SimWorld Presents: The Race to Greatness (A SimWorld NBA2K Dynasty)

[ronyell]

May 27th, 2016

The last time these two teams met in the Finals... The Warriors took home the trophy. The last time these two teams met this season... it wasn't pretty. Let's take a look at what people are saying around the league.

David Aldridge: "I think Lue will have a plan in place on defense after seeing the Warriors last year for the Finals. Offensively I don't think the Warriors can lock in on the Cavs big 3 & Kyle Korver will be a key factor. I'm picking the Cavs in 6."

Steven A. Smith: "This series is all about LeBron James. There is NO way LeBron will allow his team to go down again like they did last year... that's it... bottom line. I'm going Cleveland in 6."

Anthony Davis: "I just think it's Golden State's year. They've been unbeatable all season. Warriors, but it's gonna go 7."

John Hollinger: "It looks like teams have been able to find a way to contain Steph this playoffs but I don't think the Warriors will be able to do the same to Cleveland's big 3. If Golden State isn't perfect & don't think they will be... I'm picking Cleveland in 7."

Greg Popovich: "If i'm forced to comment I'd say the Warriors. playing them first hand in a seven game series; I say they are hard as hell to defend because of how they spread you out & how smart they play. Kerr will have his guys ready & the Warriors will respond winning in 6."

Bill Simmons: "It's hard to pick against the Warriors after how they've played this season & how they overcame to beat the Spurs. I'm picking the Warriors in 5."

Kenny Smith: "Golden State is too balanced. Warriors win this series in 6. LeBron will play out of his mind but i'm still going with Steph & the defending champs in 6."

CWSapp: "I think Love is gonna step up big & be the key in this series. He's played like his former self thus far in this year's playoffs and a healthy Cleveland team with him playing well wins this series in 5."

Michael Wilbon: "The King will be leading his land to it's first championship but will need 7 games to get it done."

Magic Johnson: "I mean... Curry's game is crazy. Then you got Klay who's been stellar & of course Draymond... I hate to say it but I think Golden State will win in 5."

Ronyell Wilson: "The best player in the world vs the best player in the NBA today. That being said the better, more intelligent team will win this series. I'm going with Golden State in 6."

Skip Bayless: "Call me crazy but I can't see LeBron letting it slip by this year. I'd have to say Cavs in 6."

Jeff Van Gundy: "I used to say good defense beats good defense but CLEARY everything is different now! Good offense beat good defense all year & Golden State is GREAT at both. I'm saying Golden State in a sweep!"

Mark Jackson: "It's hard to disagree with coach Van Gundy but I just have to. It's gonna take 6 games before the Warriors take home the gold."

J. A. Adande "The Cavs pushed the Warriors last year behind stellar play from LeBron. A healthly locked in Cavs team will beat Golden State in 7.

Charles Barkley: "If I was a betting man... and I am. I'm going with the Warriors in 6 games."

Brent Barry: "Golden State. C'mon. The Warriors are just too consistent on both ends of the floor. Golden State over the Cavs in 5."

Be sure to tune in tomorrow at 12pm EST for Game 1 streaming live at: www.twitch.tv/simworldgaming

[ronyell]

May 28th, 2016

Watch live video from SimWorldGaming on www.twitch.tv

tipoff at 12pm EST

[ronyell]

May 28th, 2016

[AdamJones113]

May 28th, 2016

It's A Team Win, And It's A Player Loss


I'm not saying that Cleveland would have won, in the end. After all, there was plenty of time for the Warriors, probably the best shooting team in history, and Steph Curry, the best shooter in history, to drive up the court and score. But there's no doubt that Kyrie Irving and his two brutal, brutal turnovers, both coming with under 40 seconds to play, cost the Cavaliers a shot to win Game 1.

The Cavaliers had it going from the opening tip. They controlled the game's pace and they did a good job getting enough scoring and not giving any help to allow the Splash Brothers to heat up. Of course, playoff fortune and success is quite fickle: Draymond Green, who had been putting up bricks all throughout Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, started balling. He hit 6-11 three pointers and scored 13 points in the 4th quarter alone. The Cavs ruled the Warriors' paint, far outscoring the Dubs in that area, but their own paint was more of a problem—the Warriors finished with 18 offensive rebounds.

