NationStates Jolt Archive

Presenting the International Basketball Championship II to be held in the Kingdom of Dancougar!

As with the previous tournament (Link: International Basketball Championships (RP/Rosters/Scores) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=558384)), RP will count for everything in the scorinator. World rankings are solely for seeding purposes. The formula I've used is a pretty simple sum of winning percentage, with heavier weight applied to the rounds in the final tournament.

1.0 * (QualifyingWinPct + BestOfRestWinPct + QuarterfinalWinPct) + 1.25 * SemifinalWinPct + 2.0 * FinalWinPct

Secristan 4.10
Newmanistan 4.00
Frontenax 1.59
Cafundeu 1.42
Arroza 0.92
Corivia 0.75
Xaristan 0.59
Lovisa 0.50
Kose and the Turkomans 0.48
Taeshan 0.48
Kenavt 0.42
Dancougar 0.42
Kura-Pelland 0.36
Gerainia 0.30

Signups will be open from now until Tuesday, September 2. I'd like this time to have less qualifying and more bracket, because the BRACKETOLOGY MINIGAME is more fun with more games to pick.

This thread will be used for everything! You can post a roster straight away if you want to sign up, and there will be a draw next week once all the teams are in. For seeding purposes, the above rankings will be used, and first-time entrants will be at 0.00 and seeded at random.

THE TOURNAMENT INFO PAGE IS LIVE (link) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13976645&postcount=38)

The Knights are in

i'm in

We'll be back!

Roster

Starters
C #4 Jackson Lester, age 21
PF #62 Randy West, age 23
SF #29 Guy Cresent, age 18
SG #18 Charlie Thompson, age 20
PG #7 Patrick Rengo, age 25

Reserves
C#00 Walter Helk, age 28
PF #50 Jack Young, age 21
PF #34 Corrosa Willis, age 19
PF #19 Charlie Quest, age 27
SF #1 Tiger Sound, age 17
SF #26 Adam Puffer, age 30
SG #6 Lionel Jones, age 24
SG #12 Erik Noose, age 21
PG #5 Trent Reds, age 28
PG #49 Robert Square, age 22

one Small question? how are you going to lessen the impact of the high ranking points of Newmanistan and Secristan?

Jeruselem will send a team, whether they win a game is another matter.

one Small question? how are you going to lessen the impact of the high ranking points of Newmanistan and Secristan?

The one time ranking will work in my favor people wanna lessen it. j/k :p

Timing is evil, but I'm down.

I'm in also

one Small question? how are you going to lessen the impact of the high ranking points of Newmanistan and Secristan?

World ranking points will not factor into scorination. They're just for seeding. Everything is determined via RP and randomness like last time.

For what it's worth, the four most active RPers from the previous tournament are currently ranked in the top five.

OH SWEET LORDY.

Rennidan is in.

But if this interferes with my CoHRP time, Dan, you shall pay by memes.

Your champion returns.

But if this interferes with my CoHRP time, Dan, you shall pay by memes.

That sounds like a challenge :-D

I'll have to make awesome RP cutoff images like Han does...

Kenavt would like to be higher than 10th out of fourteen, and so sends a team.

hey i didn't RP a single time last time and im tenth. Roster To follow

Yes, there back its the elastic, mantastic, supercastic Taeshan Purple Knights. Led by coach K Krzzwemskay that is. Yes they have a coach this time. The Purple and Gold are soon coming to you to beat the shite out of you.

Roster
Position Name Age #
PG Aaron Beliew 21 12
SG Alice Coopen 23 30
BG Phil Greggs 24 57
SF Qcraig Golchin 22 21
C Ilchyin Baker 21 28
Subs
PG Deliua Greftoy 22 41
SG William Force 28 7
BG Fred Murphy 23 36
SF Cill Siss 21 9
C Baxter Bailey 31 30

Signups through Wednesday, 11:30 EST:

1 Secristan
2 Newmanistan
5 Arroza
9 Kose and the Turkomans
10 Taeshan
11 Kenavt
12 Dancougar
-- Miroxia
-- Jeruselem
-- Rennidan

Since we suck equally bad at every sport known to man, I think it's okay if we enter another tourney of a sport we know nothing about.

Kenavt Basketball Federation

Outlook on the KBF Team:

Young, somewhat fast. The KBF is largely bringing in fresh blood for sucessful runs at the next IBCs. Expect minor performances, maybe qualification is possible if unprobable.

Rosters:

Head Coach: Larry Burble

Starting Lineup:
C Phillip Geston 7'2"-25 Can knock down the three. Working on defense and getting in the paint. Surprisingly gained a starting spot, just beating out aging veteran Thomas Vanek.Like Dirk Nowitzki.
PF Kevin Woods 6'8"-24 All-around good player. Like Shawn Marion
F Grant Clarke 6'4"-19 Shut-down defender. If he improves offense, may take over Barret Harry's spot.Like James Posey.
SG Vance Poi-6'5"-29 Show-off. Can shoot the 3 and dunk, but cannot guard well. Like Jason Richardson
PG Connor da Vincho 6'2"-19 Look for Connor da Vincho to be the standout player at the IBC. He can play defense, shoot that 3, dish it out, and dunk (occasionally). Like Kobe BryantB]
[B]Reserves:
F Barret Hary 6'6"-28 A good sixth man, great fundamentals and can nail that crucial fifteen-footer. Like average forward
G Sky Asyton 5'11"-22 Sharpshooter. Expect to see him have a lot of playing time.Like Kyle Korver.
C Thomas Vanek 7'0"-32 Defensive stalwart, but getting on in years. He'll be a mentor for up-and-coming Geston. Like Ben Wallace.
PF Xavier Partlock-6'11"-31. Doomed to spend the rest of his years on the bench. Like Antonio McDyess of Detroit
G Jacob Hollowrd 6'2"-37 Overextending his welcome years. Only used as a mentor for the young ones. Like Gary Payton
PF Michael Commodore-6'7"-20 Feisty-and a great prospect. Like Greg Oden
F Herbert Idankawaolo-6"5'-18 Can play small forward and guard. Look for him to be a great sixth man in the future due to the deep depth of youth on the team. Prospect. May be shooting guard if he can beat out Asyton and Poi. Like weaker, more guard LeBron James.

Schedule:

Yet to be released.

Stadium:

The Poiuytrewq Coliseum (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Palace_of_Auburn_Hills.jpg)

Charging down from the Frozen plains of Siberia, the Kamchatka Grizzly Bears (KGB) of Myedvedeya are ready to take on any team the world can throw at them.

COACH- Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev

C- Anatoly Karolov- 6'11, #18. An absolutely fantastic defensive center, not as skilled on offense, and with no outside shooting ability.

PF- Nikolai Ilyich- 6'9, #14. A brilliant shooter, kind of full of himself and ballhog-y though.

F-Afanasiy Lyuchenko- 6'6, #27. Quite skilled all-around. Strange name.

SG- Anton Dolohov- 6'6, #12. Mind-blowingly fast, not good at much else.

PG- Ilya Ivanovitch- 5'10, #13. The star of the KGB, fast, skilled at shooting, and extremely creative, but getting older.

Subs

C- Josef Kryuchkov, 6'10, #25
F- Andrey Rasputin, 6'7, #14
G- Anatoly Vostov, 6'1, #11
F- Pyotr Gorochensky, 6'8, #8
F- Yuri Bilyatov, 6'9, #3
C- Sergey Antonov, 7'0, #5
G- Mikhail Karpov, 6'5, #29- This is really the team's sixth man. He is an excellent young player, and can play either Dolohov's or Ivanovitch's positions quite effectively. Very good from downtown.

Lovisa in if is not too late

Charging down from the Frozen plains of Siberia, the Kamchatka Grizzly Bears (KGB) of Myedvedeya are ready to take on any team the world can throw at them.

COACH- Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev

C- Anatoly Karolov- 6'11, #18. An absolutely fantastic defensive center, not as skilled on offense, and with no outside shooting ability.

PF- Nikolai Ilyich- 6'9, #14. A brilliant shooter, kind of full of himself and ballhog-y though.

F-Afanasiy Lyuchenko- 6'6, #27. Quite skilled all-around. Strange name.

SG- Anton Dolohov- 6'6, #12. Mind-blowingly fast, not good at much else.

PG- Ilya Ivanovitch- 5'10, #13. The star of the KGB, fast, skilled at shooting, and extremely creative, but getting older.

Subs

C- Josef Kryuchkov, 6'10, #25
F- Andrey Rasputin, 6'7, #14
G- Anatoly Vostov, 6'1, #11
F- Pyotr Gorochensky, 6'8, #8
F- Yuri Bilyatov, 6'9, #3
C- Sergey Antonov, 7'0, #5
G- Mikhail Karpov, 6'5, #29- This is really the team's sixth man. He is an excellent young player, and can play either Dolohov's or Ivanovitch's positions quite effectively. Very good from downtown.

Hi Myedvedeya! Saw you post in the World Bowl III thread. Welcome to NS, and to NS's sporting events. Be sure to sign up for the next World Cup (42's going on, as I'm sure you know) in World Cup 43, if you can-it's the most prestigious tourney here.

wjhat if he doesnt like soccer. And i dont think signups have started.

I'll be certain to look for signups, soccer is my (and therefore the entire nation's) Favorite sport by a long shot. Thanks for the welcome, and good luck to everyone.

I'll be certain to look for signups, soccer is my (and therefore the entire nation's) Favorite sport by a long shot. Thanks for the welcome, and good luck to everyone.

You were saying, Taeshan?

Who doesn't like soccer? Seriously. Besides some lunatics.

well he could have been an American like me who doeswnt appreciate soccer as much as most of the world.(fourth Favorite sport of Taeshan after Basketball, Baseball, Football)

you're both kinda right... Im an american, but im of russian/mexican descent, so the beautiful game is in the blood

But who doesn't like soccer in some capacity? I'm a Canadian-Hungarian in the States, so my favorite sport is hockey. But... soccer is second. And we haven't had a WCoH in ages.

yeah im german/Czech/English? i dont know about the last one smith Zellefrow. Anyways iwould have said soccer is fifth but its above hockey./ And you could of been a true bloded american Football fan what do we know

Yah, all you know is that I live on the edge of a virtual minefield I call NS. :)

Looking good with 13 entries:

1 Secristan
2 Newmanistan
5 Arroza
8 Lovisa
9 Kose and the Turkomans
10 Taeshan
11 Kenavt
12 Dancougar
-- Miroxia
-- Jeruselem
-- Rennidan
-- Swilatia
-- Myedvedeya

Signups remain open until 11:59 PM on Monday on account of I'm not going to be here this weekend to kick things off. Plus or minus a few minutes because, yeah, I'm totally going to cut people off to the second because I'm an evil evil hostinator.

The Auriroxos of Cafundéu sign-up.

Are sign ups still open? I'm in if they are. :D

There will not be much difference in the team that Newmanistan brings to the 2nd International Basketball Championships. The hope is that the same group of players can go one step further then they did the last time.

A little background on my team for those who didn’t compete in the first one: We are a three-point shooting team, we shoot them constantly, all game long. What makes us a little unique is that you never know where the three is going to come from. In Newmanistan’s domestic league, there is also a four-point line which is an additional six feet behind the three point line. While this line does not exist in the IBC, it is because of its existence at home that our shooters will just pull up and shoot from distances that opposing players may not be accustomed too.

The team is as follows, with the starting five all the same.

Manager- Phil McDowell

PG- Connor Crawford (29, 6'6")- A prototypical point guard, he is a field general with the ball, and does a good job in recognizing which of his teammates will have the best three-point opportunity. He can hit them himself, too, of course. Crawford is also very good defending the three.

SG- Kory Klassen (30, 6'7")- This is the guy who will likely be the leading scorer for the Rockets. His three point shooting accuracy has led the EBA for four consecutive years, and he also can shoot the Empire-unique four-pointer as well, leading the way in 4-pointer average for six straight years. While that doesn't mean anything here, it does mean to watch out, because he will shoot from just about anywhere! Klassen was the team’s leading scorer in the first IBC, and is also the captain.

C- Tank Nelson (31, 7'1")- Well, someone's got to try and get the rebounds, right? Nelson will generally be doing just that, but every now and then, the Rockets will play it down low and give him a shot in the paint. Nelson is especially valuable defensively, though. He is fearless to the opponent, and never backs down from a challenge. For a center, he does a good job staying out of foul trouble. Had a surprisingly strong run in the first IBC, and hopes to build off that.


PF- Reese Fraser (26, 6'8")- Fraser is really more of a power forward by default then what you traditionally expect from someone at this spot. Fraser will unload threes just as much as the guards, but unlike them, he will take it inside. He is the most physical player in the lineup.

SF- Garrett York (29, 6'6")- Small fwrd or a second shooting guard? You decide what you wanna call him! While listed as a forward, he plays like a guard.

Bench:
G- Raphael Lachance (27, 6' 1")
G- Michael Lessard (27, 6' 5")
C- Pedro Oliveras * (22, 6' 11")
F- John Watson * (20, 6' 4")
F- Dennis Norton (28, 6'5")
C- Tyler Hanlon (26, 6" 10")
G- Vonnie Buckstone * (23, 6'2")

*- Player is was not on the first IBC team.

Stadium- Tundra Falls Proving Grounds

RP Permissions: If you RP first, please stick with the theme of our team. Don't injure anyone anymore then saying so and so was hurt. And don't do anything crazy (i.e. aliens attack) without my consent.

Cafundeu and Magnus make it 15. Oh man. So close to a power of two. Brackets like powers of two.

One more day of signups!

I would use one of my other nations to make it a power of two, but theres a bug on logging onto the forums for new countries...

And that's all she wrote... signup cutoff is NOW, we'll go with fifteen teams!

Scorination, RP, and all that

* The schedule is given later in this post. Scorination will usually be around 10 PM on the given day, but may be later depending on what else I'm doing. You can expect Saturdays to be routinely late by two hours or more because an anime club likely happens. What, so I like sports AND cartoons! Meh!
* Each day your team is active is a potential RP day. You can earn up to three RP points for that day. Just have fun with it! Chances are good that if you enjoy writing it, someone here will enjoy reading it. I have no set system and award points for any effort, but top marks go to things that are detailed, creative, fun, etc. Note that it doesn't even have to be about the game if you don't want it to be.
* RP is kind of cumulative. The way it works is that it degrades each day so consistent participation is rewarded, but you're not penalized too much if you skip a day or two here and there. I retain the recursive formula from last time, with a modification...
RP(0) = RP_pretournament
RP(n) = 1/2 (RP_dayn + RP(n-1))
Last time I gave everyone an initial 3 points; this time, you'll earn it with your pre-tournament RPs. Roster posts count towards it.
* Bye days can only count positively towards your RP score. Your RP does not degrade on days when you don't play a game, so if you don't feel like RPing a bye day... no worries. This also applies in the knockout stage for teams which close out early. But if you DO choose to RP on a bye day, it will feed into your next gameday.
* RP is the ONLY factor which affects performance other than randomness. Teams with higher RP scores tend to shoot with higher accuracy. But note that randomness is a huge part of it, since the scorinator is a simulator which takes into account every single possession. I can and do see bad runs for teams with high RP and good runs for teams with little or none.
* As host, Dancougar will not earn RP. I will, however, allow myself a perpetual RP_dayn = 1.0 to count as home court advantage. Anyone who was in the previous tournament or browsed through it will note that it wasn't enough to get me out of the first round last time ^_^
* There is a one-day break between the end of the first round and the start of the knockout stage. During this time, all teams will be considered to be in "bye" mode. Also, regardless of whether or not they qualified, all are invited to participate in the BRACKETOLOGY MINIGAME, which makes its triumphant return. Essentially, predict the tournament outcome by TGing me a filled-out bracket. The top three nations after each round receive a perpetual RP boost for the next round: 0.5 points for first, 0.3 for second, 0.15 for third. That goes on top of what they earn through a regular RP and can put them over the limit of 3 per day. If a team is in the top three but has been eliminated... they just block someone else from receiving that bonus! The winner of the minigame gets to pat themselves on the back for being able to predict randomness.

Venues

In an effort to trim down the tournament and make it more accessible to fans, the organizing committee has recommended that two venues be dropped from the first edition. This will make it easier for foreign fans coming to Dancougar to find a "home" for the first round, at least.

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/past_future/pictures/future_stadiums/gdansk_hala1.jpg
King Daniel III Athletic Center
Capacity: 19,000
Location: Yuki City
Description: Located in the capital, the arena is a modern build which serves as the home of the Dancougar national team. It's located west of downtown and is central to many area attractions and hotels. Several area universities also play their basketball here, so even though it doesn't see too much traffic, the arena is still booked year-round. Watchdog groups call it a waste of money, although organizers figure that fans will turn out to see top teams play.

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/europe/russia/moscow_khodynka1.jpg
Leonard Sweetwater Arena
Capacity: 17,500
Location: Port Royal
Description: Located at the waterfront of this eastern port city, the arena, named after the man who brought basketball to Port Royal University, is within walking distance of many of the city's prime nightlife destinations. Port Royal was kept at the expense of Eastport, which is just across the delta. Port Royal is easily the nicer of the two cities, although Eastport has been attempted to match its neighbor by building itself up. New waterfront hotels in Eastport will be connected to the arena via a shuttle service.

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/united_states/pennsylvania/pittsburgh_petersen1.jpg
Peterson Events Center
Capacity: 16,500
Location: Stoneridge
Description: Welcome to blue collar Dancougar; the city of Stoneridge sits at the confluence of the Mugen and Gilderome Rivers and one boasted the highest industrial output of the nation. Things have settled down since then, but the Events Center is part of its urban renaissance. (And if you're wondering, this is definitely NOT a reference to the Peterson Events Center at Pitt which is, like, a ten minute walk from my apartment. Nope. Definitely not.) Locals - especially the ladies - have been warned that Secristan fans will be bringing their rusas with them, and exchange rate information is being made available.

First Round

All teams have been invited to Dancougar for the first round. The teams have been drawn into three groups of five according to their pre-tournament ranking. Each team plays the others in its group once. The top two teams from each pool, and the two best third-place teams, will be seeded 1-8 and proceed to the knockout stage.

Tiebreakers: head-to-head result, point differential, points scored, playoff game(s).

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
2 Newmanistan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13973559&postcount=35) 4 0 408 400 Q
7 Taeshan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13957703&postcount=17) 2 2 392 373 Q
14 Myedvedeya (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13962103&postcount=21) 2 2 386 372 Q
12 Miroxia (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13955716&postcount=5) 2 2 354 350
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 4 347 390

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
10 Jeruselem 3 1 357 345 Q
5 Lovisa 2 2 360 363 Q
3 Cafundeu (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13977480&postcount=42) 2 2 356 348 Q
15 Rennidan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13978298&postcount=45) 2 2 372 357
9 Dancougar (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13982548&postcount=50) 1 3 340 372

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
13 Magnus Valerius (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13977001&postcount=39) 3 1 390 345 Q
4 Arroza (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13977304&postcount=41) 2 2 382 388 Q
1 Secristan (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13979496&postcount=47) 2 2 374 385
11 Swilatia 2 2 357 380
8 Kenavt (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13960301&postcount=20) 1 3 371 384

Rosters are linked above, where available. This table will be kept up to date as the tournament progresses, as will the game results below.

Thu Sept. 4: Gameday 1 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13985202&postcount=63)
Newmanistan 88 v Kose and the Turkomans 86
Cafundeu 79 v Lovisa 97
Secristan 98 v Arroza 105
Taeshan 79 v Miroxia 89
Dancougar 78 v Jeruselem 89
Kenavt 113 v Swilatia 92

Fri Sept. 5: Gameday 2 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13988080&posted=1#post13988080)
Newmanistan 110 v Taeshan 108 (OT)
Cafundeu 92 v Dancougar 81
Secristan 99 v Kenavt 95 (OT)
Kose and the Turkomans 89 v Myedvedeya 118
Lovisa 95 v Rennidan 93
Arroza 85 v Magnus Valerius 104

Sat Sept. 6: Gameday 3 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13990736&postcount=88)
Newmanistan 104 v Myedvedeya 101
Cafundeu 96 v Rennidan 78
Secristan 89 v Magnus Valerius 114
Kose and the Turkomans 76 v Miroxia 81
Lovisa 78 v Jeruselem 87
Arroza 94 v Swilatia 104

Sun Sept. 7: Gameday 4 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13993114&postcount=97)
Newmanistan 106 v Miroxia 105 (OT)
Cafundeu 89 v Jeruselem 92
Secristan 86 v Swilatia 71
Taeshan 100 v Myedvedeya 78
Dancougar 77 v Rennidan 101
Kenavt 81 v Magnus Valerius 95

Mon Sept. 8: Gameday 5 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13995703&postcount=101)
Kose and the Turkomans 96 v Taeshan 103
Lovisa 90 v Dancougar 104
Arroza 98 v Kenavt 82
Miroxia 79 v Myedvedeya 89
Jeruselem 89 v Rennidan 100
Swilatia 90 v Magnus Valerius 77

Knockout Stage

The top eight teams will proceed to the knockout stage and will be seeded 1-8. The quarterfinals and semifinals are best of five. Teams that finish early get to sit and wait. If all series finish early... everyone earns a break! The top half of the bracket will play in Port Royal; the bottom half, Yuki City. The final will be in Yuki City as well.

(1) Newmanistan 2
-----------------|(8) Arroza 2
(8) Arroza 3|-----------------|
-----------------| |
[PORT ROYAL] |(5) Myedvedeya 3
(5) Myedvedeya 3 |-----------------|
-----------------|(5) Myedvedeya 3| |
(4) Taeshan 2|-----------------| |
-----------------| |(5) Myedvedeya
[YUKI CITY] |-----------------
(3) Jeruselem 0 |
-----------------|(6) Lovisa 1 |
(6) Lovisa 3|-----------------| |
-----------------| |(2) M Valerius 0|
[YUKI CITY] |-----------------|
(7) Cafundeu 0 |
-----------------|(2) M Valerius 3|
(2) M Valerius 3|-----------------|
-----------------|

The bracket will be updated along with these scores, and each gameday will link to its scorination. All series are best of five.

Wed Sept. 10: Gameday 6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14001649&postcount=112)
QF1: Newmanistan 102 v Arroza 100
QF2: Myedvedeya 87 v Taeshan 80
QF3: Jeruselem 89 v Lovisa 104
QF4: Cafundeu 85 v Magnus Valerius 103

Thu Sept. 11: Gameday 7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14004238&postcount=116)
QF1: Newmanistan 91 v Arroza 113 (1-1)
QF2: Myedvedeya 74 v Taeshan 93 (1-1)
QF3: Jeruselem 66 v Lovisa 111 (0-2)
QF4: Cafundeu 68 v Magnus Valerius 75 (0-2)

Fri Sept. 12: Gameday 8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14006909&postcount=123)
QF1: Newmanistan 88 v Arroza 93 (1-2)
QF2: Myedvedeya 80 v Taeshan 70 (2-1)
QF3: Jeruselem 98 v Lovisa 99 (0-3)
QF4: Cafundeu 77 v Magnus Valerius 83 (0-3)

Sat Sept. 13: Gameday 9 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14009912&postcount=129)
QF1: Newmanistan 102 v Arroza 85 (2-2)
QF2: Myedvedeya 75 v Taeshan 98 (2-2)

Sun Sept. 14: Gameday 10 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14011919&postcount=132)
QF1: Newmanistan 92 v Arroza 94 (2-3)
QF2: Myedvedeya 96 v Taeshan 77 (3-2)

Mon Sept. 15: Gameday 11 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14014381&postcount=137)
SF1: Arroza 85 v Myedvedeya 86 (0-1)
SF2: Lovisa 85 v Magnus Valerius 99 (0-1)

Tue Sept. 16: Gameday 12 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14017045&postcount=138)
SF1: Arroza 94 v Myedvedeya 83 (1-1)
SF2: Lovisa 81 v Magnus Valerius 71 (1-1)

Wed Sept. 17: Gameday 13 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14019403&postcount=142)
SF1: Arroza 84 v Myedvedeya 98 (1-2)
SF2: Lovisa 81 v Magnus Valerius 88 (1-2)

Thu Sept. 18: Gameday 14 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14021708&postcount=147)
SF1: Arroza 91 v Myedvedeya 88 (2-2)
SF2: Lovisa 76 v Magnus Valerius 91 (1-3)

Fri Sept. 19: Gameday 15 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14024163&postcount=153)
SF1: Arroza 82 v Myedvedeya 95 (2-3)

Sat Sept. 20: Gameday 16 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14026915&postcount=157)
Myedvedeya 85 v Magnus Valerius 81 (1-0)

Sun Sept. 21: Gameday 17 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14029147&postcount=159)
Myedvedeya 110 v Magnus Valerius 94 (2-0)

Mon Sept. 22: Gameday 18 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14031579&postcount=160)
Myedvedeya 101 v Magnus Valerius 88 (3-0)

"Best of the Rest" Mini-League of no Consequence

The seven eliminated teams are invited to participate in a round-robin mini-league held concurrently with the quarterfinals and semifinals. All games will be played in Stoneridge.

W L PF PA
Secristan 4 2 553 516
Dancougar 4 2 484 477
Kenavt 4 2 530 469
Kose and the Turkomans 3 3 507 524
Miroxia 2 4 521 517
Rennidan 2 4 465 486
Swilatia 2 4 504 554

This table will be updated along with these scores, and each day will link to its scorination.

Wed Sept. 10: Gameday 6 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14001649&postcount=112)
Miroxia 93 v Kose and the Turkomans 96
Rennidan 72 v Dancougar 74

Thu Sept. 11: Gameday 7 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14004238&postcount=116)
Secristan 96 v Swilatia 85
Miroxia 65 v Kenavt 77

Fri Sept. 12: Gameday 8 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14006909&postcount=123)
Kose and the Turkomans 76 v Rennidan 67
Dancougar 72 v Secristan 97

Sat Sept. 13: Gameday 9 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14009912&postcount=129)
Miroxia 91 v Swilatia 93
Dancougar 85 v Kenavt 74

Sun Sept. 14: Gameday 10 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14011919&postcount=132)
Kose and the Turkomans 95 v Secristan 90
Swilatia 77 v Kenavt 100

Mon Sept. 15: Gameday 11 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14014381&postcount=137)
Miroxia 91 v Rennidan 78
Kose and the Turkomans 74 v Kenavt 100

Tue Sept. 16: Gameday 12 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14017045&postcount=138)
Dancougar 84 v Swilatia 67
Rennidan 79 v Secristan 77

Wed Sept. 17: Gameday 13 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14019403&postcount=142)
Kose and the Turkomans 87 v Swilatia 91
Rennidan 73 v Kenavt 87

Thu Sept. 18: Gameday 14 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14021708&postcount=147)
Miroxia 93 v Secristan 97
Kose and the Turkomans 79 v Dancougar 83

Fri Sept. 19: Gameday 15 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14024163&postcount=153)
Miroxia 88 v Dancougar 86
Rennidan 96 v Swilatia 91
Secristan 95 v Kenavt 92

The Valerian National Team

Coach - Valerian Yushchinin, Noted coach of the Isangrad Gatekeepers

The Starters

C - #42, Pavil Yoannov (7'0"): Pavil is known for his well-rounded free-throwing skills and for sharing the ball if he can't dunk or make a close-range shot.

