The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

[studbucket]

January 3, 2020 Northern Colorado vs Montana [Big Sky]

Since we last saw Oggy and the UNC Bears, they’ve played 1 game: a showdown vs Kostadin’s alma mater Duquesne. The Dukes are a much better team than UNC, but that wasn’t apparent in this game as the Bears jumped out to a 15 point halftime lead, then hung on for dear life to get a 69-67 victory. For a team everyone thought would be in the cellar of the Big Sky Conference, this was a huge moment. Brandon North had 25 points and Andre Swanson had 11 rebounds. After the victory, Oggy saw a text from his brother on the phone: “Great victory over the Dukes. Happy for you. But even happier that you can’t seem to beat Red Flash.” Oggy groaned. If things go according to plan, he’ll be at a new program soon, with way more talent than his brother and no more concerns about losing to the Red Flash.

Today, the Bears welcomed a familiar foe to Butler-Hancock Hall: the Grizzlies of Montana. They were less formidable than usual though. Losers of 5 straight, the Grizz were 3-7 overall and have struggled defensively. Their star player Dereke Marshall is out with a broken toe, which puts the burden of leading the offense on 6’10” SF Lodrick Giles (13 ppg).

Early on it was a close matchup, as one may expect a matchup between Grizzlies and Bears to be. Every time UNC would score, Montana would match with their own bucket. However, the game was broke open by none other than local hero Brandon North. After hitting 2 straight threes to put the Bears up by 4, he managed to extend that to threes on 4 straight possessions. After a Taron Guy basket, a block on the other end, and a huge dunk from Andre Swanson, Northern Colorado was up 35-26 and had all the momentum. The Grizzlies called time to regain their composure, but they would never regain it.

Andre Swanson buries the Grizz with an authoritative dunk

The game was 44-31 at half, with Brandon North 5-6 from deep. UNC managed to extend the lead to 20 points (53-33) in the 2^nd half, and ended up winning comfortably.

Oggy continues to get little-to-no output from his bench, but can win games when at least two of Guy, Swanson, and North show up in a big way. If he’s around next year, he hopes that his 4 new recruits can help round out the team’s bench.

Around the NCAA

• Dinko bounced back from the loss with 79-76 win over “fake Francis” (St. Francis of New York).

Around the NBA

• Steph Curry scored 48 in a losing effort vs the Pacers. Golden State drops to 12-17, way outside of the playoff picture.
• Trae Young had his first triple-double of the season (32-11-10) in a 129-116 win over the Jazz.
• The Philadelphia 76ers are only 17-13, and find themselves as the 5^th seed in the East.
• The Trail Blazers are having an awful season as Damian Lillard is still out because of last season’s ACL tear. However, this puts them in the driver’s seat for #1 prospect Jerry Sparks. Sparks would play PF and SF and would complement Lillard, McCollum, and Nurkic very well.
• The Denver Nuggets are 12-20 and have no excuses. They are flat out struggling to stop teams from scoring.
• The Memphis Grizzlies are the surprise of the season. At 26-8, they have the best record in league.
• Your December Players of the Month are Trae Young and Kawhi Leonard
• Ernesto Parkinson (SG, Nets) and Dana Bright (PF, OKC) win Rookie of the Month honors. It’s Bright’s 2^nd straight award.

[kibaxx7]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Amazing win, man. Every update I see here makes me want to get the game, but it has been impossible! I saw a CH 2K7 available, is it (essentially) the same? Any different features?

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Amazing win, man. Every update I see here makes me want to get the game, but it has been impossible! I saw a CH 2K7 available, is it (essentially) the same? Any different features?

I never played 2k7, but I think I did play 2k4 or 2k5 and those games were great. I think 2k8 is the best, but 2k7 should have a lot of similarities. Check out these videos to see what you think: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...lege+hoops+2k7


Thanks so much for the encouragement, I really appreciate it!

[studbucket]

Swanson Flies High

A local photographer captured a beautiful angle on Swanson’s hammer of a dunk in their win over Montana.

[RolePlayer]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

That is just a brutal dunk especially for ch2k8 where I feel like there aren't too many posterizing dunks compared to newer basketball games

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

That is just a brutal dunk especially for ch2k8 where I feel like there aren't too many posterizing dunks compared to newer basketball games

100%. Dunks are tough in this game, especially with lower end colleges. In my previous long-running closed legacy I ended up at Wisconsin and once I got great athletes I could do 2-3 alley oops a game, but the posters are tough. Swanson legitimately got a hand to the face on this dunk.

[studbucket]

New Year, New Teams

New Year’s Day represented a new beginning for several teams and players across the league as Pat Riley orchestrated what was effectively a 5-team trade. Riley believes in his coach Erik Spoelstra, but had seen that his moves to bring in Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin were failing miserably as the Heat were sitting at 13-20 and had disappointed last season. With awful team chemistry, several aging players, and Bam Adebayo in a contract year, Riley chose to blow it all up.

