40: A MyNBA Universe

[huge_bart_simpson]

2/1/84

• The Celtics (36-8) and Pistons (34-9) have distanced themselves away from the pack in the East, with the 76ers (28-15) being the only team within ten games of those stalwarts. Chicago (15-26), New York (14-29), Cleveland (12-31), Indiana (11-31) and East-worst Washington (12-33) are all in contention for the last two seeds.
• In the West, San Antonio (32-13) remains on top of its division alongside a resurgent Lakers squad (26-17), but the Jazz sit just a half-game back of the Spurs at 31-13. Seattle is currently holding on to the 8 seed at a 21-21 mark, with Golden State (22-24) and Denver (20-24) chasing. Kansas City maintains its status as the only team not in contention for a playoff spot, as their 12-31 record puts them 9.5 games back of the eighth-seeded SuperSonics.
• The trade deadline occurred on January 19, and while only one move was made, it was a big one. The San Diego Clippers, while still in contention for a playoff spot, see no point in reaching the postseason just to get smoked by the Spurs or Lakers. The Nuggets, on the other hand, were looking for an extra push in their path to the playoffs. Therefore, San Diego decided it was time to move on from one of their core players: hometown hero Bill Walton. Walton was traded to the Nuggets for the low cost of small forwards Anthony Roberts and David Russell. Walton will slide in to Denver as a sixth man, backing up Dan Issel. Meanwhile, the Clippers have put themselves in prime position to land one of the four key prospects in the upcoming draft: Michael Jordan, Akeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, or John Stockton.
• The Kings' fortunes keep declining, as star sixth man Mike Woodson will miss 8-10 weeks with a left humerus fracture, forcing Kansas City to replace him with Tom McMillen, who was acquired in the Billy Knight trade.
• Golden State's Mickey Johnson, Seattle's David Thompson, and Denver's Rob Williams have all fallen victim to knee tendinitis, which has sidelined them for multiple weeks. Joe Kopicki of the Bullets is nursing a broken right hand and will be out for 2-4 weeks. Utah Jazz All-Star Darrell Griffith is day-to-day with a sprained right finger.
• Players of the Week/Month are shown below:
  January 9-15 - Julius Erving (PHI), Adrian Dantley (UTA)
  January 16-22 - Marques Johnson (MIL), Jack Sikma (SEA)
  January 23-29 - Isiah Thomas (DET), Alex English (DEN)
  January Players of the Month - Isiah Thomas (DET), Adrian Dantley (UTA)
  January Rookies of the Month - Mitchell Wiggins (CHI), Ralph Sampson (HOU)
• All-Star Weekend took place in Denver from January 27-29. Before we get to the All-Star Game, note that the Rookies defeated the Sophomores 110-107 in the Rising Stars Game, while New Jersey's Brian Winters won the Three-Point Contest and Atlanta's Dominique "The Human Highlight Film" Wilkins took home the Slam Dunk Contest crown.

Eastern Conference All-Star Game Roster
PG Isiah Thomas (Detroit) - Starter
SG Sidney Moncrief (Milwaukee) - Starter
SF Julius Erving (Philadelphia) - Starter
PF Larry Bird (Boston) - Starter
C Moses Malone (Philadelphia) - Starter
G World B. Free (Cleveland)
G Andrew Toney (Philadelphia)
C Jeff Ruland (Washington)
C Robert Parish (Boston)
F Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta)
F Bernard King (New York)
G Otis Birdsong (New Jersey)

Western Conference All-Star Game Roster
PG Magic Johnson (Los Angeles) - Starter
SG George Gervin (San Antonio) - Named starter, but unable to play due to injury
SF Adrian Dantley (Utah) - Starter
SF Mark Aguirrre (Dallas) - Starter
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles) - Starter
G Walter Davis (Phoenix) - - Named reserve, but started in place of G. Gervin
F Kiki Vandeweghe (Denver)
G Darrell Griffith (Utah)
F Alex English (Denver)
F Purvis Short (Golden State)
C Ralph Sampson (Houston)
G Gus Williams (Seattle)
G Rickey Green (Utah) - Replacement for G. Gervin

In the East, Chicago and Indiana were the only teams without at least one All-Star. In the West, Portland, San Diego, and Kansas City suffered the same fate.

The Western Conference's All-Stars found a way to take down the mighty East, as they came away with a 146-138 victory. Mark Aguirre, Alex English, and Adrian Dantley each scored at least 20 points for the West, with Aguirre also grabbing 10 rebounds. Magic Johnson came one rebound short of a triple-double, scoring 17 points on 7-9 shooting while also posting 10 assists. Larry Bird led the losing side with 31 points, while Moses Malone scored 23 with 15 rebounds.