PF - #3, Johann Albrecht Stahl (6'9"): Stahl is known for solid defense and the occasional 3-point threat but regulates himself more for defense.

SF - # 14, Septimus Kaiserianus (6'7"): Capable on blocks and defense and fast, although is mostly an afterthought offensively.

SG - #24, Danilo Kholmogorysky (6'4"): Danilo has changed his number recently to his idol, Kobe Bryant. And, it's not much of a surprise that he plays like him, albeit a little more possessive of the ball and likely to take bad shots.

PG - #95, Periklis Anathasiopoulos (6'1"): An excellent passer, dribbler, and shooter with great speed, but often gets eclipsed by Kholmogorysky to his frustration. Can be a little careless with fouls.

The Valerian Bench

C - #3, Mengke Noyan (7'1")
C - #21, Mikhail Borotnikov (7'0")
F - #18, Jean Pierre de Cochin (6'8")
F - #76, Laurentios Kappadokionos (6'7")
F - #48, Gustav Steinbock (6'7")
G - #61, Yazdgerd Purandokhti (6'5")
G - #80, Feofil Almazov (6'0")

Thu Sept. 4: Gameday 1
Secristan v Arroza


Well, at least we don't start the tournament with any sort or drama, or rivalry or anything like that. :)

Arroza Sportsnet > Basketball > IBC
Ball ‘Till You Fall, Drink ‘Till You Can’t. (Part I – Knowing your IBC Squad.)


Style: The Tar Hornets of Arroza aren’t the biggest team in the tournament, but in a tournament of physically smaller players, that wasn’t as much of a problem in the first IBC as you would have assumed. What was more of a problem was the team’s complete lack of defensive morals, and their refusal to play as a team at several points into the tournament. After a year or so playing together at a secretive training location on the North Island, the team had learned how to play as a team. They’re probably still have the best raw athletic talent of anyone in the tournament. And unfortunately, true to their streetball roots, they still don’t play defense, and they still are fans of having fun, more than being the most fundamentally sound players. And yes, they still have an announcer.

On the court, they still play with 3 guards and 2 post players ala Newmanistan. But unlike the Snipers, Arroza depends on their ability to spread the court, and get one on one matchups that they can exploit by driving to the hoop, or by “stunting” on their opponents. Against zone defenses, they have been known to continuously fire the ball from the corners, with surprising accuracy.

Starters:
P/G: Joshua Staten - 6’0” – 25 – Nickname: Ignition
Like his nickname, Staten’s there to get the team started. Putting the ball at the right place at the right time is his specialty, but he can be dangerous keeping the ball as well, as he's probably the most well rounded player on the team.

S/G: Steven McClellan – 6’2” – 21 – Nickname: Jetstream
McClellan is the first option for getting the ball to the interior. With a dramatically fast first step, and a penchant for breaking ankles, Jetstream is a nightmare for opposing defenders, and his speed is augmented by an arsenal of dribbles and tricks.

S/G: LaQuinta Carter – 6’1” – 23 – Nickname: Sniper
The best shooter on the team, She can put it in the air from four point range and be accurate. She’s not as much of a driver as the other guards, but she should not be left open at any cost.

P/F: Keyron Doaks – 6’7” – 26 – Nickname: Lights Out
Strong for his height, Doaks is the main interior option. With his ability to get to the hoop, he can outpace most big 4’s and jump over the smaller ones.

C: Jeremy Saffore – 7’1” – 27 – Nickname: Big Country
Saffore’s here to get rebounds and start the fast break. That is all.

Reserves:
P/G: Jane Wesley – 5’10” – 22 – Nickname: Queen Bee
P/G: J.J. Toles – 6’1” – 23 – Nickname: The Jet
S/G: Jerome Noble – 6’2” – 19 – Nickname: Purple Haze
S/G: Jesus Garcia-Leighton – 6’3” – 22 – Nickname: Daddy Smooth
S/F: Talib Greenway – 6’5” – 24 – Nickname: Tropical
P/F: Zachary Robertson - 6’6” – 23 – Nickname: High Z
C: Anson Bol – 6’11” – 19 – Nickname: Windex

Announcers:
Starting: Chris “Supreme” Querrey
Back-Up: Phil “Ultimado” Moya

Note : In Arroza, the announcers are allowed to roam onto the actual playing court as long as they do not interfere with play of either team, and use cordless microphones. Their official duty is to provide a colorful form of play-by-play and is normally sponsored by the home team, and is therefore ridiculously biased. Since we doubt that any other team will produce any sort of quality announcer, Arroza is bringing their announcer to broadcast at any game with at least one thousand Arrozan fans (all of their games). In adherence to Dancougarian and International rules, however, the announcer will be confined to the seating area.

CAFUNDÉU RELEASES NAMES OF THE PLAYERS... FINALLY

This time, the CBC sent the list in time, as the coach decided to use the same players from the last edition of the competition:

Starters (use the names in bold - don't put their names in RPs entirely in capital letters, please):

Number- Name (position - team - gender)

1- LEANDRO LOBO (C - Cafundó do Juta - M)
2- Fágner Olivares "XORORÓ" (SG/PG - Cafundó do Juta - M)
7- ANDRÉ Lumar Valgário "TORRE" (SG - 25 de Maio - M)
11- Carolina Moraes "LINA" (PF/C - Legião Titã - F)
13- JUNO Polack (SF - Universidade Católica - F)

Bench:

3- Miguel ORTEGA (SF - Clube Central - M)
5- MICHEL de Andrade Couto (PG - 25 de Maio - M)
6- DANIELA Barnel Mocco (PG - Universidade Católica - F)
8- GABRIEL Antônio Morales (C - 25 de Maio - M)
10- Heloísa Nascimento "HELÔ" (PF - Real Lasft - F)
17- CÉSAR Oscar Frigini (SF/PF - Real Lasft - M)
19- Ana Luiza Nassau "ANINHA" (PF - Guaraense - F)
22- Kelson Moreno Silva ROLDEN (SG - Guardas do Presídio - M)

THE NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

Reporting from: Dancougar

Myedvedeyan sport history was made today, as the National Basketball team prepares to make Myedvedeya's first foray into international sport. Although they are relatively unknown, the determined squad feels they have a good chance of doing fairly well.
"We will surprise you" Stated Anatoly Karolov, the 6'11 center of the team. "We are ready for anything and anyone."

Despite the optimism of the players, Myedvedeya has a very difficult draw. Their first round group includes #2 Newmanistan, a favorite to win the title, along with #6 Kose and the Turkomans, #7 Taeshan, and the ever-dangerous Miroxians, ranked 12th. Myedvedeya did get lucky in having a bye on the first gameday (Sept.4), which will allow our players to scout out their opposition.

Our Schedule is as follows (All games will be broadcast at 11:PM, Moskva Standard Time, on Myedvedeya Channel 4, immediately following Survivor:Jungles of Harigo Isle.)

Gameday 1- Bye
Gameday 2- Myedvedeya vs Kose and the Turkomans (6)
Gameday 3- Myedvedeya vs Newmanistan (2)
Gameday 4- Myedvedeya vs Taeshan (7)
Gameday 5- Myedvedeya vs Miroxia (12)

All Group stage games for Myedvedeya will be played in Port Royal, Dancougar's Leonard Sweetwater Arena, Capacity 17,500. This stadium is right near the center of the city, and Myedvedeyan players can likely be seen frequenting the bars and nightclubs of the area for a bottle (or six) of Myedvedeyan vodka. Team discipline on the court, however, is very high.

Coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev comments:
"All my players know that the standard of on-court behavior is very, very high. Off the court, they can drink, they can carouse, they can sleep with the local women, and I couldn't care less, as long as they are completely sober and rested for every game. Any KGB player who arrives at a game unable to play, will be turned over immediately to the real KGB, and that is not a fate to look forward to."

"Thank you, coach."

Tickets to the Myedvedeyan games will be on sale all over Myedvedeya, and a large turnout of devoted fans or insane nationalists is expected.

"The fan presence is going to be spectacular" ensured sports enthusaiast Yuri Kaposkov. "It'll feel like you're in Myedvedeya, right down to the live, unleashed bears running around covered in Flags."

We now go down to the streets of Moskva, to see the people's reaction.

"GLORY TO MYEDVEDEYA, LONG LIVE THE CZAR!!!! Myedvedeya Svyaschennaya Nasha derzhava, Myedvedeya lyubimaya nasha strana! Moguchaya volya velikaya slava..."

As you can see, the streets are filled with the sounds of celebration, from the national anthem, to the roars of aforementioned live bears. Now, we return to the studio for- "SLAVSYA OTECHESTVO NASHE SVOBODNOYE! BRATSKIKH NARODOV SOYUZ VEKOVOY! PREDKAMI-"

We apologize for the interruption. Now, we return to the studio for-
"ROARRRRRR"
"AGHHH GOOD GOD MY LEG"
"Munch Munch Munch..."

Okay, I'm Anton Saenko, our temporary sports correspondent while our regular one gets out of intensive care. finally, we now return to the studio, for the latest report on nuclear proliferation. For that, here's our nuclear proliferation expert, Vladimir Kruschev.

For more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports.
For more people being mauled by bears, go to a Myedvedeya sporting event today!

Knights draw a tough group

Ain't that the truth. The Knights will have to face of with the Newmanistan Rockets #2 in the world, and the Kosen's and the Turkomans #6 in the world. Rounding out the group are newcomers Miroxia a former foe, and Mvedyedeya. It will be a tough group.

The Knights schedule looks as follows...
Matchday 1 Miroxia
Matchday 2 Newmanistan
Matchday 3 off
Matchday 4 Mvedyedeya
Matchday 5 Kose and the Turkomans.
All these games will be at Leonard Sweetwater Arena

The Rennidan Playas


Who are they?...

The Rennidan players? They're nobodies. Just some punk ass kids from the street who holla and ball and are here to follow in the Rennidan Brutes tradition.

How do they play?...

They're freestyle. Tricks, gimmicks and general silly all come into play when a Playa has the ball. They're also not afraid to make things a bit more physical, happily slamming opponents to their backsides when the ref ain't looking.

How'd they get into the competition?...

Following the crazy stuff the Rennidan Brutes pulled in the World Bowl, every wiseguy on the streets who figured they could play a sport decided that the world championships were their goal. Rennidan's government doesn't fund much basketball, so what we have here in the Rennidan Playas are five guys who not only love the game, but kick some serious ass at it. They petitioned whatever white collars run this damned compo and got themselves a spot.


The Team

P/G: Dwayne "Dizzy" Dizta - 6’2” – 21
Growing up on the rough streets of the Rennidan Industrial District have left Dizzy as a pretty mean mother trucker. He plays hard, and he plays to win.

S/G: Mike "Mashed" Musho – 6’11” – 23
Don't let the lanky exterior of this tall bastard fool you, he's fast as hell. Wonder why they call him Mashed? Leave a defender in front of him whilst he's dribbling and you'll find out.

S/G: Ells "Ills" McOia – 6’5” – 23
Wanna' see a trick? Reckon no one can make a shot from the halfway line, backwards and between their legs? Let McOia show you wrong. He really does bring the ills to the game.

P/F: Derk "Smiley" Jarvis – 6’3” – 21
Whatever you do, don't piss Smiley off. He doesn't get angry, he get's even. Do something in game, and sooner or later, you might find your shorts round your ankles or your shoelaces tied together. He's the joker of the team.

C: Flya "Donut" Gumms – 7’3” – 22
The Donut always dunks. His mad height, superior aerial ability and sheer charisma means this lanky shit can always bring the ball slamming down into the net.




How these guys play...

One-on-one with one of these guys? Forget it. They like nothing more than drawing a player out into a one-on-one situation so that they can show of their crazy ass tricks.

Trying to plan for their shooting style? Spread the board, homes. With Donut taking the short shots and Ills shooting from outside the stadium, these guys are gonna' be throwing the ball all willy nilly and what not.

They'll also try and bring the game pace down to their level. These guys don't play fast, they keep in slow and relaxed, which can be a shock to the system for many teams.

Two random thirteen-year-olds, Poiuytrewq, Kenavt, shooting hoops at the local basketball court. The ball is slightly flat and the rim somewhat bent from that college kid down the street, but that doesn't dampen their love for the game. Except when one (the more sensible one) stops to find a paper in the corner about the International Basketball Championships.

"Dude, look at this IBC2 schedule."

"You know what, go f*** yourself."

"OK, fool, but your cousin's in it!"

"Really? Move over, lemme see!"

"So, they're playing at the Peterson Events center... what a gay name."

"I know, right?"

"And it only holds 16,500."

"N00bs."

"And your cousin's in a group with Secristan, Arroza, Swilatia, and Magnus Valerius. Secristan is good, aren't they?"

"My cousin will pwn."

"Will you stop talking in IMspeak? Now, they're playing Swilatia first, then Secristan-oooh, that should be an interesting game-, plus a bye, then versus some random nation Magnus Valerius, and finally against elite Arroza."

"But we're 13371n9 lol!"

"You know what, shut UP!!!"

Fight ensues. Mr. IM-speak gets punched in the face many times. A two-day suspension from school gets both of them. They get grounded by their parents so they can't play their Wii for the rest of the marking period, yet somehow (wink) foot the money to convince their parents to go to a game. Maybe miracles do happen!

All over a lousy IBC II.

Let the games begin!

SDOS Representative Cassie Doran has had a tough decision. Does she bring back the people that won the championship in the first International Basketball Championships, or does she make a new group of people have to bid for it? A new group would have seen the incredible return on the investment in which the former group were able to generate and have the most incredible inspiration to want to do good themselves. Whereas the former group wouldn’t need to invest anything. They would be *gasp* handed their positions without needing to pay for it. Such a hard, difficult dilemma. After meeting with her advisors, Doran announced that they would meet halfway. The five starters and coaches who were on the team last time will return. Everyone else would be new. This way, they could generate revenue from some bids, and some youthful motivation, while having those with experience on the team at the same time.

RP wise you can do anything you want short of death. If you will do something crazy bear in mind that our players tend to be extremely arrogant and full of themselves due to their enormous wealth at a young age. The team is referred to as the Millionaires. So here is the team that will proudly hope to defend Secristan’s title:

Coach: Andrew Cowan (50)
Asst Coach: Brett Cavosie (34)

Starting Five:
PF: Dennis Stafford (33, 6'8")
SF: Nolan Bauer (32, 6'4")
C: Dane Kallner (31, 6'11")
SG: Stuart Wright (27, 5'10") This guy is awesome behind the arc.
PG: Andrei Peters (29, 6' 1") Captain

The new people:

PF: Jake Davies (22, 6'7")
SF: Alex Correya (25, 6'5")
C: Tyler Hancox (23, 7'4")
SG: Emmanuel Ekeban (28, 6' 9")
PG: Mark Johnson (21, 6' 3")
C: Chan-Ho Kim (28, 7' 0")
Util: Darius Ware (20, 6'8")

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS-TURKS: HARDWOOD VERSION

Port Royal, Dancougar- There is a rivalry between these two great nations. Whenever Newmanistan and Kose and The Turkomans are mentioned as opponents, one can think of the many great encounters that the two have had. The Baptism of Fire final was just the start, since then, it has evolved to the Cup of Harmony (32), and World Cup qualifying (41), and now this. The Rockets and the Turks have this history but so far the world’s football is the only sport in which the two have competed against one another. The will go up against each other here on opening day of the 2nd International Basketball Championships. Kose and the Turkomans is considered, rankings wise, to be the biggest threat to the Rockets within the Pool, but don’t look past the other opposition.

Newmanistan was drawn into Pool A, and are the 2nd ranked team within the competition. Though unlike other sports, such as the World Cup, where ranking means nearly everything, in this it means diddly squat. Once again, Newmanistan is on the wrong side of benefitting or not benefitting with the ranking part of the equation. The rest of the pool consists of Taeshan, whom we always beat regardless of the sport. Then you throw in a couple of nations that we have never seen, Miroxia and Myedvedeya. Who knows right now how good their teams may be. They may be on the verge of creating an International Basketball Championships Dynasty or they could be the next Corivia, or Frontenax, or Gerainia, or (insert team that played in IBC I that didn’t come back here). Altogether fifteen teams will be competing to win the tournament. Our One Big Island neighbors, Secristan, are back of course as they look to defend their championship. Arroza and Cafundeu also return and should be very dangerous. Other newcomers are scattered over the other groups, most of which we are familiar with in some other form of competition. Maybe Dancougar will actually be competitive this time around.

Unlike the first tournament that saw each nation play once at home and once on the road, each team plays the other in the group just once, and all games are in Dancougar. For the Rockets, all games will be played in Port Royal, and the team will be staying at a gorgeous waterfront resort in Eastport. Partly because of the beauty of the establishment, and partly to keep the team out of the party district of Port Royal.

The Rockets Schedule is as follows, and promotions by the Rocket Report on our website:

MD1: vs Kose and The Turkomans (Rivalry night: Various questions about the Rockets-Turks football rivalry will be posed on our website.... first 20 people to answer each one correctly receive a free Baptism of Fire 27 Champions T-Shirt courtesy of the Rocket Report)
MD2: vs Taeshan (“The Rocket Report” Guaranteed Win Night: The Rockets will win, or else the first 20,000 callers after game to the Rocket Report will receive a free yearly suscription).
MD3 vs Myedvedeya (Pronounce it right Night: After a designated time, the first 20 callers into the Report that can properly pronounce the name of our opponent receive a $50 voucher at Lowe Price Depot).
MD4 vs Miroxia (One lucky entrant will receive air travel to luxurious hotel accomodations in Dancougar for the final regardless of if we are in it not).
MD5: Bye (aka Partytime for players)

"All my bitches be trippin' balls/I said all mah bitches be trippin' balls--

"YO', Dizzy! Shut that shit off, man. We got the schedule!"

Well here it is, ladies and gentlemen. Rennidan's first foray into the basketball world. Representing them? These five down-and-out ballers huddled round the crumpled sport news section of a Dancougar paper in some two star motel.

Looks like someone is taking too much inspiration from the last World Bowl.

"'Ight, 'ight. Who's the first game against?"
"No one."
"No one?"
"Yeeeah, we got a day off for the first match day."

Plans of practice, game tactics and endurance testing were all flagged up.

And shot down.

Instead, on their bye day, the Playas would go cruising and get absolutely blitzed.

"First game's against Lovisa."
"Who?"
"Lovisa."



"Who?"

Even though the Playas may not know who this enigmatic 'Lovisa' is, we do. They're fifth in the world and are probably gonna' be an eye opener for the street-trained Playas.

"Then we've got Cafundéu."
"The world cup guys?"
"Yeeeeah."
"Psssht, what they know 'bout B-Ball?"

A lot, apparently, as they're third in the world standings.

"Who cares how they play, man? Did you see that Carolina Moraes on their team? Baby got back and all that, homey."
"She ain't nothin' compared to that Juno girl they got playin'."
"Pfft. Bitch, you trippin'."

Uh, I'm sure they'll get back to talking about the teams they're playing in a second.

"DAAAAYMN."
"What?"
"We're playing the Dannys!"
"Shit, son. We've got Dancougar in the group?"
"Gonna' screw some Dannys oh-verr."

Perhaps Rennidan's biggest rival when it comes to gridiron, it looks like the Playas will be looking to leave a mark on the hosts of the IBC. No doubt that the match will be one to remember.

"Then we end up against Jeruselem."
"Ain't that some holy place for Christian types?"
"I hear it's full o' easy ladies."

Uh. Not quite sure what to say about a Rennidan v Jeru situation...

Uh, yay?

"Pfft. This should be alright, homes."
"Yeeeah. We'll show those guys how the game's played back on the streets 'n' shit."
"Someone put the tunes back on, eh?"

"All my bitches be trippin' balls/I said all mah bitches be trippin' balls--

Man, that last tournament didn't go so well. Kind of an embarrassment for the organizers, right? So how do they respond? Do they roll out the kind of hardcore ballers seen from the likes of Rennidan and Arroza? A refined, more professional bunch like Newmanistan or Cafundeu? Maybe the kind of self-motivated winners from Secristan. Nah, that sounds like it would work. We're going to go with the same bunch of white guys from last time.

Starters in bold, newcomers in italics.

C Paul Oliver
C Fred Ingot
SG Shinji Kankuro
SG Billy Aeriell
SG Bradley Chambers
SG Morris Zimmerman
PG Chad Natrine
PG Dan Masterson
G Sai Tohya
G Carl Sampdoria
G Masa Sasaki
SF Sean Henrietta
PF Tim Reynor
PF Sam Placeway
PF Jasper John

Also, the first RP cutoff is about 24 hours away!

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK, September 3, 2008

Now that the championship schedule and group draw has been posted, its time to hear some player bios from the Myedvedeyan national team. Today, the starters.

Center, #18 Anatoly Karolov 6'11
Anatoly Karolov grew up very poor on the streets of Moskva, the capital city of Myedvedeya. He was an avid soccer player as a child and teenager, before a growth spurt at age 16 caused him to focus on basketball. Due to his natural athleticism, and his height, he quickly became a national sensation, using his speed and stamina from soccer to become one of the fastest, most exciting centers Myedvedeya had ever seen. Drafted into the professional leagues at age 19, he soon became a star, but was often looked over for awards, and for contracts due to his lack of defensive ability. During the off-season of his second year, he worked exclusively on defense, and has since become the most dominant defensive center in Myedvedeyan history. At age 22, he beat out fellow 4th year player Josef Kryuchkov, and veteran Sergey Antonov for the starting spot on the first Myedvedeyan national basketball squad.

Power Forward, #14 Nikolai Ilyich 6'9
Ilyich was born and raised in the Myedvedeyan administrated Autonomous republic of Yaroslavl. At age 7, he moved to Moskva, to begin training in athletics at the prestigious Moskva State Athlete's Academy. He was directed into the basketball program at age 11, and is essentially a product of the National Sports Training Program. As a student at the Academy, he made the all-school team in basketball every season, and was voted the Most valuable player at age 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 20. At age 20, he joined a professional team, and proceeded to win the rookie of the year award. He is a very skilled shooter, but admits to being a ballhog some of the time.

Forward, #27 Afanasiy Lyuchenko 6'6
Lyuchenko was not a basketball player until his second year of university in Myedvedeya, when he wanted an athletic activity to participate in during the Baseball offseason. He fell in love with the game, and, upon graduating school, proceeded to try out for, and make a professional team. He sat on the bench for two years, before he began to work out with the trainers from the MSAA, and truly grew into his potential as an all-around player. At age 28, he is one of the older players on the team.

Shooting Guard, #12 Anton Dolohov 6'6
Anton Dolohov was a track star. A short, stockily built teen, he set national high school records in the 100 and 200 meters. At age 16, however, he grew from 5'10 to 6'6, preventing him from continuing to sprint competitively. Searching for other sports, he took up American Football, and Basketball. After sustaining a concussion playing football at age 17, he decided on basketball as his only sport. He went straight to professional at 18, and was a breakout success, coming in third in the rookie of the year standings. At age 19, he is the youngest player on the Myedvedeyan National Squad.

Point Guard, #13 Ilya Ivanovitch (Captain) 5'10
Ilya Ivanovitch is the heart and soul of the Myedvedeyan team. At age 32, he is the oldest and most experienced player on the team, and also probably the best. He has been a basketball player his entire life, and was Academy MVP every year he was at the MSAA. As a rookie in the pros, he won the rookie of the year award, and has won six MVP awards since that. Considered by many to be the greatest Myedvedeyan basketball player of all time, he is coming to this tournament, which may be his last, as the captain, and in general, the leader of the team.

The Isangrad Evening News

Hello, I am your host, Yaroslav Nikitishyev. My co-host, Shahrbanu Arkhameini, unfortunately has called in sick over a hangnail. But, we here know she is busy... courting her new boyfriend *chortle*. Ahem, well anyway, we have subbed her with a hunk of Nederlander Cheese for today... mmm... cheesy! Goes great with water biscuits! Now, on to the news.

Today, it is announced that the Valerian Empire will be participating in the International Basketball Championship II. Valerians love basketball and it is indeed a national sport, albeit not as popular as lacrosse. However, we have established an excellent team ready to compete in this event. The Valerian team has been drafted into a hard pool it seems, which includes the first seed and plenty of tough opponents, like Swilatia. Pool C will be the proving grounds for the Valerian Empire, and we know that our national team will try its hardest to win!

As for the rest of the pools, we see Pool A, which includes a diverse set of teams, including a Mohammedian Turk nation competing alongside a Russian nation, by the name of Myedvedeya. A realm named after bears it seems, although many Valerians believe that they are a realm of elderly bears that have lost their teeth and claws. "If Valerians make it past qualifiers, we will likely not see them in the running!" says Grigoriy Pavilov, who is known to make unfounded sports predictions. "I wouldn't be surprised if some bears from an escaped circus invades their basketball games and start dancing!"

In Pool B, many Valerians will recognize the nations playing it it - we are definitely familiar with Cafundeu and Jeruselem as fellow nations participating in the World Cup. The question is, will their basketball teams' skills match their football teams'? We shall see! Also in the mix is Lovisa, and we predict that they will do well in this competition. Perhaps they will upset Cafundeu for the top slot in their pool.

Well, we have seen the pools of teams that will be playing against each other, battling it out for the championship! Now, stay tuned, as we have to being you this commercial break!

COMMERCIAL

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Come and see coked-out pop star drop-outs and poets, artists strung out on acid, the young adults and aristocrats alike on eckies, and foreign tourists taking advantage of our lax drug laws! ...and go beyond them by having a good time and raising the roof! Due to our drug laws, remember, you can purchase the legal drugs up at a government-run kiosk outside, such as marijuana, eckies, acid, and small amounts of cocaine. But remember folks, drugs are still bad and Patriarch Feodor III says, "Take care of yourself on God's natural substances, for the sake of God's goodwill as you dance the night away."

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And, now back to your evening programming.

The Isangrad Evening News

Alright, welcome back to the Isangrad Evening News. I am Yaroslav Nikitishyev. We have tonight here on the program one member of the Valerian basketball team. Please welcome point guard and starter, Periklis Anathasiopoulos!

PERIKLIS: Thank you, Yaroslav.

YAROSLAV: Mr. Anathasiopoulos... could I call you Periklis?

PERIKLIS: W...

YAROSLAV: Good! Periklis, what is your biggest concern in the International Basketball Championship?

