[Live 05]07-08 Blazers- D-Miles Trade Rumours

[Its_asdf]

Hello children. With the hype surrounding the new Blazers team this year, I was motivated to start a dynasty. However, I'll be running the show a little differently from the offseason so I hope you'll like it. Since I'm using NBA Live 2005, there are a few minor adjustments that I had to make for this dynasty since 2005 is getting pretty outdated, but thanks to Shannon and a couple of other guy's dedication to 2005 I thought I might revisit this.

Portland Trail Blazers



06-07 Recap

Click here to view 06-07 Blazer stats

The 06-07 season was one to forget for the Blazers. Portland kicked off the season to a good start by going 6-4 the first two months of the season, but Portland's wheels fell apart as soon as they failed to get past the month of January; their most busiest and toughest month. The Blazers lost all ten games that they played during that month; in 8 of those games their opponents scored 100 points or more. The young Blazer team quickly began playing discouraged basketball, losing 12 games straight and eventually fell to 6-17. The Blazers were now the league's new punching bag, winning only two more games and finished the season with a dismal 8-21 record.

Click here to view Western Conference standings
Click here to view Eastern Conference standings

With all of the negativity floating around the team's poor performance in the win-loss columns, there were without a doubt many flashes of positivity from many of younger Blazer players. Second year players Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack stepped their game up a notch and were invited to participate in the All-Star Weekend's Rookie-Sophomore game along side the league's young stars. Webster also found himself competing in three point shooting contest as he managed to shoot a sizzling 50% from beyond the arc throughout the entire season; providing proof that he is an adequate spark off the bench from the perimeter. Jarrett Jack emerged as the team's starting point guard by providing a steady pace for the Blazer offence. Jack's role as the team's main floor general helped him average 5.5 assists while also averaging 14.6 points a night.

Perhaps what gave Blazer fans a reason for keeping their fingers crossed for most of the season were Blazer rookies Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Roy emerged as Portland's versatile swingman as he had the second highest point per game (15.9 points) and assist per game (5.0 assists) averages on the team. Aldridge also complimented star Blazer Zach Randolph in the post with his perimeter oriented game at the centre position while also leading the team in blocks. Not to be outdone by the sohpomores Jack and Webster, Roy and Alridge also managed to make it to the Rookie-Sophomore game as starters. Roy was also named to the first All Rookie Team and also managed to win rookie of the month an eye-popping 4 times. Roy might have seemed to be the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, but Memphis Grizzlies' foward Rudy Gay earned the award after he helped propel his team to the playoffs; something Roy failed to do.

Click here to view All Rookie Team
Click here to view All Rookie Team 2

Other Awards/The Playoffs

I can't really give much background info on the awards/playoffs because I simply simmed through the entire season without stopping.


Click here to view Rookie of Year - Rudy Gay
Coach of the Year - Lawrence Frank
Defensive Player of the Year - Ben Wallace
Most Improved Player - Andre Iguodala
MVP - LeBron James (all other top candidates can be seen as well)
Sixth Man of the Year - Troy Murphy

All NBA Team
All NBA Team 2
All Defence Team
All Defence Team 2



Western Conference Playoff Bracket - Winner: Phoenix
Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket - Winner: Chicago


NBA Finals - Winner: Phoenix 2-0 (Click on text to see Phoenix's team playoff stats)
Shawn Marion Named Finals MVP

Up Next: Draft

[Cartar]

Good luck with the dynasty!

[jonthefon]

Looks very good .

I never really like shortened season stuff, but it doesn't actually matter how long a season is.

You're going to get a high pick, so pick wisely.

Good luck!