First, Riley called up the hopeless 9-21 Wizards and the severely underperforming Nuggets (11-19). He helped the Wizards by taking on Wall’s contract and got the Nuggets a true star to play alongside Jokic in Bradley Beal.

Then, he got the Suns and the Warriors on the line. Phoenix was ready to compete with Devin Booker, but couldn’t do it with their current supporting cast. They needed more veteran leadership and different talent alongside him. They should have bene much better, but were just 14-16 on the season. The Warriors were struggling at 12-19 and needed different players that could better complement and take pressure off of the Splash Brothers.

The Suns felt they upgraded by turning Oubre and Ayton into Green and Adebayo and the Warriors were thrilled with adding Butler and Ayton. Riley got young players and a load of draft picks with an eye toward being contenders in the 2023-2024 season (when they can get off Wall’s contract).

Here’s a team-by-team look at the trades.




Miami Heat
The Heat blew it all up, looking to become contenders in a few seasons as they realized they had no path to success in the near future. In addition to some old players and bad contracts, the Heat got 1^st round rookie Iker Glover, who may turn into a solid starter due to “Heat culture”.

Miami Heat
Give	Receive
Blake Griffin, PF	John Wall, PG
Goran Dragic, PG	Paul Millsap, PF
Jimmy Butler, SF	Andrew Wiggins, SF
Bam Adebayo, C	Iker Glover, PG
Khyri Thomas, SG	2021 1st round top 5 protected (PHX)
	2021 1st round top 3 protected (MIN)
	2022 1st round top 3 protected (GS)
	2022 1st round top 5 protected (WAS)
	2023 2nd round (CHI)
	2024 2nd round (DEN)

They gave up almost their entire starting lineup, but have all these picks the next few years:

Here is their current starting 5:

Things have gone according to plan since the trade, with the Heat going 0-2 with losses vs Nuggets and Pelicans.


Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets had talent on their roster, but it wasn’t performing. Denver’s leadership believed in their core, but needed a more consistent scorer as they could not regularly rely on Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. In a stroke of luck, they were able to add Bradley Beal without giving up any of their 3 best players. Denver has no excuses. If they don’t make an impact in the playoffs, Mike Malone is in trouble.

Denver Nuggets
Give	Receive
Spencer Dinwiddie, SG	Bradley Beal, SG
Paul Millsap, PF
2021 1st round (DEN)
2023 1st round top 3 protected (DEN)
2024 2nd round (DEN)

Here is their new starting 5:

The Nuggets have gone 1-1 since the trade, with a victory vs Miami and a close loss to Brooklyn. Bradley Beal led the team with 26 points in his first game for the team.


Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are precious assets for a franchise and are in the last few seasons of their prime. Golden State did not want to waste those years and had seen that Wiggins didn’t fit in well and Draymond was a huge offensive liability and slowing on defense. With Butler and Ayton, the Warriors are dangerous and should become contenders in the West.

Golden State Warriors
Give	Receive
Andrew Wiggins, SF	Jimmy Butler, SF
Draymond Green, PF	DeAndre Ayton, C
2021 1st round top 3 protected (MIN)	Kelly Oubre Jr, SF
2022 1st round top 3 protected (GS)
2022 2nd round (TOR)

Here is their new starting 5:

The Warriors have won 2 straight since the trade (wins vs Thunder, Rockets). DeAndre Ayton had 29 points, 21 rebounds vs Houston.




Washington Wizards
When you mismanage your team as bad as Washington has, you can’t afford to be picky about how you blow it up. The clear loser in all these trades, Washington finally gets out from under John Wall’s contract and hopes to be able to pick up the pieces and start over in the next few seasons.

Washington Wizards
Give	Receive
Bradley Beal, SG	Blake Griffin, PF
John Wall, PG	Goran Dragic, PG
2022 1st round top 5 protected (WAS)	Spencer Dinwiddie, SG
2023 2nd round (CHI)	2021 1st round (DEN)
	2023 1st round top 3 protected (DEN)

Here are the Wizards draft picks for the next few years:

Here is their current starting 5:

The Wizards seem to be experiencing a bit of a “dead cat bounce” as they are 2-1 since the trade. They have wins over the Pacers and Raptors and have lost to the Hornets.


Phoenix Suns
While the Suns’ moves could be viewed as lateral, there is general agreement that Bam Adebayo complements Devin Booker far better than Ayton, and Draymond Green gives the team a maturity that Oubre Jr and others just weren’t providing.

