Fire & Ice: Speed Y4 1-1

[Oznogrd]

Decided to Sim games against raptors and Hornets...Quick Recaps

Speed outlast Raps
St. Louis 68 - Toronto 61

Boozer 17 pts 7 reb 1 stl 1 blk
Trevor Ariza 16 pts 5 reb 1 ast 1 stl
Ricky Rubio 5 pts 11 ast 1 stl

Chris Bosh 15 pts 6 reb 3 blk
Mike Conley 9 pts 5 reb 6 ast
Hedo Turkoglu 6 points 3 reb 7 ast

Speed Rally in 4th over Hornets
St. Louis 74 - New Orleans 65

Boozer 18 pts 6 reb 2 ast
Ariza 15 pts 5 reb 1 ast 3 stl
Mccants 14 pts 2 reb 3 ast
Rubio 4 points 4 reb 8 ast

Chris Paul 13 pts 7 ast
Azubuike 12 pts 2 reb 1 blk
Peja 11 pts 1 reb 1 stl
Udrih 11 pts 2 reb 3 ast


We've moved up to 9-8 and are now tied on top of the division with Philadelphia at 8-7: next game is at Houston...will play that one for sure.

Houston, Suns, and Division leading Celtics before all star break...if i can make this run of wins continue i have a shot at holding the division (my schedule was front heavy, not a ton of games after all star game)

[Oznogrd]

Speed cant hold 4th quarter lead...again
St. Louis 83 - Houston 85

As Trevor Ariza's jumper bounced around the rim loud swearing was heard from the area of the Speed bench. "GO IN YOU MOTHERFUCKER". The light on the backboard came on, the ball rimmed out, and the Speed lost their 9th game of the season. As Ariza collapsed to the floor after the shot, the Houston fans cheered. The Speed lost yet another game late by being outscored 22-12 in the 4th quarter. After the game Speed coach Raoul Duke was livid raving while drinking his preferred brand of whiskey Wild Turkey from the bottle during the press conference.

"*hic* well...we haven't done well in the 4th. These guys need to stick with the game. Its pissing me off...Now...Where's that penguin?" said Speed coach Duke.

Despite a stellar offensive performance, Carlos Boozers leadership just couldn't hold on throughout the game as Yao Ming eventually destroyed the Speed Defensive.

"Its rough man. He's so big and shoots it so well. There wasnt a thing we could do" said Boozer "We're just gonna have to learn to play all 32 minutes."

Player of the Game
Yao Ming
28 pts 12 reb 2 ast 2 stl 8 blk
All over the map: defensive and offensive, Yao kept his team in position to win. With that almost triple double, he receives PotG

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 40 pts 6 reb 5 ast
Stromile Swift 11 pts 3 reb 2 blk
Ricky Rubio 7 pts 2 reb 19 ast 2 stl 1 blk

Notable Rockets Performances
Tracy Mcgrady 15 pts 8 ast 1 stl 3 blk
Shane Battier 13 pts 1 reb 1 ast
Aaron Brooks 11 pts 1 reb 6 ast 2 stl
Derek Fisher 2 pts 11 ast

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game

Yao while leading the game in most stats decided to show off moves for his upcoming performance of Swan Lake.

Up Next: Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. Can the Speed rebound against the fast paced Most ridiculous men in the world?

[Oznogrd]

Suns Utterly Pwn Speed
St. Louis 90 - Phoenix 106

Little did the Speed cheerleaders know when they started the "U-G-L-Y" cheer they'd be talking about their own team's performance tonight as the Suns dominated from tipoff to finish to deliver the Speed's 10th loss of the season.

"They were bigger, faster, stronger. It was like playing the six million dollar man" said Speed Coach Raoul Duke "I kept hearing that sound effect in my head every time Steve or Amare got the ball."

The Suns dominated: shooting 63%, outrebounding, and all around out playing the Speed. Despite signs of life in the second half, by that point the deficit was just too much for the St. Louis team to overcome. The story alot of people are focusing on after this game is the sudden scoring ability of Speed sophomore PG Ricky Rubio who shot 6/10 on his way to 21 points and 16 assists.

"Ive been working really hard on my shot, putting myself in position to be the score. Me and Carlos have had some long talks and I know we cant expect him to score every point. The other guys havent really stepped up consistently enough so I decided it was my turn." Rubio said when asked after the game. He's averaged 4.5 points the rest of the season but suddenly has been threatening double digits each game.
"Its great to have him scoring. If I'm playing badly or the other guy is dominating me like Yao did the other night, it'd be nice to know i can pop it out and we can still score. I hope ricky keeps working and we can share the load" said Carlos Boozer. "I'm still the go to guy though" he said laughingly.

