Blue & White: Ignite (7-2) :: Corrupted :(

[john26]

Good dynasty, recaps are fun to read.
Superman's got a nice house.

[kibaxx7]

LaMarcus Aldridge did what he usually does - only better than he's ever done it. With that, the Portland Trail Blazers, who started the season 0-5, who played six of their first seven games against teams that had won at least 52 games last season, are now 2-5 after two consecutive wins, over 4-1 Minnesota and over 6-0 Orlando. Aldridge had 31 points to go with 10 rebounds and 6 assists as the Blazers raced to a 118-105 victory over the Orlando Magic. Brandon Roy had 35 points and 7 assists, as they shot a combined 27-of-34 from the field. "We just wanted to be in the right spots and just wanted to be a lot more aggressive,'' Roy said. "I just felt like I was going to be more aggressive, put the onus on myself to make plays, even when that's Steve's (Blake) job.''

Coach Nate McMillan said that "the speed of the game was ours,'' he said. "They surprised us with their intensity in the beginning of the game, but we have our system, and we ran it pretty good today. We had 35 assists on 50 baskets and that's because of our spacing. That's what we do. The guys had to quicken the pace.'' Did they ever, Blake had 23 points and 12 assists, center Greg Oden scored 12 points and Travis Outlaw added 8 for Portland. McMillan said, had the Blazers shot the ball like they usually do, Blake might have had 15 assists. Teammate Joel Przybilla went his coach one better. "If we shot the ball well, he could have had 20,'' the center said. "We run when he runs. He's the engine that can really rev us up and get us in transition.'' Aldridge said that "we made a conscious effort to control the paint defensively. It was very physical. I've got a few war wounds I've got to take with me, but you do whatever it takes to win.''

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 23 points, and made himself present in almost every stat, with 16 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks, but scored only four points in the fourth quarter. Courtney Lee added 17 points and Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis scored 16 and 14 points, respectively (the Turkish added 7 rebounds and 7 assists and Lewis shot 6-of-10), for the Magic, who committed only 6 turnovers to 11 for Portland. "They just had too much firepower for us today,'' Lewis said. "You knew they were going to step up and respond to the challenge.'' Portland won thanks to a 18-2 run in the last 2 minutes of the game, but were outrebounded 30-28. Two baskets by Outlaw and two free throws by Aldridge made it 100-98 for the Blazers before Turkoglu scored five points to make it 103-100 for Orlando. But the Magic weren't able to score another field goal after that, with the already mentioned 18-2 run for Portland taking place. "They were a better team than we were today. They were a little quicker at everything,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We have to get ourselves geared up.''

Game Notes
• The Magic finished their homestand 4-1;
• Rafer Alston was in the starting lineup once again and posted 8 points;
• Jameer Nelson, coming from the bench, had 15 and 12 assists;
• Tyronn Lue posted a trillion in the game (thanks Lamrock for the information);
• The Blazers shot 11-of-25 3-pointers;
• Orlando had 4 blocks to 11 by Portland;
• The Magic embark on a three-game road swing; at Oklahoma City, a Friday stop in Dallas and a visit in Charlotte;
• Portland stays on the road for three more games before returning home.

[H00PL0VE]

Tough loss against my team lol. ROy and Aldridge were hot. If you had another 20+performer I think you wouldve had this.

[Hedonist]

It's just that I don't use Hedo a lot, I try to focus the scoring on Howard, Lewis from a mid-range shooting, the same with Lee (he's a beast, he shoots really well) and Nelson on assists, also Pietrus, I don't like Hedo very much. Most probably, I will use him as trade bait.

I can't really blame you, he does't really play in a spectacular fashion and he is one of the older guys in your roster with an expiring contract.

I really like him though because he is a true matchplayer, he plays to win and he is very allround. Even in their lost opener against the Lakers yesterday you could see that. He was arguably the only player in the Magic starting line-up that was ready to go and take it to the Lakers hitting his first three shots and scoring 9 pts in the 1st qrtr. It seemed that he went down with the growing disbelief of the rest of the team starting in the 2nd instead of him lifting the rest of the team up, but it reinforced my perception of him being the real leader of the team (particularly with Nelson out) rather than the star which is obviously Howard.

You used him well in your last game though lol. Too bad you lost.

