The Association (2K10)

[RayAllen20]

Ok this is back. After 2 weeks of no internet because of a terrible wind storm, my computer broke. I finally got it fixed and updates are coming soon. While my computer and internet were broken, my XBOX was not, so I played about 2 weeks. Just for your information I played plenty of games, and 2 games of the weeks.

One was the 1st place Denver Nuggets lead by injured Carmelo Anthony (suffered a strained calf), against the 2nd place Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs edged them, and this lead to them being knotted atop the conference.

The second was the Blazers visting OKC. Jamison and Aldridge are a tough duo in the paint, and Roy got hot in the first half. The second half though was just awful for Portland, as Roy went ice cold and Durant went off. Durant finished with 34, and the Thunder destroyed the Blazers by 31.

Also there was a big deal by the Celtics and Hornets. The Celtics receive Darren Collison and Darius Songaila, while the Hornets receive Ray Allen, Louis Vaty (2010 second round pick), and a 2011 first round pick.

The Celtics unload Ray Allen who was 35, for a young Darren Collison who make a great backcourt for years to come with Rondo and Collison, who are both under 25. The Celtics get an EC with Songaila, and give up a bench warmer in Louis Vaty. Since the Hornets are getting older with this trade, the Celtics gave up their 1st round pick, which is most likely going to be a good pick this year.

The Celtics did it to get younger, and get some more CAP space. Their 1st round pick could've been a good one but they'd rather get an already solid player in Collison, than a pick which could be a bust.

The Hornets did it because they get a top shooting guard, which is a big weakness of theirs, and give up a young back-up point guard who didn't see the floor much and wasn't in the Hornets' future behind Chris Paul. Allen is old but the Hornets believe he could be a good player even in his upper 30's, and the 1st round pick allows the Hornets to fill their needs next year without spending much money, which they hate to do. Vaty was one of the better ranked second round players, and losing Songaila doesn't mean much.

To the Raptors fan I will try my best in rebuilding them. Should be tough though, as they have nobody on their team right now that could be a future star. Hopefully they can get a top player in the draft next year, if they want a great future.

[RayAllen20]

Game of the Week

@

113 - 107

Jazz come back from 15 point deficit in 4th; down Boston in OT

The Celtics were rolling with Rondo, Collison, and Pierce running the floor and hitting shots in transition. At the start of the 4th, the Jazz called timeout, and stared at the scoreboard. The Jazz trailed by 15, and it seemed like Boston would coast to a big victory.

Then the Jazz came alive. Kevin Martin had two consecutive three's out of his astonishing 40 point performance. Mehmet Okur was devastating, spreading the floor and hitting big shots. And the Celtics couldn't get out of their drought, going scoreless for 3 straight minutes, and with 30 seconds left the game was tied, and Rondo held the ball at the top of the key.

Rondo gave the ball to Collison coming off a screen, who recieved a baseline pick and roll. Garnett held the screen, and Collison got to the rim where he met several Jazz defenders. Okur and Millsap contested and Collison's shot fell short. Okur grabbed the board, and gave the ball to Williams who held the ball at the top key, chewing the clock for a final shot. With 10 seconds left, Williams went by Rondo penetrating into the lane. The defense collapsed, and he kicked to an open Mehmet Okur. Okur waited for the defense to rotate, and once it did found an open Kevin Martin at the foul line. Martin caught, turned, and drained the shot to take the lead with 2.2 seconds left, and it looked as if the Jazz were going to steal the victory.

Out of timeouts, the Celtics quickly inbounded to Rajon Rondo who hastily passed the ball up court to Kevin Garnett, who had his foot on the line. Kevin Martin contested as hard he could, but KG nailed the 20 footer to send it to OT, and make Boston go into a frenzy.

In OT, both teams came out gunning. Martin continued his hot streak, scoring the first two buckets. Rondo split a pick and roll for an easy lay-up, and Perkins had an easy lay-up out of his post-up. Deron Williams took the lead with a step-back 3, but Pierce was there to answer with a 3 of his own. There was only a minute left, when Williams assisted to Okur who hit a wide open deep two to take the lead. Quickly the Celtics tried to answer, but possibly too quickly as Perkins blindly threw the inbound pass, and Kevin Martin intercepted it and laid it up to extend the lead to 4. Garnett missed an open 18 footer, and the Jazz proceeded to hit free throws and eventually win the game by 6.