Player of the Game
Amare Stoudemire
26 pts 6 reb 4 ast 1 stl 3 blk
Dominated the Speed throughout the game, nothing more can be said

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 35 pts 9 reb 6 ast 1 stl
Ricky Rubio 21 pts 2 reb 16 ast 1 stl 1 blk

Notable Suns Performances
Steve Nash 19 pts 1 reb 12 ast 1 ast
Leandro Barbosa 19 pts 3 ast 1 stl
Jason Richardson 14 pts 1 reb 3 ast
Robin Lopez 10 pts 7 reb 1 ast 3 blk

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game


How most of the game appeared


Rubio learning to score. Giggety.
Up Next: The Speed try to stop the bleeding in their last game before the all star break against the division leading Celtics.

[Martti.]

Rubio with 21 points, what the hell?

[Oznogrd]

Rubio with 21 points, what the hell?

He kept being open lol Not my fault: blame steve nash defense.

[megarover]

I cant believe Rubio of all people had 21 points. That was a suprise.

[kibaxx7]

Rubio's a surprise but Boozer keeps posting huge numbers.

[Oznogrd]

Speed Surprise Celtics for Win
St. Louis 92 - Boston 82

The Speed needed to stop the bleeding in Boston before the All Star break. They hadn't won a big game, especially not a divisional game in awhile and were clawing to hold on to a playoff spot. Consider that streak over as the St. Louis based team came to Boston with a vigor usually reserved for St Patricks Day in Boston. St. Louis got off to a hot start behind the passing of Ricky Rubio and hot scoring of Carlos Boozer: scoring 29 in the 1st quarter alone.

"Once we get going, teams gotta watch out" said Speed sophomore Ricky Rubio. "We have alot of great guys, its just getting us all to click. When it works, we can compete with anybody. Hell i even put in a couple buckets tonight"

"I like where we're heading" said Carlos Boozer who contributed a career high 50 points. "To be able to go into our division leaders homecourt and win like that? That says something. I just hope we dont get too lax in the break and lose the momentum we built tonight"

The overall game success stemmed from outrebounding the Celtics by 10 and simply shooting a much higher percentage from the field.

"Its hard to win when you let the other guys shoot 64%" said Celtics Coach Doc Rivers "I gotta give it to 'em. We looked ahead a little bit and they made us pay. They played a great game."

The Speed go into the All-star Break at 10-10, while only at .500 are now 6th in the conference and 2nd in their division.

Player of the Game
Carlos Boozer
50 pts 8 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Boozer utterly dominated the big man game single handedly on offense and held his own on defense winning him PoTG honors

Notable Speed Performances
Ricky Rubio 13 pts 2 reb 21 ast 1 stl 7 TO
Stromile Swift 10 pts 5 reb 1 stl 1 blk

Notable Celtics Performances
Paul Pierce 17 pts 6 ast
Donte Drew 17 pts 6 ast
Rasheed Wallace 13 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 blk
Kevin Garnett 10 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 stl 3 blk

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game


Swift goes through Pierce despite his accumulation of 5 fouls

Up Next: All Star Game (announcement of teams, will sim all star game) and probably league standings/leaders etc. Stay Tuned

[Oznogrd]

Trade News
In the time leading up to the trade deadline, Speed GM Dr. Gonzo got a call from Minnesota. The hysterical laughter was reported to the police. In an announcement today, The Speed announced they've sent their #3 draft pick Radoslav Drobnjak to Minnesota. Who'd they get in return? Kevin Love.

Minnesota fans are angered and confused as Love and Jefferson were starting to be a core to base around in Minnesota. Dr Gonzo had this to say "Well we had a chance for a guy we could use right now, or a guy we could use in a couple of years. Which do you think we're gonna take?"

Many GM's around the league are wondering if Dr. Gonzo slipped drugs in the water in Minnesota to make this trade happen.

