Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[studbucket]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

The zone defense would not be seen again for the rest of the game.

Hahaha, makes sense.


Great win

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Nice win, looks like building an early lead to survive Memphis' 3rd quarter lineup might be the way to go. Looks like JJJ not doing squat in the first half could be something to focus on, he definitely went off in the 2nd half.

Not gonna lie, so funny to see Memphis immediately forced OKC out of the zone defense

JJJ is a monster on defense and when they feed him on offense, we struggle mightily to stop him.

Hahaha, makes sense.


Great win

Man, the Zone was so0o0o0o bad that it made me think we screwed ourselves out of any chance at winning.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Morant, Grizz Slam Home Comeback Win to Take 3-2 Series Lead





To open the game, Mikal Bridges (20 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) came out firing from deep and hitting his first three of the game. Unfortunately, he would cool off considerably and miss ten of his 14 three-point attempts on the night.



The battle on the inside continues to rage as Chet Holmgren (23 pts, 12 reb) brings length and skill while Andre Drummond (14 pts, 14 reb, 1 stl) brings strength and athleticism. Both have played their roles quite well in the series but if Holmgren doesn’t dominate this matchup, the Thunder will struggle to win.



Speaking of position battles, the war that is being waged at point guard between Ja Morant (32 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk) is as intense as ever. While Ja continues to put up better scoring totals, he’s taking nearly twice as many shots in the game as the Grizz expect him to be their top scoring option on nearly every play.



Speaking of athleticism,Ja Morant shows off his hops on this impressive putback dunk on an offensive rebound that had the crowd in a frenzy!



Bridges, Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren all scored 20+ points and the fourth member of the Thunder’s 20+ point club on the night was Josh Giddey (24 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk) as he was aggressive throughout the game attacking Ziaire Williams (15 pts, 4 ast, 3 stl) and routinely scoring around or over the lumbering bigs in the paint.



Though he didn’t have the big offensive explosion that he did last game, Jaren Jackson Jr. (4 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) was a defensive monster and swatted Holmgren’s weak finger roll layup.



Quiet in the first four games, Desmond Bane (15 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl) showed up and gave the game some scoring punch including this acrobatic mid-air finish around Holmgren’s outstretched arms.



While Shai was getting to the rim at will, he reminded the Grizzlies to respect his jumper as he bangs down a big three from the left wing to give the Thunder a 3-point lead going into the 4th quarter.



Not only did the Grizzlies tie the game immediately, they took a quick 7-point lead on this embarrassing dunk by Morant over both SGA and Holmgren. The 10-0 run took all of two minutes of the fourth quarter and saw OKC scrambling to find a way to stay effective on offense while figuring out how to get stops on defense.



Every time the Thunder made a run, the Grizz had an answer including this triple from the corner by Desmond Bane over Max Christie (5 pts, 3 reb). Memphis was able to hit the same amount of threes on the game (7) on ten less attempts.



After breaking down Ja, SGA slithered into the lane for what looked like a wide open layup…until JJJ came out of nowhere and swatted his shot into the first row for a shot clock violation. The bucket would have given the Thunder a one-point lead but, instead, saw the Grizz come down and hit another three to take a 4-point lead.



In his bag, Josh Giddey put a little sauce on this underhand pass to a rolling Holmgren for his 10th assist on the game and securing a triple-double. The 2nd year wing finished the night tied for a team-high 24 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and a game-high 13 assists. Easily his best performance as a pro, it still wasn’t enough as the Grizz secured a three-point win and a 3-2 series lead.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[studbucket]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

What a game! Wish I could have watched it live.

FYI - box score and stats don't match up. One has you winning, other has Memphis winning. I assume the headline is correct and Grizz won?

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

What a game! Wish I could have watched it live.

FYI - box score and stats don't match up. One has you winning, other has Memphis winning. I assume the headline is correct and Grizz won?