[cavs4872]

Tough loss, but you can't win every game. You have a great record right now.

[kibaxx7]

Tough loss against my team lol. ROy and Aldridge were hot. If you had another 20+performer I think you wouldve had this.

Courtney Lee has been playing awesome as of lately. He will turn into a 20+ guy in no time.

I can't really blame you, he does't really play in a spectacular fashion and he is one of the older guys in your roster with an expiring contract. (...) You used him well in your last game though lol. Too bad you lost.

Yes he played good, when both Nelson and Alston were tired I used Hedo as point guard for a little while and there he got the 7 assists.

Tough loss, but you can't win every game. You have a great record right now.

My plan was going 82-0, but, it's not possible Thanks man.

[kibaxx7]

Week 3 Preview
Dwight Howard & Co. embark on a three-game road trip
(VOTE IN THE POLL!)

• Quick Summary: The Thunder isn’t an expansion team. It just feels that way. Many of the names and faces that take the Ford Center court this month wore Sonics green and gold, but the ties to the Pacific Northwest are quickly fading away. Seattle has begrudgingly moved on... with its old nickname intact should the NBA return one day. Oklahoma City has moved forward, christening the Thunder with a smidge of Oklahoma Sooner red and Oklahoma State Cowboy orange. Ford figures to be popping, even if the OKC puts up expansion-type numbers in the win column. P.J. Carlesimo leads a baby-faced squad building for the better days. “I will be shocked if the players don’t, not just pick up where they left off, but play at an even higher level right from the beginning. It will be noticeable to people that these guys are better players than when they left in April.” >> Nick Collison said that “we were 20-62 last year. We have a long way to go. I think they are setting our team up in the future the right way, to be a winner.”

The Thunder’s front office sought veteran help for the soon-to-be sophomores, and hauled in swingman >> Desmond Mason and forward >> Joe Smith. Mason, an Oklahoma State product who also played for the Hornets during their OKC stay, is a career 12.5-points-per-game scorer. Smith has proven solid if unspectacular during a 13-year run after going No. 1 overall out of Maryland. “With Desmond, we really feel strongly about his toughness,” GM Sam Presti said. “It kind of feeds into the identity that we’re trying to build with our team. And with Joe, he adds depth to the frontline, and ability to shoot the ball. And both of them again are going to add some stability and leadership to the young core that we have in place.” Adding to the frontcourt ranks is Collison, a versatile big man who averaged a share less than 10 and 10 last season. Fourth overall pick >> Russell Westbrook joins the show after two years at UCLA, one as a starter. Carlesimo has labeled the point guard a future star, and one scout who watched Westbrook at the Orlando summer league remarked: “He’s flat out the best player here not named Durant.”

• Man On The Spot: >> Kevin Durant. The Thunderstruck Kid is truly the future of the franchise and everyone knows it. “It’s going to be a good opportunity for him to learn from some veteran guys and for us to be around such an extraordinary young talent,” Mason said. “The kid is good. I think everybody knows that. He’s very talented. He seems like he’s got his head on his shoulders.” The team-formally-known-as-the-Sonics did score one major victory last season when Durant, the second pick in the Draft, claimed Rookie of the Year. The Texas Ex wasn’t a popular guy in the Boomer State a couple years back, but now he’s a favorite son. Albeit, an adopted one. The rail-thin Durant spent much of the summer getting stronger. Adding some bulk to his 6-9, 215-pound frame will help him better handle the physical rigors of NBA life. Better make this men, women and children on the spot. The basketball fans of Oklahoma City have opened up their hearts and their wallets in the big way for the state’s first permanent major-league franchise. Season tickets sold out in just five days, as 13,000 seats were gobbled up for all 41 home games.

• Biggest Strengths: Size/rebounding Potential. With Durant playing shooting guard you have a near 6′10 guy at guard who is very agile; >> Jeff Green is a big small forward at 6′9; and >> Chris Wilcox is a solid 6′10 at power forward; a 7-footer at center in >> Nenad Krstic and a 6′3 point guard in Westbrook. Last season the Sonics were second in the NBA in total rebounds per game. The problem: they were also fifth in opponents’ rebounds per game as well, only giving them a +0.5 differential. If they can match their good size and athleticism with proper technique and effort, they have the makings of a very strong rebounding team.