[Clutch]

awesome start ol' timer!
i see the Suns are ruling your roost too (just like in mine) - take 'em down man, take 'em down! look forward to following this one for sure

[Its_asdf]

Draft Board (First Round)


1. LA Lakers - G. Oden
2. New York - K. Durant
3. Atlanta - B. Wright
4. Portland - A. Horford
5. LA Clippers - J. Noah
6. Seattle - J. Yi
7. Milwaukee - J. Wright
8. Philadelphia - H. Thabeet
9. Miami - C. Brewer
10. Indiana - A. Gray
11. Golden State - T. Young
12. Boston - A. Tucker
13. Utah - D. Athur
14. New Orleans - N. Young
15. Toronto - J. McRoberts
16. Charlotte - M. Belinelli
17. Washington - M. Williams
18. Minnesota - A. Thornton
19. Cleveland - J. Green
20. Orlando - D. James
21. Memphis - A. Law
22. Chicago - D. Cook
23. Detriot - T. Hansbrough
24. Sacramento - T. Splitter
25. Dallas - R. Hibbert
26. San Antonio - J. Smith
27. Houston - N. Fazekas
28. Pho - H. Hill
29. Denver - K. Visser
20. New Jersey - M. Almond


Draft Board (Second Round)

1. Portland - B. Rush
2. LA Clippers - J. Singletary
3. LA Lakers - D. Byars
4. Atlanta - R. Fernandez
5. Seattle - A. Affalo
6. New York - M. Gasol
7. Milwaukee - J. Davidson
8. Philadelphia - D. White
9. Miami - M. Shakur
10. Indiana - T. Green
11. Golden State - D. Nichols
12. Boston - B. Brown
13. Utah - L. Hamilton
14. Toronto - A. Brooks
15. Charlotte - J. Reynolds
16. Washington - J. Gordon
17. New Orleans - R. Terry
18. Minnesota - A. Wyatt
19. Cleveland - I. Radenovic
20. Orlando - Q. Hosley
21. Memphis - R. Lewis
22. Chicago - S. Williams
23. Detriot - D. Watkins
24. Sacramento - S. Lasme
25. Dallas - C. Sumpter
26. San Antonio - B. Newley
27. Houston - A. Traore
28. Phoenix - M. Akubar
29. Denver - A. Haluska
30. New Jersey - M. Begic


Up Next: Trades, Signings, etc.

[Its_asdf]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Good luck with the dynasty!

Thanks. Just trying to keep the dynasty section a little more active.

Looks very good .

I never really like shortened season stuff, but it doesn't actually matter how long a season is.

You're going to get a high pick, so pick wisely.

Good luck!

Shortened seasons do make it a little less realistic, but since this is more of just an over-the-summer kind of thing I figured I might as well keep it short and sweet.

awesome start ol' timer!
i see the Suns are ruling your roost too (just like in mine) - take 'em down man, take 'em down! look forward to following this one for sure

I'm not sure if I'm in contention status yet, but I'll try to pull a few trades to help better my chances.

[---]

You passed on Demetris Nichols!?

Well... I'm disappointed. I thought we had some sort of connection - uncanny similarities in our affection for certain raw, athletic swingmen. Then again, Demetris isn't raw or athletic.

I forgive you.

Seriously though, good luck with this. Aldridge + Horford is a killer frontline. I should of hooked you up with my personal update of the Draft patch, it just sets the rookie rankings properly so guys like Roy Hibbert go top 10 and guys like Herbert Hill, Dominic James and Aaron Gray go very late 1st/2nd round. Ah well.

Good luck with this, it makes me wanna get my Bulls dynasty rolling again. In fact I might do that today.

I'm expecting some great write ups as usual from you man, make sure to grab one of Seushiro's AIACT's (Realistic: MM07, Tad more flashy: Integra V1.04 I think) to make the gameplay 10x better. Have fun.

I can't believe you passed on Demetris.

[Its_asdf]

Wait, you're telling me you don't like Brandon Rush? The man's a killer scoring machine. Haha anyway, it was a toss up between Nichols, Rush or Byars and I just happened to choose Rush because he was a late first rounder and Nichols was an early second rounder. Rush, Byars and Nichols all hold a special place in my heart, don't worry.

Nichols wouldn't have played an important role in my dynasty if I drafted him anyway, you'll see why soon enough.

