the red c's NBA 2K13 Association: Kobe and Shaq's Unfinished Business

[the red c]

A LOOK AROUND THE LEAGUE
- - - 12/01/2012 - - -



WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
01. Clippers - 10-5; GB --
02. Suns - 10-7; GB 1.0
03. Thunder 10-7; GB 1-0
04. Lakers 9-7; GB 1.5
05. Warriors 8-7; GB 2.0
06. Nuggets 9-8; GB 2.0
07. Grizzlies 7-7; GB 2.5
08. Mavericks 8-8; GB 2.5
09. Spurs 8-9; GB 3.0
10. Jazz 8-9; GB 3.0
11. Timberwolves 5-10; GB 5.0
12. Rockets 5-10; GB 5.0
13. Trail Blazers 4-12; GB 6.5
14. Hornets 3-11; GB 6.5
15. Kings 3-12; GB 7.0



EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
01. Magic 12-3; GB --
02. Heat 10-4; GB 1.5
03. Bulls 10-4; GB 1.5
04. Nets 10-5; GB 2.0
05. Pistons 11-6; GB 2.0
06. Pacers 9-7; GB 3.5
07. 76ers 9-7; GB 3.5
08. Bobcats 8-7; GB 4.0
09. Wizards 7-7; GB 4.5
10. Knicks 7-8; GB 5.0
11. Celtics 7-9; GB 5.5
12. Cavaliers 7-9; GB 5.5
13. Hawks 6-8; GB 5.5
14. Bucks 6-8; GB 5.5
15. Raptors 6-11; GB 7.0

LEAGUE LEADERS
Points
S. O'Neal, C (LAL) - 26.4
J. Harden, SG (HOU) - 26.3
C. Anthony, SF (NY) - 25.1
K. Durant, SF (OKC) 24.6
K. Irving, PG (CLE) - 24.2

Rebounds
S. O'Neal, C (LAL) - 12.7
K. Love, PF (MIN) - 12.3
A. Varejao, C (CLE) - 11.8
B. Griffin, PF (LAC) - 11.8
R. Hibbert, C (IND) - 11.4

Assists
B. Jennings, PG (MIL) - 9.6
G. Dragic, PG (PHX) - 9.2
K. Lowry, PG (TOR) - 9.1
T. Lawson, PG (DEN) - 8.9
G. Vasquez, PG (NO) - 8.9

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
November
EAST - Brandon Jennings (MIL)
WEST - Shaquille O'Neal (LAL)

ROOKIES OF THE MONTH
November
EAST - Bradley Beal (WAS)
WEST - Anthony Davis (NO)

TOP STORYLINES ENTERING DECEMBER:
1.The NBA's early surprise team: Orlando Magic (12-3)
- Dwight Howard and the Magic stand alone at the top of the NBA standings. Howard is wrecking havoc on opposing teams averaging 20.5 PPG and 11.1 PRG to go along with 1.4 SPG and 1.1 BPG. With Dwight asserting his will down low, it's allowed Arron Afflalo to average 20.8 PPG, the team's leader. Can the Orlando Magic compete with the likes of the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls?

2. The NBA's best big man: Shaquille O'Neal, C (LAL) - 96 overall
- Shaq has asserted himself as the leading big man in the NBA this year. He leads all big men in points and rebounds, and he's tied for first in the league in blocks.

3. Will they make the playoffs: Boston Celtics (7.9) and New York Knicks (7-8)
- It's very early in the season, but as it stands, the Celtics and the Knicks are on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Neither team has been impressive in conference play, with the Knics going 3-6 and Boston 4-8. The East will probably turn out to be a top-heavy league in the upcoming months, so it's important for both franchises to turn things around now before they end up competing for 3 playoff spots with 5 other teams.

4. The most interesting team: LA Clippers (10-5)
- The Clippers sit at no. 1 in the West through one month of action, and they are 8-1 in the NBA's toughest conference. Alarmingly, however, they are just 2-5 against teams .500 or better. Chris Paul is off to a slow star averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.3 APG, his lowest since his first year in the league. Blake Griffin is putting together a solid year with 15.9 PPG and 11.8 RPG. The Clippers have some talent on this roster, but will they reach their ceiling or hover closer to the floor.

5. Frustrated Players: Brandon Jennings, SG (MIL) - 83 overall & Josh Smith, PF (ATL) - 84 overall
- Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings are each in a contract year. Each player is the best on their respective team. Each player is averaging career highs in PPG (J. Smith - 19.2; B. Jennings - 20.1) this season. But the most important thing they have in common: their team's sit in the bottom of the East. There is still plenty of time to get back in the playoff hunt, but 14 games in and each team is 6-8. The Hawks and Bucks could find themselves in a dilemma around the trade deadline. If things aren't looking good, will the front offices look to move either player while their value is high, or will they try to build around them solidifying each player as the face of their respected franchise.

