The New Sudoku Players' Forum

by **udosuk** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:09 am

With the internet nowadays it's not so hard to acquire knowledge on US sports...

With a fully healthy T-Mac & Yao I don't think the Rockets will lose to the Suns if the game is played in Houston... It'd be a plus if Shane Battier and (dare I say it) Bonzi Wells both get into the mix... It's funny I never care much about the Bucks (despite there is an Aussie playing for them)...

From what I read from this link the BoSox could be penalised for "bad faith bargaining" if it's obvious they're only mucking around to avoid Daisuke signing with another team (but these things are hard to prove)... If there is no deal Daisuke must go back to Japan to play for his last season on contract... Afterwards he can sign with any team as a free agent...

They say this season the NBA will have a new playoff seeding system, and the division winners will not automatically get the top 3 seeds like before... Which is a great thing because teams have been tanking to get the 6th (& 7th) seed for the last few years... It's much fairer seeing how ugly the Atlantic division is looking right now, compared to the powerful Southwest...

by **Hud** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:05 am

Thanks for posting the link about the posting system. It seems like a pretty good way of rewarding teams for developing their players.

There was an article in today's paper about the sad state of eastern division basketball. Who would have thought the Cavs capable of not scoring 20 points in any quarter last night? The west is strong and just seems to get stronger. I was surprised that the Spurs almost got beaten by the Kings last night also. I'm glad they closed the seeding quirk that allowed the Suns to avoid the toughest teams in the conference for much of the playoffs last season. You wouldn't have known it the way they struggled against the LA Teams.

I know it's not your sport, but there were some interesting NFL Games today. Our local team actually beat a favoured team handily. They call that a "Heckle and Jeckle" thing. Some knowingly or otherwise get "Jeckle and Hyde" wrong. I'll be surprised if you've heard of Heckle and Jeckle lol.

by **udosuk** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:09 am

Since I last talked about the Pistons & Magic flying, they both crashed down to lesser opponents... Talk about the power of my "curse"...

Today, the Mavs are en route to end their 12-game winning streak against - the Wizards :!:

... Perhaps the Eastern conference isn't as weak as we think...

In the NFL scene, the 14-pt win by the Arizonal Cardinals to the St Louis Rams (it's strange putting St Louis & Cardinals together in a sentence but referring 2 different teams) isn't that surprising... The Tennessee Titans, after last week's miracle against the NY Giants, this time beat the current leader Indianapolis Colts on a 60-yard last second FG, while the NY Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys on a 46-yard last second FG... Those are amazing results... :!:

by **udosuk** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:09 am

Both the Rockets & the Suns had big wins today... With the Pistons losing to lowly Trailblazers, we have our top 8 (teams with 6 losses or fewer):

1. Jazz (15-4)
2. Magic (14-5)
3. Mavs (13-5)
3. Spurs (13-5)
5. Lakers (12-5)
5. Rockets (12-5)
7. Nuggets (10-5)
8. Suns (10-6)

7 West teams + 1 East team :!:

As for offense (avg pts scored), the Nuggets are #1 (109.9), followed by the Suns (108.8) and the Warriors (105.1)... The Heat sits at the bottom (91.8)... :!:

The Rockets was 2nd last before today's game, but with a 118-90 win today, now sits comfortably at #24/7th last (93.6)...

For defense (avg pts conceded), the Rockets are convincingly #1 (87.8), almost 5 pts fewer than #2 Spurs (92.4)... The bottom 4: Bucks/Suns (104.2), Nuggets (105.3), Warriors (106.2)...

So the top teams in offense also are the bottom teams in defense (probably due to the fast pace they're playing)...

Another evidence that both the Rockets and the Suns are among the elite teams, is the top 12 in points differential:

1. Spurs +7.5
2. Rockets +5.8
3. Mavs +4.8
4. Nuggets +4.6
4. Suns +4.6
6. Lakers +4.2
7. Jazz +3.3
8. Bulls +2.9
9. Magic +2.7
10. Pistons +1.6
10. Cavs +1.6
12. Clippers +0.9

And all other 18 teams have negative differentials... The Bulls, despite their good avg, is only 8-9 and sits behind the Pistons, Cavs, Clippers... So they must have had a lot of good wins (like the 42-pt drubbing against the Heat on opening day) and tight losses... While the Jazz and the Magic must have had many thrilling wins and blowout losses...