• Biggest Weaknesses: This team was bad last year and have a host of issues and leaks that need to be filled. Just a few that stand out: terrible logo, ugly blue uniforms using the most boring font they could find, 29th in the NBA in turnovers per game, 26th in the league in forced turnovers per game, point differential last season (-8.8, worst in the league). Also, it's very unlikely they will improve their three-point shooting especially since their best shooter (>> Wally Szczerbiak - 42.8%) was traded. They are long and should force more turnovers this season by pressuring the perimeter.

• Their Big 3: Kevin Durant (26.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 APG); Russell Westbrook (18.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.9 APG); Jeff Green (14.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG).

• This Season So Far: 2-5 (.285); 4th in Northwest, 11st in West; 2-2 at Home, 0-3 on Road; 98.3 PPG, 102.7 allowed.

• Quick Summary: What does a franchise do two years removed from the NBA Finals and after two straight first-round flameouts? In Dallas' case, fire the coach. The same Avery Johnson lauded for instilling a battle-hardened attitude the Mavericks lacked took the fall for the mental breakdowns that left the team without an identity. Are these Mavs ready to contend again or has their time in the Western Conference sun passed them by? It's up to Rick Carlisle to figure it out. The former Pistons and Pacers skipper inherits a group that's traded playoff success for YouTube fame. Not a good swap. Carlisle starts work with a former MVP, but the relationship of interest for those who pack American Airlines Center nightly is the one with the other Olympian. >> Jason Kidd and Johnson didn't see eye-to-eye, a surprising turn for those who thought their match was made in Point Guard Heaven. The Little General was never able to cede control to Kidd, and Dallas faded badly after the trade and down the stretch. "He has no problem with guys that he trusts that can run the team," Kidd said of Carlisle. "He said he will call plays at some point, but first will look to get easy baskets. He wants to have a sense of ‘just playing.' Being structured, but playing, because when you get to the Finals, it's not so much about the plays, but being able to play. I'm excited to play for Rick." It's fair to say that Kidd is craving more freedom.

Kidd's rep is built on making those around him better. Heads and hands up, and easy shots follow. >> Dirk Nowitzki has been pining for those good looks ever since a floppy-haired Canadian bolted for the desert. But can J-Kidd, at 35, keep up with the West's pacesetters? It won't be easy chasing those young rabbits, such as his Olympic teammates >> Chris Paul and >> Deron Williams. "This team needs to be more of an up-tempo-type team," Carlisle said. "We have a great leader in Jason that I have to give the ball to and let him run the team, which I've done with some of the point guards I've had in the past." Carlisle wants to run and defend. Then again, what team doesn't? Are the horses in place to gallop? The jockey, albeit an older one, starts training camp in the saddle. The coach plans to crack his whip. The Mavs figure to break... one way or the other.

• Man On The Spot: >> Josh Howard, the world is watching and listening, and it's not helping your cause. The draft oversight became a starter and then an All-Star. His all-around game made Howard the most indispensable Maverick this side of Dirk. They formed a forward tandem as good as any in the league. Howard wasn't just a piece. He was a cornerstone, but seemingly out of nowhere, J-Ho went bonkers. It started with a late-season admission of marijuana use in a Dallas newspaper and on a local talkshow. A late-night birthday party after a losing home playoff game drew the understandable ire of Johnson. Street racing in North Carolina and derogatory comments aimed at the unsuspecting national anthem headlined his offseason. Support followed from the owner and Carlisle, but many longtime fans found his antics impossible to swallow. Hope does remain. Fans, teammates and coaches often forgive, though carefully-crafted statements don't get you back in the good graces. If Howard can find his way back to being a 20-and-8 guy, the cheers will start coming back.

• Biggest Strengths: Frontcourt. An excellent forward tandem in all-stars Nowitzki and Howard, and also steadily improving >> Brandon Bass. If >> Erick Dampier returns to form and players like >> James Singleton get hot, the Mavs will be incredibly versatile and potent at the forward and center positions.

• Biggest Weaknesses: Shooting guard position. Aging veteran >> Jerry Stackhouse and erratic youngster >> Antoine Wright will fight it out for playing time. If >> Jason Terry doesn't make the starting lineup, watch for him to take a run for 6th Man of the Year. Raw >> Gerald Green may make an impact at some point. Also, age is a looming weakness. Kidd can still pass the ball better than anyone in the league, but his abilities on defense and his weakening offensive skillset will be a problem. With Stackhouse and >> Devean George also pegged to be getting big minutes, the Mavs are certainly not getting any younger.

