NBA 2009

James a unanimous pick for All-NBA First Team

2009-05-14T14:03:43+02:00

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2008-09 Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, was a unanimous selection to the 2008-09 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining James on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. James, who earns First Team honors for the second straight season, ranked second in the NBA in scoring (28.4 ppg), eighth in steals (1.69 spg) and 10th in assists (7.2 apg) to go along with averages of 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. James guided the Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66-16 record overall and a 39-2 mark at home, both tops in the league. James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month four times (November, January, March, April), tying Kevin Garnett (2003-04) as the only players to receive the award four times in one season since the NBA began voting for Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month separately. Bryant, the 2007-08 Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, finished third in the league in scoring (26.8 ppg), while averaging 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 65-17 record. Bryant earns his fourth straight First Team selection and seventh overall. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) and Shaquille O'Neal (eight) have more First Team selections. Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the second consecutive season, led the NBA in rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocks (2.9 bpg), becoming only the fourth player to pace the league in both categories since 1973-74, the first season where blocks were kept as an official statistic. Howard led the Magic in scoring (20.6 ppg), while shooting .572 from the field. His 63 double-doubles ranked second in the league (David Lee, New York, 65). Earning his fourth First Team selection, Nowitzki was the league's fourth-leading scorer (25.9 ppg), while also averaging 8.4 rebounds. His .890 free throw percentage ranked seventh overall. Nowitzki finished the season by scoring at least 20 points in 25 straight games, the longest such streak in the NBA this season. Wade earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after ranking first in scoring (30.2 ppg), second in steals (1.7 spg) and eighth in assists (6.7 apg). He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Wade became only the fifth player in league history to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a single season, as well as the only player under 6-foot, 4-inches to register 100 blocks since they became an official stat in the 1973-74 season. The All-NBA Second Team consists of New Orleans' Chris Paul and Portland's Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Boston's Paul Pierce at forward, and Houston's Yao Ming at center. The All-NBA Third Team includes Denver's Chauncey Billups and San Antonio's Tony Parker at guard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Lakers' Paul Gasol at forward, and Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal at center. The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis. Below are the results of the voting for the 2008-09 All-NBA Teams: All-NBA First team Player ----------1st Team votes -----Total Pts LeBron James ----------122 ----------610 Dirk Nowitzki -------------35 ----------383 Dwight Howard -------116 -----------598 Kobe Bryant ------------119 ----------604 Dwyane Wade ---------103 ----------572 All-NBA Second team Player----------1st Team votes-----Total Pts Tim Duncan---------39---------------378 Paul Pierce---------27----------------330 Yao Ming------------8----------------354 Brandon Roy-------------------------189 Chris Paul---------32-----------------424 All-NBA Third Team Player------------1st Team votes-------Total Pts Carmelo Anthony----------2-------------116 Pau Gasol------------------2--------------165 Shaquille O'Neal----------------------------68 Chauncey Billups-------------------------131 Tony Parker----------------1--------------158

Lebron James is M.V.P.

