Slap Dog Hoops: December 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

SDH Presents the NBA D-League Journies of Fab Melo and Kris Joseph

Both Fab Melo and Kris Joseph share three things in common: 1. they both played together at Syracuse University last year; 2. they both got selected by the Boston Celtics in last summer's NBA draft; and 3, they are both playing together on the Celtics' NBA D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws. See how these two former Orange Men have adjusted and evolved as they develop their games in the NBA's official minor league right here, starting with the Brazilian born Fab Melo:

And here is the story on his teammate, a sharpshooting swing man proudly hailing from Montreal, Quebec Canada--Kris Joseph.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel

SDH Presents NBA D-League Highlights (12/29/2012)

It was an exciting jam packed Saturday with 12 of the 16 NBA Development League teams taking on each other for pride, glory and a shot at the big leagues. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants started things off by simply humiliating the home team Erie Bayhawks in their own arena 107 to 83.

The Sioux Falls Skyforce avenged an earlier loss to the Maine Red Claws by beating them on their home court rather convincingly 101 to 87.

The Canton Charge earned the two game sweep of its weekend double header against the Tulsa 66ers beating the Sixers 89 to 80.

The Idaho Stampede defended their home court quite handily as it simply stomped the the Reno Bighorns 101 to 89.

The Bakersfield Jam had no antidote for the venom given to them by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as RGV simply owned the Jam's home court to the tune of 17 points 120 to 103.

And finally, the LA Defenders lost a rather close game against the Iowa Energy losing by just three points 105 to 102.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops to see aspiring ballers try to make their NBA hoops dreams come true.

SDH Presents the NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night (12/29/2012)

Enjoy the ten best plays from Saturday night.

Visit http://www.nba.com/video for more highlights and be sure to view in the coming days for SDH's Worst to First countdown reviewing, recapping and ranking the performances of all 30 NBA teams for the month of November.

SDH Presents NBA Nightly Highlights (12/29/2012)

Go around the league on an eleven game night in the NBA

Saturday, December 29, 2012

SDH Presents Euroleague Basketball's Friday Recap Top 16 Week 1

24 teams entered in October and only 16 remained as the Euroleague's Championship Playoffs has gone in full swing Thursday. Friday kicked of the second night of action determining who the winners on Thursday will face.

Yesterday saw former NBAer Jason Kapono have a stellar Euroleague debut. The newcomer for Panathinaikos scored 16 points in just 17 minutes helping the Greek team take down the Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kuanas.

Kapono also earned the Assist of the Night for this great pass to his teammate.

The rest of the team would not be outdone however, as Kapono's teammates, Jonas Maciulis, earned Block of the Night honors with this great swat.

CSKA Moscow's Sasha Kaun stole the show as well with the Euroleague Dunk of the Night.

And finally, the Play of the Night comes from FC Barcelona's Marcilinho Hueratas for the steal, and lobbing the ball to his teammate Nate Jawai on the other end of the floor.

Remember you can watch all the final 16 games live on http://www.euroleague.tv and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops for highlights, scores and in depth analysis afterwards.

SDH Presents NBA D-League Highlights (12/28/2012)

It was a jam packed six game night in the NBA Developmental League as players do not just play to win, but also audition for a chance to make the big leagues. Last night saw the Austin Toros visit the Erie Bayhawks to get beaten by their hosts 105 to 91.

Another Texas team, the Legends also suffered a loss on the road as they fell to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 107 to 97.

The Maine Red Claws pinch the Sioux Falls Skyforce with some tough defense and steal the first game of a weekend double header from the Sioux Falls Skyforce with a 106-94 victory.'

The Canton Charge snapped a three-game losing skid with a 104-96 victory over the Tulsa 66ers in front of 2,450 at the Memorial Civic Center.

Lady Luck was with the Big Horns as Reno came into Idaho to take down the Stampede on its home court 96 to 83.

And finally, the Santa Cruz Warriors closed out 2012 with a 88-79 home win over the Springfield Armor.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops to see aspiring ballers try to make their NBA hoops dreams come true.

SDH Presents the NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night (12/28/2012)

Check out the 10 best plays from around the Association on a 12-game night filled with high-flying slams, game-winning shots, buzzer-beaters and more blocks than any top 10 this season!

SDH Presents NBA Nightly Highlights (12/28/2012)

Check out the highlights from all 12 games tonight around the NBA as the Knicks & Kings went down to the wire, the Heat tried to avoid an upset in Motown & the Clippers looked to extend their incredible winning streak to 16 games!

