The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

[trekfan]

Man, Houston fell WAYYYYYY down the standings out West. They weren't competitive at all for most of the year. Utah and Miami with the top seeds should be good for both teams, in terms of playoff paths -- Utah avoids GS until the WCF, Miami avoids the Hawks (a divisional opponent who definitely knows them well) until the ECF, if the top seeds make it that far.

[marshdaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thugger Jackson

Utah and Miami being the top seed, didn't see that coming.

Miami has developed a ton of young talent. Tyler Herro is starting and averaging 20+, KD is still KD and then they've gone with a committee approach at PG. This might be their last shot at a title though, because Jimmy is regressing.



Utah I think is taking advantage of 2k's overvalue of the impact of centers. They don't have a good point guard, their wings are decent, but Andre Drummond with his massive block and rebound totals gives them more wins than otherwise.

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Man, Houston fell WAYYYYYY down the standings out West. They weren't competitive at all for most of the year. Utah and Miami with the top seeds should be good for both teams, in terms of playoff paths -- Utah avoids GS until the WCF, Miami avoids the Hawks (a divisional opponent who definitely knows them well) until the ECF, if the top seeds make it that far.

Houston is frustrating. They've been this way ever since the 19-20 season and have no moves to make to improve the roster. The last part is true of the current team, but I still feel like they should be around 40-45 wins, not this bad. The contracts for Harden and Russ are so big even in the game that it's impossible to trade them to a contender, which is also realistic but nonetheless frustrating. Glad I'm not a Rockets fan.

[marshdaddy]

The Athletic.png

2024 NBA Playoff Preview

Anthony Nojkic
April 18, 2024

With the NBA playoffs set to begin, and after a wild final day of the regular season, the playoff matchups are drastically altered. Thanks to wins from Memphis and New Orleans, along with a Clippers loss to the Lakers in LeBron’s final game (28 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals from LeBron in his final game), the Clippers drop from the three seed in the West to the fifth. There’s plenty on the line, including potential shake ups in the offseason if teams fail to deliver.

In the East, the Bucks were shockingly eliminated from the playoff race on the season’s final day. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be frustrated in the lack of development and roster moves that could put the Bucks on the verge of competing for a title. A sub-.500 season has done nothing to help matters, and sources indicate he may ask out of the only NBA organization he has only known.

Western Conference

Utah Jazz vs Dallas Mavericks
Utah needs a win as much as anyone. Having been eliminated by Golden State in three straight years, including in two Western Conference Finals, the Jazz feel they are as good as it gets in the NBA. Now, they have to back it up against a Dallas team that could be looking at the final round of Luka Doncic. Sources indicate that Doncic has been disappointed in the Mavs’ play over the last few seasons. If Dallas exits in the first round, could he be gone too?
Prediction: Jazz in four

Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs
The Warriors are looking to do what only one team in NBA history has ever done and win four-straight NBA titles. The first team in their way is San Antonio, who will be relying on Cole Anthony and Zach LaVine to provide the offensive punch. Along with a young front court in Mitchell Robinson and Sasha Kasparov, can the Spurs slow the Warrior attack?
Prediction: Warriors in three

New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder
If Dallas is feeling pressure to win, so too are the Pelicans. The Pels have stumbled time and time again when it comes to the NBA playoffs. If they fail to make noise yet again, what will come of Zion in New Orleans. Oklahoma City has to be confident though, with their dynamic backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder feel as if they are a champion in the waiting, now is the time to prove it.
Prediction: Pelicans in five

Memphis Grizzlies vs L.A. Clippers
The Clippers are staring down their final years of championship contention and looking to make the most of it. The massive trade to acquire Paul George and sign Kawhi Leonard was a victory the moment they won the 2020 NBA Finals, but a second title is icing on the cake. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are looking to shed the moniker of a young team on the rise and plant their flag as a title contender.
Prediction: Clippers in five


Eastern Conference

Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers
Fresh off consecutive NBA Finals trips, the Heat shed any concerns that their title window wasn't open in claiming the top seed in the East. Now they need to prove they can continue to play at a high level. In Philadelphia, the Sixers need to be competitive or we could be looking towards a summer shakeup.
Prediction: Heat in three

Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving continues to see what Kevin Durant is doing and answer. Now, he has his Hawks in second place in the East and a chance to advance. The Nets are playing with house money, going from the second overall pick in the NBA Draft to the NBA Playoffs. A competitive series and the Nets are ecstatic.
Prediction: Hawks in four

Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls
After Toronto made consecutive NBA Finals in 2019 and 2020, plenty of people considered it a flash in the pan. Toronto is looking to return to the Finals to prove it wasn’t. The Bulls are young and talented, but like the Nets may be playing with house money. Keeping things interesting will be a win for Chicago.
Prediction: Raptors in three

Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks
Trae Young has pushed the Knicks back into NBA relevancy. His reward? A matchup with the Celtics. Boston continues to claim the future is now, yet they haven’t proven anything. The Celtics have all the makings of a title contender with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, yet they haven’t done anything with it. Can they finally break through and make waves in the playoffs?
Prediction: Celtics in five

[trekfan]

I don't disagree with many of those picks, but I'm going to call the Grizzlies over the Clippers and the Knicks over the Celtics. I feel like those two series are coin flips, it wouldn't surprise me if the "underdogs" came to play and caught the favorites off-guard.

[RolePlayer]

I'm going to agree with Trek, 2k seems to love Trae Young and I think he and the Knicks will win this one.

[marshdaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

I don't disagree with many of those picks, but I'm going to call the Grizzlies over the Clippers and the Knicks over the Celtics. I feel like those two series are coin flips, it wouldn't surprise me if the "underdogs" came to play and caught the favorites off-guard.

Grizzlies have the advantage at the guard position, where the Clippers are seriously lacking. If Morant is able to get going and avoid getting matched up with George and Leonard, they definitely have a chance.

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

I'm going to agree with Trek, 2k seems to love Trae Young and I think he and the Knicks will win this one.

The Knicks are good, but they don't have a perimeter threat to go toe-to-toe with Jayson Tatum. Tatum was among the league leaders in scoring with more than 36 per game. He scares me and I'm hesitant to bet against him. He's in the conversation as a Top 5 player in the game.

[marshdaddy]

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NBA Announces All-NBA and
All-Defense Teams

Anthony Nojkic
April 20, 2024

The NBA announced the All-NBA and All-Defense teams ahead of the 2024 postseason. Donovan Mitchell, considered a favorite for MVP, was named to First Team All-NBA alongside Giannis Antetokoumpo and Zion Williamson, two other front runners for the league’s top award.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry was named to the Third Team despite missing time due to knee and hip injuries. The 36-year-old, three-time MVP was a pivotal part of the Warriors rallying from a slow 8-11 start to finishing with 53 wins and the second seed in the West.

DeJounte Murray of the Pistons makes yet another appearance on the All-Defense team, despite being traded from San Antonio to Detroit where he came off the bench behind LaMelo Ball and Desmond Cooper. The lengthy guard was a pivotal part of a still-developing Pistons team flush with young talent that, despite improvements, missed the NBA playoffs.

Robert Williams made his first All-Defense selection for the Celtics. The undersized center was a savant on the glass and in the paint, pulling down more than 10 rebounds per game and swatting away more than 2 blocks per contest. The Celtics’ center has been named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.

2023-24 All-NBA and All-Defense Teams

2023-24 All-NBA and All-Defense Teams
Award	Player	Pos	Team
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Luka Doncic	SG	Dallas Mavericks
	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Utah Jazz
	Giannis Antetokounmpo	PF	Milwaukee Bucks
	Zion Williamson	PF	New Orleans Pelicans
	Karl-Anthony Towns	C	Minnesota Timberwolves
All-NBA 2nd Team
All-NBA 2nd Team	Ja Morant	PG	Memphis Grizzlies
	Trae Young	PG	New York Knicks
	Jayson Tatum	SF	Boston Celtics
	Kevin Durant	SF	Miami Heat
	Nikola Jokic	C	Denver Nuggets
All-NBA 3rd Team
All-NBA 3rd Team	Kyrie Irving	PG	Atlanta Hawks
	Stephen Curry	PG	Golden State Warriors
	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Los Angeles Clippers
	Anthony Davis	PF	Los Angeles Lakers
	Jusuf Nurkic	C	Portland Trail Blazers
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team	Dejounte Murray	PG	Detroit Pistons
	Donte DiVincenzo	SG	Milwaukee Bucks
	Giannis Antetokounmpo	PF	Milwaukee Bucks
	Anthony Davis	PF	Los Angeles Lakers
	Robert Williams	C	Boston Celtics
All-Defensive 2nd Team
All-Defensive 2nd Team	Jimmy Butler	SG	Miami Heat
	Marcus Smart	SG	Boston Celtics
	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Los Angeles Clippers
	Ben Simmons	PF	Philadelphia 76ers
	Andre Drummond	C	Utah Jazz

[marshdaddy]

Anthony Nojkic @NojRinger April 20, 2024

Quote:

Breaking: Jason Sanders has unanimously been named the NBA Rookie of the Year. Sanders averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Cavaliers.