NBA Season Awards 2008-09 - Jun 24, 2009
Most Valuable Player: LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) Rookie of the Year: Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88) Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) Sixth Man of the Year: Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77) Most Improved Player: Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83) Sportsmanship Award: Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76) Coach of the Year: Mike Brown Executive of the Year: Danny Ferry All-NBA First Team: Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82) LeBron James Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) Dwight Howard All-NBA Second Team: Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76) Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77) Ming Yao (7'5''-C-80) Brandon Roy (6'6''-G-84) Chris Paul (6'0''-G-85) All-NBA Third Team: Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84) Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72) Chauncey Billups Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) NBA All-Defensive First Team: Dwight Howard Kobe Bryant LeBron James Chris Paul Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) NBA All-Defensive Second Team: Tim Duncan Dwyane Wade Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86) Shane Battier (6'8''-F-78) Ron Artest (6'7''-G-79) NBA All-Rookie First Team: Derrick Rose O.J. Mayo (6'5''-G-870) Russell Westbrook (6'3''-G-88) Brook Lopez (7'0''-F/C-88) Michael Beasley (6'9''-F-89) NBA All-Rookie Second Team: Eric Gordon (6'4''-G-88) Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88) Mario Chalmers (6'1''-G-86) Marc Gasol (7'0''-C-85) D.J. Augustin (5'11''-G-87) Rudy Fernandez (6'6''-G-85) LA Lakers won NBA 2008-09 championship title - Jun 14, 2009
Bryants seven-year chase of a coveted championship is over. Hes got his fourth, and Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson his record 10th, a ring for each finger. One year after failing in the finals, Bryant and the Lakers have redemption, and all the rewards that go with it. They earned their 15th title on Sunday night as Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) scored 30 points and Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) added 14 and 15 rebounds in a 99-86 win in Game 5 over the Orlando Magic, who ran out of comebacks. It took longer than Bryant expected, but he has stepped out of former teammate Shaquille ONeals enormous shadow at last. His fourth championship secured a strong case can be made for Bryant being the leagues best player since Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers. His coach stands alone. Jackson, the chilled-out, bow-legged Zen Master who won six league titles in the 1990s with Jordan in Chicago, now has won No. 4 with Los Angeles and broke a tie with legendary Boston coach Red Auerbach as the winningest coach in finals history. Ill smoke the cigar tonight in memory of Red, Jackson said. He was a great guy. Bryant and Jackson, whose relationship strained and briefly snapped under the weight of success, are again at the top of their games. Together. Nothing was going to stop Bryant, who spent the postseason scowling, snarling, baring his teeth and all but breathing fire at anything in his path. For weeks, the All-Star has worn his game face, and only when the victory was his in the final seconds did the finals MVP allow himself to smile. After the final horn, he leaped into the air and was quickly engulfed by his teammates, who bounced around the floor of Amway Arena. Bryant then gave a long, heartfelt hug and shared a few words with Jackson before sweeping up his daughters, both wearing gold Lakers dresses, into his arms. Bryant had come up short twice in the finals before, in 2004 with ONeal against Detroit, and again last season against the Celtics in the renewal of the leagues best rivalry. The Lakers were beaten in six games, losing the finale in Boston by 39 points, a humiliating beatdown that Bryant and his teammates had trouble shaking. They went to training camp with one goal in mind. This was going to be their season, and except for a few minor missteps, it was. After beating Utah in the first round, Los Angeles was forced to go seven games against Houston, which lost center Yao Ming to an injury. The Lakers then took care of Denver in six games, setting up a matchup with the shoot-from-their-hips Magic, who made their first visit to the finals since ONeal took them there in 1995. Courtesy of Freep Kobe and Shaq lead West to a victory in NBA All-Star Game 2009
Jordan Sparks who is originally from Arizona and the past American Idol winner performed the national anthem in a supreme soulful manner. The West beat the East by 146-119 as Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) and Shaquille O'Neal added another NBA All Star MVP to their legacies as they were named Co-MVP's. Chris Paul (6'0''-G-85, college: Wake Forest) was deserving as well with a 14 point and 14 assist performance. LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) led the East with 20 points while Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) and Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77, college: Kansas) added 18 points a piece. The game started with the East storming out the gates with the fine play of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The two US Olympians look very comfortable playing together. However the West scored 11 straight points to take a one point lead with 2:56 left