FOULEDOUT!

Hedo Turkoglu’s great improvements across the stat lines have paid off after winning the Most Improved Player Award this season. Turkoglu averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists this season and was one of the key players responsible for the recent success of the Orlando Magic.

Turkoglu’s stat lines this season marked career highs in each category. Last season, he averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

The eight-year veteran is a major factor in Magic’s recent success. This season, he developed a clutch game that led to a couple of game winning baskets during the regular season. The 6-10 forward missed the All-Star game in February and many fans believed that he was snubbed out of the Eastern team.

Turkoglu was named back-to-back Eastern Conference player of the week in late January and early February and earned the player of the month award in April.

“I guess this year was the time for me to step it up and come this far, so I am just blessed that I was healthy this year and all the things went well for me, having a good coach, my teammates, everybody. If you look at it, it is not just my improvement, it is the Magic’s improvement too, comparing to last year.” Hedo Turkoglu said after receiving the award.

Hedo Turkoglu got 380 points in the voting and edged Rudy Gay and LaMarcus Aldridge who earned 167 and 128 points respectively.

Other notes:

The Orlando Magic are headed to the second round of the playoffs after they defeated the Toronto Raptors 102-92. Dwight Howard had a monster game and posted his third 20-20 game of the series. Hedo Turkoglu missed a triple-double after posting 12 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.

-fouledout

I know this post comes very late and I apologize for that. It’s my finals week in school and i have tons of paper work to do that i hardly have time to write here in my site.

When i read about WithMalice’s Unsung Player Day, one player popped in my head immediately. Jamario Moon. Some of you may or may not agree with me, but since day one, i’ve always thought that Jamario Moon deserves some attention. As a rookie, Moon plays almost 30 minutes per game and averages 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. With that kind of stats, one might say that Moon is hardly an unsung player. I chose to write about Jamario Moon for this entry primarily because of his hard work and dedication.

You gotta admire Jamario Moon’s hard work and persistence to the game of basketball. He was practically a journey man in the world of basketball hopping from team to team in the NBDL, CBA, ABA and USBL. He even played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 2004 and had a brief stint in Mexico in 2006 before he played for the Toronto Raptors this season. Moon is now enjoying his first season in the NBA after a long journey. All his experiences with his previous teams probably taught him a lot of valuable stuff in the game of basketball and it’s inspiring to see that his years of hard work is finally paying off.

Jamario Moon may not shoot the ball like Kobe Bryant does or penetrate the lane like LeBron James does but he has the heart of a true winner, a champion. He is not a dominant player in the NBA and he might spend the rest of his career as a role player, but he is a true living example that hard work pays off. For Jamario Moon’s heart, passion and dedication, I choose him as my Unsung Player.

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Moon Shines Against the Hapless Bulls

Rookie Jamario Moon had a strong game for the Toronto Raptors when they defeated the slumping Chicago Bulls 93-78.  The energetic Moon tallied 15 points and 9 rebounds.  He also showcased his defensive skills when he blocked 6 shots and stole the ball 3 times.  Raptors big man Chris Bosh also had a solid performance and finished the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Bulls saw the return of Luol Deng to their line-up after missing three games due to back spasms.  Deng had 21 points and 9 rebounds.  Ben Gordon contributed 17 points and Kirk Hinrich added 15 for the Bulls.

Nets Wins Their Third Straight

After dropping six straight games, the New Jersey Nets are making a small streak and have won their last three games.  The Nets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 102-100 in a very exciting match-up.  Down to the last 10 seconds of the regulation, the game was still undecided as both teams refused to accept defeat.  The Lakers outscored the Nets in the first half but the New Jersey squad retaliated and played big in the third period.  It was a seesaw game in the fourth period and the Nets prevailed after holding on to a two point advantage.

Jason Kidd had a solid game and finished with 15 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds.  Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 27 points and Vince Carter contributed 19 points in a reserve role.  Bostjan Nachbar added 15 points for the Nets.

Lebron’s Triple-Double Effort Carries Cavs against Pacers 111-106

Lebron James had another impressive night and recorded his fourth triple-double this season.  King James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers on his shoulders and tallied 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as they defeated the Indiana Pacers.  This was his 14^th career triple-double.  Drew Gooden had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Sasha Pavlovic contributed 22 points and 5 assists for the Cavs.

Pacers played without All-star big man Jermaine O’Neal for the third straight game due to knee problems.  Jamaal Tinsley almost finished with a triple-double when he posted 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds.  Marquis Daniels had 25 points for the Pacers. 

Other Results:

Utah Jazz 103 *

Detroit Pistons 93

San Antonio Spurs 116 *

Seattle Supersonics 101

-fouledout