The collection grind...who's going for it

[GrimaceZ7]

I finally got PD Kobe last night. Finally, an even better shooter than Diamond Richmond. Kobe has Richmond's off-dribble shooting combined with Kobe's easy release and Curry's range. And then some of the best animations in the game.

I'm selling off now and am still trying to figure out what I'm doing next. I don't know how much I'll get for the sell off, but I'm considering going for PD Jordan. It would make me get that Diamond Shaq for the Duo with Kobe and the Magic for the Duo with Worthy. My hesitation is having to buy a Diamond Kobe that I have no need for and a Diamond Kawhi that I would never use.

[Nickstank]

Quote: Originally Posted by GrimaceZ7

I finally got PD Kobe last night. Finally, an even better shooter than Diamond Richmond. Kobe has Richmond's off-dribble shooting combined with Kobe's easy release and Curry's range. And then some of the best animations in the game. I'm selling off now and am still trying to figure out what I'm doing next. I don't know how much I'll get for the sell off, but I'm considering going for PD Jordan. It would make me get that Diamond Shaq for the Duo with Kobe and the Magic for the Duo with Worthy. My hesitation is having to buy a Diamond Kobe that I have no need for and a Diamond Kawhi that I would never use.

Congrats, man! I'm glad Kobe lived up to the hype for you. I highly recommend going for PD Jordan. I'm not sure what your lineup is looking like, but Kawhi is as good a 3 and D guy as there is in the game. He's perfect if you have ball dominant scorers on the floor with him. He can shut down anyone on the perimeter and nail catch and shoot 3s like crazy. Doubling up on Kobe's would be annoying, but it's worth it to get Jordan. Besides, how much longer will we really be playing this game anyways? Might as well go for the very best players!

[GrimaceZ7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nickstank

Congrats, man! I'm glad Kobe lived up to the hype for you. I highly recommend going for PD Jordan. I'm not sure what your lineup is looking like, but Kawhi is as good a 3 and D guy as there is in the game. He's perfect if you have ball dominant scorers on the floor with him. He can shut down anyone on the perimeter and nail catch and shoot 3s like crazy. Doubling up on Kobe's would be annoying, but it's worth it to get Jordan. Besides, how much longer will we really be playing this game anyways? Might as well go for the very best players!

I hear ya. I'm thinking the same way about going for the best players. Kawhi is a stud, but I'm just not a huge fan. I don't tend to use current players too much, and I've got so many great wings right now that I want to use.

I've always been a shoot only when open kind of guy, but all these shooting patches have made it to where open shots don't go in. Contests don't seem to make a difference to Kobe and his HOF Mid Range Deadeye, so I'm trying to get used to the fact that he can hit jumpers no matter if he's being defended or not. I don't think I've seen that stupid contested shot kickflip animation with Kobe yet.

Your lineup is looking insane now. How do you like that Bird after they fixed his release? I'm trying to decide whether I want to pick up Bird, Magic or Shaq first.

[Nickstank]

Quote: Originally Posted by GrimaceZ7

I hear ya. I'm thinking the same way about going for the best players. Kawhi is a stud, but I'm just not a huge fan. I don't tend to use current players too much, and I've got so many great wings right now that I want to use. I've always been a shoot only when open kind of guy, but all these shooting patches have made it to where open shots don't go in. Contests don't seem to make a difference to Kobe and his HOF Mid Range Deadeye, so I'm trying to get used to the fact that he can hit jumpers no matter if he's being defended or not. I don't think I've seen that stupid contested shot kickflip animation with Kobe yet. Your lineup is looking insane now. How do you like that Bird after they fixed his release? I'm trying to decide whether I want to pick up Bird, Magic or Shaq first.

I've seen a lot of people saying they're having trouble with shooting in recent weeks, specifically 3s. I've definitely had some games where nothing seems to want to drop, but generally I've shot really well from 3 recently. I'd guess I'm in the 40-45% range in recent weeks, mostly on open 3s. I'm not sure if I'm doing something different than others, if I've got my best shooters' releases down, or if I've just been really fortunate. In any case, I find Kawhi's shot to be pretty smooth and easy, and he's been money for me on open catch and shoot 3s thus far.

I'm with you on HOF Midrange Deadeye. That badge inparticular is super OP. If it's paired with HOF Difficult Shots, contested moving fadeaways fall at a crazy rate, almost like they're open shots. I didn't utilize the midrange much until I got Diamond Paul Pierce and noticed just how effective those shots are with that badge. Now it's a huge weapon.

I appreciate the love on the lineup. I got super lucky with packs I opened with VC I got on sale. I pulled 5 Playoff Performers Diamonds, then sold all but Shaq and made over a million MT. I realized later that if I sold some other pieces I had a shot at completing the set, so that's what I did. Anyone who has completed Playoff Performers will have a crazy good team just because there are historically great players at every position. You can run a PP only lineup of Magic/Jordan/Kawhi/Bird/Shaq and have arguably the best player in the game at every position on the floor, plus you'd still have Russell, Barry, Iggy and Kobe on the bench. It's a fantastic set.

As for Bird, I actually have shot pretty poorly with him, like 35% or so on 3s. Even after the patch, I'm having trouble with him despite having a lot of success in freestyle. It just hasn't translated to MTO yet. Luckily, he does so many other things well that he's still great even without hitting the percentage of 3s I expect him to hit. Hopefully I can adjust and he becomes the OP shooting powerhouse his badges and attributes say he should be.

As for your question, I'd definitely start with Magic. He's the best auctionable player in the game and is a mismatch against every single player he'll be matched up against. He's totally unguardable because he's huge for his position and he does everything at an elite level. He's also a lockdown defender. Shaq is also a monster, but there are some great bigs that can at least give him a run for his money. Bird is third on my list just because I haven't had as much success with him, but if I can get him going he should be the best stretch 4 in the game. He has the strength, Post IQ, and lat quickness to hold up down down low, and he's a good rebounder too.

[harryl]

Magic is probably the most impactful. Then Shaq, but I imagine he's also monotonous.

Bird is fantastic. He's not a cheesy player who scores super easily with cheesy moves...have to finesse him. But he's amazing if you handle him right.

And, for me, his standing shot is money now.

I think he's the most fun of the three, but not the easiest to put up big numbers with.

[GrimaceZ7]

I ended up going with Bird first. His release was just too enticing for me, and I already have a Diamond Magic and a Diamond Shaq, so I didn't really want that to be my first purchase.

I'm loving the Bird. I've only played a few games with him, but I'm averaging 12 points with him. That's not bad when you consider I'm playing him next to PD Kobe and Kobe is probably my first option on most plays. And I have always relied heavily on my post game, especially after the patch, so PD Wilt is getting his touches.

Completely unrelated side note, I've always really loved Horace Grant and my wife and I have had a funny running Facebook battle over allowing me to get goggles to play pick up basketball for a couple years now, so I had to get that Ammy Horace Grant. I've had a lot of fun with that card. He's a good defender, a fantastic rebounder, and he has a very strong post game (seems to have the same animations as Sampson, so he's very comfortable to me). He's obviously not the best PF in the game, but damn is he ever fun in a traditional 4 role.