Friday, December 28, 2012

SDH Presents Euroleague Basketball Highlights (12/27/2012)

Here are the best moments from last night's Euroleague Basketball action as eight teams duked it out to inaugurate the top 16 tournament. CSKA Moscow started the Top 16 in style by downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

The Italian champs, Montepaschi Siena demonstrated their credentials in a great display of offensive variety as they took down the Israeli Maccabi Electra.

Unicaja Malaga opened the Top 16 by rallying to beat Brose Baskets in Group E.

Caja Laboral Vitoria continued its strong run in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague taking down Olmpiacos Piraeus in the first round of the top 16.

Real Madrid opened the Top 16 with an important road win at o2 World in Berlin, Germany taking down Alba Berlin.

And finally, BC Khimki Moscow Region opened the action in Top 16 Group F just as it hoped as it went into Istanbul to take down Besiktas one its home court.

Remember you can watch all the final 16 games live on http://www.euroleague.tv and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops for highlights, scores and in depth analysis afterwards.

SDH Presents Euroleague Basketball's Thursday Recap Top 16 Week 1 (12/27/2012)

24 teams entered in October and only 16 remained as the Euroleague's Championship Playoffs has gone in full swing yesterday. With the first night over, four teams out of the sixteen teams remain as they look forward to who they will face next.

Italian club Montepaschi Siena stole the show as their own Tomas Ress earned both the week's Player of the Game and the Play of the Game.

Marcus Williams was the Euroleague's Nightly Notable as he led Unicaja Malaga to a come-from-behind win against Brose Baskets Bamberg by scoring 19 points in 21 minutes and hitting 5 key baskets in the decisive rally.

Caja Laboral's Andres Nocioni earned the Euroleague Play of the Night with the rebound and the coast to coast layup on the other end.

Unicaja's Fran Vasquez wowed fans with this great stuff earning him the Dunk of Night honors.

Although his team suffered the loss and was subsequently eliminated, Brose Baskets' Anton Gavel still earned himself Euroleague Assist of the Night honors with this delicious dime to his teammate.

And finally Besiktas Istanbuls' Cemal Nalga was recognized for his great defense earning him the Euroleague Block of the Night.

Remember you can watch all the final 16 games live on http://www.euroleague.tv and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops for highlights, scores and in depth analysis afterwards.

SDH Presents NBA D-League Highlights (12/27/2012)

Only one game last night in the NBA Development League and it was a cross coast showdown between the visiting Springfield Armor and the home team Santa Cruz Warriors. Santa Cruz defeated Springfield 113-101 in Warriors second game in their new arena.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops to see aspiring ballers try to make their NBA hoops dreams come true.

SDH Presents the NBA's Top 5 Plays of the Night (12/27/2012)

Only two games on the schedule tonight but the top 5 is loaded with jaw-dropping passes, dunks & buzzer beaters as the Thunder & Clippers were in top form!

SDH Presents NBA Nightly Highlights (12/27/2012)