Pacers (11-31, Lost 3, 10th in East) @ 76ers (28-15, Won 4, 3rd in East)

Pacers Lineup
PG - Jerry Sichting (7.2 PPG, 5.1 APG)
SG - Butch Carter (13.5 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG)
SF - George Johnson (12.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 BPG)
PF - Clark Kellogg (22.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG)
C - Herb Williams (13.9 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.9 BPG)
6th Man - Steve Stipanovich (11.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.0 BPG)

76ers Lineup
PG - Maurice Cheeks (9.5 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.7 SPG)
SG - Andrew Toney (18.3 PPG, 5.8 APG, .500 FG%)
SF - Julius Erving (23.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.5 BPG, .583 FG%)
PF - Marc Iavaroni (5.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.0 BPG)
C - Moses Malone (27.3 PPG, 16.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, .552 FG%)
6th Man - Bobby Jones (6.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG)

[huge_bart_simpson]

Pacers @ 76ers

The 76ers once again proved why they might be the only team capable of standing up to the behemoths of Boston and Detroit with a statement 94-73 victory over the lowly Pacers. Moses Malone shined in the victory, pouring in 14 points while also grabbing 18 rebounds and posting an astounding seven blocks. Julius Erving (22 points on 11-12 shooting) and Maurice Cheeks (15 points, six assists) poured on the offense, with Clint Richardson dropping 10 points off the bench. Clark Kellogg (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Herb Williams (18 points, 13 rebounds) both had good outings for Indiana, but the remainder of the starting lineup posted a combined 18 points, leading to a Philadelphia cakewalk.

[huge_bart_simpson]

3/1/84

• The Pistons (48-10, 11-game win streak) and Celtics (45-13) have clinched in the East, with Philadelphia (40-18) being the only team in the same league. New Jersey and Milwaukee both share 31-28 records, with the Hawks at 28-32 and Chicago (22-35), New York (21-38), Washington (20-39) and Cleveland (18-39) all fighting for the last two spots. Indiana is starting to fall out of the hunt with a 14-44 mark.
• In the West, Utah (42-18) and Los Angeles (34-24) are on top of their respective divisions, with Portland and Phoenix both only one game back of the latter. The Spurs (39-22) are the only close competition for Utah. The Kings (16-41) still post the worst record in the conference.
• The Bill Walton trade is starting to backfire for the 22-37 Clippers. James Donaldson (Walton's replacement at the 5) and SF Anthony Roberts (who was acquired in said trade) are both lost for the season with Achilles injuries. Ricky Sobers of Washington, Sidney Lowe of Indiana, Johnny Moore of the Spurs, All-Star Milwaukee guard Sidney Moncrief, Denver's Danny Schayes, and Dallas center Kurt Nimphius are also newly sidelined with multi-week injuries.

Players of the Week/Month
Jan 30-Feb 5: Larry Bird (BOS), Rickey Green (UTA)
Feb 6-Feb 12: Moses Malone (PHI), Jack Sikma (SEA)
Feb 13-Feb 19: Moses Malone (PHI), Mark Aguirre (DAL)
Feb 20-Feb 26: Larry Bird (BOS), George Gervin (SAS)
February POTM: Moses Malone (PHI), Magic Johnson (LAL)
February ROTM: Steve Stipanovich (IND), Ralph Sampson (HOU)

Spurs (39-22, 2nd in West, Won 2) @ Trail Blazers (33-27, 4th in West, Won 2)

Spurs Lineup
PG - John Lucas (8.9 PPG, 9.0 APG) - Injury Replacement for Johnny Moore
SG - George Gervin (29.1 PPG, .572 FG%)
SF - Mike Mitchell (19.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, .508 FG%)
PF - Gene Banks (10.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.1 APG)
C - Artis Gilmore (9.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG)
6th Man - Edgar Jones (9.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG)

Trail Blazers Lineup
PG - Fat Lever (9.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, 1.2 SPG)
SG - Jim Paxson (20.0 PPG, .557 FG%)
SF - Calvin Natt (14.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, .558 FG%)
PF - Kenny Carr (11.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG)
C - Mychal Thompson (11.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG)
6th Man - Clyde Drexler (13.6 PPG, .573 FG%)

[huge_bart_simpson]

Spurs @ Trail Blazers

The home crowd left Veterans Memorial Coliseum satisfied, as Portland blew out the mighty Spurs by a score of 99-85. in a game that was within two points at the half. Portland used a balanced scoring attack to get the win, as starters Kenny Carr, Jim Paxson, Fat Lever, and Calvin Natt as well as promising young sixth man Clyde Drexler each cracked double figures. Carr, in particular, was on point, as he dropped 20 points on 10-12 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds. The loss of starting point guard Johnny Moore really hurt San Antonio's offense, as backup John Lucas had 12 points while shooting at laughable .227 clip. Artis Gilmore chipped in 24 points and 19 boards, but the rest of the frontcourt suffered, with Gene Banks and especially Mike Mitchell (4 points) being outplayed by Carr and Natt (10 points, 8 rebounds).

