The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Is this draft with real players? Either way, luck definitely still has a summer home in The Bay Area

It is. This is the second and last real life class, then I’m transitioning to JB’s classes. With all the talk about this year and next, it felt the most realistic to go this route.

But no kidding, I really didn’t expect to keep the pick but that was for sure the craziest lottery I’ve experienced so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[trekfan]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

That is some legendary lottery luck for the Warriors -- what a terrible loss for the T'Wolves though, once more the lottery gods have frowned upon them. That franchise just can't catch a break.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

That is some legendary lottery luck for the Warriors -- what a terrible loss for the T'Wolves though, once more the lottery gods have frowned upon them. That franchise just can't catch a break.

Honestly I wouldn’t fault someone for thinking that I re-did the lottery to get the pick, but it really did just roll that way. Very fortunate because our depth is seriously lacking and we need young pieces to keep this thing going.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2021 NBA Offseason - The NBA Draft

At the top of the draft, scouts and experts had waivered back and forth between a trio of young players. In one camp was Jalen Green, a presumptive top overall pick who possessed the scoring ability to be a focal point of an NBA offseason. Others favored Cade Cunningham, the long point guard who can defend one-through-four and has the ability to get to the rim whenever. And lastly was Jonathan Kuminga, a smooth shooting wing who has the length to be a stopper on the perimeter and interior.

The Magic ended any debate early, taking just seconds to select Jalen Green first overall as they look to add a scoring punch to an offense heavy on defensive wings.

The Thunder gladly took Cade Cunningham, pairing him with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and giving them an extremely long, young and talented backcourt that should be difficult to defend and score on in the West.

At third, the Hornets took Jonathan Kuminga, though there were rumors that they wouldn’t be holding onto the selection despite an assumedly seamless fit alongside James Wiseman.

At four, the Pistons gave LaMelo Ball a rim running center in Evan Mobley. Mobley may not end up turning into becoming an elite, top man on a championship team, but should be a dynamic combination for a Pistons team looking to build around Ball.

The Warriors came to the clock at five, and the rumors that had been percolating around three came to light. The Warriors selected Joshua Christopher, a smooth shooting guard out of Arizona State, but would be sending him to the Hornets in exchange for Kuminga. In total, the Warriors would be dealing Christopher, Eric Paschall, Kevon Looney, a 2022 first round pick swap with the Hornets and a 2023 unprotected first. In exchange, the Warriors received Kuminga and the option to swap first in 2022.

The Golden State-Charlotte trade wouldn’t be the last deal, as Phoenix traded the 11th overall pick to San Antonio for DeMar DeRozan, the Trail Blazers dealt the 15th overall pick to Atlanta in exchange for Clint Capela, and the New York Knicks aquired the 17th overall pick along with Nerlens Noel from the Cavaliers for Bryn Forbes and a 2022 unprotected 1st.

2021 NBA Draft
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1 (3)	Orlando Magic	Jalen Green	SG
2 (5)	Oklahoma City Thunder (via HOU)	Cade Cunningham	PG
3 (6)	Charlotte Hornets*	Jonathan Kuminga (dealt to GSW)	SF
4 (8)	Detroit Pistons	Evan Mobley	C
5 (1)	Golden State Warriors (via MIN)*	Joshua Christopher (dealt to CHA)	SG
6 (2)	San Antonio Spurs	Scottie Barnes	PF
7 (4)	Sacramento Kings	Usman Garuba	PF
8 (7)	New York Knicks	Jalen Sugg	PG
9	Atlanta Hawks	Brandon Boston	SG
10	Indiana Pacers	Caleb Love	PG
11	Phoenix Suns*	Daishen Nix (dealt to SAS)	PG
12	New York Knicks (via DAL)	Jalen Johnson	SF
13	Oklahoma City Thunder	Greg Brown	PG
14	Washington Wizards	Terrence Clarke	SG
15	Portland Trail Blazers*	Jaden Springer (dealt to ATL)	SG
16	Los Angeles Lakers	Scottie Lewis	SG
17	Cleveland Cavaliers*	Moses Moody (dealt to NYK)	SG
18	Chicago Bulls	Ziaire Williams	SF
19	Utah Jazz	Sharife Cooper	PG
20	Denver Nuggets	Wendell Moore	SF
21	Toronto Raptors	Day'ron Sharpe	C
22	Philadelphia 76ers	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl	PF
23	Memphis Grizzlies	D.J. Steward	PG
24	Los Angeles Clippers	R.J. Davis	PG
25	Brooklyn Nets	Nimari Burnett	SG
26	Boston Celtics	Jeremy Roach	PG
27	Milwaukee Bucks	Isaiah Todd	PF
28	Houston Rockets (via MIA)	Matthew Hurt	PF
29	New Orleans Pelicans	Oscar Tshiebwe	PF
30	Orlando Magic (via GS)	Shareef O'Neal	PF