Only two games tonight and we deliver the full highlights from both as the Thunder & Mavericks need overtime to settle the score while the Clippers look to stretch their winning streak to a franchise-best 15 games as they host the Celtics!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 14. Charlotte Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats Overall Win/Loss Record (as of November 30^th): : 7-7 , third place Southeast Division	Preseason Prediction: 30	This Month: 14
Team Statistics and League Rank (as of November 30th) Points Scored: 97.0 (17^th) Points Allowed: 99.6 (20^th) Team FG%: .417 (28^th) Opponent’s FG%: .441 (17^th) Rebounds per game: 42.3 (12^th) Opponents rebounds per game: 45.3 (29^th) Turnovers per game: 14.8 (13^th) Opponents turnovers per game: 16.8 (4^th)	Individual Statistical Leaders Scoring (ppg): Kemba Walker (18.0) Rebounds per game: Byron Mullens (8.8) Minutes per game: Kemba Walker (38.0) Assists per game: Kemba Walker (6.0) Steals per game: Gerald Henderson (3.0) Blocked Shots per game: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (1.5)
Worst Player of the Month: Byron Mullens After a solid first season in Charlotte, many anticipated for Mullens to build from his breakout performance; however, that has not happened so much. Although he is posting career highs in points (13.8) and rebounds per game (8.8), his game still remains quite flawed. For a seven-footer, he shoots rather poorly at under .400—the reason being that most of his shots are not taken in the paint like traditional center. Of his 13 shot attempts, five of them come from the three point line, and he make less than two per game. For the Bobcats to be successful, he needs to focus on getting his points down low as Charlotte virtually no other presence in the paint.	First Player of the Month: Kemba Walker/Ramon Sessions This pick was rather difficult as both players are having career seasons, lead the team in scoring both at 16.5 points per game, and are virtually equal in every way. The only stark difference is that Kemba plays approximately six more minutes than Sessions which may give him a slight advantage over Walker. However, to be fair, both players have become major impact players providing the team with a bulk of the scoring production averaging 33 points per game, approximately one third of the team’s total offense. They also are key players on the defensive end averaging a combined three steals per game and their assist to turnover ratios are almost equal at 2:1. There is no doubt that in the long run it will be Kemba’s team; however, right now, both him and Sessions have carried the Bobcats thus far on an equal basis.
Analysis: Who would have thought that the team that sported the worst record in NBA history last season would match their season’s seven game win total in the first month of the season? Who would have expected that same to sport a winning record for most of November before falling to .500 by losing their last three games to finish the month? Like many who have followed the NBA, the few people in the city of Charlotte that call themselves Bobcats fans never would have guessed that the same team who forced them to hang their heads down in shame would resurrect so quickly and in such a spectacular manner. The Bobcats entered the season with a new vigor as they let have go their burdens of the past season and looked as if they would become one of the surprise teams in the league. Winning their first seven games so quickly game their fans, who were expecting another long and disastrous season to lift their heads up in pride as their Charlotte Bobcats came into the season looking to exorcise their demons of the past. November was quite the roller coaster ride for Charlotte as the Bobcats started with an impressive one point win against a team who was supposed to be one of the top contenders in the East, the Indiana Pacers (11/2/2012). Unfortunately, that win was followed by three straight losses, including a 27 point spanking given to them courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks (11/3/2012); however Charlotte bounced back in splendid fashion winning their next three games which included them getting revenge on Dallas for their previous loss seven days later (11/10/2012). The Bobcats would go on winning sixth of their next eight games only losing against the Memphis Grizzlies at home (11/17/2012) and their division rival Atlanta Hawks. Regretably, as it often has been the case for this much maligned team, the Bobcats would finish November losing their last three games which included the humiliation at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder where Charlotte scored just 69 points in that game losing by almost 50 points(11/26/2012). Yet despite that rather huge setback, Bobcats fans at least continued to hope that their home team would eventually bounce back as they had done before. Sad to say, that has not happened as those three loses in November would be the start of a 15 game losing streak as the Bobcats have yet to win a game in the month of September. They started to look like the Bobcats of old losing by ridiculous margins with an average disparity 13.5 points per loss. Thus far, Charlotte has allowed their opponents to crack the 100 mark in every game except one—the heartbreaking three point loss to the Atlanta Hawks (11/28/2012); however despite their poor performance of late the Bobcats still had a few good showing. They brought their game against the Portland Trailblazers to overtime before falling and lost to heavy hitting teams such as the New York Knicks, and both Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers by a total of nine points. Unfortunately, as it is expected for a young rebuilding team, the Bobcats have just been used as the league’s whipping boys by the 29 other NBA teams. One can go as far to say that it was already a foregone conclusion that the Charlotte Bobcats would collapse sooner than later if he or she would look at their numbers. Although the Bobcats showed plenty of improvement to start the season, they still allowed their opponents to outshoot and out rebound them on a regular basis. Though the .441 they had allowed their opponents shoot in November is a far cry from the close to .480 that they allowed last season, the Bobcats have not helped themselves by shooting far worse at just under .420 from the field. Plus, the teams that they did beat cannot be considered as the league’s cream of the crop by any sense of the imagination. They beat the Washington Wizards, a team which had just won one game for the entire month of November, twice (11/13, 11/24) while the five other teams included an injury depleted Minnesota Timberwolves team (11/14/2012), an equally awful Toronto Raptors squad (11/21/2012), a team on the verge of rebuilding in the Dallas Mavericks and an underwhelming Indiana Pacers ball club. Their only win to note was from an overachieving yet mediocre Milwaukee Bucks club who had an above .500 record at the time (11/19/2012). So do not expect the Charlotte Bobcats to go any higher, let alone maintain their current standing in this month’s Worst to First. At least Bobcat fans, the few that there are, can hold solace to the fact that they do not have the worst team in the league, or even the worst team in their own division. Add the fact that their team is in a rather weak division with three team with sub .500 record, Charlotte does not look as bad as it once did. Nonetheless, it will be a very long season for this young pack of Bobcat cubs as their opponents will look to beat them every single time; however, given some time, this Bobcat team might build itself up to a potential playoff contender one day—granted that day will be a long time coming, but everyone can agree that when it come to the Bobcats, they need all the optimism that they can get.