Gonzo and Duke announced plans to start Love at center, relegating Swift and Mihm to the Sixth man role. When asked Stromile Swift simply said "whatever helps us win man. I love kevin, glad he's coming here"

[Oznogrd]

All Star Team Announcements

ALL STAR TEAMS
Eastern All Stars
Starters
PG Derrick Rose 18.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 6.8 APG 1.6 SPG
SG Dwyane Wade 19.8 PPG 3.8 RPG 6.3 APG 1.6 SPG 1.3 BPG
SF Lebron James 20.6 PPG 5.7 RPG 5.2 APG 1.8 SPG 1.1 BPG
PF Kevin Garnett 13.8 PPG 7.6 RPG 3.2 APG .9 SPG 1.1 BPG
C Al Horford 9.1 PPG 7.7 RPG 3.4 APG 1.8 BPG
Bench
PG Ricky Rubio 5.8 PPG 1.0 RPG 18.8 APG .9 SPG
PF Carlos Boozer 35.0 PPG 6.6 RPG 2.0 APG 1.1 SPG 1.0 BPG
C Stromile Swift 13.3 PPG 4.4 RPG .8 APG 1.9 BPG
SG Andre Iguodala 11.9 PPG 4.4 RPG 6.2 APG 1.4 SPG
PF Elton Brand 15.5 PPG 7.2 RPG 1.5 APG 1.3 BPG
SF Danny Granger 27.6 PPG 4.6 RPG 3.7 APG 2.3 SPG 1.4 BPG
PF Chris Bosh 21.1 PPG 7.6 RPG 1.7 APG 1.4 SPG 1.5 BPG

Western All Stars
Starters
PG Chris Paul 13.0 PPG 4.2 RPG 8.0 APG 1.3 SPG
SG Kobe Bryant 20.9 PPG 3.9 RPG 4.2 APG 1.4 SPG
SF Carmelo Anthony 19.7 PPG 5.5 RPG 2.5 APG 1.2 SPG
PF Tim Duncan 14.3 PPG 8.0 RPG 2.3 APG 2.8 BPG
C Yao Ming 20.2 PPG 8.6 RPG 1.5 APG 2.2 BPG
Bench
PG Tony Parker 17.9 PPG 2.9 RPG 5.3 APG 1.1 SPG
SG Brandon Roy 19.4 PPG 4.4 RPG 4.8 APG 1.5 SPG
SF Shawn Marion 13.2 PPG 6.4 RPG 1.0 APG 1.4 SPG 1.4 BPG
PF Amare Stoudemire 23.2 PPG 8.9 RPG 1.8 APG 1.5 SPG 2.7 BPG
C Andrew Bynum 11.7 PPG 7.3 RPG 2.6 BPG
PG Deron Williams 18.8 PPG 2.6 RPG 7.7 APG 1.1 SPG
PF LaMarcus Aldridge 13.7 PPG 7.2 RPG 1.2 APG .9 SPG 2.0 BPG

Snubs (claimed by NBA headlines):
Kevin Durant 22.2 PPG 5.7 RPG 2.4 APG 1.1 SPG 1.0 BPG
Gilbert Arenas 15.8 PPG 4.0 RPG 4.6 APG 1.8 SPG

[Oznogrd]

Conference Standings
Eastern Conference
Chicago Bulls 13-6
Miami Heat 17-10
Cleveland Cavaliers 11-6
Atlanta Hawks 11-7
Boston Celtics 13-9
St. Louis Speed 10-10
Detroit Pistons 11-12
Philadelphia 76ers 9-11
Orlando Magic 7-9
Charlotte Bobcats 8-12
Washington Wizards 8-12
Toronto Raptors 7-12
Milwaukee Bucks 6-11
Indiana Pacers 5-11
New York Knicks 6-13
Western Conference
Phoenix Suns 13-6
Los Angeles Lakers 14-7
Memphis Grizzlies 15-8
Golden State Warriors 12-9
Denver Nuggets 13-9
San Antonio Spurs 13-10
Dallas Mavericks 11-9
Minnesota Timberwolves 11-9
Portland Trailblazers 12-11
Houston Rockets 9-11
New Orleans Hornets 9-12
Oklahoma City Thunder 9-13
Utah Jazz 7-12
Los Angeles Clippers 8-14
Kings 6-13

[Martti.]

Can't believe Boozer didn't get the start, but great that you have 3 of your guys there.

[Azzdogs]

With those numbers I'm suprised Boozer didn't get the start as well.

[hova-]

Still good in the playoff race. Boozer should have started as the others said before. Good deal to get Love. I don't like him though ^^ just traded him away in my Minny D.

[kibaxx7]

Nice to see Rubio in the ASG but Booz should have started...