[trekfan]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Well, damn, Golden State paid a pretty penny for Kuminga but it looks like they got their man. Questionable trades for both the Blazers and the Suns -- DeRozan and Capela are not worth those 1st rounders long-term, in three years max those deals could look bad.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Well, damn, Golden State paid a pretty penny for Kuminga but it looks like they got their man. Questionable trades for both the Blazers and the Suns -- DeRozan and Capela are not worth those 1st rounders long-term, in three years max those deals could look bad.

Both moves were definitely surprising. I’m not doing 30-team control during the draft to try to get some trades like this to happen and to have a better chance at bad picks being made. I’m approving trades but that’s it.

For Portland, it’s a win-now move. A mid-first won’t help Dame and CJ at the end of their primes. Capela has a chance to do that.

In Phoenix, it’s more of the same old Suns issue. They see Booker’s free agency looming and are trying to put together a team that entices him to stick around. Not a move I would’ve made, but they are getting desperate.

The Kuminga trade I’m banking on us staying competitive and the Hornets not. We’ll see how that turns out for us.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2021 NBA Offseason - Free Agency

We continue moving at a breakneck pace to catch up to the current point in the franchise. But first, the 2021 Free Agency period. Giannis, Kawhi and Paul George, at one time the big names expected to be on the market, quickly ended any concerns. Giannis had previously re-signed with the Bucks the summer before, and now fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals, is feeling confident he can bring a ring to Milwaukee.

Kawhi and Paul George felt similarly. The duo has one ring and two years of contention. With that, the duo picked up player options to remain with the Clippers.

But while the biggest names on the market were gone, that still left one name surprisingly still available.


Kevin Durant is known for not sticking around. And after two years in Brooklyn, he shocked the Nets organization and his close friend Kyrie Irving when he opted out of the third year of his contract after Kyrie Irving opted into his. The decision was surprising, not only because Durant had made no indication about his intentions, but because Irving had voiced confidence that the duo could take the Nets over the top after they were eliminated by the Heat in the Conference Semifinals the year before.

Durant now headlined an intriguing free agency class that included Rudy Gobert, Andre Drummond and John Collins.

Early on in free agency, the name that continually came up was the Miami Heat. The Heat, having made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to Giannis and the Bucks, had been preserving cap space in anticipation of a big free agent bid. Now, that opportunity would present itself.

Durant met with the Nets, Clippers and Bucks before meeting with the Heat in New York. And on the first day of the free agency moratorium, Durant did what few thought he would do again: left a contender to join the team that beat him.

By signing Durant, the Heat rocketed to the top of championship odds lists in Vegas, with a roster perfectly crafted for Durant to slide into. Alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat now boast three elite defenders and talented playmakers with shooters sprinkled across the roster.

With Durant’s domino falling, the next question mark was in Utah. The rift caused by Gobert’s positive COVID test that led to the NBA suspending their season in 2020 had not been eased, and those close to Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell said the young guard felt that if Gobert was signed long-term, he would begin exploring options to leave Utah when his contract came to an end next summer.

Disappointed that the Jazz didn’t offer him a super max contract on the opening day of free agency, Gobert immediately took meetings with the Knicks, Heat, Raptors, 76ers and Bucks. The Heat offer quickly was off the table after having signed Durant, but with cap space and an opportunity to star, Gobert signed with the Raptors. The signing bolstered an already elite defense that only lacked an anchor in the middle.

