Big Apple Redemption: NY Knicks Player Lock MyLeague

[RMJH4]

Quote: Originally Posted by hoopla32

Hope this story is something I can take and stay committed to. I haven't given up on my Supersonics MyLeague, but that was growing stale and after reading more about and experimenting with player lock, I liked it a lot. Also, author's note: this is technically going to be the 2018-2019 season on my 2K game, but in my "fantasy world" with Jelani Birch, it's the 2019-2020 season.

If you lose interest just move on. Good luck with this one. Really enjoy player lock. Takes a lot of discipline to do it right, but its worth it. My Jordan story is first time I've done it and its been fun.

[hoopla32]

Birch Shines in Debut as Knicks Defeat Bulls 126-118

Chicago, IL -- If Jelani Birch's first game was any indication of his NBA career, then his legacy is well on its way to all-time-great status. If not, then, at the very least, Birch put on an NBA debut performance that will go down as one of the best ever.

Birch fell just two assists shy from a triple-double as he posted 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists on 9/19 shooting as the Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls 124-118. Birch recorded five of his eight assists in the fourth quarter as he set the table for his frontcourt of Kristaps Porzingis (25 points) and Mitchell Robinson (19 points) to help the Knicks pull away.

"Those two dudes made my life a lot easier tonight. Mitch and Kristaps finish so well, all I had to do was hit them near the basket and they did the rest," Birch said after the game.

In total, six Knicks scored in double figures led by Porzingis who scored 25 points on 10/15 shooting. Mitchell Robinson recorded a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14 points to go along with 6 assists.

New York Knicks (1-0) at Chicago Bulls (0-1)
Oct 23, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 31 33 26 36 126 Chicago 29 30 31 28 118 Top Performers New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 24 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl Kristaps Porzingis - 25 pts, 9 reb, 3 blk, 2 ast Chicago Bulls Tyreke Evans - 24 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast Kris Dunn - 20 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl	Team Stats Comparison NYK CHI FG Made-Att 42/84 43/88 3PT Made-Att 12/30 15/33 FT Made-Att 30/44 17/18 Rebounds 46 46 Assists 21 28 Turnovers 8 15 Steals 9 5 Blocks 7 4
New York Knicks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Kristaps Porzingis 35 10/15 2/5 3/5 9 2 1 3 0 25 Kevin Knox 32 4/8 2/4 2/4 2 0 2 1 0 12 Jelani Birch 31 9/19 1/3 5/6 10 8 1 0 3 24 Mitchell Robinson 29 6/9 0/0 7/11 13 0 0 0 1 19 Tim Hardaway Jr. 28 4/7 4/6 2/6 2 6 2 0 0 14 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS George Hill 18 2/5 0/3 2/2 2 2 2 0 0 6 Mike Scott 16 2/4 0/1 3/4 2 0 0 0 0 7 Mario Hezonja 16 0/1 0/1 2/2 2 1 0 1 3 2 Justin Holiday 16 3/12 3/7 2/2 1 2 1 1 1 11 Joakim Noah 13 2/4 0/0 2/2 3 0 0 1 0 6
Chicago Bulls STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Jabari Parker 35 7/12 1/3 0/0 4 2 1 0 2 15 Lauri Markannen 32 4/10 2/5 0/0 7 2 0 0 2 10 Wendell Carter Jr. 30 1/4 0/1 4/5 9 3 0 2 1 6 Kris Dunn 30 7/12 2/2 4/4 4 4 3 2 3 20 Tyreke Evans 27 8/15 3/5 5/5 6 6 1 0 1 24 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Zach LaVine 24 5/10 2/6 1/1 3 2 0 0 3 13 Bobby Portis 19 2/7 1/3 0/0 7 2 0 0 1 5 Denzel Valentine 16 1/5 1/3 3/3 2 4 0 0 1 6 Cameron Payne 15 4/7 3/5 0/0 2 3 0 0 1 11 Cristiano Felicio 12 4/6 0/0 0/0 2 0 0 0 0 8

[hoopla32]

Game 2 | October 24, 2019


Jelani Birch struggled to keep up with Eric Bledsoe all night as Bledsoe scored 40 points in a blowout 125-101 win by the Bucks.

