TheBigEasy's Hornets Dynasty - 2nd Season - 2004/2005

[TheBigEasy]

Ok ... i played another game, this time without the comeback code kicking in ... fortunately.

Eastern Conference Semifinals - New Orleans Hornets vs. New York Knicks

Game 2 - Hornets 107 - Knicks 89

This time I wanted to manage the same defensive effort like in game one in order to hold them to under 80 points this time. Well ... I partially succeeded. I wanted to keep my starters in the game for the complete first quarter and most of the second to apply the right kind of pressure on New York. I changed the starting lineup again (for the fifth or sixth time this offseason), giving Ruben Patterson the starting 2 Guard spot, as he is bigger and better suited to guard Allan Houston. And he responded very well.

The game started with very tight D on my side, but the Knicks got lucky on several shots. A bit later I managed to open a 12 point lead, but the Knicks got back into it and at the break it was 27-20 for the Hornets. Patterson had already 5 boards and 3 assists in the first quarter, while Baron Davis had 13 pts. I wanted to keep my starters in, but I had to take out Lamar Odom pretty fast, as he got very fatigued very fast.

In the second quarter I went to Full court man to man defense, but the Knicks stayed close throughout the quarter. After pushing his stats to 21 pts and 6 assists I finally benched Baron Davis with about 50 seconds to go in the half. Darrell Armstrong got in and had a quick steal and 3 assists to help me push the lead to the 53-44 halftime score.

In the 3rd it was pretty much trading baskets for the first couple of minutes. I hounded them into a shot clock violation with PJ Brown blocking 2 consecutive shot attempts of Charlie Ward. After that I pulled away. Jamaal Magloire got injured, while driving to the basket and despite he was cleared to play later, I sat him out for the remainder of the game in order to prevent further injury. I was in the lead, so i could afford it.

At the beginning of the fourth I pushed the lead even further away, but saw already I wouldnt be able to hold them under 80. So 90 was the next goal. I pulled most of the starters and pushed the lead to 20 with 4:22 to go in the game. Than the Knicks started to hit some 3s but it hasnt helped as I was able to hold them scoreless for the final 1:30 of the game and prevented them from getting 90 points. After the great first quarter Ruben Patterson was pretty quiet the rest of the game, although getting 29 minutes in total.

This game was, at least statwise, pretty much the same like the series opener. Baron Davis scored 36 points again, again on 14-22 shooting and the final score was pretty much the same like before. A nice game, which gave me a 2-0 series lead. I hope I can finish them in 4.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 36 pts, 2 reb, 3 stl, 8 ass
Ruben Patterson - 12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ass
Lamar Odom - 12 pts, 4 reb, 1 blk, 5 ass
J. Magloire - 12 pts, 5 reb, 1 blk, 2 ass
PJ Brown - 10 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk, 4 ass
D. Armstrong - 5 pts, 1 reb, 2 stl, 5 ass

Knicks:
Allan Houston - 20 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl, 3 ass
Shandon Anderson - 17 pts, 3 reb, 1 stl, 3 ass
Dikembe Mutombo - 6 pts, 6 reb, 4 blk,
Charlie Ward - 6 pts, 2 reb, 8 ass
K. van Horn - 15 pts, 1 reb, 2 stl

Meanwhile ... around the League

LA Lakers - San Antonio Spurs 2 - 1
Minnesota Timberwolves - Dallas Mavericks 1 - 2

Indiana Pacers - Philadelphia 76ers 0 - 2

TheBigEasy

[Andrew]

Nice. Do you have any preference in regard to your opponents in the Eastern Finals and NBA Finals?

[TheBigEasy]

Nice. Do you have any preference in regard to your opponents in the Eastern Finals and NBA Finals?

Well ... in the Eastern Finals I doesnt really matter. I have beaten Philly 3 out of 4 in the regular season (although 2 of them in overtime) and I pretty much owned Indiana in the regular season. So whoever makes it, its fine with me. I should be able to beat both teams, with Philly maybe a bit harder.

In the finals that changes ... I'd like to avoid the Lakers and Mavericks. The Lakers beat me in our first matchup, but it was close. The second game I blew them out pretty badly, they didnt stand a chance. But knowing the game, I guess this will change in the Playoffs. It would be a hard series.

Pretty much the same with Dallas. The first game I led by 20 at halftime, only to lose by one point in the end. The second game I beat them by 4 and I guess they will step it up a notch in the Playoffs, so I'd like to avoid them too ...

Unfortunately it seems right now, both will make it to the Conference Finals, which means I'll meet one of them. But I'd rather meet San Antonio (which I blew out pretty bad both times in the season) or Minnesota (I split the series, but should be able to beat them in a 7 game series).

Well ... we'll see ... .

TBE

[TheBigEasy]

Eastern Conference Semifinals - New Orleans Hornets vs. New York Knicks

Game 3 - Hornets 80 - Knicks 78

Wow ... what a defensive battle this was. This was the lowest scoring game I've played so far in this dynasty with 158 pts total. Like always I wanted to hold my opponent under 100, better yet 90.

It started with trading baskets and a Baron Davis who would miss his first 3 attempts. He blew 2 dunks and an easy layup ... so I had to turn to others for scoring. But despite his shooting woes I managed to play pretty hard D on the Knicks while pulling away. At the end of the first quarter I lead 26-15, the second time I was able to hold the Knicks to 15 points in a quarter.

At the beginning of the second the Knicks crawled back in the game and pulled to 28-29. But a steal and 2 quick baskets by Traylor put me up 35-28 again. I continued to pressure them on Defense, but they were able to cut the lead to 42-45 at halftime. Baron Davis finally overcame his shooting troubles and finished the half with a team high 9 points.

