2K22 - Seattle to Portland

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2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:25 am

I wasn't gonna make a thread for this, since I don't have the time or the content to make a proper story thread with all the bells and whistles. But even though few people will read, I've gotten pretty into my offline franchise mode, so I figured I'd make a thread for it rather than make an insanely long post in the "how's your franchise going" thread.

Game: NBA 2K22 [PS5]
Difficulty: Superstar (all-star for first two seasons)
Minutes: 5 played, 6 simmed (minutes scaled up but not stats)
Season Length: 29 games, 5-5-5-5 playoffs
Foul-Out: 4, all other rules normal
G-League: Off (can't recommend this enough)
Draft Classes: Real, even though the classes are works in progress, with a lot of generic players still
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:36 am

2021-22

The season started with the Minnesota Timberwolves being sold and relocated to Seattle, where they would become the new SuperSonics. Things kicked off with Malik Beasley, Naz Reid and three future firsts being sent to the 76ers for Ben Simmons. Meyers Leonard and J.J. Redick were picked up as free agents.

Simmons started at point, with Russell, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Towns rounding out the starting lineup. Seattle got off to a rough start, losing their first three games and spending the first two months of the season under .500. Simmons was eventually moved to the power forward position, which helped unlock D'Angelo Russell, and meant McDaniels didn't get manhandled in the paint. Pat Beverley and Jaylen Nowell were traded to Houston for Eric Gordon and Dante Exum, who both became key bench contributors. Towns was the team's sole all-star, but the Sonics figured things out down the stretch to go 19-10, good for the 3rd seed.

With the league's top defense and an improving offense, Seattle cruised to the finals, dropping just two games. Seattle came from behind in games 1 & 2 in Boston, before finishing the sweep at home. Towns was named finals MVP. Due to budget cuts, the team was wearing Minnesota Timberwolves 2021-22 champions T-Shirts as they presented the trophy. Salt in the wound much?
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:43 am

2022-23

In the offseason, I drafted Patrick Baldwin Jr., signed Josh Richardson and made a trade centered around Eric Gordon for Buddy Hield, who replaced Jaden McDaniels as the starting 3. After a brutal sophomore season, Anthony Edwards broke out, basically turning into Michael Jordan with a three point shot. Maintaining the #1 defense and now with an elite offense as well, Seattle steamrolled the league.

Udoka Azubuike and Reggie Jackson were mid-season additions to bolster the bench. Edwards, Towns and Simmons were all named to the all-star team, and honestly Russell should have made it as well. The final record was 26-3, with Edwards winning MVP and most improved, Simmons defensive player, Chris Finch coach of the year and myself Exec of the year. The team swept through the post-season, once again sweeping the Celtics.

After that, I decided to move the difficulty to superstar (long overdue), and decided to switch teams and take over the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland had traded for Clint Capela and lost to Seattle in the conference finals in 21-22, but missed the playoffs the following season and were headed for a rebuild.
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Fri Oct 22, 2021 4:53 am

2023-24

After an 11-18 season, the Blazers had the #7 pick in the draft, and a talented but aging roster. With nothing being sacred, I went right to work, sending Damian Lillard and a 2025 first to the Pelicans for the #1 pick in the draft and DeVonte Graham. With French center Victor Wembanyama and star wing Emoni Bates as the consensus top 2 prospects, Portland did what Portland does and took the center. With the 7th pick, I took swingman Amari Bailey. Not done making moves, I traded Capela and Norman Powell to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr, to form a twin towers tandem in the paint that could also spread the floor. The likes of Royce O'Neale, Alex Len and my guy Dante Exum were signed to fill out the roster.

The starting five was McCollum, Bailey, Nassir Little, JJJ and Wemby. Anfernee Simons, O'Neale, Len and Graham made up the bench. Portland did okay to start out, but eventually went on a losing streak which led to DeVonte Graham being traded for Derrick White. Wemby and Jackson were top 2 in shot blocking by a good margin, and the team's defense was elite. However, the offense was the worst in the league. Jackson did make the all-star team, but with it looking like another season in the lottery, Little was dealt to Memphis for a future first and project forward Ziaire Williams.

We went on a bit of a roll after the all-star break, hitting a string of easy teams to finish 13-16, good for 10th and a play-in berth. In the first game, we upset Lillard and the disappointing Pelicans in a thrilling OT win, before getting slaughtered by Luka in the Mavs to miss out. The Sonics would go on to win their third straight championship.