Milwaukee Bucks (1-0) at New York Knicks (1-1)
Oct 24, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final Milwaukee 29 27 38 31 125 New York 25 28 24 24 101 Top Performers Milwaukee Bucks E. Bledsoe - 40 pts, 4 ast, 4 reb, 1 stl Antetokounmpo - 23 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 28 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl Kirstaps Porzingis - 22 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk	Team Stats Comparison MIL NYK FG Made-Att 50/88 40/87 3PT Made-Att 11/22 9/27 FT Made-Att 14/16 12/18 Rebounds 47 39 Assists 35 26 Turnovers 10 10 Steals 7 6 Blocks 4 4

Game 3 | October 26, 2019


Kevin Durant scored 27 points as the new look Sixers defeated the Knicks 111-103.

New York Knicks (1-2) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-0)
Oct 26, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 25 29 26 23 103 Philadelphia 26 25 30 30 111 Top Performers New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 29 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk Kristaps Porzingis - 18 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk Philadelphia 76ers Kevin Durant - 27 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl Joel Embiid - 23 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk	Team Stats Comparison NYK PHI FG Made-Att 38/76 40/80 3PT Made-Att 9/24 6/17 FT Made-Att 18/23 25/29 Rebounds 40 38 Assists 24 35 Turnovers 15 9 Steals 6 9 Blocks 9 4

Game 4 | October 30, 2019


Jelani Birch fell just one assist shot of a triple-double with 34 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds in the Knicks 116-108 win over the Celtics.

Boston Celtics (0-3) at New York Knicks (2-2)
Oct 30, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final Boston 23 26 32 27 108 New York 26 27 29 34 116 Top Performers Boston Celtics Terry Rozier - 21 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl Gordon Hayward - 21 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 34 pts, 13 ast, 9 reb, 3 stl Kristaps Porzingis - 24 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk	Team Stats Comparison BOS NYK FG Made-Att 41/86 40/87 3PT Made-Att 9/27 5/22 FT Made-Att 17/19 31/36 Rebounds 39 52 Assists 31 24 Turnovers 16 16 Steals 10 7 Blocks 4 2

[hoopla32]

Knicks Hand Bucks First Loss



Kristaps Porzingis notched a double-double with 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks defeated the 4-0 Bucks, 114-93.

New York Knicks (3-2) at Milwaukee Bucks (4-1)
Nov 1, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 27 29 27 31 114 Milwaukee 23 26 22 22 93 Top Performers New York Knicks Kristaps Porzingis - 29 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast Jelani Birch - 25 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast Milwaukee Bucks Antetokounmpo - 20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk Malcolm Brogdon - 17 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl	Team Stats Comparison NYK MIL FG Made-Att 42/84 37/91 3PT Made-Att 10/27 8/21 FT Made-Att 20/24 11/14 Rebounds 51 42 Assists 20 28 Turnovers 13 11 Steals 7 9 Blocks 6 4
New York Knicks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Kristaps Porzingis 35 10/21 1/5 8/9 11 3 0 0 3 29 Jelani Birch 34 10/20 2/8 3/4 11 6 1 1 5 25 Kevin Knox 32 3/7 0/1 0/0 1 2 2 0 0 6 Mitch Robinson 30 2/3 0/0 1/1 11 0 1 3 1 5 Tim Hardaway Jr. 28 2/5 1/1 5/5 3 2 1 0 0 10 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Mario Hezonja 20 8/10 4/6 0/0 2 0 0 0 0 20 Mike Scott 17 2/3 0/0 0/0 6 1 1 1 2 4 George Hill 17 2/5 0/2 0/0 1 1 0 0 0 4 Justin Holiday 16 3/8 2/4 3/3 2 2 1 0 0 11 Joakim Noah 12 0/2 0/0 0/2 3 3 0 1 2 0
Milwaukee Bucks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Giannis Antetokounmpo 37 9/19 0/1 2/4 7 5 3 2 2 20 Greg Monroe 32 4/14 0/0 3/3 5 4 1 0 1 11 Eric Bledsoe 30 4/12 1/4 0/0 3 3 2 1 0 9 Donte DiVincenzo 28 3/10 3/8 0/0 2 2 1 0 2 9 Ersan Ilyasova 27 3/5 2/2 0/0 9 1 0 0 2 8 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Malcolm Brogdon 25 6/12 1/4 4/4 7 5 2 0 3 17 John Henson 18 4/10 0/0 0/0 3 3 0 1 1 8 Maurice Harkless 18 0/3 0/0 0/0 1 2 0 0 0 0 Troy Daniels 17 2/3 1/2 2/3 2 2 0 0 0 7 D.J. Wilson 13 2/3 0/0 0/0 3 1 0 0 0 4