The Jazz wouldn’t use the Gobert departure as an excuse to hoard cap space. Instead, they went on the offensive, inking Andre Drummond to a four-year, $111.11 million contract before signing John Collins to a four-year deal of his own. The two signings allowed the Jazz to keep their defensive approach and provided a pair of pick and roll threats to partner with Mitchell.

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Good grief the Jazz gave Drummond too much money

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Good grief the Jazz gave Drummond too much money

For the 2k world, I don't hate it. Good rebounding center who can anchor a defense. Plays a very similar role as Rudy Gobert. In the real-world, I'd back away from that one. But in 2k, it makes sense.

Also, with Mitchell's potential extension coming next summer, this was the last year they had cap space. Is it the right move? I'd personally have gone for a 3 that fits next to Mitchell, but with a market that's bare of those, it makes sense. The real answer will come over the next four years and how they make use of a team that calls it's Big Three Donovan Mitchell, Andre Drummond and John Collins.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2021-22 NBA Season

Keeping up with the 2020-21 season, the 21-22 season recap will be relatively brief, not only to catch up to where we are currently but also because the memory might not be perfect.

With Kevin Durant on board, the Miami Heat finished with 52 wins, good for second in the Eastern Conference behind only the Boston Celtics’ 54 wins. Milwaukee and Toronto each reeled off 51 wins to wrap up the top four.

The Brooklyn Nets, led by Kyrie Irving, finished with 49 wins and the six seed, tied with the Philadelphia 76ers who nabbed the fifth seed. Indiana and Chicago rounded out the top eight in the East.

While the East saw six teams finish with at least 49 wins, the West was a gauntlet. The eight seeded Clippers finished with 47 wins while the Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, finished with the best record in the NBA with 58 wins.

New Orleans snagged the second seed with 56 wins while the Portland Trail Blazers and their ultra big attack of Clint Capela and Jusuf Nurkic had 55 wins and got the three seed. Utah finished with 54 wins and was the four seed, drawing a 51-win Dallas team in the first round. Memphis, led by Ja Morant, had 49 wins and was the six seed, while the Timberwolves had 48 wins and finished seventh.

Stephen Curry continued his elite form, claiming league MVP while scoring 25.6 points per game and a career-high 8.4 assists. The again elite play by Curry and Thompson has kept the Warriors’ championship window open, as they now look to claim a second straight NBA championship yet again.

The Lakers missed the playoffs, finishing at 40-42 despite the elite play of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Meanwhile in the East, the Hawks compiled one of the worst seasons in NBA history, finishing at 9-73. The struggles appear to have alienated Trae Young as he hits restricted free agency and appears to be looking to depart Atlanta.

One year after the Rockets finished with 50 wins by going with a small ball approach, the Rockets failed to capture the same type of energy, going 28-54. The poor record hurts even worse as they are giving up their pick to the Thunder.


NBA Awards

Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Stephen Curry	PG	Golden State Warriors
Rookie of the Year	Jalen Green	SG	Orlando Magic
Sixth Man of the Year	Spencer Dinwiddie	SG	Brooklyn Nets
Defensive Player of the Year	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Los Angeles Clippers
Most Improved Player	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	SG	Oklahoma City Thunder
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Stephen Curry	PG	Golden State Warriors
	Luka Doncic	SG	Dallas Mavericks
	Giannis Antetokounmpo	SF	Milwaukee Bucks
	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Los Angeles Lakers
	Karl-Anthony Towns	C	Minnesota Timberwolves
All-NBA 2nd Team
All-NBA 2nd Team	Kyrie Irving	PG	Brooklyn Nets
	Damian Lillard	PG	Portland Trail Blazers
	Zion Williamson	PF	New Orleans Pelicans
	Anthony Davis	PF	Los Angeles Lakers
	Joel Embiid	C	Philadelphia 76ers
All-NBA 3rd Team
All-NBA 3rd Team	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Utah Jazz
	James Harden	SG	Houston Rockets
	Jayson Tatum	SF	Boston Celtics
	Kristaps Porzingis	PF	Dallas Mavericks
	Andre Drummond	C	Utah Jazz
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team	Ben Simmons	PG	Philadelphia 76ers
	Dejounte Murray	PG	San Antonio Spurs
	Kawhi Leonard	SF	Los Angeles Clippers
	Anthony Davis	PF	Los Angeles Lakers
	Andre Drummond	C	Utah Jazz
All-Defensive 2nd Team
All-Defensive 2nd Team	Matisse Thybulle	SG	Philadelphia 76ers
	Paul George	SG	Los Angeles Clippers
	Jonathan Isaac	SF	Orlando Magic
	Giannis Antetokounmpo	SF	MIlwaukee Bucks
	Rudy Gobert	C	Toronto Raptors