in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant was instrumental in the momentum swing and the West took a 34-27 first quarter lead. As both teams featured their reserves in the second quarter Paul Pierce made some key plays to bring the East back in the game. The contest was back and forth as Chris Paul and Maurice Williams (6'1''-G-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Alabama) played very well for their respective squads. CP made some key steals and also provided eight sweet dimes as the West led 72-67 at halftime. The West team blitzed the East in the third quarter with ten points from Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. There was a lot of hype prior to the game about Shaq and Kobe reuniting again as NBA All Star teamates. The West led at the end of the third quarter 110-91. The game seemed a little boring going into the final seven minutes as the West maintained a double digit cushion and both teams traded baskets with little defense being played. As the time elapsed Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) played one on one and the game was very much decided in the West's favor. There some spectaclar dunks by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard which amused the crowd at the US Airways Arena. Some of the celeberties at courtside included Jay Z, Beyonce, Muhammad Ali, Spike Lee and even presidential candidate John McCain. The entertainment was superb as usual because the NBA is all about providing the highest form of entertainment. Next Year the NBA w ill take the All Star Weekend to Dallas and they only do the big in Texas especially with Mark Cuban behind the scenes. NBA All-Star Game: West - East 146-119 West: K.Bryant 27+4reb+4ast, A.Stoudemire 19+6reb, C.Paul 14+7reb+14ast, T.Duncan 6, M.Yao 2; S.O'Neal 17+5reb+3ast, P.Gasol 14+8reb, B.Roy 14+5reb, T.Parker 14, D.Nowitzki 8, D.West 6, C.Billups 5 East: L.James 20+5reb, D.Wade 18+5ast, D.Howard 13+9reb, K.Garnett 12, A.Iverson 2; P.Pierce 18, M.Williams 12+5ast, R.Allen 8, R.Lewis 8+6reb, D.Harris 6, D.Granger 2, J.Johnson 0 NBA All Star Weekend - Saturday
As usual there were a host of celebrities strolling down the very clean streets of this beautiful city. Sprite Slam Dunk Contest The night at the US Airways Arena ended with the highly anticipated Sprite Slam Dunk Contest featuring the explosive J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85), Rudy Fernandez (6'6''-G-85) of the Portland Trailblazers, the 2006 champion Nate Robinson (5'9''-G-84, college: Washington) and last years champion Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85). The two former champions ended up in the finals and the little man Nate Robinson stole the show with his green kryptonite suit. He also jumped over Dwight Howard in one of his two spectacular dunks. Howard had some special dunks and used his superman cape like last year but his last dunk was a little weak. In earlier years Michael Jordan and Julius Erving jumped from the free throw line to captivate the audience but Howard missed the free throw line mark big time. That mistake was costly and crowned Nate Robinson as the 2009 NBA slam dunk champion. D-League All Star Game The D-League All Star game was played at the Jam Session and the Red All Stars defeated the Blue Team 113-103. The Co-MVP's were BBlake Ahearn'2''-G-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: Missouri St.) and Courtney Sims (6'11''-C-83, agency: Passing Lane, college: Michigan). Nick Nurse the former standout coach in the British Basketball League was the winning coach of the Red All Star team. His current NBDL team Iowa Energy is currently one of the best teams in the D League and four of their players have been called up to the NBA. Blue - Red 103-113 Blue: W.Conroy 13, R.Dupree 10, E.Daniels 9, J.White 9, J.Davis 4; A.Meeking 17, W.Russell 14, C.Hunter 12, M.Williams 11, C.Bozeman 4 Red: C.Sims 15, O.Jeffers 14, B.Ahearn 13, R.Hendrix 11, L.Jackson 10; D.Byars 18, T.Johnson 15, L.Allred 10, B.Petway 4, M.Baker 3 Haier Shooting Stars competition In the Haier Shooting Stars competition the Detriot Team won the event featuring a team of Aaron Affalo, Bill Laimbeer and the WNBA Finals MVP Katie Smith (5'11''-G-74, college: Ohio St.). They defeated a game Phoenix team consisting of Smith Tangela (6'4''-F/C-77, college: Iowa), Leandrinho Barbosa (6'3''-G-82) and Suns legend Dan Majerle. Playstation Skills Challange The laystation Skills Challange consisted of Devin Harris (6'3''-G-83, college: Wisconsin), Tony Parker, Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88, college: Memphis) and Mo Williams. Derrick Rose defeated Devin Harris in the final and ended it with an awesome backward double pump dunk. The US Airways Arena was rocking and the atmosphere was great with first class entertainment provided by the NBA as the marquee events began. In the Footlocker Three-Point Shootout 2008 back to back Champion Jason Kapono (6'7''-F-81, college: UCLA) was attempting the three peat. He just qualified for the final round shootout in third place. Rashard Lewis (6'10''-F-79) and Daequan Cook were the other two qualifiers for the final round. Jason Kapono only scored 14 and lost his chance to win the triple. Rashard Lewis and Daequan Cook (6'5''-G-87, college: Ohio St.) tied with a score of 14 points and had to faceoff in a shootout. Daequan Cook emerged as the 2009 Footlocker Three Point Champion. Sophomore defeat Rookies 122-116