PERIKLIS: I think our games against the 1st team may be the most challenging of all, as we are clearly not the favorites in those games. We will try all our best.

YAROSLAV: You are a 3-point threat. I think you will. Tell me, how will you try and deal with all this star talent competing for shots?

PERIKLIS: I will do my best to set them up for plays. I mean, that's my job, right? This is not about our personal gain but for the empire. We have to make the plays work and shoot when the time is best, or pass if someone is open.

YAROSLAV: Indeed, but I have to say Kholmogorysky might ball-hog!

PERIKLIS: True. But I think we'll see a team player emerge from him once the competition gets going.

YAROSLAV: Which team in Pool C seems most solid?

PERIKLIS: Secristan seems the obvious pick, but I wouldn't be surprised to see fierce compeition from Arroza or Swilatia, either.

YAROSLAV: Thank you for your time, Periklis.

PERIKLIS: You are welcome.

YAROSLAV: Go get 'em, tiger!

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS READY TO TAKE OFF

Port Royal, Dancougar- Very soon, the 2nd International Basketball Championships will tip off, and for the Rockets it will come immediately after their World Cup qualification effort ended in another valiant but unsuccessful attempt. The Cup of Harmony is still a little bit away, and we will eventually try to get excited about that (unlike the last two runs where the Cup of Harmony was accepted, this one for the first time gives us the sense of a failure). Newmanistan’s run in the World Baseball Classic is over, ending in a third place overall finish. World Bowl III is imminent, but a still about a week away. Last time the IBC had to share a stage with several different tournaments going on throughout the Empire. But right now, it can get the respect that it deserves. The eyes of Newmanistan can focus in squarely on its hardwood heroes as they attempt to do one better then they did the last time around. Perhaps a little more media coverage too, which may not be what our competition wants to hear! So we start off that coverage with an interview with coach Phil McDowell that I (Clint Peterson) had this morning to talk about this tournament.

CP: Good morning. Today I sit down with Phil McDowell for the first time. He is the coach of the national Basketball team, returning for his second term. Hello Phil.

PM: Hello Clint, nice to see The Rocket Report sending its chief journalist to cover the basketball this time.

CP: My pleasure.

PM: So how come the Rocket Report forgot to list me as the manager when it issued the roster a few the days ago?

CP: Did they now? Well, that’s a bad omission, I apologize for their error. We’ll get the fixed up right away!

PM: I accept you apology! We hope that with us being the only active national team at the moment that ratings and fan support will exceed what happened in the first year. Not that it was bad, but this could be better.

CP: I would expect that there will be quite a bit of support, especially after the run you guys had last year. I have to ask, was it tougher to lose to Secristan in the final then it would have been to lose to any other country?

PM: Not really. It had its good and bad points. Obviously they are a rival being our geographic neighbor. But at the same time, I think it gave some respect to One Big Island as a region to show that we got terrific basketball played here.

CP: Basketball isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when it comes to Newmanistan sports, where do you see it, on a national scale, in terms of popularity?

PM: When you don’t compare it to other sports, and just look at it for its own thing, the support is terrific. The Empire Basketball Association is a successful league, and there are plenty of youth programs throughout Newmanistan for those wishing to play it. Naturally, we know that some other sports rank ahead of it when compared, but our people appreciate it, and that’s why I think it’s good that for a while the IBC will be standalone, until the World Bowl and eventually Cup of Harmony kick off.

CP: We know this team has the ability to win, so what’s it going to take to do so?

PM: Well you have to remember that what we did the last time was good enough to beat everyone except one team. So, we’re not going to do anything differently. We know what we are, and we know we can be successful. That’s why we brought the same people.

CP: Still going to light it up from downtown, then?

PM: Absolutely. There are no secrets about us. I think we might give some teams a false sense of security thinking that we are one dimensional and then when they see us in person they realize that just because you know a three is likely to come, you have know idea where we will shoot from.

CP: The Empire’s four point line really makes you guys different.

PM: It does. When you’ve practiced shooting from deeper distances, you’re comfortable. We’ve listened to some commentary of broadcasters of teams we’ve played who make it seem like our guy is trying to get lucky from his distance. That’s not the case at all. They’ve trained at that, and therefore they have as much confidence in putting up that shot as any other shot from in close.

CP: Which team from the group gives you the most concern?

PM: We haven’t played any of them, so right now we’re treating them as equals, all as a strong threat to beating us.

CP: Well I will let you go for now, good luck Phil.

PM: Thanks Clint, and you’re welcome to cover basketball at any time.

PROTEST DISSIPATED, GAMES WILL BE PAY-PER-VIEW

An attempt this morning by a group of freeloaders outside the Secristan Department of Sports headquarters to get the International Basketball Championship games shown on free television was quickly dissipated, with a total of 37 arrests coming about, ranging from Vandalism to Annoyance of Government Officials. The leader of this group of losers was Joe Morris, a 27-year old minimum wage earner who claimed that, “Because we supported the nation in the IBC all the way to the championship, we should be able to get a little something back, shouldn’t we? They made plenty of money before, and with the Olympics, why do we constantly have to be gouged?” Morris was sentenced to 15 years in person with a monthly accommodation fee of 500R per month charged to his estate for his actions. The clincher for his sentence was when he shouted out that “the SDOS has plenty of money.” See, when you only make minimum wage like this poor scumbag you don’t realize that there is no such thing as too much money.

Speaking of money and revenue, it is true that all games will be televised on a pay-per-view basis. However, to make up for the loss of home game revenue due to the games all being in Dancougar this year, the SDOS has raised the price considerably from 39R per half to 69R per half. The entre game can be purchased for 137R, a savings of 1R. A four game purchase, if purchased before the tip off of the first game, can be had for 540R, which is an incredible savings offer of 8R if you act now!! The SDOS has also asked potential advertisers for more money to make up for the loss of home games, and so far top corporations, with their great business sense, have realized that it would be worth it and so far the SDOS estimates an average of 35 minutes of commercial air time per hour of coverage.

Fans that are traveling to Dancougar are to be notified that the Kingdom is attempting to be more prepared for the influx of Secristan Rusas into their country this time and are providing exchange rate information to their citizens. Yeah, we’re sure the common Dancougaran isn’t just going to toss that handout in the garbage! But anyway, be advised that the “Ruscent” trick might not work quite as well this time, except until she’s had a few drinks. We still believe that the common person will be able to be bought, after all this is a country where the show Pretty Sportsman Erika, or whatever it was referred to, actually was a hit. Anime references may work to your benefit. In the meantime when you go to the game, bear in mind that in Dancougar you don’t have to bid for tickets and that they are first come first serve. I imagine most of the seats in the expensive sections of Pitt Panther, whoops, the Peterson Events Center have been purchased.

So we are in Pool C. As opposed to Group C. We will opposed by Arroza, Kenavt, Swilatia, and Magnus Valerius. Arroza is probably a legitimate threat, although we encourage our fans to continue to heckle LaQuinta Carter to the best of their ability. The last time we saw Kenavt, they were pushing needles in the first competition. So we are sure that there will be plenty of things to get on them about, too. Swilatia? They never do good. They were in World Bowl II and World Baseball Classic 8 and didn’t do much, so this won’t be any different. Then there’s Magnus Valerius. We will give props to Magnus Valerius. Why? In a recent press release they named lacrosse as one of their most popular sports. Nice to see a fellow nation that gives the great sport of lacrosse the attention it deserves. When the 2nd World Lacrosse Championships come along, we hope to see them.

On the not-so-quiet streets of Dancougar, a silver and green Hummer blasts down the roads. The deep bass and phat (that's with a ph, people) rhymes blare out the open windows. Pedestrians and other cars alike have to swerve out of the roaming vehicles zig-zag path as it roams the Dancougar streets.

"Everyday I'm hustlin’, every day I'm hustlin’."

"Shit man, having a day off at the start of the competition? A-class swish, y'know?"
"Yeah, man, yeah."
"BITCH, GET OFF THE ROAD."

The playas in the back turn to look at their driver for the day, point guard Dizzy. If you think he's mean on the court, you've obviously never seen him when his road rage kicks in.

A small lady in a smaller white car decides to brave it out and beeps at the roaming hummer.

"BEEP AT ME, BITCH? I'mma' gonna' haveta' run a bitch down."
"Yo', Dizzy!"
"What?!"
"Calm it?"
"Fuck you."
"No, fuck you."
"Fuck all ya's."

They're all good friends, really.


Honest.

"You guys hear 'bout the Group C drama?"
"Naw, whassat?"
"Opening match between Arroza and Secristan, man. Supposed to be some big ass rivalry between the two."
"Psht. My money's on Arroza. Those guys are straight up ballers, gotta' respect that."
"Yeah, man. Those Secristan bastards can go suck eggs 'n' shit. Rich boys thinking they know b-ball."
"Well, man, they are, like, the world champions."
"Yeah, but they're just about the money and shit. They don't care 'bout the b-ball. Fuggin' 'Millionaire' scummers."

Harsh words? Opinions?

DAAAAYMN.

CASINO RELEASES ODDS

The Secristan Department of Gambling have issued the following odds for nations to win the 2nd International Basketball Championships. All wagers can be placed with these odds at the websites of various Secristan casinos.

Secristan: 1/9
Newmanistan: 1/ 2
Cafundeu: 3/1
Arroza: 4/1
Rennidan: 10/1
Taeshan: 15/1
Lovisa: 20/1
Kose and The Turkomans: 20/1
Myedvedeya: 30/1
Magnus Valerius: 30/1
Kenavt: 40/1
Dancougar: 50/1
Jeruselem: 70/1
Swilatia: 80/1
Miroxia: 80/1

Other wagers that may be placed:
1) Number of Secristan wins: Group Stage:
4: 3/1
3: 5/2
2: 20/1
1: 100/1
0: 5000/1

2) Secristan leading scorer: Group Stage:
Andrei Peters: 7/5
Stuart Wright: 2/1
Nolan Bauer: 3/1
Dane Kallner: 4/1
Dennis Stafford: 4/1
Other: 50/1

3) LaQuinta Carter costs Arroza at least one win:
Yes: 1/ 3
No: 2/1

4) Kenavt’s Connor da Vincho forgets what sport he’s playing now:
Yes: 1/ 3
No: 2/1

5) Magnus Valerius number of wins, Over/Under: 1.5
Over: 2/1
Under: 1/ 2

6) Swilatia makes roster public:
Yes: 5/1
No: 1/20

7) Jeruselem will have at least one “whore” on team: (Journalists will attempt to get one. If successful, yes wins)
Yes: 1/100
No: 10/1

8) Cafundeu wins Pool B title:
Yes: 1/ 5
No: 3/1

9) Half of Rennidan’s roster can read and write beyond a 6th grade level:
Yes: 5/1
No: 1/20

10) Dancougar number of wins, Over/Under: 1.5
Over: 1/1
Under: 1/ 2

11) Lovisa will post a press release of three or more paragraphs: (each must be of 25 words, minimum)
Yes: 20/1
No: 1/50

12) Taeshan loses to Newmanistan:
Yes: 1/100
No: 5/1

13) Kose and The Turkomans will make roster public:
Yes: 2/1
No: 1/ 5

14) Miroxia avoids last place:
Yes: 7/5
No: 1/ 2

15) Myedvedeya is sleeper of tournament: (wins 3 or more in group stage)
Yes: 1/1
No: 1/ 2

16) Newmanistan leads IBC Nations in number of press releases (Dancougar excluded)
Yes: 1/20
No: 3/1

(Rockets players gather in the resort meeting room)

Fraser: Man this place (expletive) rocks!

Crawford: Yeah, it’s a nice place. But let’s not spend too much time on the beach.

Nelson: We must remember why we are here, it is not to chill on the beach. Nor to see who can pick up more women, but too....

Fraser: I’m already up to two.

York: Three!

Crawford: Ahh shutup.

Nelson: Uh yeah, anyway, but too play basketball and win games, and go one more step then we got last time around.

Klassen: I hope you two are going to be more focused when this all starts.

Fraser: Man Kory, chill, will ya? It hasn’t started yet. When it does Reese da man is all business.

York: Yeah, what he said.

Fraser: Three?

York: mmmm hmmm! I’ll show you pics after.

Nelson: So what do you all think of this group. I remember watching soccer games against Kose and The Turkomans, those were pretty exciting. We have a good rivalry with them in soccer, so maybe we can here too.

Crawford: You mean football, not soccer.

Nelson: No, I mean soccer, we didn’t play them in the World Bowl.

Crawford: Not that football you big dope. You shouldn’t call the world’s football, soccer. Don’t you know that’s part of the conspiracy of why we have never qualified for the World Cup yet, because we were originally calling it soccer?

Klassen: Oh stop with the conspiracy theories, dude. And why are we talking about the World Cup, anyway. There are other, threads, err, places for that.

Nelson: Because Newmanistan and Kose and The Turkomans are soccer. I mean the rivalry is storied. You can’t put our nations together without thinking about it.

Crawford: This is the first time we will play another sport against each other.

Fraser: (in a hippie voice): It’s history, maaaan.....

Nelson: And it needs to be a successful history. They can’t be beating us on the court. It will be an outrage.

Crawford: Nor can we lose against Taeshan. Man, could you imagine?

Klassen: We always beat Taeshan.

Nelson: That would turn a lot of the Empire against us. But I think we can beat them. How about that nation with the long name?

Fraser: I heard that Myedvedeya was tabbed by the Secristan Casino as the sleeper of the IBC.

Nelson: Then we shall put them to sleep.

Klassen: They seem to be a motivated bunch, but I know we can beat anyone. That’s a ways away though, let’s worry about the Turks first.

York: Yo, why do they call it Kose “and” the Turkomans. Sinan Kose is a soccer player. So is it just Turkomans that we’re playing?

Crawford: Football!!

Klassen: There’s a lot of Kose’s, there’s probably one that plays basketball. They are an athletic family.

York: The Turkomans are afraid to release their roster. Awwwww......

(Coach McDowell enters)

McDowell: Alright, bus is warmed up, off to the arena for our morning practice.....

Arroza Sportsnet > Basketball > IBC
Ball ‘Till You Fall, Drink ‘Till You Can’t. (Part II – Dancougar and You!)


In part two of our introduction to coverage of the International Basketball Championships, we’re going to cover a bit of information about the gracious hosts, Dancougar, and the group that the Hornets expect to win. First of all, let’s look at the arena. The Hornets will be playing all of their group pool games at the Peterson Events Center in tough, blue collar Stoneridge. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to play our first round games, as fans who traveled to the city for sporting events in the past have described it as a larger version of our own industrial city, Vulcan. And like Vulcan the fans that come to the games here are going to be the blue-collar, working-class engine of the Dancougar economy. We expect the crowd here to be blatantly anti-Spoiled Brat.

So, where to stay in Stoneridge?

Good question. If you’ve procrastinated and waited until now to get your tickets, you’re going to be out of luck, as most of the downtown hotels have been booked solid. Travel deals do still exist in and out of Stoneridge, and your best alternative may be to stay in the suburb of Lunaris, near the Stoneridge International Airport, or just north of town in the town of Fruitmarsh. Both towns have excellent public transportation into downtown and into both the nightlife and Three Rivers historical districts

Who are we playing again?

Read the schedule, silly.

In the first matchup, the Tar Hornets play the Spoiled Brats of Secristan in a game that should be…energetic at best. There’s no love lost between either of these two nations, with casinos in Secristan even taking bets that are bound to be losers, for the ability to publicly joke at our players, notably Laquinta Carter. And on the court, they bring back the same team of pampered bribers who started the last IBC, while auctioning off the other spots to the highest bidder immediately before the tournament. What to expect in the stands? First of all, if you’re a part time fan of the team, or if you’re not going to do your damndest to make the Spoiled Brats feel uncomfortable, then please give your tickets up to a real fan. This is not a game for the faint of heart, we fully expect the Pete to be so loud that it sets off seismographs at the Univ. of Stoneridge.

Fights will break out, especially near the Iron City Beer sections. We’re obviously not advocating any dirty tricks, but know that if you really want to hurt a Secristani, you have to go for the dominant (deal-signing) hand, or the wallet. Any two people paying more attention to paperwork in their laps or business deals than the game are also to be considered fair game. (Save your business transactions for the bars in McKees Rocks after the game). Chanting is encouraged, and all Arrozan fans should strongly consider wearing black and/or crimson.

The rest of the games should be slightly less eventful, with the schedule being as such:

Match 2: Magnus Valerius – Peterson Events Center
Match 3: Swilatia – Peterson Events Center
Match 4: Bye Day – Go see the beautiful Gilderome River valley.
Match 5: Kenavt – Peterson Events Center

So wait, there are only 4 qualifying games, in the pool stage? Anything else we should know?

That’s right Nancy, so if a team doesn’t come out to play, they may see themselves getting bounced before they know it. Very interesting indeed, the way Dancougar has set up this tournament. Also, if someone offers you rusas for any service, they have officially in their culture asked you to kick them in a lower genital area. Please don’t disappoint the natives by turning down their requests. Last and not least, have fun in Dancougar, Atlantic Oceania’s biggest exporter of anime and tentacle [redacted].

Note to Dancougar: (I hope you don’t mind me taking minor liberty with the geography of the area surrounding Stoneridge.)

Note to Dancougar: (I hope you don’t mind me taking minor liberty with the geography of the area surrounding Stoneridge.

(Heh. Lunaris and Fruitmarsh. I see what you did there.)

(Heh. Lunaris and Fruitmarsh. I see what you did there.)

The authorities are on to us, run!

"Hey, hey, hey! Look at this!" Connor da Vincho gestured to the morning paper to his roomate, Thomas Vanek. "The Secristanians or whatever have released the odds for their casinos. They really milk themselves."

"Yah, whatever," said Vanek, looking at the hotel secretary.

"They gave us 40-to-1 odds to win? Jeez... losers."

"Yah, whatever."

"And... what the? They have these special items-and one of them is: Kenavt’s Connor da Vincho forgets what sport he’s playing now.

"Yah, whatever."

"They place the odds at me forgetting at one to three? LOSERS!" Connor yelled across the hotel lobby, scaring several prospective customers and getting the secretary to glare at Connor, while Vanek stared on, obliviously happy.

"F*** these losers. We'll win this thing, and I'll remember that we're playing soccer this time around!"

Vanek is finally startled out of his stupor. "Umm... Con... it's IBC2."

"Oh, what?"

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK

Just before the first games of IBC2 begin, we bring you to the hotel of the Myedvedeyan national team, recently placed at 1:1 odds to be the "sleeper" of the tournament. Myedvedeya has a bye today, and the players will be traveling to the stadium, to watch the matches of their group opponents. Here's the players' take on being voted the sleeper, and many other things:

Point Guard and Captain, Ilya Ivanovitch: I find it quite fitting that we are the sleeper of the tournament. After all, we are the Bears, and bears sleep for long periods of time, then wake up and kill things. So, I hope we can emulate that kind of thing...

All-Purpose Sub, Mikhail Karolov: Our team plays a strong, tactical, defensive style of basketball that I believe will take us far in this tournament. Unlike some teams, which play a sort of "every superstar for himself" type of game, we play 100% as a team, devoted to the glory and advancement of our country. I believe that this style, and our level of determination and commitment will give us an edge. Plus, half our fans are live bears. THAT is an intimidating crowd for you.

Some guy in the street from Dancougar that we interviewed: Leave me alone! I don't know too much about your country... Isn't it somewhat of a barren and frozen place full of bears and nationalists?

Anton Saenko, Sports correspondent: yes, it is.

SGITSFDTWI: If I say I think you'll do well, will you go away?

AS: Sure, why not.

SGITSFDTWI: Okay, fine, I think you have a good chance at advancing.

AS: Alright, fine, we'll leave you alone now...

Sasha Kuznetesky, former basketball star: The Myedvedeyan team is the best (and only) Myedvedeyan international sports squad I have ever seen. The players are skilled, the coach is a legend, and the large bears in the audience give us home court advantage anywhere. I feel that the only real downer is the group draw, which gave us a very difficult group, but we can overcome that. Glory to Myedvedeya!

Anton Saenko: That concludes our presentation. To watch our opponent's matches with a biased Myedvedeyan commentator, tune in at 10.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh106/newtypezaku/osakaknife.jpg

This is your RP cutoff!

Newmanistan 88 v Kose and the Turkomans 86
Cafundeu 79 v Lovisa 97
Secristan 98 v Arroza 105
Taeshan 79 v Miroxia 89
Dancougar 78 v Jeruselem 89
Kenavt 113 v Swilatia 92

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
12 Miroxia 1 0 089 079
2 Newmanistan 1 0 088 086
14 Myedvedeya 0 0 000 000
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 1 086 088
7 Taeshan 0 1 079 089

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
5 Lovisa 1 0 097 079
10 Jeruselem 1 0 089 078
15 Rennidan 0 0 000 000
9 Dancougar 0 1 078 089
3 Cafundeu 0 1 079 097

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
8 Kenavt 1 0 113 092
4 Arroza 1 0 105 098
13 Magnus Valerius 0 0 000 000
1 Secristan 0 1 098 105
11 Swilatia 0 1 092 113

MOSKVA HERALD

Now that the matches are finished, and the biased Myedvedeyan commentary that points out everything our future opponents did wrong is over, it's time for an around-the-league roundup.

In Pool A, the pool of the Myedvedeyans:

(2) Newmanistan 88-86 (6) Kose and the Turkomans

The Number two seed, Newmanistan lived up to their place today, holding out against a title-contending Kose and the Turkomans team to squeak by 88-86. Both teams showed themselves to be dangerous, and both played very well, but Newmanistan just found that other level of play that makes them #2, and Kose and the Turkomans #6, and managed to win it.

(7) Taeshan 79-89 (12) Miroxia

The Miroxians, dangerous in every sport, pulled off an upset of the seventh-ranked Taeshan National Squad today, winning by ten points. Taeshan's future does not look good in this tournament: assuming they lose to newmanistan, as they seem to in every sport, the best they will do is .500. In a group where four games decides everything, even one game in which a team plays below their potential can be a killer.

In Pool B-

(3) Cafundeu 79-97 (5) Lovisa

In a battle of the two highest ranked teams in the group, number five Lovisa pulled off an upset of number three Cafundeu, and they did it in style, winning by 18 points. Lovisan press has been quite quiet around this event, and doubts were cast over the ability of their team to win games, especially after an official roster was not released. Nevertheless, these doubts seem to be disappearing fast with this massive victory.

(9) Dancougar 78-89 (10) Jeruselem

Soccer titans Jeruselem today proved themselves on another battlefield, defeating hosts Dancougar by 11. Dancougar, despite the cheers of the home crowd, could not fight their way past the determined Jeruselem squad, and could be on their way to repeating last IBC's fate.

In Pool C

(1) Secristan 98-105 (4) Arroza

Hosts of the world bowl and skilled sporting nation Arroza won this battle of group C titans today, defeating defending world champions Secristan. Secristan brought the same championship-winning starting 5 millionaires, but they could not contain Arroza's offense, and were defeated by 7.

(8) Kenavt 113-92 (11) Swilatia

Swilatia, the only team in pool C not to release an official roster at the time of this article, were crushed by #8 kenavt. Connor da Vincho remembered not to kick the ball, and Kenavt's entire team played beautifully in the rout.

MYEDVEDEYA GROUP SCHEDULE

1ST GAME- Friday sept.5 vs Kose and the Turkomans (0-1)
Sept.6 vs Newmanistan
Sept.7 vs Taeshan
Sept 8 vs Miroxia

ARROZA; SDOS VICTORIOUS

Depending on your priorities, the opening game of the 2nd International Basketball Championships could be seen as a success or a failure. We’ll start with the good news, and that is that the SDOS reported a 15% increase in the number of pay-per-view orders for the Arroza matchup in comparison to the opening pay-per-view contest of the inaugural IBC. Contributing factors to this are likely increased expectations on the team this year to have a successful tournament. Also an improved economy for the upper class has allowed for more spending money. Additionally, you cannot discount the fact that a lot of our fans were interested in seeing Arroza again, that team we defeated in the quarterfinals the last time around.

On the court, Arroza won the game by the score of 105-98 in a game that was back and forth most of the way until Arroza went on a 13-3 run in the final two minutes of the contest. It was a big win for them, but we would expect our Millionaires to rebound for their next game. The action on the court was not the only action that took place as there were reports of several fights in the stands between Arrozans and our great citizens that traveled all the way to Dancougar to watch the game and spend their rusas in the country to help out their economy. One of the people involved in a fight was Bill Crossman, a 25-year old Junior Marketing Analyst for a company he did not wish to mention. He said of the incident, “They were very disrespectful of us. We just wanted to watch our basketball team and we get a bunch of black wearing Arrozans wanting to mess with us as me and my friend wanted to go over some August accounts receivable figures during an official’s time out. What’s so bad about that? Next thing you know a fight breaks out, they’re swinging at us, my Blackberry falls and breaks and that’s when I really got pissed and just started pummeling the guy.” Crossman said he will file a lawsuit against the punks for the cost of the broken Blackberry as well as punitive damages for emotional distress. His incident was just one of several that went down.

We are hoping that the fans of our next opponent will be a little more civilized.

The Isangrad Times
ANTICIPATION AWAITS THE VALERIANS AS MATCHDAY 2 APPROACHES

The Valerian Basketball team got the bye on the first matchday. Although it allowed them an extra day for rest and respite, it only added onto their tension on their anticipated first match against Arroza. The Valerians practiced harder than they have done in the national league, considering that they are on the international level. Many on the team wonder if it will be enough, but the coach reassures them and tells them not to be so pessimistic. He reminded them of the chance of an upset. The Valerians will be up against a tough team and will hopefully be a match for them. Arroza is ranked 4th. Not only that, they pulled an upset of their own today. In fact, a couple did happen today.

In Pool A, Newmanistan defeated Kose and the Turkomans by a narrow margin of two points (88-86). Miroxia, the 12th seed, upset 7th Taeshan (79-89).

In Pool B, 5th seed Lovisa took on and defeated 3rd Cafundeu, which was unexpected considering Cafundeu's regular excellence in international athletics (79-97). Jeruselem also won today as well, with a clear victory over Dancougar (78-89).

In Pool C, Arroza upset Secristan, the top seed and assumable defending champions (98-105). Kenavt crushed Swilatia, and it is easy to note that the Swilatians have made a up a mystery team (113-92).

What does this mean for the Valerian Empire and its second game? Why it means of the possibility of an upset against Arroza. But considering how Arroza played today against the defending champions, it might be unlikely. But Periklis Anasthasiopoulos and the gang have definitely a chance, no?