PS:
Oh, BTW, Heckle and Jeckle are a pair of talking magpies in a cartoon, while Jekyll and Hyde is a term originated from a novella by Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island)... As a Gemini I must admit I'm at times a bit "Jekyll and Hyde" too...

by **Hud** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:07 pm

I decided to post about last night's games, but you beat me to it. You Aussies get out on the break faster than we do. I guess Tmac wasn't slowed very much by his aches and pains, and Yao continues to play very well. The Suns simply outran a tired Kings Team last night. The poor Kings had to play 4 games in 5 days against some very good teams. Missing Ron Artest didn't help them either. A funny thing happened at the end of the first quarter: Shawn Marion hit a jumper right at the buzzer and immediately ran off the court and into the locker room. Steve Nash and Amare cracked up over it and I suppose Shawn was a little embarassed but they didn't show him on the replay. Nash had 20 assists and that's always a good sign. I almost hope the Suns will have to play a series of games like the Kings did just to see their bench players get more involved. There was another article about the new basketball in today's paper. Steve Nash claims it's really hurting his hands and he has to practice with bandaids on some fingers. Jason Kidd is also having problems with it. Shooters are liking it so far though.

I enjoyed seeing your listings of team standings; offenses, defenses, and point differentials. I look for the Jazz and Lakers to start sliding, but who knows?. I suggest that we put the Grizzlies in the east and replace them with the Magic. I saw some of the replay of the end of the Piston/Trailblazer Game last night. The announcers remarked that they didn't think the blazers would have won it if Wallace had been on the court for the Pistons. They also said that Wallace moving to the Bulls had hurt both teams so far. I'm sure that'll change.

I'll have to check out Geminis as far as personalities go. Maybe my wife's a Gemini lol. She's circa Dec 23. At least I save $ on gifts that way. I'm a Libra but I don't know what that makes me other than old lol.

They made a big deal about a guy taking a free kick in a soccer tournament (I think in Russia). Every defender jumped and the kicker kicked a grounder into the net. It's really funny in slow motion.

by **udosuk** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:12 pm

Naturally, right after I commented the Rockets being one of the elite teams, they lost their next game to the T-wolves, with sub-par games from both T-Mac & Yao... Now they have a tough schedule ahead, with 9 of 11 games on the road and the 2 home games against the Lakers & Clippers... It could be a crucial period that decide whether they stay with the powerhouses or relegate to the 2nd-tier teams...

Excellent 20-assist game from Nash... I always wonder how most of his assists are made - are they from sharp passes to cutting players for layups, or dishing outs to spot up perimeter shooters, or lop-passes to big men inside? I haven't watched much of the Suns game and could only imagine... So you likely have a better understanding about this... On the basketball court I'm a bit of a passer too (besides a 3-pt shooter) but most of my assists come from lop-passes to our huge Shaq-like center inside...

My coach told me a good passer must have great "vision" and I'm sure it's an attribute Nash possesses well...

The Suns now hit a 5-game-in-7-days Eastern road trip against the Nets, Celtics, Bobcats, Magic & Heat... Should be a piece of cake for them, seeing the Magic is falling to another slump...

Checked the schedule, the Rockets & the Suns play their 2nd last regular season game against each other (April 16)... Let's hope the game would have some significance by then, preferably about playoff seedings rather than survival...

But the final 4 opponents for the Suns are the Lakers, Jazz, Rockets and Clippers and they also gonna have the Spurs and Mavs in the final 10 games... So tough finishing schedule... The good aspect is if they can fight through it then good playoff form is guaranteed...

by **udosuk** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 9:39 am

Fantastic 2OT game today between Nash & Kidd... With 161 points (133 in regulation) the Suns are definitely the best offensive team in the league!

How about Diaw (at center) getting 14 assists, tying with Kidd & 1 better than Nash! While Nash & Bell combined to shoot 12/14 on 3Ps...

