NBA 2019-2020

[RobinLFC]

I also bought the €5.99 2k20 version, but it's kinda hard to get into for me. Even playing on Pro level, CPU barely misses anything so even if I score almost everything, it's still a tight game and as soon as I miss a few baskets, they just run away with it. I've now adjusted the sliders a bit but at this point I score almost every contested jumper and they miss too much, so gonna need to tweak it a bit more in order to be able to create competitive games. Started a MyCareer with the Grizzlies and did some trades, got a very fun team already with Morant and Clarke as the leaders.

Classic games on Eleven Sports these days are simply brilliant and have me so excited for the NBA return. This weekend I watched;

Game 1 2001 Finals, Iverson 48 point game
Game 6 ECF 2012, Heat force Game 7 at Boston
Game 6 1st round 2008, 8th seed Hawks force game 7 against 66-win Boston
2004 Magic at Wizards, T-Mac goes off for 62 points

Just all amazing games and even though I knew the result for all of them, still got me hooked from start to finish.

 

[Stacks]

I also bought the €5.99 2k20 version, but it's kinda hard to get into for me. Even playing on Pro level, CPU barely misses anything so even if I score almost everything, it's still a tight game and as soon as I miss a few baskets, they just run away with it. I've now adjusted the sliders a bit but at this point I score almost every contested jumper and they miss too much, so gonna need to tweak it a bit more in order to be able to create competitive games. Started a MyCareer with the Grizzlies and did some trades, got a very fun team already with Morant and Clarke as the leaders.

Classic games on Eleven Sports these days are simply brilliant and have me so excited for the NBA return. This weekend I watched;

Game 1 2001 Finals, Iverson 48 point game
Game 6 ECF 2012, Heat force Game 7 at Boston
Game 6 1st round 2008, 8th seed Hawks force game 7 against 66-win Boston
2004 Magic at Wizards, T-Mac goes off for 62 points

Just all amazing games and even though I knew the result for all of them, still got me hooked from start to finish.

I only ever do MyCareer and then park games in the neighbourhood in between. I wanna hit legend status. I have never actually played a game as a team.

 

[Sarni]

I also bought the €5.99 2k20 version, but it's kinda hard to get into for me. Even playing on Pro level, CPU barely misses anything so even if I score almost everything, it's still a tight game and as soon as I miss a few baskets, they just run away with it. I've now adjusted the sliders a bit but at this point I score almost every contested jumper and they miss too much, so gonna need to tweak it a bit more in order to be able to create competitive games. Started a MyCareer with the Grizzlies and did some trades, got a very fun team already with Morant and Clarke as the leaders.

I recently switched from Superstar to HOF and just won my first title with Bucks (I did not reach final stages of season before on any of my saves) having beaten Lakers 4-3 in the Finals. Should have been 4-1 but I messed up game 5 big time in fourth quarter, but compensated by winning game 7 by 33 points. Already built a team for 20-21 there, signing Bullock in free agency, trading for Prince and drafting Nesmith with no .18 and Bolmaro and Nnaji in second round. Going to be lots of fun with this roster here.

I’m also in Finals against Bucks on my Clippers save (incredible 7-game series against Lakers prior to that, was down by 14 at half but won third quarter by 22 and the game by 18), in conference semis with OKC (against Portland who beat Lakers) and starting off playoffs with Sixers and Mavs on another save against Heat and Clippers respectively. I had a save where I had Mavs in conference finals against Clippers, having beaten Lakers before (won game 1 by 55 points at HOF) but it got corrupted so I had to start over.

 

[RobinLFC]

I recently switched from Superstar to HOF and just won my first title with Bucks (I did not reach final stages of season before on any of my saves) having beaten Lakers 4-3 in the Finals. Should have been 4-1 but I messed up game 5 big time in fourth quarter, but compensated by winning game 7 by 33 points. Already built a team for 20-21 there, signing Bullock in free agency, trading for Prince and drafting Nesmith with no .18 and Bolmaro and Nnaji in second round. Going to be lots of fun with this roster here.

I’m also in Finals against Bucks on my Clippers save (incredible 7-game series against Lakers prior to that, was down by 14 at half but won third quarter by 22 and the game by 18), in conference semis with OKC (against Portland who beat Lakers) and starting off playoffs with Sixers and Mavs on another save against Heat and Clippers respectively. I had a save where I had Mavs in conference finals against Clippers, having beaten Lakers before (won game 1 by 55 points at HOF) but it got corrupted so I had to start over.

