The New Jailblazers | BAD NEWS

Division winners are guaranteed top 4 seeds and the southwest was awful. Such is life.

Blazers/Thunder Series Preview



(2) Oklahoma City Thunder [52-30] vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers [46-36]
Season Series: Oklahoma City 3, Portland 1

Both the Blazers and Thunder were disappointed to see they would play each other in the first round. Portland, the hottest lower seeded team in the West, up against OKC, the consensus favorite to make the NBA Finals. The Thunder are seen as the clear favorites to win this series, but with Portland's inside scoring, floor spacing and improved bench, this may not be such a wash.

Kendrick Perkins is undoubtedly on the decline, but his height advantage gives him the edge over the similar Chuck Hayes. Serge Ibaka however will have his hands full with LaMarcus Aldridge, who is coming off arguably the best season of his career. The Thunder's biggest offensive threat comes from their Kevins on the wing: Durant and Martin. Batum and Matthews are both good perimeter defenders who can shoot the three, but OKC has a clear edge there. Same goes for the point guard position, where rookie of the year Lillard will have his hands full with three time all-star Russell Westbrook.

Entering the season, Portland had one of the worst benches in the league. While it still doesn't stand out, the additions of Jason Terry, James Posey and Chris Wilcox give the team veterans who can still play. OKC meanwhile has a hodge-podge of wing players and point guards with JaJuan Johnson as the only reserve big. While stars win games in the playoffs, Portland will need to exploit its depth to have a fighting chance.

Oklahoma City Thunder roster:

C - Kendrick Perkins
PF - Serge Ibaka
SF - Kevin Durant
SG - Kevin Martin
PG - Russell Westbrook
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G - Jeremy Lamb
G/F - Thabo Sefolosha
F - JaJuan Johnson
G - Eric Maynor
G - Reggie Jackson
F - Lazar Hayward
F - Perry Jones

Portland Trail Blazers roster:

C - Chuck Hayes
PF - LaMarcus Aldridge
SF - Nicolas Batum
SG - Wesley Matthews
PG - Damian Lillard
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G - Jason Terry
F - James Posey
C - Meyers Leonard
G - Ronnie Price
F/C - Chris Wilcox
F - Tyler Honeycutt
G - Luther Head

Playoff Predictions

Predict each series winner and the number of games.
+3 points for picking correct winner, +5 for picking correct winner and games

Updated scoreboard with the award prediction points tabulated will be coming at the end of the playoffs.

West

1 Los Angeles Lakers [53-29] vs. 8 Golden State Warriors [43-39]

4 San Antonio Spurs [44-38] vs. 5 Los Angeles Clippers [47-35]

3 Denver Nuggets [48-34] vs. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves [47-35]

2 Oklahoma City Thunder [52-30] vs. 7 Portland Trail Blazers [46-36]

East

1 Miami Heat [64-18] vs. 8 Indiana Pacers [38-44]

4 Chicago Bulls [49-33] vs. 5 New York Knicks [47-35]

3 Brooklyn Nets [53-29] vs. 6. Boston Celtics [39-43]

2 Philadelphia 76ers [57-25] vs. 7 Detroit Pistons 39-43

West

Lakers in 4
Spurs in 6
Nuggets in 4
Blazers in 7

East

Heat in 4
Knicks in 6
Celtics in 7
76ers in 5


Best of luck

Lakers in 5
Clippers in 6
Nuggets in 5
Thunder in 7

Heat in 4
Bulls in 7
Brooklyn in 5
76ers in 4

West

Lakers in 5
Spurs in 6
Nuggets in 5
Blazers in 6

East

Heat in 5
Knicks in 6
Celtics in 6
76ers in 5

Lakers in 5
Clippers in 6
Nuggets in 7
Thunder in 6

Heat in 4
Bulls in 6
Nets in 5
76ers in 5

Lakers in 4
Spurs in 7
Nuggets in 5
Thunder in 5

Heat in 4
Bulls in 6
Brooklyn in 6
76ers in 4

Lakers in 6
Clippers in 7
Nuggets in 6
Thunder in 5

Heat in 4
Knicks in 6
Nets in 5
Sixers in 5

West

Lakers in 5
Clippers in 6
Nuggets in 5
Thunder in 6

East

Miami in 4
Bulls in 6
Nets in 6
76ers in 4

Keep the picks coming. Playoffs start tomorrow!

