tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609344384415446762024-02-07T11:43:52.118-06:00In the Key with "A. D. B."Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-70374362038371476562010-02-20T17:51:00.000-06:002010-02-20T17:51:22.946-06:00Vipers versus Maine... and MOREWhat time is it? Game Time...! Only tonight it is a little later than usual. The Vipers have tipped off most of their regular weekend night games at 7:30. Tonight tip-off moves to 8 pm because both the RGV's hockey team and the Vipers play games today on February 20th. It is 3:44 and the hockey game has just ended. The State Farm Arena, (still getting used to the name) has promised us that they will have the arena ready for an 8:00 pm tip-off. The arena crew is busy as we speak hopefully they get it done in time.<br />
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Back to the basketball... The Vipers haven't played a game since February 9th. That's a 10-day lay-off which included the All-Star Break and some roster moves as well.<br />
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Let's re-cap<br />
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February 8th - Garrett Temple earns Gatorade Call-up to Houston Rockets. Will Conroy's 10-Day expires, returns to the Vipers. Vipers acquire guard/forward Russell Carter.<br />
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February 9th Vipers beat Ft. Wayne Mad Ants 118-101. Will Conroy posts triple-double<br />
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February 10th - Vipers scheduled game versus Springfield Armor is postponed due to weather conditions in the Northeast. Vipers return home to RGV. Mike Harris and Vipers coaching staff travels to Dallas, TX for D-League All-Star Game.<br />
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February 13th - Mike Harris scores 14 points to help Western Conference All-Stars beat East All Stars 98-81<br />
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February 15th - Vipers release Center Julian Sensley and acquire Forward/Center Kevin Rogers<br />
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February 16th - Vipers release Russell Carter before he ever played a game with the club.<br />
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February 18th - NBA Trading deadline deal by Rockets. Rockets acquire G - Kevin Martin , F/C- Hilton Armstrong from Kings and G/F Jared Jeffries, and F/C Jodan Hill from Knicks. Rockets send Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry to Kings. Tracy McGrady to Knicks. <br />
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February 19th - Rockets re-assign Jermaine Taylor to Rio Grande Valley. Vipers acquire G- Kenny Hasbrouck.<br />
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February 20th - Rockets sign Garrett Temple to second 10-Day Contract.<br />
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Whew... obviously a lot of activity going into game one of the weekend double-header with the Maine Red Claws who have had their own share of roster turn-over this season. They still sit at the second spot of the Eastern Conference.<br />
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One of the more intriguing story-lines is the two former Rice Owls, Mike Harris for RGV and newly acquired Morris Almond for Maine. Although they play different positions they are two of the top scorers in Rice history (Harris 1, Almond 4 all time), and are two of the top scorers in the D-League.<br />
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It should be a fun match-up at the Dodge. Looks like the 8pm tipoff is gonna happen. As I am finishing this post. The arena crew is just about done setting up. Oh Happy DAY!<br />
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Gotta go for now... I gotta do the pre game interview. For now.. always remember... Rule #76: No Excuses Play like a champion...<br />
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<br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-68704558712584886632010-02-02T19:16:00.000-06:002010-02-02T19:16:14.797-06:00Vipers Win...All Stars and MORE!I know it has been a long time since I have posted but I will do my best to keep updating much more regularly. Fact of the matter is finding time to blog has been tough. My on-road responsibilities have increased this season, and I find myself with less time to post as I had in our previous two seasons. I will make an effort to post as much as I can moving forward. I told the<a href="http://thedoctorprofessor.blogspot.com/"> Doctor Professor</a> I would....and promised the same thing to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Scott%20Schroeder">Scott Schroeder</a> at RU. So here goes nothing...<br />
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The <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020900192">Vipers won today 106-88 at Tingley Coliseum</a> in one of the stranger games you will ever see. The Vipers were down by as many as 16 points in the first half only to come back and lead by as many as 20! There was only one tie, and one lead change. Once the Vipers grabbed the lead, they never relinquished it. This game also saw the Vipers score 44 3rd quarter points,, a new franchise record. (I don't know what the D-League record is for this, but it has to be close.) The Vipers scored more points in the the third than the T-Birds scored in the entire second half (39)! Strange game indeed.<br />
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Chris Finch told me in the post game interview that he was embarrassed by the play in the first half. Who could blame him? He hasn't been happy with the effort over the last few games, even if the team is on a six game win streak. He thinks his club should be playing with more of a sense of urgency. The team seems to be a bit lost with Will Conroy up with the big club in Houston. Today they had Garrett run the offense coming out of the intermission and it seemed to energize everyone on the floor. The Vipers played with Temple, Antonio Anderson, Jermaine Taylor, Ernest Scott and Mike Harris to start the second half. Obviously... (Jonah says I say obviously a lot... so I threw it in here for fun) the adjustment worked.<br />
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The Vipers are beating the mediocre teams right now, but will that get it done later against the elite? I feel there are five potentially elite teams right now in the D-League. RGV, Iowa, Austin, Maine, Idaho. Right now these are the only teams I feel have any shot of winning the championship. The Vipers have handled Austin so far this year 4-1 record (when they didn't have Malik Hairston) but Austin is playing much better. The Vipers also swept Iowa at their building(s), but they now have a much more in-shape Jeffers, Cartier Martin back from Golden State and now Courtney Sims. We have yet to play Maine and Idaho added a couple solid pieces the last couple of days in Andre Barrett and Joe Dabbert. They are MUCH better than their 13-11 record would indicate.<br />
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Can the Vipers, as they are currently assembled, beat any of these teams in a three game series? If they get Joey back from Houston...which is a big IF, I think we could beat 2 of the four. I do think the Vipers need to make a move to solidify their position as a championship contender.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of questions on what to do to improve the roster, because there are a lot of "What-Ifs". What if Will Conroy comes back when Lowry is healthy in Houston. What if Joey doesn't come back from Houston or gets traded in a deal for McGrady. What if Mike gets an offer he can't refuse from overseas? What if Antonio Anderson gets a call-up from an NBA team. A lot of questions that when answered can impact what type of move the Vipers need to make.<br />
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There was some good news to pass a long today other than the Vipers win over ABQ. <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/riograndevalley/allstars020210.html">ALL_STARS!!</a><br />
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The Vipers have three players that have been recognized as D-League All-Stars. Mike Harris, Antonio Anderson, and former assignment player Joey Dorsey. Also because the Vipers are in first place Chris Finch and his staff (Paul Mokeski and Jai Steadman) along with trainer Joe Resendez will be in charge of the Western Conference All-Stars.<br />
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The Vipers have never had an All-star actually play in the game. CJ Watson was named to the team in year one, but had been called up to Golden State by then.<br />
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This is a huge honor for everyone involved and for the entire Vipers organization. This year has been great, and it is only getting better.<br />
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By the way don't forget the <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/riograndevalley/jacksons020210.html">Watch Party at JACKSONS tomorrow</a>! Also Will Conroy and the Rockets are in action tonight...!<br />
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For now.. ADB telling you.. always remember... Rule #76 Play like a Champion!Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-40129171032892097352010-01-09T22:29:00.002-06:002010-01-09T22:29:24.667-06:00Return By Harris Sparks Vipers Win Over Energy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">DES MOINES, Iowa – Mike Harris may not have started in his return to the Rio Grande Valley line-up, but he made his return to the squad count. Harris tallied a double-double by scoring 27 points and hauling in 12 rebounds at the Vipers knocked off the Eastern Conference leading Iowa Energy 109-100 Saturday night at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The loss was the first at home all season for the Energy.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">The Vipers got out a strong first half start by scoring the first eight points of the game. Rio Grande Valley led by nine at the end of the first stanza 30-21. The second quarter was more of the same for Rio Grande Valley. The Vipers pushed the lead to as many as 16 and led by 11 at the end of the first 24 minutes 59-47. Garret Temple scored 16 first half points, including four three pointers to help lead the Viper charge.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">Iowa Head Coach Nick Nurse, who is Viper Head Coach Chris Finch’s assistant for the British National team, rallied his troops in the third quarter. After the Vipers began the quarter on a 9-4 lead to push the lead to 17, The Energy rallied by going on a 15-0 run, led by Pat Carroll’s seven points on the charge and trailed 68-64. With 1:34 remaining in the third quarter Sean Barnette’s three pointer gave Iowa their first lead of the game. Iowa lead 79-76 going into the final period.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">The Vipers rallied behind Harris who scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. After falling behind by seven with 9:27 remaining in the game, the Vipers proceeded on a 13-2 run to give the Vipers a 91-87 lead with just over five minutes remaining. It was a lead they did not relinquish. The Vipers outscored Iowa 33-21 in the final frame to earn their fifth road win of the season.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">Harris led five double-digit Viper scorers with his 27. His double-double was his third of the season. Temple finished the game with 21, with four assists. Meanwhile reigning D-League Player of the Month Antonio Anderson finished two rebounds shy of a triple double as he scored 14, while dishing out a game-high 11 assists. Will Conroy added 14 points and nine assists, and Houston assignee Joey Dorsey scored only 7 while hauling in 11 boards.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">Carroll’s 29 points lead all scorers as he led the Iowa charge. He hit 12 of his 17 shots, including four three pointers. Curtis Stinson finished the game two rebounds, and two assists shy of his second straight triple-double as he scored 16. Former Viper Jeff Trepagnier struggled with his shot as he hit just three of his 12 shots scoring only nine points.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt;">The Vipers and Energy will square off again on Sunday night. The venue will shift however, as they will move to the normal Iowa home building, the Wells Fargo Arena. Tip-off for Sunday’s match-up is scheduled for 6:00pm CST.</span><br /></div>
