After a myriad of games the patch came and I lost interest because behavior changed so much (subjectively). Now, with the All-Star Settings almost on Simulation (reduced CPU clutch and "make bumped shot") the game feels pretty much real (and great again ).

After whipping the Sixers the big test was the LA Lakers for the much anticipated battled for pole position in the Western Conference.

Oh my, the Lakers are so dangerous. Kobe was hot right from the start...

Arven

The win in Miami was one of the early highlights of this year's Jazz season (the one in my Association, not the Paul Millsap explosion we saw in real life). Now eager to test my team and see whether I could repeat against the 16-6 Eastern Conference leading team, I was looking forward to the rematch.

As against Dallas it turned out to be a very close match all-around. Instead of falling behind I managed to carve out little spurts and get ahead by up to 10 points in the first half....

Arven

After the grueling 109 : 105 loss against Dallas the next opponent was due to be victimized.

Coming into a game with a surprisingly good record of 13-8 the Memphis Grizzlies were already handicapped by an ailing Rudy Gay. Then, three minutes into the first quarter a hard foul on Zach Randolph left him writhing on the floor. I never saw this in a video game - he actually rolled on the floor in pain - and of course nobody came to help him. With their second star out for 2-4 weeks the...

Arven

After an easy 124 : 98 win against Indiana the next heavyweight knocked on the door, the Dallas Mavericks.

I turned out to be a closely fought game until the end, with neither team able to make a run to get a decisive advantage.

The Mavericks clogged up the middle and forced an unusual number of bad shots from the Jazz (mainly Williams, Okur).

My fellow countryman Dirk Nowitzki was nearly impossible to guard in the clutch and scored a heart-breaking 28 pts...

Arven

The loss vs. the Lakers made the Jazz 9-8 - much in danger of going back to the .500 mark. Next up are the Los Angeles Clippers, whose dynamic duo of Griffin and Kaman gave me a really hard time and my fifth loss earlier in the month.

And they came out of the gates blazing again! Within 8 minutes in the first quarter they had a sixteen point lead while their basket looked nailed shut for me. Kaman and Griffin weren't that much of a problem this time around (my strategy was to have...

Arven