The 3rd quarter was mostly trading baskets, missing some shots and playing hard D for both teams. Although I was able to push the lead back to 7 the Knicks cut it to 63-64 at the end of the quarter. Now I hoped I could continue this exceptional D (and hoped for some missed shots) and not blow the score open in the fourth. And I succeeded.

On a 3 pointer by Allan Houston at the beginning of the fourth the Knicks took the lead for the first time since the opening minutes. For more than 3 minutes the Hornets failed to hit anything, but their defensive effort prevented the Knicks from getting too far away. The Knicks hold the lead for most of the quarter, but I was able to change that in the closing minutes and led 80-76 with 33 seconds to go. Than I dumbly committed a back court violation, and the Knicks scored. But on the next possession I simply played down the clock, they didnt foul and I came away with the 80-78 win.

This was an awesome game. I never enjoyed a low scoring game this much. I always try to hold the score low, in order to match reality, but this was exceptional. What still bothers me tho, is that the Knicks still shot nearly half their 76 shots from 3 point land. But anyways ... I got the win, although pretty close. But a win is a win .

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 24 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl, 6 ass
Jamaal Magloire - 16 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk, 4 ass
Lamar Odom - 8 pts, 4 reb, 7 ass
PJ Brown - 8 pts, 9 reb, 2 ass
Ruben Patterson - 8 pts, 5 reb, 1 blk, 1 ass
Robert Traylor - 6 pts, 6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl

Knicks:
Allan Houston - 23 pts, 4 reb, 1 ass
Dikembe Mutombo - 8 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk, 3 ass
Antonio McDyess - 18 pts, 5 reb, 3 ass
Howard Eisley - 8 pts, 4 reb, 5 ass
Charlie Ward - 7 pts, 3 reb, 4 ass

Meanwhile ... around the League

Philadelphia leads its series also 3-0, like me. Looks like I'll meet them in the Conference Finals. That will be a shootout pretty sure.

In the West the Lakers and Mavericks lead 3-1 in their respective Series. Damn. I really would have liked the Wolves or Spurs in the finals.

TheBigEasy

[TheBigEasy]

Oh Sheesh ... this was one of the best games I've played so far in Live. The comeback code kicked in again, but this time in my favour helping me beat the Knicks in the end.

Eastern Conference Semifinals - New Orleans Hornets vs. New York Knicks

Game 4 - Hornets 88 - Knicks 84

What a game. I tried hard from the beginning to repeat the effort I put in game 3 and wanted to hold the Knicks again to under 80 points. But it didnt work. We started trading baskets and playing tight D throughout the quarter. Only downside was, the Hornets failed to hit anything from beyond the arc, I guess thats why I struggled to keep up with them later. Anyway, after the first 10 minutes I led 22-20.

In the second quarter the Knicks started to get away. They hit shot after shot, and I contiued to miss from 3 pt land. Thats why they lead 47-38 at halftime. Seemed like I could forget to hold them under 80 pts and maybe even forget the win.

In the third they extended their lead, although Charlie Ward got injured. I tried to catch up, but fell short. They were up by 13 with just under 2 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, when Jamaal Magloire got injured. Thats when I thought 'damn, I have to play a game 5'. They even extended the lead to 18 at 70-52 at the end of the 3rd quarter. I almost gave up ... almost.

Late in the third I got the news that Jamaal Magloire was still playable. And as I still thought to have a chance, I started the fourth with my whole starting lineup. It was one of the greatest comebacks I have ever managed. I still wasnt able to hit any 3pointers, but managed the comeback otherwise. First, I set the defense to Full court man to man all the time, which got me some steals. I almost always went through Baron Davis, who had 12 pts up to the third and had 26 points in the fourth alone! And I played a very tight D. After a furious rally, in which New York hit only 1 Freethrow I cut the lead to 6. Than Antonio McDyess got injured. After that they had a little spark and extended the lead to nine again, but I wouldnt let up. My defensive effort payed off, as I managed to tie the game at 84 with just 45 seconds to go. After that the Knicks didnt score again. I hounded them into a miss and Jamaal Magloire dunked on the other side. Than they fouled PJ Brown intentionally, he hit both to seal the win.

This was just awesome. I outscored them 36-14 in the fourth, with 26 points coming from Baron Davis alone. And although I hit only 2-20 from beyond the arc. They couldnt do anything against me in the fourth and completely broke down, missing the 7 or 8 first shots and hitting only 2 freethrows.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 38 pts, 6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 10 ass
PJ Brown - 10 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk, 1 ass
J. Magloire - 14 pts, 9 reb, 1 ass
James Lang - 5 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk
Lamar Odom - 12 pts, 4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 ass

Knicks:
Dikembe Mutombo - 14 pts, 11 reb, 4 blk, 2 ass
Antonio McDyess - 10 pts, 13 reb, 1 ass
Allan Houston - 23 pts, 4 reb, 2 ass (while playing the whole 40 minutes)

This was a pretty awesome series. It was my best defensive effort so far in NBA Live, holding New York to 85 ppg, while shooting 95 ppg and outrebounding them 163-147 for the series. I had 33 turnover in those four games, while forcing 42. They nearly beat me in both game 3 and 4, but I think I finally managed to stay calm at the end of close games, avoid shooting treys and beat them with tight D. Well ... no bring Philly on!

Meanwhile ... around the league

Both the Lakers and Mavericks beat their opponents 4-1 in the series and advanced to the conference finals. Hrmpf ... I wished both of them would be out by now. Philly lost two games after leading 3-0, but eventually finished Indiana off 4-2 to advance to the EC finals, where they will meet me. I hope I can repeat the defensive effort I showed through the Knicks series, but in our regular season series they averaged 114 points, so that might get tricky. Also, I won two of our season meeting in overtime ... This will be a very close series, but hopefully I will advance to the NBA Finals, where I most likely will meet the Lakers, as they are already leading 1-0.