THE ROCKET REPORT

ANOTHER FOR THE STORYBOOKS

Port Royal, Dancougar- The history of classic encounters between Newmanistan and Kose and The Turkomans officially became a multi-sport affair last night as the teams met in the first game of the International Basketball Championships, the 2nd edition of which got underway in Dancougar. All games are in Dancougar this year, and the fans in Port Royal got a taste of why when the Rockets and Turks get together you throw out the rankings, win totals, and everything else. Newmanistan won the game, 88-86, on a buzzer beating three pointer by Kory Klassen that set the Rockets fans into a frenzy, the Turk fans into despair, and the neutral Dancougarans into a state of shock by what they just witnessed.

From the opening tip off, this game was a true battle. The Rockets may have helped matters a little bit by not being very accurate with their shooting, as apparently they had to shake off a little rust from the first tournament. Still, they played strong defense, and the game remained close for most of the way. A great battle emerged in the paint between Tank Nelson and the Turkish center for rebounds as unfortunately a little too many 3-point attempts were missing. Klassen started the game off just 1-for-7 behind the arc and Crawford just a bit better at 2-for-7. The Turks had an early advantage, but never got more then a 22-15 lead during the game. The score wasn’t high, but the game was getting pretty physical, with several players finding themselves in early foul trouble, including Reese Fraser and Tank Nelson for Newmanistan. Each sat the final six minutes. While Fraser was on the bench, 20-year old John Watson, in his first stint with the team, made the most of his opportunity, and went 5-for-5 down the stretch to send the game into halftime with the sky blue and white down only 41-39. This became quite a boost for the Rockets, because as you can surely recall, one area the team struggled in in the first IBC was the play of their reserves. Watson made coach McDowell proud, and seemed to give the team a needed lift heading into halftime.

The coach tried to point out some mismatches to his guards to get better three point opportunities, but the Rockets biggest problem in the first half seemed to be their own offensive execution, as well as staying out of foul trouble. Fortunately, the team was playing terrific on defense, and that’s the only reason why Newmanistan found themselves in a situation to where they could have the opportunity at the dramatic finish. At the start of the second half, Newmansitan’s gunners had better fortunes, with Crawford especially hot, going 4-for-6 early. Connor led Newmanistan in scoring on the day with 29 points, 20 of which came in the second half. Briefly the Rockets pulled out to a healthy lead of 68-61, but now it was the Turks turn to show their resiliency. A 14-4 run, led by their athletic point guard got their fans on their feet and the team ahead by the score 75-72. From there, it was all about trading baskets until a Turkish player made a shot with 2.3 seconds left to make it 86-85 in favor of the land of Kose. McDowell called his timeout and diagramed the play. Crawford inbounds the ball to Kory Klassen, who shoots, from what would be four-point range in Newmanistan. Nothing but net! 88-86, Rockets win!! A truly big win as Newmanistan does something they didn’t do in the first IBC. They won their opening game.

Kory Klassen on the clutch shot: “I beat my man, had a good look and with some good fortune. It went in! I love getting a dramatic bucket like that but let’s face it, up to that shot I didn’t have my greatest game. I guess I redeemed myself there at the end.”

Yes, Kory, yes you did. Up next, the Rockets will seek to add basketball to the list of sports in which they own Taeshan.

THE ROCKET REPORT

NEWMANISTAN-TAESHAN: A HISTORY LESSON

Port Royal, Dancougar- You’ll hear it over and over in our coverage of Newmanistan sports, and you’ll hear it acknowledged by the coverage of the various media outlets in Taeshan. Newmanistan always beats Taeshan. It’s one of things you can set your clock too. The Taeshan frustration with the Empire seemed to begin in the 7th World Baseball Classic, but that isn’t actually where the Newmanistanian domination of their nation took began. So for those of you out there a little unfamiliar with the history between the nations, and just how one sided this has been in our favor, well here’s how things have gone down.

World Cup of Hockey 6: The teams were paired together in the same group, and met twice. In the first game, the teams played to a tie. In the second game, Newmanistan defeated Taeshan by the score of 2-1. In this competition, it should be mentioned that Taeshan was the higher ranked team, an established nation in this competition while the Empire hit the ice for the first time interregionally. Furthermore, Newmanistan ended up defeating Taeshan in the group by one point, setting up an easier second round match for themselves, which they’d win, and Taeshan would lose.

Oxen Cup 6: A football/soccer tournament in Qazox where once again Taeshan was the higher ranked team heading into the competition. They were in the same group again, and we won the head to head match by the score of 1-0. Newmanistan would go on to the final. Taeshan would not advance out of the group stage. And we’re sure that the hosts of the IBC, Dancougar, remember Oxen Cup 6 quite well, too. A couple classic Newmanistan-Dancougar matches there as well.

World Baseball Classic 7: This is where we feel Taeshan really began to get frustrated with their meetings against the Sky blue & white. On paper, ranking wise, it should have been a mismatch. Taeshan was a top ranked team. Newmanistan a debutant on the baseball diamond. After Taeshan outscored other opposition by a 12-3 margin in their first two games, they were defeated by Newmanistan by the score of 3-2 in the group stage. It was the only game Taeshan lost in the group stage and if not for this win, Newmanistan would not have advanced for their later heroics. They would meet Taeshan again in quarterfinals, and eliminate them once again. Like Oxen Cup 6, the Rockets made it all the way to the final.

World Lacrosse Championships: Both teams were listed as favorites in the inaugural World Lacrosse Championships that were played in Kura-Pelland. They would be in different groups and not meet until the semifinal. But once they did, the result was the same, a Newmanistan victory. We then went on to defeat Land de Wood in the Championship to rightfully claim our place as the world’s top nation in lacrosse.

World Baseball Classic 8: The teams would be in different groups, but when it came time for the 3rd place game, it would end up seeing again, Newmanistan vs Taeshan. Would Taeshan avenge their World Baseball Classic 7 loss? Not exactly. Another win for the Rockets.

Olympics: We even scanned the 3rd Olympiad for results of team competitions. There wasn’t much, but when there was, guess who won. There was one result of interest to us for the IBC, perhaps, as they did meet in Men’s Basketball, on a Matchday 2. In that game, it would be the Rockets defeating Taeshan by the score of 72-62. In Women’s Indoor Volleyball, our ladies cruised to a straight set victory, 25-13, 25-11, 25-17 (that’s a rout in v-ball, folks). And lastly, they met in Lacrosse once again (a demonstration sport), and Newmanistan won there as well, 9-4.

So there you have it. When we say we always beat Taeshan, it’s not empty talk. It’s because we do in fact, always beat Taeshan. (OOC: Watch us lose now after going back and researching our history like this).

"You're so anti, it don't not matter..."

Within the smoke-stained walls of a two star motel sit the five most important basketball playas to come out of Rennidan.

A pack of cards lay scattered across the floor, stuck to the twenty-five year old patterned carpet through a mixture of booze and bodily fluids.

Super sportsters or just a bunch of friends chilling?

Either way, it has to be said, giving the Playas the first matchday off may have been a bit of a mistake.

"Hey... hey, man..."
"Nnnf..."
"Dizzy, man?"
"Nnf."

The nigh-unconscious basketballers have little knowledge of the fact that the first match day of the IBC has come and gone. As far as they are concerned, the last twenty four hours are but a blur.

Who threw up on the sofa?

Who left the door open?

Why is there butter smeared all over the walls?

When did they put a midget in the fridge?

All valuable questions that the Playas will soon be asking themselves, but the one that really sits on their lips is obvious:

Who won?

"Arroza beat Secristan!"
"Yeeeaaaah, man. Suck it ya' Millionaire scummers."
"Ballers came through like only ballers do."

"Man, Lovisa beat Cafundeu."
"Who?"
"Cafundeu. They're the team with the fine ass ladies."
"I know that but, man...

Who the hell are Lovisa?"

"Ain't we playin' Cafundeu next?"
"Yeea, man."
"Shit, man. Better get like... practicing and shit."
"So... what? Open another six pack?"
"Too true, hommes. Too true."

Next up: Cafundeu!

Who will win? Who will lose?

All will be revealed... In Match Day Two!

Arroza Sportsnet > Basketball > IBC
Announcers Demand Nicknames from Magnus Valerius


On the heels of the dramatic seven point victory over Secristan (more on that later), the announcers/coaches of the Arrozan basketball team have a small request of their next opponent, Magnus Valerius. We’ll let lead Announcer “Supreme” Querrey explain.

The background music pumps, almost overpowering the announcer, who is wearing a jacket that can only be described as a hyper-plaid blend of the Arrozan national colors.

Ay, and I’m going to teach you how to stunt, as soon as my homies roll up these blunts!
Ay, and I’m going to teach you how to stunt, as soon as my homies roll up these blunts!

“This ish is ridiculous! Have you sent he names of some of these guys on their team? I mean the goal of an announcer isn’t just to coach the team, he has to entertain and inform the fans, that means getting the vital information about who and what is going on at all times up to the upper deck, or the guy buying a cold refreshing Gulfilo Gin and Juice at the concession booth, you know, Gulfilo Gin, because I drink it, and because they’re paying me to promote it. But I mean we have to constantly say these people’s manes and it’s impossible when we’re playing a bunch of guys who last names look like there was an explosion at the consonant factory! I mean, Kaiserianus? Khol-moggo-risky? Anathasipoulos? You’re kidding me right? These aren’t names, they’re torture to the classic tongle. It’s like the worst of all possible name sets…except for Blascod. No names are worse than those.”

“So basically, if you expect us to give any of those guys from Magnus Valerius any sort of respect of a shout out when they do something good, then we’re going to have to see some more acceptable versions of names, I’m sorry, but that’s how it’s going down in ’41. Also, remember to go cop that new LP from the Rap-A-Lot click, the Petrol Harbor All-Stars LP. It’s got that new club banger, ‘Roll Dem Blunts!’ ”

Ay, and I’m going to teach you how to stunt, as soon as my homies roll up these blunts!
Ay, and I’m going to teach you how to stunt, as soon as my homies roll up these blunts!

/interview

In past tense news, the Tar Hornets prevailed over Secristan 105-98 in a brilliant example of basketballing prowess that had to be the highlight of the first day of IBC competition. Especially eager to redeem herself was Laquinta Carter, who did a good job by scoring 37 points and basically embarrassed the smaller Stewart Wright, even taking him to the hoop for a couple of thunderous dunks that had the crowd erupting. With this win, the Hornets have to be the odds-on favorite to win Group C.

http://www.biezanow.net/~dominik/TVLovun/tvlovunsport-basketball.gif
A big sensation

Lovisa beat Cafundeu 97-79 in first match in away.
Cafundeu which is the best team in our group and 3rd in the world ranking playing good, but today our team playing much better.

Our team is in good form, but I never aspect that we beat Cafundeu that easy - says Andy Coleman a Lovisan coach. Its great begin for us, and I hope we will be playing very good in next matches. Look we are 5th in the world at the moment, so we cant lose this tournament - he said.

NEXT GAME VITAL

We probably shouldn’t be in this situation, but after falling to Arroza, Secristan finds themselves in an important game against kenavt, who made a mockery of the basketball skills of Swilatia, crushing them by 21 points. A loss would put the Millionaires in a pretty tough hole at 0-2, and essentially clinch a spot behind kenavt in the Group. We are confident though that we will be able to take care of business, because like a hockey team from Buffalo, we expect kenavt to tease their fans for a while and think they’ll do something special, and then ultimately choke when crunch time comes. We expect Kenavt to have a hard time with the Secristan defense that will be all over them like a Hurricane and take victory. After the loss to Arroza, Stuart Wright said of this next game, “I don’t know if they’re still pushing needles or not, but we are pretty confident against them. If you can shut down the multi-sport phenom Da Vincho, you should be able to shut down the team. We will frustrate him, and perhaps get him in foul trouble. Make him wish he was playing another sport.”

Based on ratings from the Arroza game and pay-per-view purchases of this upcoming game against kenavt, the Secristani public is still pretty confident that the team will have strong showing and be able to defend their championship. Said Dave Briere, a one-time kenavt resident now loving his rich life in Secristan, “Arroza was probably the third best team in the IBC last time, so losing to them isn’t really an embarassment. I know that our great players will take care of business, because that’s what they do for a living. Other nations bring self-proclaimed ballers, or multi-sport playing people, but we have true professionals. Ones that have earned their money through hard work, even if it was just based on one or two great years.” Look for the Millionaires to even up their record tonight.

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK

Myedvedeya VS Kose and the Turkomans Preview:

It's finally here. Myedvedeya play their first international basketball match today, against highly ranked Kose and the Turkomans. Having just come off a disappointing 2 point loss to #2 Newmanistan, Kose and the Turkomans will be looking for a strong game.

For the Myedvedeyans, the Starting Lineup will be as follows:

Center- Anatoly Karolov
Power Forward- Nikolai Ilyich
Forward- Afanasiy Lyuchenko
Shooting Guard- Anton Dolohov
Point Guard- Ilya Ivanovitch

Captain- Ilya Ivanovitch
Coach- Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev

On the Bench, we will be playing:
C- Josef Kryuchkov
F-Andrey Rasputin
G-Anatoly Vostov
F-Pyotr Gorochensky
F-Yuri Bilyatov
C-Sergey Antonov
G-Mikhail Karpov

The Myedvedeyan offense will be mainly centered around Ivanovitch and Ilyich, with Karpov expected to frequently come of the bench, being the team's best 3-point shooter. All in all, however, one can expect a defensive game from Myedvedeya, relying on star center Anatoly Karolov to lead the defense.

Good luck to the Myedvedeyan players, and Glory to the Czar!

The Isangrad Evening News
Valerians Release 'Nicknames' of National Team Members Per Request

Following a request from Arroza, the Valerian National Team has decided to release a series of various nicknames in English for foreign reporters and announcers to use. "We have decided to respond to this request for the linguistically challenged and uncivilizied, uncouth foreigners who have trouble pronouncing our harmonious Slavic, Greek, and what-have-you names," responds head coach Valerian Yushchinin at a conference today, who will now be known as "Chinny". The person who had created these names for the Valerian National Team remains unknown, although it is assumed that a 12-year-old might have been on the team that devised such ridiculous names.

In response, star player Periklis Anathasiopoulos was in disgust. "Why do I now have to be known by some nickname? Can't I just be called Periklis? Like the Greek hero I'm named after? You know?"

Unfortunately for Anathasiopoulos, Emperor Ivan V has approved the notion and the nicknames will be official at least for this International Basketball Championship.


#42 Pavil Yoannov - "Yon"
#3 Johann Albrecht Stahl - "JAS" or "Jas"
#14 Septimus Kaiserianus - "Septic"
#24 Danilo Kholmogorysky - "Moggo Moggo"
#95 Periklis Anathasiopoulos - "Periana"

#3 Mengke Noyan - "Noi"
#21 Mikhail Borotnikov - "Rotnik"
#18 Jean Pierre de Cochin - "JP Cochin"
#76 Laurentios Kappadokionos - "LK"
#48 Gustav Steinbock - "G-Stein"
#61 Yazdgerd Purandokhti - "Yaz Puran"
#80 Feofil Almazov - "Feo"

Now, with the nicknames released, perhaps it will be easier for foreigners to say their names? Well, it remains to be seen. But, we do have a commercial for you guys! We'll be right back!

COMMERCIAL

In TWO DAYS, be prepared for the electronic music festival of the year, right here in ISANGRAD!!!

*scantily-clad women appear and begin dancing amongst a flurry of lights*

TranceFormation is the largest festival this side of the River Vedus! With three days of electronic/house/trance/bass DJs from all over the region, it will be the biggest thing since the Rock Tha House Rock Festival three months ago! Be warned about heavy traffic all over the city as foreigners and Valerians alike converge on Isangrad's Tsar Dome and its surrounding area on Saint George's Islet, along with street stages and carnivals and parades and thousands of people.

Headlining the event is DJ Isan, second-place winner of WorldVision 4.

Tickets are sold at kiosks, coffee shops, and various outlets all over Isangrad and across the Empire. There are still some left, so hurry before it sells out!

Just be wary of foreigners taking advantage on our lax drug laws. There will be many of them!

The Isangrad Evening News

Welcome again folks, I am you hostess, Shahrbanu Arkhameini, for today's report. TranceFormation, the big event in two days, will shut off many streets and thoroughfares throughout Isangrad, including the Tsar George Bridge, starting today as event planners set up... I will hopefully see you Isangraders there! Ahem, but to cope with the closed streets and the traffic, we do have shortcuts, additional routes, and tips for you guys...

Actually the Knights have beaten the Rockets at Baseball in that semi once

Pride of Taeshan loses to Miroxia

People weeped in the streets today as they learned that the Knights had lost to the Miroxian basketball team in Dancougar. It was a shocking lost for the Knights ranked 7th in the world taken on the 12th ranked in the world Miroxia. As you may know Basketball is by far the favorite sport in Taeshan getting a 53 percentage of fan votes. The game is played everywhere in Taeshan from the streets of Renea, to the glossy courts at Atlantea Catholic its the game of the country, and the Knights are not proud representatives.

At the age of two all kids in Taeshan are taught to play most the major sports in Taeland. Basketball, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, Handball, Water Polo, Skeball, Kickball, and Snowboarding. They don't learn hockey till age 5 due to injury reasons. All the kids at 7 get to pick there favorites and play them through high school its the proudest acomplishment of the Taeshani government. Its true though the standards are falling.

Taeshan used to be the home of Basketball. Everyone played, lived it, and dreamt it. No one knows whats happened these fat few years, but it needs to be stopped. Ilchyin Baker captain of the National team, and bring B-ball to the schools foundtation runner thinks its time to get the balls bouncing again. "Its time, to bring it back".


Yes it is time to bring Ball back in Taeshan. We'll need to start if off by beating the Newmanistan Rockets who are the biggest thorn in the side of Taeshani sports. Its time to win again, and its time to bring the ship back to the land of the greats. Play it, Live it, Dream it. Its coming back.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh106/newtypezaku/himura.jpg

Okay, so a reverse-bladed sword is more like an RP bludgeon than an RP cutoff... whatever! This is your RP bludgeon!

Newmanistan 110 v Taeshan 108 (OT)
Cafundeu 92 v Dancougar 81
Secristan 99 v Kenavt 95 (OT)
Kose and the Turkomans 89 v Myedvedeya 118
Lovisa 95 v Rennidan 93
Arroza 85 v Magnus Valerius 104

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
2 Newmanistan 2 0 198 194
14 Myedvedeya 1 0 118 089
12 Miroxia 1 0 089 079
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 2 175 206
7 Taeshan 0 2 189 199

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
5 Lovisa 2 0 192 172
10 Jeruselem 1 0 089 078
3 Cafundeu 1 1 171 178
15 Rennidan 0 1 093 095
9 Dancougar 0 2 159 181

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
13 Magnus Valerius 1 0 104 085
4 Arroza 1 1 190 202
1 Secristan 1 1 199 200
8 Kenavt 1 1 208 191
11 Swilatia 0 1 092 113

Tiebreakers

Group A
* Myedvedeya over Miroxia on point differential.
* Taeshan over Kose and the Turkomans on point differential.

Group C
* Arroza head-to-head over Secristan.
* Secristan head-to-head over Kenavt.

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK

Stunning Myedvedeyan Blowout

The Kamchatka Grizzly Bears of Myedvedeya, playing in their first ever international match, defeated #6 Kose and the Turkomans today by the astounding score of 118-89. The 29-point victory is the largest of the tournament so far, and was won by a team that is usually spectacularly defensive. Just days after being named the likely "sleeper success" of the tournament by Secristani casinos, this destructive victory has established the Myedvedeyans as a threat in this tournament, and future opponents will not take them lightly. The black, blue, and red of the Myedvedeyan flag were the most prominent colors in the Leonard Sweetwater Arena, of Port Royal, Dancougar last night, as over 8,000 Myedvedeyans traveled to the 17,500 capacity stadium to watch their team play. Many residents of Dancougar also supported the unknown and extremely nationalistic country.

Throughout the entire game, Myedvedeya dominated. Shooting Guard Anton Dolohov lead the team to an early 12-0 lead, and Myedvedeya did not lose the lead for the entire game. Through a mixture of fantastic defense, lead by center Anatoly Karolov, and deadly counterattacks orchestrated by Point Guard and Captain Ilya Ivanovitch, the Myedvedeyans never gave up command of the game, running it at their own pace, and possessing the ball for a large majority of time. By the third quarter, sixth man Mikhail Karpov had also distinguished himself, scoring 27 points, including seven three-pointers. The Myedvedeyan fans began a never-ceasing chorus of the national anthem in the third quarter, and the stadium was filled with the roars of certain large, furry animals... By the fourth, the outcome was no longer in doubt, and by and large only the Myedvedeyan fans remained in the arena to cheer their team to victory. Surprisingly, no fights or bear-related incidents occurred in the crowd, although the victorious KGB were saluted by their fans with a Vodka shower as they walked off the court.

Coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev Comments: "I think we went out there today, and played an excellent game of basketball. My main philosophy as a coach, that I try to transmit to the players, is to treat every game of basketball like a game of chess. If you play analytical, precise defense, and you counterattack brutally at every little mistake, you are sure to win games. As a final comment, I am excited to meet the challenge of Newmanistan tomorrow."

MYEDVEDEYAN TOP 4 LEADING SCORERS:

I)-Anton Dolohov, 34 points
II)-Mikhail Karpov, 27 points
III)-Nikolai Ilyich, 18 points
IV)-Ilya Ivanovitch, 13 points

Top scorers for Kose and the Turkomans are not available, as Kose and the Turkomans has not, at the time of this show, made their team roster public.

TOP JERSEY SALES IN MYEDVEDEYA
I)-#13 Ilya Ivanovitch
II)-#18 Anatoly Karolov
III)-#12 Anton Dolohov
IV)-#27 Afanasiy Lyuchenko
V)-#29 Mikhail Karpov
VI)-#14 Nikolai Ilyich

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Pool A:
(2) Newmanistan 110-108(OT) (7) Taeshan
Newmanistan beat Taeshan, as follows the generally accepted tradition, although this was an extremely close game, resulting in Newmanistan's second straight 2 point victory, in this case in overtime. Taeshan (0-2) will have a bye tomorrow, while Newmanistan (2-0) will face Myedvedeya (1-0) in a battle that may decide the group lead.

Pool B:

(3) Cafundeu 92-81 (9) Dancougar
Cafundeu, coming off a tough loss to Lovisa, comfortably defeat hosts Dancougar. Dancougar are without a win, and look dangerously close to repeating their fate from IBC1, in which they did not make it out of their group. Cafundeu (1-1) will face Rennidan (0-1), and Dancougar (0-2) will have a bye.

(5) Lovisa 95-93 (15) Rennidan
Number 5 Lovisa barely managed to squeeze out a win against the streetball-style Playas of Rennidan. Lovisa now rises to the top of their group, directly ahead of Jeruselem. Lovisa (2-0) will face Jeruselem (1-0), and Rennidan (0-1) will face Cafundeu (1-1)

Pool C: (1) Secristan 99-95(OT) (8) Kenavt
Defending champions Secristan managed to secure a win today, after a painful first-game loss to Arroza. Kenavt, coming off a victory against bottom-of-the-table Swilatia, fought well, but fell by four points in overtime. Secristan (1-1) will face Magnus Valerius (1-0), and Kenavt (1-1) will have a bye.

(3) Arroza 85-104 (13) Magnus Valerius
Arroza, having just defeated defending champion Secristan, were stunned by first-time basketball nation Magnus Valerius, by the crushing deficit of 19 points. Magnus Valerius rise to the top of the group, with Arroza remaining in second on head-to-head record wit Secristan. Arroza (1-1) will face Swilatia (0-1), and Magnus Valerius (1-0) will face Secristan (1-1)

MYEDVEDEYAN SCHEDULE

Day 1: Bye
Day 2: Kose and The Turkomans W 118-89
Day 3: Newmanistan
Day 4: Taeshan
Day 5: Miroxia

for more sports news, visit www.novymoskva.mye/sports

By two points, the Rennidan Playas have shown that they do, in fact, mean some serious buisness. It's not the win they were looking for, but if the 15th rank can get so close to edging a win past the 5th rank, surely they can only get better from here?

Next on their roster is Cafundeu, who I totally didn't think we were playing last time. I knew we were playing Lovisa really.

Honest.

The Playas face perhaps the hardest match of Pool B, the third best in the world, Cafundeu.


http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk176/rennidan/Untitled-2.png

Aww Daymn


The Rennidan Playas today emerged two points down against Lovisa in what is perhaps one of the tightest games of the IBC so far. The score was tied at 93-93 for the last ten minutes of play, until one of Lovisa's star players broke through the Rennidanian defence to get the ball into the net as the siren belched. Lovisa fans left with a smile to wherever the hell their country is, whilst the few guys in Rennidan that actually like the sport simply left with a smile due to knowing that the pubs were still open.

For the Playas, however, this match was nothing more than an eyeopener to the level of skill they'll be needing to display if they wish to play against the big boys in this years International Basketball Championship. It is also, however, an eyeopener for the other teams that Rennidan is, yet again, a team to keep an eye on. They may not make it this year, but they are bound to get there eventually.

"Dude, all these freaking articles are really heaping it up on you," remarked Thomas Vanek, the infamous secretary not in sight.

"They're just jealous," scowled Connor da Vincho. "I'm the best player on this team, and they just can't admit it."

"That you are," said Vanek honestly. "Or at least the best point guard I've seen."

"How did we lose to those capitalistic fools!" Connor cried. "All they do is gather freaking money and do stuff with it."

"How do they manage inflation?" pondered Vanek, a major in economics.

"And those odds," Connor couldn't get over that. "You know what? We are going to absolutely own our next opponent."

"Yah?"

"I will be sinking threes, getting three-point plays-it'll be a blitz the likes of nobody's seen. And no, I do not mean I'm going to go play American football on the court."

"Listen: I gotta go," said Vanek, getting fed up.

"See ya, balla!"

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

When Secristan won the first International Basketball Championship, the nation didn’t crush their opponent in every game. In fact, the team needed overtime in many games and always found a knack for coming through when the game went past regulation. It is a trademark of the wealthy individual after all, to be able to work overtime and come through at the last minute, or the last second; meeting a deadline and having success. Last night, at the end of regulation the game was all tied up again. The well-dressed fans in the stands did the customary jiggling of change in their pockets to show their confidence in the team with the feeling that they had them right where they wanted them. It was 83-83 heading into the extra frame, and after Connor da Vincho kicked a field goal, or hit a three, the Millionaires scored eleven unanswered points to lead 94-86, and ultimately hang on by the score of 99-95. Kenavt falls to 1-1. Reportedly afterthe game, Connor da Vincho referred to himself as, “The best player on this team.” True or not, after a tough overtime loss, I doubt that kind of self praise is what his teammates wanted to hear. And they call us stuck up? The next game for the Millionaires will be against Magnus Valerius. A team that spanked LaQuinta Carter and Arroza in the late game by the score of 104-85.

Ratings numbers for the contest were down slightly from the Arroza game, but that is believed to mainly be because more people were interested in seeing that opponent. Still, the SDOS seems pretty happy with the numbers.

