(63-19) First Round Wraps Up [4-0]

Yup, those pressbook pics are nice. Bulls beat ya good though

Yeah, these aren't pressbook pics. I save a replay, and go to reel maker -> snapshot mode -> upload the screenshot. It's the only way I've found that works, by that I mean in which my screens don't end up like shit/blurry.

Nice pics.
I love ''DESTROYED LAKERS''

Yep. Destroyed. Kevin Martin was just too dominant.

Nice win against the Lakers

15-5 you are on your way .

On my way to what? A championship?

Nice to see good quality pics, but more importantly, you beat the crap out of the Lakers!

Well-deserved. Both of the things you mentioned.

You beat the Lakers!

Sucks to see K-Mart down though. He's my NLSC tournament partner!

Yeah, I miss K-Mart already. He's "hurt" now though, I'll rest him one more game before bringing him back in, to vaporize some more defenses!
His injury won't affect the tournament though, as it goes on in Blacktop mode, separate from the Association file.

Bulls won!!Nice wins there against Lakers and Grizzlies.
Though you had no answer for Deng to make it 3 on 3!!

As for the tournament,I believe my player will play better next game.As it seems picking Boozer was a nice choice,so hopefully I'll win the next game!

We could've won had Kevin Martin been there, and if Aaron Brooks hadn't gone 4/18 from the field.

Thierry •, don't really know how to calculate +/-, and I'd like to keep the tables simple by just including the W-L record.

Ah, no problem. I will end up first in the table anyway.

Superb win over the Lakers!

We'll see then, Thierry.

nice game by Scola despite the loss,he just scored 27 against me on my clipps associaton

Yep, Scola's a solid player. I think he'll be a Jason-Kidd type player; someone who won't regress too much as time goes on. His game is based on just skill, very little athleticism involved.

Great job beating the lakers!!

I love how everyone likes that I beat the Lakers.

May get Round Two of the NLSC tournament done this week, and of course, Week Seven will be up this weekend. Just waiting for my damaged FedEx goods to be fixed (Kevin Martin).

Those back injuries just happen too often I love Martin, and I hate how he left Sacramento (would love to have him next to Evans in my Sonics D. Hope he comes back soon.

hova-, you can blame that thug, Zach Randolph. The one time he tried to play defense, that happened. And yes, he should be coming back within the next three games. He won't play the Pistons game, but probably at Milwaukee or against Cleveland.

Got Round Two of the NLSC Tournament done. That should be coming up within the next few days.

What can you say, Z-Bo was once a member of the Jailblazers.

Which is why I refer to him as a 'thug'. What matters is that we got the win, and K-Mart's injury wasn't too serious.

Those of you who read my Rockets HOF Dynasty will know all about the person of interest in the first part of the chapter.

Chapter 4 - Your Team?

It was Monday, December 6, when the Rockets Assistant GM, Axel Gomez, was watching videos of college players that could potentially end up getting drafted by the Rockets in the upcoming draft. He had four players of interest: a forward by the name of Kris Joseph from Syracuse, a guard by the name of Willie Lewis from Louisiana State University, another guard from Greece by the name of George Koukoulis, and another forward by the name of Brad Halstead from Fresno State.

The head scout for the Rockets, James O'Brien, was there with Axel. "How 'bout that Halstead guy, huh? 6'9" forward from Fresno State? Best defensive stopper in the NCAA in my opinion," Axel told the scout.

"Oh yeah, no doubt. Long wingspan, heaps of strength, great awareness, excellent rebounder, and a good shotblocker. He can guard positions one through five, that's really impressive" the scout answered.

"I want him on this team. He could very well be one of the most underrated players of this draft. He leaves a lot to be desired on offense, but with the upside he has, I think he could develop a decent offensive game, if not better, with Rick Adelman as the franchise's head coach. If he develops a solid offensive game, we could be looking at the next Scottie Pippen," Axel said.

Axel's main focus for the upcoming draft was defense. He wanted perimeter and interior defenders to come to the Rockets. With the team looking to keep Kevin Martin and Luis Scola as their main offensive weapons, Brad Halstead would add defense on the interior, and out on the perimeter. He knew Shane Battier wasn't going to play forever, and Halstead would be an excellent asset for the future.