I'll check out the MM Ai Act. I wanted to download one but there were like 5 different ones so I wasn't too sure which one to pick.

I'm getting giddy now that you're restarting your Bulls dynasty. Pure sexiness.

[Its_asdf]

Off-Season

July Transactions Around the League
August/September Transactions Around the League

If you're too lazy to browse through the entire list, here are some of the key (although mentally retarded) transactions this off-season made by the A.I. that didn't involve resigning players:

-Magloire signs with Bobcats (49.9million/6years )
-Heat trades Corey Brewer to Warriors for Thaddeus Young (Made no sense since they already have a similar SF in Dorrell Wright)
-Steve Francis to Utah for Andrei Kirilenko (so much for drafting Durant, you faggots)
-Bulls sign Anderson Varejao for 10.85 million/5 years (Because the Bulls needed a post scorer and Varejao obviously delivers in that department )


Randolph Dealt to New York
Blazers' Problem Child/All-Star Goes East For Frye, Q & Collins

In:


Out:


July 28, 2007

When the Portland Trail Blazers used their fourth overall pick to draft Al Horford in the 2007 draft, everyone knew that it would only be a matter of time before franchise player Zach Randolph would have to pack his bags. The 6'9 All-Star foward will be moved along with Sergio Rodriguez and second round pick Brandon Rush to the struggling Eastern Conference squad New York Knicks to pair up with star rookie Kevin Durant in exchange for Channing Frye, Quentin Richardson and Mardy Collins.

"...The drafting of Horford and the moving of Randolph was being discussed even before the draft," said Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard. "Even though we had the highest chance to get the first overall pick, the lottery forced to move down to the fourth overall pick. We knew for sure that Durant and Oden would be gone by then and we still wanted to draft the best player available. Horford, Brendan Wright and Joakim Noah all were very intriuging prospects, but all of them played the same position Randolph had played."

While Pritchard did not directly indicate that Randolph's off-court troubles were the main reason why Horford was drafted and why he was traded to New York, Pritchard did feel like Randolph needed a change of scenery. "Randolph of course is an all-star player, a 22-10 guy that will really help whoever's team he's on," Pritchard had said. "He just didn't fit into what we were looking for when we were designing this team. He was a piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit into what we're tryng to build."

Randolph enjoyed a stellar season last year, averaging career-highs in both scoring and rebounding with 22 points a game and 11 boards a night. He also upped his blocks per game to a career-high 0.93, helping him earn his first all-star appearance and was also in the league's top ten in terms of scoring and rebounding averages. However, these statisics have never translated into wins as the Blazers have never made it to the playoffs ever since they began building around Randolph when he earned the Most Improved Player award back in 2004.

With the departure of such a major asset, the Blazers have attempted to fill that void in the power foward position by drafting agressive big man Al Horford and have also acquired foward Channing Frye from the Knicks. Frye had an up-and-down season last year as a full-time starter in his second season as he played inconsistently against other starting power fowards, but Pritchard remains impressed with Frye's skillset.

"He's not a banger, but he's a got a very feathery touch from the perimeter and he wants to improve on his play in the post. That's why he struggled so much in his sophomore year with the Knicks, because he wanted to try and play differently from the way he was accustomed to playing. We want to develop both his inside and outside skills, but by drafting Horford we allow both Frye and Aldridge to play that outside game they thrive to play in."

Former NBA three-point champion Quentin Richardson struggled last season, averaging only 12.7 points per game while shooting 36% from beyond the arc due to back problems that allowed him to only play 17 games. Richardson is currently rehabbing his back and is hoping to join the Blazers by training camp at 100%.


Channing Frye (left), will attempt to fill the void at foward left by Randolph. Mardy Collins (middle) will play the role as backup guard for Jarrett Jack and can fill in at the 2 if necessary. Quentin Richardson (right) will be hoping to bounce back from an injury riddled season

[rl564411]

nice moves! Richardson is a good pickup

[Its_asdf]

Blazers Not Done Dealing
Portland Can't Agree to a Deal with Outlaw; Sign and Trade to Miami Instead

In:


Out:


August 3, 2007


Kevin Pritchard made it clear that he was not shy about making major changes to the Trail Blazers' roster as their new General Manager. Shortly after trading away all-star foward Zach Randolph, Pritchard had announced that he had successfully completed a sign and trade with the Miami Heat to send them athletic swingmen Fred Jones and Travis Outlaw in exchange for Dorell Wright and future hall of famer Gary Payton.

