Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

[d11king]

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...s-journey.html
^^The original journey^^

Game: NBA 2K13
Platform: XBOX 360

Sliders: VTCRB and EAGLEROCK

Roster: VTCRB and EAGLEROCK

Current Draft Class: EXOGENESIS and VTCRB
Season Length: 82 Games

Playoff Formatting: 7-7-7-7
Player Roles: On
Chemistry: On
Difficulty: Hall of Fame

30 Team User Control is ON

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Coming off a 4-1 series loss to Oklahoma City in the 2012 Western Semifinals, it was quite an offseason for the Lakers front office.

In essence, GM Mitch Kupchak and VP Jim Buss acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard for Andrew Bynum and future draft picks. That's a two-time MVP and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who have collectively enjoyed multiple seasons on the All-NBA First Team, the point gaurd coming in a surprising sign-and-trade deal and the center the best fit possible with the team's personnel.

L.A.'s brain trust added free agents Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks to boost the bench, all the while managing to keep Pau Gasol in Los Angeles, setting up what promises to be the most intriguing of NBA seasons. As always, the franchise mentality is simple: championship or bust.

Follow Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on their quest to bring back another championship to the City of Angels.

If you are unfamiliar with my dynasties, I play on player-lock and I find it quite enjoyable with VTCRB and Eaglerock's rosters, as the players play true to self, and tendencies actually matter.

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

NBA Around the League

All league wide news including standings, winning streaks and roster transactions will be posted here and updated every 2 weeks of the season beginning after the first month.

Headlines

Spoiler

LeBron on Title: "It means everything... Happiest day of my life. I'm a champion!" Can LeBron continue his dominating success and lead the Miami Heat to becoming back to champions.

Spoiler

THUNDER UP! After a recasting Finals series loss, and the early season trade of James Harden, the Thunder are heavy favorites to come out of the Western Conference again. Durant and Westbrook look the avenge last seasons heartbreaker and show that they are actually the team to beat.

Spoiler

Melo: "My time is coming... It's now!" With Lin gone, Melo looks to lead the Knicks to the promiseland, and help the Knickerbockers win their first title since the 1972-1973 season.

Spoiler

Brooooooklyn! The new look Nets look to take over NYC. Deron Williams & Co. have a tough task ahead of them, but with the passion of the city behind them, the Nets look to build upon that Brooklyn pride.

Spoiler

Dwight Howard lands in Lakerland! Are Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash the missing ingridients for this Laker organization, or did the stars not align right in Los Angeles?

Spoiler

Clipper look to build upon their success in the 2011-2012 season. By far the best season in Clippers history, fans of Lob City in ClipperNation are hoping the team can take the next step this season and no-longer be the "little cousin" to the Lakers.

Standings/Power Rankings

League Leaders

Awards

Roster Transactions

Spoiler

Danny Greaze Headed to Believeland

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have completed a blockbuster deal to land an all-star player, league sources told ESPN.com. The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a deal that would land former New Mexico standout, and NBA All-Star Danny Granger in Cleveland.

The Indiana Pacers will send All-Star small forward Danny Granger and shooting guard Lance Stephenson to Cleveland for small forward CJ Miles, point guard Daniel Gibson, and small forward Luke Walton, and this years 2013 First Round pick.

It is believed Indiana did not wish to carry Granger's contract (2 year/$27.08 million) any longer, and with the emergence of shooting guard/small forward Paul George and the addition of shooting guard Gerald Green, the team felt they could move Granger, as well as his contract in order to make cap room for future resignings. (forward David West, guard D.J. Augustin and forward Tyler Hansbrough are all in the final year of their contracts while guard/forward Paul George will be in his final year next season.) Point guard Daniel Gibson and small forward Luke Walton both have expiring contracts which will free up $10 million for the Pacers in cap room.

Granger will be added to a roster that features Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving and Cleveland's #1 pick shooting guard Dion Waiters, alongside forward Tristan Thomspon and center Anderson Varejao. It is believed Granger will be the #2 scoring option.