Arroza Sportsnet > Basketball > IBC
Ultimado Says, “This Is Un-possible.”


In an interview with National Basketball team sub-coach and announcer “Ultimado” Moya, the coach says that he will demand answers from the once again erratic team, and says that line-up changes are necessary. Watch the Video here: Redacted text below:

A ridiculous amount of bass music pumps through the interview studio.

I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog,

“First of all, if you’re not going to come out here and ball every day, then we don’t really need you to be out here. And I mean every single day, every single person. Carter really let us down, she only scored 18, it looked like the light only came on for Secristan, but this game wasn’t her fault. Ignition had 12 turnovers, and only 14 assists, that’s nowhere near the ratio we need. Lights Out didn’t dominate on the inside like we needed from him. Really there were a lot of flaws all over the team. Pericles ran roughshod over the Jet, and no one played enough defense to pressure Moggo Moggo into making the type of pressured bad shots that he likes to throw up. Now I’m not saying we’re going to focus on defense, obviously we’re out here to ball every day, but the better we do on defense, the more chances we get to score and make fools out of people.”

“Also, not related, but big shouts out to Rennidan. I saw their game on TV, and they’re bringing it back to the essence, true ball-a-holics. I mean, if we see them in the playoffs, we’ll have to show them who’s kung-fu is the strongest, but much respect for anyone who realizes that this is all about the joy of breaking someone’s ankles, then j-ing off in their face. And if you want some fun, go visit the Arrozan Acres amusement park, just across the bridge in Northland, now with the new coaster, Hornet Flight!, and get the new Gucci Mane single, I’m A Dog! In stores now!”

I’ma treat her like a dog. Feed her like a dog. Beat her like a dog. Then pass her to my dogs.

/interview

[[OOC: The sad thing is that, Gucci Mane is a real rapper, I’m A Dog is a real single (and somewhat infectious), and those are the real lyrics of the chorus.]]

The Isangrad Times
Miracle At Stoneridge? Or Just "Skillz"?
Arroza 85 - 104 Magnus Valerius

PETERSON EVENTS CENTER, STONERIDGE, DANCOUGAR --- Today, after much practice and preperation, was the game between Arroza and Magnus Valerius. This was to be a hotly-contested game in the eyes of Valerians, since it was between a fresh international team and an international team with some experience. Arroza is also the nation that had specifically demanded the release of nicknames for each of the players on the Valerian team because of some explosion at a ..."consonant factory"..? Well, anyway, they thought of themselves as high and mighty after forcing the Valerian Basketball League to create some awkward names for them to use on court. Most humiliated of them all was Periklis Anathasiopoulos, who hated his nickname, and today he showed that on the basketball court... yet, unfortunately for Periklis, we will use his nickname and everyone else's in this sports report.

The game started off tight, with the first quarter seeing some half-hearted attempts to drain the basket by Moggo Moggo. Moggo Moggo was up to his ball-hogging way and tried to make a 3-pointer in the face of the double team by Jetstream McClellan and LaQuinta "Sniper" Carter. However, the game plan soon shifted as JAS passed the ball to Periana with time winding down in the 1st quarter. Periana came around and dunked in LaQuinta Carter's face near the end of the 1st quarter, causing her to fall flat on her ass. Some Arrozan fans called for a foul but none was given, and the quarter thus ended with the game tied at 21-21.

The second quarter was no different from the first, since the game was still close. The Valerians played defensively on many ends, and tried to hold back the Arrozans as much as they could, but an angered LaQuinta scored several points on Septic, who was playing on mismatched defense. However, when Periana was switched over to guard her, she was surprised by a daring steal by him. Periana took the ball down for two fast break points off of a steal. A few excellent three-pointers also kept the Valerians looking good, but a couple of unnecessary, careless fouls by Periana put the Valerians behind at the end of the first half, 48-44.

The Valerians came into the third quarter with the will to win, but they still had some tough trouble with LaQuinta Carter. She made a key three-pointer near the start of the third quarter that propelled the Arrozans ahead of the Valerians by 7 points. They stayed comfortably ahead, but Periana answered almost every shot made by the Arrozans as soon as Periana was open and had possession of the ball. The game was becoming much like Periana against Arroza, but Periana soon realized he couldn't do it all - he passed the ball several times to Yaz Puran, who for a bench player, did well with the time he had to work with and made a vicious 3-point play that was called on Joshua Staten. However, Septic was a little careless in his blocks and caught himself in foul trouble, racking up two fouls and sending him to the bench. The Valerians were trailing by six. The game was still moderately close, but the Valerians were slipping on their hold of the game. They finished the quarter trailing, 70-62.

Then... all of a sudden, the team woke up and exploded onto the court. After a very harrowing and invigorating speech by Coach "Chinny", the Valerians turned the game around in a magnificent late game. They dominated the 4th quarter. Was it because the Arrozans were tired, or did the Valerians finally find their game and their way through the Arrozan defense? Whatever the case, three minutes in, LaQuinta Carter fouled Periana on a three-point shot, that somehow found its way into the basket for a stunning-four point play that brought the Valerians within two. A few more three pointers, and the Valerians took the first lead of the game since the second quarter. Periana was on fire, and although he was double-teamed, he easily passed the ball to one of his open teammates, such as JAS, Moggo Moggo, or Yon. Yaz Puran also put on a good show, scoring a three-pointer and making a flashy dunk on Steven McClellan. It seemed like a whirlwind of a 4th, but once it was all over with, the Valerians had won, 85-104, a devastating 19-point win over Arroza. This was incredible, since Arroza was a much more established international basketball presence.

"POBYEDA!!!" shouted Kholmogorysky at the end of the game. Although he did not play the best of games and was the only starter other than "Septic" Kaiserianus to play under 38 minutes, he was nonetheless happy and satisfied. "Periklis stole the show, and he deserved it," Moggo Moggo said, "I don't think we could have done it without him and his determination. He is my equal after all!" Moggo Moggo, however, still made some excellent pressured shots and finished with a very respectable point total and overall statistics at the end of the game, even though he only had 2 assists.

The Top 5 Player Boxscore
Name Pos Min FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFFR DEFR TOTR AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Periklis PERIANA Anathasiopoulos G 44:36 12-25 4-6 8-8 1 2 3 13 4 3 2 0 36
Danilo MOGGO MOGGO Kholmogorysky G 35:52 6-13 1-2 5-6 3 5 8 2 2 2 2 0 18
Johann Albrecht JAS Stahl F 42:57 6-10 0-1 2-3 4 7 11 4 2 0 1 4 14
Pavil YON Yoannov C 38:12 4-11 0-0 4-4 3 9 12 5 3 0 0 2 12
Yazdgerd YAZ PURAN Purandokhti G 22:08 2-5 1-2 3-3 1 2 3 8 2 1 1 0 10

:( I should have just named them all after greek mythology at random. Although Pericles is spelled wastly different in Greek and American.

THE ROCKET REPORT

MASTERY CONTINUES

Port Royal, Dancougar- We always beat Taeshan. No, we don’t necessarily always blow them out, and actually many of the past results are close. But we always find a way to win. Due to this, last night was “Guaranteed Win Night” presented by us at the Rocket Report, and the good news for us is that we don’t have to give out free subscriptions. Not that we want to sound like that other One Big Island nation, we will have some sale programs starting pretty soon. Now, we can officially add the International Basketball Championships to the list of things in which we have defeated Taeshan in. The Taeshan media wanted to be sure we mentioned they beat us once in baseball. Yes, that was in a 3-game series. We won the series two games to one, so that’s what really matters. Here, we needed to do a little overtime, but that’s ok. It’s ok, because we won, by the score of 110-108. Our wins may only have been by a combined four points, but it’s better to peak late then to peak early, is it not? At 2-0, the Rockets seem to be in good shape, although their toughest group stage test will be tonight against Myedvedya.

Fresh off his clutch game-winning shot to win the game against the Turks, Kory Klassen was hitting everything early, including drilling his first six three pointers. He was in the zone at the start and seemed to try and pump up the crowd at every opportunity. Connor Crawford wasn’t quite as accurate, but the Rockets still had a nice 22-7 lead to start out with. Klassen’s shots were falling from all areas of the court: left, right, center, and what would have been four point land back home. He was rolling, until a collison with Taeshan’s Phil Greggs saw him hobble to the sideline. The joy of the fast start suddenly came with great concern. He remained on the sideline with the trainer, and Michael Lessard came in. Without Kory in the lineup, Newmanistan’s backcourt was a little more predictable as Lessard could not find the groove, and gradually the Knights came back. It wasn’t a fast and furious rally, but more of a gradual chip away as the Rockets still were able to get some buckets from the likes of Reese Fraser and Garrett York. The Purple Knights keyed in on Crawford well and kept him from being too much of a factor. On their end, Aaron Beliew and Ilchyin Baker seemed to be the most impressive players as they erased their early deficit to tie the game up at 39. With two minutes left in the first half, Kory Klassen took a head start into the locker room with assistance of the trainers and there were some concerned looks on the faces of the fans in the stands supporting the sky blue and white. At halftime, the scoreboard read something unthinkable. Taeshan was actually in the lead, by the score of 47-42.

During the break, the concern of the team centered around their fallen captain, Klassen. The concerns though quickly turned into a sigh of relief as Kory told the team he was ok, and the trainers cleared him to return in the second half. Coach McDowell wasn’t sure if he immediately wanted to put him back in, and decided that he would start the half out with Lessard and then make a switch with a fresh Klassen about midway through. Kory gave the team a speech, imploring them to play better and needing people to pick up their game. Connor Crawford would be the obvious choice, but perhaps Garrett York or Tank Nelson would be the main go-to guy. Perhaps Michael Lessard could pick up his game. It didn’t matter who it would be, it just had to be someone. At the start of the second half, the Purple Knights came out aggressively and scored on their first seven possessions and ultimately extended their lead to 61-48, their biggest of the game. It was at this time, where there would be a big momentum shift. Michael Lessard drained a three, and then stole the ensuing inbounds pass, and kicked it out to Crawford who hit a three, and was fouled. With the Purple Knights not expecting it, Crawford intentionally missed the free throw, went up and charged for the rebound and sent it out to Garrett York. York took a three and hit nothing but net. In a span of less then twenty seconds, the Rockets had trimmed a 13 point lead down to four. A few minutes later, coach McDowell brought in Kory Klassen and he was greeted by a standing ovation from the Newmanistanians in attendance, and most of the neutral fans also applauded his effort to return to the game. He was effective, and before you knew it, the Rockets were back in front and could have pulled away and clinched the game if it were not for Aaron Beliew. Beliew scored 18 points in the latter stages of the second half to keep the Purple Knights hanging in there when the Rockets tried to pull away. We would reach the end of the second half with the scoreboard reading all nine’s, 99-99. In overtime, both teams tried to pick up the defensive intensity and slow the pace of the game down. Each side used most of the shot clock with each possession. Eventually, with 20 seconds left, we were tied at 108. The Rockets ran the clock all the way down and found Reese Fraser open about five feet inside the three point line. Fraser hit the shot with 2.2 seconds left to give the Rockets the lead. The win was sealed when an inbound pass by the Purple Knights was offline and led to a turnover.

There you have it. No one said it would be easy, but with the latest victory over Taeshan, another thriller, Newmanistan is 2-0 and on top of Pool A. They will play Myedvedeya tonight in what should be a great game given that the KGB destroyed the Turks last night. There’s nothing wrong with winning close games. After all, winning close games is the trademark of a championship caliber team, is it not?

THE ROCKET REPORT

BEATING CINDERELLA

Port Royal, Dancougar- What’s a little bracketology without a Cinderella? We know them. That ambitious school that comes out of no where and wants to start knocking off the big boys, and before you know it, Cinderella turns Sweet 16, or maybe even more. Well, the International Basketball Championships isn’t quite the straight knockout of the Empire Collegiate Basketball Association’s big dance, but it doesn’t mean that it is without it’s Cinderella. Enter Myedvedeya. The nation that not many of us had heard about before they declared their entry into this fine tournament. Unknowns always try to make an impact in these tournaments, and heck, we had a great cinderella run of our own, but that came in the world’s football. Yes, the KGB is our Cinderella. Now, will she go to the big dance, or will the prom queen steal away Prince Charming and send the Bears into hibernation? Like the ECBA tournament, Cinderella’s have their day, and days but at the end of the day, it’s usually just the big boys that are left.

Are we over-hyping Myedvedeya? We really don’t think so, but I know there are some people out there who are shaking their heads and thinking “they’ve only played one game”. That one game though, was against Kose and The Turkomans, in which they not only beat, but mauled by 29 points. That was the team, in case you missed it, that we needed a buzzer beating three in order to defeat. Coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev seems to have his team very well focused. So how about Phil McDowell? I (Clint Peterson) sat down with the Rockets coach to talk about the upcoming game, and IBC, as a whole.


CP: Good evening everyone! We’re two games into the 2nd International Basketball Championships, and the Rockets have proved that it doesn’t matter what sport it is, they always beat Taeshan. I’m joined by coach Phil McDowell. Hello Phil!

PM: Hello Clint!

CP: Before we get into the Myedvedeya game, I have to ask, did you talk to your team about needing to extend the domination history against the Purple Knights?

PM: I didn’t need to bring it up, no, it was already brought up by the players. They weren’t going to let it happen, so I didn’t really need to start that conversation. It was already taking place.

CP: It was close, though.

PM: Yes it was, but it’s the trademark of a championship team to pull out the close games. You look at the way we did just that in the first two games of the IBC, and it makes me happy. You have to remember that everyone approaches us differently. We’re the top dog of the group coming into this, the team that everyone wants to beat. So we’re assured to get the best from everyone we play against, including Myedvedeya tonight.

CP: I know that they have only played one game, but scouts have been high on them, and they were great against the Turks.

PM: I don’t intend to lessen what they did against the Turks. But your first interregional game should always be the easiest, if you are a legitimate team, which they are, because you are catching your opponent off guard. There is no game tape, and very little scouting information of them. Now, there’s more information there. Our scouts are intensely scrutinizing the game tape of that game, and we’re picking up on some things.

CP: So they’ve picked up on stuff and have passed it along to you and the players?

PM: Yeah, mainly their offense. We’re not going to do anything different when we have the ball, but we saw some plays that they like to run, and just how they like to go about doing things. Which players seem most comfortable in certain locations of the court. Little things like that, that can help our players in recognizing what they’re trying to do with the ball.

CP: Their coach, coach Vassilev was quoted on the Moskva News Network as saying, “If you play analytical, precise defense, and you counterattack brutally at every little mistake, you are sure to win games.” Sounds like he’s challenging you to a battle of wits, and wants to outsmart your team. Your thoughts?

PM: Well, he’s absolutely correct in what he’s saying. When you create turnovers you need to take advantage of them and turn them into points. There are some countries who think basketball is all about showboating, but like every sport it’s strategic and about executing the fundamentals. We are a truly professional team, so perhaps we can frustrate them by our composure and that we are not one of those fast break, high risk pass type teams.

CP: It also seems like they’d sit back a little bit with that strategy, which against a team that shoots threes from all over the place, I’d have to say advantage Newmanistan.

PM: I do think they’ll have to make an adjustment to it, yes. But they seem to be a well coached team, and they will be ready for us. A win over us would mean a lot more to them then a win over Kose and The Turkomans.

CP: How about Kory Klassen? Is he fully recovered?

PM: Kory hurt his ankle a little bit, but he will be back. He is a true warrior, and I have to say that he will be 100% because it will be taped up and he will have a pain reliever prior to the game, so he will be in top form. He runs well, and it’s not bothering him on the court, so it’s not going to be a problem here.

CP: It should be another great game, good luck, coach.

PM: Thanks Clint!

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS

MYEDVEDEYA vs NEWMANISTAN PREGAME REPORT

Today, Myedvedeya and Newmanistan will face each other in a highly- anticipated pool A matchup. Newmanistan (2-0) have defeated Kose and the Turkomans and Taeshan, each by the sim margin of two points. Yesterday, they played a thriller against Taeshan, coming back several times and winning in overtime, 110-108. Myedvedeya (1-0) have just come off an absolute blowout of Kose and the Turkomans, winning last night's matchup by the score of 118-89. So far, that is both the largest amount of points scored in one game by any team, and the largest margin of victory at the tournament. Tonight's match will likely determine the leader of pool A.

HEAD TO HEAD

Point Guards

Myedvedeya: #13, Ilya Ivanovitch (Captain)- 5'10
Ivanovitch is the star of this team, he is fast, he is a good shooter, and he is extremely creative with passing.

Newmanistan: Connor Crawford, 6'6
A tall point guard, Crawford is a skilled field general, and can shoot from outside.

Shooting Guards

Myedvedeya: #12 Anton Dolohov- 6'6
Dolohov is the only element of the Myedvedeyan team that is not precise, calculating, and analytical. A former sprinter, he will be the fastest man on the court. Guaranteed.

Newmanistan: Kory Klassen (Captain)- 6'7
Klassen is an unbelievably deadly outside shooter, and a constant leading scorer for the rockets. He can shoot from distances no one even thinks possible, and as captain, is a good leader of the team.

Centers

Myedvedeya: #18 Anatoly Karolov- 6'11
The best defensive center Myedvedeya has ever seen, Karolov is not much of an offensive weapon, but rather an extremely sturdy rock in the middle of the defense.

Newmanistan: Tank Nelson, 7'1
Another skilled defensive center, Nelson's best area is rebounding. Very fearless, and good at staying out of foul trouble.

Power Forwards

Myedvedeya: #14, Nikolai Ilyich- 6'9
Ilyich is an absolutely fantastic athlete, and one of Myedvedeya's most skilled outside shooters. He is admittedly somewhat of a ballhog though, and occasionally has trouble fitting in with the passing game of Myedvedeya.

Newmanistan: Reese Fraser, 6'8
The most physical player in the Newmanistan lineup, Fraser can shoot from outside, but often drives the ball into the paint for close attacks.

Small Forwards

Myedvedeya: #27 Afanasiy Lyuchenko- 6'6
Lyuchenko is an all-around solid player, but is not spectacular in any aspect. He played a great role on defense against Kose and the Turkomans

Newmanistan: Garret York, 6'6
A forward who plays like a guard.

Bench

Myedvedeya

C- Josef Kryuchkov, 6'10, #25
F- Andrey Rasputin, 6'7, #14
G- Anatoly Vostov, 6'1, #11
F- Pyotr Gorochensky, 6'8, #8
F- Yuri Bilyatov, 6'9, #3
C- Sergey Antonov, 7'0, #5
G- Mikhail Karpov, 6'5, #29

Newmanistan

G- Raphael Lachance (27, 6' 1")
G- Michael Lessard (27, 6' 5")
C- Pedro Oliveras * (22, 6' 11")
F- John Watson * (20, 6' 4")
F- Dennis Norton (28, 6'5")
C- Tyler Hanlon (26, 6" 10")
G- Vonnie Buckstone * (23, 6'2")

Coaches

Myedvedeya: Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev

Newmanistan: Phil McDowell

This concludes the Pre-Game analysis of today's match. The match should be a fabulous one, and we wish you enjoyment while watching.

For more sports news, visit www.novymoskva.mye/sports

As promised, your RP cutoff comes later, after anime club!

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh106/newtypezaku/mimiru.jpg

Hey, is it really possible... for someone not to be able to log out of NationStates?

Newmanistan 104 v Myedvedeya 101
Cafundeu 96 v Rennidan 78
Secristan 89 v Magnus Valerius 114
Kose and the Turkomans 76 v Miroxia 81
Lovisa 78 v Jeruselem 87
Arroza 94 v Swilatia 104

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
2 Newmanistan 3 0 302 295
12 Miroxia 2 0 170 155
14 Myedvedeya 1 1 219 193
7 Taeshan 0 2 189 199
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 3 251 287

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
10 Jeruselem 2 0 176 156
5 Lovisa 2 1 270 259
3 Cafundeu 2 1 267 256
15 Rennidan 0 2 171 191
9 Dancougar 0 2 159 181

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
13 Magnus Valerius 2 0 218 174
8 Kenavt 1 1 208 191
11 Swilatia 1 1 196 217
4 Arroza 1 2 284 306
1 Secristan 1 2 288 314

Tiebreakers

Group B
- Lovisa over Cafundeu, head-to-head
- Rennidan over Dancougar, point differential

Group C
- Kenavt over Swilatia, head-to-head
- Arroza over Secristan, head-to-head

CBC.COM - ALL ABOUT CAFUNDELENSE BASKETBALL!
News of the Auriroxos (purple-yellow team) in the IBC

The second edition of the International Basketball Championship has started, and the Auriroxos are willing to improve their performance from the first edition, when the team lost in the semifinals against the very interesting and great country of Secristan, which has excellent ideas and opinions, and is a country with great links - and deals - with Cafundéu. But let's not talk about this, and talk about the competition. This time, the CBC delivered the team list earlier, with just changes involving the starting line-up.

And the Auriroxos have already played three games in this competition, in which they were placed in group B as first seeds. But the team had problems in the start, with a horrible game against Lovisa which ended in an unexpected loss. The players were unable to attack well, and had one of their worst performances in the last years. Something surprising, as this team had a good performance in the last IBC and the male members of the team won the silver medal in the last Olympic Games.

But the team was able to react well in the next two games, being able to conquer two victories that could put the team in a satisfactory position in the tables, although this isn't the one that the supporters want (as they of course want to see the team positioned in the first place of the group). In the second game, Cafundéu defeated the hosts Dancougar in an exciting game, and they commemorated much the result, as the game showed that both teams were able to get the win.

In the third game, against Rennidan, Cafundéu seemed more solid in the game, and could win by a bigger point difference. This can be the start of an excellent campaign of the Auriroxos, but they still have games to be played, including the one against the ones that are currently leading the group, the Jeruselem team.

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS PULL OUT A CLOSE ONE

Port Royal, Dancougar- Once again, the Rockets found themselves in a close game. Once again, they emerged victorious. Newmanistan defeated Myedvedeya by the score of 104-101 in a result that should establish them as the top team in the group. Nevermind the fact that the team only has a +7 point differential. The important thing is that they are sitting comfortably right now with a 3-0 record. Do you see anyone else at 3-0 right now? We’re sure that 1-2 Arroza and Secristan would love to be. The final game against Miroxia, a 2-0 team, could determine who finishes first and second, but with three wins, it’d seem pretty inevitable that Newmanistan would get one of the wild card spots, at least, especially now that they have this tiebreaker against the KGB.

Myedvedeya started the game with quite a bit of passion as head coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev likely knew that his team could not fall behind early in this one as it could be devastating for team morale. Ilya Ivanovitch had good control of the early moments, only hitting two shots, but collecting seven assists in the first six minutes of the game. Making him tricky for the Rockets defense was the fact that he was distributing the rock well to all of his teammates, not just relying on one go-to guy. But on the other end of the court, coach McDowell made certain to take advantage of Connor Crawford’s considerable height advantage on Ivanovitch. Crawford has been somewhat erratic, and if he shot with a little more consistency, then he could have had a big game tonight. Still, his 50% success rate from downtown was good enough, especially early. The teams were trading punches and making shots. It was simply an exciting, well-played game that saw both teams execute very well. The lead changed hands sixteen times during the first half, and neither team built more then a four point lead over their opponent during this period of time. However, the KGB would close out the first half by going on a 10-3 run to take a 53-46 lead into halftime as coach Vassilev’s strategy of sitting back and waiting for their time to pounce on defense seemed to be rather effective as Rockets showed some signs of fatigue.

During the half, a couple of team scouts who were watching the game from the press box came down and pointed out some things that they felt they could exploit, moreso then Crawford’s height advantage. While other halftime speeches have been full of passion and motivational speeches, this one was all about strategy. The players were not too concerned about the deficit, and felt as long as they executed properly, they would get back into this. And that, they did. They came out gunning from downtown, hitting six of their first eight three point attempts, with Kory Klassen netting four of them. Klassen was getting into one of those hot streaks again and was determined to take control of the game as he was showing no adverse effects from the minor injury he sustained in the games against Taeshan. Now, they were taking it to the Bears and showing them just why Newmanistan is the 2nd ranked team in the world. The seven point deficit became a ten point lead very quickly, by the score of 71-61. Once the Bears began to get accustomed to the outside shots, McDowell quickly mixed up the strategy and got the ball in the paint to Tank Nelson, who scored four consecutive buckets as the Rockets moved out to their biggest lead of the game, 79-65. Knowing that his team would have to pick up the pace, and upset coach Vassilev called a time out to regroup his players. On the Rockets sideline, coach McDowell opted to give his starters a brief breather, knowing that the Bears seemed to win the endurance battle in the first half. Raphael Lachance and Dennis Norton had a decent showing, but the KGB seemed to be able to feast on our second unit quite a bit, and narrowed the gap back down to 89-83 before McDowell re-entered the starters. They were fresh, and the teams traded buckets for a few minutes, which is just fine when you’re the team with the lead. The closest the KGB would get was to within one at 97-96, but some clutch free throw shooting by our team down the stretch allowed us to secure the 104-101 victory.

After the game, the Rockets were in a joyous mood, as winning their third game of the group stage figures to send them through to the next level. Kory Klassen ended up leading the Rockets in scoring, with a 33 point effort. McDowell and Myedvedeya’s Vassilev exchanged a long friendly handshake after the game, and when we asked McDowell what was said, Phil told us, “Wished him good luck the rest of the way and that I felt his team seems to have what it takes to win in this sport, and perhaps in other competitions as well. We may see each other in this again down the road.”

"Where the heck did they find that!" cried Connor da Vincho. "Those rich losers."

Vanek folded up his paper. Here we freaking go again... I got a good price for that tidbit, though. Maybe I'll get something else.

Connor continued. "This hotel must be bugged! We have to leave, or inform the Dancougarans. This is ridiculous. The powers of the press cannot be that great."

"Of course," said Vanek. "But, maybe you just need to get a little less intense. This is just a tournament, after all."

"But a tournament on the national stage!" declared Connor. "A chance for endorsement contracts, glory, and a new fan base! There is a lot depending on this. We HAVE to focus. Make the folks back home proud of us. Our last IBC was an absolute ludicrous tournament. We shoulda sweeped the thing."

"What about those Rennistanis?" Vanek questioned. "The Playas?"

"Bah! All they do is drink beer and do stuff. THe only way they won was because their ref was blind!"

"Whatever," said Vanek, walking away. "I'm going to go relax in the pool."

"Hey, good idea. Maybe we can loosen up our muscles a bit after tomorrow." Connor said.

Announcer 1: “ And now Moggo Moggo. Swish. Magnus Valerius now up by 20.”

Announcer 2: “What the hell is going on tonight?”

A1: Periana the steal, lays it in, now its 100-78.

A2: How much more time is left of this crap?

A1: Four minutes and thirty three seconds. How about we just finish the game in a commercial and come back when its over?

A2: Good idea.

