1974 NBA Sim Dynasty | NBA 2K22 PS4

[JurassicPuck]

And We Back! Sadly the Raptors franchise might be in the bin but I've decided to try and start a new attempt at a MyLeague. This time we're heading back all the way to the 1973-74 NBA Season.

The plan is to attempt to reshape NBA history and showcase all the new duos, title winners, team-ups and everything else that comes with simulating decades of basketball in NBA 2K. It'll be similar to the type of streams Dom2k does over on twitch and posts to YouTube after with his 2K Sims.

To start this franchise I'll play the role of Commissioner, managing what trades, signings, draft selection's will be accepted or denied. I'll be willing to let the CPU go wild but to a certain degree of keeping it somewhat realistic.

The base roster is from here on OS with edits made of my own to fix some things: https://forums.operationsports.com/f...oster-ps4.html

With no main team to follow as of now I'll have fairly basic writeups throughout the first couple seasons until either we have more storylines to cover or I decide to pick a team to take over for myself.

Without further Ado, let's get this thing started!

[JurassicPuck]

January 1st, 1974 | Donald Henderson

The 1974 NBA Season is well underway with all 17 teams competing for the Walter A. Brown Trophy awarded to the playoff champion. At almost the halfway mark of the season we've seen the usual teams and names dominate the season but have also seen some unknown or underappreciated guys break out this season and really have big impacts for their teams. Let's take a look at how the regular season has evolved so far, as well as my thoughts on what's been happening around the league.

The Eastern Conference features the top three teams really battling for that number one spot, while the rest are falling in line behind them. It's a really a three team race at this point.

The Celtics, Bullets and Braves are the only teams in the NBA who have won 30 games thus far and they are arguably the three best teams in the association.

Boston is on pace to surpass the 68 wins they secured last season, as mindboggling as that is. They will be looking to break the Lakers record of 69 wins set just two years in 1972. The amount of depth this team has is almost comical. They have 7 players averaging over double digits in points, led by Havlicek with 20.8 PPG. Jo Jo White has been the best facilitator this year with him dishing out 11.1 assists per game. The 28 year old has really changed from a one dimension scorer to a multi-faceted playmaker which has really paid dividends for the Celtics.

The newly named Capitol Bullets have been led by MVP candidate Elvin Hayes who has been a monster on both sides of the ball. He's scoring 20.2 PPG with 17 rebounds and 5 assists while averaging 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks. Just a two-way beast out there in D.C.

Bob McAdoo and the Buffalo Braves have their eyes set on both the MVP award and the 1st seed. McAdoo is leading the league in points by a wide margin, as well as leading in field goal percentage. After going 21-61 last season McAdoo has been a major part of completely turning this team around.

The biggest name not in that top three has to be the defending champion New York Knicks. The Big Apple squad has struggled so far this year and haven't broken out of their "Championship hangover", if you believe in that sort of thing. With 36 games in the books it's looking more and more like this is no hangover and the Knicks just aren't as good as they were last season, despite little to no change in the roster.

We have to start with the obvious. What's going on in Los Angeles? Just two years prior this team had broken the NBA record for wins in a season and were NBA Champions. The 1973 season was just as good, winning 60 games and losing in the NBA Finals too the Knicks. With two straight Finals appearances many expected the Lakers to continue this dominant stretch, potentially winning another title this season. It was when news broke that Wilt Chamberlain was announcing his retirement did some people become weary of this team. They didn't exactly have a replacement lined up and were counting on one of their younger pieces to step up and fill his shoes, as impossible as that task was.

Losing out on the 18.6 rebounds a game Wilt provided has really hurt the Lakers. They now have no center that can even compete with the likes of Kareem, McAdoo and Hayes. In a league dominated by centers it's impossible to succeed without a big man that can at least slow down the best of the best. Luckily they are just 6 and a half games back of the conference leading Blazers and could still rebound in the second half.

