we hosted the Trailblazers to ring out the old year, and I gave Pervis Ellison the start at center, because he'd been unhappy with his playing time. 101-85 was the final, the good guys in green the winners. Allen Iverson scored 25, Glen Rice added 22 points and Tom Gugliotta picked up 11 points and 11 rebounds. Portland had two bench players do well, with Jeff McInnis and Will Perdue scoring 18 and 14, but that was all they did.

And so came the close to a tumultuous end-year. At 18-11, we were a game back of the Bullets in the Atlantic, but had gone 8-3 since acquiring Tom Gugliotta, which boded well for us for the rest of the season, I thought. We were also the only two teams in the Atlantic over .500, with 12-18 Orlando leading a train of bad squads.

Chicago didn't lose a game after we beat them and stood 24-5 at month's end, 3.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers. Detroit was another 20 game winner at 20-10 and really looked like a tough team to beat in the playoffs.

22-9 Utah had a 2.5 game lead on both the Spurs and the Rockets in addition to tenatively holding the West's top seed while the Pacific featured 19-8 Phoenix with a half-game edge on the Warriors. The Lakers, I should note, were having an awful year at 10-22, worst in the West. But we had three worse teams in the East at that point: 6-22 Miami and New Jersey and 9-20 New York. Oh yes, the Timberwolves were 16-12, so about what they were when we traded with them.

Celtics Team Leaders

Scoring
1. Allen Iverson - 21.7
2. Glen Rice - 20.2
3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.6

Assists
1. Chauncey Billups - 6.6
2. Allen Iverson - 4.5
3. Kenny Smith - 4.3

Rebounds
1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.3
2. Glen Rice - 7.0
3. Bo Outlaw - 5.4

Blocks
1. Bo Outlaw - 2.3
2. Chris Dudley - 1.0
3. Tom Gugliotta - 0.8

Steals
1. Allen Iverson - 1.6
2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.4
3. Bo Outlaw - 1.3

Izulde · 05-09-2009, 11:01 PM

New Year's Day brought my usual study of the incoming class and hot cider, though I got off to later start than my first two years. You see, I'd gone to a New Year's party with Nicole after the game and as a result, we'd stayed up later than I was used to. It was worth it of course, though when she asked me after our New Year's kiss when I was going to ask her to marry her, I said, only half-joking, "When the Celtics make it past the first round of the playoffs."

"I'll be old by then!" she gasped indignantly.

"You're only 25", I answered with a grin, "Besides, you have that little faith in my abilities that you don't think I'll get them there soon?"

She just laughed, winked and spirited away to the punch bowl. As I watched her blonde hair swishing from her turn, I was reminded of how much I liked the way she kept things light and me on my toes with little things like not answering. She gave levity to a life that still felt leaden sometimes, running a franchise still dreaming of past glories.

Anyway, the upcoming rookie class was rich in talented swingmen. Players like Paul Pierce and Vince Carter immediately jumped out, but the Greek kid Peja Stojakovic looked good as well. Dirk Nowitzki, a German, looked like a fantastic power forward prospect and Antawn Jamison was having a nice year with the Tar Heels. But if you were a team looking for a point guard or a center, forget it. They just weren't there. Bad news for us, who needed a true center worth having, but at the very least, we had a shot at getting a forward to be the heir apparent to Glen Rice if things broke right.

And then there were December's trades.

Atlanta Hawks receive
SG John Starks

New York Knicks receive
Atlanta Hawks 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Hawks
Starks, 32, is a solid all-around player whose good passing and handling skills for a SG blend in perfectly with Atlanta's philosophy of balanced team scoring. Not great on the defensive end, but a major upgrade from the previous rotations they've been using to start at the two.

What this means for the Knicks
New York makes another commitment to youth and they shed Starks's salary on top of it, which frees up yet more money for them to become major free agent players when the time is right. The second round pick could be high-mid, as the Hawks have struggled this year.

Winner: New York
The Knicks have their rebuilding plan in place and this just adds another piece to it. For those doubting, see Derek Fisher, 3rd pick in 2nd round of 1996 draft and Knicks starting PG from Day One.

Phoenix Suns receive
C Sharone Wright

Philadelphia 76ers receive
Phoenix Suns 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Suns
The 25 year old Wright can flat out score, but that's really the only attribute he brings to the table. He's also not going to see many minutes as Phoenix is heavy on Shawnelle Scott and defending 6th Man of the Year Danny Manning at center. On the other hand, Manning's 31 and should he or Scott come to injury, Wright's a far better insurance policy than filler Lorenzo Williams.

What this means for the 76ers
Philly's not a very good team as they're still young and having problems developing team chemistry and consistency, so an extra first might help them find more talent. On the other hand, given that it's a late first, is the player really going to equal what Wright gave them?

Winner: Phoenix
Decent big men are hard to find in this league and the Suns trade a late first to get a respectable young one. Nice move.

Denver Nuggets receive
C Vitaly Potapenko

Atlanta Hawks receive
Denver Nuggets 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Nuggets
Denver apparently doesn't like first rounders much, because for the third year in a row they trade away their own first. The 22 year old Potapenko has a good inside shot and some rebounding skills, but the man taken with the 11th pick in the 2nd round last year can't unseat the Nuggets' 2nd round pick this year (7th in 2nd) Scott Pollard as the team's backup center. And who does Denver have starting at the five? Jamie Feick, Mr. "I Could've Been Tim Duncan" himself. The Nuggets front office needs serious help.

What this means for the Hawks
The Nuggets are actually competitive this season, so it's a mid-first rounder, but considering Atlanta still has five centers on the roster and they turned a mid-2nd round pick into a mid-1st, that's a beautiful job by the Hawks' office.

Winner: Atlanta
They've got smart men in Hotlanta.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PF Otis Thorpe

New York Knicks receive
Los Angeles Clippers 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
The Red and White are terrible this season and acquiring a 35 year old rebounding specialist when they already have guys at power forward like Loy Vaught, Antoine Walker and even Rodney Rodgers makes no sense at all.

What this means for the Knicks
In case you haven't gotten the memo yet, New York's rebuilding and they trade away an old piece for a lottery ticket and yet more cap space. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

Winner: New York
It's tough to be a basketball fan in LA this season, with Showtime dead and the Clippers being the Clippers.

The new year started off with a bang as we demolished the Cavaliers 106-76. Tom Gugliotta flourished with 32 points and Allen Iverson made a nice second punch with 22 points. Brett Szabo was top man for the Cavs with 11 points and 17 rebounds as Cleveland had arguably their ugliest game of the year.

Tom Gugliotta continued the fun with 31 points and 17 rebounds against the Mavericks, schooling Popeye Jones, who nonetheless doubled with 14 points and 11 rebounds. We won 111-87, countering Jamal Mashburn's 32 points and Marcus Camby's 11 points and 13 rebounds with Allen Iverson's 24 points and Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points.

The Knicks posed no challenge in New York, falling 111-88 to Allen Iverson's 28 points, Chauncey Billups's 19 points and 12 assists and Glen Rice's 12 points and 10 rebounds. It looked strange to see Chris Mullin not wearing blue and yellow and even stranger to see him on the bench, but he got us for 11 points.

We turned around and went right back to Boston to beat the Kings 97-79 the next night. Tom Gugliotta powered his way to 24 points and 14 rebounds, Pervis Ellison got a rare double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds and Kenny Smith and Bo Outlaw led the second team with 16 and 10 points respectively. Walt Williams held Glen Rice to 1 of 15 shooting in addition to scoring 23 points himself and Tony Battie picked up 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it was all for naught.

A couple days later, we hosted the Knicks and promptly sent them back to the City with a 103-82 loss. Allen Iverson and Glen Rice combined for 28 and 22 points and Chris Crawford rose off the bench for 11 points, spoiling Larry Johnson's 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Down south in Hotlanta, the Hawks were hoping to reach .500, but we ended that with a 110-98 rout. Tom Gugliotta belted them for 31 points, Chauncey Billups followed up with 26 points and Pervis Ellison applied the finisher with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Oh and Chris Crawford topped the reserves with 10 points. For the Hawks, Mookie Blaylock scored 20 and Elliot Perry was just insane off the bench with 26 points.

It was a good way to start the five game road trip that'd proven one of the toughest parts of our schedule the last couple years and given our difficulties with that stretch, I wasn't surprised when the Spurs beat us 109-92 to hand us our first loss of the 1998 calendar year. Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason each burned us for 20 points and David "The Admiral" Robinson was an animal in the post with 16 points, 21 rebounds and 6 blocks. We gave it a shot though, as Glen Rice led all scorers with 35 points, Allen Iverson scored 25 and Chauncey Billups distributed 14 points and 10 assists.

We ambushed the Rockets 114-86 thanks to Glen Rice (22 points), Allen Iverson (20 points) and the bench tandem of Chris Crawford with his first career double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kenny Smith with 11 points.

Even more pleasing was when we shut down the high-octane Mavericks offense the night after, winning 98-76. Glen Rice dominated with 33 points and 4 steals and Bo Outlaw had 12 bench rebounds, as Dallas's main players were Jamal Mashburn with 14 points and 16 rebounds and Marcus Camby with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Both shot terribly though, as did the Mavericks as whole - 32.6% on the night.

After our Texas triumphs, I feared a letdown in Toronto and I was right. We lost a 125-113 shootout as Damon Stoudamire went ballistic with 37 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals and Juwan Howard poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds to nullify 28 points each from Glen Rice and Tom Gugliotta, the latter of whom also had 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks, Chauncey Billups's 13 points and 11 assists and Kenny Smith's bench rampage of 17 points.

Then the Lakers stunned us 94-83 in Boston, much to my aggravation. Cedric Cellabos scored 27 to basically draw with Glen Rice's 28 points and their balance topped ours, even with Chris Crawford's 10 bench points.

We finally snapped out of it by beating the Pacers 91-85 on Allen Iverson's 22 points, which were one better than Reggie Miller's 21 points and Tom Gugliotta's 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The most puzzling team on the planet had to be the Orlando Magic. They had two franchise-level talents in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, yet they constantly underachieved, as when they got blown out 102-78 at home by us. Nick Anderson's was their high scorer with 24 points, eclipsed by Glen Rice's 29 points and 13 rebounds and further buried by Tom Gugliotta's 18 points and 16 rebounds.

From Orlando to Boston, where we slugged the Grizzlies 96-74 the night after. Keith Van Horn played well with 17 points and 10 rebounds and reserve Ashraf Amaya netted 15 points and 18 rebounds as he usually seemed amped to play us. But even with that and with a terrible night from our forwards, we still won handily on Allen Iverson's 30 points, Chauncey Billups's 27 points and the tag-team bench duo of Bo Outlaw (12 points) and Kenny Smith (11 points). One thing I loved about that year's team as compared to the 1996-97 edition was that they didn't implode on the second night of back-to-backs. They stayed strong.

We had the statistical stars in Allen Iverson's 21 points and Tom Gugliotta's 13 points and 11 rebounds, but the Pacers had the balance and so they beat us 82-74 in Indiana. Reggie Miller was their lead scorer with 18 points along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

We bounced back the next night to freeze the Heat 102-84 in Miami. Ed Gray's 24 points and Malik Rose's 11 points and 10 rebounds were nothing in the face of Allen Iverson's 24 points, Tom Gugliotta's 19 points and 14 rebounds, [b]Glen Rice's near triple-double of 14 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points.

That victory put us at 30-15, but frustratingly, we were still a game behind the 30-13 Bullets for the Atlantic lead. Yet we were also so far ahead of third place 17-28 and 16-27 Orlando and New York it was ridiculous.

The Bulls were in danger of their 10th loss of the year, but at 35-9, they still enjoyed a 4.5 game edge on the Cavaliers, who we ourselves were a single game behind in the overall seeding race.

On the other hand, Chicago was the only single-loss team in the league, as 29-15 Utah was holding off the Spurs by only a game and had the Rockets and Timberwolves 2.5 back. In the Pacific, 32-12 Golden State was fairly well in front of Phoenix at 5.5 The 15-29 Lakers were still worst in the West, but 5th worst in the league, thanks to four terrible East teams.

Boston Celtics Leaders

Scoring
1. Allen Iverson - 21.1
2. Glen Rice - 19.9
3. Tom Gugliotta - 18.0

Assists
1. Chauncey Billups - 7.0
2. Allen Iverson - 4.6
3. Kenny Smith - 3.8

Rebounds
1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.4
2. Glen Rice - 7.2
3. Pervis Ellison - 6.5

Blocks
1. Bo Outlaw - 2.1
2. Pervis Ellison - 1.0
3. Tom Gugliotta - 0.9

Steals
1. Allen Iverson - 1.7
2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.3
3. Glen Rice - 1.1

Izulde · 05-10-2009, 11:55 PM

February had always been a difficult month for us in my two years leading Boston, so with us a game back of the Bullets, even though I'd finally found love, Cupid's month made me anything but joyful.

January featured a trade or two to review at least.

San Antonio Spurs receive
SF Chris Mullin
Los Angeles Clippers 1998 2nd round pick

New York Knicks receive
SG Vinny Del Negro

What this means for the Spurs
This is not another blockbuster veteran move by San Antonio, for this is not the Mullin who starred in Golden State. At 34, Mullin is now just an average all-around, yet intelligent bench player. The 2nd rounder's looking like a mid-selection.

What this means for the Knicks
Del Negro may be 31 and an odd fit for this New York team, but they needed a veteran mentor in the backcourt and Negro fits the bill. He also bring scoring pop and excellent ballhandling to the bench, in addition to an extra million dollars of expiring contract.

Winner: New York
They did get three years younger and this eases some of their glut of second rounders that probably wouldn't make the team anyway.

Golden State Warriors receive
SG Alvin Williams

Los Angeles Lakers receive
Golden State Warriors 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Warriors
Williams, 23, taken with the 8th pick in the 2nd round of this year's draft, won't break past the Tim Hardaway/Latrell Sprewell starting backcourt, but he becomes the first guard off the bench and has potential to develop into a very good starting PG someday. For now, he'll greatly increase Golden State's depth as they drive for the division title and serve as Hardaway's heir apparent.

What this means for the Lakers
On the one hand, they've turned a 2nd round pick into a first rounder when they don't have their own first this year. On the other hand, Williams could've been a late first rounder himself in last year's draft. Then again, he was only getting about 5 minutes a game.

Winner: Golden State
No doubt about the Warriors getting a quality play for their first and they addressed the issue of who will replace the 31 year old Hardaway when the time comes.

Despite my belief in always keeping a first round pick, I have to say I liked what a lot of the contending teams had done with dealing their firsts for players. It made me want to think about doing the same at the deadline while keeping the Lakers' selection.

Part of the reason we'd done poorly in February was the whopper of a back-to-back we faced to start the month. Our first game was in Cleveland, where, much to my joy and shock, we rallied in the fourth quarter to stun the Cavaliers 112-102. Kenny Anderson, who'd re-signed with the Cavs in free agency after being obtained from the Nets last February, scored 26 points and 4 steals, Tracy Murray added 22 and Brett Szabo gathered in 16 points and 10 rebounds, but we answered with six Celtics scoring 12 or more, headlined by Glen Rice's 28 points and Bo Outlaw's 15 bench points.

Incredibly, we rallied again in the fourth the next night to knock off the Spurs at home. Kenny Smith was a perfect 8 for 8 off the bench, including 5 of 5 from 3 point range for 21 points in just 17 minutes, the perfect complement to Allen Iverson's 23 points. It was a beautiful way to frustrate San Antonio, who had 3 players with double-doubles: David Robinson (18 points, 16 rebounds), Patrick Ewing (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Antonio Daniels (18 points, 10 assists).

Then came the other reason why we struggled in February - the road trip from hell. It felt different this year, though maybe that was because Nicole took two weeks vacation to travel with us. She drew a lot of attention during telecasts from the announcers and became something of an Internet phenomenon.

But I didn't pay much attention to all that. I was about our hardcourt performance. The journey started magnificently with an all-quarters 98-83 victory over the Clippers. Glen Rice led the charge with 30 points and 5 steals, Allen Iverson lit up for 27 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups had 11 points and 11 assists. Loy Vaught and Antoine Walker were the top Clippers with 17 points and 11 rebounds and 15 points and 10 rebounds respectively.

Cassie was delighted with Nicole at dinner that night and she told me while my girlfriend was in the restroom that I'd made an excellent choice and that all things happened for a reason. I couldn't say I disagreed at all, for though I hadn't forgotten Mia and never would, I was happier with Nicole than I'd ever been in any of my previous relationships.

It's not very often that a team takes the first three quarters convincingly and still loses, but that's exactly what happened the next night in Oakland. A stellar 44-25 fourth quarter gave us the nailbiting 100-99 win over the Warriors. Joe Smith's 28 points and 11 rebounds and Travis Knight's 11 points and 15 rebounds were eclipsed by our stellar backcourt of Chauncey Billups's 24 points and Allen Iverson's 22 points while Tom Gugliotta did the work in the post with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Two nights later Allen Iverson knocked out the Kings with 34 points and 5 steals, Glen Rice piled on 22 points, Tom Gugliotta got 16 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford applied the icing with 11 bench points in the 116-83 slaughter. Voshon Leonard's 14 bench points was their most noteworthy performance.

We brushed aside Antonio McDyess's 20 points in Denver with [b]Allen Iverson[b/]'s 22 points and perfect 7 for 7 night from Bo Outlaw for 14 bench points in our 108-72 napalming of the Nuggets.

Our first loss of the road marathon finally came in Utah, where a 29-10 second quarter, Karl Malone's 26 points and 22 points each from Jeff Hornacek and John Stockton did us in 105-99. We gave it our best shot, though, with 25 points from Tom Gugliotta, 20 points from Glen Rice and Pervis Ellison's 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Outside of Tom Gugliotta's 24 points and 10 rebounds, we just plain ran out of steam the next night in Phoenix as the Suns crushed us 110-84. Michael Finley, who I greatly admired, stomped us for 26 points and Shawnelle Scott picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Chauncey Billups got invited to the 3 Point Competition but went out in the first round. Still, just the fact that he went was a nice touch for our season.

Allen Iverson started for the Sophomores in the Rookies-Sophs game and scored a game-high 21 points to lead the second years to a 106-91 victory. Chauncey Billups had 11 points and 8 assists in 28 minutes as a reserve for the Rookies and the MVP award went not to Iverson, but Tim Duncan for his 12 points and 18 rebounds, which was fair I suppose, as nobody else had higher than 8, but it was still disappointing and another snub for AI to remember.

With no injuries this year, we would not be denied All-Star representation and so Allen Iverson started at point guard for the East, with Glen Rice among the reserves. While AI had a nondescript game with 11 points and 7 assists and Rice had 5 points and 2 assists in 12 minutes, the East still won 109-95 thanks to MVP Michael Jordan's 26 points.

All-Star West Team
PG Jason Kidd
SG Jamal Mashburn
SF Kevin Garnett
PF Karl Malone
C David Robinson
Joe Smith
Hakeem Olajuwon
Latrell Sprewell
Cedric Cellabos
Stephon Marbury
Marcus Camby
Jeff Hornacek

All-Star East Team
PG Allen Iverson
SG Michael Jordan
SF Grant Hill
PF Chris Webber
C Shaquille O'Neal
Juwan Howard
Jermaine O'Neal
Glen Rice
Vin Baker
Terrell Brandon
Ray Allen
Larry Johnson

I was a little surprised that Tom Gugliotta didn't make the All-Star game, but he didn't care. He said it was just refreshing to finally be on a winning team with smart management. He never completely got over the fact that the Timberwolves were so keen on dumping him from 1995 on, even while he was earning All-NBA honors.

Decision time came after the All-Star game. Would we stay pat or would we make a deal? I surveyed the market to see what was out there, not intending to swing a trade unless something really eye-catching popped up.

And it did.

Boston Celtics receive
PG Howard Eisley
Utah Jazz 1998 2nd round pick
Utah Jazz 1999 2nd round pick
Utah Jazz 2000 2nd round pick

Utah Jazz receive
PF A.C. Green
Boston Celtics 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Celtics
Boston GM/Head Coach Bobby Troilus has been extremely high on 25 year old passing and ballhandling wizard Eisley ever since he starred for the Celtics' summer league team. Although Eisley chose to return to Utah, Troilus was determined to have the young man wear the kelly green at some point at the time is now. Not only does the more accurately-shooting Eisley take over for Kenny Smith now as the top point guard off the bench, he'll be the 32 year old's replacement as the first reserve shooting guard next season as well. The fistful of seconds gives Troilus the trade bait he likes to have.

What this means for the Jazz
Green, 34, once again gets traded from Boston to the West after signing with the Celtics in free agency. He's just a body at this point and buried deep on Utah's bench. With Karl Malone and Jeff Hornacek 34 years old and John Stockton 35, Utah could use this higher pick and Green's expiring contract to work rebuilding efforts with. The Jazz are convinced that 2nd round rookie Anthony Johnson (25th pick in 2nd round), while extremely raw, can develop into Stockton's heir with some seasoning, so they deemed Eisley expendable.

Winner: Boston
Troilus strikes a beautiful move here, because the Celtics and Jazz picks will both be late firsts and should any of the Big Three retire, suddenly that 1999 Utah pick Boston owns is looking much more attractive. Besides, the C's already have the Lakers and Timberwolves firsts in the upcoming draft.

I was simply ecstatic to get Eisley. Not only did I fall in love with his game when he played for us in the summer league, but he took care of the question about whether or not to re-sign Smith in the offseason.

With this minor, but still significant tweak in hand, we ended the 7 game road trip in New Jersey, where we pounded the Nets 106-87 to finish 5-2 in the toughest stretch of our schedule. Tariq Abdul-Wahad's 36 points and Matt Maloney's 22 points were impressive, but far more jaw-dropping were our four double-doubles: Tom Gugliotta (20 points, 10 rebounds), Chauncey Billups (19 points, 12 assists), Allen Iverson (18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists) and Pervis Ellison (10 points, 12 rebounds) and that's not even counting Glen Rice's team-high 25 points.

We finally came home the night after, but couldn't overcome a 32-18 first quarter deficit and fell 116-110 to the Pacers. Six Indiana players scored 12 or more, led by Bruce Bowen's 25 points and reserve Don Maclean's 20 points. For our part, we had 22 points and 19 rebounds from Tom Gugliotta, a matching 22 points from Glen Rice and Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points.

We didn't even give the Hornets a chance in our next game, going box-to-wire in an all-quarters 118-89 rout. Chauncey Billups made up for his lackluster outing against Indiana with 27 points and 14 assists, Tom Gugliotta tacked on 24 points and 12 rebounds and Allen Iverson supplied 20 points. Scott Burrell shot off the bench for 19 points for Charlotte and Christian Laettner doubled for 18 points and 10 rebounds.

February closed as it opened, with a tough back-to-back. We spanked the Sonics 105-84 in Boston, countering Gary Payton's 23 points and Shawn Kemp's 24 points with 3 20+ point scorers of our own; Glen Rice with 21 and Tom Gugliotta and Allen Iverson with 20.

This set up a showdown in Chicago the next night and although the Bulls had a rough February, they were still dangerous. Indeed, they beat us 115-108 as we couldn't come back from a 37-25 first quarter deficit. Scottie Pippen burned us for 30 points, Sam Cassell chimed in with 25 points and 10 assists and Mitch Richmond, an early February acquisition from the Kings, came off the bench for 13 points. We had three bench players with 10+ points; Kenny Smith with 11 and Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford with 10, but when our only noteworthy starter was Chauncey Billups with 23 points, we fell just short.

I was still extremely please things with where things stood after the short month. At 39-19, we finally passed the Bullets for the Atlantic lead and were a game and a half up. In fact, we were even #2 in the East behind only the 45-13 Bulls. Chicago was up on the Cavaliers by 8 games in the Central and looked poised for their third straight #1 seed.

Utah was the other 40 win team at that point, holding a 40-16 mark and a three game lead on the Spurs, while a half-game separated the 36-21 Warriors and the Suns in the Pacific. Minnesota was chugging along at 32-24, looking like a 5-6 seed, while much to my annoyance, the 19-36 Lakers were no longer the worst team in the conference. The tanking Mitch Richmond-trading Kings earned that distinction. What was once a possible Top 5 pick now looked more like a Top 10 pick unless some lottery magic happened again.

But what was most important was to finally break through the first-round playoff barrier. Only then could I marry, after all.

NBA Leaders

Points
1. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.5
2. Hakeem Olajuwon HOU) - 24.4
3. Grant Hill (DET) - 23.8

Assists
1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.7
2. John Stockton (UTA) - 10.6
3. Stephon Marbury (HOU) - 9.8

Rebounds
1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 15.2
2. Loy Vaught (LAC) - 11.8
3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.6

Blocks
1. David Robinson (SA) - 3.1
T2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 3.0
T2. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.0

Steals
T1. Terrell Brandon (CLE) - 2.2
T1. Charles Barkley (PHO) - 2.2
T1. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.2

Rookies Leaders

Points
1. Tariq Abdul-Wahad (NJ) - 19.3
2. Marko Milic (LAC) - 19.2
T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 16.9
T3. Keith Van Horn (VAN) - 16.9

Assists
1. Brevin Knight (CHA) - 9.0
2. Antonio Daniels (SA) - 7.8
3. Chauncey Billups (BOS) - 7.2

Rebounds
T1. Keith Closs (WAS) - 10.1
T1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 10.1
3. Chris Antsey (TOR) - 9.0

Blocks
1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 2.8
2. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 2.3
3. Keith Closs (WAS) - 1.7

Steals
1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 1.9
2. Charles Smith (DAL) - 1.8
T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 1.6
T3. Kevin Ollie (POR) - 1.6

Izulde · 05-11-2009, 08:03 PM

After that fantastic February, I greatly looked forward to the prospect of March.

