Analyzing the 2013 NBA Free Agent Market

Determining the worth of a Free Agent since the 1970s when free agency entered the NBA. Obviously since both players and General Managers are human their will be contracts that break away from the market standard. By using basketball-reference.com's Win Share statistic and the per annum salaries of players that signed contracts during the 2013 off season we are able to estimate how many million dollars each win share is worth. Even though we were able to find the average amount of money spent on a win share we found that the correlation between win shares and salary is there but we weak with an r-score of only .729. The approximate value for a win share is $1.28 million.

Players like Chase Budinger (injury), Andrew Bynum (injury), Jon Leur, and Wesley Johnson (that bad) were thrown out of the study.

To get a betterlook of how free agency money is distributed let's break it down by position:

As you can see Point Guards are the most underpaid and Centers are overpaid. Examples of this are DJ Augustin of the Chicago Bulls who signed a deal worth $1.3 mil a year despite having 2.8 win shares during the 2012-13 season for a $/WS ratio of $.46. On the other end of the spectrum Dwight Howard inked for $22 mil a year with the Houston Rockets despite only having 7.6 win shares the season before, making him the second most overpaid player. 

Point Guards

Chris Paul was hands down the best player to ink a deal during the 2013 off season but only signed the second biggest contract at $21.40 mil a year. This is quite a bit of money but still falls short of Howard's contract, a player that had about half as many win shares as Paul. The only point guard to be in the top ten of over paid players is Chauncey Billups, who joins his Detroit teammate Josh Smith in the ranks of most over paid free agents of 2013. But what really defines the point guard position is that 3 of the bottom 10 players  in terms of difference between $/WS and the league average were point guards. This includes Nate Robinson who only makes $2 mil a year despite having 5.9 win shares in 12-13.

Shooting Guards

Shooting Guards along with power forwards were the most accurately paid players in the league with a position $/WS of $1.26 mil. Tyreke Evans of the Pelicans and OJ Mayo were both in the top ten in terms of being over paid. Evans makes $11 mil a year despite only 4.4 Win Shares in his contract year. Monta Ellis joins those to at 11 in terms of being over paid. The biggest steal among shooting guards was Nick Young who is making $1.15 mil a year despite 2.3 Win Shares in his contract year, this is most likely due to him expecting to be Kobe's backup in the upcoming years.

Small Forwards

There are three Small Forwards who find themselves to be in the top 10 in terms of overpaidness (it's a new word folks) and they are Andre Iguodala of the Warrior, Earl Clark of the New York Knicks, and Josh Smith of the Pistons (Joe Dumar had a really bad off-season.) Smith actually led the 2013 free agent class in difference between worth and salary. Metta World Peace was the biggest steal for small forwards signing for $1.6 mil a year despite 4.6 win shares the year before. Another New York small forward (although in Brooklyn), Andrei Kirilenko is also in bottom 10 for getting what they are worth.

Power Forwards

Let's just say that no power forward is underpaid (the most underpaid was Carl Landry who was only a measly $.23 mil under the average compared to $.99 mil for Andray Blatche). The average $/WS for the position was $1.25 mil. At the same time that none were underpaid none were drastically overpaid with Jason Maxiell only earning $.11 mil over the league average.

Center

While they are the most overpaid position with Dwight Howard, Chris Kaman, Josh McRoberts, and Zaza Pachulia all showing up in the top 10, their fellow big-man Andray Blatche got the shortest end of the stick during the last off-season.

Now you may have noticed that the most overpaid players tended to be some of the better players in the game; now this got me thinking. Are the third or fourth win share more valuable than the first two. Another group of people in the overpaid category are players with relatively low win shares; this makes me think that league rules regarding veteran salary minimums causes older players to be worth more. First this I'll show a quick graph that shows how different age groups' $/WS compare to the league average.

So it turns out that I was wrong that veterans would be overpaid since the salary floors would cause them to be paid more so than they deserve. These observations are actually easily explainable. The first three groups are players either entering their second or third contract so it can be expected that players might be paid as much for potential as they are for production (Especially the 20-29 year olds.) The veterans are underpaid since their performance can only be expected to decline.

Now what about the idea that win shares become more valuable as the amount a player has increases. This would fit in well with the SuperStar wage theory (where top performers in certain fields earn drastically more than those only slightly less desirable then themselves.) 

Frow what I can tell players with low win shares have exaggerated $/WS because of salary floors. The 8-14 Win Share range is a little odd since only 3 players fell in that range and two of them, Tiago Splitter and David West were in situations where they would have to take discounts to stay with their current team. If you combine them with the 7 to 7.9 range their is sort of a player demand curve to be formulated. But their is still the question of why 6-6.9 are so drastically underpaid. 

So the demand curve looks like a W and this is my theory. Players in the 6-6.9 range are role players on good teams that are willing to take pay cuts to play on contenders. Also, there win shares are probably inflated since they are surrounded by superstars. Players in the 4-5.9 range are role players who have decided to have elevated roles on poorer teams (taking money over wins.) Now if you take the superior end of this demand curve, the 7-14 range you'll see that players are worth about 1.4 mil for each win share. So for elite players like Lebron James and Kevin Durant they are probably worth up towards $30 million in a salary capless league.

Randy Moss out of San Fran; Week In Review

1. Randy Moss has decided that he will not be returning to the Super Bowl runner up San Francisco 49ers for the 2013 season. Moss, who has 982 career catches and 15,292 yards in his 14 year career only had 28 receptions and 435 yards in the 2012 season. He has not hinted on where or whether he will be playing next year.
NBA Recap

Wade

The Miami Heat won their 14th game in a row with a 99-93 defeat of the New York Knicks. Lebron James led the way with 29 points and 11 rebounds while teammate Dwayne Wade added 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Carmelo Anthony dropped 32 for the Knicks.
Kevin Durant fell a rebound short of a double-double with 35 points and nine boards in the Thunder's 108-104 win over the Clippers. In a matchup of two of the best teams in the NBA, OKC guard Russell Westbrook scored 29 points while dishing out 10 assists.Chirs Paul scored 26 points and had 8 assists for the Clippers.
A game after upsetting the Bulls the Sixers fell to the terrible Wizards 90-87. John Wall led the Way for the Wizards with 16 points and 6 assists while Emeka Okafor dominated the paint scoring 12 and securing 16 rebounds. No one from Philadelphia is worth mentioning.
The Memphis Grizzlies rightly destroyed the Orlando Magic 108-92. Six Grizzlies scored in double-digits with Marc Gasol scoring 12 while grabbing 11 rebounds and Tayshaun Prince scoring a game-high 14, which is awfully sad for a game-high.
The Kings obliterated the Charlotte Bobcats 119-83, John Salmons scored a game high 22 points for the Kings while his teammate Jason Thompson scored 18 while grabbing 14 rebounds.