Portland Never Leads As Thunder Cruise To Game 1 Win
Blazers 93 @ Thunder 102



With the piercing sound of the OKC fans on their side, the Thunder used some early buckets from Kevin Martin and some Blazer turnovers to dominate the first quarter. Portland them found themselves playing catch-up from there. Damian Lillard kept things close in the second with some big buckets, including a three at the buzzer, but Portland still trailed.

The OKC lead would swell to sixteen but the Blazers never went away. For most of the second half, the Thunder's lead was between 9 and 16. Portland couldn't put together a run however, and drops game 1, 102-93. Russell Westbrook had a near triple-double while Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin had over 20 points for the Thunder.

Player of the Game
Russell Westbrook
13 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals

POR 17 23 25 28 | 93 - Lillard: 15/6/14; Aldridge: 20/7/1; Matthews: 20/3/1, 7-11 FG
OKC 27 20 34 21 | 102 - Martin: 23/6/1; Durant: 21/13/3; Lamb: 17/0/0

Thunder leads series 1-0.

Other Game 1 Results

Warriors 97 @ Lakers 100
D Howard: 30/9/2, 12-17 FG; D Lee: 22/1/2
Lakers lead series 1-0.

Spurs 103 @ Clippers 87
T Duncan: 17/15/2; J Crawford: 24/4/3
Spurs lead series 1-0.

Wolves 116 @ Nuggets 110
K Love: 28/14/5; K Faried: 21/7/0
Wolves lead series 1-0.

Pacers 110 @ Heat 117
L James: 38/7/5; P George: 19/3/5
Heat lead series 1-0.

Knicks 80 @ Bulls 122
D Rose: 31/6/5; C Anthony: 15/4/2, 4-17 FG
Bulls lead series 1-0.

Celtics 84 @ Nets 104
D Williams: 23/3/11; R Rondo: 7/6/8
Nets lead series 1-0.

Pistons 101 @ 76ers 90
B Knight: 20/5/4; J Holiday: 19/5/6
Pistons lead series 1-0.

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JOSH SMITH WINS 2012-13 DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD



Although the Hawks missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, Josh Smith nonetheless had a career year, outshining previous winners Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler, who have had seasons below their expectations. This is Smith's first defensive player of the year award.

Josh Smith always gets DPOY somehow with the stats tough loss

Portland Held to Just 66 As Thunder Take Commanding Lead
Blazers 66 @ Thunder 84


Lillard scoring one of his three baskets

In an uncharacteristically grind-it-out game, the Thunder once again prevailed over the Blazers, defeating them 84-66. The first half saw both teams struggle from the field, with the reportedly hobbled Damian Lillard shooting an atrocious 3-for-16. The Thunder took a 41-34 lead into the half and proceeded to take over the game in the third as their offense started to click.

OKC's lead swelled to twenty as Portland couldn't buy a bucket, especially from deep. The Thunder bench played the weary Blazers to a standstill, ultimately prevailing to take a 2-0 series lead. Westbrook was once again OKC's top performer, while only LaMarcus Aldridge was able to get it going for the Blazers. The series will now shift to Portland. Damian Lillard says he "is not quite 100%" with back spasms, but expects to play and start in game 3.

Player of the Game
Russell Westbrook
25 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 11-18 FG

POR 15 17 18 16 | 66 - Aldridge: 22/7/0; Batum: 15/3/2; Lillard: 12/5/5, 3-16 FG
OKC 20 21 27 16 | 84 - Durant: 19/9/4; K. Martin: 14/1/3; Ibaka: 10/6/1

Thunder lead series 2-0.

Warriors 84 @ Lakers 99
Howard: 25/13/5 blks, 11-14 FG; H. Barnes: 18/5/2
Lakers lead series 2-0.

Spurs 95 @ Clippers 100
B. Griffin: 23/16/5; T. Parker: 23/2/4
Series tied 1-1.

