NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Game 6

Utah @ 72 74 73 New York 75 85 80 What a crap game for me defensively. I could just not slow Utah down. Green got off to a good start for the Jazz proving unstoppable inside. Mind you - my defense was that crap that they may as well have been playing against midgets. After a high scoring first half i was only down by 2 but a massive run by the Jazz in the third quarter blew the game open and after another mini run by the Jazz to open the 4th the game was soon in the books with the Jazz resting their starters. Final Score Utah d 33 44 39 32 148 New York 30 45 24 31 130 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Al Jefferson - 28 points (14-17 FG) 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals Top Performers Utah M. Green - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks B. Gordon - 23 points, 6 assists A. Miller - 16 points, 12 assists L. Hunter - 11 points, 10 assists in 18 minutes off the bench New York K. Garnett - 37 points, 7 rebounds R. Stuckey - 17 points, 7 assists DUD of the Game Sasha Vujacic - 10 points 4-12 FG in 31 minutes Team Stats I was pretty much worked over in all aspects of the game Allowing Utah to shoot 60% from the field from the entire game was poor Utah also shot 8-17 3ptrs They also had 46 assists to my 30 43-30 on the glass leading to a 28-21 2nd chance point defecit as well. I did win the bench points 49-45. Yay

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 5

New York @ 75 85 80 Washington 69 76 70 Washington Sarting 5 - D. Harris M. Ginobli, M. Pietrus, L. Scola, G. Oden Bench - A. Johnson, B. Simmons, K. Dooling, J. Yi, J. Smith, F. Murray A great game for me as I started to lock down defensively on my opponent restricting them to a 22 point first quarter. With a 31-22 quarter time lead i led the rest of the way without any real concerns. Manu Seemed to be off in the first half and with Devin Harris in foul trouble i felt pretty good. But Keyon Dooling was a usefyul spark for the Wizards off the bench while Greg Oden was proving a nuisance in the paint. But KG still managed to get his points and was able to take Scola and Simmons to the cleaners down the stretch. Useful minutes from Trevor Ariza in the third kept the Wizards at bay. Once again though it was the balanced scoring throughout the line up that troubled my opponent. Final Score New York d 31 22 30 28 111 Washington 22 27 26 28 103 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevion Garnett - 31 points (13-16 FG), 15 boards, 3 assists, 1 block Top Performers New York D. Granger - 12 points (5-8 FG), 6 assists, 5 steals, 1 block T. Ariza - 9 points in 9 minutes Washington M. Ginobli - 28 points, 4 boards G. Oden - 14 points, 15 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks D. Harris - 16 points 10 assists DUD of the Night While a number of my players shot poorly from the field - Calderon you did come close going only 4-14 from the fied. But it was Michael Peitrus who shot only 3-17 from the field. Team Stats My defense was much better and was the deciding factor with a 52% to 41% FG advantage. Good effort boys. Way to lock it down. Only 16-24 from the free throw line was a poor clip but to get there so often. 44-22 bench points was no suprise, with the Knicks bench doing well all season. Must also be the first game where i prevented my opponent from scoring 30 points or more in a quarter.

