NBA: 2013-2014 Season - DONE Spurs Win

[JohnBM01]

According to ESPN, Kobe Bryant will make his 2013-2014 debut... Sunday against the Raptors. So he'll be ready to take on your Raptors in Los Angeles, Paulie. Kobe obviously will be not be at his usual dynamic form. However, I'm sure we will know just how he will be once he suits up and laces up to go for another season. (I've been Tree'd, of course)

Meanwhile here in Houston, we're hosting Golden State for their only visit to Houston tonight. Last year, you may remember we went crazy shooting three-point bombs all over Golden State and almost broke an NBA record. There was also that hard foul by GS late to prevent an opportunity to break that NBA record for most made threes by a team in a game. Rockets need a win after two straight losses. We'll see if we get back to winning after tonight's match with the Warriors. It's going to be tough because Golden State is not a sorry team.


Go enjoy some NBA basketball tonight. It's BALL NIGHT!

 

[Paulie]

Kobe always scores huge numbers against Toronto, so he ought to have quite the triumphant return.

 

[Aesthetics]

Kobe always scores huge numbers against Toronto, so he ought to have quite the triumphant return.

I was expecting him to return next Tuesday, because he honestly hates Phoenix with all his guts.

 

[JohnBM01]

Leading for about 98% of the game, we won 105-83 hosting the Golden State Warriors. I mostly followed the final quarter of play. Big Nasty Beard (as I call James Harden) dropped 34 on the Warriors, and there were 22 points and 18 rebounds for Dwight Howard. Harden and D12 were ballin' tonight. So while Texas is getting some very cold weather (highs of 39°F for tomorrow here in Houston), the Rockets offense remained red hot... just like Texas Summers. The Rockets are now 14-7 on the season. Up next... we host the Orlando Magic on Sunday night to conclude this home stand.


Elsewhere...

* The sorry Milwaukee Bucks finally win again after so long! It was 109-105 in Overtime at the Washington Wizards. Middleton for MIL cashed in 29 points, and Henson got a double-double (19 points and 17 rebounds) in the Overtime win.

* New York strings together back-to-back wins as the New York Knicks demolished the Orlando Magic by a score of 121-83. NYK dropped 17 three-point bombs on Orlando and put the Magic to sleep. As I read on Twitter: "CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW YORK KNICKS ON THEIR FIRST WINNING STREAK OF THE SEASON!"


Congratulations to all other winners from tonight's games.

 

[Paulie]

Raptors lose again to the Suns for their 5th straight loss. Please start tanking already! Make some trades, hire Lionel Hollins, do something. We could use a player like Julius Randle, Parker or Wiggins (assuming we get rid of Gay).

 

[a6m5]

Blazers are #1 in the West(virtual tie w/Spurs), 17-3(.850). Yeah, me neither.

I can nitpick on this team all day long. Wins against Indiana & OKC have come at home, and when the opponents were on the second of back to back. Most other teams we've beaten are scrubs, or were missing key players. By my observation, we've been getting good looks, which tells me that it's not all our offense, it's also crap defense by opposing teams. Having said that, any NBA fans know that winning games that you are supposed to win is easier said than done. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my Blazers.

I've yet to label my team a title contender, and someone on CBS comment board actually called me out as a phony Blazer fan........ to which I replied that we were a lottery team last year, and I'm a faker because I wouldn't regard this team as a title contender in December? Flipping homers.

 

[Aesthetics]

I've yet to label my team a title contender, and someone on CBS comment board actually called me out as a phony Blazer fan........ to which I replied that we were a lottery team last year, and I'm a faker because I wouldn't regard this team as a title contender in December? Flipping homers.

I know that feel. I'm basically the only Suns fan in my school. I don't believe we can make the playoffs, and I get so much 🤬 For it. The west is stacked, and our team tends to not play against worse teams. I don't want to end up with another mid-lottery pick, especially in this draft, because I want this team to be a championship contender sooner than later. Then the proceed to tell me that that doesn't make sense in their retro suns snapbacks.
Also, I ask them who Steve Nash is. They don't know.

/rant over

 

[kjb]

So my Knicks finally got a winning streak going. The sad thing about the Knicks is if they have a terrible season they have no 1st rd pick I believe Den has it so no chance Wiggins and those guys. Right now NY sports sucks

 

[a6m5]

Lot of scoring & crappy defenses this year....... Any who, Blazers got beat by Dallas tonight. Blazers have really crappy defense & I'm SHOCKED it's taken this long to get exposed. It took a buzzer beater by Monta Ellis to down the Blazers tonight, but only because we nearly bailed ourselves out with couple of looong shots.

