Monday Tip-Off: Finishing The Drive for Five

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a recap of my Drive for Five in Year 5 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

At this point, my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is well beyond being just a kick. It’s become one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences, and a staple of my rotation on the virtual hardwood. Even though I enjoyed NBA 2K23 far more than NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22, it couldn’t replace NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 as the star of my lineup. And honestly, why should it? While I do consider NBA 2K23 to be the strongest release in the last few years, if I’m enjoying an older title even more, there’s no reason to put it aside just because it isn’t the latest game.

Year 5 proved to be another captivating journey. As I’ve said before, I’ve greatly enjoyed how each season in this NBA 2K14 MyCAREER has ended up telling its own story, even if they’ve ultimately culminated with a similar ending. To that point, though every season has ended with my player celebrating a championship, the road to that destination veered off into different routes that were all fun to travel. While the numbers may suggest otherwise, the Drive for Five actually stands as one of the most challenging seasons so far in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. It demonstrates the value of playing through multiple seasons, and experiencing an ongoing alternate reality.

On paper, my Drive for Five was a rousing success; another dominant campaign. 81-1 during the regular season, 16-1 in the Playoffs, and a fifth consecutive championship, certainly scream domination. With a player that’s maxed out and loaded with Level 3 Signature Skills, I was well-equipped to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the title, while averaging a triple-double for the fourth season in a row. However, it’s the aspects of MyCAREER that I can’t control that made Year 5 challenging, and even frustrating at times, despite storming through the league to complete a Drive for Five. The tone was set very early on, thanks to some major injuries and changes to the team’s rotation.

Despite posting numbers that undoubtedly make him a bust, Michael Carter-Williams’ ratings continue to improve, and the team signed him to an extension last season. This has led to him becoming our starting point guard. He’s nowhere near good enough for my player to be displaced from the starting five, so I’ve been moved over to shooting guard. I still act as the primary ballhandler, though it involves calling for the ball a lot more. The most frustrating aspect of this lineup, however, is what it’s meant for Terry Hanson. With everybody healthy and MCW and Carmelo Anthony starting, All-Star Hanson ended up being moved to the bench for the first time in his NBA career.

Unfortunately, the rotation logic in NBA 2K14’s MyCAREER is incredibly stingy when it comes to giving minutes to bench players. As such, instead of receiving quality sixth man minutes, Hanson was assigned 12 minutes per game. Adding injury to insult, he then suffered a torn MCL in his first game off the bench, ruling him out for the season. Trevor Booker had already gone down for the year with a broken patella, leaving the team without a minimum of 12 healthy players. Both Melo and Thaddeus Young would also miss a number of games with assorted ailments, which put even more pressure on me to post big numbers and play hero ball to keep winning.

That wasn’t all bad, of course. With Melo sidelined in March, I had an opportunity to score 112 points, shattering Wilt Chamberlain’s long-standing record. It meant that we had to run with some different lineups, which kept things fresh. There was a sense of adversity, even though we had the best record in the league. Of course, it also had its downsides. There was no one-two punch with Hanson, no opportunities to throw him lobs and continue turning him into a star. MCW felt superfluous as a starter, and I had no luck in forcing the team to trade him. For all the good I’d done for the team, it felt as though I had no control over my destiny, nor any leverage to improve the situation.

Of course, this is a key ingredient to the MyCAREER experience. When you step into the shoes of an NBA player, you’re not meant to have the same level of control as you do in a franchise mode. Later games have introduced the ability to unlock influence over rotations and roster moves though, and the lack of that depth in NBA 2K14 is a drawback in what is otherwise a stellar version of MyCAREER. In some ways, I do enjoy being at the mercy of the AI’s logic and whims, because it is authentic. At the same time, there’s no option to override bewildering decisions, or have the kind of influence that a superstar player often wields. The latter in particular feels unrealistic.

Once again though, it’s all part of the journey. Competitive spirit and pride compelled me to make the best of the situation, and strive to win every game even though the circumstances weren’t ideal. This led to a strong start through October and November, sitting atop the league at 15-0 despite a depleted roster. The first bump in the road came in December though, when for the second year in a row, Jackson Ellis and the Detroit Pistons ensured that we wouldn’t go undefeated. It only seemed appropriate, and while Ellis’ presence in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER does lead to some repetitive moments, I do like that he can be part of the story beyond the initial scripted tale.