Missing the playoffs proved to be a blessing in disguise, as the lottery gave us the 4th pick in the draft.
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Fri Oct 22, 2021 5:21 am

2024-25 (part 1)

On draft night, Portland traded Derrick White and the #4 pick to move up to 2nd, clearing a lot of cap space in the process. The pick was combo guard D.J. Wagner, son of DeJuan. Despite making the all-rookie first team, Amari Bailey's inconsistent play and redundancy on the roster led to him being traded to Dallas for two future first rounders. With 50 million in space, the Blazers were poised to sign a big name free agent, and because this is a video game and not real life, they got one!

Darius Garland made the all-star team in 22-23, but for some reason the Cavs did not extend the qualifying offer, and he ended up signing a one year deal with Houston. Garland was once again an all-star, helping the team make the conference finals. Rather than re-sign with the contending Rockets, he opted for the glitz and glamour of Portland, signing a four year max contract. The remaining cap room was spent on Dorian Finney-Smith, and vets Alex Len and Dante Exum returned on minimum deals.

The starting five heading into the season was Garland, McCollum, DFS, JJJ and Wembanyama. A dominant win over the Pelicans on opening night started things off strong, but the offense continued to struggle as Portland got off to a 3-3 start. Garland could not hit a three to save his life and led the league in turnovers. The defense remained strong, but disappointing play led to Wagner and Ziaire Williams entering the starting five. Despite neither player making a huge impact, Portland would go on to rattle off ten straight wins, solidifying themselves as a title contender.

Losses to the Cavaliers (missing the injured Collin Sexton, who is somehow the MVP frontrunner) and Jazz put the team at 15-5 at the trade deadline. In an effort to bolster the bench, I traded Anfernee Simons and the Grizzlies' upcoming first rounder (mid-lottery projected) to the Spurs in a three-team deal netting Buddy Hield and Andre Drummond in return. 3pt shooting and rebounding have been the team's biggest weaknesses, and while Simons was a decent back-up guard, not having to play Alex Len makes this trade a win in my book.

Garland is a candidate for MVP - his 3pt percentage is too embarrassing for me to even post it, but he leads the league in assists and has been unstoppable in the paint. His MVP case is similar to Derrick Rose in 2011 - he's carrying the team to a league average offense which with the #1 ranked defense has us in 1st place in the West. Wagner also has a good shot at rookie of the year. He's not been great, but has improved over the course of the season and there are few stand-out rookies this season. Jackson and Wemby are both candidates for defensive player of the year, though Giannis leads that race right now.

The main title contenders seem to be Portland, Seattle, Houston (who replaced Garland with Khris Middleton, who has been great), Charlotte (LaMelo and Chet Holmgren are both MVP candidates) and the Cavaliers (sitting at 18-5!). I've not tried out the new players yet, but I think I've got a good shot at the title. The super team I built in Seattle is the biggest threat - they blew me out this season and last, but it was kind of them to give me Buddy Hield. The shortened season and quarters makes the league very volatile though, so I'm half expecting them to lose in the first round to like the Kings or some shit.

**DEPTH CHART**
Garland / McCollum / Exum
Wagner / Hield
Williams / O'Neale / Snell
Jackson / Finney-Smith
Wembanyama / Drummond / Len

Record: 15-5 (1st in conference, 2nd in league)
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:15 am

2024-25 (part 2)

Darius Garland and Jaren Jackson Jr. represented the Blazers at the all-star team, with Victor Wembanyama a notable snub. Wemby responded by hanging dong on the league, dropping 28, 14 and 6 blocks in a triple OT win in Phoenix, winning West player of the month and entering the MVP race.

Buddy Hield has yet to find his shot and Drummond can't play two minutes without getting winded, but the team won out following the trade, finishing 24-5 with the #1 overall seed. Drummond made a huge impact in the season finale, where Portland rested the big 3 but still won in San Antonio. D.J. Wagner's career high 25 in the season finale clinched the rookie of the year award for him. JJJ won defensive player, coach Dave Joerger coach of the year and I picked up a second exec of the year award. Garland, Wemby and JJJ made the first, second and third all-NBA teams, respectively.

Luka finally won his first MVP, after finally leading the Mavs to a top 4 seed. Cleveland and Charlotte both won over 20 games to lead the East, while Seattle went 20-9 and pose the biggest threat by far to the Blazers. After losing to the Blazer bench, San Antonio won a pair of play-in games to earn the 8 seed and a playoff rematch.