And then of course, you had the trade market.

Miami Heat receive
PG Brent Price

Washington Bullets receive
Miami Heat 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Heat
Bimbo Coles has been struggling with his shot this season, so Miami brings the pure bench offense of Price. But given the Heat's one of the worst teams in the league this season, they probably would've been better off keeping their second.

What this means for the Bullets
Getting rid of Price not only gives Washington a high 2nd round pick, but frees up more playing time for Randy Livingston and Hershey Hawkins and since both players are arguably better than Price, that's a good thing.

Winner: Washington
The Bullets have played it smart over the last few seasons and quietly developed into one of the East's better teams. Small moves like this only help.

Chicago Bulls receive
SG Mitch Richmond

Sacramento Kings receive
C Luc Longley
PF Jason Caffey

What this means for the Bulls
Richmond may be 32 and have missed the All-Star game this season, but he's still an All-Star talent, able to do it all. The scary part? He's Chicago's new 6th man and gives them an offensive sparkplug off the bench like no other in the league. Although they hurt their big man depth by dealing Caffey and Longley, they free up more playing time for rebounding and defensive specialist rookie Adonal Foyle, in hopes that he can develop more of an offensive game with increased minutes.

What this means for the Kings
Longley's a $3.1 million expiring contract and Caffey, 24, would be another $850k if he isn't brought back. Caffey's got inside scoring ability, but that's the only thing he has.

Winner: Chicago
$4 million in expiring contracts is good, but the best 6th man in the league for the defending champions is better still.

Washington Bullets receive
SF James Scott

Orlando Magic receive
Washington Bullets 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Bullets
Look up chucker in the dictionary. See Scott's picture by it. If he can learn to be more careful with his shot selection, he could be one of the premiere point scorers in the league, but he's the worst defender in the entire NBA, which is why he fell to the 2nd round (22nd pick) last year. At least he's only a 6th man and not starting.

What this means for the Magic
The preplexing Magic need some kind of shakeup and maybe adding another mid-late first will do it. At the very least, a mid-late 2nd for mid-late 1st is excellent value.

Winner: Orlando
The Bullets may well have hurt their chances of winning the Atlantic war with Boston by getting Scott.

Detroit Pistons receive
SG Eddie Jones

Los Angeles Lakers receive
Detroit Pistons 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Pistons
Jones is only 26, locked up for 3 years and shoots over 53%. He's also a very good defender with some potential left and is an absolutely nasty defender. He bolsters Detroit's depth considerably as they're headed to the playoffs for the first time in quite a while.

What this means for the Lakers
The Purple and Gold were desperate for a first round pick after theirs went to the Celtics and it shows, as they overpaid to get Detroit's selection. 2nd round pick (11th pick) Charles O'Bannon is awful and Magic Johnson's last years are assured to stay inglorious. It could be a long, long time before the Lakers see the playoffs again.

Winner: Detroit
An outright steal by the Pistons.

Utah Jazz receive
PF Rodney Rogers

Los Angeles Clippers receive
Utah Jazz 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Jazz
Rogers, 26, has some shooting and scoring ability, but that's it. Strictly a depth acquisition, as even if Karl Malone retires at the end of the year, Chris Morris will step in instead.

What this means for the Clippers
Not only do they get a first, albeit late, but they get an opportunity to start Lamond Murray, who is more balanced than Rogers and two years younger, with some upside to boot.

Winner: Clippers
Excellent move by the Red and White here and much more beneficial than the ho-hum effect on the Jazz.

It wasn't nearly as insane as 1996-97's 8 firsts exchange, but 3 first rounders was still noteworthy.

The Bucks threw a major scare into us and we had to rely on a fourth quarter comeback to just barely nip them 93-92. Dikembe Mutombo patrolled the paint for 16 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks, Vin Baker hung 25 points and 10 rebounds on us, Kobe Bryant netted 13 points and 12 assists and Rick Brunson added 13 bench points. In response, Allen Iverson scored 28, Glen Rice 21 and Tom Gugliotta put together 12 points and 11 rebounds. But the big story of the night was Howard Eisley stepping it up off the bench for 16 points.

Things went much easier the game after as we routed the Clippers 119-87 on Allen Iverson's 38 points, Glen Rice's 29 points, Tom Gugliotta's 13 points and 12 rebounds and Howard Eisley's 11 points and 10 assists.

Unfortunately, Allen Iverson strained his knee during the win, so I experimented with Chauncey Billups at SG and Howard Eisley at PG for our game against the Cavaliers. We won 89-73, outdueling Kenny Anderson's 22 points with Glen Rice's 29 points.

We kept Allen Iverson out of the lineup for the next game as well, but he still had 10 bench points in our 95-84 win in Milwaukee. Kobe Bryant scored 25 and Dikembe Mutombo had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but Glen Rice scored 23, Tom Gugliotta doubled for 16 points and 11 rebounds and Howard Eisley scored 20. Bo Outlaw also equaled AI's 10 bench points.

Three straight games with that backcourt and three straight victories, the last one 103-91 over the 76ers. Chauncey Billups scored 21, but Howard Eisley had 16 points and 11 assists, giving me a real dilemma. Tom Gugliotta led all scorers with 29 points as Philadelphia's best showing was Ron Mercer's 14 bench points and Clarence Weatherspoon's 11 point and 12 rebounds.

We went to Cleveland the next night and just on a hunch, I went with an Eisley-Iverson backcourt. A crazy 116-107 OT contest followed, with the good guys in green the winners. Allen Iverson made a triumphant return to the starting lineup with 28 points, Tom Gugliotta hauled in 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Pervis Ellison garnered 12 points and 13 rebounds. But the hero of the game was undoubtedly Glen Rice who had a staggering 30 point, 12 rebound, 6 assist, 6 steal outing. For the Cavaliers, Brett Szabo had 12 points and 13 rebounds, Terrell Brandon scored 21 and Mario Elie led the reserves with 15 points.

95-74 final over the Nets, where 17 point David Wesley was their lead scorer as we just kept right on rolling. Allen Iverson led the way with 23 points, Glen Rice was right behind with 22 points and we got double-doubles from Tom Gugliotta (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Howard Eisley (14 points, 11 assists). Bo Outlaw provided the bench fireworks with 13 points.

Shaquille O'Neal was the lone star for the Magic with 19 points and 11 rebounds as we blitzkrieged Orlando 106-79. Allen Iverson scored 33, Glen Rice 23 and Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford played bench bombardment with 14 and 11 points respectively.

On we rolled, blowing past LaPhonso Ellis's 25 points and the Nuggets 99-73. Tom Gugliotta busted out for 20 points and 14 rebounds while Allen Iverson nabbed 20 points and 10 boards. Chauncey Billups finally had a breakthrough bench game with 15 points in as many minutes. He'd handled his demotion extremely well and it was hard to argue with the results.

We beat Miami 97-82 behind 24 points each from Glen Rice and Howard Eisley, Rice adding 10 rebounds besides. Chauncey Billups had 10 bench points, but that included throwing up 10 3 point shots, only 2 of which went in. 12 points and 13 rebounds by Alonzo Mourning was decent effort, but not even close to enough.

Going into Indiana was a real test and one we passed 95-92 for our 50th win of the year. It was a classic battle, with Tom Gugliotta's 29 points and Glen Rice's 21 points leading a balanced attack just enough to overcome Rik Smits's 27 points, Reggie Miller's 24 points and Mark Jackson's 20 points.

We went to Minneapolis the next night and won 95-78, battling past Ben Wallace's 30 points and Kevin Garnett's 13 points and 10 rebounds with Glen Rice's 28 points, Pervis Ellison's 12 points and 12 rebounds and 17 and 10 bench points from Chauncey Billups and Bo Outlaw.

The 76ers went on a tear in the second half and very nearly ended our unbeaten streak, but we fended off Darvin Ham's 20 points and just barely squeaked by 83-82. Pervis Ellison and Tom Gugliotta were the glue keys with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 12 points, 11 rebounds respectively.

That left only the hated Hawks home and away. We topped them 98-88 at home thanks to Glen Rice's 26 points and Bo Outlaw's 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was a very strange game, as not a single Atlanta starter reached double-digit figures in -any- category. Instead, it was left to the bench, where Tim Legler scored 16, Stacey Augmon 13 and Elliot Perry negated his 19 points with 10 turnovers.

And then to Atlanta, where we shut them down 105-76 on Glen Rice's 33 points and Chris Crawford's 15 bench points. The Hawks just barely managed two starters in double-digit scoring and were once again led by Elliot Perry's 19 bench points, albeit without the horrific amount of turnovers.

Thus concluded our perfect, our flawless 15-0 March. Luck of the Irish indeed.

At 54-19, we were guaranteed no worse than the #3 seed, as we held a 5.5 game lead on the Bullets and even had 56-15 Chicago in our sights, though with just 9 games left, I didn't really think we would catch the Bulls, who'd already clinched the Central and a minimum #2 seed.

51-21 Utah, the third 50 win to that point team in the league, was 4 games ahead of San Antonio, while 46-27 Golden State led Phoenix by 2.5 games.

Celtics Leaders

Points
T1. Allen Iverson - 20.4
T1. Glen Rice - 20.4
3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.1

Assists
1. Chauncey Billups - 6.5
2. Allen Iverson - 4.3
T3. Howard Eisley - 3.4
T3. Glen Rice - 3.4

Rebounds
1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.5
2. Pervis Ellison - 7.9
3. Glen Rice - 7.0

Blocks
1. Bo Outlaw - 1.9
2. Pervis Ellison - 1.5
3. Tom Gugliotta - 1.0

Steals
1. Allen Iverson - 1.6
2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.4
3. Glen Rice - 1.2

Izulde · 05-12-2009, 05:32 PM

With 9 games remaining, we still had much to play for, including the continuation of our 15 game win streak.

The Magic nearly ended our run with a brilliant fourth quarter comeback engineered by Hubert Davis's 28 points, Penny Hardaway's 25 points and Drew Barry's 12 bench points, but we made it 16 in a row in Orlando with a 111-108 victory. Glen Rice and Allen Iverson both scored 22, Tom Gugliotta did his usual double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, Howard Eisley got in the doubling game with 14 points and 11 assists and Bo Outlaw and Chauncey Billups keyed the bench with 12 and 10 points a piece.

Every team was gunning for us now and the Pistons fired Grant Hill's 34 points and Gheorghe Muresan's 21 points at us, but we got win #17, 103-98, thanks to Tom Gugliotta's electric 31 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals and Allen Iverson's 30 points.

Our 18th win in a row came much more easily, 111-100 over the Knicks in New York, despite James Cotton's 23 points, Larry Johnson's 20 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas's cheap double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds and Vinny Del Negro's 12 bench points. Glen Rice and Tom Gugliotta combined for 25 and 21 points and Chauncey Billups and Bo Outlaw added to their growing supersub reputation with 16 and 11 points.

A marquee matchup came the next night as we hosted our fiercest division rivals, the Washington Bullets. It was a bad game to have on the back end of a doubleheader and sure enough, our run finally ended 111-101. Chris Webber put on one of the most amazing games I've ever seen with 37 points and 21 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace banked that with 26 points and Chalbert Cheaney contributed 13 points and 10 assists. We tried, with 28 points from Allen Iverson, 21 points from Glen Rice and a herculean 22 bench points from Chauncey Billups along with Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points, but we simply couldn't overcome a 32-20 first quarter deficit.

I was still damned proud of our team, though. That 18 game win streak tied for third longest in NBA history and longest in Celtics history.

1. Los Angeles Lakers - 33 (1971-1972)
2. Milwaukee Bucks - 20 (1971)
T3. Boston Celtics - 18 (1998)
T3. Boston Celtics - 18 (1982)
T3. New York Knicks - 18 (1969)

We still had a chance at 60 wins, but then the Raptors beat us 93-81 as we again struggled out of the gate and had a 33-19 first quarter hurdle we couldn't overcome. Juwan Howard scored 26 and Chris Antsey picked up 13 points and 10 rebounds as we had just two players in double digit scoring; Tom Gugliotta with 29 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford with 11 bench points.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Glen Rice broke his nose and was questionable for the rest of the season. I put Chris Crawford in the starting lineup at power forward, shifting Tom Gugliotta to small forward. We also moved Chris Dudley up the depth chart, which was good because he'd been unhappy about his playing time and signed Eric Mobley as depth cover.

Despite this calamity, we beat the Pistons 110-102 in a game that wasn't even that close. Grant Hill had 24 points and 13 rebounds and their bench was terrific with standout showings from Eddie Jones (19 points) and Brian Evans (14 points, 12 rebounds) to lead three Detroit reserves in double-digit scoring, but Allen Iverson took over the game with 36 points and Chauncey Billups mitigated the Pistons' bench somewhat with 19 points of his own.

Our rivalry with the Bullets added another chapter as they went on a torrid run in the fourth quarter, outscoring us 43-26 to come back for a 107-99 victory. Chris Webber continued be the bugbear that haunted our dreams with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace and Doug Christie added 26 points and Calbert Cheaney was briskly efficient with 16 points and 11 assists. Tom Gugliotta's 27 points, Allen Iverson's 21 points and Howard Eisley's 16 points and 10 assists just weren't enough.

I changed things up by putting Bo Outlaw in as the starting power forward and we picked up a 114-101 victory in New Jersey. Bo Outlaw came through with a huge 22 points, Tom Gugliotta led all scorers with 28 points and Chauncey Billups led the second team with 13 points. In contrast, Tariq Abdul-Wahad had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Samaki Walker bettered Billups with 19 bench points.

We needed to beat the Knicks in our final game of the year to get 60 wins and we did it easily, routing them 103-82 behind Allen Iverson's 29 points and 11 and 10 bench points respectively from Chauncey Billups and Chris Dudley. Larry Johnson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were great for the Knicks with 18 points and 15 rebounds and 23 points and 12 rebounds respectively but they and Charlie Ward's 14 bench points weren't close to enough. I really did like the rebuilding project the Knicks were doing, though. It felt like they could get back to playoff contention sooner rather than later, as a team that was half rookies didn't do too horribly.

And so we reached the hallowed 60 win mark at 60-22. But what a price it came with, potentially losing one of our top scorers for the rest of the season. If we got deep enough in the playoffs, there was an outside possibility of Glen Rice returning, but I wasn't confident we'd pull it off.

On the other hand, we did have a nice #2 seed locked up, the best of my tenure.

1997-98 East Conference Seedings
1. Chicago Bulls (63-19)
2. Boston Celtics (60-22)
3. Washington Bullets (53-29)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33)
5. Detroit Pistons (49-33)
6. Indiana Pacers (49-33)
7. Charlotte Hornets (43-39)
8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41)

1997-98 West Conference Seedings
1. Utah Jazz (57-25)
2. San Antonio Spurs (55-27)
3. Phoenix Suns (52-30)
4. Golden State Warriors (51-31)
5. Dallas Mavericks (47-35)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (45-37)
7. Houston Rockets (44-38)
8. Denver Nuggets (39-43)

The Portland Trailblazers certainly had to feel disappointment, having lost the tiebreaker with the Nuggets for the 8th spot in the West. I was also amazed to see the Suns pass up the Warriors for the Pacific crown. While I didn't relish facing the Hornets in the first round, I certainly didn't want to risk a revisit of the Hawks nightmare the year before, so I was fine with it.

NBA Leaders

Points
1. Ray Allen (CHA) - 25.0
2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 24.9
3. Hakeem Olajuwon (HOU) - 24.4

Assists
1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.7
2. John Stockton (UTA) - 10.4
3. Stephon Marbury (HOU) - 9.7

Rebounds
1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 14.6
2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.9
3. Loy Vaught (LAC) - 11.5

Blocks
T1. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 3.0
T1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 3.0
T1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 3.0
T1. David Robinson (SA) - 3.0

Steals
T1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 2.2
T1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.2
T3. Michael Jordan (CHI) - 2.1
T3. Charles Barkley (PHO) - 2.1
T3. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.1
T3. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.1

Rookies Leaders

Points
T1. Tariq Abdul-Wahad (NJ) - 18.8
T1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 18.8
T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 17.0
T3. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 18.0

Assists
1. Brevin Knight (CHA) - 9.2
2. Antonio Daniels (SA) - 7.9
3. Chauncey Billups (BOS) - 6.2

Rebounds
1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 9.8
2. Keith Closs (WAS) - 9.3
3. Chris Antsey (TOR) - 9.0

Blocks
1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 3.0
2. Zydrunas Ilagauskas (NY) - 2.2
3. Adonal Foyle (CHI) - 1.8

Steals
1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 1.9
2. Charles Smith (DAL) - 1.8
T3. Kevin Ollie (POR) - 1.7
T3. Anthony Parker (DEN) - 1.7

I was stunned at how good Marko Milic turned out his rookie year. An absolute steal with the #14 pick, it appeared, even if the Clippers missed the playoffs.

Boston Celtics Leaders

Points
1. Allen Iverson - 20.7
2. Glen Rice - 20.3 (We were really going to miss him in the playoffs)
3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.5

Assists
1. Chauncey Billups - 6.2
2. Allen Iverson - 4.3
3. Howard Eisley - 3.9

Rebounds
1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.4
2. Pervis Ellison - 8.0
3. Glen Rice - 6.9

Blocks
1. Bo Outlaw - 1.9
2. Pervis Ellison - 1.6
3. Tom Gugliotta - 1.1

Steals
1. Allen Iverson - 1.6
2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.5
3. Glen Rice - 1.3

Izulde · 05-13-2009, 12:02 AM

Celtics Repeat Atlantic Title; Face 7 Seed Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets introduced new orange alternate uniforms this season and they, like rookie sensation Brevin Knight (pictured here), have been better than expected

For the third straight season under GM/head coach Bobby Troilus's watch, the Boston Celtics have improved their record and entered the playoffs with a higher seed. It'll be hard to top this year's 60-22 mark and #2 seed in the postseason next year, just as it'll be hard for Boston to advance deep into the playoffs without their second-leading scorer, forward Glen Rice, who's out with a broken nose.

But on the bright side, this Celtics team captured its second straight Atlantic division title, beating out a tough Washington Bullets squad and is the deepest Boston's been since Troilus was promoted to general manager at the start of the 1995 season.

They've yet to advance past the first round, though, giving the eventual champion Indiana Pacers a run for their money in 1995 and getting upset in Game 7 by the Atlanta Hawks last year. While the 2 vs. 7 matchup should heavily favor the Celtics, missing Rice goes a long way to giving Charlotte a chance to do what Atlanta did last season.

Point Guard
Howard Eisley vs. Brevin Knight
Eisley wowed Troilus after starring for the Celtics during the summer league and although he eventually re-signed with the Utah Jazz, Boston was determined to get him, so impressed were they. That happened at the trade deadline, with Eisley and a package of second round picks headed to the Celtics and A.C. Green and the Celtics first in the upcoming draft going to Utah. Eisley then proceeded to steal the starting PG job away from rookie Chauncey Billups after an injury to Allen Iverson and was a key component in Boston's 15-0 March en route to an 18 game win streak. The 25 year old's a superbly gifted passer and ballhandler and an underrated scorer. He's also a Boston College alum. On the other hand, he's not a very good defender.

Knight, taken 6th overall in this year's draft, may not be a sexy scorer, but he's a pure passer and ballhandler who was one of the league's top assist men even as a rookie, posting 9.6 points, 9.2 assists and 1.1 steals. He's also a top-notch defender, making him one of the most valuable young point guards in the game.

Advantage: Hornets

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Ray Allen
Without a doubt, this is the marquee matchup of the series, pitting two second year scoring superstars against each other. Iverson, Troilus's most trusted player, averaged 20.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals during the regular season. Breathtakingly brilliant on the court, he shoots 47% at a consistent clip and is a very good defender and ballthief, though his ceiling's not yet reached. He can hit a shot from anywhere and grabs a surprising number of rebounds for someone just 6 feet tall.

Allen stormed from out of nowhere to steal the NBA scoring title at the end of the season, averaging 25 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals. He's got a 5 inch advantage on Iverson and even better scoring instincts. The one knock on him is that he's a mediocre defender and the fact that he and AI are both very good passers and ballhandlers for shooting guards means that there may not be many steals between them this series. That suspect defense also helps negate Allen's height advantage.

Advantage: Draw

Small Forward
Tom Gugliotta vs. Kendall Gill
Everyone was looking forward to Rice facing his former team here, but with his injury ineligibility, it'll be 28 year old two-time defending All-NBA player Gugliotta suiting up at the 3. A real glue player for the Celtics after coming over from the Timberwolves in a December deal, he posted 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals. Great, accurate shooter, great rebounder and a better defender than a lot of people realize. His only weak point is that he's a bad passer and handler, which generates a fair number of turnovers. Still, even with that, Boston will no doubt do everything they can to re-sign him in the offseason.

Gill, 29, is no slouch as a scorer, rebounder or ballthief either, racking up 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds (out of the 3 as opposed to Gugliotta in the 4 most of the year) and 1.8 steals. He's a better ballhandling man than his Celtics counterpart, though not by much. He's also not nearly as accurate a shooter or an on-ball defender as Gugliotta and is smaller besides. In short, close to equaling Gugliotta, but falls just shy of the mark.

Advantage: Celtics

Power Forward
Bo Outlaw vs. Christian Laettner
Outlaw was a free agency steal for Boston and he's never become more important than he is now. A key reserve and occasional starter in the regular season, he averaged 7.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and a steal per game. He's a titanic defensive force that would make several All-Defense teams if he ever got the shot to be a full-time starter. He can defend, block, steal, do it all on the defensive end. He's also got a gorgeous inside shot and underrated scoring instincts to the point of racking up several 20+ point games in the regular season. Not anything more than a mediocre rebounder or ballhandler, however.

Hornets fans are hoping former Duke and Celtic star Laettner can exact revenge on his old team. He certainly has the scoring and rebounding talents to do it (17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, steal per game), but he can be wildly inconsistent and he was exposed as notoriously turnover-prone in '95 with the Celtics, diminishing the impact of his 20.6 points per game. He's also just an average defender.

Advantage: Draw

Center
Pervis Ellison vs. Roy Rogers
It wasn't a shock that Ellison got moved to the starting center job, as the Celtics played roulette with the position for much of the year. What was shocking was that he managed to keep it. But the truth is, he's the perfect fit in Boston's system, since he simply grabs rebounds, blocks shots and doesn't try to shoot the ball unless it's a wide open look. On the other hand, rebounding and shotblocking are his only skills.

Rogers, a surprise first round draft pick by Troilus last year, also has motivation for revenge on his former team. Good rebounder, subpar offensive threat (9.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks), he has shotblocking skills even better than Ellison's and on par with Outlaw's. He's also a good on-ball defender, though that isn't going to help much versus minimalist-shooting Ellison.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
As we said, this is the deepest the Celtics have been in the Troilus era, even with Rice out. Chauncey Billups has been on fire since being relegated to the 6th man role and is a textbook passer and scorer, a genuine offensive sparkplug. Fellow rookie, 2nd round pick Chris Crawford is inconsistent, but capable of pouring on the points and Chris Dudley has stepped up in recent games with rebounding, defense and shotblocking.

Cedric Henderson, like Crawford a high 2nd round rookie and like Billups demoted from his starting position, is a well-balanced player with good defensive ability. Another former Celtic, Grant Long fits that mode as well and averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and a steal. Swingman Scott Burrell is a good scorer, with 8.1 points a game to his credit. Fan favorite veteran and once-starter Muggsy Bogues doesn't get used much, but he's got the floor general and defensive skills to be great insurance if Knight goes down.

Advantage: Hornets

Final Thoughts
This is yet another tough series for the Celtics. Boston's deeper than they've been in recent years, but Charlotte's nearly as deep as Atlanta was last year and with a much better starting five. Rice going down was a huge blow for the Celtics and they didn't play nearly as well as after he went down. It'll be close, but in the end, we just can't see this turning out as anything more than another disappointing first round exit for Beantown.
Prediction: Hornets in 6

Thing was, it was a sound argument and an outcome I very much dreaded.

Game One
The good news was we won the opening game. The bad news was, it required a second half comeback to do it. Ray Allen got off to a bang with 20 points and Scott Burrell and Grant Long scored 11 and 10 bench points respectively. Fortunately Tom Gugliotta stepped up with 21 points, Howard Eisley showed why he got the starting point guard job with 12 points and 11 assists and Chauncey Billups came off the bench for 12 points, carrying us to a five point win and a critical opening victory.
Final - Charlotte 85 Boston 90

Game Two
This was a fun one to watch with dueling 30 point players in Allen Iverson (38 points) and Kendall Gill (30 points). Sadly for the Hornets, our home crowd was large, loud and in charge and so were the Celtics as we shut them down outside of Gill and Scott Burrell's 11 bench point reprisal. In contrast, we had Iverson, all five starters in double-digit scoring, including a repeat 12 points and 11 assists from Howard Eisely and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Pervis Ellison, and Chris Dudley's 10 bench points for a cruising victory and 2-0 series lead.
Final - Charlotte 99 Boston 115

And then the team doctor came and said Tom Gugliotta had strained his knee and wouldn't fully heal for two weeks. I wanted to tear my hair out, but Tom insisted on playing through the injury. I admired that in him and it only increased my resolve to retain him.

