Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

Thanks! I've been playing a lot of COD so this has been on the side, but definitely not over. I plan on finishing this season at least and into the offseason, and if my Xbox allows it (hopefully it will), into the next season as well!

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 49: Chicago Bulls (18-29) @ Atlanta Hawks (35-13)

In another Eastern conference matchup, the Bulls faced off against the Hawks at the Philips Arena. It turned out to be a very close game, but only in the beginning. The Hawks started pulling away in the third quarter, and the Bulls had no answers for Atlanta's offensive onslaught.

Josh Smith led the team in scoring with 20 points and shot at a 90% clip. Thanks to many assists from Joe Johnson, Smith was able to dominate the Bulls in the paint.

Another highlight of this game was rookie point guard Jeff Teague. In only eight minutes of play, Teague racked up 9 points and 2 rebounds. He was 4-for-6 from the court. Teague has looked better and better each game, and many fans on forums are already calling him to be the next starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks. Marvin Williams also played a good game as he was the leading scorer throughout the whole game until the end.

PF Josh Smith: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
SG Joe Johnson: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks
SF Marvin Williams: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
SF John Salmons: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
SG Jamal Crawford: 15 points, 5 assists, 1 steal

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (36-13)	20	22	31	26	0	99
Bulls (18-30)	21	28	17	20	0	86

Next Game: The Hawks travel to Washington to face off against their division rival Wizards. The Wizards are 22-27 so far in the year, and their record in the past ten games is 4-6.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 50: Atlanta Hawks (36-13) @ Washington Wizards (22-27)

The Hawks faced off against their division rival Washington Wizards tonight. Starting a two-game road trip, the Hawks wanted to keep this quick and painless for the struggling Wizards. The game looked close at times throughout the game, but there was no moment when the Wizards were worrying the Hawks according to head coach Mike Woodson.

While no one exactly struggled tonight, Marvin Williams took the opportunities given to him to score for the Hawks. Leading the team in points, Marvin played a very good game today against one of the better defenders in the league in Caron Butler.

Mike Bibby also had his best quarter performance this year scoring 15 points in the first quarter, but was held to just 17 points for the rest of the game.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Wizards (22-28)	24	15	33	20	0	92
Hawks (37-13)	30	25	21	29	0	105

Next Game: The red-hot Hawks travel to Memphis to face off against the 23-27 Grizzlies. They are 4-6 in the past 10 games while the Hawks are 9-1. This game will signal the end of Atlanta's two-game road trip.

[Limbombe]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

Im hooked on your franchise

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

sorry bout that last game, i forgot to include the individual player stats. joe johnson had 15, 10 though, and marvin had 19. smith had 2 blocks i know of. sorry bout that

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

I took this photo with my phone because I can't upload directly online, but the expressions on Rose and I think Tyrus Thomas's face are priceless... this was shortly after crossing up Rose.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 51: Atlanta Hawks (37-13) @ Memphis Grizzlies (23-27)

The Atlanta Hawks traveled to Memphis to face off against the Grizzlies to wrap up their two-game road trip. This was a particularly interesting matchup as the Hawks had Marvin Williams matched up against the electrifying Rudy Gay. When you think about it, you'd expect that Gay would have the better night, but at the end of the game, it was Williams who had the edge over him.

Rudy Gay had a decent night, but Marvin Williams had a better one. Scoring 26 points over Rudy Gay, Williams showed that he could score against one of the better small forwards in the league. Many argue that Gay is not an elite defender, however, but Williams has really stepped it up as of late and has really driven his reputation back up in Atlanta.

The game itself went in favor of the Hawks throughout the whole game, but there were moments where the Grizzlies would make a push to tie the game up. Thanks to the late-inning heroics of Joe Johnson, who struggled in the first half, the Hawks kept their distance. Johnson would later win the Player of the Game award. However, it wasn't until the two free throws that Horford would make with 7 seconds left in the game would the fate of the game really be determined.

SF Marvin Williams: 26 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
SG Joe Johnson: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
SG Allen Iverson: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
SF Rudy Gay: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
C Marc Gasol: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Grizzlies (23-28)	16	17	29	24	0	86
Hawks (38-13)	25	18	28	22	0	93

Next Game: Less than 24 hours from now, the Hawks will be back in Atlanta facing off against their division rival Miami Heat. The Heat are 27-25 so far this season but have really been struggling in the past 10 games showing a 2-8 record in the past 10 games. The Heat have no injuries to report.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

So like I promised, I'm gonna try to make it as realistic as I could and as close to corresponding in real life as I could roster-wise. So I released forward Othello Hunter and signed Mario West to a 10-day contract, as in real life. Now the bad thing is that I had to pay Hunter's full $736K contract as opposed to in real life, the Hawks released him last week so that his contract wouldn't be guaranteed. Hopefully that money doesn't put too much of an impact on me for the rest of the year.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 52: Miami Heat (27-25) @ Atlanta Hawks (38-13)

Two Southeast rivals faced off tonight as the Hawks battled against the Heat. The game started out as a blow out, but the fans stayed put in their seats because they just knew that magic would happen in the Highlight Factory tonight. The game, at one point, had the Heat winning by a margin of 15 points. Many of the Hawks players' were struggling every where, and it looked like the game would go down as the worst yet so far in the season.