2009-05-06T02:00:55+02:00

M-V-P, M-V-P! LeBron James Captures His First from: www.curseofcleveland.com Today, LeBron James took another important step towards basketball immortality as he joined some of the greatest to ever play the game, capturing the Maurice Podoloff Award for the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the first time. James becomes the third youngest to win the award behind Wes Unseld and Moses Malone, and he is the first Cleveland Cavalier to win the award. On a day when everything was about LeBron, he tried to make it anything but that. In an extended acceptance speech, James took an unscripted, heartfelt approach to the ceremony. He spent most of his time on stage thanking the people who made it possible for him to be the man he is today. They included his mother Gloria, his girlfriend Savannah, his children, Lebron Jr. and Bryce, his uncles, The Four Horsemen, childhood friend and former Buckeye Sian Cotton, his high school teammates, and his Cavalier teammates. LeBron paid homage to those who laid the groundwork for him, the players he idolized as a child. He mentioned Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan among others. Furthermore, James emphasized that this was a team award, much the way Mike Brown expressed that when he won his Coach of the Year award. Austin Carr could have put it best, "He became human today". Very rarely do we see LBJ talk extensively about his personal life, but today we saw that almost exclusively. LeBron was quite emotional when he spoke about the way his mother raised him, the Walker family who helped his mother raise him, and how his uncles provided the father figure he lacked without his biological father in the picture. He was philosophical at times, almost spontaneously reflecting on how he has accomplished so much at age 24. Everyone focuses on Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, and while James loves those cities, he talked about the importance of being at his high school in Akron, Ohio accepting this fantastic achievement. Driving to Akron St. Vincent St. Mary's High School today, he took "the long way", driving by the streets he played on as a young child, and James said that it allowed him to reflect on his childhood dreams that he had with his fellow Fighting Irish teammates in high school. His Cavalier supporting cast had some kind words for #23. Owner Dan Gilbert conveyed that the "P" in MVP also stands for "Person" when talking about LeBron James. Gilbert tried to measure LeBron's effect on Akron, the State of Ohio, and the Cavalier organization. GM Danny Ferry talked about watching LeBron sweat day after day with his teammates over the past four seasons. Coach Mike Brown stressed that this truly was a "team award". LeBron even called all of his teammates up on stage to present them with cameras as a token of his appreciation. LeBron's never been one to hog the spotlight; he loves to share his glory with the others that are important in his life. The final question that could have put a damper on the ceremony asked if/when he wins a championship with the Cavaliers, will his mission be completed and will he then leave Cleveland. James took the high-road and sort of dodged the real answer that every Cavalier fan dreams of that would go something along the lines of, "I love Cleveland. I'm never leaving. I'll sign the contract right now!". Instead, he left it at his mission could not simply be accomplished in six or seven years, so the short answer is "no". Whether the rest of that mission is taking off from Cleveland will work itself out in time. As for the actual stats behind the momentous day, James took 109 of the 121 first-place votes in a landslide victory over Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade who finished second and third respectively. Here's a look at LeBron's regular season statistics that made this award a no-brainer. PTS - 28.4 per game RBS - 7.6 per game AST - 7.2 per game Triple Doubles - 7 STL - 1.7 per game BLK - 1.1 per game FG% - .489 FT% - .780 3PT% - .344 Team Wins (Regular Season) - 66 Games Played - 81 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year Voting All-Star Starter 4x Eastern Conference Player of the Month (November, January, March, April) One more stat brought to my attention today was the incredible fact that LeBron did not foul out of a single game this season. Incorporate that along with a career-low minutes per game average of 37.7 and LeBron's accomplishments become even more impressive. Some argue, myself among them, that LeBron could and should have won his first MVP two seasons ago when his play nearly single-handedly took the 50-win Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals' appearance. His figures that year were 27.3 PTS, 6.7 RBS, 6.0 AST in 78 games played while shooting 32% from 3PT, 70% from the free throw line, and 48% from the field. He lost out to Dirk Nowitzki and the 67-win Dallas Mavericks. Dirk averaged 24.6 PTS, 8.9 RBS, 3.4 AST in 78 games while shooting 41% from 3PT, 90% from the foul line, and 50% from the field. But, if you look at what Dirk Nowitzki had around him (Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, and Devin Harris) compared to what LeBron had (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson), it's no contest. In poetic justice, Nowitzki's Mavs were bounced in the first round by the eight-seed Golden State Warriors that year as the Cavaliers marched to the Finals. LeBron could have two, but no matter, because he will have at least two or three more of these ceremonies before he hangs it up. LeBron stressed that his biggest goal for this season is not yet accomplished. The Cavaliers still need 12 more wins to capture the Larry O'Brien trophy. They continue that quest tomorrow night as they open up their Eastern Conference Semifinals' Series against the fourth-seed Atlanta Hawks. Let's hope the energy high that LeBron and the whole team will surely be on outweighs any rust they need to shake off in the early going.

Western Conference

2009-04-23T20:22:58+02:00

1. Lakers vs. 8. Jazz: On March 10, the Jazz had won 15 of 16 and were shaping up to be a West force. But they went 7-11 from there. Now, they're first-round fodder. Lakers in 4. 2. Nuggets vs. 7. Hornets: The Nuggets will pressure Chris Paul, overwhelm the Hornets with their fast break and advance to the second round for the first time since 1994. Nuggets in 6. 3. Spurs vs. 6. Mavericks: The Spurs lost Manu Ginobili on April 5, and their playoff hopes were on the ropes. But they closed with five gutsy wins in six outings. They're simply tougher than I-35 rival Dallas, and San Antonio will limp into Round 2. Spurs in 7. 4. Blazers vs. 5. Rockets: Houston is the only team to beat Portland in the last three weeks. No matter. The Blazers are young, but overwhelmingly talented and great at home. Blazers in 7.

Eastern Conference

2009-04-23T20:22:12+02:00

1. Cavaliers vs. 8. Pistons: For six straight years, the Pistons entered the playoffs with championship hope--but not this year. Cleveland, after all, was 39-2 at home. Cavs in 5. 2. Celtics vs. 7. Bulls: "We've got confidence," Bulls forward John Salmons said. "We're playing as well as anyone in the conference." True, but a disappointing home loss to the Raptors pushed Chicago into a bad matchup. For Boston, Kevin Garnett's knee is key. Celtics in 6. 3. Magic vs. 6. Sixers: The Sixers' tough final seven games looked like good postseason preparation. "It's a challenge," coach Tony DiLeo said. "At least we'll be playoff-ready." But the Sixers lost six of seven, and have no answer for Dwight Howard. Magic in 5. 4. Hawks vs. 5. Heat: Miami has Dwyane Wade, capable of carrying his team in any series. But Atlanta counters with Joe Johnson, more depth and homecourt advantage. Hawks in 7.

Playoffs: Conference Finals

2009-04-22T18:30:48+02:00

Here's the game series brackets for the Conference Finals. See the standings for both the Western and Eastern Conference teams.

All-NBA First Team

2009-04-22T06:10:38+02:00

Here are photos of the 5 NBA players who made All-NBA First Team.

logos

2009-04-08T06:15:49+02:00

The Western Conference

2009-04-01T04:20:48+02:00

The Eastern Conference

2009-04-01T04:22:28+02:00

Where amazing happens

2009-04-08T20:26:22+02:00

The 2009 Playoffs have started, check out how the teams are doing! The results game results are posted. Status: Conference Finals Also, look at the calendar for upcoming games.