[the red c]

Los Angeles Lakers 11-8 (West: T-3) @ Oklahoma City Thunder 11-8 (West: T-3)
12/07/2012

The Lakers star power too much for the Thunder

LAL - 22|26|27|21|96
OKC - 24|18|19|18|79

Friday night's match up between the Lakers and the Thunder was a little bigger than most regular season match ups, even if both teams downplayed the game leading up to Friday's contest. The two teams stood on equal ground at 11-3 and tied for third place in the competitive Western Conference. But for all of the hype leading up to the game, the Lakers made it seem like they were on a slightly different level than the Thunder.

The Lakers big 3 of O'Neal, Bryant, and Nash outplayed the Thunder's own Westbrook and Durant. Durant was held to 16 points and while Westbrook had 22 points, he turned it over three times and only had three assists. The two All-Star's didn't get a lot of help from their teammates either. Outside of Kevin Martin who had 14 points, no other Thunder player scored over 6.

Even if the Thunder bench would have showed up it might not have mattered. Shaquille O'Neal was a force down low and nobody on OKC's roster could match up with him. Shaq was too big and physical for Ibaka to handle and Perkins was simply outclassed the Big Diesal. Shaquille would finish with 27 and 11 boards.

Steve Nash had one of his better games of the season. He had 18 points along with 7 assists. But it was his timely three pointers that stood out the most. Anytime the Thunder would go on a mini-run Nash would hit a three to end the momentum. He'd finish 3-4 from 3PT.

Los Angeles Lakers 12-8 (West - 3rd Place)

[the red c]

Los Angeles Lakers 15-9 (West - 1st Place) @ Philadelphia 76ers 12-11 (East - T-6th)
12/16/2012

Roller coaster second half ends with LAL on top

LAL - 19|22|18|31|90
PHI - 15|22|29|19|85

The Lakers and the 76ers featured a match up between two of the league's best true centers. Besides for the Magic's Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum is one of the very few big men in the league who can attempt to compete with Shaquille O'Neal. Bynum was able to hold is own in stretches of the game, mostly in a huge third quarter from Philadelphia. Bynum had 19 points in all and grabbed 5 boards. Not too bad when Shaq's guarding you. But LA's center slightly played his counterpart and scored 27 points off an incredibly efficient 12-16 from the field; however, Bynum did out rebound Shaq (3 rebounds) and showed a better willingness to hustle for loose balls.

But as much as the two centers shined, it was Kobe Bryant who stole the spotlight. Entering the 4th quarter Kobe had a measly 10 points and was 3-10 from the field. Within 2 minutes of the period the young SG ripped off a quick 9 points, shot 6-10 FG in the fourth, and would lead the charge in the waning moments of the game. Kobe would hit the Lakers final shot, a midrange baseline jumper off a pass from O'Neal with 30.6 seconds left. He had 15 in the 4th quarter to finish with 27 for the game, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and steal and block each.

It was a wild second half and the Lakers were able to come out on top. And as good as Shaq and Kobe are, this kind of game could give us glimpses of who this team truly is. Nash had 10 and 7, but outside of that, as usual no other play has really stepped up. The Lakers have been trying to incorporate Jodie Meeks into a more prominent role when the bench players come in, but Meeks didn't perform so well tonight going 1-5 from the field and 0-3 from down town.

With that being said, the Lakers are now 16-9 and in first place of the conference. Getting home court throughout the playoffs would be huge, and so far it looks like Kobe and Shaq are on a mission to do so. Shaq continues to lead the league in scoring (26.9 PPG) and rebounding (12.4), and Kobe Bryant is ninth in the league in scoring (22.4 PPG). The Lakers will go as far as these two do.

Los Angeles Lakers 16-9 (West - 1st Place)

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***EDITORS NOTE: I'm still tweaking the sliders. I guess I should have known but I didn't think Shaq and Kobe would be dominating like they are. But this Philly game was the most fun and competitive game I've had so it's hopefully headed in the right direction. I've actually been playing on 10 minute quarters with 11 min sims but I'm thinking I might have to increase each by a minute. Never thought I'd say it but go Lakers

[the red c]

Around The Association: Christmas Edition
- - - 12/25/2012 - - -

Christmas Day Games
The games in the NBA are always special on Christmas Day and this year is sure to not disappoint:

Boston Celtics 9-17 @ Brooklyn Nets 15-11
BOS - sits in dead last of the Eastern Conference; time to blow it up?
BKN - Deron Williams is averaging 20.3 PPG & 7.5 APG; can he lift the Nets into the East's best tier of teams

New York Knicks 13-14 @ LA Lakers 17-10
NYK - is tenth in the east and trending downward; stuck with awful contracts everywhere
LAL - Shaq & Kobe are terrorizing the league

