NHL 2k8 Season Recap

EDMONTON OILERS won the west 67-10-5 139 GF 399 GA 214 BIGGEST WIN Final Game of Season - 13-2 v VANCOUVER 1st Line LW P. BERGERON 87 Late Season Pickup C. S. CROSBY 99 45G 54A 13.9% 3PPG 4PPA 2SHG RW M. GABORIK 89 54G 48A 15.1% 1PPG 5PPA 1SHG 3 SHA (3rd Pts) 2nd Line LW A. OVECHKIN 98 67G(1st) 29A 16.0% 6PPG 1PPA 4SHG 5HAT C. A. KOPITAR 87 28G 56A 13.7% 2PPG 2PPA 2SHA (1st Team Prod.) RW.M. MICHALEK 87 51G 30A 19.8% 2PPG 4SHG 3rd Line LW L. ERIKKSON 79 24G 11A 15.0% (4 Goal Game) C. P. KESSEL 84 18G 23A 10.9% RW S. BERNIER 79 20G 21A 12.6% 4th Line LW V. POLAR 74 15G 11A 22.0% 1PPA (2nd Team Prod) C. R. SCHREMP 76 11G 18A 16.1% RW E. LISIN 73 11G 13A 14.2% D LINE 1 J. JOHNSON 86 Late Season Pickup S. WEBER 86 3G 49A 3.5% 2PPA 1SHG 2SHA 18PIM DLINE 2 M. VLASIC 82 2G 32A 3.0% 1PPG 1SHG 1SHA 8PIM A. MESZAROS 82 Late Season Pickup DLINE 3 D. MCCARTY 75 6G 29A 10.0% 30PIM Enforcer R. PARENT 78 Late Season Pickup GOALIES M. FLEURY 88 39-3 2.66GAA 88.5S% 1SO C. OSGOOD 78 28-7 2.48GAA 89.9S% 1SO

Bunnings Relays

From February until July I worked for 'The Otter Group' who produce a number of hardware lines specialising in nails, fasteners and screws. 'Proline', another company who run screw lines had managed to sell and negotiate a new national layout so working for Otter i worked alongside Proline relaying Bunnings stores thoughout Victoria. THE OTTER CREW Angela Jackson - Geez she had a serious attitude when i first started. Nothing changed! hahah. Nah she ended up being pretty cool. Definitely one of the boys and loves it. Would never tell anyone who her boyfriend was though. Sara - My god. No offense but there was something wrong with her. Impossible to communicate with. Bianca - 'Coach' was under the pump. Down a few members she had to look after the team and work a territory. Always possitive, happy and helpful. Daniel - The rumoured affair with Sarah never happened. Always remember working with him and Daniher's Mitre 10 with that guy who laughed like Waluigi. The PROLINE TEAM Steve Stewart - the brains of the operation. He was all about his 'A-Team'. No wonder we all had so much fun. Soggy Sao. Used to go on about Otter Packaging all the time. Greg - Nearly got in a dust up with a customer who didnt care that he was not allowed into our work area. Go Greg. Paige - She'll have a long and distinguished career as a plumber. She could never get Carlos' security on the way, or security acknowledged right. Beth - Greg's young wife. hahaha. What was i supposed to think Shane O'Brien - what a funny guy, needed a few more coffess to relax i reckon. I'm going to bere TILL F$#^# EIGHT O'CLOCK!!!!! Thanks for popping in today mate. Mudda Mudda from the 'Wherethefuckarewe' Tribe 'C'mon. Do it' Arnold Schwarzanegger style Bloody Shnotter!, I used to say Proline was Hoeline. Jay Lee - awesome bloke, has seen a bit of action in his time. Carlos - The coolest fellow wog i have ever known. Phone prank we played while in Wodonga. 'He's in good hands' Apparantly he rung Nova won morning. Dave Hughes said to him 'You make a good point there Carlo!' Rounders sayings 'Paahhy himm. Paaahhy tha tman his mahney' Arnold Schwarzanegger - Good morning gents! Carlos telling Steve after checcking out the stickers 'Carry on' Graeme - Kenny Rogers was very 'hands on' with his work Good memories from this job. Great people, enjoyable work and flexible hours. Asides from having to be at a particular place 2 days out of the week at 7 in the morning. Some long drives but got through it all easily with my routine, Coffee thermus, The Basketball Jones, and my Ipod music. I listened to a fair bit of Illmatic, Woke up This Morning - Sopranos theme, Open Fire, and the Relapse album when it came out in late May. I think the biggest day i worked was at the Melton store. I think i did the whole store in one day - got up and left home by 5.15 and got home after 9.30 at night. A big 16 hour plus day.

Whats the go Joe?

