[NBA 2K17] Oklahoma City Thunder - The Fight for Supremacy

[Smasher1311]

Look at the picture above and tell me what do you see. These men were the feared foursome of the Oklahoma City Thunder one season ago. The coach, Billy Donovan, who led them to a good first year after Scott Brooks' departure; Serge Ibaka, one of the best defenders in the league; Russell Westbrook, a man who treats every game like his last and thus has become one of the very best; And Kevin Durant, the 2014 KIA MVP and the face of the franchise ever since he was a teenager, when the team was still called Seattle SuperSonics. The OKC made it to the Western Conference Finals in the 2015-16 season, with the supporting cast for the three bigs proving to be very successful as well. But the Thunder choked at an opportunity to enter their fifth NBA Finals, and second as the Thunder. The Golden State Warriors, who would soon solidify their status as the true villains of the league, eliminated them in 7 games, despite a deadly 3-1 lead for the Thunder.

This came one season after a barrage of injuries cost the Thunder a place in the Playoffs. In 2012, their last Finals to date, the Thunder was nearly dismantled by the Miami Heat, only winning a single game in the series.

And with failure, comes the torture. Half of that fearsome foursome is gone from the OKC, with only Donovan and Westbrook remaining. Serge Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic after a disappointing season, perhaps giving the Magic a shot at having one of the best defenses in the league. The face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, has bailed to Oakland with his tail between his legs in pursuit of his elusive championship. The OKC fans are irate, and rightfully so. Something must be done to salvage the franchise's status as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. And that's where I enter.

Tasked with taking the Thunder to success, I will be at my very best to do just that. I will be able to, and perhaps have to, move a few pieces of the puzzle in order to achieve that goal, and develop the current studs at my disposal. Westbrook is a loyal player and as I said, one of the very best in the league, perhaps trailing closely to the likes of Stephen Curry in the race for the rights to be called THE best. He's a surefire replacement for Durant as the face of the franchise, and he will be that face for years to come. With Ibaka's departure, comes an influx of young talent. Magic's point guard Victor Oladipo, who was on the bench for Orlando during a good part of the year, won't face the challenge for minutes in OKC. Steven Adams showed improvement, and at 23 years old, he can only get better. Enes Kanter was even better than Adams, and he's only one year older than the latter. With the additions of newcomers Joffrey Lauvergne from the Denver Nuggets and Magic draftee Domantas Sabonis, our Center scene could be scary in a few years. Add in the veteran Nick Collison, a functional forward in Ersan Ilyasova and a few more players who I'll look to develop, and we have a nice team. Not as good as last year's or the one that led us to the Finals, but it's something. Trades are always an option and I have the nose for a good exchange. We might not see some instant results with my arrival, but the wheels are in motion for the re-development. A new era is coming for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and we will fight for supremacy in the NBA.

Game: NBA 2K17
Platform: Playstation 4
Mode: MyGM
Roster: Default Official 2K Roster
Difficulty: All-Star
Gameplay: 12 Minutes (Sim and Quarter Length), Simulation, Default Sliders
Season Length: 82 (Amount of games played is undetermined)
Playoff Format: 7-7-7-7
Injuries: On
Fatigue: On
Chemistry: On

[Smasher1311]

10 GOALS for the season:

• Establish Russell Westbrook as his own man; He doesn't need Kevin Durant to lead us. He was very close to doing this in 2015, and even though he failed, this time, we will do it.

• Develop Victor Oladipo into a good partner for Westbrook and a top player at least.

• Have a great Center rotation between two of four in Adams, Kanter, Lauvergne and Sabonis before the season is over. They have to give us the numbers, and we will give them the minutes.

• Take Alex Abrines to the next level. He performed well in the Olympics and we can build on what we've seen.

• Make a trade that proves to be a good, successful move.

• Present some solid averages at the end of the season. Westbrook led the league in triple doubles last season, and we want to take more numbers this time.

• Defeat the Golden State Warriors in Chesapeake Energy Arena; They fired the first shots, but we will win this war, eventually. February 11th, the world will be watching.

• Give Russell Westbrook the regular season MVP. While Steph Curry is far from the sole other candidate, Westbrook is very much capable of taking it home this season.

• Win the Northwest Division. Portland, Utah and Minnesota are formidable opponents and Denver is developing into one quickly, but I think we can do it for the second year in a row.