NBA 2K9 Game 4

Charlotte @ 83 56 70 New York 75 85 80 Bobcats lineup - G. Arenas, M. Redd, M. Dunleavy, A. Jamison, S. Hawes Bench - B. Udrith, J. Hayes, M. Almond, A. Johnson, C. Atkins, A.Foyle, C.Smith Gilbet Arenas came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders for the Cats, helping them to a 33-26 first quarter lead. Danny Granger kept it close as Garnett could not find his shot. In the 2nd we started to lock down on D with Stuckey providing a nice spark off the bench as i built up a 9 point half time lead. I thought i had it in the books but in the 3rd nothing seemed to work out with Dunleavy and Arenas once again having their way with me. Suprsingly the overrated Michael Redd was doing nothing. I guess not that suprsining considering i just said he was overrated. In the fourth it was the Marquis Daniels show, after ont taking a shot for the first 3 quarters Daniels went on a tear going 8-11 from the field for 18 points. He was the Closer of the Game. With the Bobcats down with 3 to go i was prepared for their big comeback. That doesnt mean i stopped it from happening - as they pegged it back to a 3 point defecit. But Calderon penetrated the lane nicely and with his 13th assist hit a wide open Granger who was a good couple of feet outside the arc at the top. BANG. 6 point lead and game over. Final Score New York d 26 36 20 39 121 Charlotte B. 33 20 30 33 116 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Danny Granger - 29 points, 3-5 3ptrs, 4 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals Top Performers New York K. Garnett - 19 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals M. Daniels - 18 points (all 4th Q), 3 boards, 2 assists J. Calderon - 13 points, 13 assists R. Stuckey - 15 points, 4 assists Charlotte G. Arenas - 34 points (5-7 3ptrs), assists. 3 steals, 3 boards M. Dunleavy - 27 points (3-5 3ptrs), 3 boards B. Udrith - 15 points, 6 assists S. Hawes - 12 points, 11 boards, 5 blocks DUD of the Game Despite handing out 8 dimes tonights dud is Michael Redd. 6 points on 3-11 shooting. Team Stats Very even - only a 62-60 points in the paint advantage. 49-29 bench point advantage. 19-23 FT's, 6-11 3ptrs a great assist to turn over ratio - 34 assists and only 8 turnovers

NBA 2K9 New York Knicks Game 3

Milwaukee @ 80 72 75 New York 75 85 80 Bucks lineup - B. Davis, M. Miller, H. Turkoglu, E. Okafor, E. Curry Bench - J. Dixon, C. Duhon, R. Carney, F. Oberto, CJ Miles, I. Newble, A. Blatche Anderson Varejo suited up as i looked for a bit more versatility on the front line. I felt pretty good about this one, and as the game started i managed to build up a 4 point lead early and never surrended it for the entire game. Leading by around 10 points most of the way it was my turn to be on the receiving end of a ferocious comeback. With 3 minutes to go i still led by around 12 points but the Bucks (the **cks) came back in a hurry thanks to a full court press and some spectacular plays. I had numerous chances to seal it at the line. First off Marquis Daniels - who had been superb connected on only 1-2 giving the Bucks a chance to tie it with a three. But Baron Davis drove to the hoop and was fouled by KG. Davis connected on both and so i still had a one point lead with 14 seconds left. KG's 20 of my 32 points in the 4th quarter, but he nearly cost me the game. First off he got blocked on one trip up the floor and then with 5 seconds to go he was at the line with a chance to extend it to aq 3 point lead. But he botched both free throws! Turkoglu caught the ball on the 3 point line with a chance to win it, but i said 'Get that outta here!!'. Blocked shot. Knicks win. Phew!! Game Final Knicks d 35 31 33 32 131 Bucks 34 27 29 40 130 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Kevin Garnett - 43 points (21-23 FG), 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, 1 block Key Players Knicks J. Calderon - 11 points, 12 assists, 2 steals M. Daniels - 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists R. Stuckey - 12 points (5-5 FG), 4 assists Gomes and Ariza also performed well in limited minutes. Bucks B. Davis - 28 points, 11 assists M. Miller - 25 points, 11 assists E. Okafor - 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks DUD of the Game Sasha Vujacic could have easily taken this out on 2-9 shooting in 22 minutes, but he did connect on 1-1 three pointers. So ill give it to.... Jason Maxiell - He's played in the first 2 but in 26 minutes he shot 2-6 (5 points) and only collected 2 rebounds. TEAM STATS Pretty interesting across the board. Probably my record low in turnovers - 9 Disappointing from the line especially down the stretch (13-20 FT) 37-22 rebounding advantage 51-28 bench points 15-8 - 2nd chance points 16-4 fast break points. What kept the bucks in it was there free throw shooting (18-22) and there defense - 11-5 blocks advantage.

