Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scuzz

Ugly start in OKC... Shai is a monster though. Long road ahead, but it's a long season, so plenty of time to figure things out.

Ugly does not even begin to describe what this start is in OKC lol. I think I need to start running offensive plays rather than just trying to go P&R all the time. I’m so bad with isolation moves that I need to get away from them. I also need to learn my guys’ shots too. Quite a few shots in this last game I was slightly early that I thought still had a good chance to go down. Once I get them down a bit better things will improve. I also realized I had shot timing ok for layups the entire first half and was just holding down the shot stick for far too long and kept getting late releases. We easily missed 10 easy layups in that first half that could have changed the game.

If you have any tips on how best to utilize Shai, I'm all ears!

[R1zzo23]

Ja Morant and Visiting Grizz Catch Bodies in Oklahoma City





In a showcase of two of the premiere young point guards in the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a different look during pre-game where you just knew he was out to prove his standing in the league.



Stops on defense early in the game led to easy transition buckets for the Thunder as Luguentz Dort was able to get out in front of Memphis for a flush on the break.



Moments later Lu Dort returned the favor as he was able to hit Darius Bazley on the wing for an uncontested dunk. For the first time all season, the Thunder were not only in the game but showing some serious fight.



SGA drilled a turn-around jumper just outside the paint over Ja. The two dueled all night long. The Thunder point guard finished with better numbers (24 pts, 4 reb, 12 ast compared to 19, 7 and 10) but Morant would get the last laugh as his team left with the win.



Dort had the unenviable task of chasing Ja around all game long and a couple times he broke free and gave the fans a highlight reel finish.

[studbucket]

Not a bad game or outcome all things considered. Good to see a closer game and scores around 100.

[coachmac75]

Very nice presentation and very cool team for a myNBA

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by studbucket

Not a bad game or outcome all things considered. Good to see a closer game and scores around 100.

While laying around in quarantine/isolation last night from my family, I was watching a bunch of YouTube videos on running offense. Was hugely helpful! Went into practice mode this morning, ran a bunch of plays to get a hang of it, how to call them, etc. and it was incredibly helpful this morning in this game.

In all honesty, the bench blew the game in the 3rd quarter. Our starters were gassed and we had an all-bench lineup in the game that just could not generate any offense. I'll have to start playing around with staggering the substitutions better to avoid those types of lineups.

Of our 86 points scored off the FT line, 12 of them were the result of threes. I would imagine of the other 74, 60+ were in the paint because I'm so bad at generating open looks in the mid range. It felt cheesy to me to be scoring so much in the paint/at the rim, but regardless we still didn't win.

Quote: Originally Posted by coachmac75

Very nice presentation and very cool team for a myNBA

Much appreciated, Coach! Thanks for following along!

[R1zzo23]

Simmons, Nets Push Pace and Run Thunder Out The Gym





Andre Drummond was active early whether it was dominating the glass or protecting the rim with this block on Derrick Favors.



With so much attention paid to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving was able to spot up and knock down an open triple.



Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to battle through a disappointing season while continuing to put up impressive performances on a nightly basis.



Young Darius Bazley got caught ball watching, allowing Kevin Durant to hit him with a backdoor cut for an easy slam.



Ben Simmons not only had a game-high nine assists but was aggressive on offense as well. On this drive, he easily blew by Aleksej Pokusevski, avoided the challenge from behind and finished with authority.

[studbucket]

Andre Drummond is the type of player 2K loves. He's so annoying to play against. I am not sure how to tone down the sliders to limit his effectiveness without hurting the overall gameplay.

[R1zzo23]

Gobert, Jazz Grind Down Thunder for Easy Win





Early on the Thunder were able to take advantage of Rudy Gobert’s aggressiveness trying to block shots and find Derrick Favors for an easy finish.



The SGA-Giddey combo has been playing tremendously well all season long, regardless of how poor the rest of the team has been playing.



Donovan Mitchell buries a triple and flashes the threes to his bench as the Thunder call a timeout to try to stop an early Utah run.



Young Giddey got loose on a cut and finishes with a two-handed flush over Mike Conley. The rookie ball handler has shown surprising athleticism and is looking like a mainstay in OKC.



Speaking of athleticism, SGA finishes this crazy layup while being fouled by Eric Paschall. If Shai could find a jumper, he would be as lethal of an offensive weapon as any in the league.