Parsons

It was another high-scoring blowout in Houston as Chandler Parsons scored 32 points in the Rockets 136-103 romp of the Mavericks. Omer Asik grabbed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. O.J. Mayo led the Mavs with 18 points.
Surprise, Surprise; the Spurs took part in another blow out beating the Pistons 114-75 even without the help of Tony Parker. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebound while Manu Ginobili 17 points. Greg Monroe scored 16 points to lead the Pistons.
David West scored 31 points as the Pacers beat the Bulls 97-92. Jimmy Butler and Marco Bellnelli each scored 20 for the Bulls.
Kobe Bryant hit a layup with nine seconds left to beat the Lakers in a 99-98 lead that ended up being the final score. Bryant totaled 34 points in the whole game while teammate Dwight Howard grabbed 15 rebounds. AL Horford led the Hawks with 24 points.
NBA Week In Review

2-25 to 3-3 NBA All-Star Game Rosters
Pos	East Starters	Pos	West Starters
G	MIA- Dwayne Wade	G	OKC- Russell Westbrook
G	MIL- Monta Ellis	G	GS- Stephen Curry
F	MIA- Lebron James	F	OKC- Kevin Durant
F	ATL- Al Horford	F	SA- Tim Duncan
F	CHI- Joakim Noah	F	MEM- Marc Gasol

NHL Recap
Tomas Tatar scored for the Red Wings early in the third to make it seem as if the Blackhawks consecutive point streak was gonna end. Patrick Kane came threw on the powerplay with 2 minutes left to save the Blackhawks and force overtime. The game went to a shootout where Patrick Kane again was the hero netting the only goal as the Hawks won 2-1.

Kane

Brad Boyes scored for the Islanders in the first and Mike Zibanejad scored for the Senators in the second to set up a decisive third period. Michael Grabner gave the Isles a 2-1 lead with only three and a half minutes in the game but then Patrick Wiercloch tied things up again with a minute left. Overtime was not able to produce anything and the shootout went to overtime where Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored for the Islanders as they completed a 3-2 win.
It was another thriller in Columbus where the Blue Jackets had to come from behind for the 2-1 win. P.A. Parenteau scored for the Avs in the second but Vinny Prospal came through for the Blue Jackets 4 minutes into the third. Once in overtime the Jackets' Artem Anisimov scored with help from Tim Erixon and Mark Lestestu for the win. Both of the Jackets' goals came on the powerplay.
This game was not as close with the Blues opening up the scoring 4 minutes into their battle with the Stars. Erik Cole answered David Perron's goal 10 minutes later and then was followed up by Derek Roy to enter the second up 2-1. In the third the Stars solidified their lead with goals by Loul Eriksson and Jaromir Jagr. Derek Roy had two assists in addition to his one goal for a three point night in a 4-1 win.
Remarkably the Panthers- Hurricanes game only had 6 penalty minutes but their was a decent amount of scoring. The Hurricanes' Justin Faulk and Alexander Semin both scored in the last two minutes of the first and Eric Staal scored in the second to give the Canes a 3-0 lead. Jonathan Huberdeau then stooped the bleeding for the Panthers and he then scored again with a minute left in the third. Unfortunately for the Cats, "Hubey" or any of his other teammates were unable to score and they fell 3-2.
The Bruins entered the third period up 3-2 on the Canadiens but Max Pacioretty's goal tied the game up while David Desharnais's goal put the Habs up 4-3 where they finished the game. Patrice Bergeron scored one goal and assisted on the Bruis' other two goals. Brendan Gallagher had two assists for the Bruins.

Cammalleri

Rick Nash (1 G, 1A) and Martin Gaborik (2A) both had two assists in the Rangers 3-2 victory over the Sabres. The Rangers had a 2-1 lead entering the third until Nathan Gerbe scored a shorthanded goal  to force overtime. Overtime produced nothing and the game went to a shootout where Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan converted for the Rangers as they won 3-2.
The Minnesota Wild were led by Mikko Koivu's three points (1 G, 2 A) as they defeated the Oilers 4-2. Koivu broke a 1-1 tie 9 seconds into the third and then his teammate Charlie Coyle added insurance a few minutes later. Sam Gagner got the Oilers back within one before Dany Heatley scored on the powerplay to put the game out of reach.
Mike Cammalleri scored twice including the insurance goal in the third as the Flames defeated the Canucks 4-2. The teams split goals in both the first and the second as the third became a winner-take-all event. Jarome Iginla broke the draw 13 minutes in with assists from Mark Giordano and Jri Hudler to provide the win. Jannik Hansen had two points (1 G, 1A) for the Canucks.
NHL Week In Review

2-25 to 3-3 NHL All-Star Game Rosters
Pos	East Starters	Pos	West Starters
F	BOS- Patrice Bergeron	F	MIN- Mikko Koivu
F	FLA- Marcel Goc	F	CHI- Jonathan Toews
F	BUF- Steve Ott	F	CHI- Patrick Kane
D	CAR- Justin Faulk	D	MIN- Ryan Suter
D	FLA- Brian Campbell	D	EDM- Jeff Petry
G	BUF- Ryan Miller	G	COL- Semyon Varlamov

Flacco Re-Signs; Parker Injured; Seabrook game winner

1. According to Adam Schefter he has been told that Joe Flacco has reached a six-year $120.6 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. This will make him the highest paid player in the history of the NFL. The deal is not completely done yet and certain language is still in the works. Drew Brees was the former highest paid player and while both of them are great QBs, they both seem selfish compared to Tom Brady who cut his pay so that his team could improve the talent on the roster. Flacco quite frankly does not deserve to be the highest paid player in the league right now; yes, he has had incrdible first five years, but that's the point. He has only played five years in the league and has had a top defense every year, but the Ravens are free to make whatever decisions they want to.

