THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
|
Saturday TIME: US | UK WEATHER: US | UK THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE ONLINE Back Issues WHAT'S ON Diary Dates SPORTS Features & Blogs FEATURES Politics blog THE NEIGHBORHOOD "Life in the UK" American Groups Essential Contacts Money Education Driving Property |
SPORTS 
2012-13 NBA Regular Season in Review The 2012-13 NBA season started off with a bang as always. Pre-season stories dominated the headlines leading into one of the most anticipated season tip-offs in history. With owners and managers negotiating free agent signings and trade proposals, no story had more hype surrounding it than Dwight Howard’s imminent move away from Orlando. With ever-growing media tension, the big man practically went into hibernation until the ultimate decision was made. And what a big one it was. On August 10, D12 was officially traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and signed a 1 year contract. The NBA community was abuzz with excitement and the season couldn’t start soon enough. The season tipped-off on October 30, all the new signings were in, all the new coaches were in and we were ready for some basketball. Of course, we were missing some of our beloved stars, including Derek Rose, the 2011-12 NBA regular season MVP, but that wasn’t going to stop anyone from tuning in and watching the action unfold all over again. All eyes were on one team and one team only. Although Lebron James is the most freakishly gifted athlete the world has ever seen, it wasn’t the Heat; people were glued to the TV to watch the Lakers. The team had lost every game in the pre-season and after so much hype surrounding their all-star starting line-up, they still failed to show up for the beginning stages of the season. Although they had a losing record going into the All-Star break, the Lakers rallied and ended the season with the 7 seed in the West, boasting a 45-37 record, albeit without the Black Mamba himself, Mr Kobe Bryant. Bryant suffered a season ending injury April 12 against the Golden State Warriors during another one of his many godly performances. Although they managed to make the post-season tournament, it’s hard to see them going further as they play a well-rounded San Antonio Spurs team. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it was King James’ Miami Heat that took the league by storm. On March 27, the Chicago Bulls ended an incredible Miami Heat winning streak that reached 27 games, the second best in NBA history. Going into the 2013 playoffs, they look poised to make another appearance in The Finals. On January 17 the NBA returned to London for the third instalment of “NBA London Live”. The New York Knicks handily defeat the Detroit Pistons, headlined by Carmelo Anthony’s 26 point tear. All season long, Anthony destroyed the competition, putting New York in poll position to make a serious play-off run, possibly facing Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Boston, arguably the best point guard in the league, Rajon Rondo, found himself in the papers day after day for all the good reasons and all the bad reasons. Leading the league in triple-double, Rondo was simply balling, but controversial moments put blemishes on his performances. A fist fight with Kris Humphreys got the point guard suspended and a later torn ACL injury side-lined the athlete for the remainder on the season. Nonetheless, Boston fought hard and go into the playoffs 7th in the East, promising another legendary battle with the Knicks. Performance Stats Blocks leader: Serge Ibaka 3.0 Steals leader: Chris Paul 2.4 Minutes leader: Loul Deng: 38.7 Assist leader: Rajon Rondo 11.1 Rebound leader: Dwight Howard 12.43 Scoring leader: Carmelo Anthony 28.7 NBA All-Star Weekend NBA All-Star Celebrity Game – West 58, East 38 – MVA Kevin Hart BBVA Rising Starts Challenge - Team Chuck 163, Team Shaq 135 – MVP Keneth Faried Sears Shooting Stars – East Taco Bell Skills Challenge – Damian Lillard Foot Locker Three-Point Challenge – Kyrie Irving Sprite Slam Dunk Contest – Terrence Ross 2013 NBA All Star Game – West 143, East 138 – MVP Chris Paul Playoff Picture EAST 1 Miami v 8 Milwaukee 2 New York v 7 Boston 3 Indiana v 6 Atlanta 4 Brooklyn v 5 Chicago WEST 1 Oklahoma City v 8 Houston 2 San Antonio v 7 LA Lakers 3 Denver v 6 Golden State 4 LA Clippers v Memphis |