The Blazers' roster now has a total of 6 new players, the longest serving Blazer on the roster being Darius Miles who has spent 3 and a half seasons with the team. Joel Przybilla is a close second with only 3 seasons as a Blazer under his belt.

Travis Outlaw was drafted in the much talked about 2003 draft class and was taken by the Blazers for his ability to create exciting plays with his athletic ability and freakishly long arms. Most of Outlaw's potential has still unremained untapped after 4 seasons with the Blazers and has failed to live up to expectations. Outlaw was given ample opportunity in the 06-07 season as Portland's sixth man off the bench, but struggled to produce by only averaging 4.2 points per game. He was also beaten out by journeyman Ime Udoka for the starting foward spot.

Outlaw was a free agent this off-season and demanded 20.58 million dollars over 5 years. Pritchard and the rest of the Blazer staff felt that Outlaw was not worth his asking price.

"Outlaw has shown a willingness to resign with this team, but in the end he hasn't shown us as much as we'd hope to see," explains Kevin Pritchard. "We did not feel like the money he was asking for was reasonable considering not only his performance last season, but the progession he had made throughout his entire tenure as a Blazer." Pritchard however stated that he wished Outlaw the best of luck in his new home. "We did get a lot of inquiries about Outlaw so we felt the best thing to do was to at least help bring him to a destination that would help him prosper as a player and at the same time help this Blazer team get better as well. We felt that the Miami Heat proposed an offer that helped better both teams."

Portland native Fred Jones was also dealt after averaging 2.1 points per game and 0.4 assists per game. The undersized shooting guard was traded from the Raptors to Portland and has not seen much playing time ever since.

The 6'8 Dorell Wright was drafted out of high school for his mouthwatering potential and amazing athleticism much like Outlaw. Wright was drafted one year after Outlaw, so the Blazers in return have acquired a cheaper and a slightly similar player to Outlaw.

After adding Quentin Richardson and the possible return of Darius Miles this season, Wright looks like he might not find much playing time this season though. Wright also failed to recieve much playing time with the Heat as they opted to play more experienced and veteran players ahead of Wright. Wright eventually spent the entire 06-07 season in the NBDL.

"We're excited about adding what looks to be a future star in Dorell Wright," Blazer head coach Nate McMillan had said. "Pritchard and I have talked about how well Wright can fit into the scheme of things right now, but from the looks of things I think that Wright could benefit from spending some more time in the D-League."

Gary Payton also could prove to be a valuable asset to the Blazers, but from the looks of things Payton was simply there to make salaries match and could possibly be waived by the team. Payton makes an estimated $6 million this year and the 17 year veteran might call it quits. "Payton's future is still up in the air and it all depends on whether or not he's still willing to play," said Pritchard. "We know that we're a rebuilding team so Payton's experience is a very asset to this team, but whether or not he feels he can still handle the rigors of the NBA and if he's willing to participate in a rebuilding situation is up to him."


Dorell Wright (left) has a bright future, but could possibly stay another year at the D-League. Gary Payton (right) on the other hand, is a veteran with a valuable expiring contract

[Its_asdf]

Training Camp Invitees Getting Second Chance
Pape Sow and C.J. Miles Signed to League Minimum



October 26, 2007

The harsh reality that the NBA is a business finally hit Pape Sow and C.J. Miles this summer when both the Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz both failed to resign them. Instead of being just another youngster kicked to the curb, the Portland Trail Blazers have decided to give these two players a second shot and making it in the NBA.

