Out of 77 shots in the game Mavericks were able to hit only 27 and just a single shot out of nineteen shots were from the three-point range. On the other hand, the Spurs took advantage of 34 shots out of 86 shots. The main reason behind the Spurs win was the 16 shots out of 33 long-range shots played in the game. Bonner also added that they have a good start in the beginning of the season and back to back wins has given them a boost and Bonner has also scored more than Nowtizki.

When Spurs started the play, everybody felt Neal’s presence in the opening possession. Neal started his game with hitting three 3-pointers just in the beginning of the first quarter, giving Spurs a lead of 18-points in the initial quarter of the game. The team also lacked Manu Ginobili, their leading scorer and when Nowitzki’s team started to trail with 66-42 in the fourth quarter, Coach Rick Carlisle opted Nowitzki out for the final session. Only two players from the Mavericks were able to reach double figures, these two players were Terry and Delonte West, and they scored 12 points and 10 points respectively.

On comparing the back-to-back of both the teams in this season, the Mavericks seem ahead of Spurs with 22 back-to-backs as compared to 20 back-to backs of Spurs. However, for the Thursday match Spurs coach feel that the real fire of the Mavericks was not present in the game and the team might get in a better shape later in the season. At the end of the day, Matt Bonner’s 17 points gave Spurs a nice victory over the Mavericks, and these points took him ahead of veteran Tim Duncan from Spurs as well. Better games seem to be slated in the coming time and hope that fans get to see better performance as well.

“Easy Ed”, as known to many of from the previous generations, Ed Macauley was announced dead from St. Louis University press unit on November 9, 2011. He was a championship match-winner for St. Louis Hawks, and also one of the first NBA stars to have graced the basketball court. While he first took the Billikens to a title winner in 1948, he was already in the Hall of Fame in 1960. Through the late 1940s and 50s, he had played for multiple NBA teams. However, he is also remembered as a personality who changed the power structure of the NBA association over his most influential years as an active player. Easy Ed was also one of the major contributors as a coach in later years.

The legend towered six feet eight inches, and was one of the most inspiring players in the NBA circuit. His status as a basketball legend came through not only as a dominating player on the court, but also as a figure of inspiration to dozens of future basketball legends. Macauley started playing for St. Louis in the later part of the 1950s, and was involved in a number of major victories making the side one of the most intimidating for its opponents. At the time of retiring, the player had an astounding average of 17.5 per game. Later as basketball history would recall, he coached the Hawks for reasons that could be no better justified than by his love for the team, and the missed opportunities for his absence.

Ed will always be remembered for his spirited presence and the championship victory he won the St. Louis University back in 1948 in the NIT Championship. The match took place in New York’s Madison Square Garden, but when the team arrived at Union Station after half-a-week, 15,000 basketball lovers awaited to greet them. And few would argue that it was the beginning of a new era in American basketball. Macauley then became one of the best captains ever, and his teammates always recalled how he would inspire them with his typically witty humor one never needed any time to get used to.

The Two Sides are Close but does it Matter?

The big issue that is preventing a deal is the total percentage of basketball related income that each side gets. In the previous deal the players got 57% but the owners are demanding that percentage drop at least to a 50-50 split. The players have come down from 57% but they have refused to budge off 52%. It would seem that 2% would not prevent a deal but both sides seem entrenched in their positions. “Derek Fisher and I made it clear that we could not take the 50-50 deal to our membership. Not with all the concessions that we granted,” NBA Union executive director Billy Hunter said. “We said we got to have some dollars.” The owners have gone as far as they are going to go at 50% while the players are unwilling to move any further off the 52%. So, yes, 2% could be the difference in having a season of NBA lines or not having one.

What Now?

There are some owners who believe the 50-50 split is too high so it is extremely unlikely the owners will move at all. If there is to be any type of a season, with NBA lines on the board, then the players will have to move off their 52% number. Both sides have said they would rather lose the season than to move any further. If enough NBA players start talking to Hunter then perhaps something could get done. The star players and the ones you always see on TV have said that they are going to hold firm at 52%. Many of the other players in the league have said they just want to play. It will be interesting to see if the NBA player’s union can hold things together or if the “average” players start to put pressure on Fisher and Hunter to make a deal once they start losing paychecks.

Chicago Bulls ended their day in style by thrashing Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference, game 2. The man of the moment was Derrick Rose, who is the youngest MVP in the history of NBA. The scoreboard at the end of the game read 86-73 in favor of Chicago Bulls. The game took place on Wednesday night. Although Chicago Bulls had lost their first game in the payoff series, they came in strong in game 2 and asserted their supremacy on court. The team is at the peak of its form, having won 62 games, which is also the most number of matches won by a team in a regular season.

The real action between the hawks and the bulls

The bulls locked horns with the hawks in a game that saw the Bulls floor the Hawks. The game began with Derrick Rose being awarded the MVP trophy by Commissioner David Stern. The team then went on to gradually build an eight point lead ahead of the Atlanta Bulls, before ending the game on a high note with the court rant with chants of “MVP”. Rose, indeed, lived up to the status of being the “Most Value player” for the Chicago Bulls. Rose has scaled the crème de la crème slot of basketball and has been selected as the 29th player to get the MVP status.

Derrick Rose – will he lead the team to a NBA title?

All eyes are set on the man of the moment, Derrick Rose and speculations are rife if he can lead the team to their maiden NBA title. It has to be seen how the youngest MVP in the history of NBA will shoulder the burden of raised hopes and expectations. It has to be seen how the MVP status at such a young age will spur him onto winning the title. The pressure on him is going to rise multifold. MVP status or not, he will have to work towards the title, or else, his greatness stands the risk of being tarnished. All the MVP players in the past have won the title.