TheBigEasy

[Andrew]

Congrats on advancing. I'm also facing Philly in the Conference Finals, I found them to be pretty easy. Just make sure you don't leave AI open or give him an open path to the rim. Watch out for Kenny Thomas and Glenn Robinson as well. You don't have to worry too much about the rest of the Sixers, just make sure you don't give them too many easy baskets. AI, Big Dog and Thomas will be taking most of the shots, so shut them down and you should be able to defeat them fairly easily (I won Game 1 83-69).

[TheBigEasy]

Congrats on advancing. I'm also facing Philly in the Conference Finals, I found them to be pretty easy. Just make sure you don't leave AI open or give him an open path to the rim. Watch out for Kenny Thomas and Glenn Robinson as well. You don't have to worry too much about the rest of the Sixers, just make sure you don't give them too many easy baskets. AI, Big Dog and Thomas will be taking most of the shots, so shut them down and you should be able to defeat them fairly easily (I won Game 1 83-69).

Thanks for the advice and I tried that ... but only partially succeeded.

Eastern Conference Finals - New Orleans Hornets - Philadelphia 76ers

Game 1 - Hornets 128 - 76ers 108

As I predicted and learned from the regular season. This will be a shootout series. I am proud of myself to have managed to hold Boston and the Knicks to a combined 93 ppg and the Knicks even to 85 ppg, only to allow the 76ers to score 108.

I tried the same like in the previous games, get in their way early and try to slow them down. I put Patterson again in the starting 2 spot and on Iverson. I shut AI down, but Glenn Robinson caught fire early on and contributed 10 to the Sixers first 12 points. Than something strange happend. With only 3 1/2 minutes into the game they took out AI and Kenny Thomas, another one and a half minute later they took out Marc Jackson (who came in for Thomas) and replaced him by Monty Williams. But I couldnt capitalize on that, as GR was still on fire and the Sixers run away. With 3 minutes left in the first, Baron Davis got injured. As Lamar Odom couldnt do much against the red hot Glenn Robinson, I took him out and replaced him first with Stacey Augmon and a bit later with Ruben Patterson. They were able to slow GR down a bit and Patterson faked his way by Robinson on offense and dunk for the 20-20 tie to end the first quarter. Robinson had already 15 points.

At the beginning of the second quarter AI and Kenny Thomas came back. I tried something different and switched Odom to PF, were he was very successfull in the first minutes. The Hornets went on a 8-0 run, in which Odom had about 3 rebounds and contributed most of the points. The Sixers crawled back in, but with getting BD back halfway through the quarter and Glenn Robinson finally benched I went on another run and extended the lead to 9 for the 54-45 halftime score. Odom had 16 pts in that quarter and I held AI scoreless for the first half ... amazing, isnt it? GR had already 22 points, and I guess Kenny Thomas had not more than 2 or 4 points.

In the third it was mostly trading baskets, but Philly closed the gap. Odom wasnt nearly as effective on PF as in the second, but I held onto that lineup. With about 2 minutes left, Derrick Coleman got injured and was out for the game. I built a four point lead, but the Sixers evened the score on 4 freethrows at 84 to the end of the third.

In the fourth I finally pulled away bigtime, switching to full court press on defense and getting some steals off of it. Despite AI and Kenny Thomas getting finally some shots, I extended the lead to 14 midway through the quarter. Behind Odom and the now also hot Baron Davis the Hornets pulled even further away and won the game 128-108. Odom was only one assist shy of his fourth triple double for the Hornets.

Nice game, but I wished I could have slowed it down more. Like I said in the beginning, I pride myself for holding my last opponents (especially the Knicks) to such low point totals, so its a bit frustrating to give up 108. Anyways, I won and thats what matters.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Lamar Odom (POG) - 33 pts, 10 reb, 1 blk, 9 ass
Baron Davis - 32 pts, 4 reb, 4 stl, 8 ass
Jamaal Magloire - 12 pts, 4 reb, 3 ass,
Ruben Patterson - 12 pts, 4 reb, 2 ass,
PJ Brown - 8 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk, 2 ass

Sixers:
Glenn Robinson - 38 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 ass
Kenny Thomas - 20 pts, 9 reb, 2 ass
Allan Iverson - 18 pts, 5 reb, 3 ass
Eric Snow - 15 pts, 3 reb, 1 stl, 10 ass

Meanwhile ... in the mighty West

The Lakers lead 2-0 in their series with the Mavericks. Damn it ... I really would have liked to avoid the Fakers in the Finals, but it seems I cant. I really hope, I can repeat the rout of our last regular season meeting.

TBE

[Andrew]

Looks like you might have to focus on the Big Dog more than AI in this series. Still, you've drawn first blood in the series with a 20 point victory, now you just repeat the effort three more times.

[TheBigEasy]

... now you just repeat the effort three more times.

As you wish ...

Eastern Conference Finals - New Orleans Hornets - Philadelphia 76ers

Game 2 - Hornets 106 - 76ers 81

Finally I got what I wanted ... decent defense. I wanted to try something different and changed my starting line up - again. Magloire and Baron Davis started as usual, but I moved Odom to PF and Patterson to SF, with Courtney Alexander starting at shooting guard, to contain AI. And it kinda worked. The Sixers missed also Derrick Coleman due to an injury he suffered in Game 1. The Hornets started strong running out to 11-4 early. Glenn Robinson was not nearly as hot as in Game 1. The Sixers made the same strange move like in game 1, removing AI with 3 minutes into the game. But he came back later, also going scoreless in the first quarter. At the end of the first, after being able to contain GR, AI and KT more or less, the Hornets led 28-21 behind Lamar Odoms 11 pts and 6 reb.