• Make the Playoffs. The Finals might be a bold statement, but the Playoffs are good enough. We are still here.

[Smasher1311]

CURRENT ROSTER:

Starters:

PG Russell Westbrook (C)
SG Victor Oladipo
SF Andre Roberson
PF Domantas Sabonis
C Steven Adams

Bench:

C Enes Kanter
SF/PF Jerami Grant
C/PF Joffrey Lauvergne
SF/SG Alex Abrines
SF Kyle Singler
PF Nick Collison
PG Cameron Payne
SG Anthony Morrow

Reserves:

SF Josh Huestis
PG Semaj Christon

[Smasher1311]

THE 2016-17 NBA SEASON SCHEDULE FOR THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:

CURRENT RECORD: 1-0

Oct. 26th: @ Philadelphia 76ers W (100-89)
Oct. 28th: vs. Phoenix Suns
Oct. 30th: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Nov. 3rd: @ Los Angeles Clippers
Nov. 4th: @ Golden State Warriors
Nov. 5th: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Nov. 7th: vs. Miami Heat
Nov. 9th: vs. Toronto Raptors
Nov. 11th: vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Nov. 13th: vs. Orlando Magic
Nov. 14th: @ Detroit Pistons
Nov. 16th: vs. Houston Rockets
Nov. 18th: vs. Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 20th: vs. Indiana Pacers
Nov. 22nd: @ Los Angeles Lakers
Nov. 23rd: @ Sacramento Kings
Nov. 25th: @ Denver Nuggets
Nov. 26th: vs. Detroit Pistons
Nov. 28th: @ New York Knicks
Nov. 30th: vs. Washington Wizards
Dec. 4th: vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Dec. 5th: @ Atlanta Hawks
Dec. 9th: vs. Houston Rockets
Dec. 11th: vs. Boston Celtics
Dec. 14th: @ Portland Trail Blazers
Dec. 15th: @ Utah Jazz
Dec. 17th: vs. Phoenix Suns
Dec. 19th: vs. Atlanta Hawks
Dec. 21st: @ New Orleans Pelicans
Dec. 23rd: @ Boston Celtics
Dec. 25th: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Dec. 27th: @ Miami Heat
Dec. 29th: @ Memphis Grizzlies
Dec. 31st: vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Jan. 2nd:@ Milwaukee Bucks
Jan. 4th: @ Charlotte Hornets
Jan. 5th: @ Houston Rockets
Jan. 7th: vs. Denver Nuggets
Jan. 9th: @ Chicago Bulls
Jan. 11th: vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Jan. 13th: @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Jan. 16th: @ Sacramento Kings
Jan. 17th: @ Los Angeles Clippers
Jan. 19th: @ Golden State Warriors
Jan. 24th: @ Utah Jazz
Jan. 25th: @ New Orleans Pelicans
Jan. 26th: vs. Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 29th: @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Jan. 31st: @ San Antonio Spurs
Feb. 2nd: vs. Chicago Bulls
Feb. 3rd: vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Feb. 5th: vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Feb. 6th: @ Indiana Pacers
Feb. 9th: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Feb. 11th: vs. Golden State Warriors
Feb. 13th: @ Washington Wizards
Feb. 16th: vs. New York Knicks
Feb. 24th: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Feb. 26th: vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Feb. 28th: vs. Utah Jazz
Mar. 2nd: @ Portland Trail Blazers
Mar. 3rd: @ Phoenix Suns
Mar. 5th: @ Dallas Mavericks
Mar. 7th: vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Mar. 9th: vs. San Antonio Spurs
Mar. 11th: vs. Utah Jazz
Mar. 14th: @ Brooklyn Nets
Mar. 16th: @ Toronto Raptors
Mar. 18th: vs. Sacramento Kings
Mar. 20th: vs. Golden State Warriors
Mar. 22nd: vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Mar. 26th: @ Houston Rockets
Mar. 27th: @ Dallas Mavericks
Mar. 29th: @ Orlando Magic
Mar. 31st: vs. San Antonio Spurs
Apr. 2nd: vs. Charlotte Hornets
Apr. 4th: vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Apr. 5th: @ Memphis Grizzlies
Apr. 7th: @ Phoenix Suns
Apr. 9th: @ Denver Nuggets
Apr. 11th: @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Apr. 12th: vs. Denver Nuggets (REGULAR SEASON FINALE)
Apr. 15th: NBA Playoffs Kickoff
May 29th: NBA Playoffs Ending
Jun. 1st: The 2017 NBA Finals Kickoff
Jun. 18th: The 2017 NBA Finals Ending*

*If 7 games are required.