NBA Standings

NBA Standings
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Boston Celtics	54	28
Miami Heat	52	30
Milwaukee Bucks	51	31
Toronto Raptors	51	31
Philadelphia 76ers	49	33
Brooklyn Nets	49	33
Indiana Pacers	42	40
Chicago Bulls	38	44
Washington Wizards	36	46
Charlotte Hornets	35	47
Orlando Magic	31	51
Detroit Pistons	29	53
New York Knicks	25	57
Cleveland Cavaliers	20	62
Atlanta Hawks	9	73
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Golden State Warriors	58	24
New Orleans Pelicans	56	26
Portland Trail Blazers	55	27
Utah Jazz	54	28
Dallas Mavericks	51	31
Memphis Grizzlies	49	33
Minnesota Timberwolves	48	34
Los Angeles Clippers	47	35
Oklahoma City Thunder	41	41
Denver Nuggets	40	42
Los Angeles Lakers	40	42
Sacramento Kings	37	45
Phoenix Suns	32	50
Houston Rockets	28	54
San Antonio Spurs	23	59

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2022 NBA Playoffs

Golden State enters the postseason looking to claim their second straight title. Owning the best record in the NBA and the league MVP, the Warriors have proven plenty of doubters wrong in reclaiming and maintaining a championship-level team. Their reward? A first round matchup against the L.A. Clippers, just one year removed from a title of their own and led by a still formidable duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

New Orleans is out to prove their own detractors wrong. A year ago, the Pelicans were upset in the semifinals by Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. This year, with 56 wins, the Pelicans take on the Timberwolves in the first round.

Speaking of Utah, the Jazz enter as the four seed after having pushed the Warriors in the Conference Finals a year ago. It won’t be an easy path for Utah, who will have to go through Dallas and Luka Doncic if they plan on exacting revenge, should the Warriors survive.

The Trail Blazers took a big swing, and that swing is paying off. By going ultra big with Clint Capela and Jusuf Nurkic up front, Portland knew they’d be sacrificing some defensive flexibility. But rather than suffering, they’ve thrived. Led by All-NBA guard Damian Lillard, Portland’s Twin Towers have dominated the glass and the paint, daring teams to try to slow down Lillard and McCollum on the perimeter and leave the paint wide open, or allow two of the league’s best perimeter threats open looks.

In the East, Miami’s new Big Three leads the Heat into action as the two seed. Kevin Durant has continued his elite play, and surrounded by defensive lockdowns like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, as well as a plethora of shooters, the Heat look dangerous.

But Boston still owns the top seed, thanks to elite play from Jayson Tatum and fantastic role-playing production from Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker. With 58 wins, the Celtics feel confident the East goes through them.

Milwaukee is looking to make up for an NBA Finals loss a year ago, and with 51 wins and a date with the Nets in the first round, Giannis has plans to do just that.

The Raptors are also looking to make up for their failures a year ago. After two straight trips to the NBA Finals, Toronto was unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs a year ago. Now, with Rudy Gobert anchoring the middle, the Raptors are looking for revenge.

Let’s get to it.

First Round
Western Conference
Golden State 3, Los Angeles Clippers 2
Golden State got all they could handle, but managed to come out on top. After going up 2-1 in L.A., the Warriors broke out their black Town jerseys, sets they only wear when they have a chance to finish the series. Typically, when the Town comes out, the opposition goes down. But the Clippers wouldn’t have it. Instead, the Clips forced a Game 5 back in the Bay. Once again, out came the Town, and this time the Warriors finished the job.