The entire Western Conference is within 7 games of each other which makes every game important for these squads. The Blazers lead the conference but if we looked at the standings a week from now they could be down 5 spots. It's been impressive to see the turnaround from the Oregon teams, Portland and Seattle, after both teams won under 27 games in 1973. Will they be able to continue their success or will they fall back to earth?

5 Storylines to Follow for the Second Half of the Season

1. Will the Lakers make the Playoffs?
While saying Los Angeles is last in the West is true, there's more than meets the eye with that statement. Being just 6.5 games back means a good stretch of games could easily have LA back into contention in a snap. The question is what needs to change for that to happen?

It has to start with shoring up their defensive game. With the likes of Goodrich, West and Hawkins all over 15 points a game, scoring is not the root of the team's issues. It's been their struggles to keep their opponents at bay, especially big men. Elmore Smith has taken over for the departed Wilt and while he's been decent in the paint, he can't keep up with the best.

LA will need to change their gameplan when Smith finds himself defending in the post to have help defense come and support him. Coach Bill Sharman has voiced this problem to the team but they haven't adapted to the switch just yet. Once they get used to the difference the Lakers will be on top of the West once again

2. MVP Race Heating Up
It's a three horse race for the Most Valuable Player award and all of them have a strong case to win the award.

We'll start with the 1972 NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Milwaukee Bucks. Kareem has had his numbers dip slightly from last year but he's still been performing at a sensational level. He's scoring 25 points a game while averaging the most blocks in the league with 2.9. If he leads this Bucks team to a #1 seed a second MVP could find itself in the 26 year old's trophy case

Moving on to Elvin Hayes who we spook about earlier. He's far and away the best player on the Bullets and will be trying to win his first NBA Championship this year, and he looks like he might have the team to do it. While at first glance his PPG might look low at 20.2 but you have to take into account how Hayes is the best passing big man in the game today. Averaging 5.3 assists shows how the paint beast is finding his teammates better then some guards.

We saved the best for last. Bob McAdoo is the engine that drives this Buffalo team that did a complete 180 after the 21 win season they had last year in Bob's rookie season. Now the Braves are one of the best teams and are battling for that one seed in the competitive East. Much of that improvement is attributed to the 23 year old who is the leading candidate for MVP in just his second season. Leading the league in points by more than 5 a game is a big reason for him leading

3. New Expansion team set to expand NBA to 18 teams
Rumors out of the league office are that the NBA are set to expand to New Orleans with a new franchise, bringing the total teams to 18. While not official yet, a group headed by Fred Rosenfeld and Sam Battistone is expected to be the owners of the new team. Reports out of New Orleans say the team name has come down to the following: Dukes, Crescents, Pilots, Cajuns, Blues, Deltas, Knights and Jazz

4. Names to look for in the 1974 NBA Draft

Bill Walton - Center / UCLA / 6'11 210lbs / 21 YO
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Bob McAdoo... Bill Walton. The projected first overall pick in the '74 Draft is coming out of UCLA and one could argue he is the best college basketball player ever. Following in the footsteps of the former Lew Alcindor, Walton has done nothing but win in his time at UCLA. He already has one NCAA Championship under his belt and a second could very well be in the making this year.

Big Bill can do it all on both ends of the floor and will immediately turn whatever team gets the chance to draft him, into a contender. His play on the court has no major weaknesses or liabilities. It's his off-court activities that will make some teams nervous. Walton isn't afraid to voice his opinions about anything and everything which has led to him running into trouble at school and with the law. Staying healthy could also be a concern for the near 7 footer. Being so big at such a young age could cause problems for his health in the future.

George Gervin - Small Forward / Virginia Squires / 6'7 185lbs / 21 YO
Nicknamed the "Iceman", George Gervin is playing in the ABA for the Virginia Squires. At 20 years old the kid is scoring 14 points a night while getting only 23 minutes a night. He is a scoring machine that needs to be let loose. If you need a bucket, this is the guy you want with the ball in his hands. It's clear he wants to head to the NBA where he believe he will get more playing time and he would be correct. What team doesn't want a potential future 20 points a game scorer?