Parker

2. Lebron James, who has become even more well known over the past couple of days for his high-flying antics before games, has been offered $1 million by Magic Johnson to compete in the dunk contest. Johnson then said he would give $1 million to the winner of a James' dunk contest but chances are that would be James.
3. It's a good thing the Spurs played such a great team game because they will be without guard Tony Parker for a few games. He sprained his left ankle in the third quarter.
3. Rick DiPietro, who was waved on February 22nd after allowing 4.09 goals a game in three losses, made his first start for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders' AHL team. DiPietro is most famous for the 15 year, $67.5 million deal he signed back in 2006. His start was quite pathetic allowing 5 goals on only 12 shots before being pulled. This is quite scary considering he had made suicidal marks earlier in the week.
NBA Recap

The Pacers defeated the Raptors 93-81 and were led by Paul George's 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Bradley Beal scored 29 points of the Wizards and also chipped in 11 assists but they still fell to the Knicks 96-88. Carmelo Anthony dropped 30 in the win.

The Houston Rockets overcame a one point deficit entering the third to beat the Orlando Magic 118-110. James Harden led the Rockets with 24 points and 8 rebounds while Tobias Harris had a double-double for the Magic with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Dwayne Wade was the leading scorer for the Heat as they won their 13th game in a row with a 98-91 victory over the Grizzlies. Lebron James also played a strong role in the win with 18 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. For the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol had 24 points and 9 rebounds.

Paul Pierce scored a game high 26 points as the Celtics beat the Warriors 94-86. Stephen Curry scored 25 points for the Warriors and his teammate David Lee grabbed 19 rebounds in his first game back from suspension.

The Clippers walked through the Cavaliers 105-89 with Jamal Crawford leading the way scoring 24 points. Chris Paul did a great job distributing 15 assists. Dion Waiters scored 17 points and dished out 6 assists for the Cavs.

Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter both scored 20 points as the Mavericks pulled off a 98-90 upset of the Nets. Deron WIlliams led the Nets with 24 points.

Greivis Vasquez played great for the Hornets from start to finish scoring 25 points and also recording 9 assists in their 100-95 win against the Pistons. Al- Farouq Aminu had 14 rebounds for the Hornets and Greg Monroe had a 27 points, 10 rebound night for the Pistons.

The Spurs dominated the Kings 130-102 while evenly distributing the scoring. DeJuan Blair was the leading scorer with 16 points and 7 other Spurs finished in double digits. Manu Ginobili scored 9 points but was the leading assist man with 15. Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter each got double-doubles through points and rebounds.

Kanter

Lawson

The Bobcats really proved how bad they were last night getting smashed by the Utah Jazz 98-68. Enes Kanter truly had one of the best games of the year (still nowhere close to Noah's last night) with 23 points and 22 rebounds.

The Suns somehow have won three games a row and their latest was a 92-87 effort against the Hawks. Goran Dragic played a huge part in the win with 19 points and 6 rebounds.

Kevin Durant banked in a floater with around 17 seconds left to tie the Thunder with the Nuggets at 103. The Nuggets had one more possession to prevent overtime and they put the ball into the hands of Ty Lawson. Lawson dribbled around for about 15 seconds before pulling up for a jump shot and draining it. Russell Westbrook scored a game high 38 points for the Thunder and his teammate Kevin Durant secured 14 rebounds. Wilson Chandler led the victors with 35 points in the 105-103 win.

ALL NBA 3/1/13
Pos	Player	Note
G	James Harden- HOU	Shot 10-11 from the free throw line on his way to 24 points. Also had 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
G	Russell Westbrook- OKC	Scored a league-high 38 points last night shooting 12-23 from the field. Also had 6 rebounds.
G	Manu Ginobili- SA	One of the few Spurs to not reach double digits only having nine but had a tied for league high 15 assists. Shot 4-7 from the field.
F	Kevin Durant- OKC	Scored 25 points on 9-20 shooting and 6-7 from the line. Grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds .
C	Enes Kanter- UTA *PON*	It was against the piss-poor Bobcats but Kanter scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. He shot 10-12 from the field

All NHL

Sobotka

The Oilers perhaps thought they had this one in the bag after Taylor Hall and Ryan Whitney scored within 25 seconds of each other at the end of the first period. The Blues then answered back with two of their own in the second to set up a winner take all third period. Luckily for the Blues, Vladimir Sobotka scored four minutes into the third to break the tie and then David Backes added insurance ten minutes later to put the clamps on a 4-2 win. The Blues won despite committing two Too Many Men on the Ice penalties.

Seabrook

Vinny Prospal opened up the scoring 31 seconds into the Blue Jackets Blackhawks game to give CLS a 1-0 headstart. Victor Stalberg then equaled things up and the Blackhawks won the second 2-1 to enter the third up 3-2. Ryan Johansen scored his first goal of the year for the Blue Jackets in the third to tie the game up and from there it went to overtime (this meant that the Blackhawks continued their streak of getting a point). Brent Seabrook claimed victory for the Hawks scoring three and a half minutes into overtime 4-3.

The Ducks opened up their matchup with the Wild with three unanswered goals by Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, and Matt Beleskey to put themselves comfortably in the driver's seat entering the third period. Kyle Brodziak gave the Wild some hope scoring 29 seconds into the final frame. Devin Setoguchi was able to tally another for the Wild but they were not able to muster another one falling short 3-2.