While the Sixers benched Robinson, Iverson and Thomas, the Hornets increased the lead to 14. With 4 minutes left in the half, AI returned to the court. Odom blocked a shot and on a 3 pointer of Baron Davis the lead was up to 17. Than, with 3:21 AI made his first points of the game on a 3 pointer of his own. Later that quarter the Hornets rised the lead to 20 after a steal by Magloire and the following layup by Baron Davis. The Hornets were in total control of the game now, the Sixers not able to move closer than 20 from there on. Baron Davis hit another 3 to end the quarter 64-40 for the Hornets. He had now 17 pts, while Odom had 7 reb. Best Sixer was Glenn Robinson with 13 points.

The Hornets came out running in the third and extended the lead to 30 early in the quarter. They maintained the lead for most of the quarter, but in the End Philly closed the gap to 89-64 at the end of the quarter.

At the beginning of the fourth, I pulled all my starters out and put James Lang, PJ Brown, Stacey Augmon, David Wesley and Darrell Armstrong in, as my lead was big enough to rest the starters. Midway through the quarter I had to pull Augmon out due to fatigue (Patterson went in) and right at the end PJ, also cause of fatigue (Odom played the final half minute). I held up the lead for most of the quarter and concentrated on holding Philly to as low a point total as possible. Both teams shot about 35% from the field, so Philly couldnt even come close to overcoming the deficit. I was able to hold the Sixers to 2 pts in the final 2 1/2 minutes. I finished the quarter 17-17 for both teams for the 106-81 final score.

This game was way better than game 1, as my defense increased dramatically. I never trailed in the game, which was a plus. The change of the starting lineup seemed to work, so I will go with this lineup in game 3 also. I substituted very rarely, Baron Davis played almost the entire first half, so that might have helped too, as I got consistent performances from all players. Philly had no blocks, while the Hornets had 10 of them.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Lamar Odom (POG) - 22 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl, 2 ass
Baron Davis - 21 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk, 8 ass
J. Magloire - 14 pts, 10 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 6 ass
Courtney Alexander - 14 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk, 2 ass
Ruben Patterson - 10 pts, 4 reb, 5 ass
PJ Brown - 11 pts, 3 reb, 1 blk
Stacey Augmon - 2 pts, 1 reb, 2 blk, 2 ass

Sixers:
Glenn Robinson - 23 pts, 5 reb, 1 ass
Allan Iverson - 11 pts, 5 reb, 1 ass
Kenny Thomas - 17 pts, 4 reb, 4 ass
Todd McCulloch - 4 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl, 5 ass
Eric Snow - 9 pts, 6 reb, 3 ass

Meanwhile ... in LaLa-Land

The Mavericks were in for quite a game on their homecourt. In game 3 of the Western Conference Finals the Lakers completely crushed the Mavericks by 40 with a 98-58 win! Sheesh ... Looks like a sweep over there. I only hope I can win agains the Fakers.

TheBigEasy

[darknezx]

Never count the 76ers out, Iverson is a monster.

[TheBigEasy]

Never count the 76ers out, Iverson is a monster.

Well ... so far he is a nonfactor. In Game one I held him scoreless for the complete first half, in game 2 I nearly achieved the same. In game 2 he shot 4-20 from the field ... doesnt sound like a monster to me. I'll keep him closely guarded, but I begin to think he wont do me any significant harm. But the next two games are in Philly, we'll see how he performs in front of the homecrowd.

TBE

[TheBigEasy]

Did I say AI was a nonfactor? Well that changed in game 3, but not much .

Eastern Conference Finals - New Orleans Hornets - Philadelphia 76ers

Game 3 - Hornets 105 - Sixers 92

Well ... I sure as hell wanted to repeat Game 2, but it didnt went that well. I started with the same lineup like in game 2, putting Odom at PF. It didnt work that good this time. Both teams were trading baskets for most of the first quarter, Philly having reached 20 points halfway through the quarter. So I was in for high scoring game. Glenn Robinson wasnt nearly as hot as in games 1 and 2. AI scored his first points in the first quarter, which were goaltended by Odom. As I couldnt prevent them from scoring, I changed my lineup halfway through the quarter. At the 2 minute mark the score was 31-28 in my favour and both teams went scoreless the rest of the quarter. Baron Davis had already 14 points.

In the second quarter I was able to slow the game down a bit. Despite having already 24 points, Baron Davis couldnt hit anything from 3 point land until late in the quarter. When Jamaal Magloire picked up his second foul, I kind of tried my version of Nellies small ball and subbed PJ Brown in on Center. The Hornets were able to pull away and built a 10 point lead with 2 minutes to go, Sixers getting to 8 at the halftime break. Score was 56-48 at half, Baron Davis with 27 points.

In the 3rd quarter I was able to slow the game down even more, allowing only 14 points for the Sixers, while scoring 23. Missing shots played also a large role, as the Hornets hit only 4-9 during a 10-2 run at the beginning of the quarter. For the rest of the quarter it was trading baskets, missing shots, tight D ... but the Hornets maintained the lead. With about 1 minute to go in the quarter Jamaal Magloire got injured, but was able to return later. At the end of the 3rd, Hornets led 79-62 and I got new hope that maybe can hold them again to around 80 points. Surprisingly Baron Davis went scoreless in the 3rd quarter, missing also all his 4 3pt attempts.