SDH Presents NBA D-League Highlights (12/26/2012)

Two games were played in the NBA Developmental League yesterday including an exciting one between the Austin Toros and the Canton Charge. The Toros would take this one in overtime on the road 107 to 98.

The Maine Red Claws would also take a win on the road as they down the Idaho Stampede on its home court rather convincingly 108 to 94 in Boise.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops to see aspiring ballers try to make their NBA hoops dreams come true.

SDH Presents the NBA's Best of the Week (12/18 to 12/24)

Here is a rundown of the best plays coming from the best basketball players in the world. Check out the top steals from last week's action in the NBA!

Check out the 10 best plays from all your favorite International Players around the NBA in this week's International Top 10!

Check out the AMAZING assists from last week's action in the NBA!

And finally, take a look at the best stuffs of the week.

SDH Presents the NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night (12/26/2012)

Check out the 10 best plays from an action-packed 12-game night in the NBA as superstars around the league gave fans an encore following the amazing Christmas lineup!

SDH Presents NBA Nightly Highlights: (12/26/2012)

There were 12 games on the schedule tonight and we bring you the highlights from all of them in our NBA Nightly Highlights as Kobe goes for 40+ in Denver, the Suns & Knicks go down to the wire and Kyrie Irving adds another BIG performance to his resume!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 15. Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls Overall Win/Loss Record (as of November 30^th): 7-7 , second place Central Division	Preseason Prediction: 14	This Month: 15
Team Statistics and League Rank (as of November 30th) Points Scored: 94.2 (23^rd) Points Allowed: 93.4 (6^th) Team FG%: .436 (21^st) Opponent’s FG%: .439 (12^th) Rebounds per game: 43.9 (7^th) Opponents rebounds per game: 40.3 (6^th) Turnovers per game: 15.5 (17^th) Opponents turnovers per game: 15.5 (11^th)	Individual Statistical Leaders Scoring (ppg): Loul Deng (17.8) Rebounds per game: Carlos Boozer (9.8) Minutes per game: Loul Deng (40.4) Assists per game: Kirk Hinrich (5.7) Steals per game: Joakim Noah (1.3) Blocked Shots per game: Joakim Noah (2.1)
Worst Player of the Month: Kirk Hinrich Kirk Hinrich is a player that should not be hated, but rather pitied—kind of like a horse that has broke its leg and needs to be taken behind the barn and “put out of his misery.” Here is a player who has had a reputation of being a tough scrappy player, but whose skills and abilities have eroded as a result of past injuries and the ravages of father time. Expected to be just the primary backup for Bulls star Derrick Rose, he was thrust in at the starting point guard spot as a result of Rose’s injury. His performance thus far has been rather lackluster to say the least averaging just 6.2 points per game and shooting a woeful .321 from the field. His game seems to have completely left him as his shooting stroke is all but gone and due to his poor physical condition, he cannot even be counted on stay on the court for more than 25 minutes. What’s worse is that Hinrich is the best the Bulls have at this point his situation to be more pitiful as they have no choice but to play him.	First Player of the Month: Joakim Noah Can this be the season where Joakim Noah will finally takes the leap of being a mere role player to becoming the franchise player that Bulls fans have been hoping for? He has started the season posting a career high in points per game at almost 14 per game and currently leads the team in rebounds, steals and blocked shots per game. Already praised by fans, the coaching staff and his peers for his tough physical defense and hustle Noah has also amped up his production on the offensive end taking more shot attempts and scoring in double figures in all but four games this month. It is also important to point out that the Bulls have been winning when Noah has scored 15 or more points in a game making him a more dominant factor in the team’s offensive schemes. If he maintains his aggressiveness on the Offensive end, Noah can fill the huge void left by Derrick Rose’s absence and the Bulls will thus thrive as a result.
Analysis: As a team who is missing their star play and whose roster its front office has gutted due to financial reasons, the Chicago Bulls have played up to expectations—not great, but good enough to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls started the season quite admirably winning three of their first four games, and then split their next four games, but finished November on a sour note losing four of their last six games. Considering that Chicago started with a very light schedule facing only two teams that were over .500 at the time in November—the Oklahoma City Thunder (11/8/2012) and the Boston Celtics (11/12/2012)—Bulls fans should neither be pleased or disappointed. Everyone knew that this would be a long tough season and no one had any preconceptions that the Bulls would repeat last season’s performance where they sported the league’s best record. What was completely unexpected, however, was that the Central Division would be so poor that the Bulls would still