We soon returned to our winning ways, but with injuries, off nights for teammates, and games where I wasn’t playing my best either, there were some close calls and tough victories. An NBA Finals rematch with the New Orleans Pelicans went into double overtime; I was actually sorry it didn’t go to triple overtime so that I could achieve that career milestone, but it was still an epic game. A later game against the Pistons also went into OT, where I groaned when MCW received the inbounds pass as we trailed by one point with just seconds left, only to be relieved when he nailed the gamewinning three-pointer. The competitiveness made the winning streak exciting.

I also kept things interesting by aiming for statistical goals. I challenged myself to complete a 50-Point February: 50 points in every game during February, or at the very least, ending with a 50 ppg average for the month. At first it felt effortless to post 50 and 60-point games, but as February wore on, it became more difficult and I fell short of the mark five times. I still averaged 54.5 ppg, scored 50+ eight times, and set a career high of 83 that stood until my 112-point game in March, but the goal added pressure that succeeded in getting the better of me. It also led to the highest single season scoring average of my career to date, as I finished the year averaging 42.4 ppg.

Speaking of big numbers, one of the early goals I set for myself was to not top the league in all five major statistical categories. I was even comfortable falling short of a triple-double average, and early on, San Antonio Spurs rookie Colin Barry led the way in rebounds. A combination of doing everything I could to get wins and well-ingrained habits saw me shoot to the top of the list though, and so for the fourth consecutive season, I dominated the leaderboards. Mind you, there were several games where I was comfortable not reaching my season averages, opting not to furiously pad my numbers to do so. I even weathered single digit assist games!

Carmelo Anthony also provided an ongoing subplot. His morale plummeted in Year 4 when we won so many games while he was sidelined with a knee injury, leading to constant updates on the in-game NBA.com about how he would be pursuing free agency in the offseason. Obviously he’d be walking away from a great situation, but again, there was a touch of realism here. It made sense that he felt like the odd man out, and having already won three titles, might be inclined to seek out a bigger role and one last big payday while he still could. Like Scottie Pippen demanding a trade during The Last Dance, it was a distraction as we embarked on the Drive for Five.

Melo’s morale wasn’t helped by a late season injury that saw him coming off the bench for the first time in his career when he returned, though he was starting again upon making a full recovery. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant – playing in his 22nd season – finally passed Karl Malone for the second-most regular season points in NBA history. It was one of the few shining moments in another disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers, as Kobe and LeBron James once again failed to make the Playoffs. This alternate timeline hasn’t been kind to LeBron’s legacy, nor Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for that matter. Still, it is MyCAREER, not their story!

With my fifth All-Star appearance, I completed the final milestone on the Hall of Fame checklist. I’d already punched my ticket to Springfield once I collected my tenth milestone, but one of my goals in playing through multiple seasons of MyCAREER was to complete all of them. When I do finally put a bow on this game – and that’ll be an incredibly difficult decision – it’ll be immensely satisfying to have achieved a “completionist run”. I also finally got to team up with Jackson Ellis for the first time in the All-Star Game; another entertaining plot point in our ongoing saga. As always, the game was a fun way to break up the season (as it still should be in real life).

Entering the Playoffs riding high on a 61-game winning streak, I was in for a shock. After taking the first two games at home against the Orlando Magic – now led by Dwyane Wade – they defeated us in Game 3 for our first Playoff loss since the 2014 NBA Finals. I’ll admit to being rather cavalier when they raced out to an early lead, leaving the counterpunch far too late resulting in a furious run that still ended with a 115-110 loss. It was a wakeup call that I shouldn’t get too comfortable, and we took care of business in Games 4 and 5. This set up another second round showdown with Jackson Ellis and the Pistons. There was simply no escaping my eternal rival!

We swept the Pistons, but they made us earn it in Game 4, a contest in which Melo – still disgruntled and talking about leaving – led the way with 40 points. Even though he seemed to be on his way out the door, I wanted to keep him involved in the offense and productive so that we’d complete the Drive for Five. The seventh-seeded Chicago Bulls had a fantastic Playoff run, making it through to the Eastern Conference Finals. Although it was yet another 76ers sweep, Jimmy Butler made life miserable for me on offense, and Game 2 went into overtime. In a reversal of the Pistons series, the first three games were closely contested battles, followed by a comfortable win to clinch.