Unfortunately the comeback code kicked in again, nearly as bad as in the first game against the Knicks. The Sixers scored 30 points in the fourth quarter ... after scoring just 14 in the third. At the beginning Glenn Robinson scored his second (!) field goal of the game. Amazing, i didnt notice how bad he played until than. I switched to Full court press and was able to extend the lead to 21 at times, but than they started coming back, which forced me to put in my starters again ... even the injured Jamaal Magloire. I than closed the Sixers out for the 105-92 win. Despite having a triple double, Lamar Odom didnt win the POG ... Baron Davis did. Allan Iverson had 21 points (his most so far in the series) and an amazing 13 rebounds!

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 37 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl, 5 ass
Lamar Odom - 10 pts, 14 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 10 ass
PJ Brown - 14 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk, 2 ass
Jamaal Magloire - 13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ass
Ruben Patterson - 10 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk, 4 ass
Courtney Alexander - 13 pts, 5 reb, 1 stl, 5 ass

Sixers
Allan Iverson - 21 pts, 13 reb, 2 ass
Eric Snow - 12 pts, 6 reb, 10 ass
Glenn Robinson - 21 pts, 1 reb ... strangely quiet, huh?
Kenny Thomas - 18 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl, 5 ass
Todd McCulloch - 8 pts, 10 reb, 1 blk, 1 ass

Meanwhile ... in small balling country

The Mavericks escaped elimination by one point as they beat the Lakers 97-96 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Well ... but they wont beat the Lakers, unfortunately ... just holding of the inevitable.

TBE

[Andrew]

Wow, 13 boards for Iverson. Looks like you're handling him pretty well at the offensive end though.

One more victory...

[TheBigEasy]

One more victory...

And again ... as you wish .

Eastern Conference Finals - New Orleans Hornets - Philadelphia 76ers

Game 4 - Hornets 116 - Sixers 98

Well ... game 4. Of course I wanted to sweep them if possible, but maybe this time they would step it up enough to win one ... ahm ... no .

I did start with the same lineup like the games before, but it became quickly visible, it wouldnt work. The Sixers started with a 6-0 run, and seemed to hit anything thereafter. So I was forced to switch to a more normal lineup in order to close the gap, which worked. I tied it at 14 midway through the quarter and never looked back from there on. I tightened up the D, slowed the game down a bit and took the lead. At the break it was 30-25 for the Hornets, behind Baron Davis 14 points.

In the second quarter it was mostly trading basket at first. I played hard D, which enabled me to open a 10 point lead with a minute to go in the half. Both teams went scoreless the rest of the half, so it was 55-45 at halftime for me.

At the beginning of the third I scored 3 quick baskets in the first minute to extend the lead to 16 points. At this point, Kenny Thomas was scoreless, while AI had 16 and Glenn Robinson had 8 points. So far I was able to hold them in check. I still played tight D and was rewarded, as I blew the lead open to 20 late in the 3rd. Only seconds later, Todd MacCulloch was injured and went to the bench. I closed the quarter behind Baron Davis 3rd 3 pointer (3-3 from beyond the arc), he reached 30 with it and the score was 88-67.

With a 19 point lead going into the fourth, I again pulled my starters and let the reserves play all of the quarter. Again it was mostly trading baskets, but then the Hornets went on a little 6-0 run and the lead was up by 24, later I led even with 27. The Sixers were not able to do anything. MacCulloch came back in. As I tried to reinjure him, I went through James Lang (who was guarded by MacCulloch) on a couple of possessions, posting up, knock MacC. down a few times and scoring. I was amazed how effective James Lang was in the low post. The Sixers didnt have an answer for him. They subbed in Kenny Thomas for MacC, as Lang had scored repeatedly on him. But this didnt work, so minutes later, Marc Jackson came in ... also without any success. Lang kept scoring, as I fed him the ball down low. So MacCulloch came back. But still they couldnt stop Lang. It was very exciting. I never had used my center this often and this effective. I kept feeding him the ball, but he missed the last couple of attempts, which allowed the Sixers to close the gap a bit, but not much. Lang finished with a career high 17 points in 7-13 shooting and in 15 minutes of play. Simply amazing. The final score was 116-98 ... and the Sixers were out of the playoffs.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 30 pts, 3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 8 ass
Jamaal Magloire - 19 pts, 10 reb, 1 ass
James Lang - 17 pts, 2 reb, 1 ass
Lamar Odom - 10 pts, 6 reb, 1 blk, 3 ass
PJ Brown - 10 pts, 3 reb, 3 ass

Sixers:
Allan Iverson - 23 pts, 4 reb, 3 ass
Glenn Robinson - 24 pts, 7 reb, 4 ass
Eric Snow - 11 pts, 7 reb, 7 ass
Todd MacCulloch - 8 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk, 1 ass
Kenny Thomas - 6 pts, 5 reb, 3 ass

The Series

It was not that a high scoring series as I expected. I held Philly to 94.5 ppg, while shooting 113.75 (well that is high scoring) ... It was a more offensive kind of series than the Knicks series before, where both me and the Knicks scored a lot less. Still I am satisfied. I was able to hold AI in check, as he only averaged 18.25 ppg ... his highest score coming in game 4 with 23 points. The Sixers outrebounded me 161-159 for the series! But they never posed a real threat, as I blew the game open after the first quarter mostly. Only in game one it was close till the fourth quarter, thereafter I could rest my starters mostly in the fourth quarter. Well, not as defensive as the Knicks series, but still very exciting, especially the last quarter of Game 4, with the emergence of James Lang.

Meanwhile ... at "the people vs. Kobe"

The Mavericks did the unexpected in winning Game 5 at the Staples Center, but got crushed again severely by nearly 40 points at home in Game 6. They lost 103-66 and were out. So the Lakers won 4-2 and advanced to the Finals.