The Jazz are currently in 5th place in the East, trailing the 1st place Mavericks by 2 and a half games. The Celtics have moved their way to 7th in the Eastern Conference, and on the way up as they have heated up since the Collison-Allen trade.

[RayAllen20]

Around the League


Talented Bulls stuck in 13th, and complaints are many in Chicago


In first game, Allen has 36, hit three 3's in final minute including buzzer-beater to send game into OT, and the Hornets finish off the Kings


Kings' injury woes continue as Motiejunas and Hawes are out; Nocioni finally returns to line-up


Good news for Knicks; McGrady finally returns and Bosh leads the Orange and Blue to an upset over the Nets


Mavericks are heating up; claim 1st place in West


Nets continue to struggle fall to 30-10; LeBron calls recent losses an 'embarrassment'


Carmelo back to healthy; Nuggets fall to 3rd


Pacers win 5th straight, looking like serious playoff contender


Thunder roar into second place, only 1 game behind the Mavs


After losing streaks Wolves get back on track, stay in 7th place

[RayAllen20]

Game of the Week

@

108 - 99

Strong 3rd Quarter Performance Gives Warriors the W

Down 55-48, Don Nelson told his team at half time that they were not playing their own game. "To be successful, we need to run and gun. Hit 3's in transition, find scorers, and get some easy buckets. That and playing some defense, and we are a pretty good team."

Coming out of half time the Warriors did just that, out scoring the Lakers by 27 in the 3rd, and heading into the final period with a 20 point lead. It all started with their defensive effort, as they forced Kobe to get cold, and the Lakers started missing shots. After misses, they quickly grabbed the rebound and looked up. Several times, Stephen Curry or Monta Ellis was found for an open 3 pointer, which they would bang. One one occasion, Ellis stole a dump pass and was all alone on a fastbreak. Riskily, he pulled up with no one near for a straight on three pointer. The risk paid off, as the ball sailed through the net. From here, the Warriors didn't look back. Ellis would find Stoudemire and Randolph breaking for big slams in traffic. When the quarter ended, the Lakers' nightmare was finally over, but the game seemed to be over as the Warriors were up by 20.

To start the 4th, the Lakers looked to get back in the game. Steve Blake continued to hit three's for them, scoring 26 on the night. Gasol had 6 of his 19 to open the quarter, and the Lakers had pulled within 12, with 7 minutes left. But it was the Monta Ellis show in L.A. He went on a 8-0 run by himself, with pull-up jumpers and 1 man fastbreaks. Just as quickly as L.A. got back into the game, the Warrior lead went back to 20. Near the end of the game, with the Warriors sitting the starters, the Lakers got within 9, but never had a chance. The night would end as a total dissapointment for the Lakers and their fans, as they also failed to score 100 points for 'Free Taco Night'.

Ellis scored 24, Curry 22, and Stoudemire added 17. Steve Blake suprisingly lead all scorers, as he caught fire with 26. Gasol managed 19, Artest 16, and Kobe struggled all night with 16.

[RayAllen20]

Around the League


Hawks win 7 straight, until falling to Magic. Still stuck in 3rd


Hornets win 5 straight after Allen trade, only to lose 3 in a row and stay in 11th


Heat shock Nets, get revenge on D-Wade


Kings really struggle without Hawes and Motiejunas; lose 7 straight


After Warriors loss, Lakers beat Nuggets and Magic back to back. Still in 4th


Win 5th straight after Heat loss, including big win over Knicks at MSG. Current record is 36-11


Right after Carmelo's injury heals he suffers a Sprain Wrist. J.R. Smith hurts himself too, yet both will continue to play through it


Rip Hamilton out 4-6 weeks, with a hurt ankle. Say good-bye to Detroit playoff hopes?


Turkoglu out with injury; will cost Raptors severely


Ming continues to injure himself again and again; will play through it, although still complaining about his health


Suns losing streak reaches 12


Fernandez continues to voice frustration with team


GM: 'This team is not working. Moves are expected, and nobody is safe.'

[RayAllen20]

Game of the Week

@

110 - 117

Hawks grind out tough victory against gritty Pacers

To look at the standings before this game, one may be suprised at where the Pacers stand. The Pacers the day before, grabbed 3rd place over the Hawks, thanks to the amazing duo of John Wall & Danny Granger. Angry about their drop in the standings, the Hawks were delighted to see they could move up with a win over the Pacers at Phillips Arena.