The Suns got 43 assists and 12 turnovers as a whole team... This must be a performance close to Hud's liking (except for the defensive effort)...

by **Hud** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:22 pm

I watched a couple minutes of the first quarter and both teams were around 30 points with time remaining. Nash made several assists while I was watching. None were alley-oops, but most were hitting guys streaking to the basket. Guys reallly like playing with Nash since if they hustle, they get the rock. I watched some other stuff and turned the game back on with 20 some seconds left and say Nash calmly drain the three pointer to send the game into OT. I was a little disgusted that a team could give up 133 points in regulation and still win so I never returned to the game. The game is being hailed as a "classic" and I suppose it would have been great to watch for a more unemotionally involved spectator. Nash is said to have patted Kidd on the back when he was announced to have tied (I believe) the triple double record. Kidd is said to have given a rare smile. I had lost sight of the fact that they played on the same Mavs team years ago. Diaw seems to be getting his assertiveness back, but also isn't afraid to dish the ball out. Now if only someone would play defense.

The Pistons must be getting to life without Big Ben since they beat a very good Mavs team last night. I'd like to see the 3 team race between the Spurs, Mavs, and Rockets continue til season's end.

I'm licking my wounds for not posting my guess about "usherette" to MCC's riddle. Whenever I think I have a logical answer, it turns out to be way off.

by **underquark** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:26 pm

Hey, at least I understood the last sentence of your posting, if not the rest (I like to lurk in some sections of the forum without posting much).

by **Hud** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 1:13 am

Udosuk suggested that maybe we should change the name of this infamous thread to "sports talk". I wouldn't mind that since I even learned a bit about Australian Football here.

My wife can't believe I talk about basketball with a guy in Australia lol.

Should be a good game a little later tonight between the Heat and Nuggets. Since it's in Denver, I'll take the Nuggets. My state abuts Colorado but not by any finite area. It's hard to believe that I've never been there.

by **udosuk** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 7:45 am

Note: I've changed the subject of this thread to "Sports talk (formerly NBA talk)"... To make it valid perhaps we should open to more sports, instead of just exchanges about American sports between Hud and me... Some discussions about the Ashes Tests in Cricket would be welcomed... But I wonder would our English pals still have the mood after the devastating loss in the 2nd match...

Back to the NBA, the Rockets today played awesome defense and crush the Bobcats by 30 points... They say Adam Morrison (Bobcats' rookie SG) is the next Larry Bird but it seems he's got a long way to go... The Suns also beat the Celtics, and looking at their schedule I think this winning streak can extend for some more games (provided they can get past the reeling Magic)... The Rockets tonight play the Wizards in Washington, whom usually play great at home, so I won't expect too much on them...

So from your observation Nash gets most of his assists by passing the ball to cutting players? It's a good way to get assists, but requires very good reflexes... I'm sure he'll make a very good quarterback in the NFL too...

They say Allen Iverson is about to be traded to Minnesota... Kevin Garnett should be better than Chris Webber but I doubt if the chemistry would work out well because history tells us that A.I. is not very compatible with other superstars...

Your wife (Dec 23) should be a Capricorn, but only just (if it's Dec 21 then she'd be a Sagittarius)... Got it from here... It's wonderful that with google and wikipedia it's so easy to get info about simple things like this... It seems "common sense knowledge" has greatly depreciated with the use of Internet nowadays...

BTW if your wife found it hard to believe that you're talking basketball with an Aussie bloke, she should think it's even more ridiculous that we were talking about baseball for a couple months... In Australia we mostly play cricket and not many people care about baseball, despite us winning the silver medal in Athens 2004...

Speaking of which, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei if you want to be political correct) has just won the Asian Games in Doha, beating Japan & Korea (they beat Japan with a 2-run come-from-behind rally in the bottom of 9th)... Chien-Min Wang didn't play but they did have Hong-Chih Kuo, starter of the LA Dodgers... Their ace was "Chien-Ming Chiang" (very similar first name to Wang), who start for the Yomiuri Giants, a traditional power house in the Japan league (correspondent to the Yankees in MLB)... Perhaps there is another young Taiwanese MLB pitcher in the making...

Regarding "usherette", I'll excuse myself with the belief that I got misled by MCC's answers to my questions... But great job by underquark nonetheless...

by **Hud** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:03 pm

I watched most of the Heat/Nuggets game last night and they only showed the final score of the Rockets/ Bobcats game. They did say that the Bobcats only shot 28% as if the Rockets' defense had no part in that. That makes 2 games in a week where their opponent didn't get 20 points in a quarter. I suspect that teams are reluctant to try to get to the hoop against Yao, and are content to fire away from long distance.