"I'm very excited. I've already spoken to Kyrie and Coach [Byron] Scott and we're on the same page, all we want to do is win, so I can't wait to get down there and start hooping with some of these young guys, I'm looking forward to it," Danny Granger said.

Rumor Mill

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

...Well, what other reason is there to play the game? Some people play to win games, I play to win championships. That's all I care about. I have 5, I want 6. If I get 6, I want 7. If I get 7, then I don't know I'll consider retirement cause Father Time might tell me I'm too old. But as long as I'm able to play the game of basketball, I want nothing more than to win. Bottom line.

The Journey for #6 begins tomorrow!

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Metta World Peace leads the purple squad to an intra-squad scrimmage

Practice Recap

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Lakers held their first intra-squad scrimmage before the season starts, trying to evaluate players and get a feel for what personnel meshes well with one another. Here's a look at the lineups.

White Team
PG Chris Duhon
SG Darius Morris
SF Kobe Bryant
PF Pau Gasol
C Jordan Hill

Purple Team
PG Steve Nash
SG Jodie Meeks
SF Metta World Peace
PF Antawn Jamison
C Dwight Howard

The scrimmaged for 75 points, one of Coach D'Antoni's keys to victory in his philosophy; "First team to 75 wins the game." The scrimmaged started off tightly contested, both teams playing great defense, forcing turnovers, and knocking down open shots. The Purple Team, led by Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, was designed to have shooters around Howard, and evaluate how well the pick & roll would work against the White Team. Dwight Howard didn't establish his presence offensively until the game reached the mid-40's, thanks to great defense by Gasol and Hill and excellent team rebounding. However, the collapse on Nash and Howard opened up a lot of 3-point opportunities for MWP, Meeks and Jamison, in which they connected.

Dwight Howard will need to be more aggressive in order for this Laker team to succeed

The White Team was designed to allow Kobe and Pau lead the roster with a younger Darius Morris and Jordan Hill being the X factors to help them succeed. Both Morris and Hill made key contributions, Morris with his energetic play style, often getting the team in early offense opportunities, and keeping Meeks from getting hot with his steadily improving on-ball defense. Hill, who guarded Howard for majority of the second half of the scrimmage fared exceptionally well against Howard in the post, often forcing Howard into tough low offense shots and keeping the big man off the boards. Kobe and Pau led the team as expected, they mystery here is Chris Duhon who is in a position battle with Steve Blake for the 3rd PG spot.

The Purple Team would defeat the White Team 75-68, as they were led by Metta World Peace, aside from hitting many 3's, his phenomenal defense on Bryant proved to be enough for he and his squad mates.

Coach D'Antoni Keys

7 @ 7

It all starts with defense with this Laker team and that begins with not allowing more than 7 points at the 7 minute of every quarter. This is a recipe for good defensive pressure, forcing a lot of missed field goals and not allowing any easy transition opportunities.

(30-11)

This is the record D'Antoni believes the Lakers need to achieve on the road this season. The Lakers have always been a good team at Staples Center, but keep in mind, their record on the road during their last championship in the 2009-2010 season, 23-18.

24

In order for the Lakers to have success, they need to average at least 24 assists according the D'Antoni. They're expecting Nash to dish out 8+, meaning the team will need to play collectively as a unit, making the extra passes, in order to get the open opportunity.

3x17

If we get 3 guys on the team to score at least 17 every night, I think we'll be a difficult team to beat. That just means everybody's involved, and if everybody's involved, anybody can beat you...

Bench Mob

The Lakers don't have the greatest depth in the league, so it is extremely vital they get contributions from everyone on the bench. To help with the lack of depth, D'Antoni will start the season with MWP being the Sixth Man, giving Darius Morris the starting spot. MWP is expected to still play 35+ minutes a night.

Can the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol co-exist together and make a run at the title? Stay tuned to find out!