<br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-37286966798917835502010-01-06T21:19:00.000-06:002010-01-06T21:19:09.547-06:00DORSEY DOMINATES IN SHOWCASE WIN OVER JAM<!--StartFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">BOISE,
Idaho – Houston Rockets assignee Joey Dorsey tied a career high with 27 points
and set a new career high in rebounds with 22 as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers
knocked off the Bakersfield Jam 115-107 Wednesday afternoon at the NBA
Development League Showcase in Boise Idaho. The Vipers are now 11-4 on the
season while the Jam fall to 3-13 on the year. The win for RGV is just their
second in franchise history at the 2010 NBA D-League Showcase. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">In
a game with little rhythm the Vipers took a 58-50 lead into half time. The
Vipers went on a 9-2 run capped off by a Joey Dorsey tip-in at the 3:31 mark of
the second quarter to take a 50-40 lead. They would expand their first half
lead to as many as 13 before going into the locker room with an eight point
lead.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Jam would not go quietly, especially in the third quarter. The Jam, after
falling behind by nine, proceeded on a 14-5 run, capped off by a Rodney Web
jumper to tie the game at 70 with a little over four minutes left to play in
the half. The rest of third quarter was mostly Vipers. RGV hit four
three-pointers, including three by Ernest Scott on a 16-5 run to end the
quarter to go into the final stanza with an 86-75 lead. The Vipers would lead
by as many as 16 in the final quarter en route to the eight point victory.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Dorsey
was perfect 11-1 from the field o lead all scorers with his 27 points, tying
his career high set on 12/21 versus the Reno Bighorns. Five additional Vipers
scored in double-figures Antonio Anderson had a strong bounce back game after
scoring just four points on Monday, he tallied 17 and dished out seven assists
to help the Viper cause. Ernest Scott hit four three-pointers off the bench to
tally 12 points, while Will Conroy pitched in with 14 points and seven assists.
The Vipers dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Jam 47-36. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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Bakersfield’s Amara Sy finished a rebound shy of a double-double after tallying
24 points. Jeremy Wise and James Jackson each added 19 points in the loss for
Bakersfield.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers will continue their stretch of games away from Dodge Arena on Saturday
when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa to face the Iowa Energy. It will be the
first of back-to-back games against the Eastern Conference leaders. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-91050601353842415692010-01-05T17:46:00.000-06:002010-01-05T17:46:37.432-06:00Showcase Day 1 Re-Cap. Other StuffHello Viper Nation...<br />
<br />
Well we are finished with Day 1 of the 2010 D-League Showcase. <br />
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Seeing as I am sitting next to the great Scott Schroeder, who is to blogging as <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://msp180.photobucket.com/albums/x310/The_Ultimate_Wrestling_Gallery/Dusty%2520Rhodes/DustyRhodes005.jpg&imgrefurl=http://boards.ign.com/wwe_smackdown/b6546/185077500/r185078972/&usg=__rthU2dhP5gRFPL8aF42IP8KsXHk=&h=361&w=288&sz=22&hl=en&start=7&sig2=MSJRw1GIknPa50s9Yw2Dfw&um=1&tbnid=BvdKYV5m2OHLEM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddusty%2Brhodes%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=DIBDS-b1MKeAtgP5uqGWCQ">this guy </a>is to professional wrestling, I figured I should go ahead and try to put in a thought provoking blog on ITK. So here goes...<br />
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The Vipers dropped their first game in five tries today, but you knew that already. The real story is that the Vipers are once again trying to find themselves after making the big trade to bring in the D-League's all-time leading scorer Will Conroy in. Anytime a team makes a move its for a reason and the reason to bring in Conroy was simply this, THE ROCKETS REALLY LIKE WILL CONROY.<br />
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Conroy was the last person cut off of the Rockets training camp roster. The Rockets instead with Pops Mensah-Bonsu who of course has since been waived and has subsequently joined the Toronto Raptors... again. Now let me remind everyone that Houston does not have an open roster spot at the moment.<br />
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When Mike Harris was called up to the big-club that ate up the 15th and final spot. But you should also be aware that January 10th, all players with non-guaranteed NBA contracts become guaranteed for the remainder of the season. So expect Houston or a lot of other NBA teams to be letting some of these players go.<br />
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Remember if Harris is waived by Houston, he would have to clear NBA waivers first, then (if he chooses) he can return back to the D-League with RGV. He could also sign a pair of 10-day contracts with Houston, after he returns to the D-League to further prove himself to the Rockets front office brass, and make a little NBA money.<br />
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One remote possibility is that the Rockets allow Harris' contract to become guaranteed and send him to the D-League as an assignment player to further enhance his development. I don't see this happening, even though Harris does have assignment eligibility as he is considered a second year NBA player as we speak.<br />
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The Vipers will hope to bounce back against Bakersfield, who have struggled since the start of the season. There are rumors floating around that they may be acquiring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Ahearn">THIS GUY.</a> But I don't think he will be here in time for tomorrow's game. THANK GOD.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of other notes from the Showcase so far.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Frisco Head Coach Nancy Lieberman is in the house. Nice to see her here, they start play next season. Going to try and snag an interview with her later. </li>
<li>There is a<a href="http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2009/4/19/844639/tulsa-coach-paul-woolpert-relieved"> Paul Woolpert</a> sighting in the building. It was kind of awkward watching him watch his former team in action.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/idaho/gaines_100105.html">Sundiata Gaines </a>was called up today by the Utah Jazz... hey I guess the showcase served its purpose eh? <br /></li>
</ul>
More later from Day 2. <br />
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</div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-27033619315510346672010-01-04T15:37:00.002-06:002010-01-04T15:37:45.824-06:00VIPERS FALL TO THUNDERBIRDS IN SHOWCASE OPENER<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">BOISE,
Idaho – The Rio Grande Valley Vipers were outscored 56-42 in the second half
en-route to a disappointing 101-84 defeat to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in
the opening game of the NBA Development League Showcase Monday afternoon at
Qwest Arena in Boise. The Vipers are now 0-3 in their first game of a D-League
Showcase. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers were playing the second half of a back-to-back after winning in Los
Angeles on Sunday, the travel seemed to affect them as they scored just 42
points in the first half. The Vipers also committed 13 first half turnovers but
trailed only by three at the half. The Vipers kept it close thanks to Garrett
Temple’s 13 first half points. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers (10-4) never saw the lead for the remainder of the game. Albuquerque
(5-9) began the third quarter on 13-4 run capped off by a Yaroslov Korolev
three-point play to give the Thunderbirds a 58-46 lead with 8:12 remaining in
the third quarter. The T-birds would close out the third stanza on a 7-0 run to
lead 77-64 at the end of three quarters. Albuquerque would lead by as many as
19 as they cruised to the win. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Temple
led all Viper scorers with 18 points. Will Conroy scored 13 and hauled in six
rebounds in his first start in a Viper uniform. Craig Winder and Jonathan
Wallace scored 11 and 10 points respectively off the bench in the losing effort
for Rio Grande Valley. Houston Rockets assignee Joey Dorsey hauled in a team
high 11 rebounds for RGV. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Korolev
and Carlos Powell each tallied 20 points to shoulder the scoring load for the
Thunderbirds. Korolev also added a team-high seven rebounds. Antoine Agudio,
starting for the injured Keith McLeod, scored 15, hauled in 5 boards and dished
out five assists while Shane Edwards chipped in 14 points off the bench in the
win for Albuquerque. It was the Thunderbirds first win versus Rio Grande Valley
since January 9<sup>th</sup> of 2009. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers will return to action on Wednesday when they round out their 2010
D-League Showcase appearance with a match-up against the Bakersfield Jam.