(7) Minnesota 3, (2) New Orleans 0
It’s officially time to be worried in New Orleans. The organization had talked all year long how their upset to the Jazz was a fluke and they’d make up for it this year. Things didn’t go as planned. Now questions swirl about Zion’s long-term stay in New Orleans, and if the roster as constructed can actually make waves in the postseason.

Portland 3, Memphis 2
Thanks to an overwhelming advantage underneath, the Trail Blazers roll through the Grizzlies. Memphis now is in a similar spot as the Pelicans. A young core that begins to hit its prime, yet a lack of playoff success.

Utah 3, Dallas 1
The Jazz roll onto the semifinals yet again. As Utah is celebrating sustained success, the Mavs are looking at what went wrong. How many more failures can the team undergo until Luka becomes restless

Eastern Conference
Boston 3, Chicago 0
The Celtics make quick work of the Bulls and are on to the conference semis. It’s a positive season for Chicago, but they showed little fight in the quick series.

Miami 3, Indiana 0
The Heat continue their roll, easily dispatching the Pacers. So far, there have been few teams with an answer to the Heat’s three-headed monster.

(6) Brooklyn 3, (3) Milwaukee 1
For Milwaukee, there is no worse way to follow up a conference title than with an embarrassing defeat in the first round. The Nets did win 49 games and had the Sixth Man of the Year recipient, but with a player like Giannis, any upset is still extremely disappointing. Now Kyrie gets a shot at revenge in the Conference Semis against KD and the Heat.

Toronto 3, Philadelphia 2
The Raptors answer the call and down the Sixers in five games. Concerns now begin to swirl in Philly if the pairing of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is a championship-level duo.

Conference Semifinals
Western Conference
Golden State 4, Utah 3
In a rematch of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors are too much for the Jazz down the stretch. After Utah blew a 2-1 series lead a year ago, they blow a 3-2 series lead this time around. The Warriors championship pedigree pays off as they beat the Jazz in a competitive Game 6 on the road before routing them at home in Game 7.

Portland 4, Minnesota 1
The Wolves cinderella run comes to an end at the hands of the Trail Blazers. KAT was overwhelmed by Portland’s dynamic front court duo while Lillard picked apart D’Angelo Russell on the perimeter. It’s on to the Conference Finals for Portland and a shot to de-throne the champs.

Eastern Conference
Boston 4, Toronto 0
The Celtics are as hot as ever. After an easy sweep of the Bulls in the first round, it looks like no one told the Celtics the Conference Semis should be harder. With an easy win, the Celtics send the Raptors home with their tails between their legs yet again.

Miami 4, Brooklyn 2
Kyrie Irving played much of the season riding a determined wave of revenge. That wave took him all the way to a 2-2 series in the Conference Semifinals against the very man he sought to take down. But in the final two games of the Nets’ season, they just had no answer for KD and the Heat and bow out.

Conference Finals
Western Conference
Golden State 4, Portland 3
Portland did everything right, until they didn’t. The Trail Blazers big attack inside threw the Warriors off their game, as Portland dominated the rebound battle and second chance opportunities. Lillard was dynamic, but at some point, the relentless attack of Curry and Thompson became too much. The league MVP didn’t shy away from the Trail Blazers big-man attack, assaulting the paint and, in the decisive Game 7, forcing Capela into early foul trouble before the Warriors hung on for a tight victory.

Eastern Conference
Miami 4, Boston 0
It’s hard to believe how quickly things can cool off when dealing with the Heat. After seeing no answers to their wing-heavy attack, the Celtics got all the answers at once. KD, Butler and Bam were too much for the Celtics and the Heat easily move their way into the NBA Finals for the first time since the Heatles were in town.

[trekfan]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

Quite a playoff run for the Warriors -- they've been taken the distance in every series, edging oh so close to losing, but they pulled it out time after time. Now faced with former Warrior Durant, can they take down a man that helped them capture their last title? That's going to be a fun Finals as the two dominant "super team" organizations of the 2010s face off.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

The 2022 NBA Finals

As the 2022 NBA Finals prepare to tip off, there are familiar faces throughout. From the West, the Warriors are looking to repeat as NBA champions yet again. Led by the league MVP, Stephen Curry, along with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and second-year pro Anthony Edwards, the Warriors are formidable. Along with Andrew Wiggins and Aaron Gordon, rookie Jonathan Kuminga headlines a deep roster full of switchable and smooth-shooting wings.