Timberwolves 111 @ Nuggets 107
Rubio: 15/8/12; Iguodala: 18/4/5
Wolves lead series 2-0.

Pacers 81 @ Heat 90
L. James: 26/8/4; P. George: 23/9/3
Heat lead series 2-0.

Knicks 100 @ Bulls 112 [OT]
N. Robinson: 35/3/1, 14-20 FG; A. Stoudemire: 22/9/0
Bulls lead series 2-0.

Celtics 96 @ Nets 101
B. Lopez: 26/12/0; A. Bradley: 18/6/3 stls
Nets lead series 2-0.

Pistons 81 @ 76ers 96
E. Turner: 17/6/6; G. Monroe: 14/6/2
Series tied 1-1.

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JORDAN CRAWFORD IS YOUR 2012-13 SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR



Though the Wizards didn't even come close to making the playoffs, Jordan Crawford had as good a season as any NBA reserve, and has been rewarded with his first sixth man award. Leading all bench scorers with nearly fifteen points a game, Crawford becomes the second "J. Crawford" in the last four years to take the award. (Jamal Crawford, 2010)

66 points? Wow...y'all better pick it up or it's gonna be a short series lol

I hope you get one win so that I can win that prediction. Thunder in 5!

Wow, looks like OKC is kicking your ass on defense.

Blazers Hold Off Ferocious Comeback To Defeat Thunder
Thunder 94 @ Blazers 95



After a pair of difficult losses on the road, Portland looked to their home crowd to help them get back into the series. Get back into it they did, as a dominant second quarter gave them a commanding halftime lead they held into the third. With 9 minutes to go in the fourth, Portland led 87-54 and LaMarcus Aldridge took a breather. Just a couple minutes later, he was back on the court as it was a thirteen point game.

Kevin Martin sank all three of his long range bombs in the fourth period as the Thunder mounted a serious comeback that saw them vaporize a 25 point lead in just 8 minutes if play. At the 1:42 mark, Terry Stotts was shocked, calling his second-to-last timeout after a pair of Durant free throws trimmed the deficit to 2: 91-89.

The struggling Damian Lillard had his best moment of his post-season career so far, converting a pair of clutch free throws to make it a four point lead. A Durant and-one made it just a one point game with 35 seconds to go. OKC got a stop but Aldridge stole the board and was sent to the line where he converted two free throws. The Thunder got a couple good looks at a game-tying three but would settle for a tip-in at the buzzer for a 95-94 defeat. They now lead the series 2-1 with game 4 also in Portland.

Before the game, guard Damian Lillard was awarded with the rookie of the year trophy.

Player of the Game
LaMarcus Aldridge
22 points, 11 rebounds, 11-18 FG

OKC 22 13 15 44 | 94 - Durant: 26/11/5; Westbrook: 21/5/9; Martin: 14/4/4, 3-4 3pt
POR 23 26 20 26 | 95 - Lillard: 18/2/6; Matthews: 16/5/3; Batum: 12/9/1

Thunder lead series 2-1.

Lakers 108 @ Warriors 109
S. Curry: 25/6/9; J. Meeks: 24/2/0, 6-11 3pt
Lakers lead series 2-1.

Clippers 109 @ Spurs 107
C. Paul: 26/4/8; D. Blair: 18/13/2
Clippers lead series 2-1.

Nuggets 104 @ Timberwolves 94
T. Lawson: 18/4/10; Roy: 17/4/2
Wolves lead series 2-1.

Heat 115 @ Pacers 99
L. James: 40/13/5; D. West: 14/10/1
Heat lead series 3-0.

Bulls 75 @ Knicks 98
C. Anthony: 27/7/3; D. Rose: 19/8/9
Bulls lead series 3-1.

Nets 119 @ Celtics 93
D. Williams: 19/5/12; Rondo: 14/5/17
Nets lead series 3-0.

76ers 104 @ Pistons 108
Stuckey: 17/2/7; J. Holiday: 21/0/5
Pistons lead series 2-1.