Tip-off is schedule for 2:45 Central time. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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</span></span>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-59774239135238293092009-12-19T22:32:00.000-06:002009-12-19T22:32:11.778-06:00VIPERS DROP SECOND STRAIGHT IN OT LOSS TO TULSA<br />
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GAME RECAP<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;"> The Rio Grande Valley Vipers surrendered an 11 point fourth quarter
lead and missed several opportunities late, as they dropped their second
straight game 94-89 to the Tulsa 66ers in overtime Saturday night at the Tulsa
Convention Center. Saturday gave the Vipers their first pair of consecutive losses
during the 2009-10 season.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers began the game sluggish offensively for the second straight night
shooting just 39% at the end of the first period and trailing Tulsa 20-16.
Vipers trailed by only one at halftime after outscoring Tulsa 21-18 in the
second stanza.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers began the third quarter hot and looked like they would pull away. They
scored 10 of the first 13 points in the third frame and eventually outscored
Tulsa 35-23 in the period to take an 11 point lead into the final frame. In the
fourth quarter Tulsa exploded on a 20-2 run and led 81-74 with four minutes
remaining in regulation. The Vipers would answer back with a 9-2 run of their
own to close out the quarter and had a chance to take the lead before Tulsa
final fourth quarter possession, but Viper forward Mike Harris missed the first
of his two free throws and could only tie the game at 83. Mustafa Shakur missed
a jumper on Tulsa’s final possession of regulation, and Garrett Temple missed a
fall-away jumper at the buzzer from 18 feet out to send the game into the extra
session. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers once again struggled to find the bucket in overtime. With RGV down 91-89
the Vipers had three consecutive possessions on which they could have tied or
taken the lead. The most dramatic of which involved a designed play out of time
out for Ernest Scott who missed a three-point attempt from the top of the key
with 15 seconds left on the game clock. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harris netted a new career high for points
with 35 on Saturday night. Harris added 12 rebounds to tally his second double-double
of the season. Houston assignee Joey Dorsey added his fifth double-double of
the season, scoring 10 points and tying his season high with 18 rebounds. Antonio
Anderson scored 17 while Garrett Temple added sixteen to round out the double-digit
scorers for RGV. Larry Owens led the scoring output for Tulsa with 19, while
Mustafa Shakur added 13 points and six assists in the winning effort. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers return home Monday for the first of three straight games at Dodge Arena
when they host the Reno Bighorns. Former Vipers Desmon Farmer and Marcus
Hubbard will make their returns to Dodge Arena in visiting uniforms. Tip-off
from Hidalgo is schedule for 7:30 pm<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-67926753038279984652009-12-19T18:38:00.002-06:002009-12-19T18:40:07.741-06:00Vipers vs Tulsa 12-19-09 Pre-Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpphX5qDg4YIwKtzoP8PuRfjxGi6dUVU5NEEZPZaGmmzZGWbcWBGwdPo7IeTvyEJ4QuVxyunx-hK3m5UJUuTHSqWV2pCSfas8MUPcIsDRVF8LrMyFzOZh6luXyTKvAQBl6th8MRps6uc/s1600-h/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpphX5qDg4YIwKtzoP8PuRfjxGi6dUVU5NEEZPZaGmmzZGWbcWBGwdPo7IeTvyEJ4QuVxyunx-hK3m5UJUuTHSqWV2pCSfas8MUPcIsDRVF8LrMyFzOZh6luXyTKvAQBl6th8MRps6uc/s320/Picture+9.png" /></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Tulsa Convention Center - 7:00 PM Tip</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Greetings from Tulsa... for the final time this season. Yes the schedule makers in the D-League have given us two trips to Tulsa which happens to be our second closest league opponent, but they are both within the first 9 games of the season. Very odd, but our trips to Tulsa come to an end tonight.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">OK lets talk about <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020900064">last night</a>... but please not for long. The effort by the Vipers last night was non-existent. RGV had an abysmal third quarter. Tulsa began the stanza on a 22-2 run, after they already led by nine at half-time, and ran their lead to 29 which put the game out of reach early in the second half.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Vipers didn't dominate the boards, they didn't distribute the ball well, and they did NOT shoot the three well either. The Vipers were taking poor shots, contested threes, threes in transition, and were missing lay-ups. Look for the lack of effort to change tonight.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I mentioned to Coach Finch in our pre-game interview that sometimes teams who are winning, but not playing at their best need to get "punched in the mouth" in order to wake up. He agreed and said he got punched in a few other places last night, I agreed.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Once again OKC asignee Byron Mullens is listed as questionable and won't play. I have not seen him in the building. It is likely that he is in OKC getting treatment on his undisclosed injury. I am sure its no where near as gruesome as the one <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVAL3DBauU">Carl Landry sustained last night in Dallas.</a> OUCH. But hey that's one way to get Dirk out of game... lodge three pieces of your teeth in his elbow.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Pre-game show for tonight begins at 6:50. Tip-off will be somewhere around 7:10. Follow all the action on 104.9 JACK FM. OR don't forget to watch the game, (with the radio up of course) on <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020900070">NBA Futurecast</a></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vipers starters remain the same</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">C - Joey Dorsey</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">F - Mike Harris</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">F - Antonio Anderson</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">G - Garrett Temple</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">G - Jonathan Wallace.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">for Tulsa here are their starters</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">C - Steven Hill</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">F - Larry Owens...(he was money last night)</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">F - Cecil Brown .. (two points off his career high last night)</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">G - Mustafa Shakur.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">G - Moses Ehambe. </span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">PS. Don't forget to stop by the Vipers pro-shop at 4500 North 10th Street in McAllen. We have a great holiday package available. Check out the details <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/riograndevalley/holidaysplash1209.html">HERE</a></span><br /></div>
<br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-51150393036997743492009-12-18T23:06:00.000-06:002009-12-18T23:06:44.999-06:00VIPERS WIN STREAK COMES TO AN END IN TULSA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5aLck5SfsrvsClumIO3c8W0ufXTA33FuDCr7FXGYltitHNrWPKJs0byW2pLr59TRh8ISZHO1CpyXiF-MlKaSLi9-WW56WIKonUbZ-ITJfDZx4C_NT5S6WkfJlw5SMuKayYfInyQE4zg/s1600-h/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5aLck5SfsrvsClumIO3c8W0ufXTA33FuDCr7FXGYltitHNrWPKJs0byW2pLr59TRh8ISZHO1CpyXiF-MlKaSLi9-WW56WIKonUbZ-ITJfDZx4C_NT5S6WkfJlw5SMuKayYfInyQE4zg/s320/Picture+9.png" /></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">TULSA,
Oklahoma – The Tulsa 66ers expanded on their nine point half time lead by
starting the third quarter on a 22-2 run to put the game out of reach as they
ended the Rio Grande Valley Vipers six-game win streak with a 108 -90 win
Friday night at the Tulsa Convention Center. The loss was just the Vipers
second of the season with both defeats coming on the road. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Friday’s
game looked like it would be a tight game early. The two squads traded the lead
14 times in the first 12 minutes. The 66ers then led by as many as 11 in the
first half. The Vipers notched the final basket of the second quarter, a late
lay-up by Antonio Anderson hoping it could lead to a momentum boost to start
the second half. That boost did not happen as the 66ers outscored RGV 34-21 in
the third stanza of hoops to take an 89-67 lead into the fourth quarter. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">“We
didn’t come to play tonight,” Vipers Head Coach Chris Finch said. “I could kind
of smell this one coming, we had a good week of practice but were not ready to
play this one tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Mike
Harris, the D-League’s second leading scorer, tallied 17 of his 19 points in
the first half while chipping in with six rebounds in the loss for the Vipers.