"He's comparable to Shane Battier, just a more bulky version of him. If all goes well for Halstead, he should be taken late in the first round, and seeing how the team is currently playing, that could very well be where we will end up in the draft in terms of picking..." Axel's cell phone suddenly rang.

After the conversation, Axel hung up; he had a date scheduled with the beautiful front office secretary. "Well, I'd sit here and talk about the rest of the prospects, but we'll have to pick that up tomorrow, sir," Axel told O'Brien, getting up from his chair to leave.

"I'm busy tomorrow, gotta head out to San Diego to watch the Toreros take on Fresno State. You know, scouting Halstead up front and in person. I'll be talking to his Freno State coach about his work ethic, personality, and things like that," O'Brien replied.

"Sounds good. Be sure to go as in-depth as you can with the report. I want to find out more about his defensive strategies and more about his personality as well," Axel replied, and left the scout's office.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at the Rockets training facility, all of the Rockets were practicing defensive drills, something Rick Adelman wanted to focus on before facing the Detroit Pistons at home. "I know I don't emphasize on defense much, but this Pistons team can score the basketball, and we need to make sure we've got the defense to stop them from doing so," Adelman told his players.

"What if a certain someone shits all over the team and jacks up bad shots?" Kevin Martin blurted out, who had joined the team for practice. The team doctors had said he could practice with the team, but to only give a light effort.

"You tryin' to say somethin'?" asked Aaron Brooks; he knew Martin had referred to him.

"Of course. Who's the one who shot 4/18 last game?" replied Kevin Martin. "The fact that you're still bitter about not getting a contract extension, of course I'm referring to you."

"Who's the wuss who gotta sit out in the sidelines, again?" Brooks replied, shrewdly.

"Guys, shut up. Stop acting like kids fighting over a swing in a playground," Yao Ming said. He was growing tired of the feud that Martin and Brooks had. "Act like men."

"Whatever you say mister 24 minutes per game," Kevin Martin replied. "With your glass ankles, I'll have to one day take over for you in terms of being a franchise player."

Yao was angered. Kevin Martin had never talked to him like that before. They had developed a good relationship since Martin's arrival to the team, and couldn't believe he had just talked about who's team it was.

"Guys! Seriously! What's this talk about who's team this is? I am the head coach. Therefore you shut the hell up, or into my doghouse you go. Kevin, Brooks, 20 laps around the court, now! The rest of you, keep playing defense!" Rick Adelman yelled out. He was fuming, and began to grow concerned about his Big Three.

The team resumed practice, and Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks ran side-by-side the whole 20 laps, and did not say another word to each other.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello everyone and you're watching Rockets basketball here on Fox Sports Houston," Rockets play-by-play commentator Bill Worrell started the broadcast of Rockets vs. Pistons. "With superstar Kevin Martin out of the picture, the Rockets will have to look to someone else to find their offense early on. They will need to slow down Ben Gordon, who is their leading scorer at 21.6 points per game."

Before the game, the Rockets media interviewed Aaron Brooks in the locker room. "After a disappointing game last game, how will you look to bounce back this game?" said an interviewer.

"Very simple, aggressively take the ball to the rim, and maybe get to the free throw line," Brooks responded.

"There's a rumor that says the team is struggling to find who the main star is of the team, how do you respond to that?" asked another interviewer.

"This is my team," Brooks responded, filling up with swagger. "I made this team competitive last season, and showed the mos' improvement. With our main big man having to play less minutes than ever, and our main scorer being as injury-prone as our big man, this is my team. I am the floor general, the one who dictates how our possessions go offensively."

Kevin Martin made his way through the media, pushed some interviewers out of the way, and found himself face to face with Brooks. He stared him down, and walked past him. Brooks heard a small mumble of "you wish."

Halstead again?

lol at Brooks. irl he's losing his starting spot to Kyle Lowry!

Awesome! Halstead's back!

Aaron Brooks is a douche, however he gets the money. In one association 4 years/53 million for sixth man role.

A Brooks haters!

Tough to see Martin go down, especially after that victory against LA. If there's any upside, it's seeing Scola is capable of performances like those. Keep it up!

