Rebirth: A 2K19 MyLeague

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Mavs 130, Rockets 124

By Sasha Williams







The Mavericks finished off the Rockets in Dallas after a close Game 4 loss in Houston. The Rockets, emboldened by their season saving victory, came out firing on all cylinders. Houston won the first quarter, 29-27, but Dallas quickly stormed back behind the play of Jalen Brunson, who scored 8 of his 10 points in the second and helped the Mavs scrounge a four point lead heading into the half.



In the third, Houston lit up Dallas — the Mavericks struggled to find their offense coming out of the half, going 0-4 before hitting their first shot, and the Rockets surged ahead behind hot shooting from Carmelo Anthony and an assault on the rim by Marquese Chriss, who was the beneficiary of great passing from his teammates. Dallas entered the fourth down 96-89, and it looked for all the world that the Rockets would pull ahead … and then Charles Barkely, who had been struggling all game, came alive. Sir Charles started the fourth causing a steal, slamming home a fast break dunk, and grabbing two tough rebounds, and that shifted the momentum as Dallas’s defense got fired up. Houston’s passes were intercepted left and right, the fast break offense flowed, and Dallas went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead — and they held onto the lead through the rest of the game, advancing to second round for the first time since 2011, their lone title season.
“We kept attacking, kept fighting, and that’s we have to do,” said DeAndre Jordan, who was named player of the game thanks to his outstanding rebounding and dominating fourth quarter. Jordan punished Houston’s defense after he got Cody Zeller to foul out early in the fourth, which was the big reason Dallas’s 10-0 run happened at all.













Around the League:



The Dallas Mavericks — and the rest of the NBA — can breathe a sigh of relief as the San Antonio Spurs have done what many believed impossible: they beat the Warriors. San Antonio lost game 1 by a lot but came back and swept Golden State the rest of the way, thanks to an early game 2 injury to Jordan Bell (who was not expected back for 2-4 weeks). With Bell gone, the Warriors simply didn’t have the defense to slow San Antonio down. With Golden State and Houston both out of the playoffs, OKC becomes the clear favorites to get to the Finals … if they get out of round 1.



Speaking of OKC, they’re having their own troubles; Denver has won two straight after nearly taking game 2 in OT, losing 165-162 in an insane game. Denver is watching Jokic ascend to another level as he’s dragging his team deep into their first playoff series — if they score an upset against their division rivals, the Nuggets will be more than satisfied for a few years. Elsewhere out West, the Suns have a slim 3-2 series lead on Davis and the Pelicans but that lead has come with a cost as Josh Jackson is out for 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain and DeAndre Ayton is out with a twisted knee, but could return before the series ends.



In the East, the Knicks have punched their ticket to the second round with a 4-1 series win over the Pacers — Damian Lillard is on fire as he averaged 30.6 PPG in the series and he’s shooting lights out. Their opponent is yet to be determined as the Celtics are up 3-2 on the Wizards, Washington winning the last two and showing signs of life — it’ll be up to Boston to close out the Wizards in the next two games or they’ll be facing many questions in the offseason.



The other two series are also closely contested as the Raptors are up 3-2 on Detroit, and Orlando is hanging onto a 3-2 lead in a very competitive series; Trae Young is lighting up the Magic to the tune of 31.2 PPG, with 8.8 APG, and the Hawks have won two of the last three.

[trekfan]

League Update: The Playoffs, Round 2

By Sasha Williams

The Bracket:

Injuries:

Round 1 Recap:

The West witnessed a big upset in round 1 as the Spurs knocked out the Warriors . The Thunder had a tough time against the Nuggets, but Denver’s many injuries caught up with them. Phoenix took care of NOLA despite the loss of Josh Jackson, Thaddeus Young proving to be a good replacement — at least in the short term. The Mavericks took care of the depleted Rockets, who desperately missed Clint Capela and had difficulties all series slowing down Dallas’ inside attack.

The East saw two series go to seven games as the Raptors succeeded against the Pistons in an ugly 93-76 game 7 win. The Hawks stormed back to take out the Magic, Trae Young’s shooting devastating Orlando in the last two games. The Knicks easily put away the Pacers and the Celtics closed out the Wizards with a close 93-89 win in game 6.

Round 2 Preview:

Out West, it’s a renewal of old rivalries — the Thunder and Spurs square off as MVP Westbrook looks to put his stamp on this year’s playoffs and take out the Spurs. San Antonio is getting great leadership and play from its veteran stars in Aldridge and DeRozan, and getting a surprising boost from Lonnie Walker IV, who’s averaging nearly double his regular season points with 13.1 a night.