Hey, I havent done much writting of late as you have probably notest. But I'm going to make more of an effort now and will at least attempt to diarize significant events every few days. Doesnt matter how simple. Im going to start by re-capping the last 6 months or so and then try do scribe in my diary from america. I want to get all this done before i leave. So busy times ahead

Karaoke-ing it Up in Wodonga with the work crew

My god. where to start I'll let the music speak for itself. Enjoy! I'll track down the other culprits

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks

BEST STATS GAME EVER!! Milwaukee B. @ New York K. O 80 D 72 Ov 72 O 80 D 89 Ov 84 Bucks have - Turkoglu, Baron Davis, Okafor, Mike Miller and Eddy Curry. Not much else. They do rate pretty well though. By the way. Last night i took on the L.A Lakers who had the best defensive team ever. They had J. Kidd, L. Hughes, J. Posey, B. Wallace, A.Horford. There ratings were Off 59 Def 100 Ovr 95. Does that mean their defense rating was actually 137? Anyway. I jumped out of the blocks and built up a nice 8 point lead. I stretched this to 18 in the third and seemingly had it in hand. At the start of the 4th Q the Bucks started raining in 3's and the lead was only 3 points with 5 minutes left. However the starters regained control and thanks to KG controlling the paint and Delonte West's 3 point shooting the final score looked pretty one sided Final Score New York d 34 38 35 35 142 Milwaukee 26 30 33 36 125 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 40 points (18-20 FG). 14 boards, 11 assists, 2 blocks KG's +/- was +36. Incredible My first triple double in the game Top Performers New York D. West - 20 points (4-6 3ptrs), 10 assists D. Granger - 27 points (2-2 3ptrs), 4 boards J. Calderon - 10 points, 11 assists Milwaukee B. Davis - 34 points (11-13 FT, 5-10 3ptrs), 5 boards, 13 assists, 3 steals He did only shoot 9-23 from the field Dud of the Night Rodney Stuckey. In 8 minutes - 6 points (3-6 FG), 2 turnovers and a +/- rating of -15 Team Stats 8-13 3ptrs - highest ever 25-8 fast break advantage

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks

New York @ Phoenix 70 92 OV 81 74 84 OV 78 Suns Lineup PG - C. Paul SG - M. Webster SF - S. Battier PF - Z. Randolph C - T. Chandler Bench - Q. Richardson, J. Salmons, U. Haslem, A. Brooks I looked at this and thought that there was no way the Suns would keep up with me. As long as i played CP3 well i thought i would run away with it. Well i did keep him in check. He did pull off a couple of nice passes but that was nothing like CP3 taking on the Mavs in last years playoffs. He racked up his assits by passing to a 3 point shooter who was not closed out properly. Gradually I pulled away in the 2nd half to build an 8 point buffer and from there i wasnt really too worried. After KG got doubled teamed in the post and kicked out to Calderon who knocked down the 3 the game was over. A solid win thanks to the play of KG and Calderon with some good minutes off the bench from Mutombo and Maxiell. Final score Knicks d 28 32 31 35 123 theSuns 30 27 22 42 121 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 49 points, 13 boards, 6 assists Top Performers New York J. Calderon - 16 points, 12 assists J Maxiell - 14 points, 6 boards in 20 minutes D. Mutombo - 10 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks in 18 minutes Phoenix M. Webster - 38 points (5-12 3ptrs) C. Paul - 16 points 15 assists (7-17 FG) T. Chandler - 15 points, 8 boards, 4 assists Team Stats The Suns shot a ridiculous 15-34 from the 3 point line. Meanwhile i pounded it inside - 92 to 48 points in the paint, 38 to 23 rebound advantage. 17 in a row.....