Antonio Anderson scored 17 of his team high 23 points in the second half while
also dishing out a team high six assists. Houston Rockets assignee Joey Dorsey
finished a rebound shy of a double-double as he added 11 points, scoring all of
them in the first half.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">Tulsa’s
Larry Owens led their scoring output with 27 points, chipping in with seven
boards and four assists in the win for the 66ers. Mustafa Shakur dominated the
point guard match-up scoring 16 points dishing out eight assists and hauling in
six boards with just one turnover. Cecil Brown knocked down four three-point
hoops and scored 22 points, just one off of his season high. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
Vipers and 66ers will meet again Saturday night at the Tulsa Convention Center.
It will be the final time the Vipers will play a game in Tulsa during the
2009-10 season. Tip-off<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the
re-match is schedule for 7:30 pm. Viper fans can follow all the action on the
radio by tuning in to104.9 JACK FM.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<br /></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-44522993843514415072009-12-18T17:49:00.002-06:002009-12-18T19:56:08.885-06:00GAME PREVIEW 12/18/09 - VIPERS (6-1) vs Tulsa 66ers (4-5)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2TCYOOcdCaoWd1x4WHzs4YuFrmHsifHnueQo83vDzoazX8aZzMhrGcqHkOZNdYhh6QFrwMrTs7qk2b4rboFC2ZJpu7ATLY1EwuK6okCn_pgYV6gm1oqBL9n2_gCIcAhJnpgVVkMj-Fg/s1600-h/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2TCYOOcdCaoWd1x4WHzs4YuFrmHsifHnueQo83vDzoazX8aZzMhrGcqHkOZNdYhh6QFrwMrTs7qk2b4rboFC2ZJpu7ATLY1EwuK6okCn_pgYV6gm1oqBL9n2_gCIcAhJnpgVVkMj-Fg/s320/Picture+9.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tulsa Convention Center</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Game #8 - Road Game # 5 - RGV record vs. Tulsa in 2009-10: (2-0)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings from Tulsa, OK. The Vipers will try for the their 7th straight if they can get another road win in Tulsa. The last time RGV was in Tulsa they struggled in the first half, mostly due to an early and topsy-turvy travel day on the second half of a back to back. The Vipers rallied in the second two periods to knock off Tulsa 94-89. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First lets break down the 66ers. They have made a few key changes to personnel in the last few days. Forward Keith Clark was waived due to injury earlier in the week, but just today he was re-acquired only to be shipped off to the L.A. D-Fenders for forward Deron Washington. Washington was the third overall selection in the D-League draft by LA and was averaging</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the D-Fenders before the deal.Devon Hardin was waived due to injury to make room for Washington on the roster.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guard Zabian Dowdell was also added. Dowdell was a legit scorer and play maker at Virgina Tech and overseas in Italy. He gives Tulsa much better depth at the guard position.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tulsa also added center Steven Hill back to their roster. He might be the reason for a new player rights rule in the D-League as well. Last season Hill was an assignment player for Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 season. He was waived by the Thunder and could not go back to the 66ers when he signed a D-League contract. He was claimed off of the waiver pool by the Utah Flash and the 66ers had to trade their best player at the time (Ronald Dupree) to Utah to get Hill back. Not only did this deplete the 66ers (who were awful last year) they didn't get to use Hill much as he ended up missing the rest of the season after January 27th. Now the league allows D-League affiliates to retain rights of players who have played or have been on the active roster of an NBA team for a certain period of time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One quick note, OKC assignee Byron Mullens is not expected to play tonight. He is a strong offensive player and rebounder for Tulsa do the Vipers depth in this department should shine through. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tulsa should be rested for this one. The Vipers will need to play string out of the gate if they are to win their seventh straight.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the Vipers. How else can I put it, they are the hottest team in the Western Conference. The Vipers are winning at home and on the road and lately have been winning convincingly and not letting games come down to the final possession. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vipers Head Coach Chris Finch said at lunch today that he still doesn't know yet how good his team is. The reason? The Vipers have only played three teams in their first seven games. They will only play three different teams in their first nine. Other than their home game Monday versus Reno, the Vipers will play only Tulsa, Austin, and Albuquerque over their first 12 games. The Vipers won't play a team outside their conference until January 9th when they travel to Iowa. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As for the game tonight expect the Vipers to try to keep the pace up and let the offense of Mike Harris, Garrett Temple, and Antonio Anderson continue to carry them. The point guard match-up is huge. Tulsa point man Mustafa Shakur must be contained and forced to make uncomfortable decisions with the ball. Expect the Vipers to give him a few different defensive looks.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Vipers in my opinion have better personnel, however that does not always mean a victory for you especially on the road. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are the Vipers starters</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">C - Joey Dorsey</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">F - Mike Harris</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">F- Antonio Anderson</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">G - Garrett Temple</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">G - Jonathan Wallace.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">UPDATE:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tulsa brings out this starting line-up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">C - Steven Hill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">F - Larry Owens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">F - Latavious Williams</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">G - Moses Ehambe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">G - Mustafa Shakur</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mullens is not playing and I do not even see him dressed or on the bench yet. Not many other surprises in the starting line-up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't forget to follow all the action on 104.9 JACK FM and on <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020900064">NBA Futurecast</a>. Don King is the broadcaster for Tulsa... no... not this <a href="http://normlevy.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/don_king.jpg">Don King</a>. Kinger is one of the Vet broadcasters in the league. He calls a good game and is a heck of a nice guy. He will have the call on Futurecast tonight</span></span><br />Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-68340684137979556822009-12-18T17:20:00.004-06:002009-12-18T17:27:38.900-06:00Mike Harris featured by the D-League<div style="text-align: center;">
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/md0NUXyLd_c&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="315"></embed></object><br /></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-60581159992391573022009-12-18T12:50:00.000-06:002009-12-18T12:50:14.632-06:00FINALLY A.D.B. HAS COME BACK TO THE BLOGOSPHERE!!!Ok so its not as momentous as <a href="http://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/wi/2009/1216/470130/bret-the-hitman-hart/index.shtml">THIS NEWS </a>out of the pro wrestling world, but hey a broadcaster can dream can't he? After a very long hiatus, ITK (That's stands for IN THE KEY) :) , is back and better than ever. We've gone with a new layout design, currently working on a header, and we hope to put a ton of multi-media stuff on here.<br />
<br />
The Professor Jonah Goldberg and I, (ok mostly him) work very hard on putting a lot of our multi-media stuff together for <a href="http://rgvipers.com/">RGVIPERS.com </a>and on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37327588418&ref=ts">Facebook group</a>, but we figured we had another venue for Vipers info right here so lets utilize it better.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the things you will find on ITK moving forward.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Home and Road game stories</li>
<ul><li>We have done this before and you can find these on the main site. But when the team is on the road the D-League puts up the home team's story. Our game story will have a little more info on the Vipers.</li>
</ul><li>Pictures/Video from the road. </li>
<ul><li>I learned shortly after I purchased it that my Iphone takes awesome pictures and video. So I am going to use it to upload random things from time to time from our travels. Expect a lot of pics come D-League showcase time.</li>
</ul><li>Random Thoughts. </li>
<ul><li>I like to give my thoughts on potential expansion sites, the D-League's best players etc. You can find those posts here as well.</li>
</ul><li>Post-game video blogs. </li>
<ul><li>Here we will also post the video blogs Jonah and I do from the Dodge after homes games. I am also attempting to do a video blog for road games as well. </li>
</ul></ul><br />
<br />
I look forward to frequent posts here on the blog and hope we get a ton of feedback. I would like to get a Q and A going with our fans. If you have any questions for us e-mail us at <a href="mailto:Vipersradio@gmail.com">Vipersradio@gmail.com</a> . We would love to hear from you.<br />