Sophomore: Durant 46+7reb+4ast, Young 13, Green 13, Stuckey 12, Horford 10; Thornton 10, Scola 6, Brooks 6, Chandler 6 Rookies: Beasley 29, Gordon 19, Gasol 15, Fernandez 14, Rose 4; Mayo 12, Westbrook 12, Lopez 11, DNP: Oden Childhood friends Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) and Michael Beasley (6'9''-F-89, college: Kansas St.) treated the Rookie Challenge like a playground duel back in Maryland. Oklahoma City's Durant came out on top, scoring a Rookie Challenge-record 46 points to lead the NBAs sophomores to a 122-116 victory over the rookies on Friday night. Durant shattered the record of 36 set by Phoenixs Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) as a sophomore in 2004. Miami's Beasley was pretty good, too, leading the rookies with 29 points. Kevin's a great player and I'm just glad to be on the court with him, said Beasley, like Durant a No. 2 overall pick in the draft. I'm happy to be mentioned in the same breath as him. Decked out in Day-Glo orange high-tops, Durant hit 17 of 25 shots from the floor, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and made all eight of his free throws. Durant also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Durant helped hold off a late charge by the rookies with a three-point play, an emphatic dunk and two free throws in the final minutes. I approached it like a regular game, Durant said. I wanted to go out and have fun. Fortunately my shots were going down. With a few seconds remaining, Durant and Beasley put their arms around each other and laughed. Our relationship goes way, way back, Beasley said. To be in this type of atmosphere, in the NBA together, is a blessing. Its a dream come true. Its rare. Portland center Greg Oden (7'0''-C-88, college: Ohio St.) missed the game with an injury, which is not so rare. Oden was a late scratch with a sore left knee after bumping into Golden States Corey Maggette (6'6''-G-79, college: Duke) on Thursday night. Though he was drafted two years ago, Oden was a member of the rookie team because he missed last season with a knee injury. The rookies could have used a healthy Oden. They've lost seven straight in the game designed to showcase some of the leagues bright young talent during its All-Star weekend festivities. Asked about the rookies seven-game losing streak, Beasley shook his head and said, I definitely have to jump to the sophomore side and make it eight now. Unlike some Rookie Challenges, this one was competitive until the final seconds. The rookies led for most of the game. We didn't want it to be a landslide, Beasley said. That's when the pride kicked in. That's when we decided to fight, but by then it was too late. The rookies closed to 119-116 on a jumper by O.J. Mayo (6'5''-G-87, college: USC) with 11 seconds left. But Durant made two free throws to push the lead back to five. Like the All-Star game, defense was an afterthought with all the high-flying talent on the floor at U.S. Airways Center. In the first of two 20-minute halves, the sophomores shot 68.4 percent from the floor, including 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. The rookies lagged at an almost embarrassing 52.6 percent from the field, and 40 percent from 3-point range, but still led 61-58 at intermission. Each bucket brought shrieks from thousands of pink-clad schoolchildren in prime seats in the lower bowl of the Phoenix Suns home. It is one of the bigger stages, Durant said before the game. We just want to do it justice by coming out and playing hard. Durant was no ball hog. On a two-on-none breakaway in the second half, the crowd roared in anticipation as Durant dribbled toward the bucket. But Durant flicked the ball off the backboard to the 6-foot Aaron Brooks (6'0''-G-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Oregon), who caught the pass but missed the jam. Brooks may have been blinded by Durant's orange shoes, easily the games most dazzling fashion statement. The only thing brighter was a canary vest worn by rookies assistant coach Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette), who otherwise looked like a professor in his spectacles, bow tie and gray suit.br> Wade served as an assistant to rookies coach KKurt Rambis , while Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) assisted sophomores coach John Kuester . I couldn't have had a better co-head coach than Dwight tonight, Kuester said. Thanks, coach, Howard replied. You are going to make me cry. The teams wore white jerseys for the sophomores, purple for the rookies designed by 18-year-old Tim Ahmed from East Meadow, N.Y. It was the first time a fan-designed jersey has ever been worn during an NBA game or event; in the past, rookies and sophomores wore their regular team jerseys. The game was more about having fun than actual competition. But Beasley said he came to win. It is not cool when you lose, he said before the game. I like to be the cool guy. Cool guys don't lose. I will play hard. There was plenty of good-natured showboating. Rookie guard Russell Westbrook (6'3''-G-88, college: UCLA) dunked and then bobbed his head at Durant, his Oklahoma City teammate. When Durant hung on the rim after an emphatic dunk early in the second half, Beasley signaled for a technical foul. The officials simply smiled. Courtesy of Yahoo NBA All-Star Game 2009
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Kobe Bryant holds up the Larry O'Brien trophy and the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy (Photo: NBA)
Nate Robinson Slam Dunk Contest Winner (Photo: NBA)
LA Lakers won NBA 2008-09 championship title (Photo: NBA)
Co-MVPs Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant of the Western Conference hold up the trophy. (Photo: NBA)
Jackson