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks

Well its been a bit of a lay off. Firstly work tuckers me out to much to play during the week and secondly i havent blogged the last 1/2 dozen games or so. So all things considering i was expecting a tough game no matter who the opponent Tonight i headed to Sac-town to take on the Kings who despite having a poor overall rating were sitting on 12-11 for the season. And they have an awesome young lienup Sacramento Kings - OFF 73 DEF 62 OVR 68 PG - R. Westbrook SG - B. Roy SF - K.Durant PF - T. Murphy C - M. Okur Off the bench - Kenyon Martin, T. Outlaw, R. Butler, M. James and scrubs New York Knicks - Off 71 DEF 92 OVR 82 My lineup just for the update consists of PG - J Calderon SG - D. West (D. Stevenson injured Plantar Fasciitis) SF - D. Granger PF - K. Garnett C - D. Mutombo (Z. Ilgauskus injured strained hamstring) Bench - R. Stuckey, T. Prince, J. Maxiell, P. Hardaway, L. Hunter, L. Mbah a Moute, C. Anderson. At the moment i only use an 8 man rotation so they all get good minutes I had a few false starts of this game during the week. I would start one up but pretty much fall asleep after half a quarter. In each of these tries Brandon Roy was the mayne mayne so i expected something similar. Not tonight. He went 4-10 for 9 points, but played significant minutes at the point and dished out 11 spoons. My mayne trouble was Mehmet and Big Kev. Only some stingy defense kept me in the game. The full court press proving successful in keeping me close with the Kings who were shooting a sky high FG percentage. Tayshaun Prince and Granger were doing well and caused some double teams freeing up some 3 point shots which helped, but i was to sloppy on the pick and roll turning the ball over with regularity. In the final Q i came back from 10 down to make it real tight in the final minutes. I was playing solid D getting a hand up and had chances to get the go ahead but could not deliver. A tied ball game with 20 seconds left and Kings ball. PLaying tight d once again i caused a brick shot but the y snared the rebound. K. Durant got the ball with 5 seconds left and hit a 15 footer. i was down 2 123 to 121 with 5.1 seconds left. Inbound play after the timeout. Tayshaun Prince flashed from the far side across the key and i hit him with the pass. He turned the corner and made the lay in to even the score with 1.7 left. Timeout - Westbrook off the inbound pass goes for the 30 foot 3 pointer. No good. Overtime! Garnett got the tip and the Knicks never looked back closing out the game with a 16-6 run. Game Final New York d 30 30 29 34 16 139 Sacamento 27 36 29 31 6 129 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Tayshaun Prince - 48 points*, 4 boards, 11 assists* off the bench * denotes career highs Top Performers New York D. Granger - 28 points, 3 boards, 3 assists K. Garnett - 26 points (13-15 FG), 15 boards 3 assists J. Calderon - 11 points, 12 assists Sacramento M. Okur - 30 points, 10 boards, 3 assists K. Durant - 21 points (3-4 3ptrs), 5 boards, 4 assists, 6 steals R. Westbrook - 16 points, 12 assists Knicks have now won 16 in a row.

Nba 2K9 New York Knicks Game 13

Knicks vs Wizards Game Final Knicks d 34 30 33 38 135 Wizards 35 33 37 24 129 Player of the Game KG - 28 points, 5 boards, 4 assists (14-17 FG) Granger - 22 points - 3-5 3ptrs Damien Wilkins (2nd game for the Knicks) - 13 points in 12 minutes (3-4 3ptrs) J. Calderon - 9 points, 15 assists R. Stuckey - 4 points 13 assists Best play of the Game - Calderon defending against G. Oden in the post and blocking his shot.

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Game 12

New York @ 82 88 85 Milwaukee 80 70 74 Well what a barn burner this one was. Baron Davis was lights out from downtown, while Okafor was unstoppable in the paint. Danny Granger was MASS IVE. 21 points in the first quarter and 52 for the game including a crucial baseline jumper in double overtime to seal the game. KG was pretty standard although he did miss a few shots. Stuckey had aweosme energy off the bench and was on the floor when it counted. Calderon was serviceable but could not find any shots and was not getting into the lane. The Knicks are rolling and are now on a 5 game winning streak. Game Final New York d 29 35 28 33 25 150 Milwaukee 36 32 32 25 18 143 in double overtime Jordan Brand Player of the Game Danny Granger - 52 pts (22-28 FG%, 2-2 3ptrs), 4 boards, 5 assists Granger's 52 points are a franchise record. Top Performers New York K. Garnett - 43 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks R. Stuckey - 14 points, 6 assists, 2 steals Milwaukee B. Davis - 40 points, 12 assists, 4 boards E. Curry - 32 points, 7 boards, 4 steals E. Okafor - 21 points, 14 boards, 5 assists, 4 blocks Dud of the Night Hedo Turkoglu - 43 minutes, 9 points on 4-15 shooting. 5 assists and 3 steals though Team Stats The only thing i can see that is any real advantage for me is FG% advantage - 67 to 56 and freethrows - 22-26 to 9-12

NBA 2k9 - New York Knicks Game 11

New York @ 82 83 83 Boston Celts 80 68 69 Boston Lineup Starters - D. Williams, J. Richardson, W. Szcerbiak. L. Aldridge, A. Koufos Bench - J. Tinsley, E. Jones, M. Carroll, W. Chandler, A. Randolph, M. Taylor, D. Arthur Deron Williams is tough to stop. And the Celtics do have the luck of the Irish. They hit 2 buzzer beaters with a hand in their face for 6 points they did not deserve. Luckily in the first half i was hitting some solid shots with Stevenson and Granger curling off screens for open jumpers. Meanwhile Big Z and KG were owning the paint. The game was broken open in the 3rd quarter on a 15-4 run by the Knicks which saw Stevenson and Granger jsut tear up the open floor. Thanks to great D Danny G. and Stevenson got out on the wings for fast break layups helping their points and assists. D-Will wasnt about to give up despite being on hte receiving end of several hard fouls. KG carried the Knicks over the line with his career night. Final Score New York d 34 38 36 32 140 Boston Celts 36 31 29 37 133 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 47 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists Top Performers New York D. Stevenson - 25 points, 3 boards, 9 assists (2-4 3ptrs) Z. Illgauskas - 21 points, 8 boards, 3 blocks D. Granger - 18 points, 3 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals (2-3 3ptrs) J. Calderon - 8 points, 12 assists Boston D. Williams - 38 points, 9 assists, 3 steals J. Richardson - 23 points K. Koufos - 27 points, 9 boards, 7 assists Dud of the Night L. Aldridge - 33 minutes - 6 points on 3-8 shooting. Team Stats 73% FG shooting 100 points in the paint 45 assists 4-8 3ptrs 16-19 FT's