I have now the difficult task to open the Finals on the Road in LA against the team I didnt want to face ... This will be a tough series, as I dont expect to sweep it. Actually I am hoping for an exciting 7 game battle, where I win it on a buzzerbeating 3pointer by Baron Davis in the 3rd of 4th overtime in game 7 . What I have done with Lang in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Sixers, wont work here, as I would have to match him up with Shaquille O'Neal and frankly I dont think it will work. I blew them out in our second season meeting at Staples, but dont expect the same here. But nonetheless I expect to win the Title!

TBE

[Andrew]

Congrats on making the NBA Finals! The Lakers are tough, but I've found that they can be a little easier than the Mavericks. It may be difficult to stop Kobe and Payton, but frequent double teams do work against Shaq, and Malone doesn't get the ball often enough to be effective. And always remember you can Hack-a-Shaq.

Good luck! I look forward to the recaps

[TheBigEasy]

So ... finally I started playing again. After nearly two weeks I continued my dynasty, where the Lakers still awaited me in the Finals.

NBA Finals 2004 - New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Game 1 - Hornets 131 - Lakers 128

I had to start the Finals on the Road at Staples Center. I also pushed the minutes per quarter up to 12 (thats why the high score). The game started pretty normal, with noone jumping out to a quick start. Within the first 2 minutes both Shaq and BD picked up their first foul. With 9:43 to go Shaq than picked up his second and was benched til the beginning of the second. I played tight D and executed well on offense and put together a 19-2 run. I held Bryant without a Field Goal Attempt til the 3:30 mark, where he attempted his first ... and missed. My frontcourt played exceptional and at the break I led 37-23.

At the beginning of the second both teams played quite evenly, O'Neal came back to attempt and hit his first FG. After that he hit a couple of Hookshots, but the Hornets were able to keep the lead up, as PJ continued to play pretty strong. The Lakers crawled back in and cut the lead to 10 with about five minutes to go in the half. I couldnt and wouldnt let them back into the game and pushed the lead to the 61-46 halftime score. So far Bryant was a nonfactor in the game. But that was about to change.

At the beginning of the third, the Lakers tried to rush it and tried many 3s, but mostly missed. Hornets on the other hand played tight D and were able to push the lead to as many as 19 with about eight minutes to go in the quarter. From there on it was mostly trading baskets. PJ and JMag each hit 20 points in the quarter, BD finally hit a 3 and the lead was 80-60 with 5 minutes to go. On one possession JMag blocked Shaqs shot, but couldnt do anything against the following hookshot. And on the next possession O'Neal blocked 2 consecutive shot attempts by Patterson and Odom. Then I pulled my starters for the rest of the quarter and LA was able to cut the lead to 95-83 going into the fourth.

There I put my starting lineup back in to put the game out of reach. The Lakers tried to 3point their way back into the game, but the Hornets kept the lead at 10 for a couple of minutes. Than the Hornets started missing some shots, Bryant finally made some and hit the 20 point mark to make the game close again. A 3 pointer by Fox tied the game at 121 with 1:42 to go in the game. BD answered with a 3 of his own, but a freethrow and two baskets tied it again at 126 each with just 18 seconds to go. Fox rushed another 3 and missed, PJ got fouled after the rebound. Hornets inbounded to Magloire, who got immediately fouled by Shaq. He made both, Hornets up 130-126, with 8 seconds to go. O'Neal hit a 2, with only slightly more than 2 seconds on the clock. BD than got fouled after the inbound. He made the first and missed the second (actually not intentionally), PJ got his 15th rebound and before he could be fouled the time was up and the Hornets got away with the 3 point win to reclaim Homecourtadvantage ...

PJ Brown was Player of the Game with a career high 34 points and 15 boards. Magloire was right up there with him, with 31 points and 15 boards.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
PJ Brown (POG) - 34 pts, 15 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 5 ass
J. Magloire - 31 pts, 15 reb, 1 blk, 7 ass
Baron Davis - 26 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl, 12 ass
Lamar Odom - 20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ass

Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 28 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl, 4 ass
Shaquille O'Neal - 27 pts, 6 reb, 4 blk, 1 stl, 1 ass
Gary Payton - 11 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl, 16 ass
Devean George - 20 pts, 1 reb, 1 ass
Karl Malone - 13 pts, 10 reb, 2 ass
Rick Fox - 10 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl, 2 ass

Thoughts ...

Well ...that sure wasnt the game I expected. I thought they would be aggressive early on, but it took them until the fourth to start a serious run. Shaq and Bryant were mostly nonfactors in the first half, but stepped it up a notch in the second half. PJ and Magloire were pretty impressive with their combined 65 pts and 30 boards. My starting frontcourt of PJ, Mags and Lamar Odom outscored theirs (Shaq, Malone, George) 85-60 and outrebounded them 37-17. But in the end it was still a bit too close for my taste. I should have been able to hold the big lead ... But hey, I got a win at Staples Center. Now I only need to win at home the rest of the way and I will be fine.

TheBigEasy

[Andrew]

Nice way to open the series. I can relate to the Kobe/Shaq situation - in both regular season contests in the 2004 season, they started out slow but exploded in the second half (especially Kobe). Are you confident of sweeping the series?

[TheBigEasy]

Are you confident of sweeping the series?

I dont know actually. If I win the next, it most likely will be a sweep. If I lose one of the next, I want to lose another one, to finish them in 6 and to win the Title on my homecourt . We'll see ...

TBE

[Macca]

Hey Big Easy, have faith in your team.
You've gotten this far.