ALL NHL 3/1/2013
Pos	Player	Note
F	David Backes- STL	Had a two point night with one goal and one assist while playing some serious body with 6 hits.
F	Eric Belanger- EDM	Only played 15 minutes but dominated the faceoff circle going 13-3. Also played great defense blocking 2 shots.
F	Victor Stalberg- CHI	Scored a goal and an assist, his goal was an equalizer, in only 15 minutes of play.
F	Derek MacKenzie- CLS	Blocked 3 shots and forced three turnovers.
D	Brent Seabrook- CHI	Scored the game-winner in overtime and hit 8 Blue Jackets. Also blocked three shots.
D	Kevin Shattenkirk- STL	Scored one goal on the powerplay on his only shot of the night.
D	Adrian Aucoin- CLS	Did not know he was still in the NHL but he had 5 hits and one takeaway last night.
G	Jonas HIller- ANA	Stooped 31 of 33 shots in the Ducks' win.
G	Steve Mason- CLS	Although they fell short to the Hawks, Mason helped the Jackets out with a .886 save percentage on 35 shots. It helps that there were only 3 games last night.

NHL Realignment: Lebron and D-Wade explode

The NHL introduced a new division alignment that they plan to use in the future. The set up is kind of odd and that it is like baseball's old realignment where the conferences are not equal. The Eastern conference will consist of two eight team divisions while the West will have two seven team ones This proposal had been blocked in the past because of playoff chances not being equal for each team but instead of the top four teams making the playoffs like in the last plan; only the top three in each make it and the last four are wild card spots. I personally like this plan because it places more importance on winning your division instead of just having a good record. The Central division is a little odd because it features the Florida teams and Boston while the Atlantic division has the Blue Jackets, I think that Boston could easily be switched with Columbus but who really cares. Here is your proposed NHL Divisional realignment:

Pacific	Mid-West	Central	Atlantic
Anaheim	Chicago	Boston	Carolina
Calgary	Colorado	Buffalo	Columbus
Edmonton	Dallas	Detroit	New Jersey
Los Angeles	Minnesota	Florida	New York Islanders
Phoenix	Nashville	Montreal	New York Rangers
San Jose	St. Louis	Ottawa	Philadelphia
Vancouver	Winnipeg	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh
		Toronto	Washington

NBA Recap
The Magic took care of the 76ers in a low scoring affair for their first road-win in 10 attempts. Aaron Affalo and Tobias Harris each had 16 for the Magic while their teammate Nikola Vucevic grabbed a league high 19 rebounds in the 98-84 win.
The Pacers relied on a strong third quarter to beat the Warriors 108-97. The game is most notorious for the fight between Roy Hibbert and David Lee in the 4th quarter (with only Hibbert being ejected). Stephen Curry went off for 38 points and David Lee had a double-double himself with 12 points and 12 boards. David West led the Pacers with 28 points.

The Heat, one of the best teams in the NBA, took two overtimes to dispose of the dreadful Sacremento Kings 141-129. The Heat were able to dominate the second overtime and were led throughout the game by Lebron James's 40 point and 16 assist performance.
The Cavaliers pulled one over the heads of the Chicago Bulls even though their star point guard Kyrie Irving was unable to play due to a sore right knee. Dion Waiters carried the scoring load for the Cavaliers with 28 points while Bill Walton's son Luke led the team with 5 assists. Carlos Boozer scored a game-high 27 points for the Bulls in the 101-98 loss.

D Williams

Deron Williams hit four free throws in the waning minutes of last night's game as the Nets defeated the Hornets 101-97. Williams led all players in scoring with 33 points while also contributing 8 assists. Greivis Vasquez did everything he could for the Hornets leading them in points (20), rebounds (8), and assists (7).
The Mavericks continue to struggle this year as they have lost another one 95-90 to the Bucks. Dirk Nowitzki played one hell of a game scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds but it was just not enough. Monta Ellis scored 22 points and recorded 9 assists for the Bucks.
Neither team reached 80 in regulation but once in overtime the Suns defeated the Timberwolves 84-83. The Wolves appeared to have won the game but Marcin Gortat made a layup with only 13 seconds let in the fourth to force overtime. Gortat, Markieff Morris, and Wesley Johnson each had 14 points for the Suns while the Timberwolves leading scorer was Derrick Williams who had 21 and also had 12 rebounds.
In the last game of the night the Clippers destroyed the Bobcats (surprised???) 106-84. Blake Griffin of LA and Gerald Henderson of Charlotte each scored 24 points. Chris Paul led the game with 13 assists.

All NBA 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
G	Dwayne Wade- Miami	Shot 19-28 from the Field on his way to 39 points while also grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.
F	Luol Deng- Chicago	Scored 26 points last nigh tin the close loss. Shot 9-16 from the field including 2-4 from long range. Also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
F	Lebron James- Miami	*Player of the Night* Scored 40 points to outbest his teamate, Shot an incredible 11-12 from the FT line plus had a remarkable 16 assists.
F	Dirk Nowitzki- DAL	Had 21 points and 20 rebounds in the loss; so his tremendous productivity has really gone to waste by the Mavs.
C	Brook Lopez	Shot 9-14 from the field. Scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds while blocking 4 shots.

NHL Recap
After a scoreless first period Olli Jokinen broke into the scoring column to put the Jets up 1-0 over the Rangers. Evander Kane followed a minute later to give the Jets the 2-0 lead. Ryan Callahan was able to stop the Rangers' slide with a goal of his own but Jokinen answered back and the Jets were up 3-1 going into the third. The Rangers got the gap to two about nine minutes into the final frame but Evander Kane answered back 20 seconds later to put the game at 4-2. Anton Stralman scored a minute later for the Rangers but Jets were able to hold on the rest of the game and win 4-3.