Oklahoma City Thunder 17-9 Miami Heat 19-5
OKC - first in the West, second best record in the NBA; K. Durant 25.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.2 APG
MIA - first in the East, best record in the NBA; L. James 26 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.9 APG

Houston Rockets 11-15 @ Chicago Bulls 17-9
HOU - despite a core of Harden (26.7 PPG, 2nd in the NBA), Lin, and Gasol the Rockets are 11th in the West; will they get aggressive toward the trade deadline?
CHI - one of only two teams in the East who look like they can beat the Heat in a best of seven

Denver Nuggets 16-12 @ LA Clippers 16-11
DEN - sixth in the West and trying to convince Andre Iguodala (85 OVR, 28 YRS) to not test free agency; Iggy is averaging 21.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 ASP, and 1.8 SPG - 4 other Nuggets are averaging 10-11 PPG
LAC - in the last 24 days they've slipped from 1st to 4th are 5-5 in their last 10; contract talks have stalled with Chris Paul

Signings
SPURS - sign Manu Ginobili to 1yr/5.23M deal - Ginobili ain't going anywhere

SUNS - sign Michael Redd to 1yr/1.20M deal - the Suns are 7-4 since picking up Redd (6.4 PPG, 11.2 MPG) and sit at 5th in the West

Rumors
BUCKS - SG Brandon Jennings (83 OVR, 23 YRS, 1 YR/RFA 3.18/M) - the Bucks (11-15) are currently 13th in the East and slowly fading. Jennings has stated he plans to test free agency, although he isn't against returning to Milwaukee. The Bucks have a young core of Jennings, Monta Ellis, and Tobias Harris so it's in their best interest to resign Jennings in the upcoming summer. But come the trade deadline, if the front office feels he's leaving they should at least listen to offers teams have to make. Jennings could sell high to the right team.

76ers - C Andrew Bynum (87 OVR, 25 YRS, UFA 1 YR/16.47M) - contract talks have stalled with the league's 3rd best center and it's unclear why. Bynum's putting up a near double-double on the year and he's still a young player adding to his game. The 76ers could be hesitant to lock up Bynum for a 5 YR/85M deal. They'd probably prefer to offer him a deal around 4 YR/67M or even a 3 YR/50M contract. They've locked up a young core around the center and the future is bright. The 76ers (16-12) sit at 5th in the East, and so the front office should end up finding a way to get a deal done. Whether it's long term or short term will give us a glimpse of if this team thinks Bynum is their franchise player or just a very important piece.

HAWKS - PF Josh Smith (84 OVR, 27 YRS, UFA 1 YR/13.2M) - the Hawks are 7-4 since we last revisited them and sit just inside the playoff race at 8th in the East. Josh Smith (18.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.6 BPG) is leading the way for the Hawks and it looks like Atlanta could be following suit. Look for Smith and the Hawks to come to an agreement on a new deal before the deadline.

[the red c]

New York Knicks 13-14 (East - 10th) @ Los Angeles Lakers 17-10 (West - 2nd)
12/25/2012 - Christmas Day

Carmelo puts on a Christmas Classic; Knicks steal one in LA

NYK - 26|28|17|28|99
LAL - 30|32|17|16|95

NYK
Carmelo Anthony - 39 points, 9 rebounds
JR Smith - 13 points
Amare Stoudemire - 12 points, 6 rebounds
Jason Kidd - 6 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists

LAL
Shaquille O'Neal - 31 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Kobe Bryant - 24 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists
Steve Nash - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
Metta World Peace - 7 points, 5 assists
Antwan Jamison - 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Los Angeles Lakers 17-11 (West - 2nd)

The rest of Christmas Day
BOS - 85
BKN - 77
Boston outscored the Nets 48-30 in the second half

OKC - 109
MIA - 79
OKC led 60-31 at half and crushed the Heat; Durant had 23, 17, 6, and 2 blocks

HOU - 85
CHI - 96
Harden's game high 30 points not enough on the road

DEN - 91
LAC - 105
Blake Griffin's 17 points and 16 rebounds help Clippers push past Denver

[the red c]

A LOOK AROUND THE LEAGUE

- - - 01/01/2013 - - -



WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

(+/- compared to place in the standings on 12/01/2012)

01. Thunder - 19-11; GB -- (+2)
02. Clippers - 19-12; GB 0.5 (-1)
03. Lakers 18-12; GB 1-0 (+1)
04. Grizzlies 16-12; GB 2.0 (+3)
05. Suns 18-14; GB 2.0 (-3)
06. Jazz 17-15; GB 3.0 (+4)
07. Nuggets 17-15; GB 3.0 (-1)
08. Mavericks 15-16; GB 4.5 (0)
09. Warriors 15-16; GB 4.5 (-4)
10. Rockets 14-17; GB 5.5 (+2)
11. Spurs 14-19; GB 6.5 (-2)
12. Hornets 10-20; GB 9.0 (+2)
13. Trail Blazers 9-20; GB 9.5 (0)
14. Timberwolves 8-19; GB 9.5 (-3)
15. Kings 9-21; GB 10.0 (0)




EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

(+/- compared to place in the standings on 12/01/2012)

01. Heat 23-6; GB -- (+1)
02. Bulls 20-10; GB 3.5 (+1)
03. Magic 19-12; GB 5.0 (-2)
04. Nets 18-13; GB 6.0 (0)
05. 76ers 17-14; GB 7.0 (+2)
06. Raptors 17-14; GB 7.0 (+9)
07. Pistons 18-15; GB 7.0 (-2)
08. Knicks 15-15; GB 8.5 (+2)
09. Pacers 16-16; GB 8 5 (-3)
10. Wizards 14-14; GB 8.5 (-1)
11. Hawks 14-15; GB 9.0 (+2)
12. Cavaliers 15-17; GB 9.5 (0)
13. Bucks 11-18; GB 12.0 (+1)
14. Celtics 11-19; GB 12.5 (-3)
15. Bobcats 11-20; GB 13.0 (-7)



LAKERS UPCOMING SCHEDULE

01/01 vs PHI - sim
04/01 @ LAC - play
01/06 vs DEN - sim
01/08 @ HOU - play
01/09 @ SA - sim
01/11 vs OKC - play
01/13 vs CLE - sim
01/15 vs MIL - sim
01/17 vs MIA - play
01/20 @ TOR - sim
01/21 @ CHI - play
01/23 @ MEM - play
01/25 vs UTA - play
01/27 vs OKC - sim
01/29 vs NO - sim
01/30 @ PHX - sim

Now that I'm two months in I'm hoping to start shaping some storylines around the league. As much as this is going to be a Lakers association, I'm going to try my best to realistically shake up the league and keep the focus and updates geared toward all 30 teams. Plus, I can only write about Kobe and Shaq so much. In all the associations I've done on 2K13, 99% of the time Nash retires after the first year and the Lakers end up having a ton of roster spots to fill. So I'm going to steadily work my way toward that and feel out how I'd like next years team to look.

[the red c]

Los Angeles Lakers 18-13 (West - 3rd) @ Los Angeles Clippers 20-13 (West - 2nd)

- - - 01/04/2013 - - -

LAL - 27|27|28|21|103
LAC - 27|22|28|31|108

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
S. O'Neal - 33 pts, 13 reb, 3 ast
K. Bryant - 21 pts, 7 ast
S. Nash - 12 pts, 11 ast
A. Harrington - 12 pts, 3 reb, 1 sl
A. Jamison - 12 pts
J. Meeks - 5 pts, 2 slt
M. World Peace - 4 pts, 3 reb
J. Hill - 6 reb

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
B. Griffin - 29 pts, 10 reb
C. Paul - 26 pts, 12 ast, 1 blk
C. Butler - 21 pts, 3 reb
J. Crawford - 16 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk
D. Jordan - 6 pts, 7 reb, 2 blk
G. Hill - 6 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl

[the red c]

Los Angeles Lakers 18-15 (West: T-5) @ Houston Rockets 17-17 (West: T-7)

01/08/2013

Kobe's 39 points not enough in Houston

LAL - 26|31|20|28|105
HOU - 38|20|31|19|108

Los Angeles Lakers
K. Bryant - 39 pts, 2 stl, 4-6 3PT, 9-9FT
S. O'Neal - 35 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk,
A. Jamison - 10 pts, 8 reb
S. Nash - 2 pts, 15 ast
J. Hill - 8 pts
A. Harrington - 8 pts, 2 reb
M. World Peace - 3 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast

Houston Rockets
J. Harden - 25 pts, 5-5 3PT, 19 min - fouled out
J. Lin - 21 pts, 10 ast, 3 stl
P. Patterson - 13 pts, 4 reb
P. Gasol - 13 pts, 7 reb
C. Parsons - 11 pts, 7 reb
O. Asik - 6 pts, 8 reb, 3 stl
T. Douglas - 8 pts, 2 stl

Games simmed:
@ SAN (16-22) - L 92-116

Next game:
vs OKC (24-11)

- The Lakers on a five game losing streak and are slipping in the West
- Shaq leads the NBA in All-Star votes
- The Heat own the NBA's best record - 27-7 (.794%)
- Western Conference - 3.5 games separates 4th-10th
- Bradley Beal leads all rookies with 20.0 PPG

LOS ANGELES LAKERS 18-17 (West - T-6th)