That one was a heart-breaker for sure. In hindsight, i should have gotten away from the threes and fed Chet more in the 2nd half.

Good find on the box score. I forgot to switch the teams at the top as we were away for Game 5.


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[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Series, Blouses! Morant Dominates Thunder to Advance!





It seems as the series progressed, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast, 1 blk) found more effective ways to score against Ja Morant (38 pts, 7 reb, 15 ast, 1 blk) and the stingy Grizzly defense. Instead of constantly trying to get to the rim, SGA realized he needed to work in a lot more mid-range game to stay away from the tough interior defenders Memphis has roaming the paint.



Morant was aggressive from the jump but SGA was up for the task as he gets a rejection of Memphis’ superstar early in the first quarter. That would be one of the few stops OKC would get on Morant as his game-high 38 points kept Memphis from falling behind early.



After an effective Game 5, the Thunder wanted to make more of an effort to get Chet Holmgren (21 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk) the rock consistently, especially when he got a mismatch. Desmond Bane (21 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast) was on the receiving end of this post up as there wasn’t much he could do to stop the rookie from pounding him into the paint for an easy deuce.



The Thunder yet again dusted off Derrick Favors (6 pts, 3 reb, 2 stl) for a season-high 22 minutes in this game and he played very well. He set big screens, defended his position well and ran the floor effectively as SGA rewarded him with a dish for the dunk.



Extending his range, SGA banged a triple late in the 2nd quarter to regain the lead. He finished the night with 21 points, one of four 20-point scorers for OKC, but his three-pointer was one of only nine that the Thunder hit on the night.



More known for his three-point shot, Max Christie (13 pts, 4 ast) scored most of his points inside the arc including this high-flying dunk that he added a little sauce to for the flare.



Keeping Morant out of the paint was borderline impossible. Once he was there, he went into his bag for dunks, reverse layups and floaters, like this one over SGA, that kept the defense guessing even when they were in position to play strong defense.



And when he didn’t get into the lane, he was banging threes from the corner. Any time he took a jumper, the Thunder treated it as a win but this three was the first of a run by the Grizz that would doom the Thunder.



Not to be outdone, Josh Giddey (20 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) showed off his ever-evolving jumper from the corner as well as he buried a three of his own over Ziaire Williams (15 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl) to help OKC keep up with Memphis during their big offensive run.



Giddey was often putting shooters in positions to make shots by delivering pinpoint passes including this one to Christie as he ran Williams off a screen, turned and fired a long two. This bucket would be the 7th straight point the rookie wing scored for the Thunder early in the 4th.



Remember that three that Ja hit to start a run? Well this three by Jaren Jackson Jr. (20 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 4 blk) capped off SEVEN straight three-pointers the Grizzlies hit, completely demoralizing the Thunder defense.



Trailing by just seven with three minutes left, Chet went to the rack to try to cut it to five. Jackson Jr. was able to get a hand on the first attempt, but Holmgren corralled the rebound, regrouped and went up to finish strong. JJJ wasn’t having it as he recorded his second block on Holmgren on the possession, unofficially putting an end to the comeback as the Thunder realized it just wasn’t going to be their night.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

After sweeping the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets went into the 2nd round feeling their oats…and immediately get swept by the defending champion Brooklyn Nets. On the other side of the bracket, the Cinderella Raptors continued their dramatics as they took Game 7 in Philly to drop the 76ers in the second round. The brooms in the Eastern Conference weren’t ready to be put away as the 7th-seeded Raps swept the Brooklyn Nets as Toronto made a return trip to the NBA Finals.

In the Western Conference, the reigning conference champion Dallas Mavericks fell to the top-seeded Pelicans in just five games. After the Grizzlies beat the Thunder in six, they traveled to Minneapolis and fell to the upstart Timberwolves in the same six games. Sweeps were the theme of the conference finals as the West saw the Pelicans, led by Zion Williamson, took four straight over the Timberwolves as network executives were furious in the lack of competition.