[Smasher1311]

OOC: This is my first diary here, so this will be kind of simple, format-wise, but don't be surprised if it gets fancy, eventually.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is basically one of my favorite teams in the NBA and the favorite team for me to play as on video games.

I led them to championship supremacy in a Draft MyGM on 2K16, with a deadly line-up of James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans, Steven Adams (ALL-STAR Steven Adams) and Andre Drummond, a bench featuring the likes of Clint Capela (ALL-STAR Clint Capela), Jerryd Bayless, Austin Rivers, Justin Anderson and some generated draftees. I played that for 2 years in-game, and won 2 consecutive Finals, one against the Pacers (Who had...Eric Bledsoe) and the other against the 76ers (Who had Stephen Curry).

I toyed around the idea of doing a diary like this for some time, but I eventually decided against it, and will go the realistic route this time around. Will I be able to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder among the best in the league and eventually have a lineup as deadly as the one I got in 16? Will I dethrone the Golden State Warriors or fail miserably in my quest for glory? Join me for this ride, because we will soon find out.

[Smasher1311]

CODY'S NOTEBOOK

CHAPTER 1: MEETING WITH RON HOLLIS

After a fine breakfast, the staff called me. They gave me instructions, and as I finally made it to my brand new office, I was immediately interrupted. It seems that the owner of the OKC, Ron Hollis, is a quick one to judge his new employees. I make my way through this beautiful hall with abstract pictures, as security opens the door for me. It seems that I was the one too quick to judge, as he's immediately kind to me. He says that he has called me for one thing only, and that's to...give me some goals?

Jeez. I love multitasking. Goals, goals and more goals. Reminds me of Brazil vs. Argentina. Did I tell you I'm from Brazil? Yeah, I was ashamed of that as well.

He tells me that the OKC fans are loyal, but I have to keep their interest high, nonetheless, all the way through the Playoffs. We have seen lots of tragedies already and we don't have to see an even bigger one. Fair enough.

We have to sell out 32 home games this season. Not sure if I can do that, but we'll see. Not much to add here.

The OKC has to make the Playoffs again. Well, I had already planned that, Ron. Thank you for reminding me, though.

He wants me to trade either Nick Collison or Ronnie Price. Did he steal my notes or what? Is he testing me by telling me to do what I have thought of already? And jeez, this man looks fat, now that I've noticed him better. I can imagine Durant challenging Ron to pay him per his kilo. That would have been surely impossible to match. Steph's knees be blessed. But why am I thinking about this guy's weight?

He spoke a deal about broken promises as well, and I kindly tell him that I'll do my best to do that, whatever he said. About the trades, I'll probably have Price on the block for the moment, and Collison will go after a few players have developed. Kanter, Oladipo, Sabonis, I'm looking at you. Where is that useless Mitch McGary dude for me to trade, anyway?

And why this is being written, you may ask? Eh, I just need an opening chapter for this story post-prologue. I'm a sucker for that. Short but sweet, just like that coffee I never got because of this meeting. But for now, the stories are done, as the NBA season kicks off tonight! (Not for us, but you get what I mean.)

Cody Pillman, out.

[Smasher1311]

OCTOBER 25TH, 2016
DAILY VIEW


New York Knicks (108; 1-0) defeated Cleveland Cavaliers (85; 0-1)
Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio

Highest Scoring: Kyrie Irving, 28 (CLE)
Rebounds: LeBron James, 16 (CLE)
Assists: LeBron James, 9 (CLE)


Portland Trail Blazers (125; 1-0) defeated Utah Jazz (94; 0-1)
Moda Center in Portland, Oregon

Highest Scoring: Damian Lillard, 43 (POR)
Rebounds: Festus Ezeli, 13 (POR)
Assists: Damian Lillard, 8 (POR)


Golden State Warriors (127; 1-0) defeated San Antonio Spurs (97; 0-1)
ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California

Highest Scoring: Stephen Curry, 43 (GSW)
Rebounds: Kevin Durant, 12 (GSW)
Assists: Manu Ginobili, 8 (SAS)
HIGHLIGHT: Kawhi Leonard, 6 steals (SAS)

[Daonlyjmo7]

This looks awesome! Definitely following.