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 10

Dallas (3-6) @ 81 72 80 New York (6-3) 82 83 83 Dallas Lineup St. 5 - M. Williams, J. Stackhouse, P. Pierce, D. West, M. Doleac Bench - DJ Augustin, A. Parker, C. Wilcox, A. Carter, J. Kapono, D. Jones Woah! Thats pretty decent 1 through 4 for Dallas. Strange they are only 3-6. See how we go. I'll see if i can get Big Z going and Garnett should do ok against West and in minutes at the pivot. After leading the first quarter Paul Pierce and Herry Stackhouse exploded. Not to mention Mo. Williams finding everybody. I managed to keep it within 6-7 points until the fourth and luckily Pierce and Stakhouse went cold. Only West kept the Mavs in it. But New York was way too good outscoring the Mavs 43 to 21 in the final quarter. Maxiell scored all 12 of his points in the quarter, while Ilgauskas controlled the boards and nailed some easy baskets. Ryan Gomes also continued his great form making the most of his minutes. Good solid win for the boys tonight over a quality team. Game Final New York d 34 33 29 43 139 Dallas Mavs 31 42 29 21 123 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals Top Performers New York D. Stevenson - 27 points, 4 assists Z. Ilgauskus - 19 points (8-12 FG), 11 boards R. Gomes - 20 points (9-11 FG), 2 assists D. Granger - 20 points, 5 assists, 3 steals Dallas M. Williams - 26 points, 14 assists, 2 steals D. West - 20 points, 7 boards, 4 assists 2 steals P. Pierce - 20 points, 4 boards, 5 assists M. Doleac - 19 points (9-11 FG), 10 boards DUD of the Night Probably Paul Pierce in the 2nd half - despite being lights out early he only shot 7-16 for the game. Team Stats 65% from the Field 41% downtown 18-20 FT 13 steals 21-6 fast break points

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 9

Oklohoma City (4-4) @ 71 80 76 New YOrk Knicks (5-3) 82 83 83 Thunder Lineup St 5 - A. Iveron, J. Johnson, A. Mourning, D. Galinari, B. Wright Bench - J. Farmar, L. Kleiza, L. Wright, B. Knight, D. Anderson, D. Marshall A great opening quarter by the Knicks saw them pull out to a 38-27 lead capped by a Marquis Daniels three. Jose Calderon led the way with 5 points and 6 assists. KG looked dominant early going 5-5 for 10 points. Stevenson also opened up well going 5-7 for 11 points. Barndon Wright opened up well putting an exclamation mark on his great first quarter with a huge tomahwak over KG. The small lineup of the Thunder will have trouble against the powerful Knicks frontline. The 2nd quarter continued much as the first with Knicks extending the lead at one stage to 22. A great FG % of 75 and shooting 4-5 from downtown and the Knicks went to the dressing rooms up 75-59 at the half. KG and Calderon led the Knicks with 20 points and 11 points and 9 assists respectively. Daniels, Granger and Stevenson were all playing well shooting a good clip from the field. The 3rd quarter begun and Joe Johnson finally woke up for the Thunder, connecting twice from downtown capping 4 straight buckets for the Armadillo Cowboy. Garnett continued to go to work having 32 points through 3 quarters. A buzzer beating 3 by Ryan Gomes kept the Thunder at bay with Knicks ahead by 18 with one quarter to play. The 4th quarter saw the Thunder pull no closer than 13 as the Knicks completed their first blowout win of the season. Game Final New York d 38 37 32 24 131 Oklahoma C 27 32 30 20 109 Jordan Brand Player of the Game J. Calderon - 20 points (9-12 FG), 14 assists, 5 steals Top Performers New York K. Garnett - 34 points, 7 boards, 5 blocks D. Granger - 16 points (7-8 FG) D. Stevenson - 15 points, 3 boards, 5 assists Z. Ilgauskas - 13 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks Oklomama A. Iverson - 22 points, 11 assists, 4 steals J. Johnson - 21 points, 6 assists, 2 blocks DUD of the Game Brevin Knight or Jordan Farmar shot a combined 6-16, but nothing really special Team Stats i shot 65% for the game including 6-10 from downtown 23-8 fastbreak points advantage was huge A 36-23 rebounding advantage no real suprise against the Thunder's small lineup.