What the feck That's nice, how do you get so good? I use a lot of screens because they seem to work best for me, but it's kinda always the same since my team doesn't run a lot of plays automatically, they just stand still and nothing happens really. My go to move on my last 2k (14 or so) was just passing the ball around the perimeter, faking out the CPU and then going to the basket but the CPU doesn't go into fake shots anymore it seems. Maybe 1 time out of a 100 tries

 

[Sarni]

What the feck That's nice, how do you get so good? I use a lot of screens because they seem to work best for me, but it's kinda always the same since my team doesn't run a lot of plays automatically, they just stand still and nothing happens really. My go to move on my last 2k (14 or so) was just passing the ball around the perimeter, faking out the CPU and then going to the basket but the CPU doesn't go into fake shots anymore it seems. Maybe 1 time out of a 100 tries

I’ve played for years though and kept going a level up almost every version. I was between Pro and All-Star in 14-16, then between All-Star and Superstar between 17 and 19. This year I started at Superstar and move to Hall of Fame.

I use pick & pop/fade very often, especially if I have a good shooter at center. Bucks are a dream for that as you can run it with Giannis and have either Lopez or Middleton at perimeter. Toronto are similarly amazing at that though on their save I’ve lost conference finals 4-2 to Sixers (I will try again). Sixers are kind of fun to play that style for me as well, running it with Simmons at either point guard or point forward, and Mavericks are sublime for that style as basically their whole roster can shoot. Gets more tricky with Thunder as I have Adams at center so I tend to play pick & roll more there, rebound a ton, and do a lot of kick passes to corners. Also their three point guards line up is killer and Gallinari is amazing for pick & pop + they are my rebuilding project anyway so I have set my sights on a few guys in the draft already, having two picks in the first round. Clippers don’t have a center that can shoot either but a ton of line ups to play so it ends up being very fun too. I tend to play Morris at center too, and one of JaMychal/Patterson always gets a few minutes. Harrell is great for pick & roll too.

Pelicans are another team that is super fun to play with for me, running with Zion and Ball. I intend to start a new save with them later on but having 18 games to play on Start Today puts me off (in other cases when doing Start Today I just simmed remainder of regular season as those teams were guaranteed to be in the playoffs).

 

[ThierryHenry]

Same here, I don’t listen to any football podcasts but have 7 that I subscribe to just about NBA and try to keep up with all of them!

Which ones do you recommend, especially for those of us just getting into the NBA? I've been listening to The Lowe Post that I enjoy, but lots of it goes over my head. Looking for an NBA version of James Richardson...

At the weekend I watched Game 6 of last year's finals as well, it's mad how unpredictable these tight games are (vs. a typical final in football). Amazing entertainment, going to try to go back and watch the last games of the finals from each of the last few years.

 

[Sarni]

Which ones do you recommend, especially for those of us just getting into the NBA? I've been listening to The Lowe Post that I enjoy, but lots of it goes over my head. Looking for an NBA version of James Richardson...

At the weekend I watched Game 6 of last year's finals as well, it's mad how unpredictable these tight games are (vs. a typical final in football). Amazing entertainment, going to try to go back and watch the last games of the finals from each of the last few years.

The Ringer NBA Show takes a pretty relaxed approach and is fun. Dunc’d On done by Nate Duncan (who also does Hollinger & Duncan podcast) and Danny LeRoux (who does RealGM Radio) is more analytical and insightful. Lowe Post is obviously great. Howard Beck’s podcasts is occasionally good. Bill Simmons Book of Basketball is great.

 

[entropy]

King shit right here

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[ThierryHenry]

The Ringer NBA Show takes a pretty relaxed approach and is fun. Dunc’d On done by Nate Duncan (who also does Hollinger & Duncan podcast) and Danny LeRoux (who does RealGM Radio) is more analytical and insightful. Lowe Post is obviously great. Howard Beck’s podcasts is occasionally good. Bill Simmons Book of Basketball is great.

Ta mate, will check them out.

 

[Stacks]

Which ones do you recommend, especially for those of us just getting into the NBA? I've been listening to The Lowe Post that I enjoy, but lots of it goes over my head. Looking for an NBA version of James Richardson...