Right after tip-off, the Pacers came out firing. Wall got the opening tip, and then promptly drove down and got an easy lay-up. Granger then hit a 3, and a 15-footer to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Hawks would respond though, with Joe Johnson hitting two 3's in the quarter, but Indiana held a 26-24 first quarter lead.

Down entering the 2nd quarter, Joe Johnson continued his hot start, hitting another trey and nailing some mid-range jumpers. With John Wall and Granger sitting, the Pacers got nothing from their bench play, and the Hawks took advantage. The Pacers had 5 turnovers in the period, which in result helped the Hawks get 11 fast break points, going into the half with a 7 point lead.

With a 7 point lead, the Hawks weren't happy enough with it, and came out soaring in the 3rd. After being held scoreless in the first half, Josh Smith had 8 in the quarter including two big alley-oops. Johnson continued his stellar play, and Bibby and Crawford helped out hitting outside shots. Granger did what he could to help the Pacers stay in it, but the Hawks grabbed a 17 point lead.

In the final quarter, the Hawks maintained their big lead as the Pacers couldn't hit shots. Anytime, Granger or Wall hit some shots in a row, Joe Johnson answered with a 3, or getting to the stripe where he was 9/9. With 4 minutes left, the Hawks seemed like it would coast to an easy win up 16. Granger who had 25, said no way. He drove to the bucket and got a quick lay-up with the foul, and next possession hit a 10 footer. Hibbert blocked a Josh Smith dunk, and threw the ball up to Wall for an easy dunk. The lead was to 10, with 2 and a half minutes left, when Granger really heated up. He caught a pass from Wall on the right wing, and nailed the 3 point jumper in Marvin Williams' face. After a quick stop, Granger got open in transition and nailed another 3.

Only up 4, Joe Johnson hit a 15 footer over Wall to stretch the lead to 6. Still Granger came back, catching the ball at the top of the key and hitting a deep 3 again, to cut it to 3. To answer, the Hawks went back to their playmaker Johnson, who when driving found an open Josh Smith for an easy jam. 30 seconds remained, and down 5 the Hawks were doubling and frantically denying Granger the ball. Still, Wall found a way to get it to Granger with a dribble hand-off. Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams were all over him, and only about 10 feet across half-court, Granger turned and hit an incredible fade-away 3, to cut it to 2. With time running out, the Pacers were forced to foul Johnson, and he hit his freebies, and the Hawks went on to survive the Pacers by 7, and take over 3rd place.

Granger had a remarkable performance with 42 points, and six 3's. Joe Johnson answered with 36 points, and amazingly dishing 11 dimes. John Wall, who's suffering a bruised hip pointer, came through for the Pacers with 17 points and 11 assists, in the tough loss.

[RayAllen20]

Month of January Recap




Standings


1.38-12

2.30-18

3.29-20

4.28-20

5.27-22

6.25-23

7.24-25

8.24-26



9.23-26

10.21-27

11.21-28

12.21-29

13.21-30

14.19-29

15.16-34






Standings



1.34-16

2.32-18

3.30-18

4.31-21

5.30-22

6.26-23

7.27-24

8.25-24



9.23-25

10.23-25

11.23-27

12.22-27

13.21-29

14.16-33

15.10-39



Statistical Leaders

Points

1.Carmelo Anthony 25.8

2.Chris Bosh 24.7

3.Dirk Nowitzki 24.6

4.Danny Granger 24.3

5.Kevin Martin 24.1


Rebounds

1.Dwight Howard 13.5

2.Tim Duncan 11.6

3.Chris Bosh 11.1

4.Marcus Camby 10.9

5.Yao Ming 10.9


Assists

1.Jason Kidd 11.2

2.Rajon Rondo 9.8

3.Chauncey Billups 9.3

4.Deron Williams 8.6

5.Mike Conley 8.6



Steals

1.Chris Paul 3.1



Blocks

1.Dwight Howard 3.3


All-Star Selections



Rajon RondoPGChris Paul

Dwyane WadeSGKobe Bryant

LeBron JamesSFKevin Durant

Chris BoshPFDirk Nowitzki

Dwight HowardCAl Jefferson

Brandon Jennings6Tony Parker

Joe Johnson7Brandon Roy

Caron Butler8Rudy Gay

Michael Beasley9Tim Duncan

Andrew Bogut10Andrew Bynum

Josh Smith11Trevor Ariza

Danny Granger12Amare Stoudemire

Carmelo Anthony will sit out All-Star game due to injury


Sophomore Team

PG Brandon Jennings
SG James Harden
SF Earl Clark
PF Tyler Hansborough
C Hasheem Thabeet