[huge_bart_simpson]

4/15/84

• It's the last day of the regular season!
• All eight playoff spots have been decided in the East, but seeding remains up for grabs. The Celtics (64-17) have a chance to dethrone the Pistons (65-17) as top seed by defeating the 40-41 Nets, who can leapfrog the .500 Hawks and Bucks by pulling off the upset. Philadelphia (56-25) is the only non-division-winning team in the conference over .500.
• In a shocker, the 32-50 Bullets and the laughable 31-51 Knicks snuck into the playoffs, leaving Cleveland (30-52) on the outside looking in. Chicago (26-55) and Indiana (24-58) bring up the rear.
• Out West, only seven teams have clinched. The Jazz (57-25) and Lakers (53-28) won their respective divisions, with Utah clinching home-court advantage. Mysteriously, Seattle (38-43) was shown as the 3rd seed, somehow being displayed ahead of San Antonio (50-31), Portland (48-33) and the 41-40 Nuggets and Suns. Dallas (37-44) and Golden State (36-45) will face off in a win-and-in matchup to decide the final playoff team. The 32-50 Rockets, 29-53 Clippers, and 25-57 Kings round out the conference.
• Seattle's Gus Williams and Al Wood, Portland's Wayne Cooper, L.A.'s James Worthy, New Jersey's Micheal Ray Richardson and Phoenix's Rod Foster are all dealing with fresh injuries, with Williams and Cooper expected to be sidelined for the duration of the playoffs.

Players of the Week/Month
Feb 27-Mar 4: Isiah Thomas (DET), Adrian Dantley (UTA)
Mar 5-Mar 11: Dominique Wilkins (ATL), Ralph Sampson (HOU)
Mar 12-Mar 18: Marques Johnson (MIL), Magic Johnson (LA)
Mar 19-Mar 25: Moses Malone (PHI), Mark Aguirre (DAL)
Mar 26-Apr 1: Bernard King (NY), Magic Johnson (LA)
Apr 2-Apr 8: Larry Bird (BOS), George Gervin (SA)
March POTM: Larry Bird (BOS), Jack Sikma (SEA)
March ROTM: Mitchell Wiggins (CHI), Ralph Sampson (HOU)

Mavericks (37-44, 8th in West) @ Warriors (36-45, 9th in West)

Mavericks Lineup
PG - Brad Davis (8.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
SG - Rolando Blackman (20.7 PPG, .582 FG%)
SF - Mark Aguirre (27.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, .570 FG%)
PF - Pat Cummings (10.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG)
C - Kurt Nimphius (5.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG)
6th Man - Jay Vincent (14.5 PPG)

Warriors Lineup
PG - Sleepy Floyd (15.0 PPG, 4.3 APG)
SG - Lester Conner (9.2 PPG, 6.0 APG)
SF - Purvis Short (25.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG, .553 FG%)
PF - Mickey Johnson (10.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG)
C - Joe Barry Carroll (18.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG)
6th Man - Mike Bratz (9.4 PPG, 4.3 APG)

[huge_bart_simpson]

Mavericks @ Warriors

The Warriors are your Western Conference #8 seed! They sent the Mavericks down to defeat and out of a playoff birth with a statement 113-103 win at home. Joe Barry Carroll (26 points on 13-18 shooting, 14 rebounds) put on a show for Golden State, as did Purvis Short, who matched Carroll's scoring output with 26 of his own. Mickey Johnson (17 points, 13 rebounds), Lester Conner (13 points) and Sleepy Floyd (11 assists) rounded out the great performance by the Golden State starters, with Don Collins (11 points) and Darren Tillis (10 points, 8 rebounds) coming off the bench for some help. Mark Aguirre scored 22 points for Dallas in a losing effort, with Rolando Blackman (18 points), Kurt Nimphius (15 points, 13 rebounds) and reserve Dale Ellis (18 points with 3 three-pointers) also contributing. The Warriors can look forward to a first-round series with the top-seeded Utah Jazz.

[huge_bart_simpson]

End-of-Season Awards

[huge_bart_simpson]

All-NBA Teams