Firstly, sorry I haven't posted, but your dynasty is so ongoing, like Andrew's, and I haven't had the time, but I'll try to post more often, cause this dynasty is pretty damn detailed, which I like !!

First off, your team is filled with what I like to call 'depth.'
Magloire is a great force in the paint and will have Shaq having nightmares.
New VS. Old: Odom against Malone wil be atough matchup, Malone is experienced and will teach Odom a thing or 2.

Who will stop Kobe.. I don't know, but B.Diddy will surely shut down Payton. B.Diddy always finds the open man, can dunk on his opponents, hit the 3 with a hand in his face and also rebound when needed. Payton, has a hold on Davis on the defensive end, but Payton will struggle with the speed of Baron.

So I reckon that you'll win, and I'm going for you. I'm like the drunk dude in the crowd cheering when it's halftime, and then the only one sitting down, when everyone else is clapping and cheering after a dunk

Anyways mate, I've been keeping up with this, and I love it, and I hope you go all the way, keep it up!!

Macca

[TheBigEasy]

Thanks Macca ... but it will take a while before I will continue the posting. My computer gave me some problems lately and I will completely rebuild my system and set it up new. NBA Live is already deinstalled and it will take some days to set the system up new.

But hang on ... I atleast wanna finish this season and this finals.

TBE

[TheBigEasy]

Well ... I am back. It took me a while, but now my computer problems are finally sorted out and the game is installed again. And I played the second game of the 2004 NBA Finals.

NBA Finals 2004 - New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Game 2 - Hornets 120 - Lakers 92

In one sentence ... they didnt stand a chance against me. I blew them out badly, only in the first half of the first quarter they could stay with me, after that I went away for good.

It started pretty slowly and it took one and a half minutes for the first bucket to be scored. After that I switched Odom to PF, and he answered with scoring the first 8 points for the Hornets. Than the Lakers do it again, they are taking Malone out. Cook didnt have a chance against the much quicker and better Odom, who blocked Cook AND Kobe on one possession. After those two blocks the Hornets went on a 10-0 run and start to show their dominance. James Lang (a High school player who was cut before the Allstar break by the real Hornets, mind you) scored twice over Shaq on consecutive possession, sending him to the floor once. Behind Odoms 13 pts, 2 reb and 3 blk the Hornets take a 31-23 lead into the second quarter.

One minute into the second quarter the dominance of the Hornets was even more evident, as they had already pulled down 19 rebounds. They extended the lead to 17 after another Odom block and BD scoring on the other side. Midway through the quarter I pulled all the starters, but that didnt stop the Hornets or allowed the Lakers to come back. They took a 61-43 lead into halftime.

Third quarter was no different. I played hard D and pushed relentlessly on offense. It showed, as I was up by 30 with just under 2 minutes to go in the quarter, which ended 96-68 in my favour.

The fourth quarter was just statpadding and completing the humiliation of the Lakers. They couldnt do anything and I won 120-92, the 13th consecutive win, dating back to Game four of my first round series against Boston. Lamar Odom got Player of the Game. I should have looked up the stats from the previous game, as I didnt remember, which significant role PJ Brown played in Game 1. In game 2 he was a no-show. But David West got some minutes and showed what he can do.

I outrebounded the Lakers in this game 65-41, held Shaq to a 5-10 shooting and 10 pts. So it didnt matter Kobe lit me up for 33 pts.

Now I am going back to the NOrena for Games 3-5, where I hope to win two out of three and win the Championship at home.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Lamar Odom (POG) - 29 pts, 9 reb, 5 blk, 2 ass
J. Magloire - 11 pts, 20 reb, 2 blk, 2 ass
Baron Davis - 15 pts, 4 reb, 12 ass
David Wesley - 18 pts, 4 reb, 7 ass
David West - 8 pts, 9 reb, 1 blk
Ruben Patterson - 12 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 1 ass

Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 33 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk, 3 ass
Shaq - 10 pts, 7 reb, 6 blk, 1 stl
Gary Payton - 16 pts, 3 reb, 3 ass
Devean George - 7 pts, 5 reb, 7 ass
Karl Malone - 12 pts, 4 reb

Thoughts

Well ... another game I didnt expect. After half a quarter I took the lead for good. They didnt even put up a fight. Shaq was a complete nonfactor, I was pretty much able to shut him down, as the rest of the team ... I hounded them into a 37-109 shooting . Next two games and the Title should be mine tho ... Than the off season begins.

TBE

[TheBigEasy]

And I have played another game. Game 3 of the series. Looks like a sweep right now ... i am up 3-0.

NBA Finals 2004 - New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Game 3 - Hornets 128 - Lakers 114

This game was more competitive than Game 2. The Lakers were close all game long. We started both pretty good, hitting a couple of shots, no one getting really away. They were up 9-4 when I tightened up the D and started a little 10-0 run. We traded baskets throughout the quarter. With about 3:30 to go, Shaq got a rest, they put Horace Grant in. This allowed the Hornets to get away a bit and pound them inside. After Odom picked up his second foul, I pulled all starters and went with the bench for the rest of the quarter (about a minute). I was up 32-25 at the break.

With my second crew I was more or less able to hold the lead in the 2nd quarter. Than the Lakers started a little run and with a 36-32 lead I took a TO and subbed in most of the starters. Although the starters tried to run away, the Lakers stayed close with hitting 3 after 3 (nearly half of their 111 shots in the game were 3's). Additionally I couldnt capitalize on the almost quarter long absence of Malone and Bryant and it was close throughout the quarter. I led 58-51 at the half. Jamaal Magloire had already 11 boards.

In the third quarter it was also mostly trading baskets. I got away two or three baskets, they make a quick 3 and stood close. I never gave up the lead, but couldnt get away either. At the end I went on a little run and was up by 9 points, 95-86 at the last break.