[hoopla32]

Knicks Nip Mavs in OT


As the Mavericks defense collapses, Jelani Birch kicks it out to a wide-open Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner for one of his 15 assists.

New York, NY -- Jelani Birch struggled for three quarters...badly. Fortunately, basketball games are four quarters long; and this particular game was four quarters and one overtime period long. When Kristaps Porzingis picked up his sixth foul with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Birch flipped a switch and took over.

However, through three quarters of play Birch had only scored three points and was 0-for-6 from the floor. On top of that, he was having a difficult time containing Dennis Smith Jr. who scored 32 points in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Birch scored 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting and held Dennis Smith to 1/7 shooting and just five points as the Knicks pulled away in overtime, outscoring the Mavericks 19-8.

Birch recorded the first triple-double of his career in the win with 23 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds. Porzingis, before fouling out, scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. Mitchell Robinson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Mario Hezonja was a perfect 5-for-5 from deep en route to an 18 point performance. In total, eight Knicks scored in double figures and Justin Holiday was one point away from making it nine.

For Dallas, Dennis Smith Jr. had a monster game scoring 37 points, dishing out 8 assists, and grabbing 7 rebounds. Rookie Zion Williamson stuffed the statsheet with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Luka Donic chipped in with 13 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan recorded a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Dallas Mavericks (4-3) at New York Knicks (4-3)
Nov 5, 2019 1 2 3 4 OT Final Dallas 27 28 30 26 8 119 New York 23 23 31 34 19 130 Top Performers Dallas Mavericks Dennis Smith Jr. - 37 pts, 8 ast, 7 reb, 1 blk Zion Williamson - 27 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 23 pts, 15 ast, 13 reb, 3 stl Kristaps Porzingis - 19 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl	Team Stats Comparison DAL NYK FG Made-Att 46/93 47/97 3PT Made-Att 5/20 16/31 FT Made-Att 22/31 20/22 Rebounds 53 45 Assists 32 24 Turnovers 14 15 Steals 7 10 Blocks 2 4
Dallas Mavericks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Dennis Smith Jr. 42 12/26 4/12 9/13 7 8 0 1 2 37 Luka Doncic 41 5/15 1/4 2/2 5 7 1 0 3 13 DeAndre Jordan 39 4/6 0/0 2/4 15 2 0 0 1 10 Zion Williamson 39 11/16 0/0 5/6 8 5 2 0 3 27 Khris Middleton 38 3/9 0/1 0/0 5 5 1 0 2 6 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Dwight Powell 17 4/5 0/1 0/0 1 2 2 1 0 8 Jalen Brunson 16 2/7 0/0 2/2 2 1 0 0 1 6 Rodney McGruder 15 1/4 0/1 2/4 1 0 1 0 1 4 Ed Davis 15 3/3 0/0 0/0 9 2 0 0 1 6 DeMarre Carroll 6 1/1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 2
New York Knicks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Jelani Birch 43 9/18 0/2 5/5 13 5 3 0 4 23 Mitchell Robinson 36 4/8 0/0 5/6 10 0 1 1 1 13 Tim Hardaway Jr. 34 5/9 4/6 3/3 2 0 0 0 2 17 Kevin Knox 34 4/8 1/5 1/1 2 1 2 1 1 10 Kristaps Porzingis 31 8/20 1/5 2/2 6 2 1 0 1 19 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS George Hill 24 4/9 0/1 2/2 0 2 0 1 1 10 Mario Hezonja 21 6/8 5/5 1/1 4 0 1 1 1 18 Mike Scott 18 4/8 2/2 1/2 3 3 2 0 1 11 Justin Holiday 14 3/8 3/5 0/0 1 0 0 0 2 9 Joakim Noah 14 0/1 0/0 0/0 4 1 0 0 1 0

[hoopla32]

Game 8 | November 7, 2019



Jelani Birch finds Kristaps Porzingis for a 3rd quarter buck in the Knicks 117-115 win over the Suns.