At the weekend I watched Game 6 of last year's finals as well, it's mad how unpredictable these tight games are (vs. a typical final in football). Amazing entertainment, going to try to go back and watch the last games of the finals from each of the last few years.

2016 finals man. Lebron Cavs vs Curry's Golden State. emotional

 

[KirkDuyt]

I made an inside pf in 2k20 and somehow got 40 of each skill boost with a daily spin. What the feck??

 

[elmo]

King shit right here

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He's a hypocrite, not a king.

 

[UweBein]

He's a hypocrite, not a king.

What?! That‘s a valid argument there.

 

[elmo]

What?! That‘s a valid argument there.

Look at his response to Morey's comments. He's all about doing what's right until it affects his money.

 

[RobinLFC]

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The single players should love this, basically one giant man-cave to reside in during Summer with your friends/teammates. Get to play games, watch games live if you want to, eat nicely every day, ... The only thing missing is some girls to entertain them and they might never wanna leave Orlando.

 

[elmo]

Snitching hotline runned by D'Lo.

Can just imagine the hotline will be insane when players will try to report their opponents for any minor infringement.

Player A: He stepped on the line! He's not following the mandatory social distancing of 5m! Ban him for the finals!

 

[freeurmind]

Snitching hotline runned by D'Lo.

Can just imagine the hotline will be insane when players will try to report their opponents for any minor infringement.

Player A: He stepped on the line! He's not following the mandatory social distancing of 5m! Ban him for the finals!

CP3 will be doing that too.

 

[Sarni]

Players watching other games will actually be super cool.

 

[kouroux]

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The single players should love this, basically one giant man-cave to reside in during Summer with your friends/teammates. Get to play games, watch games live if you want to, eat nicely every day, ... The only thing missing is some girls to entertain them and they might never wanna leave Orlando.

I don't see why they should love it if you cannot have access to the opposite sex

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Snitching hotline runned by D'Lo.

Can just imagine the hotline will be insane when players will try to report their opponents for any minor infringement.

Player A: He stepped on the line! He's not following the mandatory social distancing of 5m! Ban him for the finals!

 

[UweBein]

Look at his response to Morey's comments. He's all about doing what's right until it affects his money.

He can‘t change China - that‘s all. He is just taking care of his backyard. I can‘t fault him about that.

 

[elmo]

He can‘t change China - that‘s all. He is just taking care of his backyard. I can‘t fault him about that.

Bollocks.

He could have kept quiet about Morey like what the majority of the players did but he decided to condemn him instead.

It exposed his real self despite him championing himself as an advocate for social change throughout his career. He only advocates for change when it doesn't hurt his wallet.

 

[RobinLFC]

Jokic now tested positive after his contact with Djokovic last week. He's also still in Serbia and will be for at least another two weeks now.

Have the mini training camps already started, and when are players expected to be in Orlando? This stuff can seriously threaten the July 31st re-start, especially if it's high-profile players like Jokic.

What the feck is he even doing at such social events if he has to play at the end of next month. If you wanna take care of yourself I'd expect them to be social distancing themselves and training for the restart.

 

[freeurmind]

Avery Bradley also out due to understandable family concerns.

Is it just me or would the NBA just be better off cancelling the season altogether, especially with cases flaring up again in Florida?

 

[Sarni]

Jokic now tested positive after his contact with Djokovic last week. He's also still in Serbia and will be for at least another two weeks now.

Have the mini training camps already started, and when are players expected to be in Orlando? This stuff can seriously threaten the July 31st re-start, especially if it's high-profile players like Jokic.

What the feck is he even doing at such social events if he has to play at the end of next month. If you wanna take care of yourself I'd expect them to be social distancing themselves and training for the restart.

I think they will start in early July. Jokic will be fine, he'll be back in time to get enough training.

Ariza, Bradley and Bertrans have opted out so far. Especially in Bertrans' case it makes perfect sense as he's due to become a free agent, will probably get north of $15million per year and to jeopardize that to play 8 meaningless games would be silly.

 

[RobinLFC]

I think they will start in early July. Jokic will be fine, he'll be back in time to get enough training.

Ariza, Bradley and Bertrans have opted out so far. Especially in Bertrans' case it makes perfect sense as he's due to become a free agent, will probably get north of $15million per year and to jeopardize that to play 8 meaningless games would be silly.