The Warriors didn’t win 58 games on accident, but they’ve had their hands full all postseason long. Golden State has seen every series go the distance, with a five-game win over the Clippers before having to win a pair of Game 7s at home against the Jazz and Trail Blazers. The questions now on everyone’s mind is if they are too exhausted from that gauntlet.

Meanwhile, the Heat are led by a familiar foe and coming off much-needed rest after having swept the Celtics. When Kevin Durant left the Warriors in 2019, many argued who would get the first ring, the Warriors or KD. That question was answered emphatically a year ago, but that only stirred up new questions. Now, with a KD-less ring on their fingers, did the Warriors need KD to get those two rings, or did KD need the Warriors?

Durant now has a chance to answer that, and has a supporting cast that rivals that of the Warriors. With Jimmy Butler on one side and Bam Adebayo on the other, the Heat bring to the table what they believe to be the perfect Warrior kryptonite: defense across the board and the ability to get into the paint.

So many questions, let’s get answers.

Game 1
Golden State 134, Miami 129
You can rest when you die. Stephen Curry quickly puts any concerns about the Warriors’ energy levels to bed in dropping 50 points in a Game 1 win. The MVP adds six boards and eight assists while Klay Thompson pours in 26 points of his own. Edwards impresses in his return to the Finals with 18 points and six boards, while Kuminga looks ready for primetime, scoring 20 points with four rebounds and four assists.

Miami’s big three plays well to counter, with Butler and Bam scoring 24 a piece and KD adding 22, but the Warrior depth is too much.

Game 2
Golden State 103, Miami 89
The Warriors are leaving the Bay with a commanding lead. Thanks to a 30-point showing from Klay Thompson and a 26-9-7 night from Curry, the Warriors head to South Beach up 2-0 and a chance to put the Heat away. Edwards adds 12 points while Wiggins produces 14 in the low scoring affair.

Bam looked like the Heat’s best player, which isn’t a great thing when you have KD. The big man had 19 points, 12 boards, four assists, three steals and two blocks to lead the Heat, while KD had just 14 points and seven boards. Butler finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Game 3
Miami 110, Golden State 107
The Heat won’t be swept, and they guarantee the confetti won’t fall for the Warriors in Miami. Durant erupts for 34 points while Derrick Rose adds in 24 points and 10 assists for the Heat. Jimmy Butler has a low scoring but effective night, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.

Thompson had a team-high 25 points as well as seven rebounds, while Curry had 22 points, five rebounds and nine assists.

Game 4
Golden State 110, Miami 103
Although Golden State won’t head back to the Bay with the Larry O’Brien Trophy, they will go home with a chance to end things. Andrew Wiggins is the surprise offensive leader for the Warriors, scoring 34 points to go with six rebounds and six assists. The Dubs rode Wiggins early and his hot shooting was too much for the Heat to slow down.

Curry had 18 points, six assists and six boards, while Thompson had 16 points and Edwards added 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Durant had 24 for the Heat, while Butler had 20-12-8 and Bam had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Game 5
Golden State 141, Miami 140 (OT)
The Miami Heat were less than a minute away from extending the season. Holding a four-point lead with 52 seconds left, Miami was in the driver’s seat to send the series back to South Beach for a pivotal Game 6. Then the MVP arrived.

Thompson buried a three to cut the deficit to one with 45 seconds on the clock. Bam answered with a midrange jumper to push it to three with 28 seconds left. After a Warrior timeout, Golden State used a trio of off-ball screens to free Curry, who buried the game-tying triple with nine seconds left in regulation.

A back-and-forth overtime sent the game into its final seconds yet again. Durant gave the Heat a one-point lead with under 20 seconds to play, and Miami began seeing the lights of a Game 6 at home. Yet again, the MVP arrived.

Curry used a pair of screens from Draymond Green and Aaron Gordon to lose Rose above the three-point line, but as he drove, Kelly Olynyk dropped into the paint, having seen the play before.