Green and Klay Thompson, actually, led the Warriors with 8 rebounds apiece; Thompson only scored 11 points on 5-19 shooting, but added a game-high 4 steals. Steph Curry led the Dubs with 8 assists and added 28 points on 9-22 shooting. For the Cavaliers, Tiago Splitter hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds; J.R. Smith scored 21 points, and Kevin Love added 23. Kyrie Irving, despite 7 rebounds and 7 assists, only scored 12 points and turned the ball over an egregious 5 times. LeBron James led the Cavs with 28 points, 8 assists, and 3 blocks, and was responsible for 47 points, tying Curry for the most PRF in the game. It's not quite his performance from last year's Finals, but it's hardly a poor one.

Cleveland was in control for the long run; Golden State did not earn a lead until 5:12 to go in the game. In a game that featured a lot of and-1s, the Cavaliers always seemed to be one step ahead—when it was LeBron hitting a tough layup and the foul shot, Kyle Korver swinging around for a catch-and-shoot-three, Cleveland seemed on the path to do what they hadn't done last year. And then history kicked in, and the Warriors slowly pulled ahead, through Draymond Green's three-pointers and through—don't you forget about him—Steph Curry's three-pointers, the Warriors found themselves up 97-96 with just over 40 seconds to go.

Kryie Irving brought the ball up court. Through a pick, he found an easy mismatch on Andrew Bogut. Irving drove the lane right, and Harrison Barnes scampered away from LeBron in order to help defend Irving... leaving the King wide open in the corner. It was an easy pass, especially considering that Draymond Green had made a similar, yet more difficult one, earlier in the game. But Irving didn't pass, didn't even shoot. The ball rolled limply out of his hand and was picked up by Barnes. The Cavs raced back on defense, and Irving made a great play to nab the defensive rebound over several taller players.

And then he brought the ball upcourt again. LeBron's defender, Klay Thompson, anticipating a cut, had sagged off. But Irving didn't see LeBron until too late, until Thompson was sprinting back onto his man. So he tossed an easy chest pass right into the hands of Thompson, the man who had given Golden State their first lead of the game minutes before, now the man who would cement Golden State's lead for the rest of the game.

Sure, Andrew Bogut had made a big block on LeBron shortly before. Sure, Kevin Love took a very ill-advised three-pointer with 10 seconds left that didn't do Cleveland any favours. But negate one poor Kyrie turnover, not even both, and the Cavs are sitting very pretty. But twice, with LeBron watching in frustration, Irving, shall we say, dropped the ball.


That's not the way to win a championship.


Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals tips off Monday at 8 EST on SimWorldGaming.

[bigbob]

May 28th, 2016

After spending the first eight years of his career in Philadelphia after being drafted 9th Overall out of Arizona in the 2004 NBA Draft, Andre Iguodala was dealt to the Denver Nuggets in a blockbuster trade that saw superstar Dwight Howard sent to Los Angeles and oft-injured star Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia.

The Golden State Warriors sixth man has had an underrated career, starting in Philadelphia where he was forced to live in Allen Iverson's shadow even after Iverson was sent to the Nuggets. After, we saw him head to the Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets in an attempt to lead them to the Championship Carmelo never could. After one year in Denver, Iggy was sent to the young Golden State Warriors squad where he would eventually get the Championship that alluded him for ten seasons.

He spent the first year as a starter for the Warriors before taking a backseat to Harrison Barnes in 2014. During his second season, the Warriors would make into the NBA Finals against a Cleveland Cavaliers team stacked with a returning LeBron James. After falling into a 2-1 hole against the Cavaliers, Iggy was placed into the starting lineup to give the team a boost and he took the ball and ran with it. In the three games he started in the finals, he led the team twice in scoring, once in rebounds and once in assists. He became the first player to win Finals MVP after not starting the series as a starter, leading the Warriors to an NBA Championship.

This year, the Golden State Warriors look to upend the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second year in a row in the finals, currently up 1-0 in the series. Andre Iguodala continues to take a back seat to back-to-back MVP Steph Curry and his "Splash Brother" Klay Thompson, as well as emerging superstar Draymond Green, but he has finally earned the NBA Championship he deserved and is looking to add a second one to his name.