Game Three
So with both our true starting forwards hurt, we flew to Charlotte and prepared for a tough fight. It wasn't even close. The Hornets buzzed right through us in the second and fourth quarters, game-high scorer Christian Laettner's 21 points taking charge. Kendall Gill picked up a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double and Scott Burrell continued his incredible series with 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, with fellow reserve Steve Kerr chipping in 10 points. We couldn't hit a shot most of the night, Chris Crawford's 14 bench points our most noteworthy performance.
Final - Boston 95 Charlotte 107

Game Four
I really wanted to steal a win in Charlotte. That would give us three games in which we would only need to win one. What followed was the ugliest contest in the entire series. The Hornets shot just 32.1% and while we were much better at 43.2%, we had a lot of players missing shots as well. In the end, we prevailed largely because of that superior shot selection, as Christian Laettner's 12 points and 11 rebounds came at the expense of 16 shots, although Scott Burrell stayed on form for his 13 bench points and Grant Long hauled in 11 bench boards. But it was our rookie reserves who stole the show as second round pick Chris Crawford was 8 of 9 for a game high 18 points and Chauncey Billups played splendidly with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. My draft picks carried us to the grinding win and the all-important 3-1 edge. At last I could breathe a little more easily.
Final - Boston 82 Charlotte 70

Detroit surprisingly swept Cleveland and San Antonio did the same to Houston. Golden State also punched out up and coming Dallas in four. Everyone else moved on to a fifth game.

Game Five
It was tempting fate, I know, but I secretly bought a gold engagement ring with a beautiful aquamarine centerstone before Game 5 in Boston. Nicole thought diamonds on engagement rings were cliche` and I loved how well the aquamarine matched her eyes. Now all we needed to do was win at home and I'd propose to her right after. The fates don't like to be toyed with and Ray Allen thundered for 26 points as their main weapon of destruction. Brevin Knight provided the thunder with 13 points and 12 assists and Scott Burrell rained 11 points from the bench. But then, it happened. Bo Outlaw hit 9 of 10 shots for 21 points, 5 blocks and 4 steals and all five starters scored 11 points or more. That balance carried us past Allen, Knight and Burrell and we finally won a first round series!!!!!!!!!
Final - Charlotte 83 Boston 94

I rushed over to the cheerleaders, fumbling with the blue velvet box on the way. I hit the parquet floor I'd had re-installed after I became GM, opened and raised the box before a teary, open-mouthed Nicole in all her green and white Celtic cheerleader outfit beauty.

"Will you marry me?" I asked.

"Of course!" she blurted through her tears, sweeping me up in a tight kiss and tighter hug.

The Jumbotron flashed with our image and the already delirious crowd became even more so when they realized what was happening.

"TROI-LUS! TROI-LUS! TROI-LUS!" the cheers thundered from the stands.

It was a perfect moment. All of the frustrations of the previous two years' losses and all the heartbreak and torture of Mia's leaving melted away in that instant. I felt better then than I had at any other time in my life up until there.

We stayed that way for a few moments until we suddenly found ourselves lifted up by a horde of Celtics players, all fourteen of them, including Glen Rice. They paraded us around the court to the continued cheers and shouts from the crowd.

Nicole looked at me, smiled and we both raised our hands, waving in royal style to our well-wishers. It was so sweet and touching, to share that special occasion with our fans and I still smile today, just thinking about it.

We'd finally surmounted the hurdle and the glory was all ours that night, for no other series ended when ours did.

The rest of the returns came two nights later, with the Bulls eliminating the Hawks, Utah topping Denver, Phoenix beating Minnesota and, in the only first round upset, our Central nemesis 6 seed Indiana knocking out our division archrival 3 seed Washington.

The Pacers. One of two teams to give me nightmares over the first two years. Our second round test was going to be anything but easy, especially with Glen Rice still out.

On the other hand, we got some good news from the doctor. Tom Gugliotta's knee healed faster than expected during the rest period and he was expected to be back to full health by Game 4 of the second round.

I only hoped we weren't staring down a possible sweep by then.

Izulde · 05-13-2009, 08:34 PM

Can Celtics Stop Miller and Co?

Two years after he powered the Pacers to the NBA title, Reggie Miller is back at it.

All of Boston cheered when the Celtics finally broke through the first round for the first time in the Bobby Troilus era on a special night that included the head coach/GM's very public proposal and wedding engagement. While we congratulate Mr. Troilus on both successes, he and his team now face a daunting challenge in the second round; stop Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers may be the 6th seed, but they still won almost 50 games and, more importantly, they're a team that's built for playoff success facing a squad that's missing one of its marquee scorers in Glen Rice.

It will be difficult and Troilus will need to find some more magic to get to the East Conference finals.

Point Guard
Howard Eisley vs. Mark Jackson
Eisley's shooting a dreadful 35% in the playoffs, a far cry from the 47 and 48% he shot the last two years with the Jazz, but he's still doing what the Celtics want him to do, which is pass the ball. 9.8 points and 9.4 assists have come with an almost 3 to 1 A/TO ratio and that's a good thing.

Jackson, 32, won't wow you with amazing passing skills, but he's one of the most disciplined, accurate shooting point guards in the league. He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 assists in the first round and is an underrated defender, one who should help insure Eisley stays cold. In the end, it's his playoff experience as a starter that gives him the edge.

Advantage: Pacers

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Reggie Miller
Iverson may have averaged 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.6 steals in the first round, but he shot a shockingly abysmal 37.6% against a player whose defense was deemed suspect in Ray Allen. That doesn't bode well for Boston here, who need AI to pick up the accuracy while continuing his otherwise terrific all-around game.

It doesn't help that Miller's another tall shooting guard at 6'7. Furthermore, Miller's got no weaknesses in his game. He can score, pass, dribble, rebound and play defense all at high levels and he showed off that versatility in the first round, averaging 17.2 points, a jaw-dropping 8.5 rebounds as a guard, and 4.3 assists. What's more, he shot with accuracy unlike AI.

Advantage: Pacers

Small Forward
Tom Gugliotta vs. Derrick McKey
Gugliotta's hampered by a strained knee injury and it showed in the last couple games against Charlotte. Despite that, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals while shooting 50%. His getting back to full health mid-series will be huge for the Celtics because of how much versatility he brings to the table.

McKey averaged 12.7 points and 1.2 steals in the first round. Like Gugliotta, he shot 50%, but while he doesn't have quite the versatility that his opponent does, what he is, is a lockdown defender and that's huge against one of Boston's Big Three, especially with Rice out.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Bo Outlaw vs. Dale Davis
We said when previewing the first round that Outlaw was capable of being an offensive threat and he proved that big time against the Hornets, averaging 17.4 points on 74% shooting. While he's not likely to repeat that torrid pace here, he also averaged 5.4 points, 3.6 blocks and 2.4 steals, demonstrating his defensive magnificence. He just might be the Celtics' most valuable player this round should they advance.

With Bruce Bowen out with an injury, McKey slides to SF and Davis steps in at PF. Not a bad defender, but primarily noted as a rebounding demon. And while his bench statistics of 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks may look impressive, he also shot just 31% in the first round. He might improve here, but it won't be by much with Outlaw standing in his way.

Advantage: Celtics

Center
Pervis Ellison vs. Rik Smits
Ellison averaged 8.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks in the first round and he's doing pretty much what the Celtics coaching staff expects him to do. He's got a difficult challenge this round, though.

Ignore the fact that Smits shot 38.7% in the opening round. He still averaged a team high 17.7 points and 8.8 rebounds and got 1.2 steals a game too. One of the best, if not -the- best passing center in the league, he can score, pass, rebound and defend, though he won't make the highlight blocks that a man of his 7'4, 265 frame should.

Advantage: Pacers

Bench
Chauncey Billups's 9 points and 4.4 assists off the bench in Round 1 weren't a surprise to anyone. Chris Crawford's 10 points and 61.3% shooting were absolutely mindblowing, however. These two rookies are the heart and soul of the Celtics bench with Rice out, although Chris Dudley showed good value in averaging 4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Bruce Bowen may be affected by a knee injury, but he's still an excellent all-around player as a reserve with no real weaknesses in the second team. Don Maclean is strictly there for offense and averaged 8.2 points in the first round. Travis Best is a terrific backup floor general and averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 assists in the opening series. Save for Bowen, though, there's nobody on the Pacers' bench who's too good at defense.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
Indiana simply matches up too well with Boston, especially with the injuries to the Celtics' starting forwards. Visions of 1995/96 will come back into play and the end result will be the same.
Prediction: Pacers in 5

Though I didn't tell anyone this, I privately agreed with the sportswriters. We didn't really have much chance against Indiana as things stood.

Game One
I thought every game in this series was going to be a battle and the opening contest was no exception. Rik Smits got hot early and often, finishing with 27 points and 9 rebounds and Reggie Miller just missed the 20 point mark with 19. We countered with a determined Allen Iverson's 27 points, Pervis Ellison's 11 points and astounding 8 blocks, and, in what was fast becoming the trademark of our postseason, stellar bench efforts by rookies Chauncey Billups and Chris Crawford, with 17 and 15 points a piece. They powered our second half comeback for the opening victory. I'd never looked more a better drafter than that moment.
Final - Indiana 89 Boston 95

Game Two
No bench miracles here as Reggie Miller torched us for 23 points, Dale Davis picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds and Bruce Bowen fought his knee for 10 bench points. We blew a halftime lead and got schooled in the second half. Allen Iverson just missed 20 points with 19 and just like Game One, the shooting guard with 19's team lost.
Final - Indiana 100 Boston 91

Game Three
This one was never really in doubt as the Pacers fed off their home crowd and rode their superstars to an easy victory. Reggie Miller scored 26 and Rik Smits added 22 points as we again failed to produce a 20 point scorer or double-double man, Howard Eisley's 19 points and Chauncey Billups's 10 bench points our best lines of the evening.
Final - Boston 95 Indiana 105

Game Four
If there was one consolation, it's that we had Tom Gugliotta back at full strength and we weren't facing an 0-3 deficit. But we were still in Indiana, which made evening the series a difficult prospect. As it turned out, a healthy Gugliotta made all the difference in the world. He burned the Pacers for 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals, aided by our revived rookies, as Chauncey Billups and Chris Crawford shot for 13 and 14 points each, their combined efforts enough to beat Rik Smits's 27 points and Reggie Miller's just shy 19 points. Against the odds, we'd tied up the series and were headed back to Boston!
Final - Boston 105 Indiana 90

Chicago swept Detroit and the Bulls looked every inch defending champions. Every other series was knotted up at two games each.

Game Five
I didn't want to have to rely on winning another game in Indiana, so a victory before the home crowd was important. Allen Iverson exploded for 30 points, surpassing Reggie Miller's 19 and Tom Gugliotta picked up a pair of 11s in points and rebounds, with Chauncey Billups providing 10 bench points. Unfortunately, the Pacers got a breakout 23 points from Mark Jackson and 20 points from Rik Smits to steal the victory and force us to try and win in Indiana.
Final - Indiana 95 Boston 87

Game Six
Our chances looked slim to force a Game 7 in that hostile environment. And then the defenses kicked in. Reggie Miller nabbed 15 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana and Dale Davis picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Bruce Bowen was back to starting health and covering the PF spot. Howard Eisley had his first noteworthy game of the series at the right time with 11 points and 10 assists and Chris Dudley stepped up with 10 boards and 4 blocks off the bench. But the real hero of this game was Chauncey Billups, who led all scorers with 21 points and was the differencemaker in this defensive brawl, carrying us to Game 7 in Boston. It was a sweet, sweet win.
Final - Boston 93 Indiana 80

We were the only second round series to go the full limit that year, as Utah and San Antonio took care of Golden State and Phoenix respectively, setting up a matchup of the two previous West Conference champions in the conference finals. That same scenario was still possible in the East, with the juicier prospect of the last two NBA champions squaring off.

We, of course, were hoping to spoil that incestuous dynastic dream.

Game Seven
A sellout, standing room only crowd greeted us back in Boston and watched as another defensive slugfest ensued. Reggie Miller missed 20 points by one with 19 for the umpteenth time in the series, Rik Smits had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Dale Davis chipped in 10 bench points. And then Allen Iverson got the last laugh in the classic duel between the two shooting guards, scoring 32 points. Chris Crawford and Chauncey Billups again served up an awe-inspiring bench tag team with 13 and 12 points and we banished the ghosts of 1995 past, knocking off the favored, if lower seeded Pacers and advancing to the East Conference Finals!!!
Final - Indiana 77 Boston 85

It was another rollicking celebration in the New Garden and everyone went home extremely happy, many at 3 or 4 in the morning.

Now it was on to face the best team in the entire league in the Chicago Bulls. We would need every bit of Cinderella magic we could find, for we would no longer have homecourt advantage, in addition to facing their titanic lineup.

But for that night, we simply savored our success.

Neuqua · 05-13-2009, 10:01 PM

LET'S GO BULLS!

Coffee Warlord · 05-13-2009, 10:40 PM

I heart Neq.

I rooted for Boston this far, but, well...die like a dog!

Izulde · 05-13-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuqua

LET'S GO BULLS!

That was a beautiful dynasty and I'm glad to have been old enough to appreciate it.

I honestly don't think we have any chance of winning next round, but stranger things have happened.

Izulde · 05-13-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I heart Neq.

I rooted for Boston this far, but, well...die like a dog!

rjolley · 05-13-2009, 11:12 PM

Sorry Izulde, but Let's Go BULLS!!!

Izulde · 05-14-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjolley

Sorry Izulde, but Let's Go BULLS!!!

Yeah everybody's anti-Celtics this round.

hoopsguy · 05-14-2009, 06:21 PM

Add me to the Chicago natives reading your thread. Go Bulls!

Autumn · 05-14-2009, 11:11 PM

Man, no love for the man. Here, I'll say it.

GO CELTICS.

Right around this time in my life I would have paid great sums to see Michael Jordan humiliated in the playoffs.

Neuqua · 05-15-2009, 02:10 AM

... and Autumn has officially become my first FOFC arch nemesis...

Radii · 05-15-2009, 03:28 AM

The buildup for this series is HUGE! I'm torn, I was never a big Chicago fan though obviously Jordan is a Tar Heel, I think I would be ok with Jordan averaging 35 for the series but Boston advancing

Izulde · 05-15-2009, 07:55 AM

hoopsguy: I'm close enough to Chicagoland to partially be a native even I'm not a flatlander.

And I did love watching that Bulls team as a kid.

Autumn: Finally someone shows me the love so I don't feel guilty if we pull off the upset. Thanks!

Neuqua: DDS:PB. Where archrivalries are born organically.

Radii: Even though that'd give me palpitations to see His Airness pop off like that, I could dig the final result.

Izulde · 05-15-2009, 07:56 AM

Dola,

And note to self: Need to transfer save game files to email so I can download them on my laptop. Otherwise it'll be August until we find out the result.

Autumn · 05-15-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuqua

... and Autumn has officially become my first FOFC arch nemesis...

Cool.

Well, I've mellowed over the years and come to appreciate MJ. But if we're playing retro I have to be realistic. I couldn't stand him. Watching him win another title, and every time they'd break to commercial it would be him again. Good God.

Izulde · 05-17-2009, 11:45 PM

Duncan Unbelieva-Bull In First Postseason

Already in his rookie season, #1 overall pick Tim Duncan has shown the kind of clutch skills that make him the heir apparent to Michael Jordan as the Bulls' franchise face

This is not the same Chicago Bulls team that won the title last season. Last year, it was Michael Jordan who carried them to the championship. This year, His Airness ranks second in scoring behind Sam Cassell and the Bulls are beautifully balanced.

The depth and offensive sharing the Bulls boast are going to be extremely tough for the Boston Celtics to overcome, who are likely still a little tired after winning a dramatic and emotional Game 7 last night against the Indiana Pacers. Also, Glen Rice is still out, reducing the flexibility in Boston's scoring plan.

Point Guard
Howard Eisley vs. Sam Cassell
Eisley significantly improved his shooting stroke against the Pacers and is shooting 39.8% for the postseason, good for 11.3 points, 8.1 assists and a steal per game. Boston will need him to continue developing his point production and get back to distributing more assists to win.

Cassell is actually the Bulls' leading scorer this postseason, averaging 19.7 points, 5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals. On the other hand, that comes at the expense of 38.4% shooting. He's secure with the ball, but Cassell is best known for his scoring prowess and excellent rebounding for a guard than anything else, as he's only mediocre in his floor generalship. Average defender as well, but very disciplined and smart. In some ways, he brings the inverse of what Eisley does, but it's worked well for the Bulls as Cassell's proven a dynamite free agent signing.

Advantage: Chicago

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Michael Jordan
AI is still the Celtics' lead scorer at 20.8 points per game, with 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals. He's shown off terrific security skills, with a 3.3 A/TO ratio, but he's also continuing to convert at a 37.1% clip. That's not going to cut it against the Bulls and his idol.

For the first time in years, maybe even ever, His Airness has looked human during the postseason, shooting just 40.8% for his 18.9 points and 1.9 steals. Make no mistake about it, however. He's still one of the top scoring threats in the league and plays excellent defense, especially at making the highlight steal, even at 34 years old. He should be able to contain Iverson easily.

Advantage: Chicago

Small Forward
Tom Gugliotta vs. Scottie Pippen
Head coach/GM Bobby Troilus is ecstatic that Gugliotta's at full health at the start of this series, because the Celtics need him. 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals might not look impressive a postseason line, until you consider that he was hampered by a knee injury for much of the first two rounds and still managed to convert to the tune of 49.7% from the field.

Pippen's age appears to be catching up with him at 32, for he's shooting an anemic 31.7% for just 11.3 points and 1.9 steals. He's still a topnotch defender, but his offensive game has greatly declined, making his mission simply to shut Gugliotta down and let Chicago's other shooters take over the game. He can do it, but he's definitely looked several steps slower this year.

Advantage: Boston

Power Forward
Bo Outlaw vs. Tim Duncan
After a sparkling first round against the Hornets, Outlaw fell quiet against the Pacers. He's still averaging 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 seals and 2.8 blocks at a ridiculous 68.9% rate and he's still a fantastic defender in the post.

Duncan has been absolutely phenomenal in his first playoffs, averaging 17.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He has no real weaknesses in his game, though he's not an elite-level defender quite yet, merely pretty good. But that 7', 248 lb body and his natural shotblocking skills, not to mention his incredible scoring and shooting repertoire are going to make the much shorter Outlaw's series a very uncomfortable win. In fact, the #1 pick has a definite argument for Finals MVP should the Bulls win the title.

Advantage: Chicago

Center
Pervis Ellison vs. Dennis Rodman
Ellison just keeps right on having a quietly successful postseason, averaging 8.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.8 blocks with extremely careful shot selection and efficient patrolling of the post. He's not a great center, but he fits perfectly in Boston's scheme.

The Worm is now 36 and he's a one-dimensional player as a rebounder, but he does it extremely well, averaging 5.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals these playoffs. But even with the board-gobbling skills and stil superlative passing ability, he's atrophied on defense and could very well be bullied by the younger, more balanced Ellison.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
The story of the Celtics' deep run rests almost exclusively on the shoulders of their two rookies: 15th overall pick Chauncey Billups of the 11.3 points and 3.4 assists per game and 2nd round selection Chris Crawford (4th pick in 2nd), who's putting up an absolutely stunning 9.7 points per game. Lost in the shuffle is Chris Dudley, who's been contributing 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a stalwart defender and rebounder.

Mitch Richmond may be averaging 4.6 points and 1.2 steals a game, but he's completely fallen off a cliff in his accuracy, shooting a woeful 30.4%. Not the offensive sparkplug the Bulls were looking for when they traded for him. Still a topnotch defender, however. First round pick Adonal Foyle contributes rebounding, defense and shotblocking, attested by his 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks off the bench, but he's shooting 33.3% himself.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
Chicago's firepower is too much for the still hamstrung Celtics to have any realistic hope of overcoming, especiall when the Bulls have the stoppers on the bench to counter Boston's two hotshot reserve rookies. This one should be over fairly early, allowing Chicago to march on for a title defense.
Final Prediction: Bulls in 5

At least they weren't predicting a sweep was my only thought upon reading the article.

Game One
Home court advantage belonging to the Bulls didn't help matters any, as I'm sure you can imagine. They took full advantage of being in Chicago in the opening round, or rather, Sam Cassell did, posting an awe-inspiring for the fans 44 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds. Scottie Pippen erased the rumors of his offensive death with 23 points and Dennis Rodman picked up 10 points and 10 rebounds. We just didn't have anything to match up against that, Tom Gugliotta's 28 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups's 13 bench points the closest we came to it.
Final - Boston 92 Chicago 111

Game Two
Michael "Air" Jordan took his turn to embarass us with 28 points and Tim Duncan added 10 points and 12 rebounds in an ugly, defensive game that saw our best performances from Tom Gugliotta with 22 points and Chris Crawford's 11 bench points. Unfortunately, they were the only two Celtics in double-digit scoring as we got crushed down into the 0-2 hole.
Final - Boston 69 Chicago 91

Game Three
It was going to take an Irish-luck miracle to get us back in the series in Boston and it didn't seem likely after Michael Jordan's 34 points and Sam Cassell's 22 points. But just like Game Two, the losing team had only two players in double-digit scoring. Unlike Game 2, we needed just about all of Allen Iverson's 26 points, Tom Gugliotta's 14 points and 12 rebounds and Chauncey Billups's 13 bench points to steal the win and get back in it.
Final - Chicago 81 Boston 90

Tom Gugliotta injured his triceps during the game, making him doubtful for the rest of the series. We were in serious trouble now, even though Gugliotta insisted, just like before, in fighting through it.

Game Four
Both our starting forwards hurt again. I smelled a 3-1 brinking loss, followed by a swift Game 5 knockout. Chicago thought so too, as they put Dennis Rodman at the 3 and inserted Adonal Foyle at starting center, making Scottie Pippen the 6th man to try and shut down our reserves. Tim Duncan scored 26 and Scottie Pippen added 17 points, but we countered with Allen Iverson's 28 points, Pervis Ellison's 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and, in the perfect time for him to break out, 24 points from Howard Eisley to steal a second game and knot the series up. The fans went crazy in the seats when the final buzzer sounded. Against all odds, we had new life.
Final - Chicago 91 Boston 97

Game Five
Back in Chicago for the most important game of the series. Whoever won this one would be in the driver's seat for the East title. The Bulls were naturally heavily favored and it would take a miracle of epic proportions to beat them on their own court. And indeed, there were no miracles that night, as Chauncey Billups's 17 and Chris Crawford's 11 bench points were easily overturned by Michael Jordan's 28 points and Tim Duncan's ridiculous 14 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks. Allen Iverson played just 17 minutes before fouling out as the Bulls gored us in the worst loss of the series.
Final - Boston 76 Chicago 105

Game Six
We needed to pull off another upset to force a Game 7, but either way, we looked to be thoroughly cooked. Allen Iverson rose up for 29 points, Howard Eisley came through with 22 points and Chris Crawford had a monster 17 bench points, but the three-headed hydra of Michael "Air" Jordan and Sam Cassell's 29 points, plus Tim Duncan's 21 points was just too much to overcome. We made a late run to make the score look respectable, but that was all we could do.
Final - Chicago 113 Boston 106

Still, I felt no shame in the loss. We'd played far better and for far longer than anybody realistically expected us to, especially after Rice and Gugliotta's injuries.

Utah beat the Spurs in six games as well, causing a repeat Bulls/Jazz matchup for the Finals.

The Bulls jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on the strength of Michael "Air" Jordan and Tim Duncan, the latter of whom scored 34 points to give Chicago the nail-biting open game victory. Utah stormed back to within 3-2 before the Bulls blew them out in Game 6 to repeat as NBA champions. Jordan was given the MVP, but it was a -very- close call between him and Duncan.

NBA Lottery
We were sitting with the 5th overall pick before the balls rolled and it was a tense moment as we sat at our table.

13. Orlando Magic
12. Portland Trailblazers (-1)

Our collective hearts sank when we saw Portland's ball come up. It was unbelievable, but a team had just defied the odds in an astronomical way and that was tough to take.

11. Seattle Supersonics (-1)
10. Los Angeles Clippers (-1)
9. Vancouver Grizzlies (-2)

From bad to worse as a second team jumped the line. Things were looking grim for our draft selection now.

8. Miami Heat (-2)
7. Boston Celtics (-2)

On the one hand, this was a fairly deep draft. On the other hand, 7th took us out of the elite players and into a broad second-tier range. But then again, I reminded myself, I'd rather have had this drop and AI than a leap in this draft and no AI.

6. New York Knicks (-2)
5. Philadelphia 76ers (-2)
4. Sacramento Kings (-3)
3. Milwaukee Bucks (+9)
2. Toronto Raptors (+7)
1. New Jersey Nets (+1)

Unbelievable, I thought to myself. The Bucks had a lot of catchet with the basketball gods to keep the first overall pick two years ago and to now make a huge lottery jump with this selection. The Raptors were thrilled as well and now had a shot at another prime piece to add to Damon Stoudamire, Kerry Kittles, Juwan Howard and Chris Anstey, though I still thought Anstey was a terrible reach the year before at #7.

And of course Milwaukee would get another great player to pair with their crew of youngsters. The East looked to remain the dominant conference for many years to come with breaks like those, even if they weren't quite Duncan-to-Bulls sized breaks.

NBA Awards

Player of the Year
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 22.7 PPG 11.0 RPG 2.6 APG 3.0 BPG 1.5 SPG
Defensive Player of the Year
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 22.7 PPG 11.0 RPG 2.6 APG 3.0 BPG 1.5 SPG
Rookie of the Year
Tim Duncan - Chicago Bulls - 17.0 PPG 7.3 RPG 2.3 APG 3.0 BPG 1.3 SPG
Head Coach of the Year
Bobby Troilus - Boston Celtics

I was absolutely floored when I received word that I was named Coach of the Year. The papers cited our 18 game unbeaten streak and our giving the Bulls a run for their money despite the injury problems and praised my ability to turn around as bad a franchise as Boston was. I still have that trophy sitting in my bedroom and I look at it every day. I rank it as one of the greatest accomplishments of my career even now.