Shut Out Man

Braden Holtby made 33 saves in the Capitals' 3-0 win against the Hurricanes. His opposing keeper Cam Ward played a very impressive game as well stopping 37 of 40 shots. The Capitals scored one goal in each period with Nicklas Backstrom striking in the first, John Erskine in the second, and John Carlson in the third.
The Stars outshout the lowly Blue Jackets 39-20 but were forced to go to overtime for the win. Brenden Morrow scored the only goal of the first but then the second really saw a lot of scoring. Each team scored twice with Nikita Nikitin starting things off for the Blue Jackets and then the teams took turns scoring. With the Blue Jackets down 3-2 entering the third it was crucial that they score and Cam Atkinson did just that 6 minutes into the frame. The Stars' Cody Eakin put his team up 4-3 with only 6 minutes and the Blue Jackets were in desperation mode. R.J. Umberger came up in the clutch with 1:36 left in the game and we were now headed to overtime. The Stars' took caare of business when Lou Eriksson scored with assists by Derek Roy and Brenden Dillon for the 5-4 win. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves on 39 shots for the Jackets.
Steven Stamkos opened up the scoring in Tampa Bay but the Bolts' lead was shortlived; Cody Hodgson scored his eighth goal of the year for the Sabres 9 minutes later to tie it up 1-1. The two first period goals were it until the beginning of the third period when Tyler Myers scored for the Sabres. That was it for the game with the Sabres winning 2-1.
The Panthers and Penguins played a close one (and high scoring) in Florida. Tomas Kopecky got the Panhers off to a lead in a quiet first period. The Second is when things exploded and the Penguins tied the game up 4-4 thanks to a powerplay goal by Chris Kunittz with 41 seconds left. The  Panthers won the game in the third thanks to Tomas Felischman's goal early in the period and then Tomas Kopecky netted another one later for a 6-4 victory.
After a first period that had both teams at one goal the Bruins were able to pull away in the second with goals by Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Gregory Campbell added an empty netter with just over a minute left in the third to secure a 4-1 win against the Islanders.

Parise

Alex Tanguay's goal in the first seemed like it was going to be enough for the Flames to win but Jason Zucker saved the Wild's day with 5 minutes left in the third thanks to assists by David Setoguchi and Ryan Suter. The Wild were able to ride that momentum and scored just 26 seconds into overtime. Zach Parise's goal was assisted by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter as the Wild walked away with a 2-1 OT win.
The Coyotes led the Canucks the whole way in Vancouver but it was close througout. Kyle Chipchura started off the scoring in the first and teammate Mikkel Boedker made it 2-0 in the second. Jason Garrison of Vancouver got the Nucks back within one 2 minutes later. Antoine Vermette then scored to make it 3-1 and Henrik Sedin scored just after to make the difference one again. Kyle Chipchura got the insurance goal with 23 seconds left on an empty netter to finish off the 4-2 win.
It took a shootout to decide the Sharks Avalanche game. The Sharks got off to a quick start thanks to a goal by Logan Couture in the first but Chuck Kobasew tied things up 12 minutes later. The Sharks again got a 2-1 lead thanks to T.J. Galliardi. The Avalanche were on their last breath when Mark Olver scored his second goal of the year with only 3 minutes left. Overtime was not able to produce anything for either team and things went to a shootout. Michal Handzus scored ont the first attempt of the shootout and it took until the Av's third for P.A. Parenteau to slip one past Antti Niemi. Patrick Marleau then scored in the ovetime of shootout and then Niemi stopped John Mitchell's attempt for a 3-2 Sharks win.

All NHL 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
F	John Mitchell- Colorado	Although he was unable to score a goal Mitchell got 4 shots on net and played a good defensive game hitting 7 guys, blocking a shot, and forcing a turnover. He also was 17-9 at the faceoff dot.
F	Antoine Vermette- Phoenix	His goal was a very important one last night and he also threw in an assist for a two point night. He finished the game at +3.
F	Tomas Kopecky- Florida	Scored three goals and two of them were on the powerplay. He also had an assist to get his fouth point.
F	Ryan Callahan- NY Rangers	Scored one goal on his seven shots on net in additio to 5 hits. Finished the game with a +2 in the Rangers' loss.
D	Ryan Suter- Minnesota	Had two assists on the night including one in overtime.
D	Brian Campbell- Florida	Led all defensemen with 3 points last night coming from 1 goal and two assists (with every point coming on the powerplay). Also blocked 4 shots.
D	Paul Martin- Pittsburgh	Scored on his only shot of the night and finished the game with a +3.
G	Semyon Varlamov- San Jose	His team may have lost 3-2 but Varlamov was peppered with 41 shots and saved 39 of them. He came up short in the shootout though.
G	Ryan Miller- Buffalo	Only let in one goal on 31 shots against.

Lakers Defeat Mavs; Week In Review

Portland's Hero

NBA Recap

Bryant

Just after Dwight Howard admitted that his poor conditioning lost the Lakers games he and the team were on the court to face the Dallas Mavericks. Kobe Bryant's free throw with 4 seconds left put the game out of reach at 103-99 and that is how it finished. Kobe scored 38 points on the night and also had 7 assists. For the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki dropped 30 and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Luke Ridnour's shot with one second left did not hit the mark leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves one point shy of overtime. Jarrett Jack was the most crucial part of the Warriors victory scoring 23 points and dishing out 8 assists. Derrick Williams played strong in the 100-99 loss with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cavaliers put themselves in a position to beat the Heat last night with a 36-17 3rd quarter to give themselves a 1 point lead going into the fourth. The Heat pulled out the comeback to win their 11th game in a row by a score of 109-105. Lebron James had 28 points and 8 assists agianst his former team. Dion Waiters led the Cavs with 26 points.

The Hornets swept the Kings under the rug 110-95 thanks to Anthony Davis's 20 points. Greivis Vazques had a double-double for the Hornets with 12 points and 13 assists.

The Grizzlies and Nets decided to not partake in offense as the Griz pulled out a 76-72 win. Zach Randolph was crucial in the victory with 16 points and 14 boards. Deron Williams had 24 points in the loss.

Despite Jrue Holiday's 30 points the Sixers came up 6 points shy of the Knicks in a 99-93 loss. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points as the Knicks broke their four game losing streak.