Aaron Brooks: "This is my team". This is K-Mart's team right now, specially after Brooks stole Sit's KD's catchphrase.

Brooks' team!Hell yeah!!


Halstead is back!I'm just cuious to see with who is going to mess up again!

Halstead again?

lol at Brooks. irl he's losing his starting spot to Kyle Lowry!

Everyone loved Halstead in my last story, why are you facepalming?!

Awesome! Halstead's back!

Aaron Brooks is a douche, however he gets the money. In one association 4 years/53 million for sixth man role.

I'm planning on resigning him in the offseason, just hoping he doesn't ask for that much.

A Brooks haters!

But he's still whining about not getting a contract extension!

Tough to see Martin go down, especially after that victory against LA. If there's any upside, it's seeing Scola is capable of performances like those. Keep it up!

Yeah, Martin's my favorite player on the team. Since he's down, AB or Scola become the primary scoring options, depending on who has the hot hand. Scola's just unstoppable in this game!

Aaron Brooks: "This is my team". This is K-Mart's team right now, specially after Brooks stole Sit's KD's catchphrase.

I never saw Sit/KD "copyright" the phrase. And yes, it'll soon be K-Mart's team.

Brooks' team!Hell yeah!!


Halstead is back!I'm just cuious to see with who is going to mess up again!

It's gonna be a long wait 'til we see Halstead in action. He's gonna have a similar role as in the last story, but K-Mart won't be the only victim.

Round Two of the NLSC Tournament is next.

This is Chuckvagon team, not Brooks I like chapter 4

Valdis, in terms of free-throw shooting form, yes, this is Chuck Hayes's team.







(0-1) Liam Washburn vs. Willie Lewis (0-1)


L-Train knocks down the shot to win the game! | Willie Lewis bit off more than he could chew guarding Wall.

Despite having the size and great defense, Willie Lewis and Josh Smith were anhilated by the speed and mad ball handling skills of the Wall-burn connection. Liam Washburn did an excellent job at limiting Josh Smith's touches, and overall, the Wall-burn connection crashed the boards effectively, which limited the shot attempts of Lewis and Smith. With both Liam Washburn and John Wall having excellent games offensively, there was nothing that could've been done to slow them down. The game lasted 14 minutes, with Washburn and Wall winning 21-12.

Stats:
Liam Washburn - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 9/15 FG
John Wall - 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 12/17 FG
Willie Lewis - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 6/13 FG
Josh Smith - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6/10 FG

(1-0) Thierry Tirieux vs. Xavier Nelson (1-0)


Thierry commits the thievery. | Nelson with a flashy dunk.

Again, Xavier Nelson found himself guarded by another pesky defender in the frenchy, Thierry Tirieux. He was held to only two points on 2/9 shooting, while Thierry and Iggy had their way both offensively and defensively. Andre Iguodala proved to be too much for Gerald Wallace, and in the end, the duo of Tirieux and Iguodala simply outmatched their matchups. The game lasted 17 minutes, and the aforementioned duo took this one 21-9.

Stats:
Thierry Tirieux - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 9/21 FG
Andre Iguodala - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, 12/18 FG
Gerald Wallace - 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 7/12 FG
Xavier Nelson - 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2/9 FG

(1-0) Zee Otoo vs. Justine Jones (1-0)


Otoo only took five shots the entire game. | JJ cleans up his buddy Beasley's miss.

Out of all of the games, this game was the biggest anhilation of the round. Kevin Martin, in general, hogged up all of the shots for his team, taking 17 shot attempts, but only making five. Justine Jones and Michael Beasley completely dominated, as they shot above 50% combined. The score was 20-3, but Kevin Martin was able to wittle down that margin, making it 20-7, before Justine Jones knocked down the game-clinching jumpshot to win 21-7. The game lasted 14 minutes.

Stats:
Justine Jones - 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 12/24 FG
Michael Beasley - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 9/16 FG
Kevin Martin - 5 points, 7 rebounds, 5/17 FG
Zee Otoo - 2 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2/5 FG

(0-1) Valdis Iesalnieks vs. George Koukoulis (0-1)


Valdis with a monster slam. | Kou-kou connects with Boozer for a dunk of their own.