[Oznogrd]

i think there's something glitched with boozer something with the moving to the created team because he's not in the MVP race either even though he's far and away winning the scoring title..

Only one comment about getting kevin love for a pick i barely used? lol

[Oznogrd]

All Star Game Recap

East 64 - West 57

Notable East Performances
Wade 12 pts 4 ast 2 stl 1 blk
Rose 10 pts 2 reb 2 ast
Rubio 2 pts 5 ast
Boozer 3 pts 5 reb 1 ast 1 stl

Notable West Performances
Tony Parker 8 pts 1reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Amare Stoudemire 7 pts 2 reb 1 blk
Lamarcus Aldridge 7 pts 1 reb 1 ast 2 blk

[puttincomputers]

hillarious trade!

[Oznogrd]

Clippers/Griffin Spoil Love's Speed Debut
St. Louis 69 - Los Angeles 75
(Out of story note: looks like a glitch with my boxscore because i Know the game ended with a higher score than that. The 4th quarter was just as tight as the rest of the game but it says the Clip scored 3 and i scored 0. I also know eric gordon finished the game with 16..so..yeah I lost either way, it just wasnt as bad a fourth as this says. I have never scored 0 in a quarter. Ever.)

The home crowd cheered wildly as the typical intro music for the Speed occurred like it does for every into game. Right as the chorus began "its a midwest swing...yalll..." the lyrics were drowned out by massive cheers as new team acquisition Kevin Love took the court waving to his new hometown crowd. Love was acquired for #3 pick Radoslav Drobnjak in a trade before the all star game.

"Its great man, we got one of the greatest young big men in the game, one of the best point guards who only is going to get better, and an established veteran scorer. This team keeps getting better. Woo!" -A Fan at the concessions stand.

There you have it folks. Woo.

Unfortunately this enthusiasm did not carry over to the teams performance as they were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers. Behind the dynamic duo of Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman, the Clippers and Speed had an epic battle of big men. The Clippers won this round by playing tenacious defense and high shooting percentages: something the Speed leading scorer Carlos Boozer did not share tonight as he only shot 16-31. The Speed once again faltered late in the game and the run made in the third by the Clippers was eventually too much for the Speed as they fell easily in the fourth. Dr. Gonzo subbed in for Coach Raoul Duke as Duke chose to leave before the Press Conference. It was overheard he said to a spokesperson "Im in no mood for coffee and donuts man! This is the American Dream in action. I need acapulco shirts, special sound equipment..." The Coach then disappeared out the door and into his red convertible speeding off into the night.

"Well,the guys fought hard tonight but I've been thinking. If they're only going to show up 3/4 of each game, I'm gonna start paying them 3/4 of their check. Its only fair. After all he got ahold of my woman man!" said Gonzo. Rumors say that Doc Gonzo recently flirted with Ricky Rubio's 20 year old super model girlfriend while sharing an elevator.

Rubio laughed it off "Please. Thats just Doc. Its no big deal. He'll be fine tomorrow after a couple of peanuts. Can we focus on the game?"

After a performance like that from the coach and GM though, no questions were asked about the game.


Player of the Game
Blake Griffin
18 pts 8 reb 1 ast 3 blk
Defense and offensive dominance plus a win gets Blake Griffin the nod for this hard fought game.

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 36 pts 2 reb 2 ast 2 stl 2 blk
Kevin Love 14 pts 3 reb 1 stl
Rashad McCants 14 pts 4 reb 4 ast
Ricky Rubio 8 pts 4 reb 18 ast 1 stl

Notable Clippers Performances
Al Thornton 19 pts 3 reb 1ast 1 blk
Baron Davis 16 pts 1 reb 10 ast 1 stl
Chis Kaman 15 pts 5 reb 4 ast 5 blk
Eric Gordon 10 points

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game
None (forgot and dont feel like faking one lol)

Up Next: Orlando Magic: Can the Kevin Love win his 2nd game with his new team?

[Oznogrd]

Speed lose 2nd Straight
St. Louis 88 - Orlando 104

Kevin Love stil has yet to find a win with his new Speed teammates as the Magic decimated the Speed. With extreme sharpshooting from 3, the Speed just couldn't stay with Magic in any part of the game. Dwight Howard also effectively limited Carlos Boozer's production.