• Their Big 3: Dirk Nowitzki (19.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.5 APG); Josh Howard (17.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG); Jason Kidd (10.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 10.5 APG).

• This Season So Far: 1-5 (.167); 5th in Southwest, 14th in West; 0-2 at Home, 1-3 on Road; 96.3 PPG, 109.3 allowed.

• Quick Summary: Charlotte is stop No. 9 on the Larry Brown NBA Coaching Tour. And like he did at his previous stop, he's got his work cut out for him. In four seasons in the NBA, the Bobcats have yet to finish less than 16 games under .500. After showing steady improvement in years two and three, they took a small step back in 2007-08, coming one win short of their '06-07 total of 33. And that happened even with >> Emeka Okafor playing all 82 games and with the addition of veteran >> Jason Richardson (now in Phoenix), who was brought in from Golden State and who also played 82 games. Behind then last year's new coach, Sam Vincent, the Bobcats disappointed those who thought they had a shot at their first trip to the postseason and Vincent paid the price. Maybe Larry Brown has the magic touch. His stint in New York was probably just the exception that proves the rule, he considers himself a teacher. Hopefully, he can instruct more than one class, because this group needs an education in every facet of the game. Last season, they were bad on offense (ranked 23rd in points scored per possession), bad on defense (23rd in points allowed per possession) and bad on the boards (27th in rebounding percentage). That's the kind of report card that will hold you back a grade.

The Bobcats can improve their GPA by getting a full season out of >> Gerald Wallace, who missed 20 games in '07-08 and blamed his fragility on logging too many minutes at the power forward position. But going into the new season, the Bobcats' only hopes in moving Wallace back to the three are with >> Sean May, who has played a grand total of 58 games in his three NBA seasons (that's 19.3 per season) and hasn't stepped on an NBA floor since March 14, 2007. But hey, he had a double-double in that game. "Obviously, the knee (that he's had three surgeries on) is going to probably be in the back of my mind," May said on media day. "I like to say I'm not thinking about it. But subconsciously, I probably am. It'll be a little while before I'll get over that. I'll have to take some hits." With that, and the likelihood that Wallace will be playing both forward positions again this season, in mind, the best chance for improvement might come at the point guard spot. Brown was a point guard himself and feels the position is the key to any team. So, he will be focused on making Augustin a better player, after former No.5 pick >> Raymond Felton was traded to Memphis in exchange for >> Marc Gasol. If this group has the ability to be successful in the NBA, Larry Brown should be able to bring it out of them.

• Man On The Spot: >> Emeka Okafor. was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2004 Draft and was immediately dubbed the franchise player of the newly formed Bobcats. Averaging 15.1 points and 10.9 boards, he won Rookie of the Year honors and looked to be on par with No. 1 pick >> Dwight Howard. Three years later, it's a different story. Other than his field goal percentage, Okafor's numbers have shown no improvement since his rookie year. He's a very good rebounder and a defensive presence in the paint, but at best he's inconsistent offensively. Yet the Bobcats thought enough of Okafor to give him a new six-year contract worth $72 million this summer. That's not MVP money, but it's go-to guy money. And Okafor has yet to prove that he's a go-to guy.

• Biggest Strengths: Having an actual backup point guard with Augustin? Having an actual power forward (with May staying healthy)? Having a real coach? Almost having a semblance of depth, with viable backups at 4 of the 5 positions (the 4 excluded). But relative to the rest of the league, if Wallace bounces back to playing a more well rounded game with Larry Brown in town, the Bobcats will boast 2 players who are borderline All-Stars with Wallace and Okafor. These 2 players are each individually strengths of the team, in that they are the 2 best players.

• Biggest Weaknesses: In general, the health of their players is a major weakness. The question seems to be when (and how many), not if, games will be missed by certain key players, like Okafor, Wallace and May. While Emeka did manage to play in every game last year, that was a first, and seems unlikely to be repeated. Another weakness is team defense (and defensive rebounding). The Bobcats were in the bottom third of the NBA last year in defensive efficiency, in part due to giving their opponents so many second chances: the Bobcats gave up the 3rd most offensive rebounds in the league. While Larry Brown has been preaching better effort on defense and rebounding, that only goes so far. With the only major help in that department coming from possible contributions from May...