The Suns played a very sloppy game having committed 20 turnovers in the first 3 quarters. Last season, it was a game they would have lost.

I saw a bit of an interview with Garnett where he begged the team to pick up A.I. I wonder if he'd return some of his $ to get him?

The Yankees are making a mockery of the baseball salary cap by signing Pettitte and possibly making a run at Clemens. The sports guys were talking about the Yankees pitching rotation, and didn't mention R.J.

by **Cec** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:50 am

udosuk wrote:Note: I've changed the subject of this thread to "Sports talk (formerly NBA talk)"... To make it valid perhaps we should open to more sports, instead of just exchanges about American sports between Hud and me... Some discussions about the Ashes Tests in Cricket would be welcomed... "

Casting my mind back when England won the previous "Ashes" series, the contest was one of the most enthralling I can remember. The loss of McGrath (standing on a tennis ball I think) greatly affected Australia's chances on that tour and similar misfortune has happened to England on this tour such as the injury to its Captain Michael Vaughan and withdrawal of Marcus Trescothic from the team due to personal problems not to mention Steve Harmison's loss of form. Australian batsmen have never liked facing short pitched balls that rear up around their throat or head - remember the great West Indies fast bowlers - who mesmerized our batsmen in the sixties. In form, Harmison has this ability.

In the recent second Test at Adelaide, England was certainly in the box seat with its first innings score of six wickets for 551dec. In its second innings, I think England made a bad tactical error by trying to save the Test rather than trying to score runs quickly and then put the pressure on Australia to save the Test. The pain on the English players, particularly Andrew Flintoff, was heartbreaking to watch as they walked from the field after the "Aussies" pulled off a most amazing and unlikely victory. I hope the result of the next Test at Perth keeps England still in the contest for the anticipated 90,000 crowd expected on Boxing Day for the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Cec

by **udosuk** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:44 pm

Cec,

Welcome to the thread! I still remember 18 months ago, when we agonisingly lost the 2nd test by 2 runs (if Michael Kasprowicz had only stayed for 1 more ball, I'm sure Brett Lee would have hit the next delivery over the fence)... Compare to that, the Pommies' loss this time is nothing...

But I don't think we should let off here... It only takes England 2 wins and 1 draw to keep the trophy... I think even if we're 3-0 up coming to Melbourne and Sydney the boys would still try hard to sweep the Poms... I think you'll have a great time in MCG no matter what...

I hope the bush fire is not affecting you at all...

Hud,

The Rockets today beat the Wizards, but gave up a lot of points (to their standard), and T-Mac got hurt again... Yao Ming dominated the 4th quarter after the Wizards lost both their 2 best centers to injury... Next up for them is the Lakers, and it's a genuine test to their strength...

It's strange the Yankees are going after all those former pitchers that went to the Astros... But I have a feeling that RJ won't stay in NY for too long...

And something that should be of interest to both of you:

In the Australian PGA Championship today, Nick O'Hern, who haven't won anything for more than 7 years, holed a birdie shot from a greenside bunker in the 4th playoff hole, after blowing up a much easier close putt in the 18th in regulation... That must be a big relief for him, because if he had lost I doubt whether he could have recovered from the disappointment...

by **Cec** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:03 pm

udosuk wrote:"....I still remember 18 months ago, when we agonisingly lost the 2nd test by 2 runs (if Michael Kasprowicz had only stayed for 1 more ball, I'm sure Brett Lee would have hit the next delivery over the fence)... "

Yes, but the part that sticks more in my mind about that tour was Shane Warne dropping Kevin Petierson (I'm still unsure about this spelling) before he had even scored but then proceeded to blast 158 runs giving England the "Ashes".

On the bush fires over here, I'm not affected other than the dense smoke being blown yesterday about 130kms. south towards Melbourne suburbs making vision and breathing difficult. Yesterday was our hottest December day for 53 years - 42.1degreesC (108F). It seems that only badly needed rain will put these huge fires out which are burning in heavily timbered bush areas where firefighters are mainly concentrating on clearing fire breaks and saving homes.

Yes, it was great to see popular golfer Nick O'Hern finally crack a win in the Australian PGA after being runners up twelve times and third on eleven occasions in tournaments here and overseas since 1999.

Cec

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