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Game 8

New York @ 81 82 81 Memphis 65 72 68 Memphis St. 5 - R. Alston, L. Barbosa, D.J. White, D. Howard, L. Odom Bench - C. Brewer, B. Lopez, S. Williams, A. Law, L. Ridnour, K. Weaver, T. Allen After building up an early 5 point lead and getting some of the Memphis starters in foul trouble - Barbosa, Howard and Alston, the Grizzlies' reserves started to peg back the lead and led at quarter time. They extended it to 10 points but New York managed to peg it back with a late run to close out the half. In the 3rd New York came out asleep as the Memphis lead ballooned to 13. But from there on in some good defense swung the game dramatically. Stuckey started to have his way and with some solid PT from Ariza, these two proved to be the only real assets off the bench. A great third quarter saw me ahead by 9 with one to play. Memphis hovered around as i bided my time before re-inserting the starters. Once it got back to only a 6 point lead i put the starters back on the floor - and from there led by KG, it was all over. Good clock management and taking care of the ball prevented any last minute comeback and when Danny Granger hit a three from the top of the circle the game was all over. Game Final New York d 27 28 36 28 119 Memphis 33 26 23 25 107 Jordan Brand Player of the Game K. Garnett - 29 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks Top Performers New York D. Granger - 16 points 3 boards R. Stuckey - 8 points, 10 assists in 18 minutes P.T T. Ariza - 9 points in 8 minutes P.T Memphis R. Alston - 21 points, 6 assists L. Odom - 17 points, 11 rebounds 5 blocks DUD of the Night No one really - perhaps the Memphis starters for gettin gin foul trouble. Dwight Howard only played 25 minutes due to his happy hands. Team Stats New York kept Memphis to only48% FG. Shot 20-23 FT. Only 7 turnovers 80 points in paint 10-4 fast break points New York are now 5 wins 3 losses on the season.

NBA 2K9 Game New York Knicks Game 7

New York @ 82 83 83 San Antonio 81 83 82 I've had enough of Sasha. So he is gawn. His efficiency rating was absolute rubbish. Statement from owner 'We thank Sasha for everything he has contributed. And we wish him the best of luck with his new team'. In other words thanks for nothing sunshine. So in a three team deal i acquired Deshawn Stevenson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. This meant parting with Kendrick Perkins who had been serviceable, but still expendable when you can welcome Big Z into the mix. So basically my rotation consists of - Guard - Calderon, Stuckey Shooting G - Stevenson, Daniels Small Forward - Granger, Gomes, Ariza Power Forward - Garnett Maxiell Centre - Big Z, Varejo, Mutombo So now lets get to tonight's game against the San Antonio Suns err Spurs Starting 5 - K. Ollie,J. Crawford,S. Marion,A. Stoudamire, S. O'Neal Bench - E. House, A. Thornton, A. Harrington, Wow this one was a great game. It had its swings the whole way with the Spurs going on a massive run to open the 3rd quarter. But this was answered by the Knicks thanks to gerat energy from Daniels and as the 4th quarter started a 13 point defecit had been turned into a 6 point lead. Asides from Stoudamire's opening quarter burst he had been pretty quiet. A big highlight was STAT's massive windmill attempt that saw him take off from a fair way out. Would have been the dunk of the game... WAIT. make that the season! but he either came up short or was denied by KG or Big Z. The elad changed numerous times in the final minutes with each team trading baskets for a 1 point lead either way. Some clutch free throws by Granger and Garnett kept the score even in the final minute. The final play of the game saw me call a timeout with 8 seconds left trailing by 2 points. Garnett had been the man to go to in the 1/2 court game and after he inbounded the ball to Calderon he got the ball back with 4 seconds at the high post. Stoudamire was up close. Garnett drives into the lane and goes for the left handed finger role as time expires to send it to over time. No joy. Game over. Game Final Spurs d 32 26 28 29 115 Knicks 30 33 26 24 113 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Shaquille O'Neal - 26 points (13-16 FG), 6 boards, 4blocks 2 steals Top Performers Spurs A. Stoudamire - 20 points (10-14 FG), 8 boards. 3 assists J Crawford - 19 points, 8 assists K Ollie - 15 points, 10 assists, 3 steals Knicks K. Garnett - 32 points (13-18 FG), 4 boards, 4 blocks Z. Ilgauskas - 21 points (10-12 FG), 5 assists J. Calderon - 6 points, 12 assists Dud of the Game Garnett for not taking it strong to the cup for the final play. Go up hard and either put it through or go to the line. Too soft Kevin.. Much too soft Team Stats Pretty even apart from rebounding. but what could i expect against there massive front line. 29-17 rebounds and a 12-0 2nd chance points advantage for the Spurs. The Spurs only shot 2-14 from 3pt range. Anywhere within that they were deadly.