The Blazers' invited Miles and Sow to Training Camp a week ago, and so far the two youngsters have done nothing but impress the Blazer training staff. Granted that Miles and Sow aren't expected to do much (they are training camp invitees after all), their strong work ethic has set them apart from other training camp invitees who have failed to make the cut.

"I know that I'm not going to average 20 points a game off the bat or anything," announced Miles, the 20 year old Dallas native drafted out of high school. "What I came here to do is to work hard and do what the coaches tell me to do. I'm just here to come in and try to help this team." Pape Sow spoke similarly of his goals.

"There is a lot of talent on this squad, especially in the position I play, (power foward, centre)," said Sow with his deep Senegal accent. "I just want to do the best I can because playing in the NBA is a dream that I won't give up that easily."

Sow spent last year rehabbing a vetebra injury that he had sustained last season in training camp when he was with the Raptors. Sow did not play a single game for Toronto even after he had rehabbed successfully from his injury and it did not look like the Raptors were intent on keeping Sow for much longer after they advanced to the semi-finals in the playoffs without his help. "It was tough for me to watch them (the Raptors) play while I was stuck with the injury and then when he recover you realize that you aren't going to play anyway," Sow had said.

Both players should not expect a lot of minutes since Miles ( a 2-guard) and Sow (a foward/centre) both play positions that already have a solid rotation of guys that should be getting higher priority and plenty of minutes. Blazer head coach Nate McMillan though, believes that players earn their minutes. "Anyone can be a starter, anyone can get minutes on this team, it all just depends on whether or not you're willing to work for it," McMillan declared. "Miles and Sow look like long shots to play, but if they can outwork some players that I won't be suprised to see them get some playing time. Ime Udoka did that last year and he really played well for us as a starter. I'm willing to let the players earn their own minutes as long as they work for them."



C.J. Miles (left) is yet another high-school player who made the jump to the NBA. Pape Sow (right) hopes to get his career back on track after he spent last season recovering from a deadly neck injury.

[Its_asdf]

nice moves! Richardson is a good pickup

Thanks man, I'm a Q-Rich fan so hopefully I can use him well enough to give him consistent minutes.

Oh Snap. A triple post. I guess that's what happens when a forum is on the brink of death.

[---]

C.J. Miles...

The only thing I don't like about the C.J. pickp is that he's really similar to Martell Webster. I prefer Martell, so I hope C.J. doesn't take his minutes, even though I like C.J. alot.

The Outlaw/Wright deal was pretty nice. I love both of those guys too so I like the trade.

I don't know about the NYK trade though. I'm not a fan of Mardy, Channing or Q-Rich, but I don't really like any of the guys you gave up. I think if you could have got someone like a David Lee, it would be nice. Still, you cleared plenty of room for Al to flourish.

[23 LeBron]

this ones good keep it goin

[Its_asdf]

I know you guys must be tired of just reading a bunch of text over and over, so luckily after this I'll be starting the regular season. The first game will be against Greg Oden and the LA Lakers.


Man on a Mission
Webster Strives for New Heights This Season

October 30, 2007

With the final day of training camp finally winding down, the Portland media races to see and interview some of the Blazer players and coaching staff that will be on board for this year. Many new faces litter the team's roster this season; many of which would be surrounded by a numerous amount of cameras clicking in their direction and microphones shoved to their face, eagerly waiting for a question to be answered. This however, is not the case for third year Trail Blazer Martell Webster.

Other than the occasional mundane question here and there by the media, the press seems intent on flocking towards the likes of Brandon Roy, Quentin Richardson, Channing Frye and Nate McMillan for interviews on the team's new direction this season. Webster doesn't seem to mind though. He knows training camp is over and with the regular season looming, he knows he still has work to do.

The third year foward was once heralded as the team's saviour. Portland was tagged with the dreaded "Jail Blazer" nickname after all of the off-court problems that the Blazer players from a few years ago used to cause. In an effort to ditch the "Jail Blazer" label, Portland used the 6th pick in the 2005 draft to select Webster fresh out of high school. With Webster hailing from Seattle and his seemingless limitless scoring potential to go along with his humble demeanor and rock solid work ethic, it seemed like a match made in heaven for Portland to help save their franchise and turn it around. Two seasons have gone by now and it seems like Webster might have been more of a project than expected.