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks
SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers
SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons
PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG John Stockton - Utah Jazz
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Tom Gugliotta - Boston Celtics
PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves
C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns
SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors
SF Cedric Cellabos - Los Angeles Lakers
PF Karl Malone - Utah Jazz
C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks

I loved seeing Tom get that 2nd Team recognition and he deserved every bit of it. I hoped to re-sign him to Boston, but depending on how the draft went, it was possible it might be smarter for the long term interest of the team to let him move on. It was one of the biggest questions surrounding us that offseason.

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics
SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors
SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls
PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Mookie Blaylock - Atlanta Hawks
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons
PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets
C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG Brevin Knight - Charlotte Hornets
SG Marko Milic - Los Angeles Clippers
SF Tariq Abdul-Wahad - New Jersey Nets
PF Tim Duncan - Chicago Bulls
C Zydrunas Ilaguskas - New York Knicks

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Antonio Daniels - San Antonio Spurs
SG Derek Anderson - Phoenix Suns
SF Tracy McGrady - Detroit Pistons
PF Keith Van Horn - Vancouver Grizzlies
C Michael Stewart - Minnesota Timberwolves

Clifton Gross was over the moon with pleasure at how well we did that season and he hoped we could duplicate it the next year. I put the breaks on and told him that I thought we could get our third straight Atlantic title, but asking for more than that was too much. He accepted that, but warned me I would have to keep salary under 8 digits. I told him I could manage that, after a moment's thought.

After winning Coach of the Year, I couldn't very well step down without a huge backlash from the fans and I saw no reason to change any of the rest of the coaching staff, so we kept the group together for another season.

Mock Draft
A slew of hot names were available, so it was difficult to have a consensus #1, but in general, it was felt that UNC's Vince Carter and Kansas's Paul Pierce were the top two players available, with German PF Dirk Nowitzki just behind them.

Projected Mock Draft
1. SG Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets
2. SG Paul Pierce - Toronto Raptors
3. PF Dirk Nowitzki - Milwaukee Bucks
4. PF Andrae Patterson - Sacramento Kings
5. PF Antawn Jamison - Philadelphia 76ers
6. SG Larry Hughes - New York Knicks
7. PF Robert Traylor - Boston Celtics
8. SG Bonzi Wells - Miami Heat
9. SG Ricky Davis - Vancouver Grizzlies
10. PG Mike Bibby - Los Angeles Clippers
11. C Nazr Mohammed - Seattle Supersonics
12. C Raef Lafrentz - Portland Trailblazers
13. SF Tyrone Nesby - Orlando Magic
14. SF Predrag Stojakovic - Atlanta Hawks
15. SG Cuttino Mobley - Atlanta Hawks
16. C Jahidi White - Charlotte Hornets
17. PF Kornel David - Houston Rockets
18. C Keon Clark - Boston Celtics
19. PF Mirsad Turkcan - Dallas Mavericks
20. PG Damon Jones - Los Angeles Lakers
21. PG Jason Williams - Indiana Pacers
22. SF Ruben Patterson - New York Knicks
23. SG Corey Benjamin - Los Angeles Lakers
24. C Michael Olowokandi - Los Angeles Clippers
25. SG Toby Bailey - Orlando Magic
26. SG Jeffrey Sheppard - San Antonio Spurs
27. C Brad Miller - Los Angeles Clippers
28. PG Earl Boykins - Utah Jazz
29. C Jerome James - Chicago Bulls

I'll admit, I was intrigued by Robert "Tractor" Traylor and Keon Clark, who the mocks had us taking. I was also fascinated with a few other players who were likely to be around at #18. I didn't really like our options at #7 unless somebody dropped.

But one thing Chicago's back-to-back titles had shown me was that you don't need an elite-level floor general at point guard to win ballgames and that had me strongly considering a swingman and moving Allen Iverson to PG, with Howard Eisley as the top backup. We desperately needed a young center that we could build on as well and if we weren't going to bring back Tom Gugliotta, which I had every intention of doing, we would need a power forward as well.

Lots of options and possibilities for our two first round picks and #56 pick. Now all that we had to was work people out and see where the dominoes fell.

05-05-2009, 02:47 AM	#52
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	January proved another quiet month for trades as teams prepared to wait for the deadline. New Jersey Nets receive C Kevin Willis Miami Heat receive New Jersey Nets 1997 2nd round pick What this means for the Nets At 34, the 7' 220 lb Willis is no longer the quality big man he once was, but still brings some scoring and excellent rebounding ability to a bench and will be the first reserve center. Odd move for the Nets, though, as they're clearly in rebuilding mode. What this means for the Heat Lacking their own first round pick, Miami picks up a high 2nd for Willis. But could this move hurt their playoff chances? Winner: Draw Each side gives up a little something to get something that may not be the best fit for them. I dreaded going to Cleveland to open the month and rightfully so, as the Cavaliers blew us out 97-72. Glen Rice looked great with 32 points, but the combined backcourt of Starbury and Allen Iverson went 8 for 34. In contrast, Terrell Brandon lit up for 21 points and 10 assists, a point total matched by Chris Mills. We went home the next night to host the Spurs and it was a classic 1 on 1 superstar battle. David Robinson was magnificient with 36 points, 18 rebounds and 7 blocks, while Allen Iverson countered him with 42 points. In the end, we emerged 103-82 routers, aided in part by Theo Ratliff's 11 bench rebounds. A slow start doomed us in Los Angeles, where the Clippers 31-19 first quarter lead proved insurmountable and we fell 106-93. Pooh Richardson and Loy Vaught torched us for 31 points and 13 assists and 30 points and 10 rebounds respectively, Todd Day adding on 17 bench points on top of it. Allen Iverson couldn't save us with 39 points this game and nor could Theo Ratliff's 10 bench points. Things went from bad to worse as we continued the road trip in Oakland, losing 100-88. Great performances from Allen Iverson (32 points), Glen Rice (24 points) and Larry Johnson (18 points, 13 rebounds), but Joe Smith stepped up for the Warriors with 30 points and 15 rebounds and Latrell Sprewell was all over the court with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Three losses in a row we had after the Kings hammered us 109-95 in Sacramento. Allen Iverson stayed strong with 32 points and Dean Garrett posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, but we couldn't stop Mitch Richmond from scoring 30 or Brian Gant making his post presence felt with 20 points and 10 rebounds. We finally got a road win in Denver, smashing the Nuggets 103-84 on Allen Iverson's 27 points and a pair of 10 point double-doubles: Larry Johnson with 10 rebounds besides and Dean Garrett with 15 rebounds extra. Sherman Douglas matched those 10 points off the bench as we withstood Dale Ellis's 17 bench points and Antonio McDyess's 10 points and 11 rebounds. Our ardous road trip continued with a 117-78 humiliation by the Jazz, led by Karl Malone's 40 points and 16 rebounds, John Stockton's 14 points and 19 assists and Jeff Hornacek's 23 points. We could only offer Glen Rice's 20 points and Theo Ratliff's nice, but inadequate 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench in defense. Of course, part of the problem was injuries we sustained during that long sequence of away games. To wit: Stephon Marbury - Strained hamstring Allen Iverson - Sore back Glen Rice - Sore foot Larry Johnson - Bruised foot Pervis Ellison - Strained knee When four of your five starters are hobbled by injury, victory's hard to come by. And so it was no surprise when the Suns squashed us the next night 108-76, Sir Charles Barkley schooling us for 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Johson scored 28, Dennis Scott 22 and Michael Finley, who I'd been trying to get from Phoenix ever since the draft, doubling for 15 points and 10 assists out of the off-guard spot. The All-Star skills competition had some interesting results. Greg Minor, the former Celtic, won the slam dunk contest, while Ray Allen, who we thought about drafting, won the 3 point contest. AI and Starbury chose not to go to the Rookies-Sophomores game, preferring to rest their injuries for the season's stretch run and the playoffs. Absent that firepower, the second years rolled, 104-79, headline by MVP Damon Stoudamire with 24 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and a steal. I was both amused and glad to see Roy Rogers starting at power forward for the rookies, although he had a forgettable game. Theo Ratliff made the reserve squad for the Sophomores and had 4 points in 9 minutes. Following the lead of our rookies, none of our injured starters opted for the All-Star game, which turned into a 103-80 laugher for the West, Karl Malone on fire and MVP with 25 points. All-Star East Roster PG Damon Stoudamire SG Michael Jordan SF Scottie Pippen PF Chris Webber C Vin Baker Juwan Howard Alonzo Mourning Reggie Miller Mookie Blaylock Patrick Ewing Glenn Robinson Gheorghe Muresan All-Star West Roster PG John Stockton SG Jason Kidd SF Charles Barkley PF Karl Malone C Arvydas Sabonis Jamal Mashburn Mitch Richmond Travis Knight Tom Gugliotta Kevin Johnson Shareef Abdur-Rahim Jeff Hornacek And then, right after the All-Star break, is when I made headlines again. Boston Celtics receive C Patrick Ewing New York Knicks receive PF Larry Johnson What this means for the Celtics Boston officially announces they're making a run for the title this year with this trade. Even at 34 years old, Ewing is still an All-Star force and with the Knicks a borderline playoff team this year, he moves to a championship contender in the Celtics in hopes of getting that elusive ring. The Celtics also free up financial flexibility, as Ewing's a free agent after this season. What this means for the Knicks At 27, Johnson is still young enough to be part of the Knicks rebuilding movement that starts with surprisingly successful second round rookie (32nd overall, 3rd pick in 2nd round) Derek Fisher, the PG. One of the best passing big men in the league, Johnson's a fantastic all-around player and will be one of the key players in New York for the next several seasons. Winner: Draw If Boston wins the East or the title, they'll have gotten what they set out to accomplish by acquiring Ewing. If they don't, it's a bust. As for the Knicks, although they prepare for the future, they're going to suffer fan outrage in the Big Apple for trading for their franchise face. And in fact, that's exactly what happened. Both the Times and the Post vented their fury over their trade and all through the City, people bemoaned the loss of their beloved Ewing. Although the move was a huge hit in Beantown, I was worried. Larry had been a real glue guy for us and I was nervous about the effect losing him would have on the team chemistry. But he was an injury risk according to the doctors and had in fact already been injured three different times that season. Given that, and his long contract, I had to move him while the getting was good. We won 93-82 over the Nets in our first game post All-Star break. To be honest, the game wasn't even as close as the final numbers indicated. Allen Iverson led a balanced attack with 27 points, while Patrick Ewing had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in his Celtics debut, shutting down Priest Lauderdale. The real test came the night after when Indiana came to town. And we passed, winning 84-80 in a gritty defensive battle. Dale Davis pulled down 22 boards and Reggie Miller scored 28, but it was Patrick Ewing who saved the night and the game with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Already he'd made himself worth a win. At long last, an easy victory as we stomped the Hornets 111-92. Allen Iverson and Glen Rice teamed up for 31 and 20 points respectively, more than enough to counter Roy Rogers's 14 points and 11 rebounds. A heartbreaking 84-81 home loss to the Sonics followed, Detlef Schrempf shredding us for 23 points as Seattle's balance negated Allen Iverson's 24 points and Patrick Ewing's 13 points and 11 rebounds. We closed out in Chicago, upsetting the Bulls 96-85 on Glen Rice's 24 points and Patrick Ewing's 20 points and 13 rebounds. Stephon Marbury just missed both 20 points and a double-double with 19 points and 9 assists. Michael Jordan was unbelivea-bull with 35 points, but he couldn't carry the team by himself, not even with Dennis "The Worm" Rodman's 22 rebounds. And so the short, rough month ended with us 37-21. We still commanded an 8 game lead over the Heat in the Atlantic though, and although still in fourth in the East, we had the 39-19 Bulls in our sights. 42-15 Indiana and 40-16 Cleveland remained the class of the conference. Utah was the lone 40 win team in the West and just barely at that at 40-16, owning a 4 game edge on the Spurs. 37-19 Phoenix had opened up a 1.5 game lead on the Sonics. NBA Leaders Points 1. David Robinson (SA) - 25.7 2. Karl Malone (UTA) - 25.2 3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.1 Assists 1. John Stockton (UTA) - 12.0 2. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.8 3. Kevin Johnson (PHO) - 9.6 Rebounds 1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 14.2 2. David Robinson (SA) - 12.3 3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.7 Blocks 1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 4.2 2. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.3 - I'll confess to feeling a certain smugness at the draft experts when I saw this T3. Shawn Bradley (PHI) - 3.0 T3. David Robinson (SA) - 3.0 Steals 1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.3 T2. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.2 T2. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.2 Rookies Leaders Points 1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 21.6 2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 18.3 3. Ray Allen (CHA) - 18.0 Assists 1. Stephon Marbury (BOS) - 8.6 2. Randy Livingston (WAS) - 7.8 3. Tony Delk (PHI) - 7.3 Rebounds 1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 11.3 2. Travis Knight (GS) - 11.2 3. Amal McCaskill (UTA) - 10.9 4. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 10.0 Blocks 1. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.3 2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 2.9 3. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 2.5 Steals 1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 1.6 T2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 1.5 T2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 1.5 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-05-2009, 08:41 AM	#53
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	Shoulda drafted Ray-Ray... __________________ Get bent whoever hacked my pw and changed my signature.

05-06-2009, 03:17 AM	#55
Neuqua Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago, Ill	Glad to see Kittles play well! __________________ Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?

05-07-2009, 06:30 PM	#57
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I knew March would largely determine our team's initial postseason destiny, just as I knew that many of the trades that occurred in February were a result of teams looking at the upcoming draft class and realizing how bad it was. Houston Rockets receive SG Wesley Persons Phoenix Suns receive Houston Rockets 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Rockets Person, 25, has a deadly outside shot and good scoring instincts, but is average outside of that. Terrible passer for a guard, which could hurt if he runs the point. What this means for the Suns The first round pick could end up being higher than anticipated, because Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon broke his hand and is out until the start of April. On the other hand, selecting Erick Dampier late in the first this past draft now makes the Rockets look genius, as Dampier should fill in fairly well until Dream returns. Either way, this selection gives the Suns another shot to find a capable backup to Kevin Johnson at the point. Winner: Draw If Person's contract didn't expire after this season, it'd be advantage Houston. Atlanta Hawks receive C Jayson Williams New Jersey Nets receive Atlanta Hawks 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Hawks Williams, 28, is a solid all around player, if a bit short to be manning the center spot. Averaged 9.7 rebounds out of the power forward spot with the Nets and is a board-grabbing machine. Not quite the scoring instincts that rookie Todd Fuller has though and while Williams is an overall upgrade, he still doesn't make the Hawks anything better than a one and done playoff team. What this means for the Nets Not a good class next year, which makes the likely mid-late 1st not worth nearly as much as it'd otherwise be. On the other hand, this move allows New Jersey to wholly commit to its youth moment of guys 25 or younger and continues their MO of having two firsts, which last year turned into Priest Lauderdale and Samaki Walker. Winner: New Jersey Even given the devalued nature of the first, the Nets get an injection of more young talent that will mature more in tune with Lauderdale, Walker, Matt Maloney, Ed O'Bannon, et. al. Cleveland Cavaliers receive PG Kenny Anderson New Jersey Nets receive Cleveland Cavaliers 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Cavaliers The former #2 overall pick Anderson may be a bust relative to his draft slot, but he's still a very solid all-around player, particularly as a ballthief and handler. He's the perfect backup to Terrell Brandon and is a whopper of an expiring $4.17 million expiring contract besides. What this means for the Nets New Jersey keeps stockpiling picks for a very bad class, which is a little puzzling, given that the Cavs selection will certainly be late, but if they had no interest in retaining Anderson because of his disappointing career with the Nets, at least they got something for him. Winner: Cleveland In an East that's even tougher than it was last year, getting a quality player like Anderson for this price is great value. Indiana Pacers receive SG Hubert Davis New York Knicks receive Indiana Pacers 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Pacers The 26 year old Davis is strictly a bench scorer, but then again, so is 37 year old Ricky Pierce, but Davis is younger and better. What this means for the Knicks A late first is fair value for Davis. Winner: Draw A dull trade really, but fair on both ends. San Antonio Spurs receive SF Desmond Mason New York Knicks receive San Antonio Spurs 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Spurs Pardon us if we're getting flashbacks to last season when the Spurs picked up Armon Gilliam for J.R. Reid and their first and rode him all the way to the NBA Finals. Mason isn't an All-Star, but he's a filthy rebounder, averaging 8 boards a game out of the 3 spot, with beautiful passing ability and unreal discipline and understanding of the basketball game. Not a gamechanger, but the sort of glue player that makes the Spurs that much more likely to repeat their West title and maybe spur them to a championship. What this means for the Knicks Mason's 30 and under a long contract, so getting rid of him frees up New York's financial freedom. But like their New Jersey neighbors, the Knicks are suddenly accumulating firsts in a bad draft, which makes no sense. On the other hand, when they dealt Patrick Ewing, they signaled they were heading direct into rebuilding mode. Winner: San Antonio We see too many echoes of the Gilliam deal last year to call this anything but a clear-cut win for the Spurs. Golden State Warriors receive SG Bryant Stith Denver Nuggets receive Golden State Warriors 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Warriors The 26 year old Stith is one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything, but isn't particularly good at any one thing. Still, having a jack-of-all trades player able to man both guard spots and the 3 as the 6th man is a nice pickup for the Warriors and likely better than anything they'd find in this year's draft. Signed for two more seasons after this as well at a resonable rate. What this means for the Nuggets After dealing their first for Jamie Feick, Denver finally gets a first back, but it's worse than what they originally have and they gave up a better player in Stith to do it. Winner: Golden State The Warriors don't look like contenders this year, but since Stith is young and not a one season rental, he doesn't have to be the one that pushes them over. Seattle Supersonics receive SF Rick Fox Minnesota Timberwolves receive Seattle Supersonics 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Sonics Fox, like Stith, is a jack-of-all trades type only the 27 year old is strictly a swingman as 6th man. Unlike Stith, he's a half-year rental. What this means for the Timberwolves Seattle's not the powerhouse they were last year, but this is still a late first in a bad class. Winner: Draw Fair value trade, though Fox's talent is better than whatever the pick will return in all likelihood and we don't see his addition making Seattle legitimate conference contenders. San Antonio Spurs receive C Terry Mills Detroit Pistons 1997 2nd round pick Detroit Pistons receive PF Ray Owes C Will Perdue What this means for the Spurs San Antonio wasn't content to just sit with acquiring Mason. Here they pick up $2.5 million expiring contract Mills, a bench center who's a one-note player as a scorer. The difference is, he can shoot from inside, something none of the other Spurs reserves can do. The second round pick is a high one, possibly #30 overall, given how bad the Pistons are. What this means for the Pistons Detroit cut Perdue, so this trade is Owes for Mills and a high 2nd. Owes, 24, is raw, but has some potential to become a decent backup PF. Whether or not he achieves it is the question. Our guess says no. Winner: San Antonio The Spurs do it again here. Owes isn't worth the expiring contrafct of Mills to a rebuilding team like the Pistons and San Antonio just keeps getting stronger as they prep themselves for the playoffs. Yes, that's right. 7 of 8 trades in February involved a first rounder, an NBA record. That's what a weak draft class will do for you. I wasn't thinking about who we'd draft at the time. I was too focused on our season right then. We started off by beating the Bucks 97-86. Despite the fact that our bench scored just 5 points, we still took the win on Patrick Ewing's 23 points and 16 rebounds, Allen Iverson's 25 points and Glen Rice's 20 points. Kobe Bryant came up short in trying to match AI, but still scored 22 for Milwaukee, Johnny Newman equalled Rice at SF with 20 points and Vin Baker was impressive with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. It took overtime to do it, but we put away the Clippers 105-97 in our next game. Patrick Ewing was Player of the Game with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks, Glen Rice hit that same 24 points, Theo Ratliff, who'd won the starting PF spot, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and Stephon Marbury doubled for 11 points and 12 assists. The combined efforts outmanned Pooh Richardson's 28 points, Loy Vaught's 13 points and 13 rebounds and Todd Day's 14 bench points. We fell apart in the fourth quarter and dropped a 95-93 heartbreaker to the Cavaliers. Our bench scored just 4 points which frustrated me to no end. There wasn't anything on the free agent market either. 27 points and 10 assists from Stephon Marbury, 23 points from Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing's 21 points and 10 rebounds wasted, just like, that. For Cleveland, Terrell Brandon had a great all-around game of 27 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, Chris Mills scored 20 and Tyrone Hill snapped up 11 points and 18 rebounds. But the real story was their reserves outpointing ours 15-4. The Bucks hoped for revenge when we went to Milwaukee, but Glenn Robinson's 21 points didn't stop our 94-84 victory. Patrick Ewing posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks and Allen Iverson scored 24 to carry us to the win. Finally came a convincing win as we ripped the 76ers 98-71. Patrick Ewing owned the inside with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Allen Iverson scored 21 and Stephon Marbury had 10 points and 11 assists, even if he was outplayed by fellow rookie Tony Delk's 19 points and 10 assists for the losing cause. But even though we were winning, I wasn't going to be happy until we finally managed to beat a good team with the Ewing lineup. We'd done it against the Bulls, but lost close games to the Sonics and the Cavaliers. Going to Cleveland the next night gave us another opportunity, but the Cavs crushed us 101-84 that only looked as close as it did thanks to our 10 point 4th quarter close. Four Cavaliers reserves scored 10 points or more, led by Jon Barry's 13 points. Couple that with Tyrone Hill's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing's paired 21 points didn't look so great. We rebounded to shut down the Nets 85-65 on the two man show of Patrick Ewing (34 points, 15 rebounds) and Allen Iverson (23 points), but our bench continued to infuriate me. At long last, a convincing March win over a good team. We beat the Magic with a 22 point, 10 rebound full health Shaquille O'Neal and topped Shaq, James Scott's 22 points and Nick Anderson's 12 points and 10 rebounds for a 111-91 win. Allen Iverson blazed for 32 points and 4 steals, Glen Rice scored 24, Theo Ratliff had a surprisingly pleasant 16 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury netted 11 points and 12 assists. Antonio McDyess was beastly with 22 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals, but unfortunately for Nuggets fans, he was the only one to show up in our 108-84 pasting of Denver. Allen Iverson scored 23, Patrick Ewing and Glen Rice both had 20 point double-doubles with 13 and 10 rebounds respectively and Sherman Douglas snapped a long, long slumber spell on our bench with 15 points. The Heat came to town and gave us a hell of a game on Nick Van Exel's 21 points, Alonzo Mourning's 20 points and 14 rebounds and Elliot Perry's 18 bench points, but we withstood their charge to prevail in a 109-106 classic. All five of our starters scored 10 or more, led by Glen Rice and Allen Iverson with 27 points each, AI tacking on 5 steals besides. Indiana showed why they were the defending champions in beating us 88-73 in a scrappy game on the road. Rik Smits hammered us for 28 points and Mark Jackson scored 20, which was enough to deflate Patrick Ewing's 15 points and 10 rebounds and Stephon Marbury's 13 points and 12 assists. We went to Minneapolis the night after and played like crap, losing 105-93. Our defense went nowhere as all five Timberwolves starters scored 13 or more, highlighted by Sam Mitchell's 22 points, Tom Gugliotta's 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and Kevin Garnett's 13 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. That kind of balance couldn't be beaten with Allen Iverson's 20 points and Stephon Marbury's 18 points and 10 assists alone. Hoping to regain our equilibrium, we headed to Philadelphia and won a 90-76 slugfest. Derrick Coleman had 21 rebounds and Darvin Ham scored 23 points, but Allen Iverson's 27 points and collective offensive balance saved the day for us. We topped off March with a home and away against the Hawks and our second half rally fell just short in a nauseating 88-87 loss in the first game. Eric Williams got revenge on us with 34 points and Kenny Smith chipped in 13 bench points to negate Dontonio Wingfield's 11 bench points, Allen Iverson's 27 points and Patrick Ewing's 16 points and 11 rebounds. 97-79 was a nice inversion when it meant a win for us as it did in Atlanta to end things. Stephon Marbury scored 23, Glen Rice posted 21 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Iverson hit 20 points, easily negating the Hawks' 6 players in double-digit scoring, the only noteworthy one being Alan Henderson's 11 points and 12 rebounds. The good news at the end of March: We clinched the Atlantic. The bad news at the end of March: At 47-26, we were all but locked into the #4 seed and from the current standings, that meant a date with the same Hawks team we'd just split a home and away with. It didn't look too likely there'd be a shift in the #5 spot either, as the Heat were 36-36 and the closet team to 39-33 Atlanta with 9 games remaining. The top seed in the East was still very much in play, with 54-19 Indiana holding off the Cavs by a mere half-game and the Bulls just 2 back of the Pacers. 50-22 Utah was facing a major scare in the Midwest, as the Spurs, after their shrewd wheeling and dealing, were just a game behind, the same margin 47-25 Seattle had on Phoenix, with the Warriors 3.5 back on the Sonics. Still, I was happy with our progression and more importantly, so was our owner, as we'd gone from losing record before me to winning record and 7 seed in my first year to Atlantic title and 4 seed in my second season. But one thing was clear. Patrick Ewing would have to show me something in the playoffs or he wouldn't be back in Boston next season. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-07-2009, 11:50 PM	#62
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	We didn't have much to play for those last games, so I wasn't overly concerned with how we did. Still, it felt good to beat the Magic 106-93 in Orlando. They were trying like hell to sneak in the 8th seed and they were one team I preferred not to see, even though we usually did well against them. Shaquille O'Neal got his with 21 points, 10 rebounds 4 blocks and 4 steals, Penny Hardaway dropped 25 points and David Benoit came off the bench for 13 points, but the collective might of Glen Rice (27 points, 11 rebounds), Stephon Marbury (25 points, 13 assists), Allen Iverson (20 points) and Pervis Ellison's 10 bench boards was just too much. When a team's top performers come off the bench and score 12 points (Mario Elie, and 15 rebounds (Ray Owes), a 95-64 beatdown is no surprise and so it wasn't as we obliterated the Pistons. Patrick Ewing recovered from his 1 of 7 showing in Orlando with a cool 22 point, 13 rebound performance. He was aided splendidly by Glen Rice's 26 points and Allen Iverson's 24 points. A couple nights later we went to New York and won our 50th game of the year, downing the Knicks 114-94. Larry Johnson had a team high 19 points, but those and Otis Thorpe's 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks and Charlie Ward's 17 bench points were quickly blistered by Patrick Ewing's 23 points and 12 rebounds in the city that once revered him as a god and franchise legend. Throw in Glen Rice's 22 points and Brian Shaw's shocking 19 bench points and our ease of victory is clear. We came out flat at home against the Bullets the night after and Chris Webber made us pay with 35 points and 19 rebounds in an 87-82 loss. Gheorghe Muresan tacked on 16 points and 11 rebounds of his own, while Jim McIllvaine hauled in 15 bench rebounds. So much for Allen Iverson's Zhang Fei-esque 31 points and Theo Ratliff's near triple-double of 8 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. Unbelievably, we lost our next game too, 97-92 to the Raptors. Juwan Howard raped us for 36 points and 16 rebounds as Theo Ratliff got slammed by foul trouble and we again had problems with bench rebounding, allowing Zan Tabak take 12 in. It was infuriating to waste Patrick Ewing's 20 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, Glen Rice's 22 points and Pervis Ellison's 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks off the bench like that, but there it was. Glen Rice took his frustrations out on the Pistons for 37 points as we whipped them 89-68 to stop the bleeding. Patrick Ewing had an ugly 3 for 18 night, but still came out with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Mario Elie was again Detroit's lead scorer with 14 points, but at least Brian Evans doubled for 10 points and 11 rebounds. Revenge was ours in DC as we battered the Bullets 104-82, overcoming Chris Webber's 24 points and 10 rebounds, Gheorghe Muresan's 10 points and 11 rebounds and 14 bench points each from Randy Livingston and Tim Legler. Allowing us to such were Allen Iverson (36 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists), Stephon Marbury (21 points, 10 assists) and Patrick Ewing (16 points, 10 rebounds). Of course, we then had to go and lose 99-83 in New Jersey as Matt Maloney burned us for 31 points and Tracy Murray added more to the flames with 25 points. Stephon Marbury and Patrick Ewing scored 21 each for us, with Ewing grabbing 13 rebounds besides, but it was still ugly. Fortunately we ended the regular season on a good note, outdueling Otis Thorpe's 14 points and 15 rebounds and Larry Johnson's 12 points and 15 rebounds with balance and Allen Iverson's 31 points and 5 steals. Frustrated though I was with our wildly inconsistent play down the stretch, which made me wonder if I made the right move in trading for Ewing, I was happy with our 53-39 regular season record and Atlantic division title. 1996-1997 East Seedings 1. Chicago Bulls (61-21) 2. Indiana Pacers (60-22) 3. Cleveland Cavaliers (60-22) 4. Boston Celtics (53-39) 5. Atlanta Hawks (46-36) 6. Miami Heat (42-40) 7. Washington Bullets (41-41) 8. Milwaukee Bucks (40-42) Kobe Bryant got hot towards the end of the season and as a result, the Bulls had to be wary of losing in the first round again to an upstart 8 seed team. 1996-1997 West Seedings 1. Utah Jazz (57-25) 2. San Antonio Spurs (57-25) 3. Seattle Supersonics (56-26) 4. Phoenix Suns (54-28) 5. Houston Rockets (49-33) 6. Golden State Warriors (49-33) 7. Sacramento Kings (39-44) 8. Los Angeles Clippers (38-44) The Dallas Mavericks just missed joining the Bucks in Top 5 worst to playoff team in a season by a single game. NBA Leaders Points 1. David Robinson (SA) - 25.9 2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.6 3. Karl Malone (UTA) - 24.5 Assists 1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 12.0 2. John Stockton (UTA) - 11.3 3. Kevin Johnson (PHO) - 9.3 Rebounds 1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 13.6 2. David Robinson (SA) - 12.6 3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.6 Blocks 1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 4.2 T2. David Robinson (SA) - 3.3 T2. Shawn Bradley (PHI) - 3.3 Steals 1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.4 T2. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.1 T2. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.1 Rookies Leaders Points 1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 22.0 2. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 19.4 3. Darvin Ham (PHI) - 18.3 4. Ray Allen (CHA) - 17.2 Assists 1. Stephon Marbury (BOS) - 8.8 2. Tony Delk (PHI) - 7.3 3. Moochie Norris (WAS) - 7.2 Rebounds 1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 11.3 2. Travis Knight (GS) - 11.2 3. Amal McCaskill (UTA) - 10.6 Blocks T1. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 3.2 T1. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.2 3. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 2.6 Steals 1. Allen Iverson (BOS) - 1.7 2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 1.6 3. Kerry Kittles (TOR) - 1.5 Boston Celtics Leaders Points 1. Allen Iverson - 22.0 2. Glen Rice - 21.7 3. Patrick Ewing - 20.6 4. Stephon Marbury - 13.7 Assists 1. Stephon Marbury - 8.8 2. Allen Iverson - 4.0 3. Glen Rice - 3.1 Rebounds 1. Patrick Ewing - 10.7 2. Dean Garrett - 7.2 3. Glen Rice - 6.0 Blocks 1. Theo Ratliff - 2.2 2. Patrick Ewing - 1.9 3. Dean Garrett - 1.3 Steals 1. Allen Iverson - 1.7 2. Glen Rice - 1.4 T3. Theo Ratliff - 0.9 T3. Patrick Ewing - 0.9 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-07-2009, 07:46 PM	#58
Cap Ologist College Prospect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Flower Mound, TX	Aren't the division title winners automatic #1 and #2 seeds?