The Blazers boasted the best defensive rating in the league by a mile, finished 13th in offensive rating, and had the best net rating in the league. It's safe to say we're title favorites, but the Sonics have a very good shot of a 4-peat. Hopefully we've improved enough since our early season blow-out loss in Seattle to dethrone them.
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby rise on Wed Nov 10, 2021 6:02 am

the big story here is that the Pelicans got another #1 overall pick
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby Lamrock on Sun Nov 14, 2021 4:49 am

2024-25: Part Three

Behind D.J. Wagner's career night, the Blazers had routed the Spurs in the season finale, despite the bench not playing. Game 1 of their playoff match-up was more of the same, but the Spurs actually stole game 2 behind a big night from Devin Booker. This would prove to be a fluke and a big wake up call for the Blazers, who proceeded to blow out the Spurs in games 3 and 4 to take the series.

Round 2 brought the Houston Rockets, who had slumped a bit down to stretch to get the 5 seed, but dispatched MVP Luka Doncic and the Mavs easily enough. Hoping to get revenge for stealing Darius Garland away, the Rockets, led by superstar Jalen Green, the still good Khris Middleton and a resurgent Kemba Walker had beaten the Blazers in Seattle during the regular season. The playoffs were a different story however, Wembanyama dominated starting center Mitchell Robinson, forcing him into foul trouble in every game and exposed the Rockets' shoddy defense. Green played well, keeping the scores respectable by catching fire from 3, but Portland swept them with little fanfare.

It was of course Seattle who we had to face in the WCF, but it nearly wasn't! Dame and the Pelicans bounced back from a disappointing first season to give the 3-time defending champs hell. Seattle barely escaped a 3-2 series, but got off to a good start against Portland. Edwards and Towns were dominant as the Blazers struggled to contain their loaded offense. What kept things close was a dreadful shooting night from rising star Patrick Baldwin Jr, who had supplanted Jaden McDaniels as the starting small forward. The Blazers went on a big run in the fourth to secure a comeback victory.

Games 2 and 3 were also close, but with the same result. Seattle hadn't changed their team much but a noticeably weaker bench featuring defensive sieves like Lauri Markkanen did them in. They did make the wise adjustment starting McDaniels in the third game, but it was too late as the Blazers' second unit continued to outplay Seattle's reserves. In what seemed like the de facto finals, Portland dethroned the champs and would face the upstart Charlotte Hornets for the title.

Charlotte has had an up-and-down run the past few seasons, alternating successful seasons and lottery finishes. The prior season saw them add Zach Lavine, but struggle despite big seasons from superstars LaMelo Ball and Chet Holmgren. They traded Lavine to the all-in OKC Thunder for the first overall pick, selecting some guy named Javonte Taylor, who has been a nonfactor. They nonetheless secured the 2 seed and impressively dispatched Toronto, Boston and Brooklyn en route to their first ever finals berth.

The heavily favored Blazers were stunned in game 1, as the Hornets led most of the way in a dominant game 1 win. LaMelo was unstoppable, and guys like JT Thor and Bouknight were huge. Game 2 saw the Blazers jump out to a double digit lead, but give up a big third quarter run to fall behind. Behind Wembanyama, they rallied to tie the series in a tense win. But heading back to Charlotte this was anyone's series.

The Hornets laid in egg in a bad game 3 loss, but game 4 came down to the wire. The lead changed hands countless times as LaMelo and Chet could not be stopped. In the fourth quarter, Darius Garland reminded everybody why he was on the MVP short list, scoring almost all of the Blazers' points as he carried the Blazers to victory. He was named finals MVP as Portland ended a 48 season title drought.

The 2024-25 champion Blazers were on cloud nine, but a pivotal offseason approaches. Jaren Jackson Jr, Ziaire Williams and Andre Drummond all enter free agency. JJJ is expected to opt out of his deal and will be up for a max contract. Ziaire was inconsistent but defensively solid and could get a big offer sheet that may be unwise to match with Wemby and Wagner needing extensions in the coming years. Drummond was brilliant off the bench, but is getting old and seeking one last big pay day. Do they pay the big bucks to run it back, or are changes coming?
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Re: 2K22 - Seattle to Portland

Postby RMJH4 on Tue Jan 04, 2022 2:55 am

It's fantastic to see the great Lamrock back with his Blazers winning chips!!!
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