Hield, Len and Parker all tested positive for the Kings as well, reported by Shams yesterday. Brogdon too for the Pacers. A few isolated cases here and there won't impact the restart but if the bubble starts to burst, especially now we're nearing July and the teams getting together in Orlando, that might complicate things imo.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Bubz27]

And thats it for Vince. Thanks for all the memories!

 

[Sarni]

Hield, Len and Parker all tested positive for the Kings as well, reported by Shams yesterday. Brogdon too for the Pacers. A few isolated cases here and there won't impact the restart but if the bubble starts to burst, especially now we're nearing July and the teams getting together in Orlando, that might complicate things imo.

Fingers crossed.

It feels like the Orlando scenario is becoming less and less feasible by the day. They should ditch the plan to restart with 22 teams and just go straight into playoffs. Under current rules there’s zero point having Suns and Wizards there, and arguably all below Grizzlies in the West have less than 10% chance considering they have to get within 4 games off of them AND win both games against them.

They should minimize the amount of games not maximize it. Just playoffs, first round best of 7 but over if it’s 3-0. I’m aware that this won’t happen as they’ve approved a plan and will stick by this no matter what but when you have guys like Bertans and Oubre pull out because they see no point, it really makes no sense having extra 6 teams there.

 

[RobinLFC]

It feels like the Orlando scenario is becoming less and less feasible by the day. They should ditch the plan to restart with 22 teams and just go straight into playoffs. Under current rules there’s zero point having Suns and Wizards there, and arguably all below Grizzlies in the West have less than 10% chance considering they have to get within 4 games off of them AND win both games against them.

They should minimize the amount of games not maximize it. Just playoffs, first round best of 7 but over if it’s 3-0. I’m aware that this won’t happen as they’ve approved a plan and will stick by this no matter what but when you have guys like Bertans and Oubre pull out because they see no point, it really makes no sense having extra 6 teams there.

Agreed all around yeah - make it as realistically feasible as possible.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Lakers vs Clippers as first game

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[Sarni]

They’ve done really good job reflecting difficulty of calendar of remaining games in real season. Nice that it finishes as early as 14th, I got a bet on Raptors, Rockets and Nuggets winning their divisions so could cash in then. Nuggets v Jazz May be a little tight.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

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[freeurmind]

 

[Sarni]

Pretty dick move by Oladipo to refuse to play in Orlando IMO. He’s already sent signals to Indiana that he won’t resign there and he’s basically forcing a move out of there with this. I guess we are going to see him elsewhere next season.

 

[Man of Leisure]

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That is always my first thought whenever I hear "JR Smith".

 

[Man of Leisure]

Pretty dick move by Oladipo to refuse to play in Orlando IMO. He’s already sent signals to Indiana that he won’t resign there and he’s basically forcing a move out of there with this. I guess we are going to see him elsewhere next season.

When do they have to let their teams know if they're coming to Orlando or not? I imagine there's gonna be quite a few more who'll refuse to play.

 

[Sarni]

When do they have to let their teams know if they're coming to Orlando or not? I imagine there's gonna be quite a few more who'll refuse to play.

Deadline to inform your team whether you are going to participate was June 24 but obviously players are still pulling out as we see. The most notable ones to refuse so far are Bertans (injury risk in contract year), Oubre (injury risk), Bradley (wants to spend time with family), Ariza (child custody battle) and half of the Nets team (KD, Kyrie, Jordan, Dinwiddie, Chandler).

 

[H10]

Deadline to inform your team whether you are going to participate was June 24 but obviously players are still pulling out as we see. The most notable ones to refuse so far are Bertans (injury risk in contract year), Oubre (injury risk), Bradley (wants to spend time with family), Ariza (child custody battle) and half of the Nets team (KD, Kyrie, Jordan, Dinwiddie, Chandler).

Has Dwight Howard confirmed if he's playing or not? Seemed to say one thing and then his agent said another...

 

[Sarni]

Has Dwight Howard confirmed if he's playing or not? Seemed to say one thing and then his agent said another...

He hasn't been confirmed as out so assumed to be playing for now. I think vast majority of contender players will play, the only one who have pulled out so far was Avery Bradley for family reasons (his son has respiratory issues).

 

[kouroux]

The Lakers were looking so good prior to Covid but now even if they win the title, it won't have the same impact.