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Pau Gasol was dominant in the preseason game against the Clippers; Kobe scores 34

Los Angeles Lakers () at Los Angeles Clippers ()
Oct 22, 2012 1 2 3 4 Final Los Angeles 32 23 29 34 118 Los Angeles 32 17 22 41 112 Top Performers Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant (34 points, 9 reb, 6 ast, 14-25 FG shooting) Pau Gasol (26 points, 12 reb, 10-17 FG shooting) Los Angeles Clippers Chris Paul (15 points, 10 ast, 2 TO, 6-11 FG shooting) Blake Griffin (18 points, 11 rebounds, 8-16 FG shooting)	Team Stats Comparison LAL LAC FG Made-Att 45-94 41-87 3PT Made-Att 5-19 8-20 FT Made-Att 23-28 22-30 Rebounds 56 39 Assists 24 29 Turnovers 9 7 Steals 5 5 Blocks 4 3
Los Angeles Lakers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Los Angeles Clippers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

LOS ANGELES, Calif -- The Lakers began their preseason against in-building rival Los Angeles Clippers in a game where both sides, regardless of the date, wanted to make a statement.

Both teams came out firing, both scoring 32 points in the first quarter, the Clippers shooting a scorching 61%. Dwight Howard established himself early scoring 13 points and dragging down 5 rebounds in the quarter. The 2nd would prove to be different as the Lakers clamped down defensively, holding the Clippers to just 27% shooting, allowing 17 points, all without Dwight Howard on the floor, who quickly was in foul trouble. Jordan Hill, the Subway Sub of the Game filled in nicely for Howard, getting 27 minutes, finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

The Lakers would eventually take control of the game by the 3rd quarter, opening up a 15-point lead on an 11-3 run. The final quarter however is where the game got exciting for the Staples Center fans. The Clippers opened the quarter with a run of their own, eventually able to pull within 5, 89-84. The Lakers would allow the Clippers to score 41 points on 62% shooting but it still wasn't enough as Kobe Bryant and Co. were able to connect on big buckets down the stretch. Gasol, despite the 2 dunks by Griffin last season, seems to have Griffin's number throughout his career, and he proved that again tonight as he was an absolute monster finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds (6 offensive).

Game Notes
Dwight Howard finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 24 minutes (foul trouble). Chauncey Billups led the Clippers in scoring, finishing with 23 points on 7-20 FG shooting, Caron Butler also finished with 21 points.

Kobe would take advantage of the size advantage he possessed over Billups


Post-Game Interview

We gave up too many points in the fourth quarter, we have to figure out how to keep that from happening. We gotta play intense defense for 50 minutes. If we can do that we'll be fine.

...[laughs] Yeah I was shocked they were booing when they made that run. It was humorous to me actually. I would hope our crowd wouldn't have to do that to us this season

That's up for you guys to decide.. I'll let the media handle that. If you think I'm going to say this is the Clippers city [laughs] you have problems.

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Lakers blowout the Kings in their last game before the regular season, Kobe scores 12 points

Sacramento Kings () at Los Angeles Lakers ()
Oct 25, 2012 1 2 3 4 Final Sacramento 14 18 32 17 81 Los Angeles 25 31 18 28 102 Top Performers Sacramento Kings Marcus Thornton (15 points, 6-18 FG, 3-11 3PT FG) John Salmons (13 points, 4-9 FG, 4-6 FT) Los Angeles Lakers Dwight Howard (20 points, 7 rebounds, 0 blk, 9-13 FG, 2-6 FT) Pau Gasol (12 points, 16 rebounds, 5-11 FG)	Team Stats Comparison SAC LAL FG Made-Att 31-81 37-81 3PT Made-Att 6-20 7-19 FT Made-Att 13-18 21-26 Rebounds 39 54 Assists 16 23 Turnovers 8 11 Steals 11 6 Blocks 1 3
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Los Angeles Lakers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

LOS ANGELES, Calif -- It's not everyday Kobe Bryant can shoot 3-10 from the field and only finish the game with 12 points and the Lakers can win by double digits. Well that's exactly what happened Friday night here at Staples Center as the Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings 102-81.