John Drew - Small Forward / Gardner-Webb University / 6'6 205lbs / 19 YO
Another talented scorer, the small forward out of Gardner-Webb University has been filling the stat sheets in college and is ready for a spot in the NBA. His defensive ability is severely lacking but Drew can get buckets and a good amount of rebounds for a 6'6 forward. He can be shifted to the two when needed and at only 19 years old, has a lot of time to be molded into a great NBA player. Off-court issues could be a concern for the Alabama native so he'll need to have a good supporting cast to keep him on the right track

Jamaal Wilkes - Small Forward / UCLA / 6'6 190lbs / 20 YO
Teammate of Walton at UCLA, Wilkes flies more under the radar but his defensive skillset would be a steal for any of the 17 (soon to be 18) teams in the league. He's no slouch on the offensive side either and will provide double digit points in year one, if given the minutes too. His shooting form is ugly and could scare some teams off but he makes it work which is all that matters.

Bobby Jones - Power Forward / North Carolina / 6'9 210lbs / 21 YO
Probably the best defensive player in the draft is Bobby Jones out of North Carolina. The 6'9 forward is playing for his hometown College and it's allowed him to play excellent basketball. Jones is averaging a double double this year and will one day be contending for a Defensive Player of the Year award. Defense is what this guy lives and dies for. He could care less if he got one point or he got 20. He focuses on his defensive prowess first and foremost.

5. The "Big O" contemplating retirement?
It sounds like the end is near for one of the greatest to ever do it. The "Big O" Oscar Robertson is likely to retire by year's end, reports tell The Sporting News. The 1964 MVP and 1971 NBA Champion is having a down year to his standards, averaging more assists than points with 8 APG and 7 PPG. His minutes have dwindled with the Bucks guard duo of Allen and McGlocklin becoming the usual starters instead of the 35 year old veteran . Nothing is official as of yet and it's not likely Oscar will make a comment anytime soon with the Bucks in contention for a championship this season. If it is the end for the 11-time All Star than it will go down as one of the best careers in NBA History.

[RolePlayer]

Love these 1970s dynasties

[JurassicPuck]

Team McAdoo Wins the 1974 NBA All-Star Game, Jo Jo White wins Game MVP

February 20th, 1974 | Donald Henderson

The All Star Game has been won by Team McAdoo over Team Kareem in a contested 118-111 affair. Team McAdoo dominated in the first quarter and it ended up being the difference maker in this one. Jo Jo White would be crowned as Game MVP, courtesy of his 18 points and 13 assists in 32 minutes of action.

The rosters for the 1974 NBA All Star Game were announced back on February 6th, as team captains Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo turned into GM's to select their own personal squads. It was a new addition to the All Star Game and sparked some talk around the NBA about how these two stars went about selecting from the pool of 24 players. Here is how the two teams looked after that draft took place:

Here was the box score from the game

[JurassicPuck]

1974 Regular Season Wrap Up

March 28th, 1974 | Donald Henderson

The 1973-74 NBA Season has come to a completion. So while eight teams will continue playing into the Playoffs, the other nine teams find themselves waiting for the offseason ahead. In this article, we'll go over the Standings, Awards, All-Star Teams and League Leaders. Let's jump right into it.

Editor's Note - Team records were adjusted to be more realistic. With 17 actual teams and 13 teams full of 50 overalls in this MyLeague, records were going to be inflated. While still not completely authentic, I felt these team win-loss records were more believable

Far and away the best team this season, the Celtics are a juggernaut that will be heavy favorites entering these Playoffs. Led by playmaking wizard Jo Jo White, sharpshooter John Havlicek and big man Dave Cowens, the B's are poised for a Championship run.

The Bullets and Braves finished just two wins apart in the Standings but will face each other in round one. It's going to be a battle of the big men with two MVP level centers in the Braves Bob McAdoo and the Bullets Elvin Hayes. The Braves brass ran away with awards this season (as you'll see later) and will have a lot of confidence going into their series.

Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich had a great season but will have a tall task in front of them, going against the Boston Celtics in round one. Will the guard duo be able to pull out a miracle versus the C's?

The Knicks, 76ers, Cavaliers and Rockets will all turn their focus towards this offseason and how they'll handle the 1974 NBA Draft. Pressure is on for the Knicks specifically, who should not have missed the playoffs with the roster they have in place right now. Will we see some shake-up from them this offseason?

Kareem and the Bucks were the frontrunners out West but just three wins separate them from the 4th placed Kansas City Kings. The Western Conference race was tight and came down to the wire, eventually having the Blazers, Warriors and Kings making the cut.

Portland's young duo of Petrie and Wicks have finally been able to generate wins for a Trail Blazer squad that is on the rise. It'll be their first appearance in the playoffs which means this team could potentially be unprepared for playoff basketball

Rick Barry continues to put this Warriors team on his back and carry them to the playoffs. The 30 year old forward provides a majority of the offense for Golden State but is able to because of the other defensive players on the rosters. The likes of Nate Thurmond and Cazzie Russell have really locked it down defensively this season.

The Kings just edged out the Bulls for the final playoff spot and Tiny Archibald has been a force to be reckoned with this season. His 25.7 PPG were second to only Bob McAdoo. He'll have to be on top of his game if Kansas City wants to beat Milwaukee.

Disappointing seasons for the Bulls and Lakers as they really take steps back from last season. Both of these teams cores are aging. Chicago has Jerry Sloan, Bob Love and Chet Walker all above 32 years old. Los Angeles has Gail Goodrich at 31, Happy Hairston at 31, Connie Hawkins at 32 and NBA legend Jerry West at 36. These teams will need to decide what their futures are with all these aging veterans

The Pistons, Suns and SuperSonics weren't necessarily expected to be great this season so it's not surprising to see these teams at the bottom of the standings. At least they can look forward to the upcoming Draft.

Bob McAdoo really dominated this year and the stats showcase just that. Leading the NBA in Points per game and field goal percentage. He's just the second player to do that in the entire history of the league, the only other being Wilt Chamberlain in 1965-66. Bob is in just his second NBA season and is already looking like a future Hall of Famer.

Jo Jo White's emergence as an elite level passer has really lifted this Celtics team into something special. White's assists per game jumped to 11 this season after dishing out 6.1 a game last season. A 5 more assists a game jump is very impressive from the 27 year old guard.

[JurassicPuck]

1974 NBA Playoffs - Round One Recap

April 13th, 1974 | Donald Henderson

In shocking fashion the Kansas City Kings sweep the one seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Tiny Archibald was the star of the series averaging 30.8 PPG 9.5 APG and 3.5 SPG. He was a two-way monster that the Bucks had no answer for. Kareem on the other hand was stellar for Milwaukee with a 27.5 PPG in the series along with 2.0 BPG but was ultimately outshone by the Kings guard. Kareem was beaten on the boards in this series which hurt the Bucks in the long run.

Being beaten in Game 3 was the worst loss in the series for Milwaukee, struggling to get a win when Archibald was having a mediocre game. They let that game slip away from them when they needed to capitalize. Moving away from the Milwaukee side of things, the Kings made a statement in sweeping the number one seed. They'll look to make even more noise in Round 2

The Portland Trail Blazers showed their playoff inexperience in this series, falling to the Warriors in 6 games. Portland started off strong, winning game one by 22 points but would drop the next 3 straight games before winning Game 5.

It was in Game 6 where Rick Barry would have his best game of the series, scoring 43 points on 16 of 20 from the field. He also provided 3 steals and 3 blocks in the 34 point win. Sidney Wicks and Petrie would combine for 60 points, 30 each, but the rest of the team could not give any offensive support, nor could they give any defensive help.