05-07-2009, 11:18 PM	#60
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Shocking to see Marbury passing the rock so much, you have blackmail material on him?

05-08-2009, 08:58 AM	#64
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	cough Ray Allen cough

05-08-2009, 12:32 PM	#66
Coffee Warlord Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Colorado Springs	I'm loving the Bulls with Tim Duncan. Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Duncan? Sign me up.

05-08-2009, 12:42 PM	#69
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Coffee Warlord: Yeah that would be one scary, scary team. And goodbye Luc Longley too, probably. DaddyTorgo: It's a possibility. DaddyTorgo x 2: Not for too terribly long, I'd imagine. Jordan's 33 or 34 at this point, I forget which. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-08-2009, 12:43 PM	#70
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	good point izulde __________________ Get bent whoever hacked my pw and changed my signature.

05-08-2009, 02:30 PM	#72
Radii Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	wow what an awful looking draft class. One of my favorite college players ever comes out next year in Antawn Jamison. Oh yeah, Vince Carter too, but meh, always liked Jamison better Fun read, keep it up!

05-08-2009, 04:02 PM	#74
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	DaddyTorgo: You're right though, it doesn't make that team any less scary for another year or two. Neuqua: Heh, wait till free agency Radii: Thanks And yeah, I agree, it's a terrible, terrible class. Next year's class does look pretty good and deep though. DaddyTorgo: Funny you say that... __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-08-2009, 04:44 PM	#76
DaddyTorgo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Massachusetts	nice! i have always been bummed that billups didn't get a longer look here in boston - when he started to grow into himself i was a frequent finger-pointer about that. dampier should provide some potential, and it seems you've got a hell of a lot of #1 picks to play with coming up. what is your draft-picks situation anyways? __________________ Get bent whoever hacked my pw and changed my signature. Last edited by DaddyTorgo : 05-08-2009 at 04:44 PM.

05-08-2009, 05:43 PM	#77
hoopsguy General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago	It was Pippen, not Rodman, who dropped the "Sunday" line on Malone. Back on board reading your dynasties now that you seem to have settled into a groove with one

