I've taken over the Chicago Bulls 85-86 team in My League, solely because of The Last Dance.
It's amazing how shit they all are bar Jordan. Two games in and two defeats. Narrowly lost to Orlando and then got humped by the 76ers.
I've taken over the Chicago Bulls 85-86 team in My League, solely because of The Last Dance.
It's amazing how shit they all are bar Jordan. Two games in and two defeats. Narrowly lost to Orlando and then got humped by the 76ers.
I picked up a copy of NBA 2K20 last night. I haven't bought one in about five years but it's currently on sale on the Playstation Store for the quite frankly ridiculous price of £3.99, so why would you not.
I was getting a little bored of the series but leaving it a few years has did the trick as I'm enjoying 20 a lot. So far Garbageman has been drafted by his hometown Bulls, talked himself out of a Jordan shoe deal, started a passive aggressive feud with local radio and been royally slagged off for wearing a shit suit. There's been some basketball in there at some point
I just had a bash at 2k18, as it's on PSNow.
I don't doubt for a single second that it's because I'm shite, but it just seemed completely random. No control over anything at all.
Turn all the AI sliders to zero and just go nuts.
Finally settled into a season on MyLeague that I've been hammering away on this weekend. Went online to see what custom franchises people had created and after navigating through the porn ones found a skin for the Bronx Raiders. 5 minutes later we are in the Atlantic conference and it's time for the draft.
For those that don't know every team gets to protect 8 players and I then get to pick a squad of 14 from the rest. Most of what was unprotected, as you can imagine, was dogshit, but I managed to cobble together the below:
Games on Pro difficulty, 6 minute quarters with minutes and stats adjusted to the sim length of 12. I'm quite crap at this so was pretty chuffed to lead the team to the playoffs, with a 9-6 record. Set the playoffs to be real length and am currently knee deep in a round one best of 7 with the 76ers. Embiid was thankfully out of the series injured, but we're still struggling at 2-3 after 5 games, although we did just hammer them in the last one.
I seem to struggle against teams with a good centre that can defend, so if we somehow get through I'd probably rather face Toronto than Cleveland, but either way I think that'll be as far as we go.
As most of the squad are on 1 year contracts I've no idea what the team will look like next season, but I fear my unwillingness to sign virtual players, to virtually long contracts, for a lot of virtual dollars, is going to cost me.
Other than it making almost no attempt to explain how anything works beyond the on court controls, this game is really good. It's also dawning on me that the American system is a far better model than how our sports operate.
Did I see right that this is £2.49 now?
Should be something like that but it wont be for long.
They always drop it to £3 or less around this time.
Is that another online only PC thing?
Though I've nearly bought that one a good few times for the iPad as it's one of the only proper looking sports games that has controller support.
Those are completely different games from the one you see above. Just the same name.
Does anyone know how plays work in this?
It's the most confusing thing I've ever seen.
Just run easy plays and then you'll start to understand how it all works. It's basically move here, pass there, move there, shoot.
I only run one play though:
I don't use it anymore as I can beat the AI on HOF in Myteam without it.
You only really need plays against online people though to help create more space.
Oh I understand the concept of what they're for, it's pre-selecting them, selecting them and activating them that utterly baffles me.
I'm in MyLeague if that makes a difference.
Oh he does go through that in the video.
But it's basically L1 (LB?) then select them but they're the basic ones. If you want the more advanced plays you need to set them to the menu via offensive settings and in there you can also set who you want to take the shot.
Ah, cheers.
So the player you're assigning to the play is always the one you want to shoot?
Yes.
If you leave it to default then it's usually the PG or SG. At least that's the case with the one and only play I sometimes run.
I tend to ignore the tactical side and convoluted skills completely, same as FIFA where I couldn't tell you how to do a stepover. I'm a pure pass and shoot man, basically haven't learned a new trick since NBA Jam.
The only thing I do now is put my offense on 4-out-1 so I've got more 3-point options.
Although on MyTeam I'm only ever really shooting with Tracy McGrady.
You can't do it in MyTeam, no idea about League though.
I can't see it anywhere either. So you have to pick from hundreds of plays and assign them to each player in every game? Crazy.
Does it at least save what you set last time?
Not in MyTeam.
I think most people will generally use a freelance set (like 4-out-1-in) and use 3/4 plays throughout the match.
How do you activate a set in game? Look like I have 3 to choose from.
Sorry for all these questions Mahow.
Right on the D-Pad, then L1 (LB) and select the one you want.
You can also change the freelance set options in offensive settings.
Top man, thank you.
I only started looking at all this because I wanted more open looks at 3's. My players on the perimeter seem to love standing like statues while being marked.
Back to the actual game, started another save (I know), this time with the Chicago Bulls.
Traded Felicio for Guduric to free up some cap space and then waived Guduric, Mokoka and Strus to free up squad space. Then two pieces of the master plan came into play. Firstly trading Shaquile Harrison and my 2020 first round pick for Bol Bol. He's a bit crap, but he is 7' 2", only 19 and his Dad was Manute Bol, I believe the tallest player in the NBA ever, so I'm ok with that.