The high schooler failed to make a smooth transition into the NBA in his rookie season and was sent to the D-League for a good portion of the season and also racked up plenty DNP-CDs next to his name on the stat sheet. In his sophomore year, Webster made strides from his first year by averaging 7.3 points per game and shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help him win over the critics and expectations set on him. Now in his third year, expectations seem to be lowered even further and the excitement of 8 new players from the recent roster overhaul has made Webster even less recognized. Head coach Nate McMillan knows that if Martell is going to make it in the NBA, this is the season to prove it.

"He's a very young man, coming out of high school and having such great expectations set out on him can be taxing at times," said McMillan, hinting at Webster's need for more emotional toughness. "The small foward spot is up for grabs again this year and Webster needs to show me that he can play. Its' his third year so he can't be babied any more, this is the NBA."

Monty Williams, a former NBA player, knows the stresses that can be caused from the NBA. Williams believes that Websters' overworking attitude attributes to his struggles on the court. " He's still young so he makes occasional slip ups on the court every now and then, so he takes it out on himself and that takes him out of his comfort zone." explains Williams. "I'm no psychiatrist, but I know Websters' got a real gift and a worker's mentality, he wants to become a great basketball player, but he wants to become great right away so badly, that it sort becomes his gift and his curse."

Webster now believes that he is ready emotionally and physically to take the grind of the NBA full-time. "Last year there were a lot of ups and downs for me and I really got down on myself a lot of the times when I made mistakes on the court. You know, I've been talking a lot to (assistant) coach Monty Williams and he's really helped me out with this kind of stuff, he gave me really good advice on how you have to just look at it one play at a time and not get too down on yourself." He later added with a grin, "This is going to be my year. I'm going to be a man on a mission this season."



Martell Webster's main focus during the off-season was to become more efficient off the dribble.

[Its_asdf]

C.J. Miles...

The only thing I don't like about the C.J. pickp is that he's really similar to Martell Webster. I prefer Martell, so I hope C.J. doesn't take his minutes, even though I like C.J. alot.

The Outlaw/Wright deal was pretty nice. I love both of those guys too so I like the trade.

I don't know about the NYK trade though. I'm not a fan of Mardy, Channing or Q-Rich, but I don't really like any of the guys you gave up. I think if you could have got someone like a David Lee, it would be nice. Still, you cleared plenty of room for Al to flourish.

If you read the article that I wrote on Webster, I'm pretty sure that you'll know that Webster won't be outdone by Miles. I'm Liking C.J. a lot too. He reminds me more of Ray Allen because he seems to be more like a pure two guard and has some pretty good passing skills while Webster to me is more of a sf-sg hybrid that's better suited for foward.

I'm in love with Dorell Wright as well. He's younger than Outlaw and will hopefully command less money than Outlaw so I figured I might as well trade for him instead. Live 2005 has really poor negotiation A.I. when it comes to signing contracts, which is why I had to let Outlaw go.

Yep, I've "tested" out Horford in a few games and I must say that he's a blast to play with, along with all of the others that I"ve acquired. He's going to get some minutes, thats for sure. But I don't know about being put into the starting 5 just yet...

this ones good keep it goin

Thanks dude, I appreciate the support.

[Clutch]

nice read; Kobe and Oden, eh? should be interesting; look forward to the recap

[Mark.]

Great read, loving your work dude, I love the Gp signing

[Its_asdf]

Horford, Q Put Away Lakers in Season Opener


92 80

BOXSCORE

Rookie Al Horford helped the Blazers build their gigantic lead early on in the game, but it was Quentin Richardson who helped the team weather a Laker come back during the second half of the game.