The Kings seemed outmatched from the start as they couldn't muster any scoring opportunities from the jump, as the Lakers took advantage of the Kings scoring, finishing the first half with a 56-32 lead holding the Kings to just 11/41 shooting (26%).

The Kings would shoot 76% in the 3rd, scoring 32 points in the process but it wasn't enough. The Lakers finished with 45 points off the bench, including 19 from Jodie Meeks who was 5/8 from the field, all 5 made baskets were from beyond the 3-point line. Kobe Bryant was just 3/10 from the field, finishing the game with only 12 points in just 27 minutes.

The Lakers open their season Tuesday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

**(Recaps during the regular season will be longer; this one is short due to me playing the game last night and forgetting to write about it)**

Kobe Bryant's glad this is just the preseason

I'm not worried about it all. *CENSORED*, if I played in the 4th, I would've kept shooting. I'm a scorer, I'm going to try and score whether I have the opportunities or not.

Kobe Bryant also laughed at the notion that the team does better when he scores less....

I'll keep that in mind... If they need me to score, I'm gonna go out there and score, but right now I'm going to play within the system, tonight just happened to be a bad shooting night. It happens.

[mpejkrm]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

This is looking great. I'm really liking the layout and the stories you've got. I though the team practice was a cool idea. I love the D'Antoni tips, I'll be using those for my franchise. Good luck, I'll be following.

[njdevils14]

This is pretty cool, gonna def be following

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Laker basketball is more than just a game

Donte' Thomas
OS Los Angeles | October 26, 2012
LOS ANGELES -- "...You've got to be here to know it", a quote from the late and great icon Tupac Shakur in his song, "To Live and Die in LA." Laker basketball is a show and always will be. In a land where people go to become stars, in a land where stars go to be superstars, Laker is Hollywood!

Laker basketball is the big screen, it's entertainment, it's a way of life. It's the lights, its the camera's, its the action! Being fortunate to experience many Laker games myself I've found Laker basketball is a culture, a winning culture. From the "We Want Tacos" chants to the 11 championships in the city.

Laker basketball is history. It's George Mikan, it's Elgin Baylor, it's the logo himself Jerry West. It's Magic, it's 'Showtime', it's the skyhook, it's the Diesel, it's "in the refrigerator"...

Laker basketball is tradition. It's the gold and the purple, it's the best of the best, best players, it's #32 with the no-look, it's #44 with the clutch basket, it's #33 with the glasses. It goes from Pat Riley and the hair, to Phil Jackson with the chair. It's the shots from Horry, to Kobe with 40.

Gosh do we hate green!

Laker basketball is Lights Out

Laker basketball is passion, it's pride and dedication. And these Lakers are ready to show the world what the Lakers are all about. Kobe Bryant leads these group of men on a journey to capture yet another championship, to earn the name, "best basketball team in the NBA." Number 16 and number 6, prized possessions.

It's been 2 seasons since the Lakers were atop the world, and time is running out for this aging roster. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash have assembled and we all will find out whether this team can mesh well together. The expectations as always, are high in Los Angeles, and many fans are looking at this team as one of the best.

Kobe Bryant is ready to go. Dwight Howard is ready to go. The Lakers are ready to go. Laker fans, are you ready to go!

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

This is looking great. I'm really liking the layout and the stories you've got. I though the team practice was a cool idea. I love the D'Antoni tips, I'll be using those for my franchise. Good luck, I'll be following.

What's crazy about the layout is that I do majority of the posting from my iPhone. Only time I use a laptop is when I have to do box scores haha. My phone is my life The practice was definitely useful, I'd recommend it as well, it help me figure out what this team could do and what they couldn't do. As well as scout the other players since I'm on player lock with Kobe.

This is pretty cool, gonna def be following

Man I really appreciate it! It's a good feeling to know someone actually follows your writings. I think I need to go on the people's pages I follow and let them know instead of going without saying haha. Either of you have a dynasty?