• Their Big 3: Emeka Okafor (19.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.7 APG); Gerald Wallace (18.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.3 APG); Vladimir Radmanovic (14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG).

• This Season So Far: 5-1 (.833); 2nd in Southeast, 3rd in East; 4-0 at Home, 1-1 on Road; 105.7 PPG, 94.0 allowed.

[adsefhr]

nice recaps there. sad you can't go with th 82-0. LOL maybe 81-1.

[Martti.]

Wow, this preview is sweet! Picked Thunder.. But we'll see, who it will be

[Fresh8]

Good recap man.

You must spend so much time on this Association. Again, I hope you get through the whole season!

[XpLosibo]

i voted for the brand new team, bobcats.. its #1 pick D12 vs #2 Emeka.. nice recap

[Spotlight]

Great recaps and presentation as always! Really like your team. I like Magic a lot better then Spurs so it's fun for me to read this one. I hope you won't make any big trades this season.

[kibaxx7]

Thanks everyone for the replies and votes. Looks like it's gonna be the Bobcats!

[kibaxx7]

:: Results for November 9th, 2008 ::

• Who will have a better 3-point percentage?

Boston 102 (Paul Pierce 26 pts., 6 rebs., 11-30 FGs; Kevin Garnett 21 pts., 15 rebs., 5 ast.; Eddie House 13 pts., 5 ast., 2-4 3s -.500%-)
Detroit 91 (Allen Iverson 26 pts., 5 ast., 8-24 FGs; Tayshaun Prince 20 pts., 6 rebs., 6-8 FGs, 2-3 3s -.667%-; Rodney Stuckey 12 pts., 4 ast., 6-14 FGs)


Correct option: Tayshaun Prince

• Who will have pull down less rebounds?

Golden State 114 (Stephen Jackson 20 pts., 8-15 FGs; Andris Biedrins 14 pts., 15 rebs., 5 steals; Ronny Turiaf 13 pts., 6 rebs.)
Sacramento 78 (Andres Nocioni 17 pts., 13 rebs.; Kevin Martin 14 pts., 4 rebs.; Bobby Jackson 6 pts., 7 rebs.


Correct option: Ronny Turiaf

• Who will post a double-double?

Houston 110 (Yao Ming 25 pts., 10 rebs., 8-12 FGs; Ron Artest 24 pts., 6 ast.; Tracy McGrady 22 pts., 7 rebs., 6 ast.)
LA Lakers 121 (Kobe Bryant 49 pts., 5 rebs., 18-33 FGs; Pau Gasol 20 pts., 8 rebs., 5 ast.; Trevor Ariza 10 pts., 7 rebs., 4 ast.)


Correct option: None

:: Results for November 10th, 2008 ::

• Who will score less points?

Portland 118 (Brandon Roy 35 pts., 4 rebs., 14-17 FGs; LaMarcus Aldridge 31 pts., 10 rebs., 13-17 FGs; Rudy Fernandez 3 pts., 2 ast)
Orlando 105 (Dwight Howard 23 pts., 16 rebs., 11-16 FGs; Courtney Lee 17 pts., 7-13 FGs; Mickael Pietrus 12 pts., 6-9 FGs)


Correct option: Rudy Fernandez

• Who will dish more assists?

Memphis 120 (O.J. Mayo 41 pts., 6 rebs., 16-25 FGs; Raymond Felton 19 pts., 6 rebs., 10 ast.; Marko Jaric 3 pts., 5 ast.)
Phoenix 100 (Amare Stoudemire 24 pts., 6 rebs., 11-21 FGs; Jason Richardson 23 pts., 5 ast.; Shaquille O'Nea 19 pts., 11 rebs.)


Correct option: Same assists

• Who will win this game?

New Jersey 91 (Vince Carter 21 pts., 4 rebs., 6 ast.; Devin Harris 18 pts., 8 rebs., 8 ast.; Brook Lopez 16 pts., 10 rebs.)
Miami 94 (Dwyane Wade 22 pts., 4 rebs., 6 ast.; Michael Beasley 19 pts., 4 rebs., 8-16 FGs; James Jones 15 pts., 10 rebs.)