05-08-2009, 10:33 PM	#78
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	DaddyTorgo: Thanks. I couldn't believe he was still there at 15. If anything, I thought he'd go earlier than projected at 13, into the top 10 even. As far as picks go: 1998 - Celtics, Lakers 1999 - Celtics, Jazz 2000 - Celtics, Rockets hoopsguy: Ah, so you're right. Funny, I swore it was Rodman, because it sounded like something The Worm would say, so in this universe, it was him. Glad to have you back around, by the way. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-09-2009, 02:09 AM	#79
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	If we had an Achilles heel heading into that cold Halloween night against the Bucks, it was that we didn't have a lockdown defender in the starting lineup. And indeed, we allowed 106 points, including 29 points to Vin Baker, 18 bench points to Terry Dehere, 15 points and 11 assists to Kobe Bryant and 12 points and 14 rebounds to Dikembe Mutombo. But it didn't matter, as we scored 122 to win easily, Glen Rice scoring 32, Allen Iverson going one better at 33 and Kenny Smith providing 10 bench points. Erick Dampier had a quiet Celtics debut with 7 points and 7 rebounds and while Chris Crawford scored 10 in his pro debut, he jacked up 5 of 16 to get them. Far better was Chauncey Billups's 16 points on 6 of 12. The behemoth Bulls were next and in Chicago the evening after no less. Given those parameters, the 115-97 rout was no surprise and I settled for being satisfied with Allen Iverson's 23 points and Glen Rice's 20 points. Michael Jordan ruled us for 33 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Cassell added 29 points and Tim Duncan looked anything but a rookie with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. It really was ridiculous how good they were that year. Chauncey Billups had his first 20+ point game as a pro with 25 points in our next game as we beat the Suns 106-89. Glen Rice continued his torrid early-season form with 24 points and 12 rebounds and Bo Outlaw stunned with 20 bench points. Great to see from our defensive specialist. Charles Barkley did well with 20 points and 14 rebounds and defending 6th Man of the Year Danny Manning scored 12 bench points. Back to .500 we fell with a heartbreaking 115-114 loss to the Magic, outscored 31-22 in the fourth quarter. It was a damned shame too, especially with Chris Crawford breaking out 23 points, a total matched by Glen Rice. Chauncey Billups got his first double-double with 18 points and 12 assists, Allen Iverson scored 25 and Bo Outlaw showed the previous game was no fluke with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks off the bench. James Scott led the Magic with 24 points, Jerome Williams doubled for 15 points and 12 rebounds and Drew Barry and Bobby Jackson powered the reserves with 14 and 11 points respectively. The Jazz whipped us far worse than the 99-82 final indicated. Glen Rice had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Allen Iverson grabbed 24 points and 11 rebounds, but they were nothing against Karl Malone's 25 points, Jeff Hornacek's 23 points and John Stockton's 16 points and 12 assists. Erick Dampier was looking like a huge mistake, shooting 25.9% and fouling out twice in five games. In fact, he only had one game with fewer than 5 fouls. I couldn't condone that so I went with a small lineup, inserting Bo Outlaw at center. The initial results weren't great, but we still overcame the Bullets 92-86, dodging the Big Bullet himself, Chris Webber, with 34 points and 11 rebounds thanks to Glen Rice and Allen Iverson with 23 and 22 points respectively. We went to Milwaukee the next night and won another shootout 111-100. Allen Iverson was on fire with 38 points, Glen Rice made his presence felt with 30 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford scored 21 to counter Vin Baker and Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson's 22 points a piece. Stephon Marbury came ready to play and rose up for 23 points and 13 assists against us, Wesley Person scored 13 bench points and Hakeem Olajuwon netted 19 points and 12 rebounds, but Glen Rice was unstoppable in scoring 46 points with 9 rebounds as we starstruck the Rockets 115-94. Allen Iverson scored 29 and Kenny Smith played great off the bench with 12 points and 11 assists. Our joy was short-lived however, as Christian Laettner burned us for 30 points and the second half was all Hornets in a 109-93 loss. Cedric Henderson chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds and not even Allen Iverson's 27 points or 10 and 11 points from Kenny Smith and Erick Dampier respectively could save us. Golden State owned us entirely in a 112-99 embarassment. Joe Smith was a force with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Travis Knight fought for 14 points and 11 rebounds, Latrell Sprewell garnered 15 points and 10 assists and Tim Hardaway scored 21. In response, Glen Rice scored 23, Chauncey Billups had 12 points and 11 assists and Erick Dampier scored 13 off the bench. With Dampier's improved play and Chris Crawford's frustrating inconsistency, I made another lineup change, putting Dampier back in at center and shifting Bo Outlaw to power forward. The shift paid off in a 98-78 dismantling rematch of the Hornets. Allen Iverson scored 30, Glen Rice 22 and Kenny Smith came through with 13 bench points. Christian Laettner did score 24, but he shot 20 times and no other Hornets were on form. I was wary going against the Pistons' promising frontcourt, but my lineup changes translated into a second straight sub-80 point allowance, a 113-75 crushing engineered by Allen Iverson's splendid 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, Glen Rice's 24 points and Chris Crawford's 10 bench points. Jermaine O'Neal shined for Detroit with 20 points and 17 rebounds, but he was the only Piston to do so. We allowed 95 points against the Nets, chiefly because of Tariq Abdul-Wahad's 22, but we still won 110-95 on Glen Rice's 31 points and 13 rebounds and a season-high 18 points from Erick Dampier. Allen Iverson scored 24 and Erick Dampier doubled for 12 points and 15 rebounds, but our game against the Bullets to end the month was still in doubt until Bo Outlaw contained Chris Webber enough to limit him to 21 points and 19 points and Keith Closs's 12 points and 10 rebounds were all but a layup worth of free throws as we prevailed 93-86. Although we'd gotten off to a rough start, it felt like we'd finally found a lineup that worked for us and that win over the Bullets was enough to make us 9-5 and put in a tie with Washington for the Atlantic lead. The Bulls actually lost a few games in November, but they were still 12-3 at month's end. Biggest surprise: the Pistons at 10-5. Utah looked good out West at 12-4, but the Spurs were 10-3, both better than Pacific leaders Golden State and Phoenix at 11-5 and 10-5 respectively. The Lakers, whose pick we owned, were treading slightly below .500 water at 6-9. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-09-2009, 02:34 PM	#80
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Only one trade that first month of the 1997 season, but it was interesting at least. Cleveland Cavaliers receive SF Tracy Murray New York Knicks receive Cleveland Cavaliers 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Cavaliers Murray, 26, is an average all-around player save for his punishing outside shot, which adds another dimension to Cleveland's attack. He also injects much needed youth into the Cavs' swingman situation and in fact steps in as the starting SF. What this means for the Knicks Four first round picks evidently weren't enough for New York, which is now starting three rookies, has a fourth rookie as their 6th man and has a second year player as their starting point guard. They're the youngest team in the league and yet they're a respectable 5-10. This pick'll be another late first, but given the Knicks' value picks in this past, weak class, that's not a bad thing. Winner: Draw Both teams benefit, but Murray's expiring this season. Although I'd been tempted to go trigger pulling myself earlier in the year, I was glad I hadn't. We kept our winning ways going, starting off December with an 88-74 win over the Heat. Allen Iverson carried us practically by himself with 32 points, leading the charge that overcame Ed Gray's 23 points and Nick Van Exel's 21 points. Another ugly game followed in Miami, Nick Van Exel's 28 points the main culprit in our 83-80 loss. Derek Harper had 14 bench points, but when Erick Dampier went 2 for 17, you knew things were bad. Then we lost 88-77 in Philadelphia, Allen Iverson's 26 points negated by Darvin Ham's 19 points and 13 rebounds, Derrick Coleman's 17 points and 13 rebounds and Jerry Stackhouse's 14 bench points. After Jayson Williams beat us up for 20 points and 11 rebounds and we lost 96-91 at home the following night to the Hawks, I'd had enough. There was no reason to be losing when Allen Iverson was scoring 29 points and Chris Dudley of all people had 10 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench. And thus came a trade. Boston Celtics receive SF Tom Gugliotta Minnesota Timberwolves 1998 1st round pick Minnesota Timberwolves receive C Erick Dampier PG Sherman Douglas Boston Celtics 2000 2nd round pick What this means for the Celtics Boston GM/head coach Bobby Troilus has been said to be very unhappy with his team's offensive production lately and so he goes out and gets 28 year old Gugliotta, a two-time All-Star and All-NBA player who the Timberwolves have for some reason been trying to unload repeatedly. Off he goes now and he'll bring his accurate shooting and high energy game to the Celtics' PF spot. His one weakness is ballhandling, so it'll be interesting seeing how he adapts to his new position and team. While Minnesota's 10-7 right now, it's hard saying what effect this trade will have on them. What this means for the Timberwolves Dampier didn't last long in Boston thanks to his poor shot selection, but the Timberwolves don't care. His defense and rebounding talents will make him the starting center in Minneapolis, displacing rookie Michael Stewart and Sherman Douglas is going to get his shot at starting at the point over Terry Porter. Strange moves in both cases, as Stewart and Porter seem better than what the T-Wolves are bringing in, though in any case, Minnesota is now much deeper and also gets to start Isiah Rider at small forward, something they've been wanting to do. Winner: Boston It's hard to imagine the Celtics doing much worse than their three straight losses and although Boston's having to start Chris Dudley at center now, he may fit the Green and White's scheme better than Dampier did. And they pick up a first on top of it. We lost our fourth straight game, a sickening 106-99 overtime defeat to the Raptors in Toronto. It was bombs away for the Purple Dinos, with 25 points and 11 rebounds from Juwan Howard, 24 points from Damon Stoudamire, 20 points from Kerry Kittles and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Chris Antsey. Allen Iverson scored 26 for us and Tom Gugliotta had 18 in his Celtics debut. Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford led the bench with 11 and 16 points respectively. The drought finally broke the night after as we beat the 76ers 107-97. It was amazing to do it, considering Tony Delk tore us apart for 33 points and 13 assists, Clarence Weatherspoon netted 15 points and 10 rebounds and Derrick Coleman picked up 17 points and 10 rebounds. But Allen Iverson scored 26 and Kenny Smith and Chris Crawford contributed 15 and 11 bench points to see us through. We hosted the Raptors and crushed them 107-81 in a sweet revenge game as Glen Rice snapped free for 35 points, outmatching Juwan Howard's 34, Allen Iverson scored 21 and Chris Crawford had his third straight great bench showing with 16 points. The Bulls came next and we handed them just their 5th loss of the year, 95-88. Sam Cassell scored 22 and Toni Kukoc had 16 bench points for Chicago, but Allen Iverson led all scorers with 24 points, Tom Gugliotta got his first Celtic double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Chris Crawford made it 4 in a row with 12 bench points. The Hornets flat-out destroyed us in Charlotte 101-77 for our first loss since the trade. Cedric Henderson scored 25, Grant Long was just nasty off the bench with 23 points and Christian Laettner and Roy Rogers double-doubled with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 points, 13 rebounds respectively. Glen Rice and Chauncey Billups were our top men with 26 and 20 points a piece. Tom Gugliotta picked up a hand injury, so I put him on the bench and sent Bo Outlaw out at PF for our marquee matchup against Minnesota the next night. We destroyed them 103-83. Kevin Garnett was Player of the Game with 25 points and 15 rebounds and Sherman Douglas continued the ex-Celtic revenge thing with 12 bench points, but Allen Iverson scored 25, Chauncey Billups wasn't far off with 22 points and Glen Rice completed the triple with 21 points. I started paying more attention to team injuries after that, so when Chris Dudley strained his knee against the Timberwolves, I had Bo Outlaw at center for our game in Los Angeles against the Lakers. I'm happy to say we won 100-75, cruising behind Tom Gugliotta's 29 points and 6 steals, Chauncey Billups's 21 points and Glen Rice's cheap double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds. The best the Purple and Gold did was 15 points each from rookie Lawrence Funderburke and Eddie Jones. I was even happier to tell Cassie at dinner afterwards that I'd met someone else in Boston, one of the cheerleaders for the Celtics strangely enough. Nicole and I had met last season when she came to my office to ask me about ordering new uniforms for the squad. I agreed and joked that we should go out for coffee to discuss the details. She accepted and we started dating, with things getting more serious over the summer. I hadn't asked her to marry me yet. Things were still too tense with the topsy-turvy nature of our season for me not to feel stressed and wedding planning on top of it would, I felt, cause a coronary. The injuries continued to pile on as Allen Iverson sustained a bruised shoulder, but since we had no replacement for him, I kept him in the lineup as we headed to Portland the next night and won 96-88. Tom Gugliotta shouldered the load with 26 points, Bo Outlaw supported with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Crawford woke up for 12 bench points as we overcame Clifford Robinson's 20 points, Arvydas Sabonis's 11 points, 11 rebounds, Rod Strickland's 13 points and 15 assists and Chris Mills's 14 bench points. That pair of back-to-back wins was so nice I didn't mind as much as I thought I would the 97-86 loss in Seattle, although we blew it with a disastrous 33-21 fourth quarter. Gary "The Glove" Payton suffocated us for 27 points, John Salley had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Kenny Gattison led 3 Supersonics reserves in double-digit scoring with 10 points and 11 assists. Great game by our frontcourt, though as Tom Gugliotta netted 25 points and 12 rebounds, Glen Rice was just off that pace with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Bo Outlaw burst out for a surprise 20 points. I was worried about exhaustion in Vancouver the next night, but we allowed just two Grizzlies in double-digit scoring; rookie Keith Van Horn with 34 points and Ashraf Amaya with 18 bench points. In counterpoint, Glen Rice scored 24, Tom Gugliotta continued to fit in seamlessy with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Pervis Ellison and Chris Crawford bounced off the bench for 10 rebounds and 12 points. We were finally fully healthy as we hosted the Trailblazers to ring out the old year, and I gave Pervis Ellison the start at center, because he'd been unhappy with his playing time. 101-85 was the final, the good guys in green the winners. Allen Iverson scored 25, Glen Rice added 22 points and Tom Gugliotta picked up 11 points and 11 rebounds. Portland had two bench players do well, with Jeff McInnis and Will Perdue scoring 18 and 14, but that was all they did. And so came the close to a tumultuous end-year. At 18-11, we were a game back of the Bullets in the Atlantic, but had gone 8-3 since acquiring Tom Gugliotta, which boded well for us for the rest of the season, I thought. We were also the only two teams in the Atlantic over .500, with 12-18 Orlando leading a train of bad squads. Chicago didn't lose a game after we beat them and stood 24-5 at month's end, 3.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers. Detroit was another 20 game winner at 20-10 and really looked like a tough team to beat in the playoffs. 22-9 Utah had a 2.5 game lead on both the Spurs and the Rockets in addition to tenatively holding the West's top seed while the Pacific featured 19-8 Phoenix with a half-game edge on the Warriors. The Lakers, I should note, were having an awful year at 10-22, worst in the West. But we had three worse teams in the East at that point: 6-22 Miami and New Jersey and 9-20 New York. Oh yes, the Timberwolves were 16-12, so about what they were when we traded with them. Celtics Team Leaders Scoring 1. Allen Iverson - 21.7 2. Glen Rice - 20.2 3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.6 Assists 1. Chauncey Billups - 6.6 2. Allen Iverson - 4.5 3. Kenny Smith - 4.3 Rebounds 1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.3 2. Glen Rice - 7.0 3. Bo Outlaw - 5.4 Blocks 1. Bo Outlaw - 2.3 2. Chris Dudley - 1.0 3. Tom Gugliotta - 0.8 Steals 1. Allen Iverson - 1.6 2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.4 3. Bo Outlaw - 1.3 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-09-2009, 11:01 PM	#81
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	New Year's Day brought my usual study of the incoming class and hot cider, though I got off to later start than my first two years. You see, I'd gone to a New Year's party with Nicole after the game and as a result, we'd stayed up later than I was used to. It was worth it of course, though when she asked me after our New Year's kiss when I was going to ask her to marry her, I said, only half-joking, "When the Celtics make it past the first round of the playoffs." "I'll be old by then!" she gasped indignantly. "You're only 25", I answered with a grin, "Besides, you have that little faith in my abilities that you don't think I'll get them there soon?" She just laughed, winked and spirited away to the punch bowl. As I watched her blonde hair swishing from her turn, I was reminded of how much I liked the way she kept things light and me on my toes with little things like not answering. She gave levity to a life that still felt leaden sometimes, running a franchise still dreaming of past glories. Anyway, the upcoming rookie class was rich in talented swingmen. Players like Paul Pierce and Vince Carter immediately jumped out, but the Greek kid Peja Stojakovic looked good as well. Dirk Nowitzki, a German, looked like a fantastic power forward prospect and Antawn Jamison was having a nice year with the Tar Heels. But if you were a team looking for a point guard or a center, forget it. They just weren't there. Bad news for us, who needed a true center worth having, but at the very least, we had a shot at getting a forward to be the heir apparent to Glen Rice if things broke right. And then there were December's trades. Atlanta Hawks receive SG John Starks New York Knicks receive Atlanta Hawks 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Hawks Starks, 32, is a solid all-around player whose good passing and handling skills for a SG blend in perfectly with Atlanta's philosophy of balanced team scoring. Not great on the defensive end, but a major upgrade from the previous rotations they've been using to start at the two. What this means for the Knicks New York makes another commitment to youth and they shed Starks's salary on top of it, which frees up yet more money for them to become major free agent players when the time is right. The second round pick could be high-mid, as the Hawks have struggled this year. Winner: New York The Knicks have their rebuilding plan in place and this just adds another piece to it. For those doubting, see Derek Fisher, 3rd pick in 2nd round of 1996 draft and Knicks starting PG from Day One. Phoenix Suns receive C Sharone Wright Philadelphia 76ers receive Phoenix Suns 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Suns The 25 year old Wright can flat out score, but that's really the only attribute he brings to the table. He's also not going to see many minutes as Phoenix is heavy on Shawnelle Scott and defending 6th Man of the Year Danny Manning at center. On the other hand, Manning's 31 and should he or Scott come to injury, Wright's a far better insurance policy than filler Lorenzo Williams. What this means for the 76ers Philly's not a very good team as they're still young and having problems developing team chemistry and consistency, so an extra first might help them find more talent. On the other hand, given that it's a late first, is the player really going to equal what Wright gave them? Winner: Phoenix Decent big men are hard to find in this league and the Suns trade a late first to get a respectable young one. Nice move. Denver Nuggets receive C Vitaly Potapenko Atlanta Hawks receive Denver Nuggets 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Nuggets Denver apparently doesn't like first rounders much, because for the third year in a row they trade away their own first. The 22 year old Potapenko has a good inside shot and some rebounding skills, but the man taken with the 11th pick in the 2nd round last year can't unseat the Nuggets' 2nd round pick this year (7th in 2nd) Scott Pollard as the team's backup center. And who does Denver have starting at the five? Jamie Feick, Mr. "I Could've Been Tim Duncan" himself. The Nuggets front office needs serious help. What this means for the Hawks The Nuggets are actually competitive this season, so it's a mid-first rounder, but considering Atlanta still has five centers on the roster and they turned a mid-2nd round pick into a mid-1st, that's a beautiful job by the Hawks' office. Winner: Atlanta They've got smart men in Hotlanta. Los Angeles Clippers receive PF Otis Thorpe New York Knicks receive Los Angeles Clippers 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers The Red and White are terrible this season and acquiring a 35 year old rebounding specialist when they already have guys at power forward like Loy Vaught, Antoine Walker and even Rodney Rodgers makes no sense at all. What this means for the Knicks In case you haven't gotten the memo yet, New York's rebuilding and they trade away an old piece for a lottery ticket and yet more cap space. Brilliant, simply brilliant. Winner: New York It's tough to be a basketball fan in LA this season, with Showtime dead and the Clippers being the Clippers. The new year started off with a bang as we demolished the Cavaliers 106-76. Tom Gugliotta flourished with 32 points and Allen Iverson made a nice second punch with 22 points. Brett Szabo was top man for the Cavs with 11 points and 17 rebounds as Cleveland had arguably their ugliest game of the year. Tom Gugliotta continued the fun with 31 points and 17 rebounds against the Mavericks, schooling Popeye Jones, who nonetheless doubled with 14 points and 11 rebounds. We won 111-87, countering Jamal Mashburn's 32 points and Marcus Camby's 11 points and 13 rebounds with Allen Iverson's 24 points and Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points. The Knicks posed no challenge in New York, falling 111-88 to Allen Iverson's 28 points, Chauncey Billups's 19 points and 12 assists and Glen Rice's 12 points and 10 rebounds. It looked strange to see Chris Mullin not wearing blue and yellow and even stranger to see him on the bench, but he got us for 11 points. We turned around and went right back to Boston to beat the Kings 97-79 the next night. Tom Gugliotta powered his way to 24 points and 14 rebounds, Pervis Ellison got a rare double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds and Kenny Smith and Bo Outlaw led the second team with 16 and 10 points respectively. Walt Williams held Glen Rice to 1 of 15 shooting in addition to scoring 23 points himself and Tony Battie picked up 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it was all for naught. A couple days later, we hosted the Knicks and promptly sent them back to the City with a 103-82 loss. Allen Iverson and Glen Rice combined for 28 and 22 points and Chris Crawford rose off the bench for 11 points, spoiling Larry Johnson's 17 points and 13 rebounds. Down south in Hotlanta, the Hawks were hoping to reach .500, but we ended that with a 110-98 rout. Tom Gugliotta belted them for 31 points, Chauncey Billups followed up with 26 points and Pervis Ellison applied the finisher with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Oh and Chris Crawford topped the reserves with 10 points. For the Hawks, Mookie Blaylock scored 20 and Elliot Perry was just insane off the bench with 26 points. It was a good way to start the five game road trip that'd proven one of the toughest parts of our schedule the last couple years and given our difficulties with that stretch, I wasn't surprised when the Spurs beat us 109-92 to hand us our first loss of the 1998 calendar year. Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason each burned us for 20 points and David "The Admiral" Robinson was an animal in the post with 16 points, 21 rebounds and 6 blocks. We gave it a shot though, as Glen Rice led all scorers with 35 points, Allen Iverson scored 25 and Chauncey Billups distributed 14 points and 10 assists. We ambushed the Rockets 114-86 thanks to Glen Rice (22 points), Allen Iverson (20 points) and the bench tandem of Chris Crawford with his first career double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kenny Smith with 11 points. Even more pleasing was when we shut down the high-octane Mavericks offense the night after, winning 98-76. Glen Rice dominated with 33 points and 4 steals and Bo Outlaw had 12 bench rebounds, as Dallas's main players were Jamal Mashburn with 14 points and 16 rebounds and Marcus Camby with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Both shot terribly though, as did the Mavericks as whole - 32.6% on the night. After our Texas triumphs, I feared a letdown in Toronto and I was right. We lost a 125-113 shootout as Damon Stoudamire went ballistic with 37 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals and Juwan Howard poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds to nullify 28 points each from Glen Rice and Tom Gugliotta, the latter of whom also had 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks, Chauncey Billups's 13 points and 11 assists and Kenny Smith's bench rampage of 17 points. Then the Lakers stunned us 94-83 in Boston, much to my aggravation. Cedric Cellabos scored 27 to basically draw with Glen Rice's 28 points and their balance topped ours, even with Chris Crawford's 10 bench points. We finally snapped out of it by beating the Pacers 91-85 on Allen Iverson's 22 points, which were one better than Reggie Miller's 21 points and Tom Gugliotta's 11 points and 11 rebounds. The most puzzling team on the planet had to be the Orlando Magic. They had two franchise-level talents in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, yet they constantly underachieved, as when they got blown out 102-78 at home by us. Nick Anderson's was their high scorer with 24 points, eclipsed by Glen Rice's 29 points and 13 rebounds and further buried by Tom Gugliotta's 18 points and 16 rebounds. From Orlando to Boston, where we slugged the Grizzlies 96-74 the night after. Keith Van Horn played well with 17 points and 10 rebounds and reserve Ashraf Amaya netted 15 points and 18 rebounds as he usually seemed amped to play us. But even with that and with a terrible night from our forwards, we still won handily on Allen Iverson's 30 points, Chauncey Billups's 27 points and the tag-team bench duo of Bo Outlaw (12 points) and Kenny Smith (11 points). One thing I loved about that year's team as compared to the 1996-97 edition was that they didn't implode on the second night of back-to-backs. They stayed strong. We had the statistical stars in Allen Iverson's 21 points and Tom Gugliotta's 13 points and 11 rebounds, but the Pacers had the balance and so they beat us 82-74 in Indiana. Reggie Miller was their lead scorer with 18 points along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. We bounced back the next night to freeze the Heat 102-84 in Miami. Ed Gray's 24 points and Malik Rose's 11 points and 10 rebounds were nothing in the face of Allen Iverson's 24 points, Tom Gugliotta's 19 points and 14 rebounds, [b]Glen Rice's near triple-double of 14 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points. That victory put us at 30-15, but frustratingly, we were still a game behind the 30-13 Bullets for the Atlantic lead. Yet we were also so far ahead of third place 17-28 and 16-27 Orlando and New York it was ridiculous. The Bulls were in danger of their 10th loss of the year, but at 35-9, they still enjoyed a 4.5 game edge on the Cavaliers, who we ourselves were a single game behind in the overall seeding race. On the other hand, Chicago was the only single-loss team in the league, as 29-15 Utah was holding off the Spurs by only a game and had the Rockets and Timberwolves 2.5 back. In the Pacific, 32-12 Golden State was fairly well in front of Phoenix at 5.5 The 15-29 Lakers were still worst in the West, but 5th worst in the league, thanks to four terrible East teams. Boston Celtics Leaders Scoring 1. Allen Iverson - 21.1 2. Glen Rice - 19.9 3. Tom Gugliotta - 18.0 Assists 1. Chauncey Billups - 7.0 2. Allen Iverson - 4.6 3. Kenny Smith - 3.8 Rebounds 1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.4 2. Glen Rice - 7.2 3. Pervis Ellison - 6.5 Blocks 1. Bo Outlaw - 2.1 2. Pervis Ellison - 1.0 3. Tom Gugliotta - 0.9 Steals 1. Allen Iverson - 1.7 2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.3 3. Glen Rice - 1.1 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-10-2009, 11:55 PM	#82
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	February had always been a difficult month for us in my two years leading Boston, so with us a game back of the Bullets, even though I'd finally found love, Cupid's month made me anything but joyful. January featured a trade or two to review at least. San Antonio Spurs receive SF Chris Mullin Los Angeles Clippers 1998 2nd round pick New York Knicks receive SG Vinny Del Negro What this means for the Spurs This is not another blockbuster veteran move by San Antonio, for this is not the Mullin who starred in Golden State. At 34, Mullin is now just an average all-around, yet intelligent bench player. The 2nd rounder's looking like a mid-selection. What this means for the Knicks Del Negro may be 31 and an odd fit for this New York team, but they needed a veteran mentor in the backcourt and Negro fits the bill. He also bring scoring pop and excellent ballhandling to the bench, in addition to an extra million dollars of expiring contract. Winner: New York They did get three years younger and this eases some of their glut of second rounders that probably wouldn't make the team anyway. Golden State Warriors receive SG Alvin Williams Los Angeles Lakers receive Golden State Warriors 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Warriors Williams, 23, taken with the 8th pick in the 2nd round of this year's draft, won't break past the Tim Hardaway/Latrell Sprewell starting backcourt, but he becomes the first guard off the bench and has potential to develop into a very good starting PG someday. For now, he'll greatly increase Golden State's depth as they drive for the division title and serve as Hardaway's heir apparent. What this means for the Lakers On the one hand, they've turned a 2nd round pick into a first rounder when they don't have their own first this year. On the other hand, Williams could've been a late first rounder himself in last year's draft. Then again, he was only getting about 5 minutes a game. Winner: Golden State No doubt about the Warriors getting a quality play for their first and they addressed the issue of who will replace the 31 year old Hardaway when the time comes. Despite my belief in always keeping a first round pick, I have to say I liked what a lot of the contending teams had done with dealing their firsts for players. It made me want to think about doing the same at the deadline while keeping the Lakers' selection. Part of the reason we'd done poorly in February was the whopper of a back-to-back we faced to start the month. Our first game was in Cleveland, where, much to my joy and shock, we rallied in the fourth quarter to stun the Cavaliers 112-102. Kenny Anderson, who'd re-signed with the Cavs in free agency after being obtained from the Nets last February, scored 26 points and 4 steals, Tracy Murray added 22 and Brett Szabo gathered in 16 points and 10 rebounds, but we answered with six Celtics scoring 12 or more, headlined by Glen Rice's 28 points and Bo Outlaw's 15 bench points. Incredibly, we rallied again in the fourth the next night to knock off the Spurs at home. Kenny Smith was a perfect 8 for 8 off the bench, including 5 of 5 from 3 point range for 21 points in just 17 minutes, the perfect complement to Allen Iverson's 23 points. It was a beautiful way to frustrate San Antonio, who had 3 players with double-doubles: David Robinson (18 points, 16 rebounds), Patrick Ewing (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Antonio Daniels (18 points, 10 assists). Then came the other reason why we struggled in February - the road trip from hell. It felt different this year, though maybe that was because Nicole took two weeks vacation to travel with us. She drew a lot of attention during telecasts from the announcers and became something of an Internet phenomenon. But I didn't pay much attention to all that. I was about our hardcourt performance. The journey started magnificently with an all-quarters 98-83 victory over the Clippers. Glen Rice led the charge with 30 points and 5 steals, Allen Iverson lit up for 27 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups had 11 points and 11 assists. Loy Vaught and Antoine Walker were the top Clippers with 17 points and 11 rebounds and 15 points and 10 rebounds respectively. Cassie was delighted with Nicole at dinner that night and she told me while my girlfriend was in the restroom that I'd made an excellent choice and that all things happened for a reason. I couldn't say I disagreed at all, for though I hadn't forgotten Mia and never would, I was happier with Nicole than I'd ever been in any of my previous relationships. It's not very often that a team takes the first three quarters convincingly and still loses, but that's exactly what happened the next night in Oakland. A stellar 44-25 fourth quarter gave us the nailbiting 100-99 win over the Warriors. Joe Smith's 28 points and 11 rebounds and Travis Knight's 11 points and 15 rebounds were eclipsed by our stellar backcourt of Chauncey Billups's 24 points and Allen Iverson's 22 points while Tom Gugliotta did the work in the post with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Two nights later Allen Iverson knocked out the Kings with 34 points and 5 steals, Glen Rice piled on 22 points, Tom Gugliotta got 16 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford applied the icing with 11 bench points in the 116-83 slaughter. Voshon Leonard's 14 bench points was their most noteworthy performance. We brushed aside Antonio McDyess's 20 points in Denver with [b]Allen Iverson[b/]'s 22 points and perfect 7 for 7 night from Bo Outlaw for 14 bench points in our 108-72 napalming of the Nuggets. Our first loss of the road marathon finally came in Utah, where a 29-10 second quarter, Karl Malone's 26 points and 22 points each from Jeff Hornacek and John Stockton did us in 105-99. We gave it our best shot, though, with 25 points from Tom Gugliotta, 20 points from Glen Rice and Pervis Ellison's 10 points and 11 rebounds. Outside of Tom Gugliotta's 24 points and 10 rebounds, we just plain ran out of steam the next night in Phoenix as the Suns crushed us 110-84. Michael Finley, who I greatly admired, stomped us for 26 points and Shawnelle Scott picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds. Chauncey Billups got invited to the 3 Point Competition but went out in the first round. Still, just the fact that he went was a nice touch for our season. Allen Iverson started for the Sophomores in the Rookies-Sophs game and scored a game-high 21 points to lead the second years to a 106-91 victory. Chauncey Billups had 11 points and 8 assists in 28 minutes as a reserve for the Rookies and the MVP award went not to Iverson, but Tim Duncan for his 12 points and 18 rebounds, which was fair I suppose, as nobody else had higher than 8, but it was still disappointing and another snub for AI to remember. With no injuries this year, we would not be denied All-Star representation and so Allen Iverson started at point guard for the East, with Glen Rice among the reserves. While AI had a nondescript game with 11 points and 7 assists and Rice had 5 points and 2 assists in 12 minutes, the East still won 109-95 thanks to MVP Michael Jordan's 26 points. All-Star West Team PG Jason Kidd SG Jamal Mashburn SF Kevin Garnett PF Karl Malone C David Robinson Joe Smith Hakeem Olajuwon Latrell Sprewell Cedric Cellabos Stephon Marbury Marcus Camby Jeff Hornacek All-Star East Team PG Allen Iverson SG Michael Jordan SF Grant Hill PF Chris Webber C Shaquille O'Neal Juwan Howard Jermaine O'Neal Glen Rice Vin Baker Terrell Brandon Ray Allen Larry Johnson I was a little surprised that Tom Gugliotta didn't make the All-Star game, but he didn't care. He said it was just refreshing to finally be on a winning team with smart management. He never completely got over the fact that the Timberwolves were so keen on dumping him from 1995 on, even while he was earning All-NBA honors. Decision time came after the All-Star game. Would we stay pat or would we make a deal? I surveyed the market to see what was out there, not intending to swing a trade unless something really eye-catching popped up. And it did. Boston Celtics receive PG Howard Eisley Utah Jazz 1998 2nd round pick Utah Jazz 1999 2nd round pick Utah Jazz 2000 2nd round pick Utah Jazz receive PF A.C. Green Boston Celtics 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Celtics Boston GM/Head Coach Bobby Troilus has been extremely high on 25 year old passing and ballhandling wizard Eisley ever since he starred for the Celtics' summer league team. Although Eisley chose to return to Utah, Troilus was determined to have the young man wear the kelly green at some point at the time is now. Not only does the more accurately-shooting Eisley take over for Kenny Smith now as the top point guard off the bench, he'll be the 32 year old's replacement as the first reserve shooting guard next season as well. The fistful of seconds gives Troilus the trade bait he likes to have. What this means for the Jazz Green, 34, once again gets traded from Boston to the West after signing with the Celtics in free agency. He's just a body at this point and buried deep on Utah's bench. With Karl Malone and Jeff Hornacek 34 years old and John Stockton 35, Utah could use this higher pick and Green's expiring contract to work rebuilding efforts with. The Jazz are convinced that 2nd round rookie Anthony Johnson (25th pick in 2nd round), while extremely raw, can develop into Stockton's heir with some seasoning, so they deemed Eisley expendable. Winner: Boston Troilus strikes a beautiful move here, because the Celtics and Jazz picks will both be late firsts and should any of the Big Three retire, suddenly that 1999 Utah pick Boston owns is looking much more attractive. Besides, the C's already have the Lakers and Timberwolves firsts in the upcoming draft. I was simply ecstatic to get Eisley. Not only did I fall in love with his game when he played for us in the summer league, but he took care of the question about whether or not to re-sign Smith in the offseason. With this minor, but still significant tweak in hand, we ended the 7 game road trip in New Jersey, where we pounded the Nets 106-87 to finish 5-2 in the toughest stretch of our schedule. Tariq Abdul-Wahad's 36 points and Matt Maloney's 22 points were impressive, but far more jaw-dropping were our four double-doubles: Tom Gugliotta (20 points, 10 rebounds), Chauncey Billups (19 points, 12 assists), Allen Iverson (18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists) and Pervis Ellison (10 points, 12 rebounds) and that's not even counting Glen Rice's team-high 25 points. We finally came home the night after, but couldn't overcome a 32-18 first quarter deficit and fell 116-110 to the Pacers. Six Indiana players scored 12 or more, led by Bruce Bowen's 25 points and reserve Don Maclean's 20 points. For our part, we had 22 points and 19 rebounds from Tom Gugliotta, a matching 22 points from Glen Rice and Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points. We didn't even give the Hornets a chance in our next game, going box-to-wire in an all-quarters 118-89 rout. Chauncey Billups made up for his lackluster outing against Indiana with 27 points and 14 assists, Tom Gugliotta tacked on 24 points and 12 rebounds and Allen Iverson supplied 20 points. Scott Burrell shot off the bench for 19 points for Charlotte and Christian Laettner doubled for 18 points and 10 rebounds. February closed as it opened, with a tough back-to-back. We spanked the Sonics 105-84 in Boston, countering Gary Payton's 23 points and Shawn Kemp's 24 points with 3 20+ point scorers of our own; Glen Rice with 21 and Tom Gugliotta and Allen Iverson with 20. This set up a showdown in Chicago the next night and although the Bulls had a rough February, they were still dangerous. Indeed, they beat us 115-108 as we couldn't come back from a 37-25 first quarter deficit. Scottie Pippen burned us for 30 points, Sam Cassell chimed in with 25 points and 10 assists and Mitch Richmond, an early February acquisition from the Kings, came off the bench for 13 points. We had three bench players with 10+ points; Kenny Smith with 11 and Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford with 10, but when our only noteworthy starter was Chauncey Billups with 23 points, we fell just short. I was still extremely please things with where things stood after the short month. At 39-19, we finally passed the Bullets for the Atlantic lead and were a game and a half up. In fact, we were even #2 in the East behind only the 45-13 Bulls. Chicago was up on the Cavaliers by 8 games in the Central and looked poised for their third straight #1 seed. Utah was the other 40 win team at that point, holding a 40-16 mark and a three game lead on the Spurs, while a half-game separated the 36-21 Warriors and the Suns in the Pacific. Minnesota was chugging along at 32-24, looking like a 5-6 seed, while much to my annoyance, the 19-36 Lakers were no longer the worst team in the conference. The tanking Mitch Richmond-trading Kings earned that distinction. What was once a possible Top 5 pick now looked more like a Top 10 pick unless some lottery magic happened again. But what was most important was to finally break through the first-round playoff barrier. Only then could I marry, after all. NBA Leaders Points 1. Chris Webber (WAS) - 25.5 2. Hakeem Olajuwon HOU) - 24.4 3. Grant Hill (DET) - 23.8 Assists 1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.7 2. John Stockton (UTA) - 10.6 3. Stephon Marbury (HOU) - 9.8 Rebounds 1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 15.2 2. Loy Vaught (LAC) - 11.8 3. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.6 Blocks 1. David Robinson (SA) - 3.1 T2. Marcus Camby (DAL) - 3.0 T2. Roy Rogers (CHA) - 3.0 Steals T1. Terrell Brandon (CLE) - 2.2 T1. Charles Barkley (PHO) - 2.2 T1. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.2 Rookies Leaders Points 1. Tariq Abdul-Wahad (NJ) - 19.3 2. Marko Milic (LAC) - 19.2 T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 16.9 T3. Keith Van Horn (VAN) - 16.9 Assists 1. Brevin Knight (CHA) - 9.0 2. Antonio Daniels (SA) - 7.8 3. Chauncey Billups (BOS) - 7.2 Rebounds T1. Keith Closs (WAS) - 10.1 T1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 10.1 3. Chris Antsey (TOR) - 9.0 Blocks 1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 2.8 2. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 2.3 3. Keith Closs (WAS) - 1.7 Steals 1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 1.9 2. Charles Smith (DAL) - 1.8 T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 1.6 T3. Kevin Ollie (POR) - 1.6 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-11-2009, 08:03 PM	#83