(They never actually come back).

SDOS EXTREMELY UPSET

Last night in the International Basketball Championships, the Millionaires lost to some country known as Magnus Valerius. Maybe we could have dealt with that, but they didn’t just lose, they got slaughtered by the score of 114-89. Shouldn’t #1 be beating #13 by that score? We thought so too, so there seems to be a problem here and the SDOS is beginning to feel the heat for allowing the same group of starting players to return to the IBC without needing to bid for their roster spots. Also applying here is the head coach, Andrew Cowan. It’s beginning to come to light now that a major part of the motivation to do well last time out was knowing that they would get their bids back if they won they won the championship, an unprecedented move in the history of the country. Then they got another reward now in not needing to bid for this year’s spots. Cassie Doran, the head of SDOS admits that they may have made a mistake, “We have seen other countries award roster spots based on merit and ability, and even though we think such a process is ridiculous, it seemed like a good idea to return our starting five so they would be able to defend their title. What we are seeing here is a group of players that aren’t as motivated as they were last time to get a return on their investment. They got the endorsement deals last time and they made a killing. We were hoping that national pride would kick in, but that does not seem to be the case.”

Secristan closes out their Group play with a game against Swilatia, and obviously this is a game that the team needs to win in order to have a chance to advance to the second round. Even a win does not guarantee things as there are several teams that may have the upperhand on the Millionaires. So now, because of championship hangover from last time, Secristan may be heading home way earlier then expected. If that is the case, we imagine that other nations will have some fun ridiculing us, and that it would be a major embarrassment for a defending champion to be going home early while the likes of others move on. Doran has talked to several companies that are sponsoring our players, and some of our athletes may find themselves losing their endorsement deals. Not legal, you say? Don’t worry, in Secristan we find a way to make it legal.

If you thought the biggest concern of the SDOS was the embarrassment of a first round choke, which may be unavoidable even if they defeat Swilatia is what would be the big deal, then you don’t know us well enough yet. It is the lost revenue from the quarterfinals, which the SDOS expected to be a given, as well as several companies who have already agreed to advertise during the pay-per-view telecasts of such games. If the Millionaires are not in it, then the whole plan is ruined and the amount of loss would be significant. They may try to televise the other games of the tournament on pay-per-view anyway, but not much interest is expected from that if we are not participating from the corporate side. And the common folk probably
wouldn’t care either.

Perhaps the SDOS can come through for us once again and bribe the IBC, first to give us favorable officiating against Swilatia to where we not only defeat them, but we mop the floor with them. Then, if necessary in a tiebreaker scenario, a payment could be made to assure that we would have preference regardless of head to head results or point differentials. I'd imagine that they'd see it in the best interest of the tournament if we did not go home after four games, they seem to be smart people in Dancougar. We’re not sure if this would be successful as the IBC turned down a bribe attempt last year.

What's the saddest thing about being 1-2?

Not being able to mock other teams that are 1-2.

Bye games. They're normally a time for teams that are ranked in the top 5 of an international tournament to relax. To enjoy the fruits of their labors. Alas for the Arrozan Men's national team there is no time for such excess, not if they intend on making a name for themselves, or even staying on TV longer than the beginning game of the World Bowl. With the off days, the Arrozan team is back in the gyms, pushing themselves to actually try to play team basketball and not get eliminated.

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK

Myedvedeyans lose tough match to Newmanistan, 101-104

Newmanistan won yet another close game yesterday, defeating Myedvedeya by 3 points. The match was extremely well played by both sides, and was by most accounts one of the tournament's more entertaining matches so far.

"We played very well, they played very well, they edged us out at the end. That's how it works sometimes, and my hat's off to them for pulling it out." Commented coach Aleksander Vadimirovitch Vassilev.

Newmanistan is now at the top of pool A, at 3-0, followed by Miroxia, at 2-0. Myedvedeya, at 1-1, faces Taeshan (0-2) tonight. Myedvedeya still has a good chance of qualifying for the later rounds, hopefully by making a top 2 spot, and possibly through a playoff.

"We are still strong as a team, and we cannot afford to let this loss set us back" Said Captain Ilya Ivanovitch. "We must focus on beating Taeshan and Miroxia. To Newmanistan, we hope to see you again in the knockouts."

For more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

http://www.biezanow.net/~dominik/TVLovun/tvlovunsport-basketball.gif
win and lose not too bad

after the second match when Lovisa beat Rennidan 95-93, this time we lose with Jerusalem 78-87.

The match with Rennidan was good, but not very good, we win but only 3 points, this time 9 points with Jerusalem look not good, but every one in Lovisa belive that next game match will be much better that this one.

Jerusalem lead now in our group with 2 winners, second is Lovisa (2-1) and 3rd Cafundeu ( 2-1)

The Isangrad Evening News

YAROSLAV: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Yaroslav Nikitishyev.

SHAHRBANU: And I'm Shahrbanu Arkhameini.

YAROSLAV: Tonight, we have some excellent news to report in sports. Abroad in Dancougar today, The Valerian Empire defeated the reigning champions in world basketball, Secristan, by 21 points.

SHAHRBANU: Secristan floundered and only ended up with 89 points, while the Valerian National Team took an astonishing lead with Periklis Anathasiopoulos's daring steal and lay-in with less than 5 minutes left. The team ended up with 114 points after all was said and done.

YAROSLAV: Considering that Arroza was also defeated by the Valerian National Team in the previous game, this sends a message about Valerian Basketball: We may not have been established internationally, but now is the time for us to shine and show how basketball is respected and played well in Magnus Valerius.

SHAHRBANU: Although Lacrosse is the #1 favorite sport in The Empire, International Football and Basketball come in tied at #2. Many sports are played in this athletic nation, which is known as the most athletically fit in the Kuric and Gedonian Continents.

YAROSLAV: And, I think basketball may even beat International Football in popularity, considering the route our National Team is taking in this sport. Viewers have been anxiously tuned into Valerian games in the International Basketball Championship. In fact, the TranceFormation Electronic Music "Festival" has been delayed, due to street celebrations of Valerian victories abroad on the basketball court.

SHAHRBANU: That is true! My neighbors began guzzling wine and vodka in the streets and I partook in the celebration too. It was a block party, with everyone on the street celebrating, dancing, and sharing food and festivities.

YAROSLAV: True, the same happened in my neighborhood, although some haughty noble tried to ruin the atmosphere by creating an "invite-only" block party down the street.

SHAHRBANU: Well, at least you still had fun at your part of the neighborhood!

YAROSLAV: Yep! Now, for the game! Today, Danilo Kholmogorysky, also known as Moggo Moggo, did stellar today, making many contested shots and breaking through the pressure of the Secristani team, being the top scorer and also ending up with a double-double. He could have made it a triple-double if he made a few more assists.

SHAHRBANU: Periklis "Periana" Anathasiopoulos, who is my favorite player by the way (he's so dreamy!) also did well today, with a double-double with points and assists. He did commit a few fouls, but still it was not enough to have Secristan catch up with the marvelous Valerian performance today.

YAROSLAV: What's also interesting is that Septimus "Septic" Kaiserianus put up some significant points today, considering he's not much of an offensive threat and is used more for defense. He even made a 3-pointer!

SHAHRBANU: Let us see that Top 5 Boxscore again, showing the Top 5 performances today.

The Top 5 Player Boxscore
Name Pos Min FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFFR DEFR TOTR AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Danilo MOGGO MOGGO Kholmogorysky G 45:08 11-21 3-5 7-8 4 7 11 6 1 2 1 2 32
Periklis PERIANA Anathasiopoulos G 43:52 5-11 2-4 8-8 0 3 3 14 4 3 1 0 20
Pavil YON Yoannov C 40:14 7-12 0-0 3-3 3 10 13 1 2 0 2 4 17
Johann Albrecht JAS Stahl F 38:12 5-11 1-2 4-6 3 9 12 3 2 1 0 2 15
Septimus SEPTIC Kaiserianus F 36:38 3-10 1-2 4-7 2 4 6 6 3 2 1 3 11



SHAHRBANU: As you can see, this Valerian National Team plays just like that: A Team. Kholmogorysky took the game-high point total at 32 points, with 11 rebounds and 6 assists.

YAROSLAV: They play indeed like a national team should, passing the ball around. Many of the players put in assists. Well, except for Yon and JAS but they are expected to finish up and dunk or lay-up in the paint. What was a little disappointing was that there was only 19 bench points, but then again, the starters rocked it.

SHAHRBANU: Maybe this is the sign of a new sports dynasty in Magnus Valerius. I mean, our national football team has always been the epitome of mediocrity.

YAROSLAV: That will definitely be true, if the Valerian Empire wins the championship. We just have to wait and see.

SHAHRBANU: Tomorrow's game versus Kenavt will be one to hold onto the edge of your seats for. We might see a Valerian Run to the Finals!

YAROSLAV: Well, at least we hope so! We once saw this happening to the Valerian Boyars in the World Cup... I forget which one, but they made a run and were at the top of the group, until they got owned and raped in nearly every game after the 4th matchday.

SHAHRBANU: But the likelihood of that happening to the Valerian National Basketball Team? Well, they are quite small right now! Just two more matchdays to go! Things are looking quite good for the Valerian National Team, and we hope them they will do their best!

YAROSLAV: We wish them luck! Stay tuned, citizens, for the game and its results and post-broadcast. We will be hosting it, with interviews of various players and the coach who is making it possible, Coach Valerian Yushchinin.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh106/newtypezaku/clare.jpg

I am here to deliver the cutoff. A man will come by later to collect the RPs.

Newmanistan 106 v Miroxia 105 (OT)
Cafundeu 89 v Jeruselem 92
Secristan 86 v Swilatia 71
Taeshan 100 v Myedvedeya 78
Dancougar 77 v Rennidan 101
Kenavt 81 v Magnus Valerius 95

Color code:
Qualified
Eliminated

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
2 Newmanistan 4 0 408 400
12 Miroxia 2 1 275 261
7 Taeshan 1 2 289 277
14 Myedvedeya 1 2 297 293
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 3 251 287

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
10 Jeruselem 3 0 268 245
5 Lovisa 2 1 270 259
3 Cafundeu 2 2 356 348
15 Rennidan 1 2 272 268
9 Dancougar 0 3 236 282

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
13 Magnus Valerius 3 0 313 255
1 Secristan 2 2 374 385
8 Kenavt 1 2 289 286
11 Swilatia 1 2 267 303
4 Arroza 1 2 284 306

Group A Scenarios:
* Newmanistan qualifies and is guaranteed first place.
* Miroxia qualifies with a win. They finish third with a loss and a Taeshan loss.
* Myedvedeya qualifies with a win and a Taeshan loss.
* Taeshan finishes third win a win and a Myedvedeya loss.
* Kose and the Turkomans finish third with a win and a Myedvedeya loss. However, 1-3 would be the worst record of all third-place teams, so they cannot advance.
* If Taeshan and a Myedvedeya both win, it creates a three-way tie between them and Miroxia which will go to point differential.

Group B Scenarios:
* The final order is set at Jeruselem, Lovisa, and Cafundeu.

Group C Scenarios:
* Magnus Valerius qualifies and is guaranteed first place.
* Secristan qualifies with a Kenavt win. They finish third if Arroza and Magnus Valerius both win.
* Arroza qualifies with a win and a Swilatia loss.
* Kenavt finishes third with a win.
* If Arroza and Swilatia both win, it creates a three-way tie between them and Secristan which will go to point differential.

After the final matchday, the seven eliminated teams are invited to participate in the "Best of the Rest" Mini-League of No Consequence, a round-robin held concurrently with the knockout stage.

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I am here to deliver the cutoff. A man will come by later to collect the RPs.

And if we give the wrong man in black the RP's?

OOC - Jeru FC qualify for WC42 and my basketball team qualify too ... WOW

Jeruselem Government News

With all the media attention of the World Cup 42 with Jeruselem and Jeru FC qualifying, as well as Jeruselem in Qazox for the Tour de Qazox 7 - we seem to have forgotten about our basketball team at the International Basketball Championship II.

The team has done well! They've won all three games so far. While no official nickname for the team has been given, people call them the "Wabbits" after some silly reference to Rabbits and Great Wall of China mention in THE FOOTBALL LIFE. Admittedly the basketball team are nothing like rabbits, being tall big strong men compared the "little girls" on our World Cup team. There's more rabbits in the World Cup team than our baskball team.

When asked about a roster, the coach said "Some idiot erased the file on my Mac and I can't be bothered to retype it. Dragging stuff into the bin icon is not a good idea."

Jeruselem is not known for it's basketball talent but then Jeruselem have football, baseball and cycling teams. The Holy land is churning out sports teams and this one seems to have done extremely well. Considering it took both Jeruselem and Jeru FC - 8 cups to qualify for the World Cup, this team did it on the first attempt in basketball.

Well done fellas! JGN would put up the names of the team but one of journalists overwrote the file with an image of Princess Marie-Antoinette Dallas in a bathtub by accident. We think he mixed up the words "boobieball" with "basketball".

Arroza Sportsnet > Basketball > IBC
Win or Get Lost.


Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their nation.

Now is the time for all everyone to put aside their partisan squabbles, and get it together. Now would be a good time to start taking yourselves seriously. Now is the time for everyone in the locker room to put their blunts down for a second and realize what we are to the country. The football team get all of the glory. They get all of the money, and the attention. Let them, we’re the real nationalists. We’re the people whose ancestors came here in irons with nothing more than a set of prison oranges on our backs, and a couple of torn up plowshares, and we turned this place into a garden. When the second-wavers look at us, they can snarl, and say whatever they want, but we are this [edit] country!

Normally this would be the part of the speech where I tell you to win one for the gipper or for the country, or for me, but to hell with that. You should win first of all, because it we didn’t come here to win, then we never should have left Resurgens in the first place. We should win because we’re better than Kenavt, no matter how many needles they stick in their [edit]. You should do it, just out of sheer first waver stubbornness. They all want you to fail, so go out there and beat them to a pulp, and show everyone that you hate that you’re stronger than they are.

-From pre-game speech. Arroza vs. Kenavt, Peterson Events Center.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh106/newtypezaku/rena.jpg

Hey... did somebody apologize to you, over and over and over again? This is your RP cutoff, kana, kana.

Kose and the Turkomans 96 v Taeshan 103
Lovisa 90 v Dancougar 104
Arroza 98 v Kenavt 82
Miroxia 79 v Myedvedeya 89
Jeruselem 89 v Rennidan 100
Swilatia 90 v Magnus Valerius 77

POOL A (PORT ROYAL) W L PF PA
2 Newmanistan 4 0 408 400
7 Taeshan 2 2 392 373
14 Myedvedeya 2 2 386 372
12 Miroxia 2 2 354 350
6 Kose and the Turkomans 0 4 347 390

POOL B (YUKI CITY) W L PF PA
10 Jeruselem 3 1 357 345
5 Lovisa 2 2 360 363
3 Cafundeu 2 2 356 348
15 Rennidan 2 2 372 357
9 Dancougar 1 3 340 372

POOL C (STONERIDGE) W L PF PA
13 Magnus Valerius 3 1 390 345
4 Arroza 2 2 382 388
1 Secristan 2 2 374 385
11 Swilatia 2 2 357 380
8 Kenavt 1 3 371 384

Bracket for the Final Tournament:

(1) Newmanistan
-----------------|
(8) Arroza |------------------|
-----------------| |
[PORT ROYAL] |
(5) Myedvedeya |------------------|
-----------------| | |
(4) Taeshan |------------------| |
-----------------| |
|-----------------------
(3) Jeruselem [YUKI CITY] |
-----------------| |
(6) Lovisa |------------------| |
-----------------| | |
[YUKI CITY] |------------------|
(7) Cafundeu |
-----------------| |
(2) Mag. Valerius|------------------|
-----------------|

Hmm, so perhaps a four game group stage was a bad idea. Whatever! I'll do it better next time, I promise. So the bracket is finalized. If you want to participate in the RP bonus bracketology minigame, TG it to me before the next RP cutoff, which is Wednesday. Tomorrow is a day off. Additionally, the seven eliminated teams will proceed to the Mini-League of No Consequence to build up their ranking for next time. It's like a Cup of Harmony, except with a much less friendly name. Full schedules will be up by tomorrow.

Now what happens...

BTW, all the point differentials for 2-2 nations that arent in red is

Taeshan: +17
Myedvedeya: +14
Cafundeu: +8
Miroxia: +4
Lovisa: -3
Arroza: -6
Secristan: -11
Swilatia: -23

MYEDVEDEYA IS SEED 5

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK, September 8, 2008

The qualifying stages of the IBCII are over. The stress and anxiety of a new game every day against a new team, with a chance of elimination riding on every match are gone. Now, teams begin to settle into 5-game series, to determine the greatest basketball nation in the world. After a rocky group stage involving a loss to Newmanistan, and an embarrassment against Taeshan, the Kamchatka Grizzly Bears of Myedvedeya have qualified for this stage, in the 5th spot of 8.

Our first opponent is none other than Taeshan, the team who inflicted a massive defeat on us in the group stage.

"We are confident we can overcome Taeshan this time around" Stated coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev. "Last match, we were down on ourselves after the close loss to Newmanistan, and we were overconfident that at-the-time 0-2 Taeshan couldn't touch us. We played a sloppy match, and were sent home with our tails between our legs. This time around, however, we know not to underestimate the Purple Knights. we will be ready, and we will bring our absolute best to this series. Myedvedeya has every intention of being a title contender, and we can't let one defeat in the group stage discourage us against any opponent."

Myedvedeya began the group stage with the most dominant performance of the tournament so far, defeating Kose and the Turkomans by 29 points. Their second match, however, did not go so well. They were defeated by 3 by the now-#1 Newmanistan team, and went home deeply discouraged. The next day, an overconfident Myedvedeya took the court against Taeshan, and were bashed by 22. Finally, with elimination on the line for both teams, Myedvedeya won comfortably against favored Miroxia, allowing them to advance to the quarterfinal stage on point differential, among 3 2-2 teams in their group.

Now, in what promises to be an extremely entertaining series, Myedvedeya takes on Taeshan, seeking revenge for their defeat in group, and for the Taeshani victory over Myedvedeya's American Football team last night. Myedvedeya's coaches, both basketball and football, gave inspiring speeches to players and fans tonight, as 200,000 watched from Dostoyevsky square, in Moskva, Myedvedeya. The fan presence and inspiration of the Myedvedeyans should be fantastic, and Taeshan is a worthy opponent. Looks like we could have a classic series on our hands.

For more sports news, visit www.novymoskva.mye/sports

Knights win and advance to knockouts

Yes it was an exciting weekend in Dancougar as the Knights qualified for the second round of play at the second IBC World Championships in Dancougar. On a sad note though last cups champions the Secristan Millionares lost out on a 9 team 5 qualifier point differential breakdown that sends us, Myedvedeyan, Cafundeu, Lovisa, and Arroza into the next round. While also sending the Miroxians, the Rennidians, the Swilatians, and the former champion Secristanis to the tourney of no consequence.

Well it was a big weekend for the Knights as the took on both Myedvedeyan, and The Turks in the final two games of the IBC group stage after two upsetting earlier loses to the Newmanistani's and the Miroxians earlier. In the first game the Knights took on the Myed's and whooped them behind star center Ilchyin Baker on there way to a convincing 100-78 victory, and the Knights did much the same to the Turkomans wiining in that one 103-96.

Next the Knights take on those pesky Bears of Myedvedeyan again in the first round of the knockouts. The Knights are ranked fourth in the K's while the Myed's are ranked 5th so it should be the closest of all the matches next month.

CBC.COM - ALL ABOUT CAFUNDELENSE BASKETBALL!
News of the Auriroxos (purple-yellow team) in the IBC

The group stage of the second edition of the IBC has ended, and the Auriroxos were able to qualify in the last qualifying spot available, as the 2nd best 3rd placed team. Although the team is now only the 7th best team according to the overall campaign results, the players are confident they can start improving in the knockout rounds and work hard to bring home the trophy... but this will be a very difficult mission for them, as the last results suggest. In the last game of the team in the group stage, we lost to Jeruselem, an unexpected but deserved loss, which shows that our team is far from being unbeatable, and that we really need to improve, especially in the knockout stage of the competition.

After that loss, we had to expect the last matchday in order to see if the Auriroxos from Cafundéu would be able to continue in the competition. And, luckily, they were. Now, the team will face Magnus Valerius, a group winner and 2nd placed in the overall results, in the quarterfinals. But our players seems confident: "Now it is our time to show to the fans that they can trust on us," said Juno. Leandro Lobo was more cautious: "They are motivated, so we need to do our best in order to be able to defeat them." Lina seemed ready for the victory: "They'll be difficult games, we all know it, but I think that we have the strength to qualify for the semifinals." Only the next games will tell us who is right.

SDOS NOT PLEASED WITH RESULT AT ALL

The Millionaires will not be participating in the second round of group play, after results of the final match day meant that they will not advance. Instead the team is being placed in a meaningless consolation tournament. However, the Millionaire players you saw will not be participating in the tournament. We will field a team, but a one-day auction has been started today, and a completely new roster will be announced.

SDOS Rep Cassie Doran says this is being done to punish the players: "They let us down. We are losing a lot of revenue by not making the second round. There's this little Who Cares tournament they have, and we'll send some people there, but they will be new people. This is an effort to get back some money we have lost."

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we are in final stage

In last match Lovisa lost with Dancougar 90-104,but weadvance to final stage. We are s happy, but mow its very hard match with Jerusalem which is strong teamand we lost with him in group stage.

We are a optimist are we will be doing every think hat we can do in this match to beat Jerusalem.

There's still time to get in those brackets; well over a day until the first RP cutoff of the knockout stage. Here are your schedules:

Final Tournament

Port Royal will host quarterfinal matchups 1 and 2 and semifinal 1. Yuki City is the home of quarterfinal matchups 3 and 4 and semifinal 2. The finals will be in Yuki City.

Wed Sept. 10: Gameday 6
QF1: Newmanistan v Arroza
QF2: Myedvedeya v Taeshan
QF3: Jeruselem v Lovisa
QF4: Cafundeu v Magnus Valerius

Thu Sept. 11: Gameday 7
QF1: Newmanistan v Arroza
QF2: Myedvedeya v Taeshan
QF3: Jeruselem v Lovisa
QF4: Cafundeu v Magnus Valerius

Fri Sept. 12: Gameday 8
QF1: Newmanistan v Arroza
QF2: Myedvedeya v Taeshan
QF3: Jeruselem v Lovisa
QF4: Cafundeu v Magnus Valerius

Sat Sept. 13: Gameday 9
* If necessary

Sun Sept. 14: Gameday 10
* If necessary

Mon Sept. 15: Gameday 11
SF1: QF1 v QF2
SF2: QF3 v QF4

Tue Sept. 16: Gameday 12
SF1: QF1 v QF2
SF2: QF3 v QF4

Wed Sept. 17: Gameday 13
SF1: QF1 v QF2
SF2: QF3 v QF4

Thu Sept. 18: Gameday 14
* If necessary

Fri Sept. 19: Gameday 15
* If necessary

Sat Sept. 20: Gameday 16
SF1 v SF2

Sun Sept. 21: Gameday 17
SF1 v SF2

Mon Sept. 22: Gameday 18
SF1 v SF2

Tue Sept. 23: Gameday 19
* If necessary

Wed Sept. 24: Gameday 20
* If necessary

Best of the Rest Mini-League

All games will be played in Stoneridge.

Wed Sept. 10: Gameday 6
Miroxia v Kose and the Turkomans
Rennidan v Dancougar

Thu Sept. 11: Gameday 7
Secristan v Swilatia
Miroxia v Kenavt

Fri Sept. 12: Gameday 8
Kose and the Turkomans v Rennidan
Dancougar v Secristan

Sat Sept. 13: Gameday 9
Miroxia v Swilatia
Dancougar v Kenavt

Sun Sept. 14: Gameday 10
Kose and the Turkomans v Secristan
Swilatia v Kenavt

Mon Sept. 15: Gameday 11
Miroxia v Rennidan
Kose and the Turkomans v Kenavt

Tue Sept. 16: Gameday 12
Dancougar v Swilatia
Rennidan v Secristan

Wed Sept. 17: Gameday 13
Kose and the Turkomans v Swilatia
Rennidan v Kenavt

Thu Sept. 18: Gameday 14
Miroxia v Secristan
Kose and the Turkomans v Dancougar

Fri Sept. 19: Gameday 15
Miroxia v Dancougar
Rennidan v Swilatia
Secristan v Kenavt

OOC: This was meant for yesterday before the scores, but eh I didn't have time to post it. But, you can't waste an RP. :p

The Isangrad Evening News

YAROSLAV: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Yaroslav Nikitishyev.

SHAHRBANU: And I'm Shahrbanu Arkhameini. Today the Valerians beat Kenavt in a highly defensive game today, 81 - 95. It was another showing of Valerian skill on the court. It seems that we do much better on the basketball court than in the field with a football!

YAROSLAV: It does seem like that, Shahrbanu. And, as promised, we will have two interviews with Periklis... "Periana" Anathasiopoulos and Danilo "Moggo Moggo"..? Kholmogorysky. But first, let up have the Top 5 Boxscore:

The Top 5 Player Boxscore
Name Pos Min FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFFR DEFR TOTR AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Danilo MOGGO MOGGO Kholmogorysky G 40:12 6-18 2-4 6-9 2 9 12 4 2 2 2 1 20
Periklis PERIANA Anathasiopoulos G 41:20 4-10 1-3 3-5 0 2 2 10 3 2 3 0 12
Mengke NOI Noyan C 20:44 4-9 0-0 3-5 1 8 9 7 3 0 1 4 11
Feofil FEO Almazov G 26:30 4-11 1-2 2-4 1 1 2 9 3 2 2 0 11
Pavil YON Yoannov C 25:22 4-7 0-1 2-3 2 5 7 4 4 0 2 3 10



SHAHRBANU: As you can see, Danilo Kholmogorysky is point high again today, with Periklis Anathasiopoulos a close second and with a narrow double-double. The bench had a lot of action today, tallying up points for a whopping 32 bench points today. Also, the points were quite evenly spread due to the Valerians having to share around and foil the Kenavtian defense.

YAROSLAV: Today, I am interviewing one of the men who have been making it possible. Please welcome Danilo Kholmogorysky!

DANILO: Thank you, Yaroslav.

YAROSLAV: Danilo, how is the international scene treating you?

DANILO: Hey, I like it! We get to play on the world stage, testing our mettle against the best from foreign countries! I think it will also show that we Valerians are capable sportspeople...

YAROSLAV: ...yeah, and certainly better on the court than in the field! Ha!

DANILO: Hahaha! That's a good one!

YAROSLAV: Well, speaking of the field, you did play football as a youth and then moved onto the court late in high school.

DANILO: True. I also played the piano and dj'ed at parties for my friends and such.

