Tag Archives: Chicago Bulls

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Dennis Rodman and his changing hair colour on the virtual hardwood.

For decades now, it’s been common to see NBA players with prominent tattoos. Other players have made fashion statements through their hairstyles, sometimes bleaching or colouring their locks in some way. Jeremy Sochan is an example of both, sporting ink and adopting some very colourful looks during his three year NBA career. To that point though, Sochan brings to mind another power forward that once played for the Spurs, wore #10, and was infamous for his numerous tattoos and ever-changing hair colour. I am of course referring to Dennis Rodman!

The Worm’s unique style and unapologetic self-expression at times overshadowed his brilliance on the court, but there was no denying his popularity in the 90s; especially after he was traded to the Chicago Bulls and became an integral part of their second threepeat. Naturally, Rodman’s counterpart on the virtual hardwood was expected to capture this look, which was indeed achieved through unique textures and models. Quite impressively however, several old games also went so far as to give Dennis Rodman changing hair colour as well. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #580 of the NLSC Podcast!

Which teams have we most enjoyed watching, and indeed putting on the virtual hardwood, throughout all of our years of basketball fandom? This week, we join the community in naming our favourite teams from our favourite franchises, our favourite teams from franchises that aren’t our chosen clubs, and our favourite bad teams; bad of course being a relative term in some cases! This leads us to reminisce about a wide variety of teams, from NBA Champions and perennial contenders to flash-in-the-pan squads, basement dwellers, and memorable underdogs, as well as the lineups that made them such fun teams to use in basketball video games for one reason or another.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 58:58 — 40.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m pondering another historical What If; that being, what if Michael Jordan didn’t retire in 1993?

Yesterday marks thirty years since Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA following his retirement to play baseball in 1993. If you know your NBA history, you’re well aware of what happened next. After falling to the Orlando Magic in the second round, the Chicago Bulls bolstered their roster with Dennis Rodman, and His Airness led the team to a second threepeat before retiring for the second (but as it turned out, not final) time. Even with the interruption – even with the controversial Wizards stint – Michael Jordan had a tremendous career to put it mildly.

Of course, even with all of his accomplishments that still lead many pundits and fans alike to declare him the Greatest of All-Time – and I’m among them – MJ’s career does invite a couple of What Ifs. The most obvious one that would’ve changed the course of the mid 90s, and further added to his legacy, is if Michael Jordan didn’t retire in 1993. Now, as I acknowledged when I discussed the What If regarding Karl Malone becoming the all-time leading scorer, hypothetical scenarios don’t prove anything. They’re fun to consider though, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #571 of the NLSC Podcast!

What are some of the biggest What Ifs in the history of the NBA? This week, we join the community in reflecting on what might have been, from the tragedy of Len Bias to the various injuries, trades, and Draft picks that shaped the fortunes of teams and players alike. This includes some of the NBA Finals matchups and results that could’ve come to pass if not for a couple of plays going another way, or indeed, a certain all-time great retiring in 1993! We also discuss a couple of other interesting notes about the 1986 Draft, and some of the international players who could’ve had a better run in the NBA if the opportunity was there for them when they were in their prime.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 59:57 — 41.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #560 of the NLSC Podcast!

Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings, basketball fans and gamers! It’s that time of the year again and we’re definitely in the holiday spirit, so this week we’re joining the community in asking Santa for three gifts that would grant some of our fondest wishes related to basketball and basketball gaming. Some of them might take a Christmas miracle to make happen, but if nothing else, it seems that quite a few of us are on the same page with our wishlists! We also join our listeners in reflecting upon some of our all-time favourite gifts related to real hoops and the virtual hardwood alike, as well as some other Christmas memories.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:01:49 — 42.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

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 totally serious theory (OK, not really) of how some classic John Hughes movies foretold the rise and fall of the Chicago Bulls.

The holiday season is in full swing with Christmas this week, and since that coincides with summertime here in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s also come to be known as our “silly season“. Therefore, in the spirit of the season, I’m mixing Monday Tip-Off with JaoSming’s old column, Dumb Mondays (what is this, a crossover episode?!?). This silly, light-hearted, Christmas-related topic is one that I’ve actually been sitting on for years, so it’s time to put it out there for some holiday cheer. Don’t worry; everything will be back to normal next week!

As a 90s kid, I can’t help but associate the movies of the late, great John Hughes with Christmas and the holidays. That’s chiefly due to Planes, Trains and Automobiles – a film set at Thanksgiving – and the first two Home Alone movies, two classics that take place at Christmas and are very near and dear to my generation. It only makes sense to reflect on those films and watch them again during the holiday season, but what do those iconic John Hughes movies have to do with the Chicago Bulls dynasty? Well, some years back, a Forum post prompted me to draw comparisons between the plots of those films, and the rise and eventual fall of the Bulls. Strap in, we’re getting silly!

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the long-running recap, magazine, and highlight show, NBA Action.

Several years ago now, during a discussion in the NLSC Forum, I saw someone refer to “that awful NBA Action show”. I was quite surprised – shocked even – and ready to disagree! As a young fan in the 90s who eagerly anticipated the latest episode of NBA Action every week, I was puzzled to see it described in such unflattering terms. The more I thought about it though, the more it made sense. It was no longer the show it had once been. There was a new host, and new segments. Most importantly, it didn’t have the same relevance in the digital age.

In short, if you weren’t watching NBA Action before the mid to late 2000s, then you didn’t see the show at its peak. Anyone who is accustomed to getting NBA news and highlights on demand may understandably struggle to see its value. It’d be like trying to convince someone who never watched golden age episodes of The Simpsons that it’s one of the best comedies in history. Like The Simpsons though, NBA Action was a must-watch for me in the 90s, and I’m confident that many basketball fans around my age will say the same. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five celebrates Derrick Rose by recalling five of his best plays.

