Rebirth: A 2K19 MyLeague

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by ScarletKnight19902

Nice dynasty going.

Much thanks sir -- have had to put this on the backburner the last month due to work and life.

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Mavs 126, Celtics 109

By Sasha Williams







The Mavericks have now notched an important March win as they trounced the Celtics thanks to their superior rebounding and a relentless attack on the basket. Dennis Smith Jr led Dallas with 28 points and 9 dimes, outdueling Irving in the fourth quarter as DeAndre Jordan had a career night — 26 points and 27 rebounds (the rebounds a record for Dallas, joining Popeye Jones, James Donaldson, and Erick Dampier on the all-time Mav list). Despite heroics from Irving and steady play from Tatum, the Celtics ran out of gas in the fourth and got no help from any of their other starters — Al Horford fouled out and Jaylen Brown was held out for injury.

[trekfan]

Ch. 8

Jim Harris hadn’t expected to be back in this building, in this room, again. RioCorp had called him and the head of their US Division wanted to meet with him — ostensibly to discuss marketing the Rebirth treatment to athletes in other sports beyond basketball, but Jim wasn’t convinced. His former boss, the man who had invented the treatment in the first place, had been frozen out of recent decisions by the company.

Something was brewing. Something was coming.

Bursting through the doors of the conference room, dressed in a pair of khakis and a polo shirt was the head of RioCorp’s US Division, Wade Garrison. Wade flashed a well-practiced corporate smile. “Like the new carpet, Jimmy?”

Jim internally winced at the nickname but Wade had never called him anything else. Despite asking, Wade would still call him Jimmy; it was a waste of breath to try and correct him at this point. “It smells better than the old one,” Jim said as the two shook hands and sat down. “So, what’s so important you flew me out here?”

“Straight to business, I see. Still no sense of living in the moment.” Wade poured himself a glass of water, took a deep gulp, and then clapped his hands loudly, rubbing them together. “Fine, let’s get down to it: RioCorp is about to take a very important vote and it’s one that will affect you as much as me — I wanted to get your support.”

“Not a member of the company anymore — shouldn’t need my support, Wade.”

Wade let out a laugh. “Oh, you have many fans on the executive board. The work you’ve done in promoting the Rebirth treatment has been a huge boon for the company, but I think it’s time to take it one step further. We need to move beyond reviving the careers of broken down athletes.”

Jim sat back in his chair. “Oh?”

“The money the bring in isn’t enough.” Wade pointed at his Harvard class ring. “Do you know how many of my fellow alumni have contacted me, asked me when this treatment will hit the market for them? The idea of a second-chance at life, with all the knowledge you’ve accumulated, with all the wisdom you have, is appealing to everyone.”

“You want to put the treatment on the mass market?”

“A limited run to deep pocket customers first, but, yes, I want to move this from a select few to a great many,” Wade confirmed.

Jim sat there, stunned. “It’s too soon,” he heard himself saying. “We don’t have enough data about the long-term effects — we have hypotheticals, we have have theories, but no hard data on what things the treatment affects on patients five years from now, let alone ten or twenty.”

“That’s narrow thinking.”

“That’s reality.”

The two men stared at one another for a moment before Wade cleared his throat. “The opportunity is there, now, Jimmy. We won’t be the only ones in this field forever, someone else will come up with a version of this for the mass-market and we’ll be left holding the bag. We can’t market to old athletes forever — that was an entry point, not a long-term strategy.”

“You talk about it like it’s just business.” Jim loosened his tie. “It’s not that. These are the lives of people we’re talking about and the athletes who have undergone this treatment know the risks — they’ve accepted the risks and they understand the risks better than most because of how hard they worked themselves in their prime. They know one injury, one misstep, can end their dreams and that’s a mentality that is unique to them. It’s why we targeted them in the first place.”

“It’s been almost three years, it’s time to take the next step,” Wade said forcefully. “The board agrees with me.”

“No, they agreed to have a vote and you wouldn’t be here asking for my support if you thought you had the votes, Wade.” Jim stood from his chair and shook his head. “I won’t support your initiative. We need to keep this where it is and continue to gather data.”

Wade’s face darkened. “You’ve always been hesitant to seize the moment. You’re always a step behind.”

“Better a step behind than stepping over the edge.”

Wade took a deep breath, shook his head, and stood from his chair. “Fine. Don’t support me.”

“I have to say I won’t.” He frowned. “And I have to say I’m going to recommend against this course of action. Strongly.”

“Don’t work against me — just leave,” Wade warned. “I’m not a pleasant person as an enemy.”

“This is too much, too soon. You’re pushing the company into territory that could be disastrous.”

“And you want to hold them back, just so you can have your precious stars of yester-year, washed up as they are,” Wade seethed. “So limited. So wasteful. The benefits to this treatment will change the human race and you just want to stick with what works?”

“We’ve only proven it works in a limited fashion — we need more time.”

Wade shook his head. “You got out, so stay out, Jimmy. Been nice seeing you.” He exited the room without another word.

Jim stood there, a sickening feeling in his stomach.