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Game 6

Utah @ 72 74 73 New York 75 85 80 What a crap game for me defensively. I could just not slow Utah down. Green got off to a good start for the Jazz proving unstoppable inside. Mind you - my defense was that crap that they may as well have been playing against midgets. After a high scoring first half i was only down by 2 but a massive run by the Jazz in the third quarter blew the game open and after another mini run by the Jazz to open the 4th the game was soon in the books with the Jazz resting their starters. Final Score Utah d 33 44 39 32 148 New York 30 45 24 31 130 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Al Jefferson - 28 points (14-17 FG) 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals Top Performers Utah M. Green - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks B. Gordon - 23 points, 6 assists A. Miller - 16 points, 12 assists L. Hunter - 11 points, 10 assists in 18 minutes off the bench New York K. Garnett - 37 points, 7 rebounds R. Stuckey - 17 points, 7 assists DUD of the Game Sasha Vujacic - 10 points 4-12 FG in 31 minutes Team Stats I was pretty much worked over in all aspects of the game Allowing Utah to shoot 60% from the field from the entire game was poor Utah also shot 8-17 3ptrs They also had 46 assists to my 30 43-30 on the glass leading to a 28-21 2nd chance point defecit as well. I did win the bench points 49-45. Yay

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 5

New York @ 75 85 80 Washington 69 76 70 Washington Sarting 5 - D. Harris M. Ginobli, M. Pietrus, L. Scola, G. Oden Bench - A. Johnson, B. Simmons, K. Dooling, J. Yi, J. Smith, F. Murray A great game for me as I started to lock down defensively on my opponent restricting them to a 22 point first quarter. With a 31-22 quarter time lead i led the rest of the way without any real concerns. Manu Seemed to be off in the first half and with Devin Harris in foul trouble i felt pretty good. But Keyon Dooling was a usefyul spark for the Wizards off the bench while Greg Oden was proving a nuisance in the paint. But KG still managed to get his points and was able to take Scola and Simmons to the cleaners down the stretch. Useful minutes from Trevor Ariza in the third kept the Wizards at bay. Once again though it was the balanced scoring throughout the line up that troubled my opponent. Final Score New York d 31 22 30 28 111 Washington 22 27 26 28 103 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevion Garnett - 31 points (13-16 FG), 15 boards, 3 assists, 1 block Top Performers New York D. Granger - 12 points (5-8 FG), 6 assists, 5 steals, 1 block T. Ariza - 9 points in 9 minutes Washington M. Ginobli - 28 points, 4 boards G. Oden - 14 points, 15 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks D. Harris - 16 points 10 assists DUD of the Night While a number of my players shot poorly from the field - Calderon you did come close going only 4-14 from the fied. But it was Michael Peitrus who shot only 3-17 from the field. Team Stats My defense was much better and was the deciding factor with a 52% to 41% FG advantage. Good effort boys. Way to lock it down. Only 16-24 from the free throw line was a poor clip but to get there so often. 44-22 bench points was no suprise, with the Knicks bench doing well all season. Must also be the first game where i prevented my opponent from scoring 30 points or more in a quarter.

NBA 2K9 Game 4

Charlotte @ 83 56 70 New York 75 85 80 Bobcats lineup - G. Arenas, M. Redd, M. Dunleavy, A. Jamison, S. Hawes Bench - B. Udrith, J. Hayes, M. Almond, A. Johnson, C. Atkins, A.Foyle, C.Smith Gilbet Arenas came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders for the Cats, helping them to a 33-26 first quarter lead. Danny Granger kept it close as Garnett could not find his shot. In the 2nd we started to lock down on D with Stuckey providing a nice spark off the bench as i built up a 9 point half time lead. I thought i had it in the books but in the 3rd nothing seemed to work out with Dunleavy and Arenas once again having their way with me. Suprsingly the overrated Michael Redd was doing nothing. I guess not that suprsining considering i just said he was overrated. In the fourth it was the Marquis Daniels show, after ont taking a shot for the first 3 quarters Daniels went on a tear going 8-11 from the field for 18 points. He was the Closer of the Game. With the Bobcats down with 3 to go i was prepared for their big comeback. That doesnt mean i stopped it from happening - as they pegged it back to a 3 point defecit. But Calderon penetrated the lane nicely and with his 13th assist hit a wide open Granger who was a good couple of feet outside the arc at the top. BANG. 6 point lead and game over. Final Score New York d 26 36 20 39 121 Charlotte B. 33 20 30 33 116 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Danny Granger - 29 points, 3-5 3ptrs, 4 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals Top Performers New York K. Garnett - 19 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals M. Daniels - 18 points (all 4th Q), 3 boards, 2 assists J. Calderon - 13 points, 13 assists R. Stuckey - 15 points, 4 assists Charlotte G. Arenas - 34 points (5-7 3ptrs), assists. 3 steals, 3 boards M. Dunleavy - 27 points (3-5 3ptrs), 3 boards B. Udrith - 15 points, 6 assists S. Hawes - 12 points, 11 boards, 5 blocks DUD of the Game Despite handing out 8 dimes tonights dud is Michael Redd. 6 points on 3-11 shooting. Team Stats Very even - only a 62-60 points in the paint advantage. 49-29 bench point advantage. 19-23 FT's, 6-11 3ptrs a great assist to turn over ratio - 34 assists and only 8 turnovers