have a chance to take first place even with a meager .500 record. Chicago fans along with the rest of the league had already conceded the Central Division to their cross state rival, the Indiana Pacers, as they were expected to dominate the East being second only to the NBA Champion Miami Heat; however, that did not happen. The Pacers entered the season with a far deeper and athletic team than they had when they took the Heat to six games in the Eastern Conference Semis last season; however, they have been anything but dominant. The much touted additional firepower that Indy acquired in the offseason has been shooting blanks as the Pacers’ offense ranks at the bottom of the league. Indiana, thus far, has been hovering under the .500 mark and certainly does not look like a team that would be nearly a worthy enough rival for the Miami Heat. Thanks to this unforeseen collapse, Bulls fans now have a small ray of hope of their team retaking the Central Division crown as their strongest competitor has essentially become a complete bust. Although Chicago is not that much to write home about either as the Bulls have not the most pleasant team to watch; however, they are still far better off than they could have ever though thanks to the poor start of the Pacers. As it currently stands, it is a three way race for first place for the Central Division title as the Bulls hold a half game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks with the Pacers right behind at 1 and a half games. Neither team has really shown that they have what it takes to be a worthy contender for the Eastern Conference crown, but considering the fact that the Bulls were not even in the discussion at the start of the season, one must consider what they have accomplished as impressive in itself. Chicago was expected to be fighting for its playoff survival for most of the season—even team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, did not have very high expectation for the team in the upcoming season. Nonetheless, there is Chicago, standing up on top their where more analysts, observers, and even their own fans did not even give a chance to reach over .500, let alone be first place in their division. Credit the Bulls unwavering devotion to defense in keeping Chicago at par with its Eastern Conference rivals. In their seven wins for November, the Bulls only allowed the opponents to score just 88.0 points per game while holding them to just .399 shooting from the field. In five of those games, Chicago held its foes to under 90 with their best defensive performance being against the Dallas Mavericks (11/28/2012) where the Bulls held the Mavs to just 78 points and under .350 shooting. Unfortunately, November also showed the Bulls’ inability to come through with a win when their opponents scored over 90 points as there were only 2-7 in those games. Nonetheless, despite their inability to win in high scoring games, Chicago fans can still hold their heads up high to the fact that their home team was only blown out once by the Clippers (11/17/2012) while the rest were rather close, with the Bulls just losing by an average margin of 5.3 points. The Bulls have continued to impress as they have started the month of December winning seven of ten taking down notable Eastern Conference teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers (12/1/2012, 12/12/2012), the current first place holding New York Knicks (12/8/2012), the Brooklyn Nets (12/15/2012), and the Boston Celtics (12/18/2012). Unfortunately, fans must still remain cautiously optimistic as the Bulls are still a long ways for contending for an NBA title. Remember the reason why Chicago has been so successful is that their toughest rivals, the Indiana Pacers, have played rather poorly to start the season along with being in a rather weak division if one were to compare it with the five others in the league. Also, despite the Bulls solid run to start the season, they still do not have the firepower to compete against the big guns in their own conference, let alone the entire league. Their only hope is that they remain respectable enough until March to make a real push for the final stretch because that is when Derrick Rose is projected finally return from his injuries; however, until that happen, the Bulls will still remain teetering between being average and mediocre.

SDH Presents NBA D-League Highlights: Christmas Edition

Just one game played in the NBA Developmental League and it was between the Iowa Energy and the Sioux City Skyforce. The Sioux Falls Skyforce could not match the energy of the visitors, Iowa on Christmas. The Iowa Energy came away with the biggest present, a 102-80 win over the home team.

Watch all D-League games LIVE on the D-League's Youtube channel and always stay on Slap Dog Hoops to see aspiring ballers try to make their NBA hoops dreams come true.

SDH Presents the NBA's Top 10 Plays of the Night: Christmas Edition

We close out Christmas with our 10 best plays from a day filled with NBA superstars that was dominated by Lob Cities aerial show in Los Angeles!

SDH Presents NBA Nightly Highlights: Christmas Edition

Check out all the highlights from a 5-game NBA Christmas with superstar showdowns from noon to midnight, ending with the Clippers going for a franchise-best 14th consecutive win!