<br />
I will have a preview for you up on the blog before tonight's game and I will also link to Jonah's game notes as well as soon as they are up.<br />
<br />
Don't forget tonight's game will be tipping off at 8pm and not 7pm because of a high school game in Tulsa. You can follow all the action on 104.9 JACK FM or on <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020900064">NBA Futurecast</a>.<br />
<br />
That is it for now. I'll chat with you later on tonight.<br />
<br />
-ADB<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpu5trWCzLoJLeSIdZRuHPEWlcy_nRnTGpZ-qI7idOOqM8_OljTM93rEUBSL0mUJoVfyYfoN8G5pjOImqM_YKAVi12mx7qieteqn5uT5F8Jfun-P07tnkQR98AJkxxc99P1fvtVB98WOI/s1600-h/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">PS here is a pic from today's shoot-around.</span></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpu5trWCzLoJLeSIdZRuHPEWlcy_nRnTGpZ-qI7idOOqM8_OljTM93rEUBSL0mUJoVfyYfoN8G5pjOImqM_YKAVi12mx7qieteqn5uT5F8Jfun-P07tnkQR98AJkxxc99P1fvtVB98WOI/s1600-h/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpu5trWCzLoJLeSIdZRuHPEWlcy_nRnTGpZ-qI7idOOqM8_OljTM93rEUBSL0mUJoVfyYfoN8G5pjOImqM_YKAVi12mx7qieteqn5uT5F8Jfun-P07tnkQR98AJkxxc99P1fvtVB98WOI/s320/IMG_0242.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpu5trWCzLoJLeSIdZRuHPEWlcy_nRnTGpZ-qI7idOOqM8_OljTM93rEUBSL0mUJoVfyYfoN8G5pjOImqM_YKAVi12mx7qieteqn5uT5F8Jfun-P07tnkQR98AJkxxc99P1fvtVB98WOI/s1600-h/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpu5trWCzLoJLeSIdZRuHPEWlcy_nRnTGpZ-qI7idOOqM8_OljTM93rEUBSL0mUJoVfyYfoN8G5pjOImqM_YKAVi12mx7qieteqn5uT5F8Jfun-P07tnkQR98AJkxxc99P1fvtVB98WOI/s1600-h/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></a>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-39290169411121846992009-03-15T00:49:00.000-05:002009-03-15T00:50:24.646-05:00VIPERS SLITHER PAST STAMPEDE WITH OT WINJared Jordan’s jumper with 2:20 remaining in overtime turned out to be the game winner as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (16-24) knocked off the defending D-League champion Idaho Stampede (25-15) Saturday night at Qwest Arena. With the win the Vipers sweep the season series against Idaho 2-0<br /><br />Both teams had a chance to win the game near the end of regulation. Idaho had possession of the ball with the game tied at 103 and 23 seconds remaining. Kevin Burleson, in an attempt to find Brent Petway in the right corner for potential game winning jumper, over shot his teammate and threw the ball out of bounds giving the Vipers a chance to win it with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. Trent Strickland missed a jumper as time expired sending the game to overtime.<br /><br />The Vipers outscored the Stampede 5-3 in the overtime period to earn the victory. It was a tight game from the opening minutes. The Vipers and Stampede traded the lead 21 times and were knotted up eight times. The Vipers are now 3-1 lifetime against defending D-League champions in their history.<br /><br />Strickland tallied his first double-double since February 20th with a team-high 24 points while hauling in 10 rebounds. Jordan recorded his seventh double-double of the year with 15 points and 13 he assists, finishing three rebounds shy of a triple-double. Jawad Williams scored 22 and Quin Humphrey scored12 to round out the double-digit scorers for RGV.<br /><br />The Vipers will finish their six game road trip on Friday night when they face the Albuquerque Thunderbirds for the final time this season. Tip-off from Tingley Coliseum is scheduled for 8:00 pm CT.Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-43437114757245934602009-03-12T23:42:00.001-05:002009-03-12T23:56:00.616-05:00COLORADO SWEEPS SERIES OVER RGV WITH 126-109 WINMarch 12, 2009<br /><br />BROOMFIELD, Colorado-<br /><br />The Colorado 14ers, led by Colorado assignee Sonny Weems’ 26 points, won the 4th quarter 34-15 en route to a 126-109 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Thursday night at the Broomfield Event Center. The 14ers closed out the season series with RGV taking all seven match-ups. The loss drops the Vipers franchise’s record against Colorado to 1-14 all time. The win is the fifth straight for the 14ers and the ninth in a row at home.<br /><br />The Vipers and 14ers fought back and forth for the first three periods. The team’s traded the lead nine times with 11 ties on Thursday. The Vipers had leads in the each of the four quarters but could not hold on. Marcus Hubbard’s three pointer from the top-of-the key with 1:36 remaining capped off a 10-0 run gave the Vipers their largest lead of six points. Rio Grande Valley started the 4th quarter up 94-92.<br /><br />Despite all kinds of shooting woes in the first three periods the 14ers scored at will to begin the 4th. Weem’s two free throws with 9:21 remaining in the 4th capped off Colorado’s 12-2 run to start the 4th quarter, which gave the 14ers the lead for good. John Lucas scored 13 of his 20 points in Colorado’s huge fourth quarter.<br /><br />Jawad Williams scored 28 points and hauled in five rebounds to lead all scorers. Kurt Looby posted his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 rebounds while also swatting five Colorado shots. Quin Humphrey was the only double-digit scorer off the bench for RGV with 16.<br /><br />Eddie Gill finished two assists shy of a triple-double scoring 16 points and tallying 10 boards. Josh Davis, despite a poor shooting night still scored 17 points and brought down a team high 12 boards.<br /><br />The Vipers will continue their six game road swing on Saturday night when the Vipers face the defending D-league champion Idaho Stampede at Qwest Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm CTAlex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-36939796027465474792009-03-12T23:42:00.000-05:002009-03-12T23:55:56.047-05:00COLORADO SWEEPS SERIES OVER RGV WITH 126-109 WINMarch 12, 2009<br /><br />BROOMFIELD, Colorado-<br /><br />The Colorado 14ers, led by Colorado assignee Sonny Weems’ 26 points, won the 4th quarter 34-15 en route to a 126-109 victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Thursday night at the Broomfield Event Center. The 14ers closed out the season series with RGV taking all seven match-ups. The loss drops the Vipers franchise’s record against Colorado to 1-14 all time. The win is the fifth straight for the 14ers and the ninth in a row at home.<br /><br />The Vipers and 14ers fought back and forth for the first three periods. The team’s traded the lead nine times with 11 ties on Thursday. The Vipers had leads in the each of the four quarters but could not hold on. Marcus Hubbard’s three pointer from the top-of-the key with 1:36 remaining capped off a 10-0 run gave the Vipers their largest lead of six points. Rio Grande Valley started the 4th quarter up 94-92.<br /><br />Despite all kinds of shooting woes in the first three periods the 14ers scored at will to begin the 4th. Weem’s two free throws with 9:21 remaining in the 4th capped off Colorado’s 12-2 run to start the 4th quarter, which gave the 14ers the lead for good. John Lucas scored 13 of his 20 points in Colorado’s huge fourth quarter.<br /><br />Jawad Williams scored 28 points and hauled in five rebounds to lead all scorers. Kurt Looby posted his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 rebounds while also swatting five Colorado shots. Quin Humphrey was the only double-digit scorer off the bench for RGV with 16.<br /><br />Eddie Gill finished two assists shy of a triple-double scoring 16 points and tallying 10 boards. Josh Davis, despite a poor shooting night still scored 17 points and brought down a team high 12 boards.<br /><br />The Vipers will continue their six game road swing on Saturday night when the Vipers face the defending D-league champion Idaho Stampede at Qwest Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm CTAlex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-87243498937767262712009-03-12T21:28:00.001-05:002009-03-12T22:13:58.776-05:00Colorado vs. RGV 1-12-09 2nd Half6:29 remaining in the third. Colorado leads 78-74<div><br /></div><div>Both teams have scored 12 so far in the third. Vipers need to shoot their free throws better only 48% from the charity stripe</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>1:59 remaining in the third Vipers lead 87-84</div><div><br /></div><div>Vipers are on a 13-6 run and have taken the lead on Colorado. The three-point shooting woes are really hurting the 14ers. Colorado is just 2/17 from downtown. Josh Davis is 6/16 from the field but 0/4 from 3. If the Vipers could make free throws they would be up big</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>End of the 3rd Vipers lead 94-92</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers continue to force Colorado to shoot from the outside right now because right now they aren't making their threes. Whatever works I guess. RGV outscored the 14ers in the third 32-26. I can't remember the last time we held Colorado to fewer than 20 points in a quarter... We'll get our interns on that one.... Oh by the way the 147 points from Tuesday is a D-League record.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>9:21 remaining in regulation 14ers lead 102-96.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado has started the 4th on a 10-2 run thanks mostly to Sonny Weems. FYI 'Melo Anthony and some other Nuggets are in the building tonight to watch Sonny Weems play.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>6:27 remaining in regulation 14ers lead 113-101. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado isn't missing. John Lucas has taken a step or two in and the Vipers are taking bad shots.. and missing them. Colarod is outscoring the Vipers 21-7 in the quarter so far.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Game Over Colorado wins 126-109.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado and Eddie Gill live for the 4th quarter that was no different again tonight. Re-cap coming later on.