 

[JohnBM01]

a6m5, I could probably have heard your heart break all the way down here in Houston when Dallas hit that game-winning shot. I saw it on NBA TV live and could only imagine Portland fans having their hearts broken with an opportunity to play Overtime basketball. On the other hand, at least it would get my mind off of when Brandon Roy of Portland beat my Rockets once on a game-winning three-pointer in Portland years ago.

But yeah- that sucked, man. Not so much if you're a Dallas fan (like McLaren), but that was a tough way to lose if you're a Trail Blazers fan. That's basketball...

 

[a6m5]

Quite the contrary(I think I may have been grinning, even. I did clap. ). As I said, I can not believe how more teams don't exploit our average(on a good day) defense.

Yes, I was hoping for o/t, but you don't deserve o/t when you leave a elite jump shooter wide open. Not exactly a shocker!

 

[Stavingo]

I honestly do not understand this Bulls team.

Lose to Pelicans, beat Miami.

In triple OT as well.

Glad that Pelicans didn't trade Anderson, the dude is raining it from deep.

 

[JohnBM01]

While my Houston Texans figure out how to win again, my Rockets will be in action as tonight is the final night of our current homestand. We're hosting the Orlando Magic tonight.

Elsewhere...

* kjb's Knicks will welcome their best friends from the Boston Celtics.

* Omnis's Miami Heat will head up into the Midwest for some Midwestern hospitality, courtesy of the Detroit Pistons.

* The ballin' Indiana Pacers will head on down to Oklahoma City to take on Brett's Oklahoma City Thunder to complete a brutal back-to-back.

* Finally, it's Paulie's Toronto Raptors heading down to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Lakers.


So every game tonight has at least one of us GTPlaneteers represented. Go enjoy some NBA hoops and good luck to all of your teams.

 

[Brett]

And I will be in attendance today.

 

[JohnBM01]

I forgot to mention two things...

* Dwight Howard's birthday is today, and he's playing against his former team. Happy birthday, D12.

* Kobe Bryant is back. We'll have to see how this guy performs against Toronto at home tonight.


I actually didn't know of D12's birthday until snooping around on Facebook.

 

[JohnBM01]

Rumor has it that a deal may be in the works between Toronto and Sacramento involving Rudy Gay. I heard it just now while I was listening to the Orlando at Houston game on the radio.

 

[a6m5]

Sad moves by sad teams. Gay is a decent player who makes way too much money. He couldn't really help either teams, so I guess the winner here is Toronto in the long run. Kings has shown some competitiveness(considering), so it very well could get interesting for them with the added firepower(but they are still the Kings).

 

[Aesthetics]

Shame. Raptors potentially had something going with Derozan and Gay, even if it was horribly inefficient.
Now this Kings squad gives me a bad feeling. They plan on using Gay as their PF..

 

[JohnBM01]

With up to a 22-point lead, we beat the Magic 98-88. Birthday boy Dwight Howard (his 28th birthday) accounted for 20 points and 22 rebounds. Terrible free-throw shooting by both teams. As long as you win, that's all that matters. Doesn't have to be pretty wins. Just as long as you are on the winning side. The Rockets now have won their 15th game of the season.


Up next... a three-game road trip starting this Thursday at Portland as part of the slate of NBA on TNT games this week. This week's NBA Fan Night Game of the Week will be... Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers. So NBA fans want to know what the Heat can do at the Pacers. A lot of people easily see this as an Eastern Conference Finals preview. But of course, let's save the preview talk until the playoffs come proper.

 

[Stavingo]

Shame. Raptors potentially had something going with Derozan and Gay, even if it was horribly inefficient.
Now this Kings squad gives me a bad feeling. They plan on using Gay as their PF..

I think they're probably gonna go with a really small lineup and use Derrick Williams at the 4.

 

[Aesthetics]

I think they're probably gonna go with a really small lineup and use Derrick Williams at the 4.

I don't think it'll gonna go well either way.
Raptors are also planning on dumping Kyle Lowry soon...
Sad to see another team Riggin' for Wiggins.

 

[Stavingo]

View attachment 87049
I don't think it'll gonna go well either way.
Raptors are also planning on dumping Kyle Lowry soon...
Sad to see another team Riggin' for Wiggins.

Good lord that sounds horrendous.

 

[Brett]

The Thunder dominated the Pacers tonight. Kevin Durant came out and did not seem to be able to miss a shot early on in the game. Russell Westbrook may have played his best game of the week. His shots on offense have been shaky. It is understandable though since he is coming off a long layoff after last season's injury. He is still getting back into the groove of things. Perk even played well and held Hibbert to below his normal standards.