Rookie Team

PG Kemba Walker
SG Willie Warren
SF Wesley Johnson
PF Blake Griffin
C Cole Aldrich



John Wall and Donatas Motiejunas will not play due to injury


Top Storylines


1. Trade Deadline is Approaching

The trade deadline is only 2 weeks away, and moves are expected. The team most expected to make a move is the Bulls. Sitting in 14th, the Bulls are basically out of the playoff hunt and want to reload some of their players. They might be interested in Rudy Fernandez of the Blazers who has been constantly voicing his opinion publicly, and angering the Portland front office.

Another team that wants to make a move is the Houston Rockets. The team isn't working right now in 11th place, and big man Yao Ming is injured again and again. Could he be on the move? We don't know but if so, many would love to have him. In the next two weeks the landscape of the NBA could change, as teams look to load and unload.

2. Teams surging in the East

After sluggish starts, the Celtics and 76ers are flying up the Eastern Conference Standings. The Celtics, who were at 10th place last month, have finally gotten above .500, and are into the playoff picture. After the Collison trade, Boston has played it's best basketball and look to get into the middle of the contenders in the East.

The 76ers have recently been on fire, and are back near the top of the list in the East. After the Arenas trade, the 76ers still couldn't find their groove, and were stuck in 12th place in the East. Now Arenas seems to fit perfectly as Philly sits in 7th place. The trio of Gilbert, Iverson, and Igoudala have been frustrating teams. Not all things are great for the Sixers though, it seems as though Igoudala is feuding with coaches, and they are not happy with him.

3. The NBA better be ready for a Thunderstorm

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have captured first place in the West, and are lately on fire. The Thunder have beaten both the Mavericks and Nuggets in the last two weeks, and definitely look like the team to beat in the West. Only 4 games back from first place in the NBA behind the Nets, the Thunder claim this is their goal. With the Nets struggling as of late, it may be possible.

[RayAllen20]

Game of the Week

@

88 - 77

Mavs Spurn Magic, Overtake 1st Place in the West

When this a started Monday Night at the Amway Center, both teams were place 2nd in their respective conferences. 48 minutes later, things changed as the Mavericks took it to Orlando, and eventually overtaking OKC as 1st place in the West.

The Mavericks came ready to play from the beginning behind the Big Diesel. He got an early offensive rebound, absorbed contact by Dwight Howard, finished and made the free throw. Then the next trip down the floor he received a pass from Kidd and flushed it over Dwight, and getting him a really early 2nd foul. With Howard gone, the middle was open and the Mavericks took advantage. Shaq had 8 points in the first, and Dirk followed with 7. The rebounding advantage was easily in the Mavericks favor with Superman gone, and so was the score with the Mavericks up 26-13 after one.

The Magic's offense was abysmal in the first half. There was no inside game, and only launching 3's which would not go down. The Magic were 2/15 from beyond the arc in the first half, which helped the Mavericks coast. Their lead stretched to 19 by the time Dwight went back in with 5 minutes left in the first half. While with Dwight the Magic competed better, the Mavs were still dominating the scoreboard. By the end of the 2nd quarter the Maverick lead was 46-30.

The story of the 3rd quarter was the amount of Magic turnovers. Nelson individually had 4 in the period, and the team combined for 9. Dallas went on a 12-4 run to start the quarter and took a commanding 58-34 lead. Orlando would respond with a flurry of 3's by Lewis, Pietrus, and Carter. Howard started having an affect on the game with 8 points on the quarter. The Magic had crawled back in it by the time the quarter had ended only trailing by 15.

In the final quarter, the Magic continued to heat up from beyond the arc. Nelson hit two consecutive three's, and Carter joined in with one of his own. The lead was down to 8 midway through the final period, when Dirk Nowitzki went on a personal 7-0 run that seemed to close the game with the Mavs holding a 15 point lead. The Magic would attempt to mount a comeback getting with 9, but eventually the Mavericks were just too much as they won the inter-conference battle 88-77.

Nowitzki was the leading scorer of the Mavericks with 24, with Josh Howard adding 17, and Shaquille O'Neal scoring 15. Dwight lead the Magic with 17 and 9, and Rashard Lewis had 16. The Mavericks overtake 1st place in the West, while the Magic are still holding on to the two spot in the East, trailing the Nets by 7.5 games.