Luckily for the Hawks and Mike Woodson, they had a guy to turn to. Acquired in the offseason, player of the game Jamal Crawford came off the bench and sparked the Hawks' comeback. With Bibby struggling early in the game, Crawford stepped up and nailed the shots that gained the Hawks momentum.

Marvin Williams has picked it up as of late, and he is really impressing many scouts. Many fans wonder if the Hawks will trade him in this trade deadline, but general manager Rick Sund claims that he has no plans at all whatsoever to move Marvin Williams. Williams seems to cool off at the end. His potential is slowly getting towards where it was when he was drafted with the second overall draft pick, but he has yet to reach that higher step because of his inconsistency and streaky play.

SF Marvin Williams: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
SF Michael Beasley: 26 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
SG Jamal Crawford: 23 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 block
SG Joe Johnson: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
SG Dwyane Wade: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (39-13)	23	21	30	30	0	104
Heat (27-26)	28	24	25	21	0	98

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

2010 All-Star Break

Rookie Challenge

ROOKIES
PF B. Griffin (LAC), PG S. Curry (GS), SG T. Williams (NJ), PG J. Flynn (MIN), SG J. Harden (OKC), PF T. Hansbrough (IND), SF D. Brown (CHA), C D. Andersen (HOU), SF C. Budinger (HOU), C H. Thabeet (MEM)

SOPHOMORES
PG D. Rose (CHI), C B. Lopez (NJ), SF L. Mbah a Moute (MIL), PG R. Westbrook (OKC), C M. Gasol (MEM), PF K. Love (MIN), SG E. Gordon (LAC), SF M. Beasley (MIA), SG O.J. Mayo (MEM), PF J. Thompson (SAC),

PG Jonny Flynn: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
SG James Harden: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
PG Derrick Rose: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists
PG Stephen Curry: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
PG Russell Westbrook: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
SOPHOMORES	23	23	24	24	0	94
ROOKIES	25	24	18	24	0	91

All-Star Game

EAST ALL-STARS

Starters
PG Devin Harris - NJ (2nd Appearance)
SG Dwyane Wade - MIA (6th Appearance)
SF LeBron James - CLE (6th Appearance)
PF Chris Bosh - TOR (4th Appearance)
C Dwight Howard - ORL (4th Appearance)

Reserves
PG Rajon Rondo - BOS (1st Appearance)
SG Joe Johnson - ATL (4th Appearance)
SF Andre Iguodola - PHI (1st Appearance)
PF Kevin Garnett - BOS (14th Appearance)
C Al Horford - ATL (1st Appearance)
SF Caron Butler - WAS (3rd Appearance)
SF Gerald Wallace - CHA (1st Appearance)

WEST ALL-STARS

Starters
PG Deron Williams - UTA (1st Appearance)
SG Kobe Bryant - LAL (12th Appearance)
SF Kevin Durant - OKC (1st Appearance)
PF Tim Duncan - SA (12th Appearance)
C Yao Ming - HOU (8th Appearance)

Reserves
PG Jason Kidd - DAL (10th Appearance)
SG Brandon Roy - POR (3rd Appearance)
SF Stephen Jackson - CHA (1st Appearance)
PF Al Jefferson - MIN (1st Appearance)
C Greg Oden - POR (1st Appearance)
PF Dirk Nowitzki - DAL (9th Appearance)
PF Amar'e Stoudemire - PHO (5th Appearance)

SF Stephen Jackson: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
PF Tim Duncan: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal
PF Dirk Nowitzki: 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks
SF Kevin Durant: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
PF Al Jefferson: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
(Yes, no one on the Eastern team scored more points than any of these five players!)

HAWKS PLAYERS:
SG Joe Johnson: 23 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal
C Al Horford: 16 minutes, 1 point, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
WEST ALL-STARS	35	25	22	38	0	120
EAST ALL-STARS	22	22	9	18	0	71

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 53: Los Angeles Clippers (27-26) @ Atlanta Hawks (39-13)

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Hawks knew what they had to do. They had to keep up their momentum. That momentum came from their seven game winning streak coming into the match against the Clippers.