[ronyell]

May 30th, 2016

Watch live video from SimWorldGaming on www.twitch.tv

PRE-GAME INTERVIEW


Lisa Salters: Kyrie, how do you handle all of the criticism after game 1?

Kyrie Irving: I don;t really much attention to it you know. I know what I gotta do & I gotta be more aggressive. Me & the guys talked about it and I know I gotta bring it every night to give us a chance.

Lisa Salters: Game one was a tough loss that many think you guys should have won. Did that loss deflate you guys at all & how did you prepare for tonight?

Kyrie Irving: I mean every loss hurts but we know what gotta do to win. Golden State is a great team but so are we. We just gotta execute, play our game defend the three & we'll be in position to win.

Lisa Salters: Thank Kyrie & good luck tonight.

[AdamJones113]

May 30th, 2016





Post Game: Media Room


"LeBron, what's wrong with you guys and what can you do to fix it?"

LeBron James: Obviously we gotta work harder and not let up in the game. It's a question of going out there and wanting it more, and right now we ain't doing that.

"Was there a good thing you can take away from going down 0-2 in the series?"

Tyronn Lue: There's always good things you can take away, sometimes more than others, but we know what we need to work on and we'll definitely work on that for Game 3.

"It just seems like you've let up in the second half these first two games."

TL: Games ebb and flow, sometimes runs just happen. That's part of the game, it's withstanding those and getting some runs of our own that we need to worry about.

LJ: It felt like we were going toe to toe, then things just got out of hand. Obviously that's something we'd like to change and something we need to change.

"What's the key for you next game?"

LJ: Just gotta bear down and win.

TL: We're gonna regroup and refocus.

"Is there any way to stop Golden State's deep threat attack?"

TL: There are some things we need to work on, but on the whole the key is to be mobile and quick to react, and that should take away any time we're giving the shooters. It's tough to stop talent, but it's far from impossible.

* * *

"Has this series been a personal frustration for you?"

Steph Curry: We've won two games. That's personal satisfaction, not frustration.

"Big game tonight. Any special reason for that?"

Klay Thompson: It just felt good tonight, shots were going in and when that happens that usually means a big game. We got the win, though, so that's the key thing.

"Does playing a backseat get easier in the Finals or harder, especially if you've had a great playoff run?"

Harrison Barnes: I wouldn't say that I've taken a backseat at all. We're a team. Anything anyone does to help the team is good, so whoever it is and whatever is good. Especially when we're that close to another ring, playing more or less becomes irrelevant.

"So, do you think you can finish off the sweep and celebrate in front of Cleveland again?"

SC: Look, every game is a tough game. Winning two in a row doesn't guarantee anything at this level.

KT: We're playing a very good team. We need to focus on one game at a time, not get ahead of ourselves too much.

HB: Wouldn't really mind that at all. I could get used to it.

[ronyell]

May 30th, 2016

[ronyell]

June 1st, 2016




Kevin Love & The NBA Finals

1 - ASSERTIVENESS: In Cleveland's last series against Toronto, there were moments where Kevin Love looked unstoppable. He called for the ball in all of his most comfortable spots on the court. He shot without hesitation and with confidence. He demanded the the offense run through him when LeBron was not in the game. Love took 15 shots in Game 1 of this year's finals, hitting 10 of them & that game came down to the wire. Then Love backdoor-ed that by scoring only 8 points on only 6 shot attempts in game 2's blowout loss. Love's versatile scoring is needed in abundance in order for the Cavs to win in this series... #SegWayNumberOne

2 - LOW POST SCORING: In what has been a hot topic all season; Love's presence in the post is needed now more than at any other point this season. Lue said shortly after taking over the head coaching position that he wanted to see Love in the post more but that hardly came to fruition. In the 1st round we saw a little more of Love in the post & even more in the following two rounds. Love scoring in the post is needed to punish Golden State for their incessant defensive switches and to slow down the tempo. Golden State wins games due to their star power & historic 3 point shooting but what allows that is spacing... & disrupting that spacing on defense will also be a key to beating them. With Love idle on the perimeter; it also prevents him from hitting the offensive glass... #SegWayNumber2

3 - REBOUNDING: From 13 RPG in playoffs to 7 RPG thus far in the finals... Love needs to get back to what he was first "loved" for. Golden State has been able to punish Cleveland on the offensive boards (in high part to Love being out of position on both offense & defense). Golden State has also been able to keep Cleveland off of the offensive glass as Cleveland's primary rebounding threat (Tristan Thompson) has been "double-boxed out" for lack of a better term. Golden State feasts on maximizing their number of possessions and Love helping to gain an advantage on the boards will be key.