Portland's fourth pick had a solid NBA debut off the bench as he just missed a double double with 11 points and 9 rebounds on 5 of 7 shooting. He also provided exellent interior defence with 2 blocks, and also spoiled Greg Oden's first NBA game, holding the first overall pick in the 2007 draft to only 6 points. "I'm just happy I got off to the right start," says Horford, who was ironically dominanted by Oden in the NCAA championship game. "I just wanted to show what I can bring to this team and that's defence and an inside presence on offence."

Horford wasn't the only one clicking on defence, as the Blazers held the Lakers to only 40% from the field. They also denied Laker superstar Kobe Bryant the ball and got him in early foul trouble as he finished with only 9 points and 8 shot attempts. "Everything that could've went wrong, went wrong," said Laker coach Phil Jackson. "Our offence was attrocious and they were hitting everything. I'm suprised we didn't lose by 40 and even managed to get back into the game with the way our team played."

When Bryant picked up his second foul early in the second quarter, the Blazers made a 12-2 run and led 49-30 by halftime after the Laker offence went cold as they hit only 19% from the field that quarter. Horford led the second quarter surge by scoring 9 points in the quarter, which included an impressive sequence where he blocked a dunk attempt by Oden and then at the other end threw down a two handed dunk on him and was fouled for a three point play. "That made my night," grinned Martell Webster, who nailed 3 3-point attempts and scored 17 points off the bench. "The entire bench went nuts on that play. I think even coach McMillan smiled at that."

The game was far from over though, as the Lakers responded with a 16-2 run mid way through the third. Smush Parker scored 11 of his 22 points in the quarter and narrowed the lead to 66-61 by the end of the third quarter to help get the Laker crowd roaring with excitement. This run was cut short by another Blazer run in the beginning of the final quarter that pushed the lead back out to double digits. Brandon Roy nailed a turnaround 15 foot jumper and a freethrow to give Portland a comfy 79-65 lead with 3 minutes remaining to squash any chance of a Laker comeback.

Quentin Richardson seemed to be struggling in his Blazer debut as he shot only 2 of 8 from the field, but elevated his game to another level and managed to score 8 crucial points for Portland down the stretch to keep the Lakers at bay and maintain the double-digit advantage. He also held Bryant was held to only one shot in the fourth. "He was big for us," said Nate McMillan. "The Lakers were pushing us against the wall and he responded well. I'm glad he realized that he could take guys in the post and score on their guards at will."


Al Horford's interior defence suprised the Laker offence


Martell Webster slashes his way to the paint for a slam
Q was too tough to stop when he began playing with his back to the basket
Brandon Roy adding some extra flair in one of his three assists
Smush Parker was the only person consistently hitting shots for LA
Channing Frye, LaMarcus Aldridge and Al Horford took turns frustrating Oden in the paint

[Its_asdf]

nice read; Kobe and Oden, eh? should be interesting; look forward to the recap

Thanks man, its a good thing the A.I. was too stupid to realize how dominant Oden really was... I kind of felt sorry for Oden so I let him get a couple freebies.

Great read, loving your work dude, I love the Gp signing

Hey, long time to see man, I can't wait 'till you start up an '08 dynasty when the new Live comes out. I doubt I'll be keeping Payton though, I don't think I can find any playing time for him since I plan to use Roy as the backup point guard when JJ needs a rest.

[buzzy]

Pfew, Kobe with only 9 points. Anyway nice game and recap there, nice debut for Horford

[---]

Goddamit, I just wrote out a pretty lengthy post and lost it because I automatically got signed out.

Anyway, loved the Webster feature. You should become a writer, your damn good at it - even when working on a video game. Theres no recent news or info about the guys personalities to feed off of.

Al Horford looks good for 20/10 as a starter and a major threat on both ends as he begins to earn big minutes. Dump it down low and yet the young Elton brand get to work. Aldridge/Horford/Frye frontcourt is seriously good for 50 points every game.

Great work.

[Jing]

you had to let Oden score 6 points.

[Clutch]

great opener man! nice solid/balanced attack by your 'Blazers

my Rockets squad just played Lakers as well - compare Kobe's stats to yours - what a trip!