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 3

Milwaukee @ 80 72 75 New York 75 85 80 Bucks lineup - B. Davis, M. Miller, H. Turkoglu, E. Okafor, E. Curry Bench - J. Dixon, C. Duhon, R. Carney, F. Oberto, CJ Miles, I. Newble, A. Blatche Anderson Varejo suited up as i looked for a bit more versatility on the front line. I felt pretty good about this one, and as the game started i managed to build up a 4 point lead early and never surrended it for the entire game. Leading by around 10 points most of the way it was my turn to be on the receiving end of a ferocious comeback. With 3 minutes to go i still led by around 12 points but the Bucks (the **cks) came back in a hurry thanks to a full court press and some spectacular plays. I had numerous chances to seal it at the line. First off Marquis Daniels - who had been superb connected on only 1-2 giving the Bucks a chance to tie it with a three. But Baron Davis drove to the hoop and was fouled by KG. Davis connected on both and so i still had a one point lead with 14 seconds left. KG's 20 of my 32 points in the 4th quarter, but he nearly cost me the game. First off he got blocked on one trip up the floor and then with 5 seconds to go he was at the line with a chance to extend it to aq 3 point lead. But he botched both free throws! Turkoglu caught the ball on the 3 point line with a chance to win it, but i said 'Get that outta here!!'. Blocked shot. Knicks win. Phew!! Game Final Knicks d 35 31 33 32 131 Bucks 34 27 29 40 130 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 43 points (21-23 FG), 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, 1 block Key Players Knicks J. Calderon - 11 points, 12 assists, 2 steals M. Daniels - 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists R. Stuckey - 12 points (5-5 FG), 4 assists Gomes and Ariza also performed well in limited minutes. Bucks B. Davis - 28 points, 11 assists M. Miller - 25 points, 11 assists E. Okafor - 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks DUD of the Game Sasha Vujacic could have easily taken this out on 2-9 shooting in 22 minutes, but he did connect on 1-1 three pointers. So ill give it to.... Jason Maxiell - He's played in the first 2 but in 26 minutes he shot 2-6 (5 points) and only collected 2 rebounds. TEAM STATS Pretty interesting across the board. Probably my record low in turnovers - 9 Disappointing from the line especially down the stretch (13-20 FT) 37-22 rebounding advantage 51-28 bench points 15-8 - 2nd chance points 16-4 fast break points. What kept the bucks in it was there free throw shooting (18-22) and there defense - 11-5 blocks advantage.

NBA 2k9 New York Knicks Game 2

New York @ 75 85 80 Philidelphia 70 73 71 Phili Lineup: S. Hunter, D. Lee, C. Anthony, R. Hamilton, TJ. Ford Bench - D. Stevenson, S. Cassell, A. Walker, S. May, I. Udoka, Heading into this one I was pretty confident when I saw my opponents team ratings, especially considering i'd taken it right up to Miami in last night's game. I decided to move Granger to SG to start against Hamilton and inserted Ryan Gomes to matchup against Melo - thinking Sasha would get totally burnt by Rip. The game stayed close for the first quarter and a bit, but as the 2nd quarter progressed a mixture of poor shots and stupid turnovers, plus a total inability to keep Melo quiet saw the Sixers begininning to build some nice seperation. I considered myself lucky to be down by 12 at the half. Checking the stats at the half i knew my D needed improving. How could i let a team only rated 70 on offense shoot 69% from the field? Bccause I am crap obviously. Anyway as the second half got underway the only shining light was that i seemed to have the Sixers relatively shallow front court in foul trouble. As Hunter - who had blocked several shots already (5 total for the game) picked up his 4th foul that brought Walker in. As we all know he is a bit of deusch so I thought i'd do alright. What do you know? He comes out and goes bang, bang, bang. 9 quick points and I'm nearly down by 20. Thankfully, with a small front court - KG was beginning to assert himself in the paint, while Maxiell also reaped the rewards of the smaller Sixers - who for some reason moved away from playing May, and started playing Stevenson at PF. Mo Cheeks and the run and gun Sixers. Hmmm. Some full court pressure saw me turn things round in a hurry and i was only down by 6 with 1 Q remaining. I tied it up a few times, but the Sixers still seemed to have the edge. Marquis Daniels was proving useful off the bench. He managed to get to the line 4 times (going 7-8) for 9 points for the game. While KG was resting he seemed to be my only real scoring threat. I could not get Granger or Vujacic going at all - while Stuckey couldnt find space in the lane as he did last time. Calderon once again was doing nothing. If Vujacic and Calderon dont proved they could be put on the trading block real soon. With 2 minutes to go i was right with the Knicks - as we traded baskets and the lead. KG was dominating with Stuckey feeding him well of the pick and roll. Ahead by 1 and 1 minute remaining the Sixers had the ball, but seemed out of sorts in their 1/2 court offense. David Lee had the ball on the wing well out of his range and as the shot clock winded down he pasesed to Steven Hunter who was froced to jack up an ugly three from the top. Rebound to me and headed down court thinking i should wind some clock before getting it inside. However Granger was open beyond the arc at the top - the first opening anyone had from the outside all game - he connnected from downtown to give me a 4 point lead and i thought this was well in hand. After converting another turnover for an easy transitition deuce i had a 6 point lead. And the game was mine - i wont mention the cruddy 3 point play by Melo thanks to KG's foul that brought them back to 3 points down. Game Final New York def. 27 23 33 35 118 Philidelphia 29 33 27 24 113 Jordan Brand Player of the Game: Kevin Garnett - 46 points (20-26 FG), 9 rebs, 2 stls, 2 blks Top Performers: New York J. Maxiell - 18 points (9-10 FG), 5 boards R. Stuckey - 10 points, 14 assists, 3 steals D. Granger - 16 points, 4 rebs, 2 steals, 2 blocks Philidelphia C. Anthony - 31 points (13-14 FG), 4 assists, 2 steals TJ Ford - 23 points, 11 assists DUD of the Night - Jose Calderon - 3-10 FG - 7 points, 4 assists in 22 minutes. Team stats were pretty even across the board. 39-20 bench points my way and also a 90-68 points in the paint advantage too. My apologies to Trevor Ariza - I will get you on the court next game. I realise you di relatively well last time in sparing minutes and that you are a prospect.