Many said that Love's absence (along with Kyrie Irving) was the reason that the Cavs could not get it done last year & that this year would be much different with them healthy. Well as of now... ONE of Cleveland's "Big 3" has been given his 3 keys for success if the Cavs are to achieve a different outcome from last year. Thank you for joining me for the first edition of "3 In the Key" and be sure to tune in for Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight at 8pm EST in Cleveland. #SimWorldDweller

[ronyell]

June 1st, 2016

Watch live video from SimWorldGaming on www.twitch.tv

tipoff today at 5:05pm EST

[ronyell]

June 1st, 2016

[ronyell]

June 2nd, 2016

Sources in Cleveland are saying that Lebron James & Kevin Love had a heated verbal exchange in the locker room after Game 2 and many are speculating that James is not happy being back in Cleveland.

Music mogul Allen Champagne is rumored to be interested in purchasing the Minnesota Timberwolves along with a group of private investors. Champagne has several businesses in the Seattle Washington area.

Charles Barkley calls Lebron James "weak" after his performance in Cleveland's game 3 loss. Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless take to twitter to defend Lebron James and speak out on Barkley's harsh words.

Dan Gilbert says that Tyronne Lue has his full support when asked if he was happy with the direction of the team after Lue's takeover.

Kenny Smith says this series is far from over despite the Cavs being down 3-0.

Bulls reps are sayng that Noah wants to remain in Chicago and that the Bulls may be willing to move Gasol. Gasol & Noah both have expiring contracts.

Houston Rockets legend Calvin blasts Rockets in an interview saying that they need to play basketball & forget "all of the anaylitics". The Rockets have been rumored to be interested in moving Dwight Howard before free agency.

Game 4 of the NBA Finals tips off live tomorrow at 12:15pm EST in what could be the final game of the series with Golden State up 3-0.

[AdamJones113]

June 2nd, 2016

Is It Time For Regret?

It's May 10th, 2015, and the Cavaliers' season is once again in jeopardy. They're tied 84-84 with the Chicago Bulls in Game 4, but down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavs are no stranger to challenge; they started the year 19-20 before turning it on to get to the point they're at now. With eight seconds left, Derrick Rose has just a layup to tie the game. LeBron James rushes down the floor... but back at the Cavs bench, coach David Blatt, who was brought over to teach Andrew Wiggins but instead found himself at the helm of a Big 3, is motioning for a timeout. But luckily for the Cavs, he isn't able to recreate Chris Webber's infamous NCAA Championship game error; assistant coach Tyronn Lue pulls Blatt back to the bench. Moments later, LeBron will hit a fadeaway to tie the series and eventually launch the Cavs to the Finals. It's the beginning of the end for Blatt.

On January 22nd, earlier this year, the Cavs fired Blatt and his .675 winning percentage, citing "a lack of fit with our personnel and vision." At the time, the move was widely construed as a machination by LeBron to oust Blatt and instil Lue, who he likes, as the coach. Whether that was the case is no longer important; what is important is that the Cavaliers are down 3-0 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals and, despite the presence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, poised to lose to the Warriors again. And this time, under Lue, they're poised to lose in ugly fashion.

It's June 2nd, and Cleveland has produced, well, arguably the worst performance in recent Finals history. That's no discredit to the Warriors—one the best teams in NBA history, period. Sure, the series is far from over. Sure, the Cavs (some of them) looked good in the tough Game 1 loss. They can't be as bad as they've looked, right? No. In the Finals, you can't judge by hypotheticals. There are at most seven games (this one doesn't look like it will last that long), and teams need to take each game at a time and play as hard as they can. They need to come in prepared with a gameplan that they can adapt based on their performance and the performance of the other team.