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	After that fantastic February, I greatly looked forward to the prospect of March. And then of course, you had the trade market. Miami Heat receive PG Brent Price Washington Bullets receive Miami Heat 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Heat Bimbo Coles has been struggling with his shot this season, so Miami brings the pure bench offense of Price. But given the Heat's one of the worst teams in the league this season, they probably would've been better off keeping their second. What this means for the Bullets Getting rid of Price not only gives Washington a high 2nd round pick, but frees up more playing time for Randy Livingston and Hershey Hawkins and since both players are arguably better than Price, that's a good thing. Winner: Washington The Bullets have played it smart over the last few seasons and quietly developed into one of the East's better teams. Small moves like this only help. Chicago Bulls receive SG Mitch Richmond Sacramento Kings receive C Luc Longley PF Jason Caffey What this means for the Bulls Richmond may be 32 and have missed the All-Star game this season, but he's still an All-Star talent, able to do it all. The scary part? He's Chicago's new 6th man and gives them an offensive sparkplug off the bench like no other in the league. Although they hurt their big man depth by dealing Caffey and Longley, they free up more playing time for rebounding and defensive specialist rookie Adonal Foyle, in hopes that he can develop more of an offensive game with increased minutes. What this means for the Kings Longley's a $3.1 million expiring contract and Caffey, 24, would be another $850k if he isn't brought back. Caffey's got inside scoring ability, but that's the only thing he has. Winner: Chicago $4 million in expiring contracts is good, but the best 6th man in the league for the defending champions is better still. Washington Bullets receive SF James Scott Orlando Magic receive Washington Bullets 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Bullets Look up chucker in the dictionary. See Scott's picture by it. If he can learn to be more careful with his shot selection, he could be one of the premiere point scorers in the league, but he's the worst defender in the entire NBA, which is why he fell to the 2nd round (22nd pick) last year. At least he's only a 6th man and not starting. What this means for the Magic The preplexing Magic need some kind of shakeup and maybe adding another mid-late first will do it. At the very least, a mid-late 2nd for mid-late 1st is excellent value. Winner: Orlando The Bullets may well have hurt their chances of winning the Atlantic war with Boston by getting Scott. Detroit Pistons receive SG Eddie Jones Los Angeles Lakers receive Detroit Pistons 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Pistons Jones is only 26, locked up for 3 years and shoots over 53%. He's also a very good defender with some potential left and is an absolutely nasty defender. He bolsters Detroit's depth considerably as they're headed to the playoffs for the first time in quite a while. What this means for the Lakers The Purple and Gold were desperate for a first round pick after theirs went to the Celtics and it shows, as they overpaid to get Detroit's selection. 2nd round pick (11th pick) Charles O'Bannon is awful and Magic Johnson's last years are assured to stay inglorious. It could be a long, long time before the Lakers see the playoffs again. Winner: Detroit An outright steal by the Pistons. Utah Jazz receive PF Rodney Rogers Los Angeles Clippers receive Utah Jazz 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Jazz Rogers, 26, has some shooting and scoring ability, but that's it. Strictly a depth acquisition, as even if Karl Malone retires at the end of the year, Chris Morris will step in instead. What this means for the Clippers Not only do they get a first, albeit late, but they get an opportunity to start Lamond Murray, who is more balanced than Rogers and two years younger, with some upside to boot. Winner: Clippers Excellent move by the Red and White here and much more beneficial than the ho-hum effect on the Jazz. It wasn't nearly as insane as 1996-97's 8 firsts exchange, but 3 first rounders was still noteworthy. The Bucks threw a major scare into us and we had to rely on a fourth quarter comeback to just barely nip them 93-92. Dikembe Mutombo patrolled the paint for 16 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks, Vin Baker hung 25 points and 10 rebounds on us, Kobe Bryant netted 13 points and 12 assists and Rick Brunson added 13 bench points. In response, Allen Iverson scored 28, Glen Rice 21 and Tom Gugliotta put together 12 points and 11 rebounds. But the big story of the night was Howard Eisley stepping it up off the bench for 16 points. Things went much easier the game after as we routed the Clippers 119-87 on Allen Iverson's 38 points, Glen Rice's 29 points, Tom Gugliotta's 13 points and 12 rebounds and Howard Eisley's 11 points and 10 assists. Unfortunately, Allen Iverson strained his knee during the win, so I experimented with Chauncey Billups at SG and Howard Eisley at PG for our game against the Cavaliers. We won 89-73, outdueling Kenny Anderson's 22 points with Glen Rice's 29 points. We kept Allen Iverson out of the lineup for the next game as well, but he still had 10 bench points in our 95-84 win in Milwaukee. Kobe Bryant scored 25 and Dikembe Mutombo had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but Glen Rice scored 23, Tom Gugliotta doubled for 16 points and 11 rebounds and Howard Eisley scored 20. Bo Outlaw also equaled AI's 10 bench points. Three straight games with that backcourt and three straight victories, the last one 103-91 over the 76ers. Chauncey Billups scored 21, but Howard Eisley had 16 points and 11 assists, giving me a real dilemma. Tom Gugliotta led all scorers with 29 points as Philadelphia's best showing was Ron Mercer's 14 bench points and Clarence Weatherspoon's 11 point and 12 rebounds. We went to Cleveland the next night and just on a hunch, I went with an Eisley-Iverson backcourt. A crazy 116-107 OT contest followed, with the good guys in green the winners. Allen Iverson made a triumphant return to the starting lineup with 28 points, Tom Gugliotta hauled in 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Pervis Ellison garnered 12 points and 13 rebounds. But the hero of the game was undoubtedly Glen Rice who had a staggering 30 point, 12 rebound, 6 assist, 6 steal outing. For the Cavaliers, Brett Szabo had 12 points and 13 rebounds, Terrell Brandon scored 21 and Mario Elie led the reserves with 15 points. 95-74 final over the Nets, where 17 point David Wesley was their lead scorer as we just kept right on rolling. Allen Iverson led the way with 23 points, Glen Rice was right behind with 22 points and we got double-doubles from Tom Gugliotta (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Howard Eisley (14 points, 11 assists). Bo Outlaw provided the bench fireworks with 13 points. Shaquille O'Neal was the lone star for the Magic with 19 points and 11 rebounds as we blitzkrieged Orlando 106-79. Allen Iverson scored 33, Glen Rice 23 and Bo Outlaw and Chris Crawford played bench bombardment with 14 and 11 points respectively. On we rolled, blowing past LaPhonso Ellis's 25 points and the Nuggets 99-73. Tom Gugliotta busted out for 20 points and 14 rebounds while Allen Iverson nabbed 20 points and 10 boards. Chauncey Billups finally had a breakthrough bench game with 15 points in as many minutes. He'd handled his demotion extremely well and it was hard to argue with the results. We beat Miami 97-82 behind 24 points each from Glen Rice and Howard Eisley, Rice adding 10 rebounds besides. Chauncey Billups had 10 bench points, but that included throwing up 10 3 point shots, only 2 of which went in. 12 points and 13 rebounds by Alonzo Mourning was decent effort, but not even close to enough. Going into Indiana was a real test and one we passed 95-92 for our 50th win of the year. It was a classic battle, with Tom Gugliotta's 29 points and Glen Rice's 21 points leading a balanced attack just enough to overcome Rik Smits's 27 points, Reggie Miller's 24 points and Mark Jackson's 20 points. We went to Minneapolis the next night and won 95-78, battling past Ben Wallace's 30 points and Kevin Garnett's 13 points and 10 rebounds with Glen Rice's 28 points, Pervis Ellison's 12 points and 12 rebounds and 17 and 10 bench points from Chauncey Billups and Bo Outlaw. The 76ers went on a tear in the second half and very nearly ended our unbeaten streak, but we fended off Darvin Ham's 20 points and just barely squeaked by 83-82. Pervis Ellison and Tom Gugliotta were the glue keys with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 12 points, 11 rebounds respectively. That left only the hated Hawks home and away. We topped them 98-88 at home thanks to Glen Rice's 26 points and Bo Outlaw's 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was a very strange game, as not a single Atlanta starter reached double-digit figures in -any- category. Instead, it was left to the bench, where Tim Legler scored 16, Stacey Augmon 13 and Elliot Perry negated his 19 points with 10 turnovers. And then to Atlanta, where we shut them down 105-76 on Glen Rice's 33 points and Chris Crawford's 15 bench points. The Hawks just barely managed two starters in double-digit scoring and were once again led by Elliot Perry's 19 bench points, albeit without the horrific amount of turnovers. Thus concluded our perfect, our flawless 15-0 March. Luck of the Irish indeed. At 54-19, we were guaranteed no worse than the #3 seed, as we held a 5.5 game lead on the Bullets and even had 56-15 Chicago in our sights, though with just 9 games left, I didn't really think we would catch the Bulls, who'd already clinched the Central and a minimum #2 seed. 51-21 Utah, the third 50 win to that point team in the league, was 4 games ahead of San Antonio, while 46-27 Golden State led Phoenix by 2.5 games. Celtics Leaders Points T1. Allen Iverson - 20.4 T1. Glen Rice - 20.4 3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.1 Assists 1. Chauncey Billups - 6.5 2. Allen Iverson - 4.3 T3. Howard Eisley - 3.4 T3. Glen Rice - 3.4 Rebounds 1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.5 2. Pervis Ellison - 7.9 3. Glen Rice - 7.0 Blocks 1. Bo Outlaw - 1.9 2. Pervis Ellison - 1.5 3. Tom Gugliotta - 1.0 Steals 1. Allen Iverson - 1.6 2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.4 3. Glen Rice - 1.2 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-12-2009, 05:32 PM	#84
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	With 9 games remaining, we still had much to play for, including the continuation of our 15 game win streak. The Magic nearly ended our run with a brilliant fourth quarter comeback engineered by Hubert Davis's 28 points, Penny Hardaway's 25 points and Drew Barry's 12 bench points, but we made it 16 in a row in Orlando with a 111-108 victory. Glen Rice and Allen Iverson both scored 22, Tom Gugliotta did his usual double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, Howard Eisley got in the doubling game with 14 points and 11 assists and Bo Outlaw and Chauncey Billups keyed the bench with 12 and 10 points a piece. Every team was gunning for us now and the Pistons fired Grant Hill's 34 points and Gheorghe Muresan's 21 points at us, but we got win #17, 103-98, thanks to Tom Gugliotta's electric 31 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals and Allen Iverson's 30 points. Our 18th win in a row came much more easily, 111-100 over the Knicks in New York, despite James Cotton's 23 points, Larry Johnson's 20 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas's cheap double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds and Vinny Del Negro's 12 bench points. Glen Rice and Tom Gugliotta combined for 25 and 21 points and Chauncey Billups and Bo Outlaw added to their growing supersub reputation with 16 and 11 points. A marquee matchup came the next night as we hosted our fiercest division rivals, the Washington Bullets. It was a bad game to have on the back end of a doubleheader and sure enough, our run finally ended 111-101. Chris Webber put on one of the most amazing games I've ever seen with 37 points and 21 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace banked that with 26 points and Chalbert Cheaney contributed 13 points and 10 assists. We tried, with 28 points from Allen Iverson, 21 points from Glen Rice and a herculean 22 bench points from Chauncey Billups along with Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points, but we simply couldn't overcome a 32-20 first quarter deficit. I was still damned proud of our team, though. That 18 game win streak tied for third longest in NBA history and longest in Celtics history. 1. Los Angeles Lakers - 33 (1971-1972) 2. Milwaukee Bucks - 20 (1971) T3. Boston Celtics - 18 (1998) T3. Boston Celtics - 18 (1982) T3. New York Knicks - 18 (1969) We still had a chance at 60 wins, but then the Raptors beat us 93-81 as we again struggled out of the gate and had a 33-19 first quarter hurdle we couldn't overcome. Juwan Howard scored 26 and Chris Antsey picked up 13 points and 10 rebounds as we had just two players in double digit scoring; Tom Gugliotta with 29 points and 11 rebounds and Chris Crawford with 11 bench points. But that wasn't the worst of it. Glen Rice broke his nose and was questionable for the rest of the season. I put Chris Crawford in the starting lineup at power forward, shifting Tom Gugliotta to small forward. We also moved Chris Dudley up the depth chart, which was good because he'd been unhappy about his playing time and signed Eric Mobley as depth cover. Despite this calamity, we beat the Pistons 110-102 in a game that wasn't even that close. Grant Hill had 24 points and 13 rebounds and their bench was terrific with standout showings from Eddie Jones (19 points) and Brian Evans (14 points, 12 rebounds) to lead three Detroit reserves in double-digit scoring, but Allen Iverson took over the game with 36 points and Chauncey Billups mitigated the Pistons' bench somewhat with 19 points of his own. Our rivalry with the Bullets added another chapter as they went on a torrid run in the fourth quarter, outscoring us 43-26 to come back for a 107-99 victory. Chris Webber continued be the bugbear that haunted our dreams with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace and Doug Christie added 26 points and Calbert Cheaney was briskly efficient with 16 points and 11 assists. Tom Gugliotta's 27 points, Allen Iverson's 21 points and Howard Eisley's 16 points and 10 assists just weren't enough. I changed things up by putting Bo Outlaw in as the starting power forward and we picked up a 114-101 victory in New Jersey. Bo Outlaw came through with a huge 22 points, Tom Gugliotta led all scorers with 28 points and Chauncey Billups led the second team with 13 points. In contrast, Tariq Abdul-Wahad had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Samaki Walker bettered Billups with 19 bench points. We needed to beat the Knicks in our final game of the year to get 60 wins and we did it easily, routing them 103-82 behind Allen Iverson's 29 points and 11 and 10 bench points respectively from Chauncey Billups and Chris Dudley. Larry Johnson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were great for the Knicks with 18 points and 15 rebounds and 23 points and 12 rebounds respectively but they and Charlie Ward's 14 bench points weren't close to enough. I really did like the rebuilding project the Knicks were doing, though. It felt like they could get back to playoff contention sooner rather than later, as a team that was half rookies didn't do too horribly. And so we reached the hallowed 60 win mark at 60-22. But what a price it came with, potentially losing one of our top scorers for the rest of the season. If we got deep enough in the playoffs, there was an outside possibility of Glen Rice returning, but I wasn't confident we'd pull it off. On the other hand, we did have a nice #2 seed locked up, the best of my tenure. 1997-98 East Conference Seedings 1. Chicago Bulls (63-19) 2. Boston Celtics (60-22) 3. Washington Bullets (53-29) 4. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-33) 5. Detroit Pistons (49-33) 6. Indiana Pacers (49-33) 7. Charlotte Hornets (43-39) 8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41) 1997-98 West Conference Seedings 1. Utah Jazz (57-25) 2. San Antonio Spurs (55-27) 3. Phoenix Suns (52-30) 4. Golden State Warriors (51-31) 5. Dallas Mavericks (47-35) 6. Minnesota Timberwolves (45-37) 7. Houston Rockets (44-38) 8. Denver Nuggets (39-43) The Portland Trailblazers certainly had to feel disappointment, having lost the tiebreaker with the Nuggets for the 8th spot in the West. I was also amazed to see the Suns pass up the Warriors for the Pacific crown. While I didn't relish facing the Hornets in the first round, I certainly didn't want to risk a revisit of the Hawks nightmare the year before, so I was fine with it. NBA Leaders Points 1. Ray Allen (CHA) - 25.0 2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 24.9 3. Hakeem Olajuwon (HOU) - 24.4 Assists 1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 11.7 2. John Stockton (UTA) - 10.4 3. Stephon Marbury (HOU) - 9.7 Rebounds 1. Dennis Rodman (CHI) - 14.6 2. Chris Webber (WAS) - 11.9 3. Loy Vaught (LAC) - 11.5 Blocks T1. Jermaine O'Neal (DET) - 3.0 T1. Dikembe Mutombo (MIL) - 3.0 T1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 3.0 T1. David Robinson (SA) - 3.0 Steals T1. Jason Kidd (DAL) - 2.2 T1. Gary Payton (SEA) - 2.2 T3. Michael Jordan (CHI) - 2.1 T3. Charles Barkley (PHO) - 2.1 T3. Clyde Drexler (HOU) - 2.1 T3. Mookie Blaylock (ATL) - 2.1 Rookies Leaders Points T1. Tariq Abdul-Wahad (NJ) - 18.8 T1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 18.8 T3. Derek Anderson (PHO) - 17.0 T3. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 18.0 Assists 1. Brevin Knight (CHA) - 9.2 2. Antonio Daniels (SA) - 7.9 3. Chauncey Billups (BOS) - 6.2 Rebounds 1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (NY) - 9.8 2. Keith Closs (WAS) - 9.3 3. Chris Antsey (TOR) - 9.0 Blocks 1. Tim Duncan (CHI) - 3.0 2. Zydrunas Ilagauskas (NY) - 2.2 3. Adonal Foyle (CHI) - 1.8 Steals 1. Marko Milic (LAC) - 1.9 2. Charles Smith (DAL) - 1.8 T3. Kevin Ollie (POR) - 1.7 T3. Anthony Parker (DEN) - 1.7 I was stunned at how good Marko Milic turned out his rookie year. An absolute steal with the #14 pick, it appeared, even if the Clippers missed the playoffs. Boston Celtics Leaders Points 1. Allen Iverson - 20.7 2. Glen Rice - 20.3 (We were really going to miss him in the playoffs) 3. Tom Gugliotta - 17.5 Assists 1. Chauncey Billups - 6.2 2. Allen Iverson - 4.3 3. Howard Eisley - 3.9 Rebounds 1. Tom Gugliotta - 9.4 2. Pervis Ellison - 8.0 3. Glen Rice - 6.9 Blocks 1. Bo Outlaw - 1.9 2. Pervis Ellison - 1.6 3. Tom Gugliotta - 1.1 Steals 1. Allen Iverson - 1.6 2. Tom Gugliotta - 1.5 3. Glen Rice - 1.3 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-13-2009, 12:02 AM	#85
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Celtics Repeat Atlantic Title; Face 7 Seed Hornets The Charlotte Hornets introduced new orange alternate uniforms this season and they, like rookie sensation Brevin Knight* (pictured here), have been better than expected* For the third straight season under GM/head coach Bobby Troilus's watch, the Boston Celtics have improved their record and entered the playoffs with a higher seed. It'll be hard to top this year's 60-22 mark and #2 seed in the postseason next year, just as it'll be hard for Boston to advance deep into the playoffs without their second-leading scorer, forward Glen Rice, who's out with a broken nose. But on the bright side, this Celtics team captured its second straight Atlantic division title, beating out a tough Washington Bullets squad and is the deepest Boston's been since Troilus was promoted to general manager at the start of the 1995 season. They've yet to advance past the first round, though, giving the eventual champion Indiana Pacers a run for their money in 1995 and getting upset in Game 7 by the Atlanta Hawks last year. While the 2 vs. 7 matchup should heavily favor the Celtics, missing Rice goes a long way to giving Charlotte a chance to do what Atlanta did last season. Point Guard Howard Eisley vs. Brevin Knight Eisley wowed Troilus after starring for the Celtics during the summer league and although he eventually re-signed with the Utah Jazz, Boston was determined to get him, so impressed were they. That happened at the trade deadline, with Eisley and a package of second round picks headed to the Celtics and A.C. Green and the Celtics first in the upcoming draft going to Utah. Eisley then proceeded to steal the starting PG job away from rookie Chauncey Billups after an injury to Allen Iverson and was a key component in Boston's 15-0 March en route to an 18 game win streak. The 25 year old's a superbly gifted passer and ballhandler and an underrated scorer. He's also a Boston College alum. On the other hand, he's not a very good defender. Knight, taken 6th overall in this year's draft, may not be a sexy scorer, but he's a pure passer and ballhandler who was one of the league's top assist men even as a rookie, posting 9.6 points, 9.2 assists and 1.1 steals. He's also a top-notch defender, making him one of the most valuable young point guards in the game. Advantage: Hornets Shooting Guard Allen Iverson vs. Ray Allen Without a doubt, this is the marquee matchup of the series, pitting two second year scoring superstars against each other. Iverson, Troilus's most trusted player, averaged 20.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals during the regular season. Breathtakingly brilliant on the court, he shoots 47% at a consistent clip and is a very good defender and ballthief, though his ceiling's not yet reached. He can hit a shot from anywhere and grabs a surprising number of rebounds for someone just 6 feet tall. Allen stormed from out of nowhere to steal the NBA scoring title at the end of the season, averaging 25 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals. He's got a 5 inch advantage on Iverson and even better scoring instincts. The one knock on him is that he's a mediocre defender and the fact that he and AI are both very good passers and ballhandlers for shooting guards means that there may not be many steals between them this series. That suspect defense also helps negate Allen's height advantage. Advantage: Draw Small Forward Tom Gugliotta vs. Kendall Gill Everyone was looking forward to Rice facing his former team here, but with his injury ineligibility, it'll be 28 year old two-time defending All-NBA player Gugliotta suiting up at the 3. A real glue player for the Celtics after coming over from the Timberwolves in a December deal, he posted 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals. Great, accurate shooter, great rebounder and a better defender than a lot of people realize. His only weak point is that he's a bad passer and handler, which generates a fair number of turnovers. Still, even with that, Boston will no doubt do everything they can to re-sign him in the offseason. Gill, 29, is no slouch as a scorer, rebounder or ballthief either, racking up 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds (out of the 3 as opposed to Gugliotta in the 4 most of the year) and 1.8 steals. He's a better ballhandling man than his Celtics counterpart, though not by much. He's also not nearly as accurate a shooter or an on-ball defender as Gugliotta and is smaller besides. In short, close to equaling Gugliotta, but falls just shy of the mark. Advantage: Celtics Power Forward Bo Outlaw vs. Christian Laettner Outlaw was a free agency steal for Boston and he's never become more important than he is now. A key reserve and occasional starter in the regular season, he averaged 7.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and a steal per game. He's a titanic defensive force that would make several All-Defense teams if he ever got the shot to be a full-time starter. He can defend, block, steal, do it all on the defensive end. He's also got a gorgeous inside shot and underrated scoring instincts to the point of racking up several 20+ point games in the regular season. Not anything more than a mediocre rebounder or ballhandler, however. Hornets fans are hoping former Duke and Celtic star Laettner can exact revenge on his old team. He certainly has the scoring and rebounding talents to do it (17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, steal per game), but he can be wildly inconsistent and he was exposed as notoriously turnover-prone in '95 with the Celtics, diminishing the impact of his 20.6 points per game. He's also just an average defender. Advantage: Draw Center Pervis Ellison vs. Roy Rogers It wasn't a shock that Ellison got moved to the starting center job, as the Celtics played roulette with the position for much of the year. What was shocking was that he managed to keep it. But the truth is, he's the perfect fit in Boston's system, since he simply grabs rebounds, blocks shots and doesn't try to shoot the ball unless it's a wide open look. On the other hand, rebounding and shotblocking are his only skills. Rogers, a surprise first round draft pick by Troilus last year, also has motivation for revenge on his former team. Good rebounder, subpar offensive threat (9.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks), he has shotblocking skills even better than Ellison's and on par with Outlaw's. He's also a good on-ball defender, though that isn't going to help much versus minimalist-shooting Ellison. Advantage: Draw Bench As we said, this is the deepest the Celtics have been in the Troilus era, even with Rice out. Chauncey Billups has been on fire since being relegated to the 6th man role and is a textbook passer and scorer, a genuine offensive sparkplug. Fellow rookie, 2nd round pick Chris Crawford is inconsistent, but capable of pouring on the points and Chris Dudley has stepped up in recent games with rebounding, defense and shotblocking. Cedric Henderson, like Crawford a high 2nd round rookie and like Billups demoted from his starting position, is a well-balanced player with good defensive ability. Another former Celtic, Grant Long fits that mode as well and averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and a steal. Swingman Scott Burrell is a good scorer, with 8.1 points a game to his credit. Fan favorite veteran and once-starter Muggsy Bogues doesn't get used much, but he's got the floor general and defensive skills to be great insurance if Knight goes down. Advantage: Hornets Final Thoughts This is yet another tough series for the Celtics. Boston's deeper than they've been in recent years, but Charlotte's nearly as deep as Atlanta was last year and with a much better starting five. Rice going down was a huge blow for the Celtics and they didn't play nearly as well as after he went down. It'll be close, but in the end, we just can't see this turning out as anything more than another disappointing first round exit for Beantown. Prediction: Hornets in 6 Thing was, it was a sound argument and an outcome I very much dreaded. Game One The good news was we won the opening game. The bad news was, it required a second half comeback to do it. Ray Allen got off to a bang with 20 points and Scott Burrell and Grant Long scored 11 and 10 bench points respectively. Fortunately Tom Gugliotta stepped up with 21 points, Howard Eisley showed why he got the starting point guard job with 12 points and 11 assists and Chauncey Billups came off the bench for 12 points, carrying us to a five point win and a critical opening victory. Final - Charlotte 85 Boston 90 Game Two This was a fun one to watch with dueling 30 point players in Allen Iverson (38 points) and Kendall Gill (30 points). Sadly for the Hornets, our home crowd was large, loud and in charge and so were the Celtics as we shut them down outside of Gill and Scott Burrell's 11 bench point reprisal. In contrast, we had Iverson, all five starters in double-digit scoring, including a repeat 12 points and 11 assists from Howard Eisely and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Pervis Ellison, and Chris Dudley's 10 bench points for a cruising victory and 2-0 series lead. Final - Charlotte 99 Boston 115 And then the team doctor came and said Tom Gugliotta had strained his knee and wouldn't fully heal for two weeks. I wanted to tear my hair out, but Tom insisted on playing through the injury. I admired that in him and it only increased my resolve to retain him. Game Three So with both our true starting forwards hurt, we flew to Charlotte and prepared for a tough fight. It wasn't even close. The Hornets buzzed right through us in the second and fourth quarters, game-high scorer Christian Laettner's 21 points taking charge. Kendall Gill picked up a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double and Scott Burrell continued his incredible series with 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, with fellow reserve Steve Kerr chipping in 10 points. We couldn't hit a shot most of the night, Chris Crawford's 14 bench points our most noteworthy performance. Final - Boston 95 Charlotte 107 Game Four I really wanted to steal a win in Charlotte. That would give us three games in which we would only need to win one. What followed was the ugliest contest in the entire series. The Hornets shot just 32.1% and while we were much better at 43.2%, we had a lot of players missing shots as well. In the end, we prevailed largely because of that superior shot selection, as Christian Laettner's 12 points and 11 rebounds came at the expense of 16 shots, although Scott Burrell stayed on form for his 13 bench points and Grant Long hauled in 11 bench boards. But it was our rookie reserves who stole the show as second round pick Chris Crawford was 8 of 9 for a game high 18 points and Chauncey Billups played splendidly with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. My draft picks carried us to the grinding win and the all-important 3-1 edge. At last I could breathe a little more easily. Final - Boston 82 Charlotte 70 Detroit surprisingly swept Cleveland and San Antonio did the same to Houston. Golden State also punched out up and coming Dallas in four. Everyone else moved on to a fifth game. Game Five It was tempting fate, I know, but I secretly bought a gold engagement ring with a beautiful aquamarine centerstone before Game 5 in Boston. Nicole thought diamonds on engagement rings were cliche` and I loved how well the aquamarine matched her eyes. Now all we needed to do was win at home and I'd propose to her right after. The fates don't like to be toyed with and Ray Allen thundered for 26 points as their main weapon of destruction. Brevin Knight provided the thunder with 13 points and 12 assists and Scott Burrell rained 11 points from the bench. But then, it happened. Bo Outlaw hit 9 of 10 shots for 21 points, 5 blocks and 4 steals and all five starters scored 11 points or more. That balance carried us past Allen, Knight and Burrell and we finally won a first round series!!!!!!!!! Final - Charlotte 83 Boston 94 I rushed over to the cheerleaders, fumbling with the blue velvet box on the way. I hit the parquet floor I'd had re-installed after I became GM, opened and raised the box before a teary, open-mouthed Nicole in all her green and white Celtic cheerleader outfit beauty. "Will you marry me?" I asked. "Of course!" she blurted through her tears, sweeping me up in a tight kiss and tighter hug. The Jumbotron flashed with our image and the already delirious crowd became even more so when they realized what was happening. "TROI-LUS! TROI-LUS! TROI-LUS!" the cheers thundered from the stands. It was a perfect moment. All of the frustrations of the previous two years' losses and all the heartbreak and torture of Mia's leaving melted away in that instant. I felt better then than I had at any other time in my life up until there. We stayed that way for a few moments until we suddenly found ourselves lifted up by a horde of Celtics players, all fourteen of them, including Glen Rice. They paraded us around the court to the continued cheers and shouts from the crowd. Nicole looked at me, smiled and we both raised our hands, waving in royal style to our well-wishers. It was so sweet and touching, to share that special occasion with our fans and I still smile today, just thinking about it. We'd finally surmounted the hurdle and the glory was all ours that night, for no other series ended when ours did. The rest of the returns came two nights later, with the Bulls eliminating the Hawks, Utah topping Denver, Phoenix beating Minnesota and, in the only first round upset, our Central nemesis 6 seed Indiana knocking out our division archrival 3 seed Washington. The Pacers. One of two teams to give me nightmares over the first two years. Our second round test was going to be anything but easy, especially with Glen Rice still out. On the other hand, we got some good news from the doctor. Tom Gugliotta's knee healed faster than expected during the rest period and he was expected to be back to full health by Game 4 of the second round. I only hoped we weren't staring down a possible sweep by then. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-13-2009, 08:34 PM	#86
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Can Celtics Stop Miller and Co? Two years after he powered the Pacers to the NBA title, Reggie Miller* is back at it.* All of Boston cheered when the Celtics finally broke through the first round for the first time in the Bobby Troilus era on a special night that included the head coach/GM's very public proposal and wedding engagement. While we congratulate Mr. Troilus on both successes, he and his team now face a daunting challenge in the second round; stop Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers may be the 6th seed, but they still won almost 50 games and, more importantly, they're a team that's built for playoff success facing a squad that's missing one of its marquee scorers in Glen Rice. It will be difficult and Troilus will need to find some more magic to get to the East Conference finals. Point Guard Howard Eisley vs. Mark Jackson Eisley's shooting a dreadful 35% in the playoffs, a far cry from the 47 and 48% he shot the last two years with the Jazz, but he's still doing what the Celtics want him to do, which is pass the ball. 9.8 points and 9.4 assists have come with an almost 3 to 1 A/TO ratio and that's a good thing. Jackson, 32, won't wow you with amazing passing skills, but he's one of the most disciplined, accurate shooting point guards in the league. He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 assists in the first round and is an underrated defender, one who should help insure Eisley stays cold. In the end, it's his playoff experience as a starter that gives him the edge. Advantage: Pacers Shooting Guard Allen Iverson vs. Reggie Miller Iverson may have averaged 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.6 steals in the first round, but he shot a shockingly abysmal 37.6% against a player whose defense was deemed suspect in Ray Allen. That doesn't bode well for Boston here, who need AI to pick up the accuracy while continuing his otherwise terrific all-around game. It doesn't help that Miller's another tall shooting guard at 6'7. Furthermore, Miller's got no weaknesses in his game. He can score, pass, dribble, rebound and play defense all at high levels and he showed off that versatility in the first round, averaging 17.2 points, a jaw-dropping 8.5 rebounds as a guard, and 4.3 assists. What's more, he shot with accuracy unlike AI. Advantage: Pacers Small Forward Tom Gugliotta vs. Derrick McKey Gugliotta's hampered by a strained knee injury and it showed in the last couple games against Charlotte. Despite that, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals while shooting 50%. His getting back to full health mid-series will be huge for the Celtics because of how much versatility he brings to the table. McKey averaged 12.7 points and 1.2 steals in the first round. Like Gugliotta, he shot 50%, but while he doesn't have quite the versatility that his opponent does, what he is, is a lockdown defender and that's huge against one of Boston's Big Three, especially with Rice out. Advantage: Draw Power Forward Bo Outlaw vs. Dale Davis We said when previewing the first round that Outlaw was capable of being an offensive threat and he proved that big time against the Hornets, averaging 17.4 points on 74% shooting. While he's not likely to repeat that torrid pace here, he also averaged 5.4 points, 3.6 blocks and 2.4 steals, demonstrating his defensive magnificence. He just might be the Celtics' most valuable player this round should they advance. With Bruce Bowen out with an injury, McKey slides to SF and Davis steps in at PF. Not a bad defender, but primarily noted as a rebounding demon. And while his bench statistics of 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks may look impressive, he also shot just 31% in the first round. He might improve here, but it won't be by much with Outlaw standing in his way. Advantage: Celtics Center Pervis Ellison vs. Rik Smits Ellison averaged 8.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks in the first round and he's doing pretty much what the Celtics coaching staff expects him to do. He's got a difficult challenge this round, though. Ignore the fact that Smits shot 38.7% in the opening round. He still averaged a team high 17.7 points and 8.8 rebounds and got 1.2 steals a game too. One of the best, if not -the- best passing center in the league, he can score, pass, rebound and defend, though he won't make the highlight blocks that a man of his 7'4, 265 frame should. Advantage: Pacers Bench Chauncey Billups's 9 points and 4.4 assists off the bench in Round 1 weren't a surprise to anyone. Chris Crawford's 10 points and 61.3% shooting were absolutely mindblowing, however. These two rookies are the heart and soul of the Celtics bench with Rice out, although Chris Dudley showed good value in averaging 4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Bruce Bowen may be affected by a knee injury, but he's still an excellent all-around player as a reserve with no real weaknesses in the second team. Don Maclean is strictly there for offense and averaged 8.2 points in the first round. Travis Best is a terrific backup floor general and averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 assists in the opening series. Save for Bowen, though, there's nobody on the Pacers' bench who's too good at defense. Advantage: Draw Final Thoughts Indiana simply matches up too well with Boston, especially with the injuries to the Celtics' starting forwards. Visions of 1995/96 will come back into play and the end result will be the same. Prediction: Pacers in 5 Though I didn't tell anyone this, I privately agreed with the sportswriters. We didn't really have much chance against Indiana as things stood. Game One I thought every game in this series was going to be a battle and the opening contest was no exception. Rik Smits got hot early and often, finishing with 27 points and 9 rebounds and Reggie Miller just missed the 20 point mark with 19. We countered with a determined Allen Iverson's 27 points, Pervis Ellison's 11 points and astounding 8 blocks, and, in what was fast becoming the trademark of our postseason, stellar bench efforts by rookies Chauncey Billups and Chris Crawford, with 17 and 15 points a piece. They powered our second half comeback for the opening victory. I'd never looked more a better drafter than that moment. Final - Indiana 89 Boston 95 Game Two No bench miracles here as Reggie Miller torched us for 23 points, Dale Davis picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds and Bruce Bowen fought his knee for 10 bench points. We blew a halftime lead and got schooled in the second half. Allen Iverson just missed 20 points with 19 and just like Game One, the shooting guard with 19's team lost. Final - Indiana 100 Boston 91 Game Three This one was never really in doubt as the Pacers fed off their home crowd and rode their superstars to an easy victory. Reggie Miller scored 26 and Rik Smits added 22 points as we again failed to produce a 20 point scorer or double-double man, Howard Eisley's 19 points and Chauncey Billups's 10 bench points our best lines of the evening. Final - Boston 95 Indiana 105 Game Four If there was one consolation, it's that we had Tom Gugliotta back at full strength and we weren't facing an 0-3 deficit. But we were still in Indiana, which made evening the series a difficult prospect. As it turned out, a healthy Gugliotta made all the difference in the world. He burned the Pacers for 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals, aided by our revived rookies, as Chauncey Billups and Chris Crawford shot for 13 and 14 points each, their combined efforts enough to beat Rik Smits's 27 points and Reggie Miller's just shy 19 points. Against the odds, we'd tied up the series and were headed back to Boston! Final - Boston 105 Indiana 90 Chicago swept Detroit and the Bulls looked every inch defending champions. Every other series was knotted up at two games each. Game Five I didn't want to have to rely on winning another game in Indiana, so a victory before the home crowd was important. Allen Iverson exploded for 30 points, surpassing Reggie Miller's 19 and Tom Gugliotta picked up a pair of 11s in points and rebounds, with Chauncey Billups providing 10 bench points. Unfortunately, the Pacers got a breakout 23 points from Mark Jackson and 20 points from Rik Smits to steal the victory and force us to try and win in Indiana. Final - Indiana 95 Boston 87 Game Six Our chances looked slim to force a Game 7 in that hostile environment. And then the defenses kicked in. Reggie Miller nabbed 15 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana and Dale Davis picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Bruce Bowen was back to starting health and covering the PF spot. Howard Eisley had his first noteworthy game of the series at the right time with 11 points and 10 assists and Chris Dudley stepped up with 10 boards and 4 blocks off the bench. But the real hero of this game was Chauncey Billups, who led all scorers with 21 points and was the differencemaker in this defensive brawl, carrying us to Game 7 in Boston. It was a sweet, sweet win. Final - Boston 93 Indiana 80 We were the only second round series to go the full limit that year, as Utah and San Antonio took care of Golden State and Phoenix respectively, setting up a matchup of the two previous West Conference champions in the conference finals. That same scenario was still possible in the East, with the juicier prospect of the last two NBA champions squaring off. We, of course, were hoping to spoil that incestuous dynastic dream. Game Seven A sellout, standing room only crowd greeted us back in Boston and watched as another defensive slugfest ensued. Reggie Miller missed 20 points by one with 19 for the umpteenth time in the series, Rik Smits had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Dale Davis chipped in 10 bench points. And then Allen Iverson got the last laugh in the classic duel between the two shooting guards, scoring 32 points. Chris Crawford and Chauncey Billups again served up an awe-inspiring bench tag team with 13 and 12 points and we banished the ghosts of 1995 past, knocking off the favored, if lower seeded Pacers and advancing to the East Conference Finals!!! Final - Indiana 77 Boston 85 It was another rollicking celebration in the New Garden and everyone went home extremely happy, many at 3 or 4 in the morning. Now it was on to face the best team in the entire league in the Chicago Bulls. We would need every bit of Cinderella magic we could find, for we would no longer have homecourt advantage, in addition to facing their titanic lineup. But for that night, we simply savored our success. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-13-2009, 10:01 PM	#87
Neuqua Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago, Ill	LET'S GO BULLS! __________________ Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?

