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Re: How Sweet the Sound - The Story of David "Amazing" Grace (2K23 MyCareer)
Wow, I really don't know how the Bulls are doing this, the Lakers will need Lebron or AD to set up alongside Grace in Game 6. The two losses both scored in the teens.Comment
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The King and I (Part 2)
The King and I (Part 2)
October 2022
“Yo, you good, Rook?”
I looked up to see LeBron James standing in front of my locker.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s just ball, right?”
“Tell that to your hyperactive *** leg,” he said pointing at me. My bouncing leg was a definite giveaway to my nerves. The wait to go on the court was longer than normal since the Warriors got their rings tonight, so we were just kind of hanging out in the locker room waiting for the ceremony to be over.
“I’m in the NBA.” I said looking down at my uniform.
“What gave it away?” He laughed.
“Like for real. No Summer League or none of that. Like I am here. I am going to step out there and play the game I love on the highest level.”
“You earned this ****. Nothing is given. Just relax and have fun.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“You don’t think I was nervous? Eighteen year old kid about to step foot in the NBA? Playing for my home team. Number one pick. I was expected to save the franchise. Do you understand the pressure I was under?”
I had never thought it about like that. 20 years later and he still has these crazy expectations to meet. I’m just an early second round pick that nobody even thought would make a final roster.
“You’re right. Maybe flying under the radar is going to be a good thing.”
“It gives you the chance to create your own narrative. Be who you want to be without people telling you who you should be. You can kind of develop at your own pace, you know?”
“Any other advice for tonight?”
“Nah, just have fun. You were right about one thing: it is just ball. So, let’s just go out there and play.”
############################Present day
“Yo, you good, Rook?”
I looked up to see LeBron James standing in front of my locker. I laughed. He gave me a weird look.
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
“You said the exact same thing to me right before my first game.”
He laughed.
“Ah, yeah! You was nervous as **** that night. Probably why you only had five points.”
“So, you remember that part?”
He laughed again.
“How are you so calm, man? We are so close to putting this series to bed and we’ve lost two games in a row.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve been here before. On both sides. Up three to two and down three to two, hell down three to one. You can’t be too anxious tonight, just let it happen. I know you wanted that sweep. But it’s desperate times for Chicago and they played like it these past two games.”
I shook my head. He was too chill for me in this moment. Or maybe I was too anxious. My shots weren’t falling in those last couple games. Maybe I was trying too hard. Game 5 was ours until it wasn’t. I just knew we were gonna take the win in front of our fans that night. We blew a 20 point lead and lost by two points. I’m just ready for it to be done.
“I see Jordan sent you some new colorways for tonight.” He pointed at my signature shoes, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I started wearing them after we won Game 1 of the Finals. Jordan Brand decided to tie in my love for the show Bel-Air and the fact that I was actually from Philly now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and made my first shoe in a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air colorway. It was fitting. Especially considering that I’m playing with LeBron “King” James, and the media has decided dub me The Fresh Prince of LA. It just kind of markets itself.
“Yeah, this purple is tough. I know a few of my boys back in Philly and in Houston are gonna want these.”
“You had one hell of a season, DG. Once this **** is over, it’s gonna be crazy out there on the court. So, I just want to get my thanks out of the way. You came through and busted *** this season. You’re playing on one of the biggest stages and you really showed out.”
“Thanks, man. You made it easy.”
“Nah, you made it easy for me.” He said as he nodded and walked back to his locker. He called from across the room.
“Yo, DG. It’s just ball, right?”
I laughed and gave him a nod. He was right. And even on our worst night, nobody was playing ball better than us.
Last edited by ChosenOne58; 03-21-2024, 10:23 PM.Comment
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HOOPS Magazine - James and Grace
King James and Amazing Grace: A Match Made in (Laker) Heaven
When the Lakers drafted David Grace from the University of Houston, they had an idea of what they had, but they didn’t expect to him to have an impact this quickly.
“He has definitely been a God send,” commented LeBron James as he handed Grace the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Trophy. “You deserve this ****, man.”
Grace has been phenomenal for the Los Angeles Lakers all season and even more so in each of their playoff series. He dominated in Portland, breaking the records for most points in a playoff debut and most point by a rookie in a playoff game.
“That was just crazy,” said Grace. “I don’t think you go into games thinking about stuff like that. I know I didn’t. I didn’t even know what the record was. They told me after the game when I was talking to Doris Burke. I had no idea.”
LeBron has been vocal about how much faith he’s had in David Grace since Day 1. After his standout showing throughout the regular season, he’s earned the trust of the Lakers brass and its leader as well. He’s delivered on that trust by consistently making big plays with the lights shining brighter for the postseason.
“This was David’s first playoff series,” LeBron James said after the Lakers’ dominated the Trail Blazers in the first round. “He was just talking about how much he loves this – the greatest thing he’s ever been a part of, basketball-wise… I was glad that I could be in a position where I can be part of someone’s experience.”