The Spurs used a dominating 2nd quarter effort to bury the Suns 97-87. Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard both led the Spurs with 16 points while Leonard had an additional 8 rebounds. Marcin Gortat was the Suns' best performer with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Celtics 92-86 in Portland thanks to Wesley Matthews 7 points in the last 2:13. On top of his heroics in the closing minutes, Matthews finished with 24 points including a 5-8 performance from 3 pt land. Paul Pierce played well for the Celtics scoring 23 points, dishing out 8 asssists, and grabbing 7 rebounds.

The last game of the night was a blowout as the Thunder surprisingly destroyed the Bulls 102-72. The Bulls only shot 29% for the game with their leading scorers being Luol Deng and Nate Robinson who only had 13 a piece.  The Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook's 23 points and and Kevin Durant's 19/16/6 performance.

NBA Week In Review

NBA League Leaders - Feb 18, 2013 to Feb 24, 2013
Points		P	Assists		A
	1. James Harden	31.7		1. Goran Dragic	12.2
	2. Kobe Bryant	31.3		2. Greivis Vasquez	10.5
	3. Kemba Walker	24.8		3. Jeff Teague	9.7
	4. Lebron James	23.5		4. Lebron James	9.2
	5. Dwayne Wade	23.5		5. Ricky Rubio	8.7
Rebounds		R	Turnovers		TO
	1. Zach Randolph	56		1. Goran Dragic	16
	2. David Lee	55		2. Russell Westbrook	15
	3. Joakim Noah	42		3. John Wall	15
	4. Nikola Vucevic	42		4. Stephen Curry	14
	5. Reggie Evans	41		5. Deron Williams	14
Steals		S	Blocks		B
	1. Ricky Rubio	4.7		1. Larry Sanders	12
	2. Goran Dragic	3		2. Serge Ibaka	11
	3. Mike Conley	2.5		3. Tyson Chandler	9
	4. Al- Farouq Aminu	2.5		4. Joakim Noah	9
	5. Trevor Ariza	2.3		5. Al- Farouq Aminu	9
Field Goal % (minimum 35 attempts)		FG%	Free Throw % (minimum 10)		FT%
	1. J.J. Hickson	67.6		1. J.J. Redick	100
	2. Al Horford	66.7		2. Kyrie Irving	100
	3. Marcin Gortat	60		3. Anthony Davis	100
	4. Lebron James	59		4. Kevin Durant	95.7
	5. Mario Chalmers	57.6		5. Russell Westbrook	95.2

2-18 to 2-24 All NBA
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
PG	CLE- Kyrie Irving	PG	SA- Tony Parker
SG	MIA- Dwayne Wade	SG	HOU- James Harden
SF	MIA- Lebron James	SF	OKC- Kevin Durant
PF	ATL- Al Horford	PF	DAL- Dirk Nowitzki
C	MIL- Larry Sanders	C	POR- J.J. Hickson

Perry's overtime winner

NHL Recap

Rask

Tuukka Rask made 34 saves on 35 shots to improve to 8-0-1 on the year in the Bruins 4-1 win over the Panthers. 

Martin Brodeur left ice during the warmups due to soreness and Johan Hedberg had to take his place. The Jets took full advantage of that to walk away from New Jersey with a 4-2 victory. Evander Kane scored his 7th goal of the year while in the third period teammate Andrew Ladd netted his 10th.

The Canucks got off to a hot start scoring 3 goals in the first, two from Daniel Sedin, to get a 3-2 lead going into the second. That is where things turned south for the Canucks as the Red Wings went on a scoring rampage with three of their own in the second. Things were not done there as Damien Brunner scored his 10th goal of the year and second of the game halfway through the third. To make the game 8-3 Joakim Andersson netted two goals a minute apart from each other at the end of the final frame. Damien Brunner had two assists in addition to his 2 goals and Jonathan Ericsson had two assists as well.

Evgeni Nabokov got the night off as the Islanders went with Kevin Poulin in net. Things looked good for the Islanders as they were off to a 2-0 start thanks to goals by Matt Moulson and John Tavares. The Islanders kept on to their lead until 47 seconds left in the second when Jordan Staal scored a minute after his older brother Eric to tie the game up. Alexander Semin assisted on both of the goals. The game continued to tied until halfway through the third when Bobby Sanguinetti scored his first NHL goal with assists from Patrick Dwyer and Jordan Staal. Alexander Semin then capped his 3 pt night off with an empty netter late in the game to polish off a 4-2 Hurricanes' win.

The Blackhawks have still not lost in regulation time in their first 18 games thanks to a shutout performance by Corey Crawford, his 7th win of the year. It was not exactly a powerful victory however as they only scored one goal, Andrew Shaw's at the end of the second period in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets.

Sidney Crosby scored two of the Penguins three first period goals and also assisted on another as the Penguins defeated the Lightning 5-3. The Lightning got within one during the third period with goals by Eric Brewer and Steven Stamkos but it was not enough.

Torres had two on the night

The Flames and Coyotes played a very good, high scoring game last night in Calgary. The Flames started off the scoring 2 minutes into the game with a goal from Tim Jackman but the second period was split 2-2 between the teams which set up for a great third period. Raffi Torres scored in the first couple minutes to tie it up and then his teammate slipped the puck past Joey McDonald to make it 4-3. The Coyotes seemed to be in control of the game until 1:23 left when Jarome Iginla netted a goal with help from Alex Tanguay and Matt Stajan. Both teams were probably expecting to go to overtime but Curtis Glencross scored his 7th goal of the year with a minute left to win 5-4.

The Ducks outshot the Avalanche 39-23 but the score was much closer. Cody McLeod and P.A. Parenteau scored for the Avs in the first as they entered the second with a 2-0 lead. The Ducks then answered with two of their own but then John Mitchell scored 30 seconds after Teemu Selanne to get the Avs their lead back. The Avs had their lead for about 20 minutes until Ryan Getzlaf scored on the powerplay to even things up. Once in overtime, Corey Perry scored on the man advantage as the Ducks win 4-3.

NHL Week In Review 

Very nice to see 3 Flyers in the points list and Ilya in the leaderboard for the Goalies.