Phoenix Suns (3-5) at New York Knicks (5-3)
Nov 7, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final Phoenix 25 27 31 32 115 New York 23 35 28 31 117 Top Performers Phoenix Suns Devin Booker - 30 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb, 1 stl DeAndre Ayton - 18 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 25 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl Kevin Knox - 23 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl	Team Stats Comparison PHO NYK FG Made-Att 48/85 42/82 3PT Made-Att 12/27 7/22 FT Made-Att 7/10 26/38 Rebounds 40 41 Assists 32 24 Turnovers 14 11 Steals 4 8 Blocks 6 6

Game 9 | November 9, 2019

New York Knicks (5-4) at Minnesota Timberwolves (5-3)
Nov 9, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 20 21 18 22 81 Minnesota 22 26 31 26 105 Top Performers New York Knicks Kristaps Porzingis - 18 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk, 2 ast Jelani Birch - 17 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns - 19 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk Dwight Howard - 13 pts, 16 reb, 2 blk	Team Stats Comparison NYK MIN FG Made-Att 31/82 39/81 3PT Made-Att 3/23 7/25 FT Made-Att 16/24 20/28 Rebounds 39 55 Assists 16 20 Turnovers 15 18 Steals 9 11 Blocks 6 8

Game 10 | November 11, 2019


Trae Young scored 28 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists in Atlanta's 115-98 win over the Knicks.

New York Knicks (5-5) at Atlanta Hawks (7-3)
Nov 11, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 35 21 21 21 98 Atlanta 34 26 27 28 115 Top Performers New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 24 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl Kristaps Porzingis - 18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk Atlanta Hawks Trae Young - 28 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl John Collins - 18 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk	Team Stats Comparison NYK ATL FG Made-Att 36/76 41/76 3PT Made-Att 9/16 13/31 FT Made-Att 17/22 20/23 Rebounds 38 43 Assists 17 26 Turnovers 22 12 Steals 9 14 Blocks 7 3

[hoopla32]

Knicks Top Wizards, 115-103

New York Knicks (5-6) at Washington Wizards (6-5)
Nov 12, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final New York 29 29 27 30 115 Washington 24 26 25 28 103 Top Performers New York Knicks Jelani Birch - 35 pts, 8 ast, 5 reb, 3 stl Kevin Knox - 19 pts, 8r eb, 3 ast, 2 stl Washington Wizards John Wall - 26 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl Otto Porter Jr. - 14 pts, 7 ast, 4 reb	Team Stats Comparison NYK WAS FG Made-Att 40/80 41/91 3PT Made-Att 6/18 7/25 FT Made-Att 29/32 14/19 Rebounds 48 41 Assists 24 25 Turnovers 18 15 Steals 7 14 Blocks 7 2
New York Knicks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Jelani Birch 37 12/19 0/3 11/12 5 8 3 0 7 35 Kristaps Porzingis 33 8/14 1/1 4/4 7 1 0 2 2 21 Mitchell Robinson 29 4/9 0/0 0/0 8 0 0 1 1 8 Tim Haraway Jr. 28 1/5 1/3 0/0 4 2 1 0 1 3 Kevin Knox 26 7/8 2/2 3/4 8 3 2 1 2 19 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Mario Hezonja 22 2/9 2/5 7/7 3 2 0 0 1 13 George Hill 19 0/2 0/1 0/0 1 5 0 1 1 0 Mike Scott 17 5/8 0/2 2/2 1 0 1 0 2 12 Justin Holiday 16 1/4 0/1 2/3 1 3 0 2 1 4 Joakim Noah 14 0/2 0/0 0/0 10 0 0 0 0 0
Washington Wizards STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS John Wall 36 10/26 2/5 4/4 5 5 4 0 3 26 Otto Porter Jr. 32 6/12 1/4 1/1 4 7 0 0 4 14 Robin Lopez 30 6/11 0/0 0/0 6 2 1 0 1 12 Ben McLemore 27 1/4 0/3 1/2 1 3 0 0 1 3 Daniel Gafford 27 5/10 0/1 0/0 7 0 2 0 3 10 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Kelly Oubre Jr. 22 2/7 0/3 7/8 3 1 4 0 2 11 Alex Abrines 21 2/5 1/4 0/0 0 0 1 0 0 5 Ian Mahinmi 19 2/5 0/0 0/2 8 0 1 2 0 4 Royce O'Neale 16 3/4 1/1 0/0 6 4 1 0 0 7 Emmanuel Mudiay 14 4/7 2/4 1/2 1 3 0 0 1 11