The NBA Finals would not be a sweep…though it wouldn’t go much longer. The Toronto Raptors would find themselves in a 3-0 hole before grabbing a win in front of the Toronto fans before Zion and Co. returned to New Orleans to put on a show for the franchise’s first ever NBA championship!



Last season we fully believed that there was going to be a coronation of a new face of the franchise in Luka Doncic, but after losing to the Nets and bowing out in the 2nd round this year, there was room for someone to step up and assume that mantle. The newest member of the exclusive club of NBA Finals MVPs is none other than Zion Williamson (94 OVR) as he averaged 21.4 points, 9.6 boards and 3.6 assists all while shooting 62% from the floor as Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa all struggled to keep him in check.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Retired Players

Unlike last year, where the league only saw eight players send in their retirement papers, there were exponentially more players hanging up the old high tops after this season. The most notable of the names on the list: LeBron James. This was the worst kept secret as he was going to retire last season before being convinced to return for one more go-around. If you were a Lakers fan, you probably wish he didn’t because the team missed the playoffs and made trades to try to bolster the roster for one more Finals run. The future in LA is a bit murky at this moment.

Here’s the list of notable players that retired after 10+ years of professional play in the NBA:
- LeBron James (19 years pro, 38 years old)
- Andre Iguodala (18, 39)
- Carmelo Anthony (18, 39)
- Dwight Howard (17, 37)
- Paul Millsap (15, 38)
- Rajon Rondo (15, 37)
- C.J. Miles (14, 36)
- DeAndre Jordan (13, 34)
- D.J. Augustin (13, 35)
- Goran Dragic (13, 37)
- Russell Westbrook (13, 34)
- Marc Gasol (12, 38)
- Danny Green (12, 36)

Hall of Fame Inductees

The Basketball Hall of Fame doesn’t wait long before determining who from the retired player list will be enshrined and this 2023 class will feature four new members to the prestigious hall:

LeBron James: 1,367 GP, 26.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Russell Westbrook: 972 GP, 22.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Dwight Howard: 1,209 GP, 15.9 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.8 BPG
Carmelo Anthony: 1,220 GP, 22.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Retired Jerseys

After retirements, some teams have decided to retire specific jerseys for some of the top players in their respective franchises. The following players will be immortalized in their former arenas:

LeBron James: #6, Miami Heat, 2010-2014
Kyle Lowry: #7, Toronto Raptors, 2012-2021
Dwight Howard: #12, Orlando Magic, 2004-2012
Carmelo Anthony: #15, Denver Nuggets, 2003-2011
LeBron James: #23, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2003-2010 & 2014-2018

Rule Changes

League meetings came and went with a few different rule changes discussed to try to increase the competitive balance of the sport on the floor. Of the four rule changes on the table, only one of them received more than 13 votes in favor of the change. In order for a rule change to take effect, 23 yes votes are necessary.

There was one rule that received 24 approval votes.

Starting in the 2023-2024 NBA season, the goaltending rule will now be eliminated. For a league that has pushed the boundaries of putting points on the board, the general managers across the league knew they had to throw defense a bone, but is this change too drastic? Scoring will almost certainly go down a bit and we should see blocked shot numbers increase as well. The effect of this rule change could change the way teams build out their roster as grabbing elite shot blockers and swatting all shots could become a viable strategy.

League Expansion

For the first time publicly, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has admitted that there are two franchises awaiting approval from the current league general managers to admittance into the league. Both franchises, which will be left unnamed, are on the West Coast of the continent. The league has decided that either both will be added or none and, if both are granted entrance into the league, would force a bit of a realignment to even off the conferences.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]





Coming into the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, there was no doubt that teams like the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz all desperately needed to get lucky and land at #1. All three of those franchises are in need of finding that franchise talent to finally build around.