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DAMIAN LILLARD UNANIMOUSLY WINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR



Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard wins the 2012-13 rookie of the year award, unanimously selected by the panel of 125 journalists. Lillard led all rookies in scoring (19.3) and assists (7.3) per game shooting the ball extremely efficiently from the free throw line and behind the arc. The Blazers were expected by most, but Lillard helped lead the team to 46 wins and a playoff berth. The highlight of Lillard's season was a 68 point outburst in Detroit, in which he shattered the all-time single game scoring record for NBA rookies.

Congratulations to Lillard for ROTY. Now lose your next 2 games please.

Lillard ROY, prob IRL too
Great win to avoid getting swept. Now win at least one more so Sit doesn't get his hopes of you losing in 5

GJ on the road win and giving Lill the ROY. Franchise player!

Durant, Thunder On Verge Of Ousting Blazers
Thunder 88 @ Blazers 85



The Blazers didn't have the luxury of a 25 point lead to blow this time around as the Thunder played a tough defensive game to edge them out for a 3-1 series lead. The first half was entertaining as both teams traded shots and highlight plays, with Kevin Durant breaking out of his shell for the first time these playoffs. OKC had the upper hand going into halftime with a five point lead.

Both teams went cold in the third quarter, combining to score just 29 points. Both offenses stagnated, making it impossible for the Blazers to cut into the lead. The fourth quarter saw Portland make a run to cut it to a one point lead, but Durant made some clutch plays to lead his team to a 88-85 win. Portland will hope to become the ninth team to come back and win a playoff series after trailing 3-1.

Player of the Game
Kevin Durant
33 points, 9 rebounds, 13-23 FG

OKC 24 30 16 18 | 88 - Westbrook: 18/1/2; Ibaka: 11/12/1; Perkins: 0/12/0, 0-0 FG
POR 23 26 13 23 | 85 - Aldridge: 17/9/1; Lillard: 14/3/2/3 stls; Matthews: 17/3/2

Thunder lead series 3-1.

Lakers 109 @ Warriors 94
P. Gasol: 27/9/4; J. Jack: 18/7/3
Lakers lead series 3-1.

Clippers 89 @ Spurs 86
Paul: 26/3/5; T. Parker: 16/4/7
Clippers lead series 3-1.

Nuggets 126 @ Timberwolves 103
Faried: 24/11/0; Love: 18/7/1
Series tied 2-2.

Heat 91 @ Pacers 90
C. Bosh: 20/9/3; I. Thomas: 31/3/5
Heat win series 4-0.

Bulls 115 @ Knicks 97
Deng: 23/9/4; Anthony: 18/6/6
Bulls lead series 3-1.

Nets 89 @ Celtics 88
B. Lopez: 20/9/0; Garnett: 17/12/0
Nets win series 4-0.

76ers 114 @ Pistons 81
Bynum: 28/13/3, 13-17 FG; Ilyasova: 22/5/0
Series tied 2-2.

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JAMES HARDEN WINS MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD



A year after winning the Sixth Man of the Ywar award as a member of the Thunder, Harden has won the Most Improved Player award as a Rocket. Despite marginally improving his raw stats with worse efficiency for a team that missed the playoffs, the Rockets guard won this award, banking on early season hype. He edged out league assist leader Goran Dragic in voting.

Tough tough game! Bounce back! Survive!

Damn missed out on tipping, perhaps for the remaining rounds.

Gutted about the draw, OKC are just too tough, you have been slowing them down though, just a pity not resulting in anything.

Durant Too Much As Thunder Win Thriller To Advance
Blazers 104 @ Thunder 106

After coming so close to tying the series in game 4, the Blazers weren't willing to go down without a fight. Damian Lillard had his best game of the playoffs with a 27 point outburst but ultimately, Portland's best just wasn't good enough.

Portland's shots were finally falling for them in the first half, but turnovers kept them from taking full advantage. The game was essentially deadlocked at the half and stayed that way throughout the third, with Durant and Westbrook supplying pretty much all of the Thunder's offense. The Thunder entered the fourth period up by three but a three by Lillard tied it up, and the team's traded the lead several times in the final quarter.

