:: Intensity, Energy & Passion [9-3] :: :(

Tracy McGrady screaming in delight. Ron Artest punching at the air. The San Antonio Spurs walking off looking forlorn, but certainly not dejected. Not after the way they stuck with the Houston Rockets all night, not with the way they had this one in their grasp until T-Mac rose over 6-foot-11 Tim Duncan and buried a 20-footer from the right side with a half-second left to give the Rockets a 98-97 victory Wednesday night over the Spurs. "It was the NBA at its highest level tonight, and we just happened to come up on the short end," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Prior to McGrady's game winner, Shane Battier put the Rockets ahead on a 3-pointer from the corner with 7.4 seconds left. Battier was defended most of the night by five-times All-Defensive First Team, Bruce Bowen. "I'm happy with my locker room, and we've just got to build off this game," Popovich said. "I don't look at this as a moral victory because of the way we played, a loss is a loss, and I'm sure the way we lost it doesn't sit well with these guys. But from a coaching standpoint, I'm very optimistic and happy with the way we're going." There's no doubt this game left the Rockets with something to think about, especially after they had to battle back from an early 15-point deficit.

"We want tonight to be a flagship to get our season going," Artest was saying beforehand. Houston got a great game out of T-Mac (15 points, the winner shot) and Yao Ming (25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks), and better-than-mediocre games out of Artest (14 points, but only four in the second half) and Rafer Alston (10 points, 6 assists). Both benches scored 28 points, and the Rockets had only six 3-pointers to San Antonio's 10. Statistically, it was pretty much even. In fact, it was pretty much even all the way through, any way you looked at it. So even though Popovich dismissed the notion of a moral victory, it pretty much amounted to that for some players who had their first taste of basketball this season, like Ime Udoka or Austin Croshere.

"The swagger's there. We've got that swag," Manu Ginobili said. "We want to let people know we're serious, and that's what we've been doing. We lost, that's the bottom line, but we get to play them a couple more times, and we'll be looking forward to those." Ginobili scored 16 points. After starting the season 3-0, the Spurs are now 5-3.


It's early, true. Yet for the long-suffering residents of the Eastern Conference, it's never too early to pass on a chance for a little gloating, given that they've come away with a losing record in cross-conference games against the West in every season of this millennium as well as in the 1999-2000 season. In Thursday night, there was a West's three-game sweep: Denver over Cleveland (100-87), Dallas over Chicago (114-111) and the Warriors over the Pistons (121-111). The reason you can get away with bringing this up so soon is because it might not be a temporary trend this time. Although it certainly figures that the West's eight playoff teams, as a group, will wind up being more potent than the East's top eight, there's no denying that the West -- Lakers aside -- is currently in a serious state of flux. The West also houses most of the league's weakest teams, while the East has witnessed the arrivals of Elton Brand, Derrick Rose... even the return of that Dwyane Wade guy.

First, there is a downside in Toronto to Chris Bosh playing the best basketball of his life: Bosh is gaining on (or maybe even surpassing) LeBron James as the guy every team with cap space hopes to steal in the heavenly free-agent summer of 2010. I'm quite sure that the Raps, with Bryan Colangelo running things and with plenty of projected salary-cap space that summer to re-sign Bosh and add another quality piece or two, have a far better chance of re-signing Bosh than he going down to the States. The reflex is to to remember that Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter all eventually barged their way back to the States and assume Bosh wants to do the same.

Second, you might be aware of the idea Shaquille O'Neal tossed out in October, about him and Grant Hill someday buying the Orlando Magic. For the record, Shaq swears that is not one of those times that he was just "throwing stuff out there to see what kind of response I get," as he likes to say. "No joke," O'Neal told us recently. "I'm serious." Be advised that a serious discussion about the matter is at least 18 months away, with O'Neal contracted to play through the 2009-10 season and Hill having registered roughly zero interest in retirement lately. The Magic also have to be for sale for a group headed by O'Neal and Hill to buy them, which team officials insist won't be happening any time soon. Yet I can't resist asking how denizens of the Magic Kingdom would react to Shaq -- who famously left them for the Los Angeles Lakers after spending just four seasons in Orlando -- coming back as an owner or general manager. Asked whether he has any regrets about leaving the Magic as a 24-year-old, O'Neal continued: "No. Not at all, because it was a business decision on both sides. Everyone has to take care of their business. At the time, I was a young guy. I had other things going on [in my life] that I could capitalize on, and those other things were easier living in L.A. I went out there and luckily got three [championships]. Then I had to take care of business again and go to Miami and won another one. Business is business. Never take it personal." He later reminded that "as a player, I took Orlando to the Finals [in 1995]. Maybe as a president or a GM, I could help them win it all. I've got great people skills, and I know I got the eye [for talent]."