 

[Paulie]

Sad moves by sad teams. Gay is a decent player who makes way too much money. He couldn't really help either teams, so I guess the winner here is Toronto in the long run. Kings has shown some competitiveness(considering), so it very well could get interesting for them with the added firepower(but they are still the Kings).

From a team chemistry point of view this may hurt the Raptors short term, they were a very tight-knit group but from a basketball point of view, Gay just wasn't doing it for us, his inefficent scoring and selfish play were crippling the offence (Not to mention that contract, of THAT contract).

I think they're probably gonna go with a really small lineup and use Derrick Williams at the 4.

That would make more sense......

I don't think it'll gonna go well either way.
Raptors are also planning on dumping Kyle Lowry soon...
Sad to see another team Riggin' for Wiggins.

I hope they don't trade Lowry but that is the talk. I'm also disappointed to see Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray leave, top notch players in terms of effort and team chemistry.

 

[Stavingo]

I hope they don't trade Lowry but that is the talk. I'm also disappointed to see Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray leave, top notch players in terms of effort and team chemistry.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did though, isn't he a UFA after this season?

 

[JohnBM01]

Most teams have played at least 25% of the season thus far. So if you're wanting to discuss how your team(s) is/are doing so far, you're free to do so.


The 2013-2014 Houston Rockets are currently 15-7 after recently winning against the Orlando Magic at home. The only sort of deficiency reported on the Rockets is how they've been unable to hit the mid-range shot. Their offense has to be mostly strong if they are getting inside buckets with regularity. Same goes if they are able to get hot from behind the line. While not a fanatic of Dwight Howard, D12 certainly has been a difference maker. My only issue is his maturity. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with this Rockets team. Word has it that Omer Asik will mostly be available for trade and probably will be traded between now and about maybe December 19. I just fear we might lose some good Rockets players, especially the likes of Chandler Parsons or maybe even Francisco Garcia. As long as the Rockets keep playing tough and keep going strong, us Rockets fans will have a team to really be happy about. As a Houston sports fan, it's nice to know that at least one professional team is still making us care even when the likes of the 2013 Houston Texans and 2013 Houston Astros have disappointed many a fan of either team.


That concludes my assessment of my team after about 25% of the season being complete. Anyone else want to talk about your team(s)' performance so far?

 

[Brett]

The Thunder are 15-4 and it feels like they should be a game or two better. The team's defense could be better on a more consistent basis. The Thunder can really turn up the defense intensity, but can lapse at inopportune times. The offense is doing pretty well, but still needs some work.

Kevin Durant is playing well, but it seems he is down just a hair. His percentages are slightly down compared to last year. That is to be expected considering how awesome of a year he had last year. The pace he set last year was always going to be difficult to maintain. However, he has improved in a few areas. His rebounding and assists per game are up a hair.

Russell Westbrook has somewhat gotten back into the swing of things in the last few games. Prior to last handful of games, Westbrook has been a bit rusty coming off of last year's injury. It is going to be important that he continues to get back into game shape.

Serge Ibaka is playing very well. He is being more aggressive on the offensive end and not just settling for mid range jumpers. That is a welcome addition to his game. It also helps that his rebounding is up and his defense has improved on what was already a pretty good foundation. If he can get his mid range jumper to fall like it did for most of last year, then he is going to be a very good player on both sides of the ball.

The combination of Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb off the bench has been very good. Reggie Jackson has stepped up and is filling James Harden's old role nicely. Jeremy Lamb has shown some glimpses and looks to be a worthwhile contributor off of the bench.

Lastly, Steven Adams. He started the year out fantastically. Adams has since come back to Earth, but looks to be a very nice addition from this year's draft. With some more development, Steven Adams is going to be a solid center.

 

[Aesthetics]

The Kings crushed the Mavs.. Let's see how Rudy Gay can ruin this team when he comes.
Hopefully it's just financially. The more teams to beat the lakers, the better.
Speaking of lakers, this Tuesday will be interesting..

 

[McLaren]

Lot of scoring & crappy defenses this year....... Any who, Blazers got beat by Dallas tonight. Blazers have really crappy defense & I'm SHOCKED it's taken this long to get exposed. It took a buzzer beater by Monta Ellis to down the Blazers tonight, but only because we nearly bailed ourselves out with couple of looong shots.

That was a lucky win for us.

Did enjoy watching Aldridge though pull a Dirk on Dirk, & then get schooled by the man himself with a rainbow fade-away.

 

[a6m5]

That was a lucky win for us.

Did enjoy watching Aldridge though pull a Dirk on Dirk, & then get schooled by the man himself with a rainbow fade-away.

Dirk's one of the greatest fadeaway shooters of all-time, but LaMarcus is actually starting to approach that level. He's got nice range, too. It's sick.