NHL League Leaders - Feb 18, 2013 Feb 24, 2013
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Steven Stamkos	4		1. Jakub Voracek	7
	2. Max Pacioretty	4		2. Pavel Daysyuk	5
	3. Jakub Voracek	4		3. Claude Giroux	5
	4. J, Carter, C. Giroux, B. Schenn	3		4. Small Army	4
	5. D. Brunner, E. Kane, and many others	3		5.
Points		P	D-Man Points		P
	1. Jakub Voracek	11		1. Niklas Kronwall	6
	2. Claude Giroux	8		2. Paul Martin	5
	3. Steven Stamkos	8		3. Francois Beauchemin	4
	4. Wayne Simmonds	7		4. K. Letang, S. Weber, O. Ekman-Larrson	4
	5. Half the NHL	6		5. about 10 players	3
Takeaways		TA	Blocks		B
	1. Adam Henrique	10		1. Greg Zanon	17
	2. Martin St. Louis	8		2. Dan Girardi	16
	3. Patrick Kane	7		3. Mark Streit	14
	4. J. Mitchell, J. Tavares, B. Pouliot	6		4. M. Giordano, J. Harrison	13
	5. 6 people	5		5. 5 players	11
Saves/ Shots Against		SV-SA	Wins		W-L-OTL
	1. Ondrej Pavelec	114/124		1. Ben Bishop	3-0-0
	2. Ben Scrivens	109/117		2. Ilya Bryzgalov	3-1-0
	3. Mike Smith	97/104		3. Ondrej Pavelec	3-1-0
	4. Ilya Bryzgalov	91/103		4. Ray Emery	2-0-0
	5. Semyonb Varlamov	88/97		5. Marc- Andre Fleury	2-0-0

2-18 to 2-24 All NHL
Pos	East Starters	Pos	West Starters
C	PHI- Claude Giroux	C	COL- Paul Stastny
C	CAR- Jordan Staal	C	DET- Pavel Datsyuk
LW	WPG- Evander Kane	C	ANA- Ryan Getzlaf
D	TOR- Dion Phaneuf	D	Oliver Ekman- Larsson
D	NYI- Mark Streit	D	DET- Niklas Kronwall
G	WPG- Ondrej Pavelec	G	SAN- Anti Niemi

Flyers Comeback; Horford Game-Winner

Winnipeg Jets at Philadelphia Flyers
Feb 22, 2013 1 2 3 F WPG (7-9-1 15P) 1 2 0 3 PHI (9-10-1 19P) 1 1 3 5 Three Stars Brayden Schenn-{PHI-C) 2 Goals, 1 Assists Jakub Voracek- (PHI- RW) 3 Assists Wayne Simmonds (PHI- RW) 1 Goals, 1 Assists	Team Stats Comparison WPG PHI Shots on Goal 37 39 Hits 33 40 Faceoffs Won-Lost 37-63 26-63 Penalty Minutes 26 22 Power Plays Converted 0 3 Power Play Opportunities 4 6
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD WPG 4:48 Evander Kane (6) Assists: Nik Antropov, Dustin Byfuglien PHI 15:18 Brayden Schenn (5) Assists: Danny Briere, Wayne Simmonds SECOND PERIOD WPG 2:34 Olli Jokinen (3) Assists: Blake Wheeler WPG 11:13 Alex Burmistrov (3) Assists: Grant Clitsome, Dustin Byfuglien PHI 14:24 Claude Giroux (6) (Powerplay) Assists: Kimmo Timonen, Jakub Voracek THIRD PERIOD PHI 6:18 Brayden Schenn (6) (Powerplay) Assists: Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux PHI 8:57 Wayne Simmonds (7) (Powerplay) Assists: Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek PHI 19:59 Zac Rinaldo (2) (Empty Net; Douche Bag) Assist: Kimmo Timonen

Brayden Schenn had the game of his career yesterday scoring two goals and assisting on another during the Flyers 5-3 win. This game was odd for the fact that both teams were nailed for Too Many Men on the Ice penalties about 30 seconds apart from each other in the second period. The Jets got off to a quick start when Evander Kane scored 5 minutes into the game but "little Schenn" scored with 5 left in the first with help from Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds to send the game 1-1 into the second period. The Second period started off rough for the Flyers as Olli Jokinen and Alex Burmistrov scored unanswered to give the Jets  a 3-1 win. Dustin Byfuglein's assist on Burmistrov's goal was his second of the game (also assisted on Kane's goal). Claude Giroux then scored his 6th goal of the year to cut the deficit down to one entering the third period. It took six minutes for anything to happen in the third period when Brayden Schenn scored assisted by Jakub Voracek and Claudge Giroux to tie the game 3-3. Schenn and Voracek got their name on the boxscore 2 and a half minutes later when they assited on Wayne Simmonds' 7th goal of the year as the Flyers broke into the lead. With one second left in the game Zac Rinaldo proved how cheap he is by netting an empty-net goal. Danny Briere got the most out of his 9 minutes of ice time getting an assist and firing 3 shots on goal. Braydon Coburn did not have any turnovers (somehow) but did finish with a disappointing -2 while Luke Schenn played one hell of a game beating Evander Kane in a fight and hitting 5 Jets. Scott Hartnell also returned from injury playing 15 minutes. 

NBA Recap

Monta Ellis though he was the hero last night scoring with 10 seconds to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 101-100 lead over the Hawks but it wasn't that simple. Al Horford responded on the next possession with a field goal of his own and the Hawks all of a sudden had their own one point lead. Monta Ellis then had another opportunity to be the savior but his midrange jumper just didn't go into the net as the Hawks won 103-102. Al Horford and Jeff Teague had 23 a piece for the Hawks (with Horford also grabbing 11 boards) and Milwaukee was led by Ersan Ilyasova who had 19 points and 9 rebounds. Larry Sanders had an incredible 19 rebounds.

Emeka Okafor's free throw with 5 seconds left was the deciding factor in the 105-103 Wizards' win over the Houston Rockets. The Wizards had trailed by 11 at halftime and as high as 17 during the game but came back for the win. Bradley Beal had 21 points for the Wizards and James Harden had 27 points and 6 assists. 