With Olynyk blocking his path to the hoop, Curry faced options. He could drive at the Miami big man and try to either draw a foul or finish through contact, or he could pull up with a chance to end the game and season. Curry slowed for a millisecond, allowing Olynyk to drop just a half step further away, before pulling up quickly with Rose coming quickly from behind him.

The shot was pure, sinking swiftly through the net with just 0.2 seconds to play, icing the game and giving the Warriors yet another NBA crown.

Curry finished the night with 60 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Thompson added 42 points and had four steals. Gordon had 14 points and dished out 14 dimes for the Dubs.

KD had 44 points for the Heat, while Butler had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Curry was named Finals MVP, averaging 35.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2022 NBA Offseason - The Draft Lottery

After having won the last two NBA titles, the Warriors enter the draft lottery in an incredible position. On draft night a year ago, the Warriors acquired Jonathan Kuminga, the third overall pick, in exchange for the fifth overall pick (Joshua Christopher), Eric Paschall, Kevon Looney, and an unprotected 2023 first round pick. But as part of that deal was a little sweetener: swap rights with Charlotte for their 2022 first.

The decision was unique. For the Hornets, they were betting on two things. One, they were hoping for an improved roster and success that would push them into the playoffs. Two, they assumed, like many in the league, that the Warriors’ aging core would regress from their championship-level play in an extremely competitive Western Conference.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, neither bet hit. Christopher barely saw the floor for Charlotte, appearing in just a handful of games while the Hornets bid at a playoff berth fizzled just short, finishing three games behind the Bulls for the eight seed. The Warriors meanwhile dominated the league to the tune of 58 wins and, of course, the NBA title.

All this meant that, regardless of where the Hornets pick fell, the Warriors would almost certainly be exercising the swap rights, moving up from 30th to at least ninth, where the Hornets were projected to pick in the lottery. So come draft night, the Warriors, yet again, had all eyes on the ping pong balls.

Full draft results below, original pick in parenthesis, but the story is first.

The purpose of the draft lottery changes were designed to give teams a better chance of moving up from the very end of it. Granted those increased odds were small, but an increase nonetheless. But like the years prior, teams picking from 10 on had no luck. The Hawks, owning the Oklahoma City Thunder selection, slotted in at 14, with the Pelicans, Nuggets, Kings and Wizards following suit.

At nine, the Warriors began paying close attention. A Hornets emblem meant the Warriors would be picking in the mid-lottery, an enviable position for a two-time reigning champion. But champions are champions because they manage to win. And instead of a teal and purple hornet logo, Mark Tatum displayed an orange and purple Suns logo, meaning the Hornets pick, belonging to the Warriors, had jumped, again, into the top four.

You’d be excused for feeling this was some type of b.s., a fabricated attempt to build the world’s greatest collection of veteran and youth talent. But I promise you, there was no restarting, no quitting, no b.s. The Warriors would be guaranteed a top-four selection for the third straight season, a gift intended by the NBA for the worst of the worst organizations trying to pull themselves up from the ashes. Not for the best team of the past decade.

With the Suns moving up to ninth, the Magic slid down from their projected seventh to eighth. Then, tragedy struck again. The New York Knicks selection, owned by the Cavaliers, which was projected to go four appeared at seven, meaning the Rockets and Pistons had both jumped from fifth and sixth into the top four.

And then further bad luck for the Cavaliers, as their own selection that was projected to go second had fallen to sixth. The Cavs, who had entered with the second and fourth best odds at picking first overall, would instead be forced to pick at six and seven.

The Hawks, who had just completed an utterly hopeless nine-win season, saw even more bad luck, dropping from first to the fifth overall pick, leaving the Spurs (third best odds), Rockets (fifth), Pistons (sixth) and Warriors (ninth) in the top four.

The Spurs would be the first name off the board, dropping from third to fourth, before their Texas brethren would follow, putting the Rockets at third, up two spots.

Then, like it did so similarly to two years before, it came down to the Pistons and the Warriors. And again the Pistons struck lottery gold, with the Hornets logo appearing at two. To call that a loss for the Warriors would be an exaggeration, as the draft was loaded with enticing pieces that would be valuable for the Warriors in their pursuit of the 20-year dynasty.

NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1 (6)	Detroit Pistons
2 (9)	Golden State Warriors (via CHA)
3 (5)	Houston Rockets
4 (3)	San Antonio Spurs
5 (1)	Atlanta Hawks
6 (2)	Cleveland Cavaliers
7 (4)	Cleveland Cavaliers (via NYK)
8 (7)	Orlando Magic
9 (8)	Phoenix Suns
10	Washington Wizards
11	Sacramento Kings
12	Denver Nuggets
13	New Orleans Pelicans
14	Atlanta Hawks (via OKC)
15	Chicago Bulls
16	Indiana Pacers
17	Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC)
18	Phoenix Suns (via MIN)
19	Memphis Grizzlies
20	Brooklyn Nets
21	Philadelphia 76ers
22	Toronto Raptors
23	Cleveland Cavaliers (via MIL)
24	Dallas Mavericks
25	Miami Heat
26	Boston Celtics
27	Memphis Grizzlies (via UTA)
28	Portland Trail Blazers
29	New Orleans Pelicans
30	Charlotte Hornets (via GSW)

[marshdaddy]

Re: The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

2021 NBA Offseason - The Draft Class

We’re going to mix it up here a bit and not jump right into the draft itself. Instead, with this being the first fictional draft of the MyLeague, we’ll focus in on the Warriors draft board and some of the projected pieces in the draft. If you’d like even more background on the class, I encourage you to follow along with JB’s DC-1 here: https://forums.operationsports.com/f...t-classes.html

As we get closer to my personal modern day, I’m going to adjust the narrative ever so slightly, giving a glimpse of what I intend the long-term voice of the dynasty to be. We’ll inject some more first person as we build up to meeting the President of Basketball Operations. To set expectations, I’m not going to be doing the incredible storytelling of Trekfan. Though I thoroughly enjoy his chapters and the immersion and storytelling he provides, this story will be different.

Again, more will be explained about the future voice of the franchise, but for now, let’s get to it.

Warriors Draft Board - Post-Lottery
The Warriors didn’t expect to be picking this high, so the draft board had a complete makeover. Originally, Golden State was targeting Julius Walker and Elton Dawkins, both centers who could provide a defensive punch, something they were clearly lacking when they faced Andre Drummond and the Jazz and the two-headed beast of Jusuf Nurkic and Clint Capela.

But when they jumped to one, the thinking changed. First on their draft board was Ibraham Mobley, a power forward who had long been projected to go first overall. Mobley brings a blend of defensive versatility and the ability to stretch the floor that the Warriors think will fit nicely alongside Kuminga and Edwards.

Second on the board is Desmond Cooper. The senior, sniping shooting guard out of Fresno State fit exactly what the Warriors want to do. While he lacks the defensive tools out of the box, his ability to score from beyond the perimeter would help as a valuable role-player and into the future alongside their two young cornerstones.

Walker is third on the Warriors’ board. The center from South Carolina is drawing comparisons to Dwight Howard after being a dominant force on the boards and leading the NCAA in blocks. Walker would help us out immediately and would likely slot in as the starting five. His rebounding ability and size would allow Golden State to bang bodies with Utah and Portland, two teams they fully expect to have to go through if they plan on three-peating.

The last name on the board is Tre Hunter, the point guard out of UCLA. NBA scouts are calling Hunter a poor man’s Steph Curry, and what better way to fill the eventual void of the actual Steph Curry than the lite version. Hunter can score from anywhere, and has the quickness to get inside the paint. He would compete with Kris Dunn and Aaron Nembhard, the two backup point guards, for minutes, but would be an ideal fit as the initiator with Edwards and Kuminga.

The selection is tough, and since the Warriors are picking second they’ll be fortunate that they are guaranteed at least three of their top four should be there, depending on what Detroit is thinking.

Speaking of Detroit, all rumors seem to be pointing towards Mobley being their pick. Scouts are saying he has the most upside with his age and skillset, and would be a nice third piece to go with LaMelo Ball and Evan Mobley (no relation). “The Mobley brothers” is already marketing gold, and with Ball at the point, the Pistons would have no shortage of highlight makers.

We’ll see where it cracks out, but they’re ready.