I couldnt afford to let my starters sit for long, as Kobe tried to take over at the beginning of the fourth and held the Lakers close. But halfway through the quarter I was able to extend the lead to 11 and never looked back. I finally got away. My pressure D and JMags relentlessness on the boards kept the lead above 10 points for the rest of the quarter and I finished the game 128-114.

Top Performers

Hornets:
Baron Davis (POG) - 39 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 7 ass
Jamaal Magloire - 19 pts, 19 reb, 7 ass
Lamar Odom - 27 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk, 7 ass
PJ Brown - 17 pts, 8 reb, 1 blk, 3 ass

Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 27 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl, 5 ass
Shaquille O'Neal - 23 pts, 8 reb, 4 blk, 1 ass
Gary Payton - 16 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 8 ass
Karl Malone - 14 pts, 8 reb, 3 ass
Derek Fisher - 17 pts, 1 reb, 6 ass

Thoughts ...

Well ... this game was not a blowout. I had a little trouble keeping them at bay, although after that 9-4 lead early in the first they never got the lead again.

My four main guys (Odom, BD, JMag, PJ) had another very good overall game. Especially Magloire was sensational again. He averages 20 pts, 18 reb and 5 ass per game in the finals. With another strong game 4 he might get the Finals MVP. Baron Davis is right behind him with 27 pts, 3 reb and 10 ass a game. Lamar Odom should also get consideration with 25 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk and 5 ass a game.

The Lakers surprise me a bit. Some games they get blown out (game 2), some games the stay close throughout (games 1 and 3). Well I hope for a competitive game 4 and hopefully the NBA Championship.

Than the offseason begins and I am already thinking about the changes I'd like to make. For instance I think about getting rid of PJ and Traylor, moving Odom to PF and find a new starting 3. The 2 Guard needs to be adressed, as Wesley is too small for it. But I might need only a backup and go with Alexander as my starting 2 ... Well ... we'll see. The biggest change I want to make is the move to the western conference. Hope that will work ...

TBE

[Jay-Peso]

Looks like the Hornets will be the winners of the NBA Finals. Congrats on the win and take home the trophy, please!

[TheBigEasy]

... and take home the trophy, please!

You bet I will ... Although in the early Boston series it looked like the Playoffs could be pretty hard, I haven't lost a game since game 3 of that series and I wont lose one now.

TBE

[TheBigEasy]

GRRRR ... bloody Lakers ... I lost Game 4 ...

NBA Finals 2004 - New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Game 4 - Hornets 117 - Lakers 122

This Game was a twisted Game one. In Game 1 I ruled throughout the game, until the comeback code kicked in in the fourth quarter and they came close again. This time it was the other way around, they led throughout the game until I started to rally back to the close final score.

It started pretty slow, both teams not able to score much in the first minutes. Hornets couldnt connect in the paint. Neither Magloire nor Brown hit anything but bricks. Even easy layups werent converted. So I pulled Brown and put Odom at PF. It helped a little. While tightening the D I scored some fast break points ... but the Lakers countered quickly and went up 21-11. They pulled O'Neal, but the Hornets couldnt immediately capitalize. With 5 minutes to go, Courtney Alexander got injured on Kobes second foul. Now both Kobe and Shaq were on the bench and the Hornets slowed the Lakers down a bit. Odom held the Hornets in the game and they only trailed 31-34 at the end of the first. With 16 pts and 5 reb already, Odom chipped in an early bid for Finals MVP honors ... but I had to win first.

At the beginning of the second quarter the Hornets werent able to slow the Lakers down more ... so they went up 56-41. Nothing worked against them, no Defense, no Offense ... nothing. When Malone (!) hit a 3pointer they were up by 23. Than the Hornets hit a few, but after a 3 by Bryant they finished the quarter with a 22 pts lead for the 72-50 halftime score.

In the next quarter I tried to get closer with my second unit. With tight D and good bench play I came within 16 points. But that was it. Whenever I scored a few points, they countered. They held their lead througout the quarter and were up 98-78 at the end of the quarter.

But still the Hornets werent able to put together a significant run to close the gap. They busted even easy layups. Even Full court press, some steals and better D didnt do the trick ... for the first half of the quarter. Than I think the comeback code kicked in and I started to chip away their lead. I came within 8 points with 2:40 to go and I started to hope I might win it after all. Especially Ruben Patterson came through big time and scored point after point. Baron Davis hit a couple of threes, but it wasnt enough. Too late I started to foul them intentionally and they were able to hold on to a slim lead and won it 122-117.

Top Performers:

Hornets:
Baron Davis - 30 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl, 8 ass
Darrell Armstrong - 12 pts, 4 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl, 9 ass
Lamar Odom - 23 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk, 2 ass
Ruben Patterson - 12 pts, 2 reb,

Lakers:
Kobe Bryant (POG) - 25 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl, 4 ass
Shaquille O'Neal - 25 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk
Karl Malone - 11 pts, 10 reb, 5 ass
Gary Payton - 14 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 6 ass

Thoughts ...

Well ... that was quite the outcome I hoped for. I thought I would dominate them completely and win this Championship. Jamaal Magloire completely dissappeared, so did PJ Brown. Odom had a spectacular first quarter, but scored only 7 pts thereafter. But the biggest problem was, that I wasnt able to make even easy baskets. Numerous times Darrell Armstrong blew a layup after a steal ... others blew layups and dunks. Thats why this loss has a pretty bitter taste. I could have lived with Magloire dissappearing, but more or less the whole crew? Give me a break ...

But I have one more chance to win it at home ... and this time they will not get away with the win !!

TBE