Correct option: Miami

:: Scores for November 9th & 10th, 2008 ::

1. christian. :: 9 points (4 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   nba_baller :: 9 points (4 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   Shabron :: 9 points (4 guesses + 50% guesses right)
2. Martti. :: 8 points (3 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   DonDavido :: 8 points (3 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   ratrac :: 8 points (3 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   XpLosibo :: 8 points (3 guesses + 50% guesses right)
   XxCavaliers :: 8 points (3 guesses + 50% guesses right)
3. Valor :: 2 points

:: Leaderboard after November 10th, 2008 ::

Current points (points before + points today)

1. Valor :: 50 points (48 + 2)
2. ratrac :: 46 points (38 + 8)
3. Martti. :: 44 points (36 + 8)
4. DonDavido :: 37 points (29 + 8)
5. Shabron :: 33 points (24 + 9)
   Sit :: 33 points (33 + 0)
6. XpLosibo :: 24 points (16 + 8)
7. christian. :: 20 points (11 + 9)
8. nba_baller :: 19 points (10 + 9)
9. XxCavaliers :: 16 points (8 + 8)
10. magician :: 11 points (11 + 0)
11. mol :: 10 points (10 + 0)
12. buzzy :: 8 points (8 + 0)
13. IM2FLASHY_330 :: 6 points (6 + 0)
14. Asder :: 1 point (1 + 0)

[kibaxx7]

While the Orlando Magic try to get on track offensively, they've managed to stay competitive by being one of the NBA's best defensive teams. The Magic will try to bounce back from their loss against Portland today, when it faces the Oklahoma City Thunder, losers of four in a row. Orlando (6-1) were the league's sixth-highest scoring team in 2007-08, averaging 104.5 points, and this season, is a little different story: they've "only" reached the 100-point mark in 6 of their 7 games and are averaging 107.6 points, but 11st in the league.

Despite Dwight Howard great start to the season, as the star center is averaging a career-best 22.0 points, he scored 23 on Monday and added 16 rebounds, but Orlando lost 118-105 to the Blazers. The Magic suffered a 3-minute nightmare in the last quarter without scoring a field goal, with the Blazers sealing the win in that stretch with an 18-2 run. It also was Orlando's worst defensive game of 2008-09, allowing a season high in points. The Magic are giving up 96.7 points per game (3rd in the league) on 55.2 percent shooting. "I don't think it was necessarily the offense," guard Anthony Johnson said. "Obviously, not making shots made it a little tough for us against Portland, but our defense, we couldn't control the pick-and-roll and they made a lot of 3s. We weren't rotating like we should have. They pretty much got whatever they wanted." Orlando finished its homestand 4-1, and is opening a three-game road trip. The Magic's first game away from Amway Arena didn't go well, as they were held to a season low in points but won 87-79 at Memphis on Oct. 31. For this game, Jameer Nelson is back on the starting lineup following a 15 points-12 assists night against Portland.

Oklahoma City (2-5), which is averaging 98.3 points (but allowing 102.7), is near the bottom of the league in shooting at 43.0 percent from the field (22nd). The Thunder's losing streak continued Monday with a 101-88 defeat to Indiana, as they shot 42.6 percent from the floor. Oklahoma City wasted a big game from Kevin Durant, who scored 29 points. "I found some good looks, I was able to knock some down, but we've got to learn how to finish our games," said Durant, averaging 31.0 points in the last three contests. No other Oklahoma City player scored in double figures, except for Russell Westbrook, who had 20. "We're trying to find our way offensively in the halfcourt," Oklahoma City forward Malik Rose said. "We struggled. When Kevin scores close to 30, it's great for us, but we've got to find a way to get some easy buckets, too." Oklahoma City is 2-2 at home, with Durant averaging 23.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting at home compared to 29.3 points and 40.4 percent on the road.

Orlando has won five straight against the Thunder franchise. Howard had 39 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in the last meeting Nov. 28, a 110-94 Magic victory in Seattle. Durant scored 22 points but shot 6-of-21 from the field.

