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2014–15 Houston Rockets Season
The 2014–15 Houston Rockets season was the 48th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 44th in the Houston area. The Rockets finished the regular season with a 56–26 record, the third best in franchise history. They also won their first ever Southwest Division title and first Division crown since 1994. The Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 4–1 in the first round, advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2009. They beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games after trailing the series 1–3, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997. They became just the ninth team in NBA history to come back from such a deficit. The Rockets' season ended with a 1–4 loss in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Draft picks Standings Game log Preseason , - style="background:#bfb;" , 1 , , October 7 , , @ Dallas , , Donatas Motie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin McHale (basketball)
Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. After a high school career in which he was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball, he attended the University of Minnesota, where he was named to two first-team All Conference teams and set many team records that still stand today. He was selected third overall in the 1980 NBA draft by the Celtics, and spent his first six seasons as a valuable bench player, backing up forwards Cedric Maxwell and Larry Bird, being twice named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, awarded each season to the league's best bench player. After Maxwell was traded prior to the 1985–1986 season, McHale became a starter alongside Bird and center Robert Parish, where the three formed what is often considered the best front-court ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1996–97 Houston Rockets Season
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Rockets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in Houston. During the off-season, the Rockets acquired All-Star forward Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns, and signed free agents Kevin Willis, Brent Price, undrafted rookie guard Matt Maloney, and re-signed former Rockets forward and three-point specialist Matt Bullard, who was a member of the championship team from the 1994 NBA Finals. The Rockets began the season with a 21–2 start, but later on struggled posting a six-game losing streak between January and February, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team signed free agents Eddie Johnson and Sedale Threatt, as the Rockets won 14 of their final 17 games, finishing second in the Midwest Division with a 57–25 record. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and finished in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kostas Papanikolaou
Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Παπανικολάου; born 31 July 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. Standing at 2.04 m (6'8 ") tall, he plays at the small forward position. He has previously played in the NBA for the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets, as well as for the EuroLeague powerhouse FC Barcelona. Papanikolaou is also a regular member of the senior Hellenic national team. He is widely considered amongst the best defensive players in European basketball. Professional career Aris (2008–2009) Papanikolaou began playing basketball with the youth teams of Proteas Grevenon and Aris, and he made his pro debut in the Greek League, with Aris, during the 2008–09 season. He was named the MVP of the Greek Youth All-Star Game in 2009. He was also named the Greek League's Best Young Player in 2009. Olympiacos (2009–201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Howard, who plays center, spent his high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college, entered the 2004 NBA draft, and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. Howard set numerous franchise and league records with the Magic. He led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals. In 2012, after eight seasons with Orlando, Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he spent three separate one year-stints over the course of his career, winning the NBA championship in 2020. He has also played for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Early life Howard was born in A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donatas Motiejūnas
Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before going on to win the 2012 Polish Basketball League championship with Asseco Prokom Gdynia. After spending four seasons with the Houston Rockets from 2012 to 2016, Motiejūnas joined the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2017. Professional career Žalgiris Kaunas (2005–2008) In 2005, Motiejūnas began his career playing with Žalgiris Kaunas' junior team, Žalgiris-Arvydas Sabonis school, who play in the Lithuanian National Basketball League. In 2007–08, he made his debut for the senior team in a Baltic League game against the ASK Riga. He scored 15 points in 22 minutes. Aisčiai Kaunas (2008–2009) In 2008, Motiejūnas signed with Aisčiai Kaunas for the 2008–09 season where he went on to average 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. Throughout the 1980s, the Mavericks were a perennial playoff team, led by All-Stars Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre. The team struggled during the 1990s, entering into a period of rebuilding. In 1998, the franchise's fortunes would change drastically with the acquisition of Dirk Nowitzki, who would become the cornerstone of the most successful period in franchise history, leading the team to its first and, as of 2022, only NBA championship in 2011. The Mavericks later entered a rebuilding phase in the tail end of Nowitzki's storied career. They missed the playoffs in three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arizona Wildcats Men's Basketball
The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It competes in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I and is currently coached by Tommy Lloyd. The program came to national prominence under the tenure (1983–2007) of former head coach Lute Olson, who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to U of A as "Point Guard U" because the school has produced successful guards like Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Khalid Reeves, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner, Jerryd Bayless, and T. J. McConnell, among others. From 1985 to 2009, the Arizona basketball team reached the NCAA Division I tournament for 25 consecutive years, two years shy of North Carolina's record with 27. Despite having their 1999 and 2008 appearances later vacated by the NCAA, the media still cites Arizona's streak, and simply notes the chang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shooting Guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for their team and steal the ball on defense. Some teams ask their shooting guards to dribble, bring up the ball as well; these players are known colloquially as tweener (basketball), combo guards. A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman. In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from to while in the WNBA, shooting guards tend to be between and . Characteristics and styles of play ''The Basketball Handbook'' by Lee Rose (basketball), Lee Rose describes a shooting guard as a player whose primary role is to score points. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good long-range shooters, typically averaging 35–40 perce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Point Guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football. They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. A point guard specializes in certain skills, like other player positions in basketball. Their primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for their team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. This typically involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Johnson (basketball)
Nicholas Alexander Johnson (born December 22, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats before being drafted 42nd overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2014 NBA draft. High school career Johnson attended Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona from 2007 to 2009, before transferring to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada for his junior year. As a junior in 2009–10, he averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as he led Findlay to a 32-2 record. In November 2010, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at the University of Arizona. As a senior in 2010–11, he averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game as he led Findlay to a 28-4 record. He was ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect in the country and the No. 8 shooting guard by Rivals.com to go with a scout grade of 96 by ESPN.com. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LNB Pro A
The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. The bottom two placed teams from each season are relegated to the second tier level Pro B. The winner of the play-offs of the Pro A is crowned the French national champion. Competition format All 16 Pro A League teams play each other twice during the regular season. At the end of the regular season, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs. The two teams with the worst regular season records are relegated to the 2nd-tier Pro B. Through the 1985–86 season, the league championship was determined by a one-off final, or solely by league play. Since then, the format for the league finals has changed many times: * 1987–1992: Best-of-3 series * 1993: Best-of-5 * 1994: Best-of-3 * 1995–1996: Best-of-5 * 1997–2004: Best-of-3 * 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Élan Chalon
Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called Le Colisée, which seats 4,540 spectators. Founded in 1955, the club has traditionally been playing in the Pro A. In 2012, the club captured its first domestic championship by winning the Pro A Final over Le Mans. In 2017, Élan won its second domestic title. The club has also been a regular in European competitions, as the team has been runners-up in three different FIBA competitions. History The club was founded in 1955, after the merger of Association Sportive Chalonnaise and Élan de Saint-Jean des Vignes. The club then merged with the football club Bourgneuf Val d'Or Mercurey of Bourgneuf Mercurey in 1970. The club reached full professional status in 1994. In the 2011–12 season, Chalon won the LNB Pro A title which meant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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