FRIDAY'S BEST • Amare Stoudemire, PHO
What is going on with Amare? He exploded last night with 37 points. He also had two blocks and twelve rebounds, including 2 three pointers, as Phoenix defeated Sacramento scoring at least 28 points on each quarter (41 on the 3rd): 143-112.

Bonus Tracks • Danny Granger, IND; Jason Kidd, DAL; Kobe Bryant, LAL
Just as Stoudemire, Granger posted another 37 on Philadelphia, shooting 14-of-18 and 5-of-7 treys. We can say that a 15-10-10 have become somewhat a routine for Kidd as he posted his second triple-double in three games. And Kobe led LA to a 101-95 win over Detroit with 24 points (10-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 3-pointers).

FRIDAY'S WORST • Beno Udrih, SAC
The Kings were totally thrashed by the Suns led by Amare, 143-114 at ARCO Arena. Udrih shot 4-for-13 and couldn't help Sacramento at all.

Bonus Tracks • Andre Miller, PHI; Jameer Nelson, ORL
Another two point guards who couldn't help their teams much; Miller shot 2-for-9 (lost against the Pacers) and Nelson 2-for-12, even worse (lost against the Mavericks).

Last edited by kibaxx7 on Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Man you have to me the best Dynasty on this site by far my favorite . Man these dialy articles are unbelievable keep it up!The vids and also I love how you did like a schedule and it was showing the top games man!!!!

Wow man thanks a lot The association might go a little slower than before, but it won't stop!

I actually learned something from reading one of your Dimes i did not know that Mo Williams was in that 203 draft ! Man loved the peice you did about Shaq and the 2010 and Bosh .

Thierry Henry struck two late goals as Barcelona brushed aside Recreativo de Huelva 2-0 to move six points clear at the top of the Primera Liga. Henry gave the Catalans the points with a fine solo effort late on and the France forward scored again at the death after Huelva had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Javi Guerrero. Barca had seen fierce rivals Real Madrid lose 3-1 at Getafe earlier on and sensed a great opportunity to move further clear at the top of the table, but they were up against a Huelva side with aspirations of breaking into an UEFA Cup place.

Huelva genuinely believed they could get a result from this game and matched the Catalans early on. Guerrero shot over the bar from distance after 10 minutes as the match began to liven up. Barcelona took a while to find their rhythm, but soon showed why they had won nine league games in a row prior to last weekend's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Getafe. Lionel Messi shot just wide after 16 minutes as Barcelona signalled their intent.

Recreativo almost hit the first goal of the match four minutes later, but Adrian Colunga dragged his shot just wide. At the other end, Asier Riesgo did well to deny Samuel Eto'o as Barca threatened to score, but Huelva looked the better side in the remainder of the first half and came close through both Nasief Morris and Aitor Tornavaca in the build up to the break. And the latter really should have opened the score when he was presented with a glorious opportunity three minutes before the interval. Morris was left alone in the box as Barca got their offside trap all wrong following a Huelva free-kick, but he lifted the ball onto the crossbar with only Victor Valdes to beat.

Barcelona were the better side in the second half and missed several good chances to start their goal tally. Henry was guilty of squandering several good openings, while Daniel Alves was also twice denied by a busy Riesgo. But Barcelona went ahead on the scoreboard after 78 minutes, when Henry headed down a long pass before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed drive past the Huelva goalkeeper. It was a moment of brilliance and from then on there was no way back for Recreativo. Guerrero was sent off for an elbow on Yaya Touré as the home side fell apart in the last few minutes.

Eto'o and Messi missed good chances in the closing stages, but it was Henry who did add another goal in injury time, when he ran onto an Aleksander Hleb's pass, rounded Riesgo and slotted into the empty net.

Last edited by kibaxx7 on Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

After the game, ESPN Soccernet was able to get an interview with the man of the match.

Soccernet: You're surrounded by some insane talent at Barcelona. Heading into this season, was this most excited you've ever been?

Henry: It's not like I was some kid just arriving at a big club. I've seen that look in young kids' eyes and I'm sure I was once like that, too. Don't get me wrong, arriving here was a huge satisfaction. But I've been in the game a long time and I've been fortunate to play with great players at Arsenal, the French national team and now here.

Soccernet: With Arsenal, your role was very clear -- make a run on the goal and put it in. Here, with a more complicated offense, it's less so. Have you consciously had to change the way you play?

Henry: It is different. The game moves so much quicker in England. As a striker, you touch the ball more often. In Spain, the game is slower. At Barcelona, sometimes we have the ball the whole game. You pass the ball around from left to right, right to left. Sometimes I have to play on the left or change positions in the middle of the game. It depends on who we're playing and what the manager (Josep Guardiola) is asking. Here, I play with my back to the net much more, whereas at Arsenal I was always facing the defenders. It's a completely different type of game.