Cleveland hasn't done that. They've been outplayed and outcoached. There's no way around it. Key players have disappeared at times, thrown games away, and the role players have played the parts of mice. Verbal spat or not, why is LeBron James—the best player on the planet—getting fewer looks than Kevin Love (12 vs. 14 in the last game)? Why is he just being stuck on the wing, the offense led by Kyrie? The Cavs have looked lost without an identity, and that's no way to win games, much less the Finals. Cleveland is playing scared and vulnerable. Cleveland is playing like they want LeBron to inbound the ball with 1.5 seconds left in a tie, key playoff game.

Isn't that what getting rid of Blatt was all about? LeBron took over in that moment back on May 10th, 2015, changed the inbounds play to the play that won the game. That cemented the Cavaliers as his team, not Blatt's. Why isn't that the team showing up? The team playing these finals is bland, uninspired. Did Blatt seep the energy on his way out? Was the friction and contention the force that drove the Cavs to their great heights? Didn't Shaq and Kobe pull a three-peat despite, well, hating each other's guts?

"What I see is that we need to build a collective spirit, a strength of spirit, a collective will," [Cavs' GM David] Griffin said [at the time of Blatt's firing]. "Elite teams always have that, and you see it everywhere. To be truly elite, we have to buy into a set of values and principles that we believe in. That becomes our identity."

It's time to find those values and principles. Tyronn Lue may have Dan Gilbert's support now, but as David Blatt can tell him, owners' support is fickle.

[ronyell]

June 3rd, 2016

Watch live video from SimWorldGaming on www.twitch.tv

[ronyell]

June 3rd, 2016

POST GAME: MEDIA ROOM


"LeBron what could you guys have done to make this a more competitive series?"

LeBron James: I mean you just said it. We could have competed. We are all professionals and we know what we have to do and we didn't do it.

"Is it frustrating for you to lose to the same team in the finals for two consecutive years?"

LeBron James: What kinda question is that?! We just got swept! That's frustrating. As far as the Golden State Warriors... I take my hat off to them.

"Do you feel that Lue should get some of the blame for how the team performed in this series and does any of this affect your thought making process for where else you may want to play this off season?"

LeBron James: ... Next question.

"LeBron, what is it about the Warriors that your Cavs couldn't figure out in this series?"

LeBron James: I mean... the same things that the rest of the league struggled with. They spread you out. They have knock down shooters and we weren't working hard enough defensively or offensively to get it done.

__________________________________________________ _________________________

"Tyronne; do you think that you should have gone to some smaller lineups in this series to combat the Warriors perimeter play?"

Tyronne Lue: I did what I felt that we needed to do. I thought we had advantages on the boards & in the paint & that was the gameplan.

"At any point in this series did you consider putting LeBron on Curry?

Tyronne Lue: I did but Barnes & Klay & Iggy were playing so well that I wanted to keep him on those guys because of his athleticism. You know we did a great job on Curry for the better part of this series so I think we did what we wanted to do in that regard.

"Being that the Cavs are essentiallly championship or bust right now & taking into account the circumstances in which you took over the team; do you feel a burden by this loss?"

Tyronne Lue: Of course I feel burdened. This is not how we saw our season ending but I do appreciate what our team has accomplished this season. We had to overcome a lot & we will regroup.

__________________________________________________ _________________________

"Steph how does it feel to repeat when people thought your win last year was a fluke?"

Stephen Curry: You know we know who we are as a team and we knew what we were capable of. We just wanna go out and play hard & the rest will fall into place.

"Steph; you struggled in a few gaes in this series what changed tonight?"

Stephen Curry: Nothing. My teammates told me to go out & do what I do & coach Kerr always gives me his support & he told me before the game... take us home & that's what we tried to do.

__________________________________________________ _________________________

"Steve... Steve; Did you ever think that this team would be in this position this quickly?"

Steve Kerr: You know when I took over this team, Mark Jackson had put some magical things into place & i just wanted to expand on those building blocks. These guys play their hearts out & they know how to win. So to answer your question Rick yes. That was the xpectation & the plan.

"How do you plan on keeping this nucleus together?"

Steve Kerr: I think we have guys that wanna play for this organization. I think we can figure something out but right now we just wanna celebrate this victory for all of our fans.

__________________________________________________ _________________________

"Draymond, from bench prospect to two-time champ... how does it feel?

Draymond Green: Awe man it feels great! I love this team, my teammates,the city of Oakland & we gonna do what we gotta do to make it three!