"Dwight killed me man. I just couldn't get through him much. It was a tough night" said Boozer

Ricky Rubio added "Nothing we threw at them stopped em. It was nuts. Hands in their face, zones, man, none of it worked. They flat out beat us to death"

The Speed fall 2 games below .500 but are tied for 8th in the conference

Player of the Game
Vince Carter
30 pts 8 ast 1 blk 4/5 3pt
Vince made almost every shot he took and tore through the Speed defense regularly leading his team to the win.

Notable Speed Performances
Kevin Love 32 pts 5 reb 1 ast 2 stl 2 blk
Carlos Boozer 28 pts 6 reb 1ast 3 stl 1 blk
Chris Mihm 12 pts
Ricky Rubio 2 pts 1 reb 15 ast
Tyronn Lue 2 pts 7 ast

Notable Magic Performances
Jameer Nelson 17 pts 1 reb 12 ast 1 stl
Dwight Howard 16 pts 8 reb 2 ast 4 blk
Rashard Lewis 15 pts 2 reb 4 ast 1 stl

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game
(sorry guys promise last 7 games will have Screens...was trying to finish game up in a hurry to appease g/f who woke up from sleeping during the day during it)

Up Next: Eastern Conference leading Chicago bulls: can the speed stop this skid?

[kibaxx7]

Good to see Kevin Love melting with the team shame the loss.

[megarover]

Eastern Conference Leading Bulls? That is so weird

[Oznogrd]

Eastern Conference Leading Bulls? That is so weird

Haven't written it yet, but they destroyed me, like 40 point destroyed me. They shoot well and defend well. Very very tough team.

[Oznogrd]

Bulls Pick Up Where Magic Left off: Send Speed to 3 Straight Ls
St. Louis 99 - Chicago 131

The Speed came into the packed United Center hoping to show they belong in competition with the big boys. After losing 2 straight, the Speed were losing their footing with their backs to a cliff, in danger of falling off and losing playoff positioning late in the season. Only one word can describe what happened next.

Splat!

The Speed continued their decline from glory losing handily to the tops in the East Bulls. The Speed defense couldnt even start to contain the bulls as they had 6 players in double figures. Whether it was from 3 or from the post, everything seemed to fall for the Bulls, in every quarter. The Speed only managed to hold the Bulls below 30 in the third, and even Chicago scored 29. We talked to Coach Raoul Duke after the game.

"Well, we usually pride ourselves on Defense. Im not really sure what's been going on with us. We just can't seem to stop anybody. We picked up Kevin to help us get better in that trade before the break. I do think we are better, we just haven't played like we're better." The opposing team has scored over 100 points in 2 of the last 3 games. We also caught up with team leaders Stromile Swift, Carlos Boozer, and Ricky Rubio.

"I try to keep the guys fired up but when you get down that much, alot of these guys just put their head down. They force shots, they make bad passes. Its ugly man. And with Kevin taking some of my minutes as we try to work him in, I'm not in there enough to keep that fire under the other guys ass" said Swift "I mean i love Kevin (pun intended), but it seems like he's not our strength right now"

Carlos Boozer had a different view "We're certainly better with Kevin, we just haven't played enough D to give us a chance to win. A win will happen. We just gotta make sure we box out and play smart like we train to do. You dont lose because of one play or one move, its a 32 minute game and you have to play near perfect for all of them to win: especially against tough teams like the Bulls."

Ricky Rubio set a career and franchise high in assists this game despite the loss . He didn't say much. "Thank you for the congratulations on the record. But man i'd rather win any day."

Player of the Game
Al Harrington
24 Pts 5 reb
Not crazy stats but the Bulls didnt need them

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 42 pts 4 reb 1 stl 4 blk
Kevin Love 13 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 stl 2 blk
Stromile Swift 12 pts 2 reb 1ast 1 stl
Ricky Rubio 11 pts 1 reb 25 ast 1 stl 1 blk

Notable Bulls Performances
Derrick Rose 20 pts 1 reb 11 ast 1 stl
Kirk Hinrich 16 pts 3 reb 7 ast
Mike MIller 15 pts 9 ast 2 stl
Luol Deng 12 pts 1 reb 2 ast
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 12 pts 3 reb 3 ast 5 blk

Screenshots or it Didn't Happen Images of the Game


One of the few good plays for the Speed against the Bulls.

Up Next: Lebron and The Cavaliers come to town. Can the Speed recover and avoid their 4th straight loss?

[kibaxx7]

Man, Rubio's gonna break the all-time dimes record in any moment.