Phoenix Suns
Give	Receive
DeAndre Ayton, C	Bam Adebayo, C
Kelly Oubre Jr, SF	Draymond Green, PF
Iker Glover, PG	Khyri Thomas, SG
2021 1st round top 5 protected (PHX)	2022 2nd round (TOR)

Here is Phoenix’s current starting 5:

Thus far, these changes have resulted in the Suns going 3-0. They got wins over the Lakers, Kings, and Thunder. Draymond Green had 6 steals against Los Angeles and Bam has double-doubles in all 3 games.

[kibaxx7]

Re: New Year, New Teams

Wow, monumental blockbuster. I really like that Suns lineup.

[marshdaddy]

Re: Introduction

What a trade, that’ll be the conversation for years in terms of how it changed the league. Impressed you were able to pull it off and get everyone to agree. As a Warriors fan I love it, tough to see Dray go but Butler is a huge get. I’m surprised the Heat decided to blow it up, they tend to try to build on the fly. Big years ahead for them.

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Wow, monumental blockbuster. I really like that Suns lineup.

What a trade, that’ll be the conversation for years in terms of how it changed the league. Impressed you were able to pull it off and get everyone to agree. As a Warriors fan I love it, tough to see Dray go but Butler is a huge get. I’m surprised the Heat decided to blow it up, they tend to try to build on the fly. Big years ahead for them.

Absolutely. As I looked around the league, I noticed that GS, Denver, Phoenix, and Miami were all performing well below expectations and were pretty far outside the playoffs. Given their rosters, stars, and the size of their windows, it didn't make sense for them to just be OK with that situation.

And then you had Washington, who clearly was never going to be good with their players and were completely stuck because of Wall's contract.

I feel like Denver, GS, and Phoenix got better, but paid a reasonable cost to do so. Washington probably lost this trade, but got some more flexibility. Miami doesn't have their own pick this year, but has 5 first rounders over the next 2 years and gets out from Dragic's long deal. If they can dump Wall (or if he declines his option) next year, they will have some young players and a lot of flexibility (and a good coach).

I think the most exciting thing about this trade is how strong the bottom of the West playoffs are going to be. With these trades, the Nuggets, Suns, and Warriors will probably end up somewhere between seeds 5-8.

This is also bad news for teams currently at the bottom of the playoff picture in the West, like the Lakers, Jazz, and Timberwolves.

[studbucket]

January 22, 2021 St. Francis vs Central Connecticut State [NEC]

It’s been 2 weeks since we’ve checked in on the brothers. Out in the NEC, Kostadin has gone 3-1 in his last 4 with wins over Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Long Island and a loss to Mount St. Mary’s. The team has been doing well and is 5^th in the NEC conference with a big game against the 4^th place Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.

It’s truly a battle of strength vs strength. Central Connecticut has the best defensive efficiency in the NEC, while the Red Flash have the 23^rd best offense in the country. Dinko should be proud of how well his offense is playing, but he also knows that his defense is leaky.

The Blue Devils are middling offensively, but have 3 players who are solid contributors: PF Evan Admundson (10.8 ppg), PF Dana Ravello (9.6 ppg), and Tommy Victor (9.1 ppg). While they are well-rounded and good defensively, they lack height.

From the opening tip at DeGol Arena, the Red Flash struggled to break down the 2-3 zone employed by Central Connecticut State. They were getting some open looks, but couldn’t make a shot. Fortunately, the Blue Devils were only up 18-14 about halfway through the 1^st half.

Unfortunately for Dinko, it got worse from there. With 1:30 left in the half, they found themselves down 28-18. They brought it to 31-24 at half, but were being outshot 57% to 42% and needed to greatly improve on both ends.

In the 2^nd half, St. Francis turned things around slowly. After a Casey Tyler three and a Payne dunk, Dinko started to feel that they had a chance with 6:30 left and the Red Flash down 47-44. A few minutes later, after a stop and a fast break, the crowd was roaring and the game was tied at 51.

Instead of stepping up to the occasion, the Blue Devils immediately got penalized for three in the key. That was the opening the Red Flash needed, and Casey Tyler hit a three to put the Red Flash up. It turns out it was for good. Tyler hit another dagger three with 1:27 left. The Red Flash were up 61-53 and seemed to have completed the comeback.

With a 63-53 final score, Dinko was so proud of his team and the grit they showed, outlasting Donyell Marshall's Blue Devils. Casey Tyler was hugely clutch and important, finishing with 30 points, shooting 8-13 from deep, which is a great game, especially given his rough start. The Red Flash finished with 64% shooting, a huge improvement over the first half number of 42%.

Around the NCAA

• Projected 1^st round pick PF Winston Works had 39 points for Gonzaga in a dominating win over St. Mary’s.
• In a huge Pac 10 showdown, Washington beat USC 71-62, putting them at 4-0 in the conference and 13-1 overall. USC drops to 14-2.
• No undefeated teams remain in the country.
• Projected lottery pick Martynas Curry with 32, 7 rebounds, 6 blocks in dominating providence win over Pittsburgh.