Out West, there was an assortment of stories surrounding potential Finals opponents. The Minnesota Timberwolves – who made an unlikely run in 2016 – finished in first place, but lost Ricky Rubio to injury in the season finale. This led to an upset at the hands of the Houston Rockets. That matchup proved beneficial for the defending Western Conference Champion New Orleans Pelicans, who advanced to the third round once again. The Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers both avoided a first round collapse before going the distance in the second round, with the Blazers emerging victorious to set up a battle between two of my former Finals opponents.

I liked the idea of the Drive for Five culminating against an opponent making back-to-back Finals appearances, but the prospect of my fifth title coming in a rematch against the team that I defeated for my first also felt poetic. To that end, I wasn’t disappointed when the Blazers made it through, as the connections to both the fictional 2014 Finals and real 1977 Finals added to the story. They also weren’t an opponent to take lightly, as the first three games were extremely competitive until I managed to pull away in the second half. The double digit wins didn’t tell the whole story of how much of a fight they were putting up, with Damian Lillard constantly torching MCW on defense.

This set up a fantastic finale in Game 4, with a Blazers team that clearly didn’t want to get swept off their home court. Lillard came out firing, and the score remained close throughout. Unlike previous games, there was no run in the third quarter or early in the fourth to take control well before the final buzzer. With less than two minutes left, we were still trading buckets until Brandon Rush recovered an errant pass and made a tough layup to put us ahead for good. After being knocked down on a no-call, I was lucky when Dame missed a layup. I sealed the game with two trips to the free throw line, but I also left Dame wide open for a three that kept the game within reach.

In the end, we eked out the 137-134 victory. The Philadelphia 76ers had won five championships in a row, making it eight in club history! The title-clinching win coming down to the wire like that made it one of the most satisfying and enjoyable championships I’ve won, in this MyCAREER or any other game. It was the perfect ending to a season that while dominant on paper, had been quite challenging in its own way. There were times that it felt like my player was feeling the fatigue of five consecutive NBA Finals runs as I struggled to score as normal, and wins came a little tougher. It made it a unique campaign though; another memorable chapter in the tale.

The offseason brought a couple of surprises. Despite his heroics, Brandon Rush wasn’t re-signed. Despite his eagerness to leave, Melo did re-sign, albeit for only one season. Honestly, that came as a disappointment, as I was looking forward to Terry Hanson taking his place in the starting five. It’s left me with some questions as I enter Year 6. Do I try once again to get Michael Carter-Williams traded, or perhaps shift my focus to forcing Carmelo Anthony out? Would that just mean getting another player who starts instead? Is it time to accept I’m fighting against a terrible gameplan, and see if I can get traded to Chicago? There’ll be some tough decisions ahead.

That’s all part of the fun of MyCAREER though, the role-playing aspect of the mode that I actually enjoy. Forget about figuring out the meta and OP builds. This is what MyCAREER should be all about: the ups and downs of an NBA career, encountering challenging and frustrating scenarios even if you’re a star and winning, and letting the action on the virtual hardwood ultimately tell the story. I’d like to make things work in Philadelphia, but my patience is being tested. It’s being done so in the best possible way however, enriching a career experience that’s already kept me coming back for going on two years now. It’s crazy how many hours I’ve now sunk into NBA 2K14!

Those questions will be answered in time. There’s still far too much fun to be had with this NBA 2K14 MyCAREER for me to retire my player, or even shelve the game for too long. For now though, I’m taking satisfaction in finishing the Drive for Five. In many ways, it certainly wasn’t my favourite season so far, as Terry Hanson’s absence did detract from the fun. At the same time, I wouldn’t call it my least favourite season, either. I’ve been able to enjoy all five seasons for what they were, and how they each played out. Considering the potential for multi-season play to end up feeling quite repetitive, I’m impressed with – and grateful for – the uniqueness of each campaign.

Lest these recaps sound like I’m bragging about my stick skills, I’m not. Winning five championships and posting big numbers in MyCAREER are feats that any competent basketball gamer can accomplish. If I’m proud of anything, it would be my dedication and eagerness to extend the experience beyond the first couple of seasons. However, this isn’t about bragging rights. It’s about pure enjoyment of a basketball game, and getting the most out of it. I’ve enjoyed the journey so far, as well as sharing it with my fellow gamers. Whenever you can complete a Drive for Five without simulating, and still don’t feel like stopping anytime soon, you know you’re onto a special experience.