Similar to last game, George Koukoulis's bad play (he took some bad shots) was bailed out by Carlos Boozer, but they still lost. Valdis Iesalnieks and Chauncey Billups were excellent at crashing the boards, and forcing turnovers. It appeared that they would take the game easily, controlling with the score 20-9, before Boozer went on a tear to make it 20-16. It was until Chauncey Billups made a mid-range jumpshot to win the game. For 18 minutes the game was played, and Iesalnieks and Billups took it 21-16.

Stats:
Valdis Iesalnieks - 9 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 9/22 FG
Chauncey Billups - 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 11/24 FG, 1/1 3P
George Koukoulis - 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 6/18 FG
Carlos Boozer - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 10/17 FG

NLSCer Statline of the Round: Thierry Tirieux (see above for his stats)

Standings:

Player	W-L
Thierry Tirieux	2-0
Justine Jones	2-0
Liam Washburn	1-1
Xavier Nelson	1-1
Valdis Iesalnieks	1-1
Zee Otoo	1-1
George Koukoulis	0-2
Willie Lewis	0-2

Fucking Josh Smith

YEAAAAAHHH
I dominate.

Thank God Iggy didn't blow dunks like in real life. What a duo we make.

Fuck Kevin Martin.

even though i know that this will piss Axel off.

again!For god's sake,am I ever going to play good?
LOL @ having more rebounds from Boozer!

Another win

again!For god's sake,am I ever going to play good?
LOL @ having more rebounds from Boozer!

Don't you like it? At least you're playing. I still have to wait.

And yeah, it's great to see Halstead back!! Will you also have some D-League action again? I'll apply as commentator again.

Fuck Kevin Martin.

even though i know that this will piss Axel off.

Not just him, but also me.

Fucking Josh Smith

Josh Smith's doing his part, you should've shut down John Wall.

YEAAAAAHHH
I dominate.

Leading all NLSCers in scoring and rebounding atm.

Thank God Iggy didn't blow dunks like in real life. What a duo we make.

You and Justine are the only ones who are undefeated. When you guys face off, it'll be one heck of a battle.

Fuck Kevin Martin.

even though i know that this will piss Axel off.

Yes, it will. Get off the fucking bandwagon! Better yet, I'll push you off.

again!For god's sake,am I ever going to play good?
LOL @ having more rebounds from Boozer!

Stop chucking up shots! And yeah, Valdis literally beat Boozer to every rebound. That's why he had less rebounds than you.

again!For god's sake,am I ever going to play good?
LOL @ having more rebounds from Boozer!

Don't you like it? At least you're playing. I still have to wait.

And yeah, it's great to see Halstead back!! Will you also have some D-League action again? I'll apply as commentator again.

If you're still around by late May/early June, that'll be around when I (hopefully) start Season II. You'll get to see your kick-ass, Rockets fan player then.

I'll give some coverage for the D-League, but remember, you're a player entering the 2012 NBA Draft.

Fuck Kevin Martin.

even though i know that this will piss Axel off.

Not just him, but also me.

In K-Mart we trust.

Week Seven recap next. Sucks K-Mart wasn't ready to come back though.

[15-5] Houston Rockets 116-108 Detroit Pistons [8-13]


From Yao's ankles to T-Mac's knees, with love! | The Pistons recently fired John Kuester, but Mark Jackson is their new head coach?

Two of the top scoring teams in the league faced off, and it was shown in this game. The first quarter started with the Pistons taking command, but the Rockets would come scorching back into it, and shooting over 50% from the field. While the Rockets were having their way offensively, the Pistons weren't off the hook either. Ben Gordon was a big disturbance for the Rockets defense (or lack of it?), scoring 14 of his 25 points in the first half, going 4/7 from the field. Gordon was slowed down in the second half however, as he finished the game with 25 points on just 7/21 shooting.

With Gordon's offense gone in the second half, Tracy McGrady stepped into the picture, as the fans at Toyota Center experienced a sense of nostalgia from the good ol' Yao-Tmac days. McGrady was the biggest reason for the Pistons' ability to stay in the game the whole second half.