[kibaxx7]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

A 14-year old game and that halftime report is still superb

(How are you capturing the videos? Are you on an emulator?)

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

A 14-year old game and that halftime report is still superb
(How are you capturing the videos? Are you on an emulator?)

Yeah, 2K did presentation well. NFL 2K5 was arguably better than this with their highlight show.

I got a cheap capture card and use an Xbox 360. I believe I got a $70 Avermedia card off of Amazon. I connect that via USB to a laptop and pause the game and rewind in the software to where I want the capture to start, then click record. It buffers the last 30 minutes of gameplay from the capture card onto my laptop.

[studbucket]

January 22, 2021 Northern Colorado at Idaho State [Big Sky]

His brother was battling with Central Connecticut after tipping off 2 hours prior and Oggy hoped that big brother could pull off the victory. Lately Oggy’s fortunes had been the inverse of his brothers. The Bears had lost 3 of their last 4 by a combined 7 points. This included 1 point losses to both Sacramento State and Weber State. However, they did get 1 victory over hapless Portland State; last year’s best team in the conference had 1 win all season. Three UNC players have dislocated fingers, in a wild stroke of bad luck. However, Brandon North, Randy Alvarez, and Shawn Berrelleca are playing through the injuries.

The bright spot for Northern Colorado has been Brandon North. The sophomore sharpshooter had an amazing game in the loss to Weber State, scoring 45 points and hitting 11 three pointers.

The Idaho State Bengals are 3-3 in conference and a mediocre team, which is still better than what UNC is. They have poor shooters outside of Wil Darag and Oggy hopes that he can encourage them to take outside shots and limit Wil Darag’s impact.

As the teams lined up for the opening tip, Oggy was struck by the matchup between the 2 bigs: Taron Guy and ISU’s Serbian center Dizdarevic. The matchup between the bigs was immediately in the spotlight as Taron Guy won the tip and opened the game with a big dunk. That quick start continued as they jumped out to a 16-8 lead. However, Northern Colorado went cold and allowed the Bengals back into the game. After fouling Wil Darag on a three attempt, the game was tied at 27 and the half ended with Idaho State up 32-30.

It was a rough end to the first half for Ognyan and he really needed his team to play smarter. At half, he exhorted his team to slow the game down and look to get the ball into Guy and Alvarez and don’t be afraid to kick it out to North.

Idaho State kept slightly ahead throughout the 2^nd half. With 2:30 left, the Bengals were up 60-56 and UNC needed to show a spark of something different to have a hope in this game. It turns out they had that spark and found themselves up 63-62 with 1:08 left after a Randy Alvarez hook shot. From there, the drama started.

Brandon North went 1-2 from the line to put the game at 64-62. ISU came down and saw PF Ashton Plummer hit a 20 foot bank shot with 4.6 seconds left to tie the game up.

However, these Bears weren’t going to die. Zygis Martinez sprinted down the court and dished it to Randy Alvarez who threw down a dunk as time expired to win the game for the Bears. Holt Arena sat in stunned silence as the Bears celebrated on the court and walked off with a 66-64 victory.

Brandon North shot well from deep as usual, but Taron Guy was the star. He went 12-12 from the field (though 0-2) from the line, and is really showing some promise.

Around the NCAA

Around the NBA

• Since Pat Riley orchestrated the 5 team trade, the Nuggets have been on a tear since the early struggles. They are 9-1 in their last 10, sitting at 22-24, just half a game out of the playoffs.
• The Warriors are just ahead of the Nuggets at 22-23 and have won 5 in a row. DeAndre Ayton has been huge for them, adding size and interior scoring they were desperately missing.
• It’s been less good for Phoenix, who are 4-6 in their last 10 and only 10-15 at home.
• After a 3 game losing streak, the Philadelphia 76ers are on a 13-1 run and have vaulted past the Hawks and Nets to sit at 2^nd in the Eastern Conference.
• The Los Angeles Clippers have gone 9-1 in their last 10 and have a solid 2-game lead atop the West, as the Grizzlies have slipped to the 2^nd spot.
• The Lakers are 23-24 and struggling. The team has been getting very little from anyone who is not LeBron or AD. They had very little salary room, assets, or draft picks, but they did what they could: trading away Danny Green and some young players for Andre Iguodala and Jonas Jerebko. Their starting lineup has also been shifted, bringing in Avery Bradley, Kyle Kuzma, and Alex Caruso, and moving out Mason Plumlee, Jeremy Lin, and Danny Green. We’ll see if it makes a difference.

[kibaxx7]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

I just got a 2K8 for PS2 and I'm loving everything, changing the schedule, the random generated players, the recruiting process, the season preview & selection sunday shows... Wow.

I think I'm gonna try a CH/2K blend like this in the future if that's OK with you, Stud. Thanks for the inspiration!