Javale McGee dominated the paint going 8-10 with 7 dunks in the Nuggets' 113-99 win over Charlotte. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 20 points while Andre Iguodala had 13 points and a game high 10 assists.

The Cavaliers absolutely destroyed the Magic 118-94 in Orlando thanks to Marrreese Speights' 18 points and 8 rebounds. 

The 76ers were able to stick with the Heat for the first half but Miami pulled away thanks to a huge night by Dwayne Wade featuring 33 points and 6 rebounds. Lebron recorded the triple double with 16 points and 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Jrue Holiday scored 21 points and dished out 6 assists in the 114-90 loss.

The Pistons were held 9 points in the first point and were held to 72 overall as the Pacers cruised to a 90-72 victory. Paul George led the Pistons with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. No one from the Pistons deserves to be mentioned. 

The Clippers had a strong third quarter which they beat the Jazz 36-20 to finish with a 107-94 victory. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 23 points while Caron Butler scored 21 for the Clips.

February 23, 2012
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Lebron James	SF	MIA- 7-12 FG, 16 P, 11 A, 10 R
Defensive Player of the Night	Emeka Okafor	C	3 Blocks, 2 Steals
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Dwayne Wade	SG	MIA- 14-18 FG, 33 P, 5 R, 2 Steals
	Andre Iguodala	SG/SF	DEN- 5-7 FG, 13 P, 10 A, 2 Blocks, 2 Steals
	Trevor Ariza	SG/SF	WAS- 8-12 FG, 18 P, 6 A, 4 Steals
	Chandler Parsons	SF	HOU- 9-15 FG, 5-9 3PT, 24 P, 7 R
	Lebron James	SF	MIA- 16 P, 11 A, 10 R

NHL Recap

Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk both scored in the second period to set up a very important huge third period. Ovechkin broke the tie himself a minute into the third period and then completed the hat trick with 5 minutes left. Troy Brouwer scored his 8th goal of the year with 3 minutes left to seal the 5-1 win. 

Edmonton pulled out great comeback to down the Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout. Kyle Chipchura and Matthew Lombardi scored the first tow goals of the game as the Coyotes took a 2-0 lead. The Oilers did not score until four minutes left in the second period when Jordan Eberle scored his sixth goal of the year assisted by Nail Yakupov and Sam Gagner. The Coyotes held onto the lead for the rest of the second but Teemu Hartikainen scored on the powerplay for his first goal of the game. From there the game went to a shootout where Sam Gagner scored on the first attempt of the shootout followed by Mikkel Boedker failed attempt for the Coyotes. On the Oilers' second attempt, Jordan Eberle slid the puck pat Mike Smith. The game was then put on the shoulders of David Rundblad who failed to score on the last attempt of the shootout.

 Dustin Brown got the Kings off to a quick start with a goal less than a minute into the game. Jeff Carter then followed up about 15 minutes later with an assist from his former Flyer teammate Mike Richards to increase the lead to 2-0. Milan Hedjuk put a little bit of a break in the Kings' domination with a goal at the beginning of the second period. It wasn't enough however as Trevor Lewis scored a shorthanded goal a minute later. Anze Kopitar put the game out of reach at the end of the second at a score of 4-1.

The Red Wings made Pekka Rinne look life a living hell yesterday pouring in 4 goals. Jimmy Howard played a great game blocking 33 shots to help the Wings blank the Predators 4-0. The Red Wings got off to a fast start with Drew Miller's goal 5 minutes into it. The Pred's offense outshot the Wings' by 6 but they were not able to take care of the puck committing 7 giveaways.
In Carolina, the Lightning returned to their high scoring ways after a recent scoring drought with a 5-2 win over the Hurricanes. Steven Stamkos netted his 12th goal of the year last night.
The Rangers and Canadiens played a game at almost snails pace with only 35 shots between the teams. The sloppy play included a total 25 shots and the Canadiens beat the Rangers by 1 in each category. The Canadiens won the game 3-0 with all goals coming in the third period.
In an all-Ontario Matchup the Senators and Maple Leafs played a game that went down right to the wire. The game was tied 2-2 with only 40 seconds left on the clock when Colin Greening  scored on Ben Scrivens to give the Senators a 3-2 win.
In St. Louis, Chris Stewart of the Blues scored in the first and Matt Calvert scored in the second to set up an interesting third period. Things seemed to be heading towards overtime but David Perron's goal halfway through the final frame gave the Blues a 2-1 win. P.S. This is great there is a game between the BLUES and BLUE Jackets, that is all.

Matt Stajan

The Stars defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in a game that was closer than the score. The Sharks out shot the Stars and also did a better job controlling the puck limiting themselves to 5 turnovers and winning 34 of 67 faceoff draws.
In the last game of the night the Flames rode Matt Stajan's two third period goals to a 3-1 victory over the Wild. Alex Tanguay opened up the scoring two minutes into the game to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. Charlie Coyle scored his first goal of the year and the Wild's only of the night to tie it up in the second.

2/23/2013 All-NHLs
Pos	1st Team	Pos	2nd Team
LW	WAS- Alex Ovechkin- 3 G, 1 A, 4 P, 5 Hits	C	CGY- Matt Stajan- 2 G (game winner), +2
C	PHI- Zac Rinaldo (douche)- 1 G, 12 hits	C	OTT- Mika Zibanejad0 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 5 Hits
C	EDM- Sam Gagner- 1 A, 6 SOG, 1 Hit, 1 TA	C	WPG- Alexander Burmistrov- 1 G, 4 Hits
D	DET- Niklas Kronwall- 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +2, 3 Blocks	D	WPG- Dustin Byfuglien- 2 A, 2 Hits
D	TB- Eric Brewer- 1 A, 3 Blocks, 1 TA	D	PHI- Luke Schenn- Fight win, 5 H, 2 Blocks
G	NYI- Evgeni Nabokov- W, 35/35	G	DET- Jimmy Howard- W, 33/33