TWD's Player of the Week (Week 5 2016)

Kyle Lowry, Tor

PG .674 FG%, .895 FT%, 23.5 PTS, 4.8 3PM, 4.8 REB, 7.8 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.3 BLK, 2.5T TO, 2.3 PF

After pouring in 24 points against the Lakers on 8-for-12 shooting, including 6-for-9 from deep, Lowry had this to say about his game mindset ", I think every shot I take, period, is going in." 

Lowry's rejuvenation shooting the ball as given the Raptors a huge boost as they now boast the league’s second-best offensive rating, behind only the Golden State Warriors. 


Lowry continued to shoot well in the route over the Hawks. The Raptors were up by 15 at the half and led 86-70 after three quarters before turning it into a blowout early in the fourth quarter. The 44-point win was the largest margin of victory in franchise history. Lowry put up 17 points with eight assists and eight rebounds in the win.

TWD's Player of the Week (Week 3 2016)

Kevin Durant, GS SF, PF

.608 FG%, .714 FT%, 28.7 PTS, 3.0 3PM, 8.3 REB, 6.0 AST, 2.0 STL, 0.7 BLK, 2.0 TO, 3.0 PF

After the summer drama of Durant's departure from Oklahoma City many questioned the Warrior's ability to integrate the former Texas Tech Longhorn into their offense. Steve Kerr responded by seamlessly incorporating Durant into his system without infringing on what makes Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green special.

The Warriors make 30-assist games - which were once a pretty rare thing, and still are for most teams - look downright easy with the way they move and shoot the ball. With 30 assists Saturday night, the Warriors tied the 1985 Los Angeles Lakers for the second-most consecutive games (9) with 30 or more dimes. The 1989 Charlotte Hornets, featuring Stephen Curry's father Dell, have the record with 13. 

Durant has been Golden State’s focal point of that offense as the most consistent scorer. Through Saturday, he ranked sixth in the league in scoring (27.9 points per game) and eighth in shooting percentage (57.2). Durant has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 10 games, including at least 60 percent in seven.


Durant doing Durant things as efficient as ever. It's not glamourous. It's not going to get you on any posters but it will win you TWD's Player of the Week!

TWD's Player of the Week (Week 2 2016)

Stephen Curry, GS PG

.618 FG%, .917 FT%, 34.3 PTS, 8 3PM, 4.3 REB, 6.0 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.0 BLK, 4.3 TO, 1.3 PF

Stephen Curry got his mojo back and made history on Monday, and the Golden State Warriors earned a 116-106 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Curry, who stunningly went 0 for 10 from 3-point range on Friday in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 46 points and shot 13 for 17 from deep. Somewhere, Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall are surely commiserating over no longer sharing the single-game 3-point record with Curry, and they're acknowledging that it was only a matter of time. 

Since the 3-point line was established in 1979-80, there are two teams -- the 1980-81 Atlanta Hawks and the 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers -- that made fewer than 13 3s in an entire season! Both of those teams made 10. That Lakers team did it while ranking second in the NBA in scoring at 115 points per game. 

Curry is out producing current teams as well. Over the last three games, the Golden State PG has scored 103 points and made 24 three-pointers. There are 26 teams who have made fewer threes this week. 

Bishkek Pick-Up Basketball

Soccer is king in Kyrgyzstan. Finding a soccer game to join is a piece of cake.

Basketball is probably a top-5 team sport in the country but much less accessible than soccer. Any open field can be used as a soccer pitch. Basketball courts are more expensive. Kyrgyzstan actually had a professional league for several years but is now defunct.

I went to play at an open court near my apartment. I organized the kids into a three-on-three game. After about 30 minutes the kids asked if we could play soccer instead with my basketball...

After having trouble finding a place to play with other enthusiasts I decided to organize a weekly pick-up game at new gym. Quality School International (QSI) was a well known place with expats with a brand new HEATED(!) gym. The principle agree to let me use the gym Wednesday nights.

The gym was not regulation. The backboard was unforgiving and the rims tilted forward. The roof beams were low. The lights were mounted on the wall, blinding people trying to shoot from the baseline. Still, it was one of the best places to play b-ball in Bishkek.

At first we only had 3-5 people show up. Word quickly spread and we had over 35 people showing up to play some weeks. There was a variety of skill levels and abilities. Men and women from 20 different nations came out to play. The games weren't always competitive but it was always fun and friendly.