[hoopla32]

Durant Dominates Struggling Warriors in Return to Oracle


Kevin Durant scored 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his return to Oracle Arena.

Oakland, CA -- After five seasons of dominating the NBA, in which the Warriors won four championships and made the Finals five straight seasons, the Warriors are having a difficult time adjusting to life after Kevin Durant. In a return to their original Big Three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, factors outside of losing Kevin Durant have played a role in the Warriors 6-7 start to the season. Injuries and a short, older bench have also been a part of the struggle.

And when Kevin Durant returned to Oracle last night, the new headliner for the now 10-2 76ers, things did not get better. Durant scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists as the 76ers defeated the Warriors 121-108. Ben Simmons recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for the Sixers. Stephen Curry scored 27 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 5 assists in the loss.

"Once I got out there and got past the initial anxiousness, it was just a matter of playin' ball again," Durant said of his return. Both the 76ers and Durant struggled in the first half. A half in which the Warriors outscored the 76ers 61-50. However, the 76ers flipped the script and won the second half 71-47. Durant, who scored just 8 points on 2/9 shooting in the first half, finished strong, scoring 27 points of his 35 points in the second half on 8-for-11 shooting.

Philadelphia 76ers (10-2) at Golden State Warriors (6-7)
Nov 17, 2019 1 2 3 4 Final Philadelphia 24 26 33 38 121 Golden State 31 30 19 28 108 Top Performers Philadelphia 76ers Kevin Durant - 25 pts, 10 reb,, 4 ast, 1 blk Ben Simmons - 22 pts, 11 ast, 10 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry - 27 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl Klay Thompson - 18 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast	Team Stats Comparison PHI GSW FG Made-Att 43/91 40/81 3PT Made-Att 11/27 13/31 FT Made-Att 24/28 15/21 Rebounds 51 39 Assists 39 34 Turnovers 8 11 Steals 4 4 Blocks 7 4
Philadelphia 76ers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Kevin Durant 37 10/20 5/10 10/10 10 4 0 1 1 35 Ben Simmons 36 9/16 0/0 4/6 10 11 2 2 4 22 Joel Embiid 33 5/11 0/2 2/2 7 5 0 1 0 12 Dario Saric 30 3/8 5/8 3/3 6 3 0 0 1 14 Markelle Fultz 28 6/12 0/1 0/0 3 8 0 0 0 12 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Robert Covington 21 1/3 1/3 3/5 2 2 1 1 0 6 Amir Johnson 17 3/5 0/0 0/0 4 0 0 1 0 6 Zhaire Smith 15 2/7 0/2 2/2 4 4 0 0 1 6 Tyler Zeller 14 3/7 0/1 0/0 3 1 1 1 0 6 Shelvin Mack 13 1/2 0/0 0/0 1 1 0 0 1 2
Golden State Warriors STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stephen Curry 37 9/15 4/6 5/6 6 5 2 0 4 27 Klay Thompson 33 7/14 2/7 2/5 4 3 0 0 0 2 Draymond Green 33 4/8 1/3 0/0 5 6 0 2 0 9 Brook Lopez 30 6/10 1/3 3/4 11 2 0 0 2 16 Andre Iguodala 28 1/8 0/3 0/0 2 6 0 1 1 2 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Kyle Korver 21 3/5 2/3 3/4 3 1 0 1 0 11 Dwyane Wade 18 3/5 1/1 0/0 2 2 1 0 0 7 Zach Randolph 18 2/9 0/2 2/2 2 6 1 0 1 6 Jonas Jerebko 17 4/6 2/3 0/0 4 3 0 0 0 10 Nick Weatherspoon 13 1/1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 1 2