NBA 2k9 New York Knicks Game 2

New York @ 75 85 80 Philidelphia 70 73 71 Phili Lineup: S. Hunter, D. Lee, C. Anthony, R. Hamilton, TJ. Ford Bench - D. Stevenson, S. Cassell, A. Walker, S. May, I. Udoka, Heading into this one I was pretty confident when I saw my opponents team ratings, especially considering i'd taken it right up to Miami in last night's game. I decided to move Granger to SG to start against Hamilton and inserted Ryan Gomes to matchup against Melo - thinking Sasha would get totally burnt by Rip. The game stayed close for the first quarter and a bit, but as the 2nd quarter progressed a mixture of poor shots and stupid turnovers, plus a total inability to keep Melo quiet saw the Sixers begininning to build some nice seperation. I considered myself lucky to be down by 12 at the half. Checking the stats at the half i knew my D needed improving. How could i let a team only rated 70 on offense shoot 69% from the field? Bccause I am crap obviously. Anyway as the second half got underway the only shining light was that i seemed to have the Sixers relatively shallow front court in foul trouble. As Hunter - who had blocked several shots already (5 total for the game) picked up his 4th foul that brought Walker in. As we all know he is a bit of deusch so I thought i'd do alright. What do you know? He comes out and goes bang, bang, bang. 9 quick points and I'm nearly down by 20. Thankfully, with a small front court - KG was beginning to assert himself in the paint, while Maxiell also reaped the rewards of the smaller Sixers - who for some reason moved away from playing May, and started playing Stevenson at PF. Mo Cheeks and the run and gun Sixers. Hmmm. Some full court pressure saw me turn things round in a hurry and i was only down by 6 with 1 Q remaining. I tied it up a few times, but the Sixers still seemed to have the edge. Marquis Daniels was proving useful off the bench. He managed to get to the line 4 times (going 7-8) for 9 points for the game. While KG was resting he seemed to be my only real scoring threat. I could not get Granger or Vujacic going at all - while Stuckey couldnt find space in the lane as he did last time. Calderon once again was doing nothing. If Vujacic and Calderon dont proved they could be put on the trading block real soon. With 2 minutes to go i was right with the Knicks - as we traded baskets and the lead. KG was dominating with Stuckey feeding him well of the pick and roll. Ahead by 1 and 1 minute remaining the Sixers had the ball, but seemed out of sorts in their 1/2 court offense. David Lee had the ball on the wing well out of his range and as the shot clock winded down he pasesed to Steven Hunter who was froced to jack up an ugly three from the top. Rebound to me and headed down court thinking i should wind some clock before getting it inside. However Granger was open beyond the arc at the top - the first opening anyone had from the outside all game - he connnected from downtown to give me a 4 point lead and i thought this was well in hand. After converting another turnover for an easy transitition deuce i had a 6 point lead. And the game was mine - i wont mention the cruddy 3 point play by Melo thanks to KG's foul that brought them back to 3 points down. Game Final New York def. 27 23 33 35 118 Philidelphia 29 33 27 24 113 Jordan Brand Player of the Game: Kevin Garnett - 46 points (20-26 FG), 9 rebs, 2 stls, 2 blks Top Performers: New York J. Maxiell - 18 points (9-10 FG), 5 boards R. Stuckey - 10 points, 14 assists, 3 steals D. Granger - 16 points, 4 rebs, 2 steals, 2 blocks Philidelphia C. Anthony - 31 points (13-14 FG), 4 assists, 2 steals TJ Ford - 23 points, 11 assists DUD of the Night - Jose Calderon - 3-10 FG - 7 points, 4 assists in 22 minutes. Team stats were pretty even across the board. 39-20 bench points my way and also a 90-68 points in the paint advantage too. My apologies to Trevor Ariza - I will get you on the court next game. I realise you di relatively well last time in sparing minutes and that you are a prospect.