YAROSLAV: A man of multiple talents! Now, how are your hopes for the series, now that the Valerians are guaranteed a spot in the second round, no matter how tomorrow's game's outcome is?

DANILO: It's exciting. It will be the road to the championship for sure! We will succeed, or die trying!

YAROSLAV: That's quite valorous of you... Thank you for your time, Moggo Moggo.

DANILO: Hah, do you really have to use that silly nickname?

YAROSLAV: Well, according to the decree, I do have to use it at least once.

DANILO: Ehhh...

YAROSLAV: Good luck on the court, Danilo.

DANILO: Thanks! See you on the courtside!

THE ROCKET REPORT

READY FOR ARROZA

Port Royal, Dancougar- So, you’re not confused by today’s schedule are you? Newmanistan vs Dancougar in the sport hosted by Arroza and Newmanistan vs Arroza in the sport hosted by Dancougar. Hopefully, there is not a secret plan on the part of both nations to send officials to our games that will call the game wildly one-sided against us. It’s been a while since our basketball team has been in action with a double off day thanks to the matchday five bye day and then the off day to proceed the knockouts. So there is no excuse, none at all, for our players to be tired. And by the way, we have heard reports that the transmission of the Rocket Report’s recap of the Miroxia game did not make it out of Pocono City. So if you don’t live in Pocono City, you weren’t able to see that recap. We apologize for that error.

The Miroxia contest is now behind us, and our focus is now on the Tar Hornets of Arroza and their style of streetball. The one thing we can guarantee you about this upcoming series is that it will be two teams will completely contrasting ways of going about their offense. Obviously, you all know by now how the Rockets go about their business, and once again we should expect to see the team lighting it up from three point land, and the Tar Hornets know that it’s coming. We do think that the Rockets may be able to exploit Arroza a little bit, as their defenders are built more for teams that like to pound it outside, so they will have to make adjustments. However, the same will be true for us on defense. Arroza is a team that doesn’t only want to win, they want to look good doing it. Don’t be fooled by their 2-2 qualification record, this is a much better team then that. Tank Nelson and Reese Fraser will have to be on their best game to be able to contend with the athleticism of Steven McClellan, better known as Jetstream. With the Rockets not the greatest team in defending a powerhouse inside game, his skills will make coach Phil McDowell have to come up with quite a game plan. Fraser will have the task, let’s hope he’s up to it. LaQuinta Carter, or Sniper, could be a professional in Newmanistan if she wanted (not that we’re implying anything) because of her incredible outside shooting ability. This however, is something we are very confident that the Rockets can defend as they are accustomed to this in the EBA. The others are good, dangerous players as well. But make no mistake, this series comes down to stopping Jetstream. We do think the Rockets can score points against their defense.

Newmanistan is the #1 overall seed in the competition, just like they were last time. Sometimes, being the #1 can be more of a curse, but they will do their best to live up to the billing and get where they got before, and then make one more additional step. The defending champion, Secristan, has gone home. Reportedly, their starters have been banned from playing the Tournament of No Consequence and they will send new players. But anyway, the Rockets were the lone team to go 4-0, thanks to a stunning Swilatia win over Magnus Valerius on Matchday 5. In the other quaterfinals, Myedvedeya will take on Taeshan. If we win, the winner of this series will be our semifinal opponent, so perhaps we should root for Taeshan here as that will assure us a final berth. In the other half of the bracket, you have Jeruselem and Lovisa. We wanted to see Kate Sallad be a cheerleader here, but she’s got that World Cup thing to worry about. Cafundeu and Magnus Valerius are the other pair. All series in this round are a best of five.

Let's get it started in here.
Gameday 6 RP and Bracketology cutoff!

Quarterfinals
Newmanistan 102 v Arroza 100 (1-0)
Myedvedeya 87 v Taeshan 80 (1-0)
Jeruselem 89 v Lovisa 104 (0-1)
Cafundeu 85 v Magnus Valerius 103 (0-1)

Mini-League
Miroxia 93 v Kose and the Turkomans 96
Rennidan 72 v Dancougar 74

W L PF PA
Kose and the Turkomans 1 0 096 093
Dancougar 1 0 074 072
Secristan 0 0 000 000
Swilatia 0 0 000 000
Kenavt 0 0 000 000
Rennidan 0 1 072 074
Miroxia 0 1 093 096

In case anyone is wondering, no, Newmanistan has not cut a deal where he wins every game by a single shot. Maybe my scorinator is possessed?

NOVY MOSKVA NEWS NETWORK

DETERMINED MYEDVEDEYANS DEFEAT TAESHAN, LEAD SERIES 1-0

The Myedvedeyan International basketball squad played their first elimination round basketball game today, against former group foe Taeshan. The Myedvedeyans, who were embarrassed by Taeshan in the group stage, rallied to a, 87-80 victory, through strong defense and tactical play.

Point Guard and captain Ilya Ivanovitch led the offense on multiple deadly counterattacks with his precise and calculated passing game, and Mikhail Karpov was deadly from downtown, making 6 of 7 from 3-point range. On defense, Afanasiy Lyuchenko had a fantastic game, and star Center Anatoly Karolov was, as always, solid as a brick wall.

During the first quarter, things progressed slowly as the foes scouted each other out. Ivanovitch probed the Taeshani defense with some careful passes, and both teams tread lightly around each other, shooting often from range. The quarter ended with a slight Taeshan lead, 15-13.

In the second quarter, things heated up considerably, as Anton Dolohov sparked the Myedvedeyan offense with his fast, reckless play. Taeshan responded in kind, and the once cold, calculated game became for a short time only a scorefest. The quarter ended with Myedvedeya on top, 57-51.

The third quarter returned the game to its' original pace, with some brief moments of explosiveness interspersed throughout the defense. Mikhail Karolov scored 13 points, 9 from three-pointers, and Myedvedeya maintained the lead, 68-64.

In the final quarter, the Myedvedeyan defense locked down on the Taeshani offense, protecting the lead at all costs. Anatoly Karolov blocked 6 shots, and Ivanovitch's counterattacking tactics led to the final score of 87-80.

"We played very well, and I am happy with the overall performance by the team, and by each of the individuals" Stated coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev.

TOP SCORER-
Mikhail Karpov, 24 points

MAN OF THE MATCH-
Afanasiy Lyuchenko

for more sports news,visitwww.novymoskva.mye/sports

THE ROCKET REPORT

CARDIAC ROCKETS DO IT AGAIN

Port Royal, Dancougar- In the first International Basketball Championships, the Rockets led the competition, by far, in point differential. That has not been the case this year. No, not at all. Every game has gone down to the wire but every time so far, Newmanistan has been able to pull off the victory. Either with a dramatic last second shot, clutch free throw shooting, or a big defensive play at the end, or a combination of any of that, there has been no lack of excitement in any of the games this year. This was again the case against the Tar Hornets of Arroza, who Newmanistan defeated by the score of 102-100 in the opener of their best of five quarterfinal series.

However, this game wasn’t always looking good for the Rockets. At the start of the game, Newmanistan had some difficulty connecting from three point land, hitting one of their first eight. There were some points generated in the paint by Tank Nelson and Reese Fraser to keep it from getting ugly early. Arroza shot much better and jumped out to a quick 20-7 lead. Steven McClellan (Jetstream), immediately tried to exploit his favorable matchups, hitting his first three shots, but then he went in a little funk himself. Keyron Doaks (Lights Out) became their main man during this stretch, taking advantage of the Rockets focusing much of their defensive effort. LaQuinta Carter (Sniper) got into the action a bit too, but she would be more effective later on the first half. The Rockets never made a quick rally, though as the first half went on, you could see that they were beginning to find their groove. Kory Klassen and Connor Crawford still weren’t at their best, and Garrett York really picked the team up, hitting 4 of 6 three point attempts to keep the team close enough for a comeback effort. The Tar Hornets never extended their lead by more then that thirteen points, though maintained a lead ranging from 7 to 13 for the entire first half. At the end of it, Arroza was up 54-44.

While the sense in the building may have been that the Tar Hornets were going to be tough and that the Rockets would not be able to make a comeback as Arroza just looked to good tonight, as they had led ever since the opening tipoff. Phil McDowell and the team weren’t buying it. A 10 point lead, with a good stretch of three point marksmanship could be erased quite quickly. When the second half began, it would have been nice if the comeback began immediately, but it didn’t. This is where we saw Sniper get quite involved in the contest, hitting four consecutive three pointers to match a three of four stretch that the Rockets put up as well. The Tar Hornets fans in the stands were feeling good here as they were continuing to maintain their leading around the ten point margin. A lesser team may have become discouraged and said that this wasn’t their day, but the Rockets kept on trying to cut the lead, just not seeming to make enough progress. With 1:03 left to play, Arroza was up 98-93, and the Rockets had no choice but to put them to the line, and they were in the bonus. First up would be Jetstream. Clanks it off the rim, rebounded by Tank Nelson. The Rockets execute the fast break and like up Connor Crawford for a three. Good! 98-96! 43 seconds left, now its Carter at the line. First shot, good. Second shot, good, making it 100-96. The Rockets execute a quick fast break and get the ball to Kory Klassen. With 20 seconds left he shoots a three. Good! 100-99. With 11 seconds left the Rockets send Jetstream back to the line. The crowd was on their feet. When you have had a history of pulling out close games in the tournament, you’re fans will remember that history here. Even the Arrozans were sensing it. And perhaps Jetstream was feeling. He had a strong game, but it wouldn’t matter if he missed this shot. The shot looked good at first but was too strong, hitting the back iron and into the hand of Tank Nelson. Newmanistan called their final timeout with 8 seconds left. That should be enough time to set up the final shot. And it was, with 2 seconds left Klassen put it up, from behind the arc of course. It didn’t have to be, but you couldn’t have expected anything less. The shot was good. The buzzer sounded. It was the only time the Rockets led all night, but it came at the right time. Another dramatic victory, by the score of 102-100, and it would be the Rockets completely stunning the Tar Hornets in the first game of the series. This one was certainly a classic.

Offense Sells Tickets, Defense Wins Championships.

Welcome to Yuki City, Dancougar, where the Tar Hornets, or the Ballers, as they’ve been affectionately called lost a heartbreaking game to the Newmanistan Rockets,102-100. The team lost in the worst way possible, a last second three pointer from way beyond the arc from Klassen. But let’s ignore the last second heroics, and focus on what was really annoying about this game and the Hornets in general.

At no point did the Hornets put this game out of reach. Somehow in a 48-minute basketball game, they led for Forty-seven minutes, and Fifty-Eight seconds without ever demoralizing their opponents or putting up an insurmountable lead. Nor did they ever try to change their defensive tactics from the man to man, starting at the standard three point line, which left the Rocket shooters free to make shots from as far away as Eastport, but neither of the coaches seemed to realize the idea that when you play an explosive team that can get streaky and put up six, nine, fifteen points in a minute of two, that you need to settle down, stop with the games and play some in your face defense.

There were good points last night, mainly the defensive play of the centers, and the offensive prowess of Sniper and Jetstream who combined for fifty-seven points. But you can’t do it all on offense. Teams that try have games like what happened last night.

The amusing pictures torch passes to Arroza and the World Bowl; this is your pedestrian, texty RP cutoff for gameday seven, where today my scorinator decided it was sick of close games o_O

Quarterfinals
QF1: Newmanistan 91 v Arroza 113 (1-1)
QF2: Myedvedeya 74 v Taeshan 93 (1-1)
QF3: Jeruselem 66 v Lovisa 111 (0-2)
QF4: Cafundeu 68 v Magnus Valerius 75 (0-2)

Mini-League
Secristan 96 v Swilatia 85
Miroxia 65 v Kenavt 77

W L PF PA
Secristan 1 0 096 085
Kenavt 1 0 077 065
Kose and the Turkomans 1 0 096 093
Dancougar 1 0 074 072
Rennidan 0 1 072 074
Swilatia 0 1 085 096
Miroxia 0 2 158 173

MYEDVEDEYA SUFFER PAINFUL DEFEAT (Series tied 1-1)

Myedvedeya lost today to Taeshan, by the unbalanced score of 93-74. Even after their 87-80 victory over Taeshan in the first game of the series, it does not entirely seem as though Myedvedeya has figured out how to beat this team. Players seem discouraged, and are not playing with their usual analytical style. Myedvedeya will need to study Taeshan's game, and work hard in practice tonight, in the hopes of a confidence-boosting victory tomorrow night.

for more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

111-66? Good lord have mercy.

111-66? Good lord have mercy.

Yeeeeeeeah... that's one of those edge cases where one team gets all the good random numbers...

OOC: Again, another RP meant for before the cut-off. =\

The Isangrad Evening News

YAROSLAV: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Yaroslav Nikitishyev.

SHAHRBANU: And I'm your hostess, Shahrbanu Arkhameini. Today, the Cafundeulese, the Portuguese-speaking nation of staunch capitalists, was beaten by the Valerian National Team in basketball today in a blowout, 85 - 103.

YAROSLAV: It was perhaps very embarrassing for the Cafundeulese, who are known for being a good, athletic nation... well, at least on a field of grass.

SHAHRBANU: The two Valerian stars, Kholmogorysky and Anathasiopoulos, led the team to this victory and put on a great show in front of the crowds of Valerians, Cafundelese, and Dancougarians in Yuki City.

YAROSLAV: It was indeed quite a victory.

SHAHRBANU: We have also given Periklis Anathasiopoulos a new nickname after his daring feat, "O Lusitano", which is Lusitanian for The Lusitanian. It's either because he owned their team, or he played with the grace of a member of a horse breed of the same names.

YAROSLAV: Yeah, he sure showed those Lusitanians a thing or two about basketball.

SHAHRBANU: Well, they aren't exactly Lusitanians... they're Cafundeulese. We will have a special on Cafundeu, right after this box score.


The Top 5 Player Boxscore
Name Pos Min FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFFR DEFR TOTR AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Danilo MOGGO MOGGO Kholmogorysky G 42:15 12-25 4-6 10-12 3 7 10 5 3 2 2 1 38
Periklis PERIANA Anathasiopoulos G 40:41 8-16 3-5 6-6 1 4 5 15 1 2 2 0 25
Pavil YON Yoannov C 37:09 8-13 0-0 4-4 4 11 15 3 3 0 3 3 20
Gustav G-STEIN Steinbock F 29:56 1-6 1-2 5-7 2 6 8 8 2 2 1 0 8
Laurentios LK Kappadokionos F 31:30 3-5 0-1 1-1 3 3 6 7 1 0 0 1 7



SHAHRBANU: As you can see here, folks, the vast majority of the points scored in the game were made by Danilo, Periklis, and Pavil. Much of the supporting cast, including Stahl and Kaiserianus, were unproductive on the offensive end today. The game-high tally belonged to Moggo Moggo Kholmogorysky once again, who never fails when putting in a good game or showing off his skills to the world.

YAROSLAV: Thanks, Shahrbanu. Now we will do a special on Cafundeu. Many of you might wonder what country this "Cafundeu" might be. Well, we sent special correspondent Vasily Artyemsky to Cafundeu to give us a perspective into their nation. Vasily?

VASILY: Hear you loud and clear, Yaroslav!

YAROSLAV: Vasily, please tell us about Cafundeu.

VASILY: Well, in Cafundeu, the climate in some areas is very similar to Kydonia - tropical and semi-tropical, although some areas are quite temperate or Mediterranean I believe, much like the mainland Valeria. I think the "Bahia do Norte"... if I got the area right (?) is the tropical area. They love futbol here, and it is the national craze. The people here seem to be a mix of all sorts of Europeans and the like. They also enjoy... acai? Well, they also have some great seafood, beef, and food here, along with sandy beaches and nice weather and friendly people. I would love to move here one of these days. I also notice that they speak Lusitanian here, although a somewhat modified dialect, much like what is spoken in Imperial Brazil... oh wait, is this a different dimension? I swear this country is exactly like Imperial Brazil except.... Oh what IS THAT? It's a woman, yet dark, as if she were covered in cacao!

YAROSLAV: Ahh... I see that Vasily has never seen a black person before. Well, I guess he's never eaten injera at one of the Fasileian immigrant (OOC: essentially Fasileians are Amhara/Abyssinian) restaurants in downtown Isangrad... Hey Vasily, black people are common in Cafundeu I believe. We have a file...

VASILY: But she is... so... unique. So exotic! Sleek like fine ebony...

YAROSLAV: Oh dear, Vasily is having a fantasy on-camera again! Quick! Cut to a commercial!!!

(OOC: Very abbreviated version. Will be all weekend, until Monday, for both IBC 2 and WB III)

THE ROCKET REPORT

WHERE’S THE DRAMA?

Port Royal, Dancougar- Arroza needs to learn when they win, they need to do it with last second heroics. We say that kiddingly, of course. After every game, and we mean every single game, that Newmanistan has played has come to the wire, tonight we had a game with an outcome that was known well before the final minutes. Not that this was a good thing for us, as the Tar Hornets cruised to an easy 113-91 win in the second game to even up the series at a game apiece. If you’re keeping score, Newmanistan now has played 6 games, gone 5-1 and has a -12 point differential. Just an interesting set of numbers, we thought.

One of the criticisms in the Arrozan media following the first game was the team’s lack of a killer instinct. They had Newmanistan down for most of the game, but could not deliver the knockout punch, then as the game went on, the Rockets stole the victory. Tonight, when the Rockets again had early game rust from the outside, Arroza jumped out to a lead and never looked back. After watching tapes of the first game, it’s clear that they tried to get the ball to Jetstream more, and this guy is going to really make things difficult for us. He must have taken the criticism to heart as he singlehandedly seemed to take control of the game and carry the team on his shoulders. He was everywhere on the court, knocking them down from all over, and getting rebounds. Once Newmanistan could find their rhythm the damage was already done as the Tar Hornets took a 27 point lead, 62-35 into the first half. It was definitely one of the ugliest performances we have seen out of the Rockets in quite some time.

In the second half, Arroza continued to try and deal crushing blows, and for every running up the score the Black Wings of Dancougar put on them in the World Bowl last night, the Tar Hornets were going to make up for it and punish the Rockets. At one point in the second half, they enjoyed their biggest lead, a 37 point cushion, 91-54. It was at this point when Phil McDowell simply put in the reserves and stunningly Michael Lessard was on fire, hitting 8 of the 9 three point attempts he attempted in the second half and Dennis Norton adding 10 points of his own. Maybe they should have played the whole game, or perhaps Arroza had already felt they had the game already won. Because they did, in fact, have the game already won. All Lessard and Norton accomplished was lessen their margin of victory. The final score again, 113-91 in favor of Arroza, tying up the series.

We’ve heard that a couple people out there might actually care about our replacement team for the loser tournament. So here they are, their height and ages aren’t important. Well, you might think they are, we just didn’t bother to ask, the SDOS just took their rusas and let them go.


Starters:
PF: Zack Thompson
SF: Matt Huckstone
C: Lamont Charles
SG: Imani Muhammad
PG: Bob Smith

Bench:
F: Alex Gomhall
F: Harvey Wilkerson
C: Marvin Jenkins
G: Rick Millhouse
G: Roger Greenburg
C: Frankie Tomlin
Util: Yvgeni Lyshenkov

So does anyone advance tonight? We'll find out after this, your gameday 8 RP cutoff!

Quarterfinals
QF1: Newmanistan 88 v Arroza 93 (1-2)
QF2: Myedvedeya 80 v Taeshan 70 (2-1)
QF3: Jeruselem 98 v Lovisa 99 (0-3)
QF4: Cafundeu 77 v Magnus Valerius 83 (0-3)

The bottom of the bracket is already set - Lovisa and Magnus Valerius will meet in the semifinals, and both have earned two free days. The two series at the top will go to game four tomorrow, which will be scorinated late due to anime club.

Mini-League
Kose and the Turkomans 76 v Rennidan 67
Dancougar 72 v Secristan 97

W L PF PA
Secristan 2 0 193 157
Kose and the Turkomans 2 0 172 160
Kenavt 1 0 077 065
Dancougar 1 1 146 169
Swilatia 0 1 085 096
Rennidan 0 2 139 150
Miroxia 0 2 158 173

Myedvedeya 1 win from Semifinals

In today's International Basketball Championship II quarterfinal match, Myedvedeya defeated Taeshan 80-70, to take the lead in their series, 2 games to 1. The Myedvedeyans played another tactical and defensive match, and it paid off with this comfortable victory over the Purple Knights.

In the first quarter, Captain Ilya Ivanovitch led the offense to an uncommon burst of scoring, going on a 15-2 opening run. The quarter settled down after this, and ended with Myedvedeya ahead by 5, 27-22.

The second quarter could accurately be summed up as the Anatoly Karolov show. The defensive center blocked 11 shots in this quarter alone, and generally destroyed Taeshan's offense. Karolov himself had a rare 10 points in this quarter, as he is not usually known for being a scorer. Myedvedeya's lead at the end of this quarter had expanded, to 41-29.

The third quarter involved a lot of back and forth scoring from both teams. Myedvedeya's Anton Dolohov and Mikhail Karpov provided most of the points, and Anatoly Karolov continued to be dominant on defense. Myedvedeya ended the quarter ahead by the score of 66-54.

In the final quarter, Myedvedeya fell into the defensive, play-the-odds, lead protecting fourth quarter mode they have, and it worked. Anatoly Karolov was yet again spectacular, and he, along with Afanasiy Lyuchenko, made mincemeat of Taeshan's comeback chances. The match ended in a comfortable Myedvedeya victory, 80-70.

MYEDVEDEYA'S TOP SCORER:

I)- Nikolai Ilyich, 18 points

MAN OF THE MATCH:
Center, Anatoly Karolov

Happy Birthday to 2nd string center Josef Kryuchkov!

for more sports news, visit www.novymoskva.mye/sports

Yeeeeeeeah... that's one of those edge cases where one team gets all the good random numbers...

See example, today's football result.

Other minor notes:
Myedvedeva: I loled. If your reporter goes crazy at seeing one black woman, he's going to have...issues in Arroza, seeing as we're about 35% black.

Win, At What Cost?

In one of the few games that the Arrozan national team has played with the type on internal fire and killer instinct that a true championship team has, they won a thriller against the Newmanistan Rockets 93-88. But in the victory, star player Jetstream was taken off the court in a wheelchair after severely twisting his ankle, coming down awkwardly from a thunerous dunk, early in the third quarter. He was later taken for X-rays and observation at a local Yuki City clinic, and the tests showed that nothing was broken. He will however miss up to two weeks of action, meaning the Newmanistan series, and the entire semi-finals, if we qualify. In his absense, time will be split between Daddy Smooth, and a bigger 2 forwrd line-up including Tropical.

(ooc) Arroza- you are mistaken- it was Magnus Valerius, not me, who commented about "A woman, dark as if she was covered in Cacao"... Myedvedeyan commentary focuses mostly on the game, and the fan antics

(ooc) Arroza- you are mistaken- it was Magnus Valerius, not me, who commented about "A woman, dark as if she was covered in Cacao"... Myedvedeyan commentary focuses mostly on the game, and the fan antics

That's what I get for posting at 2:30AM.

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS ON BRINK OF ELIMINATION

Port Royal, Dancougar- The cardiac kids have struggled of late to play their game as once again the team got off to a poor start. It has led to some Rockets fans that have attended the games in Dancougar to start to get on the case of Connor Crawford as he once again struggled from the outside, hitting just 4 of 14 shots. Kory Klassen hasn’t actually been stellar himself, but he’s been good enough to stay on the good graces of the fans, mainly because of his clutch shots late in games.

But after getting slaughtered in the second game, there would be no last second heroics in the third game either. Arroza took the lead from the start again, though thanks to tougher defense from the Rockets, they did not go ahead by anymore then 8 points in the early stages. A big moment in the game occurred early in the 3rd quarter when Arroza’s star known as Jetstream put down a powerful dunk but then felt a thunderous pain in his ankle. We have since learned that he will not return for the series due to the injury, and should the Tar Hornets advance. What kind of an impact this has on the series remains to be seen. Jetstream has been the toughest matchup for the Rockets to contend with, and he will be a major loss. Perhaps, the Rockets can take advantage, or Arroza could rally around it. Either way, Arroza now leads the series 2 games to 1, pushing Newmanistan to the bring of elimination.

You're Red, team leader and great hero of justice! Also, gameday 9 RP cutoff.

Quarterfinals
QF1: Newmanistan 102 v Arroza 85 (2-2)
QF2: Myedvedeya 75 v Taeshan 98 (2-2)

And both top half games go down to the wire!

Mini-League
Miroxia 91 v Swilatia 93
Dancougar 85 v Kenavt 74

W L PF PA
Secristan 2 0 193 157
Kose and the Turkomans 2 0 172 160
Dancougar 2 1 231 243
Kenavt 1 1 151 150
Swilatia 1 1 178 187
Rennidan 0 2 139 150
Miroxia 0 3 249 266

MYEDVEDEYA SERIES TIED

After another painful loss to Taeshan, Myedvedeya's series will go down to the wire.

(ooc i have no time for a long post b/c im at a friends house.)

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS STAY ALIVE; FORCE GAME 5

Port Royal, Dancougar- With their backs against the wall, the Rockets came out and played their most complete game of the series, registering a win that more then double their combined total of their four group stage victories. Yes, the way that things have gone for Newmanistan, a 17-point win can be considered a rout, and now both teams are prepared for a decisive fifth game. The Rockets won the contest by the score of 102-85.

Both teams had different internal situations they needed to deal with for the fourth game. For the Tar Hornets, it was the matter of replacing Jetstream in the lineup, who injured his ankle in the last game. On the court, he would be replaced by Jesus Garcia-Leighton, better known as Daddy Smooth, with Talib Greenway, otherwise known as Tropical, expected to get considerable playing time. For Newmanistan, Connor Crawford needed to step it up. He has struggled, and even though if he were to struggle again, their probably wouldn’t be another game, he knew that if he wanted to continue starting, he had to play well as Michael Lessard has been looming on the bench, and he has done well in the minutes he has been given. With all that in mind, the Rockets this time took the early lead, but it wouldn’t be a big early statement by Crawford. Instead the Rockets looked to catch the Tar Hornets slightly off guard by challenging Daddy Smooth in the paint with Reese Fraser, and Reese stepped up and hit four of the first seven converted shots. Of the other three, Tank Nelson had two and Klassen one. A little different, and at the other end, the Rockets seemed to be playing with a lot more comfortable defensively. Arroza was looking to get the ball to Carter, but she was smothered by Klassen quite well. Newmanistan was up 14-8, and then 22-12 before they began to start firing away from the outside, and now it would be Crawford. When he hit his first two shots from the outside, it appeared to be a big confidence boost for him. Newmanistan maintained their lead throughout the half, surviving a moderate Arroza rally, and led 50-43 at the intermission.