05-13-2009, 10:40 PM	#88
Coffee Warlord Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Colorado Springs	I heart Neq. I rooted for Boston this far, but, well...die like a dog!

05-13-2009, 11:12 PM	#91
rjolley College Starter Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Roseville, CA	Sorry Izulde, but Let's Go BULLS!!!

05-14-2009, 06:21 PM	#93
hoopsguy General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago	Add me to the Chicago natives reading your thread. Go Bulls!

05-14-2009, 11:11 PM	#94
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Man, no love for the man. Here, I'll say it. GO CELTICS. Right around this time in my life I would have paid great sums to see Michael Jordan humiliated in the playoffs.

05-15-2009, 02:10 AM	#95
Neuqua Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago, Ill	... and Autumn has officially become my first FOFC arch nemesis... __________________ Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?

05-15-2009, 03:28 AM	#96
Radii Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	The buildup for this series is HUGE! I'm torn, I was never a big Chicago fan though obviously Jordan is a Tar Heel, I think I would be ok with Jordan averaging 35 for the series but Boston advancing

05-15-2009, 07:55 AM	#97
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	hoopsguy: I'm close enough to Chicagoland to partially be a native even I'm not a flatlander. And I did love watching that Bulls team as a kid. Autumn: Finally someone shows me the love so I don't feel guilty if we pull off the upset. Thanks! Neuqua: DDS:PB. Where archrivalries are born organically. Radii: Even though that'd give me palpitations to see His Airness pop off like that, I could dig the final result. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-15-2009, 07:56 AM	#98
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Dola, And note to self: Need to transfer save game files to email so I can download them on my laptop. Otherwise it'll be August until we find out the result. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-17-2009, 11:45 PM	#100
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Duncan Unbelieva-Bull In First Postseason Already in his rookie season, #1 overall pick Tim Duncan* has shown the kind of clutch skills that make him the heir apparent to Michael Jordan as the Bulls' franchise face* This is not the same Chicago Bulls team that won the title last season. Last year, it was Michael Jordan who carried them to the championship. This year, His Airness ranks second in scoring behind Sam Cassell and the Bulls are beautifully balanced. The depth and offensive sharing the Bulls boast are going to be extremely tough for the Boston Celtics to overcome, who are likely still a little tired after winning a dramatic and emotional Game 7 last night against the Indiana Pacers. Also, Glen Rice is still out, reducing the flexibility in Boston's scoring plan. Point Guard Howard Eisley vs. Sam Cassell Eisley significantly improved his shooting stroke against the Pacers and is shooting 39.8% for the postseason, good for 11.3 points, 8.1 assists and a steal per game. Boston will need him to continue developing his point production and get back to distributing more assists to win. Cassell is actually the Bulls' leading scorer this postseason, averaging 19.7 points, 5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals. On the other hand, that comes at the expense of 38.4% shooting. He's secure with the ball, but Cassell is best known for his scoring prowess and excellent rebounding for a guard than anything else, as he's only mediocre in his floor generalship. Average defender as well, but very disciplined and smart. In some ways, he brings the inverse of what Eisley does, but it's worked well for the Bulls as Cassell's proven a dynamite free agent signing. Advantage: Chicago Shooting Guard Allen Iverson vs. Michael Jordan AI is still the Celtics' lead scorer at 20.8 points per game, with 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals. He's shown off terrific security skills, with a 3.3 A/TO ratio, but he's also continuing to convert at a 37.1% clip. That's not going to cut it against the Bulls and his idol. For the first time in years, maybe even ever, His Airness has looked human during the postseason, shooting just 40.8% for his 18.9 points and 1.9 steals. Make no mistake about it, however. He's still one of the top scoring threats in the league and plays excellent defense, especially at making the highlight steal, even at 34 years old. He should be able to contain Iverson easily. Advantage: Chicago Small Forward Tom Gugliotta vs. Scottie Pippen Head coach/GM Bobby Troilus is ecstatic that Gugliotta's at full health at the start of this series, because the Celtics need him. 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals might not look impressive a postseason line, until you consider that he was hampered by a knee injury for much of the first two rounds and still managed to convert to the tune of 49.7% from the field. Pippen's age appears to be catching up with him at 32, for he's shooting an anemic 31.7% for just 11.3 points and 1.9 steals. He's still a topnotch defender, but his offensive game has greatly declined, making his mission simply to shut Gugliotta down and let Chicago's other shooters take over the game. He can do it, but he's definitely looked several steps slower this year. Advantage: Boston Power Forward Bo Outlaw vs. Tim Duncan After a sparkling first round against the Hornets, Outlaw fell quiet against the Pacers. He's still averaging 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 seals and 2.8 blocks at a ridiculous 68.9% rate and he's still a fantastic defender in the post. Duncan has been absolutely phenomenal in his first playoffs, averaging 17.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He has no real weaknesses in his game, though he's not an elite-level defender quite yet, merely pretty good. But that 7', 248 lb body and his natural shotblocking skills, not to mention his incredible scoring and shooting repertoire are going to make the much shorter Outlaw's series a very uncomfortable win. In fact, the #1 pick has a definite argument for Finals MVP should the Bulls win the title. Advantage: Chicago Center Pervis Ellison vs. Dennis Rodman Ellison just keeps right on having a quietly successful postseason, averaging 8.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.8 blocks with extremely careful shot selection and efficient patrolling of the post. He's not a great center, but he fits perfectly in Boston's scheme. The Worm is now 36 and he's a one-dimensional player as a rebounder, but he does it extremely well, averaging 5.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals these playoffs. But even with the board-gobbling skills and stil superlative passing ability, he's atrophied on defense and could very well be bullied by the younger, more balanced Ellison. Advantage: Draw Bench The story of the Celtics' deep run rests almost exclusively on the shoulders of their two rookies: 15th overall pick Chauncey Billups of the 11.3 points and 3.4 assists per game and 2nd round selection Chris Crawford (4th pick in 2nd), who's putting up an absolutely stunning 9.7 points per game. Lost in the shuffle is Chris Dudley, who's been contributing 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a stalwart defender and rebounder. Mitch Richmond may be averaging 4.6 points and 1.2 steals a game, but he's completely fallen off a cliff in his accuracy, shooting a woeful 30.4%. Not the offensive sparkplug the Bulls were looking for when they traded for him. Still a topnotch defender, however. First round pick Adonal Foyle contributes rebounding, defense and shotblocking, attested by his 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks off the bench, but he's shooting 33.3% himself. Advantage: Draw Final Thoughts Chicago's firepower is too much for the still hamstrung Celtics to have any realistic hope of overcoming, especiall when the Bulls have the stoppers on the bench to counter Boston's two hotshot reserve rookies. This one should be over fairly early, allowing Chicago to march on for a title defense. Final Prediction: Bulls in 5 At least they weren't predicting a sweep was my only thought upon reading the article. Game One Home court advantage belonging to the Bulls didn't help matters any, as I'm sure you can imagine. They took full advantage of being in Chicago in the opening round, or rather, Sam Cassell did, posting an awe-inspiring for the fans 44 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds. Scottie Pippen erased the rumors of his offensive death with 23 points and Dennis Rodman picked up 10 points and 10 rebounds. We just didn't have anything to match up against that, Tom Gugliotta's 28 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups's 13 bench points the closest we came to it. Final - Boston 92 Chicago 111 Game Two Michael "Air" Jordan took his turn to embarass us with 28 points and Tim Duncan added 10 points and 12 rebounds in an ugly, defensive game that saw our best performances from Tom Gugliotta with 22 points and Chris Crawford's 11 bench points. Unfortunately, they were the only two Celtics in double-digit scoring as we got crushed down into the 0-2 hole. Final - Boston 69 Chicago 91 Game Three It was going to take an Irish-luck miracle to get us back in the series in Boston and it didn't seem likely after Michael Jordan's 34 points and Sam Cassell's 22 points. But just like Game Two, the losing team had only two players in double-digit scoring. Unlike Game 2, we needed just about all of Allen Iverson's 26 points, Tom Gugliotta's 14 points and 12 rebounds and Chauncey Billups's 13 bench points to steal the win and get back in it. Final - Chicago 81 Boston 90 Tom Gugliotta injured his triceps during the game, making him doubtful for the rest of the series. We were in serious trouble now, even though Gugliotta insisted, just like before, in fighting through it. Game Four Both our starting forwards hurt again. I smelled a 3-1 brinking loss, followed by a swift Game 5 knockout. Chicago thought so too, as they put Dennis Rodman at the 3 and inserted Adonal Foyle at starting center, making Scottie Pippen the 6th man to try and shut down our reserves. Tim Duncan scored 26 and Scottie Pippen added 17 points, but we countered with Allen Iverson's 28 points, Pervis Ellison's 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and, in the perfect time for him to break out, 24 points from Howard Eisley to steal a second game and knot the series up. The fans went crazy in the seats when the final buzzer sounded. Against all odds, we had new life. Final - Chicago 91 Boston 97 Game Five Back in Chicago for the most important game of the series. Whoever won this one would be in the driver's seat for the East title. The Bulls were naturally heavily favored and it would take a miracle of epic proportions to beat them on their own court. And indeed, there were no miracles that night, as Chauncey Billups's 17 and Chris Crawford's 11 bench points were easily overturned by Michael Jordan's 28 points and Tim Duncan's ridiculous 14 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks. Allen Iverson played just 17 minutes before fouling out as the Bulls gored us in the worst loss of the series. Final - Boston 76 Chicago 105 Game Six We needed to pull off another upset to force a Game 7, but either way, we looked to be thoroughly cooked. Allen Iverson rose up for 29 points, Howard Eisley came through with 22 points and Chris Crawford had a monster 17 bench points, but the three-headed hydra of Michael "Air" Jordan and Sam Cassell's 29 points, plus Tim Duncan's 21 points was just too much to overcome. We made a late run to make the score look respectable, but that was all we could do. Final - Chicago 113 Boston 106 Still, I felt no shame in the loss. We'd played far better and for far longer than anybody realistically expected us to, especially after Rice and Gugliotta's injuries. Utah beat the Spurs in six games as well, causing a repeat Bulls/Jazz matchup for the Finals. The Bulls jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on the strength of Michael "Air" Jordan and Tim Duncan, the latter of whom scored 34 points to give Chicago the nail-biting open game victory. Utah stormed back to within 3-2 before the Bulls blew them out in Game 6 to repeat as NBA champions. Jordan was given the MVP, but it was a -very- close call between him and Duncan. NBA Lottery We were sitting with the 5th overall pick before the balls rolled and it was a tense moment as we sat at our table. 13. Orlando Magic 12. Portland Trailblazers (-1) Our collective hearts sank when we saw Portland's ball come up. It was unbelievable, but a team had just defied the odds in an astronomical way and that was tough to take. 11. Seattle Supersonics (-1) 10. Los Angeles Clippers (-1) 9. Vancouver Grizzlies (-2) From bad to worse as a second team jumped the line. Things were looking grim for our draft selection now. 8. Miami Heat (-2) 7. Boston Celtics (-2) On the one hand, this was a fairly deep draft. On the other hand, 7th took us out of the elite players and into a broad second-tier range. But then again, I reminded myself, I'd rather have had this drop and AI than a leap in this draft and no AI. 6. New York Knicks (-2) 5. Philadelphia 76ers (-2) 4. Sacramento Kings (-3) 3. Milwaukee Bucks (+9) 2. Toronto Raptors (+7) 1. New Jersey Nets (+1) Unbelievable, I thought to myself. The Bucks had a lot of catchet with the basketball gods to keep the first overall pick two years ago and to now make a huge lottery jump with this selection. The Raptors were thrilled as well and now had a shot at another prime piece to add to Damon Stoudamire, Kerry Kittles, Juwan Howard and Chris Anstey, though I still thought Anstey was a terrible reach the year before at #7. And of course Milwaukee would get another great player to pair with their crew of youngsters. The East looked to remain the dominant conference for many years to come with breaks like those, even if they weren't quite Duncan-to-Bulls sized breaks. NBA Awards Player of the Year David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 22.7 PPG 11.0 RPG 2.6 APG 3.0 BPG 1.5 SPG Defensive Player of the Year David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 22.7 PPG 11.0 RPG 2.6 APG 3.0 BPG 1.5 SPG Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan - Chicago Bulls - 17.0 PPG 7.3 RPG 2.3 APG 3.0 BPG 1.3 SPG Head Coach of the Year Bobby Troilus - Boston Celtics I was absolutely floored when I received word that I was named Coach of the Year. The papers cited our 18 game unbeaten streak and our giving the Bulls a run for their money despite the injury problems and praised my ability to turn around as bad a franchise as Boston was. I still have that trophy sitting in my bedroom and I look at it every day. I rank it as one of the greatest accomplishments of my career even now. All-NBA 1st Team PG Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-NBA 2nd Team PG John Stockton - Utah Jazz SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Tom Gugliotta - Boston Celtics PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets All-NBA 3rd Team PG Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors SF Cedric Cellabos - Los Angeles Lakers PF Karl Malone - Utah Jazz C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks I loved seeing Tom get that 2nd Team recognition and he deserved every bit of it. I hoped to re-sign him to Boston, but depending on how the draft went, it was possible it might be smarter for the long term interest of the team to let him move on. It was one of the biggest questions surrounding us that offseason. All-Defense 1st Team PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-Defense 2nd Team PG Mookie Blaylock - Atlanta Hawks SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets C Marcus Camby - Dallas Mavericks All-Rookie 1st Team PG Brevin Knight - Charlotte Hornets SG Marko Milic - Los Angeles Clippers SF Tariq Abdul-Wahad - New Jersey Nets PF Tim Duncan - Chicago Bulls C Zydrunas Ilaguskas - New York Knicks All-Rookie 2nd Team PG Antonio Daniels - San Antonio Spurs SG Derek Anderson - Phoenix Suns SF Tracy McGrady - Detroit Pistons PF Keith Van Horn - Vancouver Grizzlies C Michael Stewart - Minnesota Timberwolves Clifton Gross was over the moon with pleasure at how well we did that season and he hoped we could duplicate it the next year. I put the breaks on and told him that I thought we could get our third straight Atlantic title, but asking for more than that was too much. He accepted that, but warned me I would have to keep salary under 8 digits. I told him I could manage that, after a moment's thought. After winning Coach of the Year, I couldn't very well step down without a huge backlash from the fans and I saw no reason to change any of the rest of the coaching staff, so we kept the group together for another season. Mock Draft A slew of hot names were available, so it was difficult to have a consensus #1, but in general, it was felt that UNC's Vince Carter and Kansas's Paul Pierce were the top two players available, with German PF Dirk Nowitzki just behind them. Projected Mock Draft 1. SG Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets 2. SG Paul Pierce - Toronto Raptors 3. PF Dirk Nowitzki - Milwaukee Bucks 4. PF Andrae Patterson - Sacramento Kings 5. PF Antawn Jamison - Philadelphia 76ers 6. SG Larry Hughes - New York Knicks 7. PF Robert Traylor - Boston Celtics 8. SG Bonzi Wells - Miami Heat 9. SG Ricky Davis - Vancouver Grizzlies 10. PG Mike Bibby - Los Angeles Clippers 11. C Nazr Mohammed - Seattle Supersonics 12. C Raef Lafrentz - Portland Trailblazers 13. SF Tyrone Nesby - Orlando Magic 14. SF Predrag Stojakovic - Atlanta Hawks 15. SG Cuttino Mobley - Atlanta Hawks 16. C Jahidi White - Charlotte Hornets 17. PF Kornel David - Houston Rockets 18. C Keon Clark - Boston Celtics 19. PF Mirsad Turkcan - Dallas Mavericks 20. PG Damon Jones - Los Angeles Lakers 21. PG Jason Williams - Indiana Pacers 22. SF Ruben Patterson - New York Knicks 23. SG Corey Benjamin - Los Angeles Lakers 24. C Michael Olowokandi - Los Angeles Clippers 25. SG Toby Bailey - Orlando Magic 26. SG Jeffrey Sheppard - San Antonio Spurs 27. C Brad Miller - Los Angeles Clippers 28. PG Earl Boykins - Utah Jazz 29. C Jerome James - Chicago Bulls I'll admit, I was intrigued by Robert "Tractor" Traylor and Keon Clark, who the mocks had us taking. I was also fascinated with a few other players who were likely to be around at #18. I didn't really like our options at #7 unless somebody dropped. But one thing Chicago's back-to-back titles had shown me was that you don't need an elite-level floor general at point guard to win ballgames and that had me strongly considering a swingman and moving Allen Iverson to PG, with Howard Eisley as the top backup. We desperately needed a young center that we could build on as well and if we weren't going to bring back Tom Gugliotta, which I had every intention of doing, we would need a power forward as well. Lots of options and possibilities for our two first round picks and #56 pick. Now all that we had to was work people out and see where the dominoes fell. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

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