He’d have to fight this. If Wade felt like he was close enough to put this to a board vote, then the margin for error was thin. The Rebirth treatment wasn’t ready for the full public yet, Jim was confident in that … but Wade did have a good point. The treatment could change the human race, and would if it proved viable in the long-term.

But now wasn’t the time and that had to be made clear to everyone.

[trekfan]

League Update: Regular Season Finale

By Sasha Williams

Award Winners:

Standings:

Injuries:

The Non-Playoff Teams:

The final week of the NBA season saw some drama as the last playoff spots in the West and East were highly contested. Entering the last week, the Clippers, Pelicans, Rockets, and Kings all had chances to make the playoffs as the final seed, depending on who won or lost — it ultimately came down to the Clippers backing into the playoffs as the rest of the teams behind them also lost, making it so their slim edge was maintained. This is the Clippers’ first playoff team since the breakup of the Lob City gang and the first playoff experience for Boogie Cousins as the undisputed star of the team.

Out East, the final playoff spot came down to the Heat or Hornets — Charlotte had the slimmest of edges but Miami had its chances, losing their last two games in close contests. The Heat were hoping to make the postseason but now must convey a very low lottery pick. Charlotte gets into the playoffs for the first time in years behind Bill Walton, Tyus Jones, and Larry Johnson and owner Michael Jordan couldn’t be happier.

Outside of those teams going for the playoffs, the West saw two massive disappointments — the Harden led Rockets and the Mitchell led Jazz. Houston struggled all year with injuries and couldn’t overcome that, despite high output from James Harden — CP3 took a step back this season, putting up only 17.3 PPG and looking for all the world to be older, possibly signaling his decline. The Jazz suffered minor injuries in comparison but completely fell apart on defense — their calling card. Utah simply didn’t have the horses to run with the rest of the West but it expects to be back in the thick of things next season.

In the East, the Bucks and Bulls both fell well-short of expectations. Milwaukee endured a year where their starting lineups shifted around the Greek Freak, but they could never find anything that really worked well. The Bulls had very high expectations coming into the year but simply didn’t gel — trading Zach Lavine helped things and Anthony Davis was excellent as an individual defender, but the team defense was atrocious and Chicago has to wonder if they would have been better off not trading for the Brow.

Team across the league, near the bottom of the standings, also had their own drama going on as squads fired coaches. Ty Lue is out in Cleveland after a dismal year and locker room discontent, as is JB Bickerstaff in Memphis — who seem finally ready to move on from the Grit and Grind era as Marc Gasol contemplates his future. The Blazers, Nets, and Cavs all have good shots at getting high picks and with two new teams joining the league (Sonics and Huskies), the draft will determine the fate of many squads in the summer.

The Playoff Teams:

The West’s bracket is filled with intriguing matchups. In Round 1, the Mavericks get to take on the Clippers in a De’Andre Jordan/Avery Bradley grudge match against their former coach and team — the LeBron gets to meet up with the Warriors and knock them out of the playoffs early if he can win. Phoenix and Denver tip off in a battle of young, upcoming teams, wiole the Spurs and OKC meet up for another series.

In the East, the Raptors and Hornets engage in a series that would be relegated to NBA TV if not for the star power, while the Hawks and Philly battle it out for title of best young squad out East. The Knicks and Pistons will be a study in a contrasts a the high-scoring Knicks take on the defensively minded Pistons, while the Celtics and Wizards go at it once more in a series the Wizards wish they didn’t have to play.

(Random number generator has assigned me Games 3 and 6. Let’s see what the Clippers do.)

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Mavs 118, Clippers 93

By Sasha Williams

The Mavs came into Game 3 tied 1-1 after losing Game 1 by six points, 112-106 — they came back and won Game 2 121-107, and continued their dominance in Game 3 with a 118-93 win. Dallas got a huge lift in the first half from their bench, who outscored the Clippers 19-17 for the game, and Charles Barkley thrived against Tobias Harris. LAC had their chances in the first half but were blitzed in the third quarter as a well-rested Barkley dunked, shot, and posted up all over.

“We came out and kicked tail,” said Barkley after the game. “That team likes to whine a lot still, it’s just who they are, and we ain’t got no time for whiners — we’ve got better things to do.”

[trekfan]

League Update:The Playoffs, Round 2
By Sasha Williams






The Bracket:




Injuries:









Round 1 Recap:



The playoffs this season have been nearly chalk so far, with the only “upset” coming as the 76ers pasted the Hawks, but in a series between the 4th and 5th seeds. Dallas dominated the Clippers, while the Suns and Warriors each took care of their opponents in seven games. The Thunder got a good battle from the Spurs, but OKC’s talent proved to be too much for the creaking Spurs.



Out East, the Raptors destroyed the Hornets — Charlotte was crushed by double-digits in every game but the final one, as the Hornets couldn’t slow down Leonard and Lowry. The Celtics once more dispatched the Wizards in a series that may have seen the last version of this particular Washington team; the Knicks put the Pistons out to pasture as Dame Lillard and Jimmy Butler hammered the Pistons’ weak guard rotation.