Soccernet: You've missed a lot of easy goals so far this year. Has it just been bad luck or do you think you're still adjusting to the new situation?

Henry: It's only been in a few games. I haven't had as many one-on-one chances, and that's because of the type of game they play here. But yes, I have missed a few easier chances. I know I can do better, I also know it could be worse. It takes time.

Soccernet: Would anything less than winning the Champions League this season be considered a disappointment?

Henry: Any time you lose is a disappointment. It was disappointing to never win the Champions League with Arsenal. It doesn't matter what the game is or who you're playing with. If you're a winner, any time you lose is a disappointment, and I hate losing. Obviously, the hype around Barcelona right now is really high. When you play here, if you don't win the big games, it's a disappointment.

Soccernet: Arsenal is known this season for playing a different style of football, and you were quoted as saying the team may actually be better off without you because of its style of play.

Henry: Different style? I don't know about that. People like to tweak quotes and that sounds better. Before I arrived and when I left, Arsenal has remained Arsenal, players come and go. When I watch them play, I see the same Arsenal -- moving the ball, playing one-two touch football, scoring the Arsenal way; it's the same thing, it's been like that the last the 11 years. The only thing that might change that is Arsène Wenger. If he leaves, they stop being Arsenal.

Soccernet: You've done a lot of activism work against racism in soccer with your One 4 All Foundation. Would you say the situation has improved since you began your work?

Henry: I can't say if it has or hasn't, but at least people pay more attention now. You see slogans before matches on banners and on T-shirts, things like that. So do I think it is raising awareness. Did it change anything? That's difficult to do. To a degree, you need to go back in time.

Soccernet: You're tight with San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker. How often do you guys talk?

Henry: Two to three times a week. Tony's amazing; what he's doing is out of this world. I grew up watching basketball.

Soccernet: So it's true that you're really a huge NBA junkie?

Henry: Oh, it's what I do. I just love basketball. I had a chance to meet a lot of my favorite players at Tony's wedding. I stay in contact with Deron Williams, who I think is a tremendous point guard. I also know [fellow Frenchman] Ronny Turiaf and Steve Nash; I love those guys. For me, it was like a dream to meet them all, because if I hadn't played soccer, I would have liked to play basketball.

Soccernet: So you're planning on attending lots of NBA games here in the States over La Liga's winter break.

Henry: I'm definitely going to see San Antonio. I went to the Finals last year, the last game against Cleveland. Then we'll see. I'd like to go to Los Angeles to see Utah play the Lakers, so I can see Deron play against Ronny. As you might know, there's no winter break in England, for the first time in eight years, I have a break, I can't believe it (laughs). That's the one thing that really kills me in Europe, because I love basketball so much. We play at the same time, so it's hard to go to games.

SI.com: But a lot of these players say that because they want to disappear and live somewhat anonymously here after they retire. A lot of people would recognize you in the U.S.

Henry: Yes, to a degree. But I always go to America when I have down time because I can just chill. When I go to New York, L.A., Miami, it's still OK. There are always some people who recognize me, who know their soccer. But I can go to the movies any time and have a popcorn and a Pepsi and just sit down and that's it. When I'm there, I feel relaxed and comfortable.

Soccernet: I understand that you recently said you are planning on buying a major part of a NBA franchise. Is that true?

Henry: The truth is, I just love America. Everything about it: the way you think, the sports, both basketball and American football, there's always some sports to watch, something to do. Since I was young, I've always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted live there and maybe do some business as well. Read on a newspaper that a NBA franchise was on sale, so I can say this rumors are true.

Last edited by kibaxx7 on Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

I actually learned something from reading one of your Dimes i did not know that Mo Williams was in that 203 draft ! Man loved the peice you did about Shaq and the 2010 and Bosh .

Yep did some research on Internet and found out about the Shaq's Magic buy

Nice stuff dude, Loving the Henry articles

Nice stuff dude, Loving the Henry articles

Thanks bro.

Man,this is GREAT !!! How you do these animations with the scores,the TV showing pictures of the game,the team bars with results,I mean it's too hard for a simple photoshop manip..It's great,keep it up,I'm loving it !

This is one of the greatest dynasties for me..i love all the recaps..and graphics and all.I like the idea of the interview with Thierry,im big fan of him !

Great feature! Noticed you use Photoimpact - something I do to. Although you master in it a bit better then I do.

JAMES, DURANT NAMED PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Cavaliers and Thunder forwards honored by NBA.com staff


Props to c0nr4d (here); sorry about the players cropping, I need more practice

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Nov. 2-8.

James' league-best 29.5 ppg last week helped Cleveland to a 3-1 mark. With wins over Indiana and Chicago twice (loss against Dallas), the Cavaliers upped their season record to 4-3 and sit alone atop the Central Division. James added 7.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Durant led the Thunder to a 3-0 week, including victories over the Timberwolves, Celtics and Jazz. He averaged 41.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.6 blocks on the week. For the week, Durant shot .540 (47-of-87) from the field and .888 (24-of-27) from the charity stripe.