:: Stats On The Glance ::


Orlando Magic
Record: 6-1 (.857%)
Standings: 2nd, Southeast; 3rd, East
At Home: 5-1
On Road: 1-0
Last 10: 6-1
Streak: Lost 1
PPG: 107.6 (11st)
RPG: 40.0 (28th)
APG: 26.4 (1st)
FG%: .552% (1st)


Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 2-5 (.285%)
Standings: 4th, Northwest; 12nd, West
At Home: 2-2
On Road: 0-3
Last 10: 2-5
Streak: Lost 4
PPG: 98.3 (26th)
RPG: 44.6 (10th)
APG: 23.6 (13rd)
FG%: .430% (22nd)

:: Starting Lineups ::

[Martti.]

Thanks everyone for the replies and votes. Looks like it's gonna be the Bobcats!

But still your doing the Thunder I like it. And I'm doing pretty good with the predictions. Good luck against Thunder or Bobcats or whoever you're playing with.

[kibaxx7]

But still your doing the Thunder I like it. And I'm doing pretty good with the predictions. Good luck against Thunder or Bobcats or whoever you're playing with.

I'm playing the Bobcats but the previews and recaps still remain.

[kibaxx7]

(SIMULATED GAME)



Hedo Turkoglu missed his first five shots from the field and wasn't bothered a bit. Turkoglu scored 26 points, including eleven in the second quarter, to lead the Magic to a 111-101 victory over the Thunder. He didn't hesitate after his early struggles, making two late 3-pointers. "I don't give up. I stay focused," Turkoglu said. "I have confidence in my shot and so do my teammates. They did a great job and found open shots for me." The Turkish shot 11-of-17 shots and added 9 assists. The Thunder knew it was coming but couldn't stop it. "Hedo's been terrific shooting tonight," Oklahoma City coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "To be able to stretch the defense at his size is a great advantage for any team. To come up at big times and make those shots, they're just daggers.'' Rashard Lewis added another 26 points against the team he played nine seasons with before it relocated from Seattle.

Dwight Howard had "only" 14 points and 13 rebounds. "We could have kept floundering around and let this game get away, but we just kept playing," Mickael Pietrus said. "The first game of a road trip is always a tough game to play." After Russell Westbrook made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 100-97 with 5:53 to play, Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Westbrook, who had 23 points for the Thunder, made a driving basket, but Orlando answered with a Howard's tip-in and a 3-pointer by Lewis. "We just try to create for everybody, but I was open at right place, right time. I was open and I just hit the shots," said Lewis. Kevin Durant scored 27 points for Oklahoma City. "The Thunder came at us all night long," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight but you have to give them credit, they stuck right with us tonight."

Both teams "missed" key reserves. Orlando's Courtney Lee, who had 22 points against Philadelphia and 17 against Portland, was irreconocible. He only had 2 points in 1-of-9 from the field and coach Van Gundy decided to stick with Mickael Pietrus in the fourth quarter; he posted 13 points. In OKC, Jeff Green scored only 7 points in 3-of-10. "Mickael did a great job tonight. He had to play the three and he stayed within the offense, took good shots and made some big shots,'' Van Gundy said. Added the Frenchman: "It was good to play like this. It was my best game this season.'' Okur, who had 11 rebounds, tipped in a miss with 7:39 left to make it 81-71 for Utah. The Clippers stormed back with nine consecutive points to cut the lead to one after another of Maggette's driving shots.

Many of the Thunder also thought the Magic got an assist from the officials. "Look at their guys, who are physical guys, how many fouls they get called for. I'm really impressed with their technique. I'm going to study the film so I can get our guys to copy it," Carlesimo said sarcastically. The Thunder were whistled for 25 fouls to Orlando's 16, with Westbrook, on his 20th birthday, and Robert Swift being fouled out and Nick Collison getting 4. "We have a long road trip to come, but having the fans go crazy for us in our homestand, setted the tone for the rest of the week,'' Howard said.

Game Notes
• Carlesimo was assessed a technical foul with 5:44 left in the third quarter for arguing with the officials;
• The Thunder have now lost 5 games in a row and fell 2-3 at home, the Ford Center;
• Howard had a highlight reel full of dunks - a two-hander off an offensive rebound, a right-handed jam off a pass from Turkoglu and another two-handed slam off an alley-oop from Nelson;
• Tyronn Lue, coming from a trillion against Portland, scored 7 points in 7 minutes;
• The game was all pretty even in rebounds (Magic 40, Thunder 42), assists (Magic 27, Thunder 28), blocks (Magic 4, Thunder 4)...
• ...but with some differences, in free throws (Magic 17-of-27, Thunder 15-of-16) and 3-pointers (Magic 10-of-20, Thunder 4-of-15);
• A Friday stop in Dallas and a visit in Charlotte are the Magic next two games, then a small stop at Florida to battle the Raptors;
• Oklahoma City begins a two-game road trip on consecutive days, at New York and Philadelphia.