Then I signed William Floyd, a skinny arse white guy point guard who is also 19 and crap, but already has A+ for three point shots. Turns out he's not real, or at least not a real basketball player, but some kid who is in the game through the make a wish foundation. Target is to make him an NBA legend.
Season has started very well as we sit 6-1 at the halfway point. Zach LaVine is immense, breaking Jordan's record for field goals made already and in the hunt for MVP. William Floyd has also been cracking off the bench, breaking the Bulls 3PT record for a game (with 10) and in the running for the NBA's 6th man award. I Scottie Pippen'd him by signing him up on a super min deal.
Goal for this season is the playoffs, so anything more would be a bonus. Longer term I want Giannis when his contract is up at the end of next season, so hopefully being a contender for a couple of years will help that. He absolutely ruined me when we met the Bucks in the only game we've lost so far this season.
Not in MyLeague. You can set it to 14, 28, 50-something or a full 82 games. Playoffs are fully customisable as well. I've gone for best of 3-3-5-7 this time.
As for Morant, he looks the nuts, but William Floyd has a rare genetic disorder causing severe muscle weakness and heart problems and I want to see how good he can get.
Oh and I do 6 minute quarters with the points and minutes normalised to the sim game length of 12 mins.
Trade deadline day now, I might have a looksie. Otto Porter (and his disgusting contract) needs to be gone at some point.
Yeah no idea what Morant is like in the game but I love to watch him. He doesn't score here but look at this:
The guy he jumps over is 6 ft 6
This game not putting MyCareer in the pirated version, then putting to to £2.50 on all platforms but PC has proper annoyed me.
My other scouting tip is you might be able to get Kyle Kuzma from the Lakers as well.
That is ridiculous.
I'd also look at Bagley.
I don't know what he's like in MyLeague or in real life but his Amythest card (92 rated) in MyTeam is seriously good.
He's a quick center who shoots very week with good dunking animations and he seems to grab so many rebounds.
Used a lot in budget squads.
Past the trade deadline now but I'll check them all out.
Currently 11 points behind against Cleveland at half time. Their defence is a right arse.
I'd love to get into MyTeam but I can't get a handle on how trades work in those American socialist systems.
13 points down at half time against Cleveland and we have a huge 3rd quarter, shooting 92% from the field to bring it within 3 going into the 4th. Tense as fuck as the lead keeps changing up to the last 30 seconds, where we took a two point advantage before all the fouling started, holding on to win 76-75 (152-150). 7-1 takes us to the top of the Eastern conference, ahead of Brooklyn on the same win % by virtue of having beaten them I think.
This is the squad we're working with:
LaVine I'll keep unless something exceptional comes along or he wants a super-max contract and is rated anything under 95 ish. Point Guard is sewn up for years between White and Floyd. Small Forward is where the problems start as Porter is bang average and on $27.25m, taking up exactly 25% of my wage cap and inexplicably having a player option to steal a living from us for another year. If I can't trade him to get the salary off the books (and who would want him without giving me their overpaid shit in exchange) I might be stuck with him until we make the play for Giannis at the end of 2020/21, which would obviously sort the PF position out. Markkanen currently occupies it and while he's a beast on rebounds he moves like an oil tanker.
Not sure what's going on with his contract either as everywhere tells me it has two years left to run but he appears in the contract extensions tile which presumably should only be for those in the last year of their deal.
Centre is a real problem too currently. Wendell Carter Jr, while highly rated for a 20 year old fails to impose himself on games and also moves in a horrible to control way. Gafford might actually be the better bet and then there's the Sudanese giant in Bol Bol, but he is far from ready.
Drummond's contract is up at the end of this season so that could be an option, but he'll want a small fortune and that eats into the pot earmarked for Giannis.
Last edited by Yevrah; 29-05-2020 at 10:46 PM.
I think I've finally got to grips with it now. I find deciphering who has what pick from the "view picks" tab more of a headache than it needs to be, but I've got to the level where I can navigate the off season comfortably without my squad being decimated.
It's a really good effort to be fair to 2k. The MyLeague mode and its tv broadcast style presentation feels like I'm in a living breathing season far more than any other sports game I've played.
Checked Bagley out, he looks very good as a promising young Centre. Added to the trading block.
That was the twat that licked the microphones? He's got two years to run on the game. Same for Aldridge. Although the latter is paid a fortune and is old. It'll be the undoing of me, but I'm going to struggle to sign anyone I don't perceive to be value.
Most centers will be older as it's one of those experience positions.
If value is your interest then absolute rake those rookie contracts. The problem you'll find though is that as extensions happen a couple years down the line you won't be able to keep them all.
You could just find a Power Forward instead and move Makkanen to Center.
How would I go about getting the rookies though? I don't have anything that attractive in my squad to offer.
Markkanen to centre and Giannis in at PF in a season and a half could well be the play. Cheers.
I'd rather have Harry Giles or Marvin Bagley if you can get them at center.
I don't know how well they progress in MyLeague but they were given great cards in MyTeam and both have really nice animations.
Ah. I assumed by "rake those rookie contracts" you knew more than I did.
The other option is that I have the 1969 draft class loaded into this season (1978 and Larry Bird to follow next), but that does mean I could chuck a shitload at whoever gets the number 1 pick from the lottery to get Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.