In the second series, the Mavs will meet up with the Suns in a game that pits two up and coming teams against one another — both Phoenix and Dallas have exceeded expectations this season thanks to great additions last summer (Walker for PHX, Barkley for DAL) and both are eager to prove they’re not flukes. Phoenix is a bit more banged up than Dallas, Josh Jackson’s injury the big story — Thad Young has filled in admirably for two games, but can he do that all series? Dallas will look to test Young early and see if they can break him.

In the East, the Raptors and Hawks square off in a series that’s closer than many would initially believe. Toronto has the better defense and a higher caliber player in Kawhi Leonard, but struggled taking down the Pistons due to their big man injuries — Atlanta has a healthy stable of big men (Vucevic, Giles, Reid), but also had to play OT in game 7 to knock out the Magic. Will veteran experience beat out the exciting play of Trae Young? It’s going to be dogfight.

In the East’s other series, the NBA gets a dream matchup as the Knicks and Celtics face off for a ticket to the ECF. Boston saw Al Horford return from injury in game 7 against the Wizards and though he looked rusty, his presence was steadying as the Celtics advanced. New York has had a couple extra days rest but are missing two key bench players in Frankie Smokes and Lance Stephenson — neither is expected to be back this series and it’s going to be up to the rest of the Knicks bench to come through against the deeper Celtics team. Lillard vs. Irving will be worth the price of admission, but look out for Gordon Hayward, who’s leading the Celtics with 24.9 PPG these playoffs and is playing like the star the Celtics believed they got before his devastating injury in early 2017.

(The random number generator has assigned me Games 2 and 7 of the series. Kemba is going to go off I think … gonna be a tight series.)

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Suns 109, Mavs 105

By Sasha Williams







The Suns stole Game 2 on the road, putting them up 2-0 in the series after a one-point win against Dallas in Game 1. The Mavs came out desperate for a win and that desperation was matched by Phoenix, as the two teams battled back and forth all game long. Dallas went into the half up by two points, but that lead was unstable and Phoenix came out in the third firing, quickly taking the lead back. Luck seemed to be on Dallas side however as the Mavericks saw both Kemba Walker and Marvin Bagley go out with injuries (Walker with a sprain ankle, Bagley with a sprained elbow) in the late third, but the backups stepped up big in the fourth —none bigger than Dragan Bender, who hit two huge triples in the final minute to put Dallas away and the Mavericks are now in an 0-2 hole.



“I’m *ucking pissed, that’s what I am,” Barkely said after the game. “We had it — we had it right there — and we let it *ucking slip away.” The Mavericks starting five struggled outside Barkley and Jordan, who played well — Smith was inefficient all night, Donic couldn’t stop Booker on defense, and Harrison Barnes was completely absent in one of the worst playoff performances in recent memory. With Phoenix injured and limping, Dallas has a chance to take back control of the series, but their battle is an uphill one.

[trekfan]

League Update: The Playoffs, Conference Finals

By Sasha Williams






The Bracket:




Injuries:






Round 2 Recap:



The West saw the Spurs fall to the Thunder, 4-1, in a series that seemed closer on paper than the 4-0 sweep of the Mavs, which saw Dallas struggled to score in the fourth quarter in each of their losses, despite leading going into the final frame with a lead in three of those losses. Dallas will have to evaluate whether Harrison Barnes is effective enough to remain on the team, as Barnes struggled from Game 2 onward and left much to be desired. San Antonio got further than many expected of them this season and that’ll be looking for greater improvement from their youth next season.



In the East, the Raptors easily took care of the Hawks as Trae Young’s explosive offense was shut down by Leonard, Lowry, and the swarming Raptors defense. Young had little success against Toronto, scoring over 20 points in just one game, and no Hawks player other than him scored over 20 in any of the games; Atlanta will need some of their youth to step up next season if they want to advance further. In the other series, the Knicks and Celtics went at it for seven tough games, but New York ultimately fell — they were crushed in back to back games by the Celtics after a devastating Game 5 OT loss, which seemed to take the wind out of their sails. Depth remains a concern for the Knicks, who’ll need to retool around the edges of the roster.



Conference Finals Preview:



The WCF comes down between the heavily favored Thunder and the surprising, yet dinged up Suns. OKC has the advantage in experience and arguably talent as they’re lead by Westbrook and George, fully healthy, and rolling through the playoffs, but Phoenix has shown a remarkable amount of toughness and grit — their ability to overcome injuries to key players last series against Dallas is a big point in their favor and the Thunder shouldn’t underestimate the Suns.