Having James be a part of that experience meant as much to him as it did to the Lakers’ rookie. Much like when Magic Johnson joined the Lakers in 1979 and teaming up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Grace said that what was "most amazing" about joining the Lakers was the chance to play alongside LeBron James, the 4x champion, who has now become the leading scorer in NBA history. Like Johnson, Grace was named to the All-Rookie Team and was named an All-Star. He was also named Rookie of the Year. Grace became the first Laker to earn the title since Elgin Baylor in 1959. He is the third player not chosen in the first round to be given the honor.
“It’s been a really special year,” said Grace. “When we had an idea of where I would be drafted, I knew I just wanted to get better every day. Prove myself if ever given the opportunity. Coach Ham has provided just that.”
His work ethic is something that has helped him earn a lot of trust among his coaches and teammates and trust has been at the core of the Lakers’ amazing championship season. One coach that has worked with him closely is Phil Handy.
“He’s impressed me since the California Classic. We lost to the Kings. He didn’t have the best game and the first thing he asked me for was film from the game. Most guys don’t put a lot of stock in Summer League games. And at first, I thought he was trying to make a good impression, but he has remained consistent. This is why Bron and those guys trust him out there.”
Grace had a chance to prove himself when Anthony Davis went down with injury in February. The Lakers were in the middle of a win streak and were playing some of their best basketball. He could have easily left everything up to LeBron as the leader of this team when their other star player went down. But he stepped and proved that he could be and wanted to be a second scoring option for this team.
“I refuse to rest on my laurels because of who LeBron is either,” said Grace, “and I think once he saw that, he knew that he had a reliable teammate in me.”
When Davis returned, he only had one thing to say to Grace, “Keep that same energy.”
“We just had to figure out how to accommodate not one, not two, but now three scorers,” said head coach Darvin Ham. “We didn’t want DG to disappear on us, but we didn’t want to slow down the production of our stars either.”
James finally had something similar to what he had in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Three players who were the leaders for their respective teams.
“It was something that could be done,” said James. “I did it for four years. You just have to trust each other to strike that perfect balance.”
There it is again: trust. Trust has been something that the Lakers have been preaching all season.
“Me and AD can’t go it alone,” said James. “We have to trust these guys and are going to continue to trust these guys. Championships are won, and games are won, when the role players play well.”
Once David Grace’s stock started to rise around midseason, questions were being raised about how well Grace would handle all of the new attention he was starting to receive under the bright lights of Los Angeles? More plays were being drawn up for him in the second half of the season. The Lakers have had plenty of role players step up during big moments, but none with this level of consistency. Was King James’ reign coming to an end?
“There’s no room for ego with us, just wins,” said Grace. “I can’t focus on the outside noise. As long as LeBron is here, this is his team. That was never up for debate in the locker room.”
The trust was solidified during the Dallas series as Grace led the team in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals as LeBron finished with a dismal nine points, followed by an eight point performance in their Game 2 loss.
“Yeah, I got off to a slow in that series for sure. I saw my guys out there grinding,” said James. “DG was doing more than you would ask a person in his position. It definitely woke my *** up. Iron sharpens iron.”
James went on to score average 15.3 points over the last three games of that series.
The NBA Finals were a different animal for Los Angeles. The Bulls pushed them to six games, with grace putting up no less than 30 points every night, even in the two losses.
“I just had to pull him aside and just relay some wisdom to the young baller. Especially after Game 5. He was ready to shut down, but I couldn’t let him do that. It’s one thing to be locked in, but you can’t shut down.”
Iron sharpening iron. James scored 18 points in that Game 6 victory.
After the final horn sounded, a very emotional LeBron James was seen sitting on the sideline in Chicago. Grace went over and said something to him that brought a huge smile to the 20 year veteran’s face.
“I just said hey, we didn’t come this far just to come this far and not win this damn trophy,” said Grace. “It’s Kim Kardashian thing.”
Once most of the tears had been dried, James presented Grace with the NBA Finals MVP trophy.
The pair of Grace and James has been a match made in Heaven and Laker Nation seems to have found a new religion. Despite the season just ending, the question on everyone’s minds is how far will the Lakers go next season?
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2023 NBA Draft - First Round
2023 NBA Draft - First Round
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Re: How Sweet the Sound - The Story of David "Amazing" Grace (2K23 MyCareer)
Always a bit poignant when I see Udonis Haslem retire. I want the guy to play forever.?The Bulgarian Brothers - a story of two brothers (Oggy and Dinko) as they coach in the NCAA and the NBA.
?Ask me about the Xbox Ally handheld - I'm on the team that made it.Comment
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Re: How Sweet the Sound - The Story of David "Amazing" Grace (2K23 MyCareer)
Time to sprinkle in a little offseason goodnessComment
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