In what was a bad game for the Clippers throughout the whole night, the Hawks dominated the Clippers on almost categories. The bench played most of the minutes in the 4th quarter.

Josh Smith would dominate the Clippers on the boards with 11 boards. He was named the player of the game. In other player performance news, with his first game played, Mario West, playing with a 10-day contract, played 2 minutes and made 2 free throws and recorded one block.

SG Eric Gordon: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
SG Jamal Crawford: 17 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
PG Mike Bibby: 15 points, 2 assists, 1 block
PF Blake Griffin: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
PG Baron Davis: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Clippers (27-27)	18	20	10	29	0	77
Hawks (40-13)	20	28	25	21	0	94

Next Game: The Hawks will travel to Phoenix. They are part of a 4-game road trip. The Suns are 20-35, and the Hawks have been 9-1 in their past 10 games and are riding an 8-game winning streak.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

NOTE: As far as the corresponding rosters with the real life rosters is concerned, I just passed the trade deadline. So any moves that the Hawks make at this point will have to be ignored in my franchise unless it's a low-key signing where that player might still be available in my association's free agency.

As noted, I waived Othello Hunter last week and signed Mario West to a 10-day contract just like in real life.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 54: Atlanta Hawks (40-13) @ Phoenix Suns (20-35)

Head coach Mike Woodson knew that this game would be harder than every one else thought. The Phoenix Suns, although 20-35, have been a problem against the Hawks and the Hawks just could not match up well against them in their past few matchups.

Tonight was no different as the Hawks were handed a loss from Phoenix. This loss snapped their 8-game winning streak.

The team played bad defense regardless of Josh Smith's outstanding game of 6 steals and 3 blocks. Jamal Crawford, usually very reliable on the court, could not come through in the clutch as he was 4-for-14 for the whole night. Joe Johnson, playing 40 minutes, was also not as spectacular as usual as he went 7-for-19 on the court.

It was Amare Stoudemire who really killed the Hawks tonight. Not just with scoring, but mostly with rebounding. He recorded 17 rebounds against the Hawks on his way to win the player of the game award.

PF Amar'e Stoudemire: 23 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
PF Josh Smith: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks
SG Jason Richardson: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
SG Joe Johnson: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
PG Steve Nash: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Suns (21-35)	21	24	27	27	0	99
Hawks (40-14)	29	22	25	17	0	93

Next Game: The Hawks continue their road trip. They play at Golden State Sunday night at 5:00PM to face off against Crawford's former team. Crawford, stating that he had no official "grudge" against this team, will look to have a good game as he had reportedly had conflicts with Golden State head coach Don Nelson about his playing style last year. The Warriors have been 25-29 so far in the season and 5-5 in their last 10 games.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 55: Atlanta Hawks (40-14) @ Golden State Warriors (25-29)

The showdown between the top two scoring teams in the league, Atlanta (106.6 PPG) vs. Golden State (104.1 PPG). Tonight, the true scoring champion was named, and it happened to have been the home team.

The Hawks, although scoring many points, failed to keep the Warriors offense under check as they have now lost two games in a row. Joe Johnson continues his slump as he has another bad game tonight going 5-for-18. Mike Bibby also struggled to play sound defense as he allowed Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry to score all over him. Bibby was benched throughout the game for players like Mario West and Jeff Teague in Woodson's effort to slow the Warriors' offensive onslaught from their guards.

The Warriors went on to a 23 point lead in the first quarter as Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Jamal Crawford quickly got into foul trouble. The Hawks looked for someone to step up, and one person did. Marvin Williams stepped up but was not able to impose his will towards the end of the game.

The game was down to a margin of just 4 points in one minute left in the clock, but the Hawks still showed that they had no answer for Stephen Curry as he knocked down a dagger three with just a couple seconds left on the clock.

PG Stephen Curry: 32 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
SG Jamal Crawford: 27 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists
SG Monta Ellis: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists
PF Josh Smith: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
SF Marvin Williams: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Warriors (26-29)	35	25	32	32	0	121
Hawks (40-15)	14	35	34	30	0	113

Next Game: The tired Hawks will travel to Utah tomorrow to face off against the 29-26 Jazz. The Hawks will try and shake their two-game losing streak off before they travel back to Atlanta for a 3-game home stand. The Jazz have been 4-6 in the past 10 games.

[Helios12787]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

Hey man I kinda ditched 2k10 for a while and I've been getting the itch again. Decided to see how your association was going.

I see that Marvin Williams has stepped his game up biiiiiig time since I last checked in (was like on page 5 or so).

You seem to be rolling through the competition compared to earlier in the season.

Now if only I could wake up Marvin Williams and stop relying on the Johnson/Smith combo to win games for me.