In the East, the Raptors and Celtics square off in the ECF everyone wanted — can Leonad shut down Hayward/Tatum and can Lowry bottle up Irving? Boston has hardly looked invincible these playoffs and if the game gets ugly, Toronto seems better equipped to handle that than Boston, but if Boston can make this a shootout Toronto doesn’t appear to have the guns to keep up. It’ll be interesting to see which team can take advantage of the others’ weaknesses as both squads look to overcome the barrier that is the ECF for the first time in recent history.

[trekfan]

League Update: The Playoffs, The Finals

By Sasha Williams






The Bracket:







Conference Finals Recap:



The West saw the Thunder go up 3-1 on the Suns before Phoenix, ever vigilant, won Game 5 and 6 by a combined four points — close, slim margins that they couldn’t repeat in Game 7 on OKC’s home floor. Phoenix once again falls short of the Finals, but for a team that spent a good chunk of the playoffs missing key players, the fact they made it this far is impressive enough — OKC got all they could handle and Phoenix should be looked at as a serious threat next season.



In the East, the Raptors put away the demons of playoff failures past and put down the Celtics — Toronto jumped out to a shocking 3-0 lead as they beat the Celtics handily in the first three games, seeing a 42 point game from Leonard in Game 1, a 41 point game from Lowry in Game 2, and a balanced effort from their whole team in Game 3. Boston charged back in Games 4 and 5, but fell flat in Game 6, losing 117-95 after a disastrous third frame, which saw them score just 18 points against the Raptors 35. The Raptors locked Boston down in the second half and there was nothing the Celtics could do as their hot shooting went ice cold, especially Gordon Hayward who likely played his last game with the Celtics before free agency, putting up a measly 10 point, 5-14 shooting performance in a critical contest.





Finals Preview:

The top seeds in each conference are matching up, the first time that’s happened in a few years for the NBA and the matchup couldn’t be more delicious; it’s OKC against Toronto, Toronto’s first taste of the Finals and OKC’s first return to the biggest stage in the NBA since the 2011-12 season. Toronto has the advantage of Kawhi Leonard, a lockdown player who’s won a Finals MVP before and could win another one again if he can shut down Westbrook; the biggest question OKC has is if Westbrook’s teammates can do enough to keep Toronto from teeing off on him. One of these franchises will win their first title (OKC’s previous title is Seattle’s and they know that) and it will be a big win for either team; neither are seen as “big market” squads but a win by either will validate the NBA’s position that any franchise can compete for a championship, regardless of where they are.

[trekfan]

League Update: The Finals

By Sasha Williams

The Winners:

The Finals have concluded and the OKC Thunder have won their first NBA title, burying the narrative that they’d never win with Westbrook after Durant left. Westbrook was named Finals MVP as the supernova powerhouse put Kyle Lowry on skates all series, exploding over the longtime Raptor for dunk after dunk. The series was all tied up after a Toronto win in Game 4, 2-2, but the Thunder crushed Toronto in Game 5 thanks to 39 points from Westbrook and 32 from Paul George — the Raptors lost 118-91 that game. They went into Game 6 stunned, but not dead, and got out to a 55-44 lead after the first half, but Russell Westbrook took over in the second half, destroying Toronto in the paint, scoring 34 points as Paul George chipped in 26; that was more than enough to close the gap and extend their lead as the Thunder would win 106-94, winning the title on Toronto’s home floor.

[trekfan]

Offseason Update:Retirement + Lottery Results

By Sasha William

Retirements:

The Lottery:

Due to protections on their 1st rounder, the Clippers get it this year and convey a 2022 2nd rounder to Boston — the Grizzlies must convey their 1st rounder to Boston, however, as their pick didn’t fall between 1-6. Portland narrowly missed getting the 1st overall pick, losing out to a Hornets squad that ascended up the lottery. Miami missed getting into the top-five but they’ll be able to nab a solid prospect at their position — assuming they keep the pick and don’t trade it for help.

The Hornets, at first overall, will be presented with a fascinating choice — will they take another second-chancer player in Larry Johnson, a former Hornet and first overall pick by Charlotte in 1991? Or will they go for one of new prospects in Wisemen? Both players project well with the Hornets, though which projects better long

[georgiafan]

nice to see Charles make the 2nd team

Lakers missing the playoffs in year 2 of LeBron is a huge disappointment so have to see some big changes for them this offseason.


good season still getting to the 2nd round surprised to see a sweep and the Warriors early exit. Westbrook cements his legacy with a ring.

Hornets getting lucky in the lottery and Boston with those picks at 7 and 8 are in a tricky place with all the young talent on the team already