"Felt good to be back here in Houston again. These fans were great to me in the years I was here, I'm glad to see they still good to me," said T-Mac, who handled the point guard duties for Detroit in the second half.

The Pistons tied the game at one point in the third quarter, but the Rockets pulled away thanks to a run by their bench, and never looked back. With the score 110-108, Luis Scola took a jumper from the left wing, and hit nothing but the bottom of the net to ice the game in the last minute, as the Rockets are yet to lose at home this season.

"It's great to see T-Mac put up a great performance like that. Now that we've gone our separate ways, we'll see which one of us can experience the most success late in our careers," big Yao Ming said on McGrady's excellent performance.

Wothy of notice: Tayshaun Prince went up for a rebound, but the ball fell into Shane Battier's hands. Prince landed wrong on his right leg, and suffered a severe ankle sprain. He will be out for 2-4 weeks with that injury.

Player of the Game-

Aaron Brooks
26 points | 10 assists | 5 rebounds | 1 steal | 8/19 FG | 2/4 3P | 8/9 FT

Top Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 10/16 FG
Yao Ming - 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 7/13 FG
Courtney Lee - 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Pistons:
Ben Gordon - 25 points, 2 rebounds, 7/21 FG, 4/10 3P
Tracy McGrady - 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 TO, 10/15 FG
Tayshaun Prince - 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Rodney Stuckey - 13 points, 2 assists

33 31 23 29 116
27 24 32 25 108

[16-5] Houston Rockets 88-79 Milwaukee Bucks [9-12]


Scola connects with AB for one of his five assists on the night. | The Bucks were given good looks all game, but bricked shot after shot

After getting off to a hot start in the first quarter, the Rockets began to slow down in the second, but still held a 12-point lead at halftime. The Rockets struggled badly in the third quarter though; the interior defense and double-team from Milwaukee was too much to handle for Luis Scola, as he was held to only nine points. The one to step up for the Rockets: Chase Budinger. In a time of adversity in the second half, he scored 13 points off the bench, off 6/9 shooting.

Both teams shot pretty poorly, the Rockets shot a mediocre 41%, while the Bucks shot a sub-par 36%. "This was a scary game. Kevin Martin's absence is continuing to haunt us, I'm sure he could've stepped up big in a time of bricking. Just glad we got this win on the road," said Kyle Lowry after the game.

Player of the Game-

Aaron Brooks
20 points | 7 assists | 5 rebounds | 1 steal | 1 block | 8/18 FG | 2/2 3P

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Chase Budinger - 13 points, 2 rebounds, 6/9 FG
Yao Ming - 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/11 FG
Courtney Lee - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 5/11 FG
Luis Scola - 9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3/12 FG

Bucks:
Corey Maggette - 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 6/17 FG
John Salmons - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 7/18 FG
Brandon Jennings - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 6/15 FG
Andrew Bogut - 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3/7 FG

28 21 15 24 88
21 16 20 22 79

[17-5] Houston Rockets 114-92 Cleveland Cavaliers [8-14]


Who needs LeBron when you have JJ Hickson? | Garbage time means the awakening of Jared Jeffries. 10 points!

What else can you say about this game? At one point in the first quarter, the score was 28-8, and the Rockets held a double-digit lead for the whole game. The lead would've been 40, had it not been for JJ Hickson coming in to give an effort at chipping down the lead.

Both teams had problems in terms of taking care of the basketball, as the Rockets committed 14 turnovers and the Cavs had 13 themselves. The Rockets shot a blistering 55% from the field, while the Cavs shot a mediocre 40%. The Rockets are now a perfect 10-0 at home, and will look to add to that streak when the Sacramento Kings come to town for their next game.

Player of the Game-

Yao Ming
17 points | 7 rebounds | 1 assist | 4 blocks

Key Performers:
Rockets:
Luis Scola - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals
Aaron Brooks - 15 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block
Jordan Hill - 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 6/9 FG
Chase Budinger - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5/7 FG, 4/4 3P

Cavaliers:
Anthony Parker - 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 10/19 FG
Mo Williams - 17 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 3 steals, 5 TO
JJ Hickson - 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 6/9 FG
Antawn Jamison - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

35 27 27 25 114
20 29 19 24 92