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Drafted

My lineup: PG - J. Calderon SG - S. Vujacic SF - D. Granger PF - K. Garnett C - K. Perkins Bench R. Stuckey, T. Ariza, M. Daniels, J, Maxiell, R. Gomes, D. Mutombo, K. Azobiuke I also have Varejo as a reserve. Mutombo and Ariza were picked up on a trade offered by the Jazz who were intially asking for Kendrick Perkins for Ariza and a 2md rounder, by a counter offered with the Bucks rookie SF Ten name Tony and reserve pivot Robert Swift. They then countered by saying they would only do it if i also threw in a 2nd rounder. Well derrr. Game 1

OFF DEF OVL (stupid blogging formatting issues)

Miami 85 82 84

@ New York 75 85 80

Well the season tipped off with a clash against one of our fiercest rivals - The Miami Heat. Starters - J. Tijnsley, Y. Ming, G. Wallace, R. Allen, Nene Bench - B. Bass, K. Korver, R. Sessions, M. Moore, K. Dudley, R. Brewer, J. Hart Even though the Heat's ratings in teh matchup screen appeared higher, i was pretty confident that i could keep Tinsley, Wallace, and Nene quiet. My only real concern was how to stop the Asian Aristotle. I lead pretty much all of the first half thanks to a great first quarter from K. Garnett - 12 pts, 6 rbs, 3 blks all in the first quarter, and Rodney Stuck Stuck Stuckeee, who simply exploded of the bench in true Vinnie 'Microwave' Johnson style going 6/6 from the field. This was first time i have done this on the pro level - so was thinking either im starting to get the hang of this - or i drafted a really good team. I extended my lead up to 8 points at one stage but as the 1st half closed i held a slender 59-57 lead. The second half was a different story. Yao just kept grabbing offensive boards and sticking them back. He tightened up defensively, while his teammates started to find their range from downtown. I thought i was gone - but gradually pulled it back as K.G found his second win and Calderon started proving his worth. With 3 minutes to go i was down by 8 and not feeling too confident, just happy that i was in with a chance and the game was close. I'd been playing a full-court press and i had forced the occassional turnover - and as full-time approached - i'd forced a number of turnovers and had started to convert closing the game to 6 with a minute to go. Calderon then connected on a 3-pointer - to pull the game within three with 14 sec left. I then forced another turnover and thought instead of going for the tie i'd play the foul game and attacked the basket with Vujajic drawing the foul and connecting on both of his free throws. This put me 1 point down with 5.9 seconds on the clock. Miami call time. Using KG i cut off the passing lane to Ray Allen (their best free throw shooter) - and they went for the pass to Ming - but the pass went off hands and i suddenly had the ball with 5 seconds and a chance to win. I did not use my last time out. I passed up-court to Calderon who drove from the right side in for the winning layup. Shot blocked. No foul called. Final Siren. I lose by 1 point 122-121. But what a comeback and what a game. Reminiscent of some nailbiters on NBA Live 2005. Just as i had figured the Heat's 2nd chance points had killed me - 22-8 advantage. I did have a 10% FG advantage (shooting 62%) with an 18-4 fast break advantage, and a 38-21 bench point advantage Final Heat 31 26 31 34 122 d Knicks 30 29 22 40 121 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Yao Ming (Miami) - 43 points (19-22 FG), 18 rebounds (13 OFF) 4 assists and 5 blocks Leading Stat Getters Miami Nene - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks Tinsley - 13 points, 11 assists Allen - 15 points Wallace - 15 points New York Garnett - 37 points (17-25 FG), 15 Rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks Stuckey - 19 points (9-10 FG) Calderon - 13 points, 11 assists Granger - 16 points (8-11 FG), 3 steals