Here is a recap of the week for James and Durant:

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

• Nov. 3 at Dallas: Tallied 17 points, five rebounds, ten assists and three steals in a 100-110 loss against the Mavericks.
  
• Nov. 5 vs. Chicago: Recorded 29 points, seven rebounds, ten assists and three steals in a 126-102 win over the Bulls.
• Nov. 7 vs. Indiana: Scored a season high 45 points and added seven rebounds and eight assists in a 116-115 win over the Pacers.
• Nov. 8 at Chicago: Posted 27 points to go with 9 rebounds and six assists in a 110-96 win against the Bulls.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

• Nov. 2 vs. Minnesota: Scored 43 points and added seven rebounds and three steals in a 112-101 win over the Wolves.
  
• Nov. 5 vs. Boston: Poured in 41 points and added 6 rebounds, two assists and four blocks in a 120-97 win over the Celtics, shooting 16-of-25 field goals (.640%).
• Nov. 7 at Utah: Recorded 39 points, five rebounds and six assists in the Thunder' 110-108 win over the Jazz.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki; Denver's Chauncey Billups; Indiana's Danny Granger; LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant; Miami's Dwyane Wade; Minnesota's Randy Foye; New Jersey’s Vince Carter; Orlando's Dwight Howard; Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala; Phoenix's Steve Nash; and San Antonio’s Manu Ginóbili.

Man,this is GREAT !!! How you do these animations with the scores,the TV showing pictures of the game,the team bars with results,I mean it's too hard for a simple photoshop manip..It's great,keep it up,I'm loving it !

Thanks man, tomorrow I'm gonna post the game against Atlanta...

This is one of the greatest dynasties for me..i love all the recaps..and graphics and all.I like the idea of the interview with Thierry,im big fan of him !

Thanks, kinda strange no one said anything about my plan, looking at Thierry's interview last question, if you know what I mean

Great feature! Noticed you use Photoimpact - something I do to. Although you master in it a bit better then I do.

Yeah, I only use Photoshop to do the player cards, then I do everything in Photoimpact, more familiarized with it.

I will be impressed if you don't run out of ideas for LeBron cards.

I will be impressed if you don't run out of ideas for LeBron cards.

Well, he will surely win a couple of POY awards, so I'll see

Wow awesome work

Thierry

Another Awesome Assoicition thread with Great Pictures

Awesome creativity and plenty of information to read

Should be another sticky on how to do it right

I am also a Thierry Henry fan as well

Awesome work on the Assoc. I love the detail and Graphics for every write up. It must be a lot of fun creating it all Keep up the good work!

CARTER: COVER OF SLAM MAGAZINE
Vince to appear on the issue #104


(Made my own version of the original SLAM cover)

NEW JERSEY, Nov. 11 -- The New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter has been chosen today by SLAM Magazine to be the cover of their issue #104.

Carter's 20.2 this season has helped New Jersey to a league-best 7-1 mark, with wins over Washington, Golden State, Detroit, Miami, Indiana (twice) and Atlanta (loss against Phoenix). Carter will give SLAM an exclusive interview and the magazine wants the fans to send their questions. Send your name, location and question over this thread.

Wow awesome work

Thierry

Another Awesome Assoicition thread with Great Pictures

Awesome creativity and plenty of information to read

Should be another sticky on how to do it right

I am also a Thierry Henry fan as well

Nice to see another TH14 fan on board. No one understood Thierry's plan? (last question of the interview) I suppose yes but no one said anything

Awesome work on the Assoc. I love the detail and Graphics for every write up. It must be a lot of fun creating it all Keep up the good work!

It was more fun before, I had more time. Now I have a job (in fact i'm at work right now) the association's going slower but I won't stop it, I'm even thinking in adding more stuff.

good to hear man. Keep it up. A Henry fan is always worth having around!

but he is not really buying the Magic is he?

good to hear man. Keep it up. A Henry fan is always worth having around!

but he is not really buying the Magic is he?

Lol man no Didn't saw the link in that last question?

Damn,I'm getting AMAZED by your Photoshop skills ! Can you PM me how you do these things ?

Damn,I'm getting AMAZED by your Photoshop skills ! Can you PM me how you do these things ?

Sorry man, the only thing I do in Photoshop is the POY cards, and they aren't even mine, asked permission for them, everything else I do it in Photoimpact.

Someone ask a question for VC's interview, come on

Hey Vince, where would you like to finish your career? In New Jersey?

And what are your thoughts on a reunion with your cousin T-Mac later in your careers?

And can I have your babies?

The first two more serious than the third.

nice cover brother!

Vince, what is so different about this season that is making you win more games? John, Australia