</div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-81997695796651649252009-03-12T20:00:00.000-05:002009-03-12T21:17:53.075-05:00Colorado vs. RGV 1-12-09 1st Half Running Blog5:59 Remaining 14ers lead 17-12<div><br /></div><div>The Vipers are trading baskets right now with Colorado, well at least they were early. The Vipers are making Colorado shoot outside jumpers rather than the lay-ups they were getting on Tuesday. The problem? Colorado isn't missing right now. Free throws coming up for Looby out of the time out..</div><div><br /></div><div>2:52 remaining 14ers lead 29-21</div><div><br /></div><div>Why is Sonny Weems in the D-League? He just threw another one down alley-oop style and made a bad John Lucas pass look good. The pass was behind Weems, he caught it with one hand from behind and slug his arm up and forward for a thunderous slam...Still not enough stops for the Vipers...</div><div><br /></div><div>End of the 1st 14ers lead 35-28</div><div><br /></div><div>Right now the teams continue to go back and forth. Neither team is going on a run, and that may be good for the Vipers. The Vipers have more points in the paint 24-14. Meaning a lot of Colorado's points are coming from jumpers. Make a team beat you with outside shots. That's the only way to beat Colorado. Another important number Fastbreak points. Vipers with 6. Colorado with only 2</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2:56 remaining in the half Game Tied at 55</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers had a lead for a bit as they led 54-48 at one point. But Colorado is on a 7-1 run to tie the game back at 55-55. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Halftime 14ers lead 66-62</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado always comes back... a little run at the end of the 2nd has the 14ers back on top at the intermission</div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-54382638322391991402009-03-12T19:35:00.000-05:002009-03-12T20:00:43.934-05:00Vipers vs. Colorado March 12th Pre-GameBack we are at the phenomenal Broomfield Event Center. It will be the last time the Vipers will take on the 14ers this season, and perhaps ever unless someone buys this team and does a MUCH better job of marketing it to Broomfield and the outlying communities. Crowds here are sparse to say the least and with the problems that Tim Wiens (Owner of the 14ers and Rocky Mountain Rage) is having it is unlikely that the 14ers will survive. Although the league is pretty adamant about not letting teams die. We will have to just wait and see I guess.<div><br /></div><div>As for the game, the Vipers will need to get off to a much better start than they did on Tuesday when they were down 30-20 at the end of the first and shooting the ball at a 9/31 clip. That's just not gonna get it done. As I've said before the 14ers are the Mongoose to our Snake, Or is it the Snake to our Mongoose?? Either way it's bad... I don't know animals. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers are 1-13 against Colorado... 0-6 in Broomfield...I'd like to say they are due...but Colorado is the best team in the league. I don't think its close. But I don't think they will win the 2009 D-league Championship. They just remind me too much of Phoenix and in a one and done, a bad shooting night for Colorado could mean an early exit. I am going to try to blog during the game. But the info at each time-out will be short. </div><div><br /></div><div>We are the only night game in the D-League tonight. <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020800285">Iowa lost to Tulsa 108-107 in overtim</a>e... (wait what?) Yes the Tulsa 66ers beat one of the best teams in the D-League on their home floor earlier today. Don't know how that happened. But hey if there is one upset in the league today, why can't we have another one in Broomfield tonight?</div><div><br /></div><div>Starters are out here they are</div><div><br /></div><div>RIO GRANDE VALLEY VIPERS</div><div><ul><li>G- Jared Jordan</li><li>G-Stanley Asumnu</li><li>C- Kurt Looby</li><li>F- Jawad Williams</li><li>F- Trent Strickland</li></ul><div>COLORADO 14ERS</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>G - Eddie Gill</li><li>G - Dominique Coleman</li><li>C - Joe Dabbert</li><li>F- Trey Gilder</li><li>F- Josh Davis</li></ul><div>Tip-off is coming up shortly... check out all the action on ESPN 1240-AM.. Or you can watch on Futurecast and listen to Chad Andrus who is one of the better broadcasters in the D-League...Or follow the live stats on D-League.com</div></div></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-88620385475009715642009-03-12T14:24:00.000-05:002009-03-12T17:09:15.027-05:00D-League Expansion..Rumblings.. etc.A lot has been happening around the D-League lately. There has been a lot happening around the Vipers as well. I apologize for not updating In the Key a little more often. The travel has been crazy and I have taken on some new responsibilities as well. But I should be able to spend a few minutes to blog.So here I am.<div><br /></div><div>I posted several weeks back about possible D-League expansion.<a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/maine/index.html"> D-League Maine</a> has already been announced. Congrats to <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/maine/contact.html#Abby">Abby Pierce</a> who is head of their marketing efforts. She was in RGV when we started up and I think she's awesome. Maine made a good hire. They will be the Maine (Insert Nickname here). They want to market to the whole state and didn't want to be confused with the Trailblazers home city. They also will not be the Shamrocks... which I thought would have been awesome since they will unofficially-officially be the Celtics affiliate. You can help choose the name <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/maine/name_team_090304.jsp">HERE</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now you can't just add one team right? But where else is the D-League expanding to? There were a lot of rumors and the D-League did a great job this year of keeping the potential additions hush-hush as opposed to last year when we all knew it was Erie and Reno. We knew about Portland since last season, but the 18th team was a mystery. Just rumors. Well it appears the secret is out finally as <a href="http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/dleague.html">Springfield, MA</a> (the home to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and the birthplace of basketball) will be home to a D-league franchise. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will be interesting to see who Springfield will be affiliated with since Boston appears to be going to Maine. Although I think it doesn't really matter it's out in Western, MA. You could easily put the Nets, Sixers or, Knicks in this same area. Or even both NJ and NYK. </div><div><br /></div><div>The real questions is will the D-League be at 18 teams next year? Or will it still be 16? We have documented on this blog before and <a href="http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2009/2/19/763871/state-of-the-d-league-expa">Scott over a RU</a> has as well, the financial problems the Colorado 14er owners are having. The word on the street is that Anaheim may be in even worse shape than that of Colorado...If that is even possible. It's a shame that the nicest building in the D-league (Not named Staples Center) may not be back but it could be a reality. Kroenke apparently would only have interest in managing the arena... not buying the 14ers, and it doesn't appear anyone wants to buy the team and move it to Loveland, CO to the Budweiser Events Center. Will the league operate this team until a buyer can be found? Will the new "<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-dleagueoption030509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">Hybrid Affiliation System</a>" change the Nuggets mind? I guess we will have to wait and see.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will post my thoughts on the Hybrid System soon.. I want to get more details and get some thoughts from D-League coaches. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will post a brief pre-game blog before tonight's game versus Colorado as soon as I get to the building. </div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-25850017422170851242009-03-11T12:28:00.000-05:002009-03-11T13:03:17.357-05:0014ERS SCORE TEAM RECORD 147 POINTS IN WIN OVER RGVMarch 11, 2009<br /><br />BROOMFIELD, Colorado-<br /><br />The Colorado 14ers scored a franchise record for points, including 49 in the fourth quarter, and led from the opening tip as they knocked off the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 147-119 Tuesday night at the Broomfield Event Center. The 147 points is the most Rio Grande Valley has ever allowed in franchise history. The win for Colorado extends their home win streak to eight straight and their fourth straight overall. The loss ends RGVs season high three game win streak. RGV is now 1-13 lifetime versus Colorado.<br /><br />Rio Grande Valley struggled from the opening tip. The Vipers could not find the bottom of the hoop in the opening frame as the shot 29% from the field and were outscored 30-20. The Vipers could not stop the bleeding in the second frame. Julian Sensely’s jumper with 5:54 remaining in the half capped off a 22-4 Colorado run that ran their lead to 28 points. The Vipers did manage to close out the quarter on a 15-5 run to cut the deficit to 18 at the break.<br /><br />The Vipers attempted to chip away at Colorado’s lead in the second half, cutting the deficit to as few as 11 on a Craig Winder three-point play with 6:18 remaining. Colorado pulled away outscoring RGV 49-40 in the 4th to finish off the win.<br /><br />Williams’ 29 points led Rio Grande Valley’s scoring load. Kurt Looby tallied another double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Denver assignee Sonny Weems led the 14ers in scoring with 27 points. Eddie Gill scored 21 and dished out five assists in the Colorado win.<br /><br />The Vipers will play Colorado for the final time in 2008-09 on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm at the Broomfield Event Center.Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-33777345581994971492009-03-10T21:12:00.000-05:002009-03-10T22:32:34.447-05:00Running Game Blog 3-10-09 vs. Colorado 2nd HalfThe second half is about to begin, and I am still not one the air. The phone line guy for the arena is here and working on the issue. Still no go. I have never had phone line issues here. This isn't Chad Andrus's fault. He's always got stuff goin right. Erin Pahl too. This is the arena being terrible...Hmm where have I heard that before..<div><br /></div><div>Phone works now... If you want to listen to the game head on over to 1240 AM ASAP.</div><div><br /></div><div>5:43 remaining in the 3rd. Colorado leads 75-64</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers are starting to chip away at this Colorado . They've score 19 points so far in the 3rd. The Vipers are doing a much better job at making Colorado work.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2:48 Colorado leads 85-70</div><div><br /></div><div>After the Vipers cut it down to 11. It's been back and forth ever since. The lead has stayed between 13-15 the last few minutes. Jawad continues to dominate for RGV. Weems for Colorado.. although it is Gill who leads Colorado in scoring with 14.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>End of the 3rd Qtr. Colorado leads 98-79</div><div><br /></div><div>That's it... Eddie Gill just gets up for RGV. His first game with the club this year after no practice... he nearly gets a triple double. By the way did I mention tonight is the one year anniversery of Eddie Gill's 15 assist performance against us. That is by the way the most assists an opponent has had against RGV in their history.. I am just saying.. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>5:17 remaining in 4th Qtr Colorado leads 118-104</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers have made this interesting, but it could be too little too late.The Vipers have cut the deficit to 11 a few times in this 2nd half... but Colorado comes back each and every time and pushes it to 15 16 or 18. It has been the second unit shining for RGV with a lot of hustle and slashes to the basket.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Game Over... Vipers lose 147-119</div><div><br /></div><div>Colorado scored 49 points in the 4th.</div><div><br /></div><div>Re-cap is coming soon...</div><div><br /></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-42405424934376973752009-03-10T20:18:00.000-05:002009-03-10T21:11:26.642-05:00Running Game Blog 3-10-09 vs. Colorado 1st Half<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I am having technical issues with my radio broadcast tonight, which hopefully will be alleviated by the 2nd quarter. But for you will have to settle for the blog. (Which I know hasn't been updated in forever).<div><br /></div><div>6:09 remaining Colorado 18 Rio Grande Valley 10</div><div><br /></div><div>The 14ers have gotten out to a hot start. What else is new? Colorado is 6/8 from the field, RGV is 5/18 from the field. The Vipers need to start better and dig out of this hole... and fast. </div><div><br /></div><div>In case you didn't know the Vipers are 1-12 lifetime versus the 14ers. They would love a reversal of fortunes in a rivalry (can you call it that?) That has been ALL COLORADO.</div><div><br /></div><div>More updates as we move along..</div><div><br /></div><div>It is always tough to play in this building. Why? BECAUSE THERE IS NEVER ANYONE HERE!!. The financial problems of Colorado's ownership has been well documented. Don't forget that the altitude plays a factor and the floor has the tendency to be a little slippery. I hope Colorado doesn't go away next season. Wait... what am I saying. No in all seriousness. I love their building, the town, the front office, the press table. This is a trip I always look forward to. Except for the 0-5 record here in the Broomfield Event Center. I hope they find a buyer for the team. But in this financial landscape, I find it highly unlikely.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>1:00 min remaining in the 1st Qtr. Colorado leads 27-20.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got our first look at John Lucas III. He's a guy that's as good as any point guard in the NBA, but his size limits him tremendously. Right now they have Lucas and Gill on the floor at the same time. Gill is struggling right now he already has 4 turnovers, but he does have 4 points. (One turnover was Dominique Coleman not paying attention so I'll spot Gill one)</div><div><br /></div><div>Coach said before the game that Jared could have 25 assists in this game... well he has 5 already. Not quite on pace for 25... but pretty close. The Vipers have closed the gap.. but need more defensive stops... or of course Colorado could miss a few shots...(sigh) wishful thinking sometimes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>End of 1st Qtr. Colorado leads 30-20</div><div><br /></div><div>The Vipers can't buy a bucket tonight. We've seen a couple airballs and a ton of shots that haven't been close. Colorado does a nice job of switching up their defenses. Half court trap, zone defense, etc. RGV is shooting a terrible 29% right now. They need to find some offense somewhere. so far Jawad Williams leads the team in scoring with 6. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Can I just say that Eddie Gill is another one of those players you love when he is on your team, but loathe when he is a opponent. Not just because he's good... which Gill is. But he's good and he plays hard, and with a little bit of a swagger...I love to hate Eddie Gill. He reminds me a little bit of Stockton...you know as a player you love to hate.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>8:52 remaining 2nd Qtr Colorado leads 42-24. </div><div><br /></div><div>12-4 run to start the second period for Colorado. They are absolutely relentless. They just keep coming at you and THEY DONT MISS SHOTS. They are like the Mike D'Antoni Phoenix Suns... a ton of points... no defense. Maybe that's why their the best regular season team in D-league history. But with no championship to show for it. Did I mention every 14er who has entered the game has scored. This may be a long night.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>6:34 remaining 2nd Qtr Colorado leds 50-24. </div><div><br /></div><div>Did I say 12-4 run? I meant 20-4 run. No offense...We've been scoring at will lately. Just not tonight. Colorado is not good defensively we just cannot make shots. RGV is 11/38 from the field. Math majors that's 28.9 %. Last time a team won shooting under 30% from the field. They were still shooting at peach baskets with no holes on the bottom. </div><div><br /></div><div>By the way Sonny Weems is REALLY GOOD! He has nine points, two alley oop dunks, but the second was not intended to be an ally-oop just a pass to him in the lane. But he was so athletic he caught the ball while jumping and still elevated above the rim for he Jam. With the way the Nuggets have been playing lately. I think they should call him back up, like tomorrow. Please?!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok It's official. The 14ers are the Utah Jazz of the D-League. For a team who is up... 58-33 as I write this, they COMPLAIN about EVERY CALL. Pick your Jazz team.. the late 90's team or the current Jazz team. They are exactly the same. I know. I know I am a Rockets fan, so I am supposed to hate the Jazz... but the 14ers are the Jazz... don't try to argue this point with me.... jus't don't. I mean D-league fans of other teams....do you or do you not hate the Colorado 14ers... I rest my case.</div><div><br /></div><div>Halftime - Colorado leads 63-45.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the imortal words of <a href="http://members.tripod.com/~CAWooden/alpha.jpg">this guy</a> "AYE AYE AYE AYE AYE" We just cannot buy a bucket right now. Meanwhile the 14ers continue to do what they do. Score, SCORE and SCORE MORE!! It will be interesting to see what happens to the rights to all of the players if the 14ers don't come back. Six 14er players have eight or nine points. No one is in double-figures for them. Lucas and Weems both have five assists.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the Viper end of things Jawad has been getting to the foul line where he was 8-8 to aid in his 14 point first half. RGV still shooting an AWFUL 33.3 % from the field including 1/10 from downtown. RGV will have a tough time coming back in this one sorry to say. Unless Colorado misses a bunch of shots.. and when I say a bunch... I mean like...35+ The 14ers don't surrender big half time leads... they just don't. The Vipers may have to play for Thursday now and watch their minutes for guys like Jordan, Williams, and Strickland.</div><div><br /></div><div>FYI last time we were here , there was no William T. Goat and no dancers. Today we have both. Too bad they are performing in front of a crowd of about... 200, and I am not joking. This is the best facility in the D-League. I hope I get to come back. SOMEONE BUY THE 14ers!!!</div><div><br /></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-11561797923390124532009-01-23T14:06:00.000-06:002009-01-26T16:39:29.845-06:00Jordan out 2-3 Weeks and other Rumblings.The Vipers continue to be snake-bitten... No pun intended... I am really bad with that. Jordan suffered a high left ankle sprain in the third quarter on <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020800151">Wednesday night's loss</a> to Tulsa. Jordan is expected to miss three, perhaps even four games. He did not travel with the team yesterday and is in RGV recuperating. <div><br /></div><div>Obviously this is tough for both Jordan..who had been playing out of his find the last few games for RGV. Also the Vipers will have to entrust Mo Carter with the offense for the time being.... did I mention the next four games are against Austin (1st SW Division) and Colorado (2nd SW Division) who the Vipers are a combined 0-4 against this year... YIKES.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coach Moser has been workin the phones a lot so I expect some moves to be made...I don't know what he has planned, but all I can say is stay tuned.