For once, the Rockets had a halftime lead. It would be a whole new mindset as in every game thus far, they have had to play catchup against the Tar Hornets. There was a feeling of more confidence in the locker room, and with very balanced scoring amongst the starters in the first half, you had to think that things looked good. They would have to hold off an Arroza comeback attempt at some point, but if they could finish this off, they would get their fifth game. Klassen and Crawford did their best to make sure that Arroza would not start chipping away early, as they hit a combined five three point shots, three of which came from Klassen, as Newmanistan pulled out to a 70-49 lead, their biggest of the game. For the first time, the Arrozans began to have the long looks on their faces, as they seemed to struggled a bit in the absence of Jetstream. As the remaining minutes ticked away, Newmanistan appeared to show no signs of letting up, and would get themselves a win, a critical 102-85 win to ensure the team has one final chance. Of the victory, coach McDowell was thrilled, “We played our best game of the tournament here tonight, and for us to have done that with our backs against the wall shows the character of this team. Not that we should have expected anything less, but it was a great effort from our guys tonight, and I have to feel pretty good coming off this game into the big game five tomorrow.”

The quarterfinals end now! Gameday 10 RP cutoff!

Quarterfinals
QF1: Newmanistan 92 v Arroza 94 (2-3)
QF2: Myedvedeya 96 v Taeshan 77 (3-2)

The semifinal bracket is finally set!

(1) Newmanistan 2
-----------------|(8) Arroza
(8) Arroza 3|-----------------|
-----------------| |
[PORT ROYAL] |
(5) Myedvedeya 3 |-----------------|
-----------------|(5) Myedvedeya | |
(4) Taeshan 2|-----------------| |
-----------------| |
|-----------------------
(3) Jeruselem 0 [YUKI CITY] |
-----------------|(6) Lovisa |
(6) Lovisa 3|-----------------| |
-----------------| | |
[YUKI CITY] |-----------------|
(7) Cafundeu 0 |
-----------------|(2) M Valerius |
(2) M Valerius 3|-----------------|
-----------------|

Mini-League
Kose and the Turkomans 95 v Secristan 90
Swilatia 77 v Kenavt 100

W L PF PA
Kose and the Turkomans 3 0 267 250
Secristan 2 1 283 252
Dancougar 2 1 231 243
Kenavt 2 1 251 227
Swilatia 1 2 255 287
Rennidan 0 2 139 150
Miroxia 0 3 249 266

Bracketology
4 - Newmanistan
3 - Myedvedeya (+0.30 for semifinals)
1 - Arroza (+0.15 for semifinals)
0 - Taeshan

THE ROCKET REPORT

ARROZA TO PLAY ON

Port Royal, Dancougar- The Rockets bid to go one additional step further then they went last year has come to an end two steps short of where they went in the inaugural championships as an inspired Arroza team knocked Newmanistan out in game 5 of the quarterfinal by the score of 94-92. Isn’t it ironic, that with all the close games that we won at the beginning of the tournament, that we would exit in this fashion. Actually, the game was setting up for another dramatic finish as after Arroza took the 94-92 lead with 3.8 seconds left, it looked as though Newmanistan would be able to have one last chance and pull off more last second heroics. They got the ball the to Kory Klassen for a shot at the buzzer. It was supposed to be good. It’s been good all tournament these last second buzzer beaters. But it appeared as though the Rockets had exceeded their withdrawal limit at the luck bank, and the law of averages would work itself out. Klassen’s shot hit the back iron, grazed the front of the rim and bounced to the right of the hoops setting off an exuberant celebration from the Tar Hornets, as they obviously were inspired by desire to do it for Jetstream, who sat on the sideline with the team in street clothes. It was a well played series, but if we look at what transpired over the course of the five games, it does seem that the better team this year is advancing. Congratulations to Arroza, and wish them the best against Medvedeya, who knocked Taeshan out. The other semifinal will feature Lovisa and Magnus Valerius.


OOC: But at least I went 4-for-4 in the bracketology competition. Yes, I picked Arroza. And have again and again.

OOC: But at least I went 4-for-4 in the bracketology competition. Yes, I picked Arroza. And have again and again.

Lol. I picked Newmanistan.

http://www.biezanow.net/~dominik/TVLovun/tvlovunsport-basketball.gif
we playing still

after the win 3 times with Jerusalem we advance to semi final where we will be paling with Magnus Valerius which win cafundeu in last round.

take care Lovisa :)

BEARS ADVANCE TO SEMIS

After a grueling 5-game series against Taeshan, Myedvedeya have advanced to the Semifinals of the International Basketball Championships, where they will face Arroza, who just defeated Newmanistan, also in 5 games. Our reporter spoke to Tsar Aydan Krakovsky today about the series.

Anatoly Vostok: My lord the Tsar, I would like a word with you about the basketball team.

Tsar Aydan Krakovsky: Ah, yes. They advanced last night, did they not?

AV: They did, my lord.

AK: Good, good... (takes a long pull from a thin black cigarette holder, exhales deeply) The people will be very happy.

AV: They shall. Our first tournament, and we are doing very well.

AK: Yes, yes we are. I shall conclude this interview now, good sir. Stefan! (calls to a large man standing warily by the door) Go onto the balcony, and call the people to a meeting. Use the general address microphone. I want to reach every radio and television in the country as well. Tell them I will address them in 15 minutes.

(15 minutes later)

AK: Men and Women of Myedvedeya. I come before you today to tell of a great victory that has been won for our people. In the realm of sport, we are relatively new to the world, but last night, we made our impression. Our basketball players boldly struggled for five games against Taeshan, and finally defeated them soundly last night, securing our place as one of the top four basketball nations in the world. Every player on the team has the thanks and blessing of the Tsar. Now, people of Myedvedeya, I declare tonight an official night of celebration. Eat, drink, and be merry, for a great triumph has been won for our country.

(Crowds cheer, the celebration goes on all night.)

AV: That was the Tsar of Myedvedeya, Aydan Krakovsky, on our victory. Our series against Arroza begins tomorrow night, and we will have coverage of that too. Goodnight to Myedvedeya, and goodnight to the world.

for more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

The semifinals begin! Go Eagles, if only because I hate the Cowboys! This is your RP cutoff for gameday 11!

Semifinals
SF1: Arroza 85 v Myedvedeya 86 (0-1)
SF2: Lovisa 85 v Magnus Valerius 99 (0-1)

Mini-League
Miroxia 91 v Rennidan 78
Kose and the Turkomans 74 v Kenavt 100

W L PF PA
Kenavt 3 1 351 301
Kose and the Turkomans 3 1 341 350
Secristan 2 1 283 252
Dancougar 2 1 231 243
Swilatia 1 2 255 287
Miroxia 1 3 340 344
Rennidan 0 3 217 241

"No RP for you!"

No RP for me?

Gameday 12 cutoff!

Semifinals
SF1: Arroza 94 v Myedvedeya 83 (1-1)
SF2: Lovisa 81 v Magnus Valerius 71 (1-1)

Mini-League
Dancougar 84 v Swilatia 67
Rennidan 79 v Secristan 77

W L PF PA
Dancougar 3 1 315 310
Kenavt 3 1 351 301
Kose and the Turkomans 3 1 341 350
Secristan 2 2 360 331
Swilatia 1 3 322 371
Miroxia 1 3 340 344
Rennidan 1 3 296 308

Newmanistan's players found themselves at home last night painfully trying to decide which team they were going to root for now. None of them really had a preference. Though Tank Nelson says he will be rooting for Arroza, "If we can't win, it looks better to have said you lost to the eventual champion."

We have a hard time finding press releases from other nations since our elimination in the quarterfinal, we're sure they are out there somewhere. Anyone? Anyone?

Reports are that the Empire Basketball Association has considered proposing the IBC Committee to have Newmanistan replace one of the dead teams as we could still provide some life to the tournament, but they decided that it would not be the thing to do. Though we were very excited to hear one thing come from Dancougar recently. That is, "Go Eagles!" You got it!

Everyone else, consider this your kick in the butt to get RPing. Be glad your still alive! :wink:

(OOC- I have two papers and two tests during the end of this week, so Im ridiculously busy)
MYEDVEDEYA VS ARROZA

The Myedvedeya-Arroza series is currently tied up at 1-1, with the first game going to Myedvedeya, and the second to Arroza. After defeating Taeshan in 5 games, Myedvedeya have looked somewhat lackluster on the court, only managing to win by a single point, and being defeated by 11. Tonight will be a tough test, as the crucial third game will determine which team is on the brink of elimination. Last time, Myedvedeya held strong at 1-1, defeating Taeshan in a close game. This time, the opponent is tougher, but Myedvedeyans are confident they can do it again.

"We have a good team, and we always seem to come through when it matters most" Said coach Aleksander Vladimirovitch Vassilev. "We fought our way to win game 3 against Taeshan, and then fought to a victory again in game 5. We will come through with this, for our country, for our Tsar, and for ourselves"

On the other side of the draw, Lovisa and Magnus Valerius are tied at 1-1 as well. The victors of each series will face each other in another best-of-5 series for the IBC championship.

for more sports news, visit www.novymoskva.mye/sports

In lieu of a full game report, which has already been covered to death on almost every program in Arroza, we’re going to do a short special piece. We’re going to see the Ballers’ heart, and ask them what their favorite maneuvers to perform on the basketball court are. So, kick back and enjoy an article known as:

Stunting 205: Know Your Special Moves!

Ignition (Joshua Staten): Well, I’m not really a greedy player, ya dig? I mean as long as we all score I’m cool, but I guess the favorite thing to do would be to steal the ball on defense, drive the court, and whip the front flip alley to the streaker coming through the lane, to finish hard.

We can’t really see that in a news paper, you mind describing the mechanics of that?

Ignition: Sure, you run forward, dribbling, ya know? Then you just start the front flip. When you’re 180 to the ground, up is down, so you throw it to your feet, so it goes up in the air. Then the receiver locks on, and just finishes strong, meanwhile, I finish the 360, and land round-off style.

Wow. Okay, next is injured star Steven “Jetstream” McClellan. How do you stunt?

Jetstream: Well if you’ve watched any of the games, you know I’m all about getting to the rack and going so hard. So my favorite stunt is to get iso on the wing, then go through the legs, get the ball on the back of the defender, then throw the bounce-oop to myself so I can grab it and throw the windmill. Completely sick.

Are you going to be as aggressive, when you get well?

Jetstream: I don’t know any other way to play, but to go hard.

Last and not least for part one, is starting 3-Guard, Laquinta “Sniper” Carter. Now from the nickname, we’ve got a pretty good guess what you like, but let the fans know what’s your favorite stunt?

Sniper: Most def. I like to light people up from Newmanistan range. Even better if they try to get right in my face, then I can just skeet on ‘em all day. It’s not as physical as a dunk, but when you can hit from anywhere, it gets the crowd just as hyphy.

Ok, that’s the end of part one of this article, come back later when we see how the big men get down!

Oh man, USL Division One! Way to... oh, right, this is the basketball tournament! RP cutoff!

Semifinals
SF1: Arroza 84 v Myedvedeya 98 (1-2)
SF2: Lovisa 81 v Magnus Valerius 88 (1-2)

Mini-League
Kose and the Turkomans 87 v Swilatia 91
Rennidan 73 v Kenavt 87

W L PF PA
Kenavt 4 1 438 374
Dancougar 3 1 315 310
Kose and the Turkomans 3 2 428 441
Secristan 2 2 360 331
Swilatia 2 3 413 458
Miroxia 1 3 340 344
Rennidan 1 4 369 395

USL division 1? Been there, done that, got a scarf.

USL division 1? Been there, done that, got a scarf.

Heh, Silverbacks for the win? Surprisingly, MLS has sucked in the Champions' League thingy they have now, although Montreal and Puerto Rico have yet to lose...

Heh, Silverbacks for the win? Surprisingly, MLS has sucked in the Champions' League thingy they have now, although Montreal and Puerto Rico have yet to lose...

True. Best stadium location ever, they're under a freeway feeder ramp.

MYEDVEDEYA 1 VICTORY FROM FINALS

Myedvedeya's 98-84 Victory over Arroza yesterday put the series at 2-1, and Myedvedeya 1 game away from a place in the finals of the International Basketball Championships. Myedvedeya's coach and players predicted a victory against Arroza in game three, citing the precedent of their victory over Taeshan in a similar situation. A Myedvedeyan victory tonight will eliminate Arroza, and send Myedvedeya to their first major finals.

A standout player at yesterday's game was center Anatoly Karolov, who held the Arrozan attack back all game, racking up a brutal 15 blocked shots. Ilya Ivanovitch led the scoring with 26 points, and Anton Dolohov scored 14 before being brutally fouled, causing him to miss the remainder of the game.

Tonight's game will be broadcast at 7:00 AM Moskva Standard Time (10:00 US EASTERN), and will be shown on channel 4, and in HD on channel 704.

for more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

Here's your gameday 14 RP cutoff!

Semifinals
SF1: Arroza 91 v Myedvedeya 88 (2-2)
SF2: Lovisa 76 v Magnus Valerius 91 (1-3)

So we got us a game five!

Mini-League
Miroxia 93 v Secristan 97
Kose and the Turkomans 79 v Dancougar 83

W L PF PA
Dancougar 4 1 398 389
Kenavt 4 1 438 374
Secristan 3 2 457 424
Kose and the Turkomans 3 3 507 524
Swilatia 2 3 413 458
Miroxia 1 4 433 431
Rennidan 1 4 369 395

D'oh.

why do i always have game 5s...

why do i always have game 5s...

I could ask the same thing.

true

Hmm... the official explanation is that, on the whole, there's been more participation in the top half of the bracket, leading to closer RP scores for all teams involved, leading to more waffling back and forth between victors.

The unofficial explanation is that Random.nextInt() hates you :-D

Who does Random.nextInt() love the most? We'll see now, as we've hit RP cutoff for gameday 15!

Semifinals
SF1: Arroza 82 v Myedvedeya 95 (2-3)

The best-of-five finals between Myedvedeya and Magnus Valerius begins tomorrow.

Mini-League
Miroxia 88 v Dancougar 86
Rennidan 96 v Swilatia 91
Secristan 95 v Kenavt 92

W L PF PA
Secristan 4 2 553 516
Dancougar 4 2 484 477
Kenavt 4 2 530 469
Kose and the Turkomans 3 3 507 524
Miroxia 2 4 521 517
Rennidan 2 4 465 486
Swilatia 2 4 504 554

Congratulations to Secristan, winners of the Best of the Rest Mini-League.

Bracketology
One point awarded for each correct quarterfinal pick, 1.5 for a semifinal.

6.0 - Myedvedeya
5.5 - Newmanistan
2.5 - Arroza
0.0 - Taeshan

MYEDVEDEYA WIN GAME 5, ADVANCE TO FINAL

Myedvedeya today defeated Arroza 95-82 in the conclusion of a dramatic 5-game series in the Second International Basketball Championships. The Myedvedeyan side played Taeshan through 5 games in the Quarterfinals, and now have played Arroza through 5 as well. Each Series followed the same exact pattern, with wins coming Myedvedeya-opponent-Myedvedeya-opponent-Myedvedeya. The Kamchatka Grizzly Bears have generally looked strong on the court through the tournament, winning games with a mixture of analytical passing, and rock-solid defense.

Now, For a Look Back at the Myedvedeyan "Road to the Finals"

GROUP STAGE

I)-Myedvedeya 118-89 Kose and the Turkomans
-Myedvedeya made their presence known for the first time on the international level, crushing #6 seed Kose and the Turkomans by 29.

II)-Myedvedeya 101-104 Newmanistan
-The Newmanistan Rockets, unbeaten in the Group stage, helped to level off the Myedvedeyan players' egos with this close match

III)-Myedvedeya 78-100 Taeshan
-Myedvedeya fell to the brink of elimination with this disappointing and embarrassing loss to Taeshan

IV)-Myedvedeya 89-79 Miroxia
-On the edge of elimination, Myedvedeya fought back in a win-or-go-home situation for both teams, defeating Miroxia to earn themselves a spot in the elimination rounds.

Myedvedeya VS Taeshan
Myedvedeya's First Playoff series, for revenge against Taeshan, was a thrilling 5-game duel between two skilled teams.

I)-Myedvedeya 87-80 Taeshan (1-0)
-In this low-scoring, tight defensive battle, Myedvedeya squeaked by to the early lead in the series.

II)-Myedvedeya 74-93 Taeshan (1-1)
-Taeshan struck back, and struck back hard, defeating Myedvedeya by 19 points to even the series.

III)-Myedvedeya 80-70 Taeshan (2-1)
-Once again controlling the game, and once again completely defensively impenetrable, Myedvedeya slowly picked apart Taeshan for the 10-point victory.

IV)-Myedvedeya 75-98 Taeshan (2-2)
-Falling apart both offensively and defensively, Myedvedeya were crushed in the fourth game of the series, falling by a full 23 points.

V)-Myedvedeya 96-77 Taeshan (Win, 3-2)
-The first game against Taeshan in which Myedvedeya's offense seemed to feel like playing, Point Guard and Captain Ilya Ivanovitch ran circles around Taeshan's defenders to propel Myedvedeya into the Semis.

Myedvedeya VS Arroza
In yet another 5-game thriller, Myedvedeya defeated Arroza to earn the right to face Magnus Valerius in the finals.

I)-Myedvedeya 86-85 Arroza (1-0)
-In the tightest Myedvedeyan game of the tournament, a last-second charge by Arroza was not enough to even the match, and Myedvedeya squeaked by by a single point.

II)-Myedvedeya 83-94 Arroza (1-1)
-Facing some of the same problems they did against Taeshan, Myedvedeya's dormant offense failed to provide points, and the KGB were soundly defeated by Arroza.

III)-Myedvedeya 98-84 Arroza (2-1)
-Myedvedeya, nearly scoring 100 points for the first time since the group stage, confidently conquered Arroza's skilled side, reclaiming the lead in the series.

IV)-Arroza 91-88 Myedvedeya (2-2)
-Just before the game was to go to overtime at 88-88, Arroza's LaQuinta "Sniper" Carter fired a 3 pointer, to win the game for Arroza. Jubilant fans filled the court, and the Myedvedeyan players dejectedly faced another game 5.

V)-Myedvedeya 95-82 Arroza (Win, 3-2)
-Ilya Ivanovitch and Anton Dolohov led a powerful offense, while Anatoly Karolov anchored the defense, and Myedvedeya powered by Arroza to reach the finals against a strong Valerian side.

That's it for the ROAD TO THE FINALS special presentation. The Tsar has declared the remainder of this and the next day to be a national celebration.

for more sports news, log on to www.novymoskva.mye/sports

(OOC- is anyone making a wiki for this tournament?)

(Slightly OOC- Random.nextInt(), you're a true friend...)

OOC: Hahaha. Well, black people are considered rare and exotic in The Valerian Empire.

And, my bad about being away from a while. Getting some business done before I head back to school.

IC:

The Isangrad Evening News

YAROSLAV: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Yaroslav Nikitishyev.

SHAHRBANU: And I'm your hostess, Shahrbanu Arkhameini.

YAROSLAV: I have to report that our reporter, Vasily Artyemsky, is no longer with us. He has since eloped with a Cafundeulese citizen of African heritage, and we wish him the best wishes on his happy new marriage.

SHAHRBANU: Well, that means we will have a new reporter in soon, by the name of Feodora Shimunkova. She is a trusty gal, and I hope you guys enjoy her when she comes on the news in future reports.

YAROSLAV: Now, onto Basketball matters. As you know folks, The Valerian team has made it onto the FINALS!!!

SHAHRBANU: This means that we will face off against Myedvedeya in the finals. These Myedvedeyan Slavs, which, of course, are nowhere near the class of Valerian Slavs and their conquered subjects, like me, your token Zoroastrian Persian.

YAROSLAV: Right you are, Shahrbanu. We may be Orthodox, at least from what I am assuming, but at least our Patriarch is a Football Fanatic.

SHAHRBANU: So, you guys's patriarch is still alive and well? I thought he was about to kick the bucket.

YAROSLAV: No, Patriarch Feodor III just had a cold!

SHAHRBANU: But even as lovable as he is, he ain't gonna last...

YAROSLAV: Shahrbanu, we're digressing. Let's return on the subject of basketball.

SHAHRBANU: Oh yes, ahem. The Valerians will have a star team lead on by Periklis Anathasiopoulos, Danilo Kholmogoryksy, Johann Albrecht Stahl, and Pavil Yoannov. It will be the best of the best of The Valerian Empire versus the best of the best of Myedvedeya, whom we Valerians have called, "Little Bears". Grizzly? Yes, they are on the court, but Valerians are hoping to belittle them and send them running to their caves and dens of ice with their tails between their legs.

YAROSLAV: Unless they send us home to... our rolling plains and horses and coastal resorts? Certainly better than mounds of ice and expanses of tundra!

SHAHRBANU: Well, we also have to add that it has been a rather easy road for the Valerians to make it this far - we waltzed over Cafundeu, who seemed to bow down and surrender before us and did not really seem to put a whole-hearted effort into the game of basketball.

YAROSLAV: And then we have Lovisa, who won one game to tie the series at 1-1, but only to not capitalize on that win and lose to the Valerians for the next two games for the Valerians to advance ahead to the finals.

SHAHRBANU: Myedvedeya will be the toughest competitor the Valerians will face yet. We wish our team the best of luck!

OOC2 to Myedvedeya:
Since the Valerians are poking fun at the Myedvedeyans, in terms of mocking Valerians, the Empire is pretty agrarian, and many people are farmers and workers, so go ahead and call them country bumpkins (or any other sort of insult) if the Myedvedeyan government wants to incite their fans against the Valerians. ;)

Valerians are also known for their love of alcohol, odd foods like fried chicken feet, and their lax drug laws on certain things such as marijuana, MDMA, LSD, and cocaine - their monks have a tendency to be stoned for "religious purposes"...

Arroza loses final as virii runs rampant.

Port Royal - Dancougar: The Arroza National Basketball team showed a lot of heart yesterday in losing a decisive game five against spirited rookies Myedvedeva. Normally people don't get any rspect for losing, but by the time yesterday's game started, the team was more ready for bedrest than a winner-take all game. Jetstream was still out with the high ankle sprain, that had sidelined him since the Newmanistan series. And half of the team had developed some sort of flu-like symptoms, possibly from the cold climate of Dancougar, combined with the wearing down of their immune systems through drinking enough alcohol to power a small space mission.

Both Sniper and Windex missed the game entirely, having vomited or passed out in the perpatory time before the game, and Queen Bee, Ignition, Purple Haze and The Jet all were in some stage of illness at the start of the game. When asked about the symptoms, Purple Haze said, "Man, I'm lightheaded. It's like smoking the illiest of the illy tweeds. I just want to sit and watch the world rotate. Oh man, omgwtfbbq."

Now, this isn't taking anything away from the Grizzlies. They came out with a gameplan, they executed it to the best of their ability, and they showed the killer instinct that we've been trying to find all tournament against teams. Ilya Ivanovitch ran the offense, scoring twenty-seven, and Dolohov added twenty-one. For the Tar Hornets, we went to an unfamiliar inside game, as almost all of the people who were sick were guards, and it showed on the score sheet, as Big Country led the team with seventeen points, and Lights Out added fourteen. Good luck to Myedvedeva though in the finals.

So yeah, anime club ended, and we stayed in the room for two and a half hours talking about random stuff. Awesome. So you get your RP cutoff hella late!

Finals - Game 1
Myedvedeya 85 v Magnus Valerius 81 (1-0)

Myedvedeya Takes Finals Game 1

In a defensive battle, Myedvedeya defeated Magnus Valerius by the score of 85-81 to take a 1-0 lead in the finals of the International Basketball Championships. After their 5-game series against both Taeshan and Arroza, people had begun to question Myedvedeya's ability to win against a team like Magnus Valerius, who had cruised to the finals, defeating Cafundeu 3-0, and Lovisa 3-1. Myedvedeya today showed the world that they can take on anyone, when they play well. Ilya Ivanovitch led the attack, with 16 assists and 12 points scored, and Afanasiy Lyuchenko had a fantastic game, scoring 23 in a rare burst of offense.

"Those fools from Magnus Valerius can go back to the drug-infested mud huts they call cities" Roared Tsar Aydan Krakovsky when asked for his comment. "We are the glorious hussars of the north, they are country fools."

THAT NIGHT

On the orders of the Tsar, a group of Myedvedeyan special forces troops stand on the pier. A large shipment of what seems to be 1,500 cardboard boxes have just been loaded onto a cargo ship. Sneaking onto the ship, they bind and gag the crew, and turn the ship for Dancougar. The next morning, the ship unloads its' cargo. The cardboard boxes are brought to the stadium, and when they arrive, out spring 1500 snarling bears. The special forces men cooly walk over to the ticket desk, purchase 1512 tickets, and proceed to sit in the stadium, bringing the bears with them. This, my friends, is a cheering section...

OOC to Magnus Valerius- Myedvedeyans are also known for their love of alcohol, and of strange foods, so thats not exactly a point to make fun of. As for us, we are from a really, really cold place, we are way too nationalistic, our Tsar is essentially Vladimir Lenin, just less communist, and we have a reputation for being warmongering and unreasonable. Our upper class are also ridiculously wealthy and extravagant, and have about the same reputation as the current Moscow elite. The lower class, on the other hand, are quite poor, and are your normal urban street rat stereotype.

Myedvedeya's fans will bear witness to the RP cutoff... nyuk nyuk nyuk!!

Finals - Game 2
Myedvedeya 110 v Magnus Valerius 94 (2-0)

RP cutoff...

Finals - Game 3
Myedvedeya 101 v Magnus Valerius 88 (3-0)

Congratulations to IBC II champions, Myedvedeya!

(1) Newmanistan 2
-----------------|(8) Arroza 2
(8) Arroza 3|-----------------|
-----------------| |
[PORT ROYAL] |(5) Myedvedeya 3
(5) Myedvedeya 3 |-----------------|
-----------------|(5) Myedvedeya 3| |
(4) Taeshan 2|-----------------| |
-----------------| |(5) Myedvedeya
[YUKI CITY] |-----------------
(3) Jeruselem 0 |
-----------------|(6) Lovisa 1 |
(6) Lovisa 3|-----------------| |
-----------------| |(2) M Valerius 0|
[YUKI CITY] |-----------------|
(7) Cafundeu 0 |
-----------------|(2) M Valerius 3|
(2) M Valerius 3|-----------------|
-----------------|

Bracketology
1.0 point for quarterfinal, 1.5 for semifinal, 2.0 for semifinal

8.0 - Myedvedeya
5.5 - Newmanistan
4.5 - Arroza
0.0 - Taeshan

Congratulations to Myedvedeya on the championship!

Myedvedeya WTG.

Congratulations to the victors, and thank you to the hosts.

Thank you to all, and especially to the hosts.

Is anyone planning on, as Qazox tend to say, "wikifying" both of the IBC's?