[Lamrock]

You took a bunch of pics and wrote a whole recap for a simulated game?

[kibaxx7]

You took a bunch of pics and wrote a whole recap for a simulated game?

Yes? Man, to do the preview and the recap it only takes 1/2 hour. I'm also saving the prediction game only for the games I play.

[H00PL0VE]

man thats great that ur still doing game results for simmed games. keep it up man this going great!

[Martti.]

You might as well play all games. Simmed games look as good as the played ones

[Christian.]

christian. :: 9 points (4 guesses + 50% guesses right)

[kibaxx7]

You might as well play all games. Simmed games look as good as the played ones

Yeah, but I gotta say, I like it more... not to play all 82

[kibaxx7]

It's been nearly nine years since the Dallas Mavericks lost four straight games. It's been even longer since they lost at home to the Orlando Magic. Hoping to extend that dominance over the Magic, the struggling Mavericks on Friday night look to record their first win this season at American Airlines Center. One of the league's elite teams for nearly a decade, Dallas (1-7) are off to their worst eight-game start since also opening 1-7 in 1998-99.

The Mavericks lost three straight, before winning at San Antonio, 108-101. Dallas hasn't dropped five in a row since a six-game slide from Feb. 29-March 9, 2000, something that can happen again today. It looked like they were on their way to a win on Thursday at Chicago, bolting to a 31-24 lead after the first quarter. The Bulls, however, recovered for a nine-point halftime lead (limiting the Mavs to a 9-point second quarter, a franchise low) and sky-rocketed in the second half for a 114-93 victory. "It's disappointing. We desperately need a win,'' Mavs first-year coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm just surprised at our lack of fight. I don't know how else to put it.'' Dirk Nowitzki was limited to 13 points on 6-of-20 from the field while Josh Howard had 18 and Jason Kidd added 17. Carlisle has several areas to address with his struggling team, one being the lack of defensive intensity, a big issue as Dallas is 2nd in points allowed (110.9). "We don't play defense,'' guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "We have as many offensive weapons (as anyone) in the league, but we got to find some guys who want to play defense.'' Stackhouse (strained achilles) and Jason Terry (broken hand) will miss the game, this will give the opportunity to Matt Carroll to join the starting lineup.

Beating Orlando (7-1) at home hasn't been a problem for Dallas, which has won 10 straight meetings there since a 100-90 loss on Dec. 11, 1997. Nowitzki has averaged 29.5 points and 10.2 rebounds in his last six overall games against Orlando. After starting the season 6-0, the Magic lost against Portland but recovered two days ago with a win at Oklahoma City, putting up 108.0 per contest. Struggling Oklahoma City was no match for Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu on Wednesday. The Orlando forwards had 26 points apiece in an 111-101 victory. Dwight Howard, who led the NBA last season with 69 double-doubles, currently is 2nd in the league with 14.8 rebounds, a career-high for the star center. Against Dallas, Mickael Pietrus will start at shooting guard. This will be second stop on a three-game road trip for Orlando, which has split two away contests this season after going 27-14 on the road in 2007-08.

:: Stats On The Glance ::


Orlando Magic
Record: 7-1 (.875%)
Standings: 2nd, Southeast; 2nd, East
At Home: 5-1
On Road: 2-0
Last 10: 7-1
Streak: Won 1
PPG: 108.0 (10th)
RPG: 40.0 (28th)
APG: 26.5 (1st)
FG%: .545% (1st)


Dallas Mavericks
Record: 1-7 (.125%)
Standings: 5th, Southwest; 15th, West
At Home: 0-3
On Road: 1-4
Last 10: 1-7
Streak: Lost 4
PPG: 98.1 (26th)
RPG: 41.8 (23rd)
APG: 23.4 (13rd)
FG%: .421% (27th)

:: Starting Lineups ::