The season was a step in the right direction for the Trail Blazers who will look to make their second playoff appearance in their Franchise's History next year. Also worth noting is Barry averaged 28 PPG this series while providing 1.7 steals a game and 1.7 blocks a game. An incredible first round by the 6'7 forward.

The Celtics dispose of the Hawks in five games as Jo Jo White continues his rise to stardom this season. He averaged 25.2 points per game this series along with close to 9 assists. Havlicek, Cowens, Silas and Nelson all averaged above double digits in points per game throughout the series and the Hawks just couldn't match the Celtics depth.

What really hurt Atlanta's chances the most was the lack of a perennial rebounder. Even the shorter center Dave Cowens was dominating their team on the boards all series. Outside of Game 2 where Dwight Jones had 11, the Hawks didn't have a player record double digits in rebounds. They'll almost certainly look to make improvements in that area this offseason.

The Battle between Hayes and McAdoo was one for the ages but in the end the veteran Elvin Hayes came out on top. The series went the distance but the Bullets were able to outlast the Braves in what was no doubt the best series of the first round.

Hayes performance in the deciding Game 7 was huge with 28 points and 17 boards to advance the Bullets to the Conference Finals. McAdoo deserves props for his play in the series as well as without him the Braves would have been fighting for the 1st overall pick this year, never mind a playoff spot.

The Celtics will await the Bullets in the Conference Finals. A tall task for Hayes and company.

[JurassicPuck]

1974 NBA Playoffs - Conference Finals Recap

April 26th, 1974 | Donald Henderson

The 4th seeded Kings will advance to the NBA Finals! Despite the best efforts of Rick Barry, Tiny Archibald and the Kings will move on to their first Finals appearance since they won it all the way back in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals.

After a game one victory, the Warriors would go on to lose four straight games to the Kings. You can't fault Barry for this elimination, the guy only led the team in points every single game the whole playoffs. If Golden State can place some more scoring talent around the Miami Greyhound, they'll be challenging for NBA Titles. Until then however, Barry can only do so much by himself.

As for Kansas City, the city is ecstatic to be able to witness their first ever NBA Finals. What they're not so enthused about is who they will be facing in those Finals...

In quick fashion, the Boston Celtics dispose of the Capital Bullets in a four game sweep. After game one resulted in 50! point win margin, it was hard to see the Bullets putting up much of a fight against the Boston powerhouse.

While Elvin Hayes and Phil Chenier played good, besides game one, it was always going to be impossible for them to match the production of Boston's top dogs. Cowens was on his "A" game this series and it was really on display in Game 3 when he almost put up a 20-20 game in a 16 point win on the road.

The closest game in the series was Game 4 which was a 11 point difference. The Bullets really didn't put up much of a fight. What will that mean for the Celtics NBA Finals opponents, the Kansas City Kings?

[JurassicPuck]

1974 NBA Playoffs - NBA Finals Recap

May 6th, 1974 | Donald Henderson

The Boston Celtics are your 1974 NBA Champions! They ran through the competition this year and lost just one game all playoff run, coming at the hands of their first opponent the Atlanta Hawks no less. The trio of Havlicek, White and Cowens were just a well oiled machine that the Kings, and every other NBA team, couldn't keep up with.

Kansas City deserves their props however, making it all the way to the Finals after just squeaking into the Playoffs. Tiny Archibald was the driving force for the Kings and he's solidified himself as a Top 5 player in the league. With a supporting cast of Sam Lacey, Nate Williams and Jimmy Walker all under 30 years old, we should be seeing this core competing for more championships in the coming years.

John Havlicek would be awarded the Finals MVP for his performance, contributing a stat line of 24 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5 APG, 1 SPG and shooting 55.9% from the field. The award really could have gone to any of the big three but Havlicek did enough to make it his. Congrats to the Boston Celtics on their 12th NBA Championship

John Havlicek (#17) and Paul Silas (#35) embrace each other as reality settles in for the Celtics

The Celtics are awarded with the Walter A. Brown Trophy as NBA Champions

John Havlicek raises both his Finals MVP and the Walter A. Brown in unison