Sure, the Suns have Devin Booker (92 overall) at just 26-years old, but we have seen plenty of under-achieving Phoenix teams led by Booker before. If he can be the 1B to someone else's 1A, then the Suns have some direction.

The Chicago Bulls have themselves a young starting backcourt in Zach LaVine (88) and Lonzo Ball (86) but it's clear that the rest of the roster leaves a lot to be desired, especially with Vucevic now a free agent. Is there a big man that can change the direction of the Bulls' franchise waiting for them to draft?

The Utah Jazz tore it all down last year for a rebuild in hopes of landing a top pick this year. The main piece they brought in was the #2 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft in J.D. Davison (77) and he clearly showed he was drafted too high. He's got plenty of upside but it will take years. Utah has time to wait so give them another top lottery pick to bring along slowly.



And then the lottery happens and we see complete chaos. The Denver Nuggets, led by current free agent Nikola Jokic (96), Jamal Murray (86) and Michael Porter Jr. (84) now get to add a potentially generational piece to their team. If the Nuggets can stay healthy, which has proven difficult over the last couple seasons, they could be atop the Western Conference standings come April of 2024.

The Suns still have life as they end up with the 2nd pick but the Kings jump into the top-3. Chicago lost their pick to Orlando as it fell out of protection and the reigning champion New Orleans Pelicans now sit with the 6th overall pick as the Lakers sent their first to the Big Easy as part of the Anthony Davis trade years ago.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had two chances at winning the 1st overall pick in the lottery, but the Pistons' and Clippers' pick both stood pat at #12 and #8, respectively. They did own the Nuggets' first round pick this year, which would have given the Thunder back-to-back #1 overall picks, but with the pick being lotto protected, Denver will convey that pick to OKC in 2024. My, how the fortunes of the Thunder franchise could have changed if this pick had no protections on it.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

2023 NBA Draft - Lottery Selections



Other Notable Selections

[R1zzo23]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Wembanyama In, Jokic Out in Denver

Complete shock coming out of Denver as they just witnessed arguably the most skilled player in their franchise’s history, 28-year old center Nikola Jokic (96 OVR) walk out the door with nothing to show for it. Free agency is always a fickle beast and the Nuggets thought with the drafting of Victor Wembanyama (82) would be the perfect front court running mate with Jokic. The two had fruitful talks leading into free agency and everyone makes the assumption that European players are more loyal to their original teams.

And then free agency opened. Teams threw money at Jokic, looking to pry him out of Denver and into a bigger market. Into a better situation. He was going to be The Man no matter where he went. Would he go to the Lakers to fill the shoes of LeBron? Would he head to Chicago to be the savior there? Miami to be the next big star. Nope. None of them is where he decided to sign.

The Houston Rockets, loaded with young talent in Jalen Green (89), Paolo Banchero (85) and even Alperen Sengun (81) is where Jokic decided to go. They have a scary good offensive team and if they can play enough defense then they should be a scary team in the West. Immediately, the thought is that Houston will move Sengun for a pure point guard or a strong 3&D wing to balance out the starting lineup.

Regardless of what they do, Wembanyama now has huge shoes to fill in Denver.

[studbucket]

Re: Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Wow, I thought maybe Jokic + Wemby would be in the cards.

You got a steal with Murray though

[R1zzo23]

Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

Wow, I thought maybe Jokic + Wemby would be in the cards.

You got a steal with Murray though

I thought so too but Jokic had other plans clearly. Going to be interesting to see if Houston finds a new home for Sengun.

Murray should be a solid piece for us and will probably push for a starting spot as I’m not entirely keen on what Bazley and Poku bring at the 4. I think Murray and Tari Eason will add a dimension at the 4 we haven’t had before. Murray can shoot and play some 3 with a PF body where Eason is a legit defender 3-5 that should attack the rim with reckless abandon.

I think the real steal may be Shaedon Sharpe landing with the defending champion Pelicans. If he turns out to be legit they are going to be scary for a long, long time.

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