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Dwight Dominates As Lakers Rout Dallas to Open Season



Dwight impresses in first game as a Laker

Donte Thomas
OSLosAngeles.com
October 30, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif -- This offseason after the acquisition of C Dwight Howard and PG Steve Nash, Laker fans were already calling Staples Center asking to reserve NBA Finals tickets, after Opening Night, those employees just might be calling them back tomorrow.

The Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-106 in a wire to wire victory, led by C Dwight Howard who finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, also recording a double -double in the 2nd quarter alone.

I felt good out there, my back feels fine, I can run, I can jump and I just gave my all tonight because I was healthy enough to give it... I personally wanted to make a statement and I think I did, and we as a team did that as well with this victory.

The game was in control early by the Lakers, jumping out to an early 8 point lead behind Bryant's 9 quick points on 4/5 shooting. The Mavericks would then double Kobe everytime he touched it, thus leading to Kobe finding the open man. Bryant finished with a team-high 11 assists.

Howard, who finished the first quarter with 7 points and 1 rebound would dominate the 2nd quarter himself, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds in the quarter to help give the Lakers a 61-49 halftime lead.

Kobe would take a back seat this game, letting Dwight lead team in scoring

In the fourth, the Mavericks would cut a 19 point deficit to 8 before the Lakers regained control with superior defense and offensive rebounding leading to second chance opportunities. Dirk would finish the game with 28 points and the Mavericks couldn't seem to find an answer to match the size of Dwight Howard.

This is how we need to play... together as a unit, collectively, intensity and focus on defense, attention to detail, this is what we're going to have to do in order to be successful. Go out there and execute. If we can do that, we should win a lot of ball games...

On Dwight Howard....

Oh, he was big for us. He went after a lot of rebounds, and got himself and others second chance opportunities, and that's huge. I'm already enjoying playing alongside him... I can be lazy now [laughs]

Spoiler

Due to my laptop being broken at the time, I will not post the box score, and I'm too lazy to type it all out. I'm making this post from my iPhone and sometimes lose the writing when I go back and forth through Internet browsing pages. Once I get my laptop back, I will edit in the box score

The Journey for #6 has begun

Spoiler

LeBron and the Heat received their rings but fell to the Celtics 100-97

Spoiler

CHECK OUT THOSE LEBRON X 'CHAMPS' THOUGH!

Spoiler

...Paul Pierce chirping with a fan in Miami

Spoiler

John Wall leads Wizards to victory over new-look Cavaliers

[xboxxerx]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Great 'chise King. I'll be following sir. Keep up the great work.

[timbeau0805]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

This chise is incredible, man.

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Quick Recap to get caught up to date



Lakers use balance to defeat Blazers on road

Howard, Bryant and Nash combine for 57 as the Lakers defeated the Blazers 115-107 in Portland. The Lakers stretched the lead to 20 in the 4th, as Kobe Bryant was not needed in the 4th quarter as the Lakers held on.


Jordan Brand Player of the Game

20 points 8 rebounds 1 assist (10/12 FG)

Our second unit played exceptionally well, especially in the 3rd quarter.. They gave us a big lead, and we were able to rest our starters and get some of the younger guys some minutes, and it's always fun to cheer on your teammates... Glad they were able to hold the lead too! [Laughs]

[d11king]

Re: Backstage Lakers: A Journey for #6

Quick Recap to get caught up to date



Lakers not givin up L.A. without a fight, defeat Clippers 124-116



Chris Paul and the Clippers came to fight. Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers came to fight back. The first meeting between the two teams of L.A. proved to be a Battle for Los Angeles, as both teams excited the Staples Center faithful with highlight plays and excellent basketball. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers scoring 38 points as the Lakers improved to 3-0 on the season.


Jordan Brand Player of the Game



38 points 10 assists 7 rebounds (14-21 FG, 10-11 FT)

It was a fun game... They're out to prove to us this is their city now, we're out to prove they have a long way to go