Round 2 Preview:



Out West, it’s a dance between the top-four seeds. The Mavericks, league leading all season long, don’t have to face LeBron (whom they lost to three times this year) and instead get the Warriors — a Warriors team that is sensing this may be the final dance for this iteration of the squad. The Mavericks have a tough matchup as they must cover both Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. If Dallas wants to have a shot at winning, they’ll need to hold both superstars to lower-than-expected points, but that’s a tough ask for such a young team.



In the second series, the Thunder will meet up with the Suns, a rematch of last season’s WCF. OKC barely squeaked by last season in seven games in one of the most exciting series of the year, and the Suns have had all season to stew on it — the problem is that both Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose are banged up, giving Westbrook a chance to control this series early. The Thunder are suffering from a few injuries themselves and the winner of this series will likely come down to which team can take advantage of the other.



In the East, the Raptors and 76ers square off in a highly anticipated showdown — after last season’s crushing disappointment, the 76ers have rebounded and seem to have found their groove. Toronto represents a tough matchup as Leonard and Lowry are both thriving and both veterans have more than enough tricks to take advantage of Simmons and Fultz; the 76ers have the depth to outwork the Raptors bench, but will those players be able to make enough of a difference? That’s the question.



In the East’s other series, the NBA gets a rematch of last season’s entertaining Celtics/Knicks series. Both teams are mostly the same, minus Gordon Hayward, and both teams have engaged in multiple hard-fought contests over the past season. Irving vs. Lillard, Brown vs. Butler, Tatum vs. Knox, Carey vs. Porzingis, Horford vs. Noel. It will be a series where the starters and the depth will be matched up exceedingly well with one another a series where Irving, league MVP, will get to fell another all-star PG.

(The random number generator has assigned me Games 1 and 6 of the series. The Warriors will not be kind.)

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Warriors 135, Mavs 130

By Sasha Williams

The Mavericks fell to the Warriors, at home, in a close Game 1 that saw Dallas come out flat as Golden State took a 13-point lead into the second quarter. But it was then that the Dallas bench, led by Jeremy Lin and Avery Bradley, came alive and helped the Mavs get back into the game. With the game already getting away from them, Dallas subbed in Charles Barkley early in the second and his play helped chip away at the lead.

In the third, Dallas would finally get the lead and the two teams spent the quarter trading it back and forth as Kevin Durant led the Warriors, scoring 42 points in the game, as Golden State needed someone to step up with Steph Curry in foul trouble. Despite taking a slim one-point lead into the fourth, Dallas succumbed to the Warriors shooting — questionable foul calls haunted the entire Mavericks team as the refs made their presence felt, sending DeAndre Jordan to the locker room with under five minutes to go — not soon after the Warriors broke the game open and Dallas couldn’t come back.

“It’s a failure,” said Coach Carlisle bluntly after the game. “We did not come out ready and we went down early, and we were spent by the time the fourth came around. If we had taken care of business in the fourth, we would have won this game … this is what happens when you don’t show up prepared.”

Around the League:

The Suns took Game 1 against OKC in a 107-105 thriller and the Celtics beat the Knicks, 111-104.

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Mavs 138, Warriors 133

By Sasha Williams

The Mavs are on the cusp of coming back down 3-0 against the Warriors and fate seems to have smiled on them as Kevin Durant sprained his wrist midway through the third quarter — the sprain was severe enough to hold him out the rest of the game and he’s projected to be out for the next week at least. Durant going down served as the boost the Mavs needed as Steph Curry and company simply couldn’t outscore the Mavericks, who were firing on all cylinders as their big three of Barkley, Donic, and Smith attacked the defense.

They attacked it all game and so much that the Mavs were awarded a huge amount of free throws — 43 to the Warriors 14 — and the disparity has irked the Warriors, specifically head coach Steve Kerr.

“I’m not happy,” a grim Kerr said after the game. “It feels like the officials were way too eager to award free throws and not call any other fouls. When there’s such a gap between two teams in terms of trips to the line, that’s got to be questioned … we didn’t lose because of it, certainly we had our chances and we didn’t get it done, but there was something off this game with the officials.”

Around the League:

The Suns took swept the Thunder, becoming the first team to make the conference finals and getting some much needed rest. OKC was blown out in Games 2 and 4, losing by over 20 points each time as the Suns abused the Thunder inside — the back injury to Steven Adams, which he played through, limited the big man’s defensive abilities and Phoenix took advantage.

Out East, the Celtics punched their ticket to the ECF thanks to play of Kyrie Irving — they beat the Knicks 4-2 in their series, and for the second year in a row New York has been knocked out of the playoffs by Boston.

The Raptors hold a 3-2 lead on the 76ers, but Philly has already survived one elimination game, as they the Raptors held a 3-1 lead and had a chance to close it in Game 5; they did not as Ben Simmons exploded for 33 points, 12 boards, and 5 dimes in a dominating 115-95 win. Toronto will need from the players not named Lowry and Leonard if they want to win this series.