Durant was the Thunder's high point man but it was Russell Westbrook scoring or assisting on all of the Thunder's scores in the last couple minutes who came up the clutchest. Nicolas Batum hit a difficult jumper to make it a 105-104 Thunder lead with 5.2 seconds on the clock. Westbrook was fouled, but amazingly the Blazers had one to give, leaving them with 3 seconds to work with. Westbrook milked a couple more seconds off the block before splitting the free throws and leaving Portland only enough time for a fullcourt heave.

The Thunder win the series in five games and advance to play the winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series. After the game, Scott Brooks praised the Blazers, notably Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum, saying they have a "bright future ahead of them". Portland is eliminated from the playoffs and has not won a playoff series since 2000.

Player of the Game
Kevin Durant
41 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists

POR 29 20 21 34 | 104 - Lillard: 27/3/2; Aldridge: 21/8/1; Batum: 17/8/2
OKC 31 19 23 33 | 106 - Westbrook: 33/2/8, 11-16 FG; J. Lamb: 9/2/0; K. Martin: 5/1/2

Thunder win series 4-1.

Warriors 107 @ Lakers 108 [OT]
D. Howard: 23/11/1, 9-12 FG; S. Curry: 16/4/10
Lakers win series 4-1.

Spurs 109 @ Clippers 74
Duncan: 23/14/1; Paul: 12/6/7
Clippers lead series 3-2.

Timberwolves 103 @ Nuggets 105
Iguodala: 13/7/7; Love: 20/14/4
Nuggets lead series 3-2.

Knicks 94 @ Bulls 115
D. Rose: 31/3/7; C. Anthony: 29/8/5
Bulls win series 4-2.

Pistons 78 @ 76ers 88
A. Bynum: 23/12/2, 9-13 FG; Prince: 16/4/0
76ers lead series 3-2.

Clippers 97 @ Spurs 107
T. Parker: 29/7/8; Paul: 23/7/5
Series tied 3-3.

Nuggets 80 @ Timberwolves 129
Pekovic: 40/8/0; J. McGee: 20/9/0
Series tied 3-3.

76ers 122 @ Pistons 86
A. Bynum: 17/11/2; B. Knight: 11/6/7
76ers win series 4-2.

Spurs 108 @ Clippers 104 [OT]
T. Parker: 18/2/8; Paul: 18/8/11
Spurs win series 4-3.

Timberwolves 105 @ Nuggets 100
Love: 30/10/5; T. Lawson: 17/4/12
Wolves win series 4-3.

Blazers Playoff Averages:

LaMarcus Aldridge: 20.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG
Damian Lillard: 17.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.8 RPG
Nicolas Batum: 13.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG
Wesley Matthews: 13.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.6 APG
Chuck Hayes: 2.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG
Jason Terry: 9.6 PPG, 3 APG, 1.8 SPG
Chris Wilcox: 3.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Meyers Leonard: 3.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Ronnie Price: 2.8 PPG, 2 APG, 1.8 RPG
James Posey: 2.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG

CONFERENCE SEMIS

(1) Los Angeles Lakers [53-29, 4-1] vs. (4) San Antonio Spurs [44-38, 4-3]
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder [52-30, 4-1] vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves [47-35, 4-3]

(1) Miami Heat (64-18, 4-0] vs. (4) Chicago Bulls [49-33, 4-1]
(2) Philadelphia 76ers [57-25, 4-2] vs. (3) Brooklyn Nets [53-29, 4-0]

BAD NEWS!

My PS3 copy of NBA 2K13 has taken some abuse in the last few months and is finally not working. I was about a month into 2013-14. Don't fret - your NLSC'ers are not lost. However, I am switching to Xbox 360 for numerous reasons (namely I also have it on Xbox and do not want to shell out any more money). A reboot with better rosters (Real 2K Insider + some edits), a better draft (real draftees + NLSC'ers), new features and more is coming.

In the meantime, I'll be calculating your scores for the last couple contests and tying this up. Sorry about the inconvenience, guys. Sad to see four months of work go to waste, but it'll be a good opportunity to check out 2K's new "start your association from today" feature.