NBA 2K9 - New York Knicks Drafted

My lineup: PG - J. Calderon SG - S. Vujacic SF - D. Granger PF - K. Garnett C - K. Perkins Bench R. Stuckey, T. Ariza, M. Daniels, J, Maxiell, R. Gomes, D. Mutombo, K. Azobiuke I also have Varejo as a reserve. Mutombo and Ariza were picked up on a trade offered by the Jazz who were intially asking for Kendrick Perkins for Ariza and a 2md rounder, by a counter offered with the Bucks rookie SF Ten name Tony and reserve pivot Robert Swift. They then countered by saying they would only do it if i also threw in a 2nd rounder. Well derrr. Game 1

OFF DEF OVL (stupid blogging formatting issues)

Miami 85 82 84

@ New York 75 85 80

Well the season tipped off with a clash against one of our fiercest rivals - The Miami Heat. Starters - J. Tijnsley, Y. Ming, G. Wallace, R. Allen, Nene Bench - B. Bass, K. Korver, R. Sessions, M. Moore, K. Dudley, R. Brewer, J. Hart Even though the Heat's ratings in teh matchup screen appeared higher, i was pretty confident that i could keep Tinsley, Wallace, and Nene quiet. My only real concern was how to stop the Asian Aristotle. I lead pretty much all of the first half thanks to a great first quarter from K. Garnett - 12 pts, 6 rbs, 3 blks all in the first quarter, and Rodney Stuck Stuck Stuckeee, who simply exploded of the bench in true Vinnie 'Microwave' Johnson style going 6/6 from the field. This was first time i have done this on the pro level - so was thinking either im starting to get the hang of this - or i drafted a really good team. I extended my lead up to 8 points at one stage but as the 1st half closed i held a slender 59-57 lead. The second half was a different story. Yao just kept grabbing offensive boards and sticking them back. He tightened up defensively, while his teammates started to find their range from downtown. I thought i was gone - but gradually pulled it back as K.G found his second win and Calderon started proving his worth. With 3 minutes to go i was down by 8 and not feeling too confident, just happy that i was in with a chance and the game was close. I'd been playing a full-court press and i had forced the occassional turnover - and as full-time approached - i'd forced a number of turnovers and had started to convert closing the game to 6 with a minute to go. Calderon then connected on a 3-pointer - to pull the game within three with 14 sec left. I then forced another turnover and thought instead of going for the tie i'd play the foul game and attacked the basket with Vujajic drawing the foul and connecting on both of his free throws. This put me 1 point down with 5.9 seconds on the clock. Miami call time. Using KG i cut off the passing lane to Ray Allen (their best free throw shooter) - and they went for the pass to Ming - but the pass went off hands and i suddenly had the ball with 5 seconds and a chance to win. I did not use my last time out. I passed up-court to Calderon who drove from the right side in for the winning layup. Shot blocked. No foul called. Final Siren. I lose by 1 point 122-121. But what a comeback and what a game. Reminiscent of some nailbiters on NBA Live 2005. Just as i had figured the Heat's 2nd chance points had killed me - 22-8 advantage. I did have a 10% FG advantage (shooting 62%) with an 18-4 fast break advantage, and a 38-21 bench point advantage Final Heat 31 26 31 34 122 d Knicks 30 29 22 40 121 Jordan Brand Player of the Game Yao Ming (Miami) - 43 points (19-22 FG), 18 rebounds (13 OFF) 4 assists and 5 blocks Leading Stat Getters Miami Nene - 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks Tinsley - 13 points, 11 assists Allen - 15 points Wallace - 15 points New York Garnett - 37 points (17-25 FG), 15 Rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks Stuckey - 19 points (9-10 FG) Calderon - 13 points, 11 assists Granger - 16 points (8-11 FG), 3 steals