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;">OTHER NOTES</span></div><div><br /></div><div>A lot of people have been asking me about any new teams for next year in the D-League....I think there may be some interesting changes next year and they don't just include expansion cities, but perhaps some teams being re-located, sold, or folding. The state of our US economy has not been kind to minor-league sports and lets face it, there are some teams in this league that just don't work. There are some markets with little to no fan support, and others who do really well. Minor league teams will always last until the fans stop coming or the sponsorship pool runs dry. </div><div><br /></div><div>This <a href="http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/news/2009/jan/18/center-promises-business-as-usual/">news broke about Colorado</a>...I have to say it doesn't surprise me. Broomfield is way to close to Denver and if I have a choice of wether to go to a Nuggets game or a 14ers game... what do you think I am going to choose. The development around the arena is going to be awesome... but they almost built the event center too close to Denver and not around anything else. The fact is they should have built that arena closer to Boulder. It looks as if <a href="http://www.prohockeynews.com/hockey/publish/chl/Rio_Rancho_and_New_Mexico_Scorpions_to_part_ways.shtml">Rio Rancho, NM</a> is having similar problems with their CHL team. Global keeps building these arenas where no one lives. Rio Rancho is too far outside Albuquerque for them to draw much from those bigger cities into the suburbs. </div><div><br /></div><div>But, back to Colorado, I think the D-League has a few options... (also it depends on who is managing the building) </div><div><br /></div><div>1. Sell the team to the Nuggets and have them operate it and keep it in Broomfield</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>It seems as if Kroenke sports group may be interested in managing the facility. If that happens I would also expect the Nuggets to buy the 14ers and keep them alive in Broomfield. The development will eventually happen around there and if it is a separate front office... (currently their front office works hockey, basketball, and events at the same time)</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Sell the team to the Nuggets and move them to Loveland, CO</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>Loveland-Ft. Collins would be a nice little extension of the Nuggets much like Austin is for the San Antonio Spurs. It is far enough away that it is a separate market of fans who aren't likely to make the drive to Denver everyday. But its close enough that everyone in Loveland who is a basketball fan is a Nuggets fan. The CHL team at the BEC has sold out every game since they opened the building 6 years ago. The D-League would salivate at selling out half the games in the same period. The one problem is... the Eagles are king in that building. Battle for quality dates would be tough...but if the Nuggets own the team that may not be a problem and the Eagles sellout no matter what day of the week they play....Personally I love this scenario because Loveland-Ft. Collins are SPORTS FANATICS and I think the Nuggets would be looking great to their Ft.Collins fans if they put their owned and operated team in their backyard.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3. Fold the team.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the worst case scenario. I think the D-League likes being in Colorado...somewhere in Colorado. But if something can't be worked out, and if the Nuggets don't want to buy the team...then the team will go away. I expect the D-League and the NBA will do everything they can to keep the team somewhere in Colorado... but again you never know.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;">EXPANSION</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The team that will be coming in for sure is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_NBA_Development_League_team">Portland, Maine</a> and that is no secret. As for other teams joining. <a href="http://www.basketball.ca/en/hm/inside.php?sid=1&id=2090">Halifax wants in BAD</a>. But they are so <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=halifax%2C%20ns&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl">remote</a>, I doubt the other teams would want to add them into the fold. I wonder if you could take a boat to Halifax from Portland? I keep hearing a lot of the same cities we always here. Frisco, TX, Trenton, NJ. Springfield, MA, Hamliton, Ontario. But nothing is really concrete. Honestly people just aren't willing to buy teams right now. It is a HUUUGE investment. Unless NBA teams (who are trying to save money themselves right now) buy D-League teams... I expect expansion to slow down a little bit. But, I have been wrong before. </div><div><br /></div><div>The D-League wants to be strong in the markets they are in, and they want to strengthen the relationship with their NBA affiliates. Expansion just for the sake of expanding would not be smart right now. One thing I would like to see the league do one the league is above 20 teams. Have two conferences with two divisions each. Either East and West or North and South conferences. Stay with the 50 game schedule. Have two showcases and play only within your conference to cut down on crazy travel. Triple-A baseball has two different leagues who don't play each other... the D-league should look at it like that. This is no longer a bus league and you can save a lot of franchises from going under if you help cut down their travel. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now.. I'll have another post from the arena tonight.</div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-56470327124248392092009-01-21T22:07:00.000-06:002009-01-21T22:12:09.955-06:0066ERS BIG FOURTH QUARTER ENDS VIPERS WIN STREAKJanuary 21, 2009<br /><br />HIDALGO, Texas-<br /><br />Keith Clark scored 19 of his game high 25 points in the second half as the Tulsa 66ers ended the Rio Grande Valley Vipers two game win streak with a 113-103 win at Dodge Arena Wednesday night. The win by Tulsa ends a three game losing streak and it’s the 66ers first win over Rio Grande Valley this season.<br /><br />The Vipers led at half time after outscoring Tulsa 25-18 in the second quarter to lead 59-50 at the intermission. Vipers point guard Jared Jordan was on pace to shatter his career high point total he set in Tuesday’s win over Anaheim. Jordan would leave the game with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter with an undisclosed foot injury and did not return. Jordan finished with 18 points and four assists.<br /><br />The Vipers held an 94-90 lead with 6:06 remaining in regulation after a Trent Strickland dunk. Tulsa then went off on a 13-0 run over the next 3:26 seconds, with seven of the points scored by newly acquired Gary Forbes, to take a 103-94 lead with 2:40 to play in the game. Forbes finished with 14 points in his Tulsa debut.<br /><br />Marcus Hubbard tallied his first double-double of the season in the Viper loss. Hubbard scored 11 and hauled in a career-high 17 rebounds. Alpha Bangura’s streak of 20+ point outings also ended on Wednesday as he scored 19 points in the loss. Quin Humphrey and Stanely Asumnu scored 13 and 12 points respectively for Rio Grande Valley.<br /><br />The Vipers will travel to Austin on Friday night as they face the Southwest Division leading Austin Toros with a 7:30 tip-off time at the Austin Convention Center. The 66ers will travel to Orem, UT on Friday night to face the Utah Flash.Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160934438441544676.post-8968044980684967412009-01-14T18:37:00.000-06:002009-01-15T00:56:27.148-06:00Vipers versus Colorado 1-14-09 Pre-GameLive from Dodge Arena... it's The RGV Vipers versus the Colorado 14ers. Let me just say this, if I was a fan of the Vipers, and I'm not, since I am employed by the team, I would HATE the Colorado 14ers!. They are the<a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1517952/mongoose_vs_snake/"> mongoose to our snake</a>..Ok yeah that was a bad joke... but, they DOMINATE RGV. The Vipers are 1-9 lifetime against Colorado including two losses this season. They are good and they lead the league or are among the league leaders in every major offensive categories, they score, they go to the line, they distribute. <a href="http://imgsrv.espnsportsradio.com/image/wbowa/UserFiles/Image/Bios/DSC_8703.jpg">Howeve</a>r, they don't play defense, which may bode well tonight.<div><br /></div><div>Clay Moser, not to be confused with<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA19JAomS34"> Robert Loggia</a>, told me they have added a new offense, one that encourages consistent ball movement and discourages stopping the ball. We will see how it works tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Colorado, they are in second place in the division and have played great basketball, but like RGV have had a ton of changes lately. Gone are James Mays, Cheik Samb and Sonny Weems. Sean Williams is with the club from the New Jersey Nets and he along with Josh Davis, who has been incredible lately, will be Eddie Gill's go to guys tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Don't forget you can follow all the action on <a href="javascript:var%20myWin1=window.open('/dleague/webcastDleague.html',%20'DleagueVideoPass',%20'toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=675,height=681');myWin1.focus();">Futurecast</a> , or you can get the <a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=2020800130">live box and play-by-play here</a> or check out <a href="http://www.themonitor.com/share/profiles/?slid=b0b54d08-16e5-8e94-f118-a9ce13cad5cb&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=b0b54d08-16e5-8e94-f118-a9ce13cad5cb&plckPostId=Blog%3ab0b54d08-16e5-8e94-f118-a9ce13cad5cbPost%3afc95c446-70d5-4a8d-a0fe-aa593ac46820&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest">Todd Mavreles' live game blog</a></div>Alex Del Barrio aka ADBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673622338838328269noreply@blogger.com0