As we discussed earlier this week in Episode #548 of the NLSC Podcast, Derrick Rose has called it a career after 15 seasons in the NBA. D-Rose is – as I’m sure many of you are aware – one of my all-time favourite players, right up there with fellow Chicago Bulls alumni Michael Jordan and Ben Gordon. To that end, I’m sorry to see him retire, especially without more fanfare and indeed a farewell tour back with the Bulls. After all of his injuries and with family life ahead of him however, one has to respect him for being at peace with his career, and his decision to walk away.

Obviously, there are some wistful What Ifs when it comes to Derrick Rose. If not for that devastating knee injury in the 2012 Playoffs, I’m sure he would’ve been one of the top stars of the 2010s. Who knows what the Bulls might’ve achieved had he remained healthy, and if they’d acquired some more firepower to support him? While it does sting to think about, I’m also grateful that I was able to see him become an All-Star and MVP, and truly get excited about the Bulls’ chances again as I did in 2011. He was a really fun player to watch – and play with in video games, too – so in honour of his retirement and his 36th birthday, here are five of my favourite Derrick Rose plays!

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Twenty-five years after its release, we unsurprisingly don’t see too many new mod releases for NBA Live 2000. We do have one today however, as JuicyShaqMeat’s sessions with the game inspired him to create an update/fix for the Chicago Bulls home, away, and Sunday jerseys, which will work on all texture detail levels. Check it out at the link below, and freshen up your retro gaming sessions!

JuicyShaqMeat (with Rix191)
Chicago Bulls 1999-2000 Jerseys

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #547 of the NLSC Podcast!

Although we’re still playing NBA 2K25 and have a few updates on what we’ve been doing in it, we have been talking about the game at length for a number of shows now, so this week we’re putting it on the backburner. To that end, we recap a fun session playing NBA Live 06 PC with a work-in-progress ABA mod, and reflect on the league’s legacy and importance in the history of basketball. We also join the community in reminiscing about fun and weird ideas and approaches that we’ve employed in fantasy drafts, as well as some of the most memorable transactions – good or bad – that our favourite teams have made during all of our years following the NBA.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:14:41 — 51.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on Ben Gordon becoming my favourite active player after Michael Jordan retired, and using him in video games.

Just as the Chicago Bulls remain my favourite NBA team all these years later, my all-time favourite player will always be Michael Jordan. However, although MJ is the player that got me and so many of my fellow 90s kids into basketball, my interest in hoops doesn’t end with him. Sure, I may have some quibbles with the modern game, and certainly the discourse that’s being led by so many talking heads with highly questionable agendas, but I’m still passionate about real and virtual basketball alike. In short, I didn’t drift away from the sport when MJ hung up his Air Jordans.

Of course, maintaining my interest in the NBA as my beloved Bulls fell from grace and MJ rode off into the sunset – temporarily once again, and then for good – required a change in how I approached my fandom. I’d never had trouble enjoying other stars and teams, but with the Bulls nowhere near contention, that interest beyond “my” team became even more important as far as remaining invested in the NBA. While MJ would remain my all-time favourite player, I needed a new active favourite to cheer for. In time, that would become Ben Gordon. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of the five worst decisions I made with my Franchise mode games.

Since I’ve discussed five of the best decisions that I made with franchise modes over the years, it only makes sense to counter it with five of the worst! Even though I know the approach that’ll allow me to best enjoy franchise modes and also what tends to ruin them for me, I’m not immune to making mistakes. Knowing that a change of pace can be a way of keeping things fresh, you might be inclined to try an out-of-the-box idea that turns out to be a flop. Alternatively, a tried-and-true approach might actually be the wrong move on some occasions.

Fortunately, as I noted in my previous article, I haven’t really ruined any franchise games that I was heavily invested in, to the point where I couldn’t continue them. I’ve come close a couple of times, but I was able to correct course before doing any lasting damage. With that being said, there are other examples where poor decisions have set me up to fail in franchise games, creating scenarios that weren’t fun. Some of them were wild ideas, though overcaution can also have its drawbacks. For all of my fellow franchise enthusiasts, may these stories of my worst decisions and biggest blunders serve as cautionary tales the next time you’re getting ready to start a brand new game!

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of the five best decisions I made with my Franchise mode games.

Career and card collecting modes may be the most popular experiences in basketball video games nowadays, but there was a time when franchise play was king. I’ll admit that I’ve drifted away from franchise modes over the years, but they do represent some of my fondest basketball gaming memories. I’m always open to returning to my roots as a franchise gamer, if I can ever decide on a game and find a scenario that appeals to me. Of course, while I have unfortunately lost many of my franchise saves, I still have one from NBA Live 06 PC that I’m always open to picking up once more.

Having spent countless hours with various franchise modes in a number of games, I’ve made my share of good decisions and bad moves alike. There are some ways that you can almost instantly ruin a franchise game to the point where you don’t want to play it anymore, but fortunately I haven’t bungled too many games that I was heavily invested in. That’s a topic for another time, but for this week’s Five, I want to talk about some of my best decisions in franchise modes. These are the choices and moves that made the experience even better, and subsequently kept me hooked. A couple of them even went against my usual rules, proving that it’s wise to keep an open mind.

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Although Dee and I enjoy connecting to play a variety of basketball video games over Parsec, we’ve established some reliable favourites that we’ll always go back to. Two of those titles are NBA 2K10 and NBA Live 10, and to that end, Dee has uploaded highlights from our recent sessions with both games!

In our NBA 2K10 session, we played another game with the incredible 1997 season mod. Once again we were took control of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and the Chicago Bulls to face Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, and the Utah Jazz. It was an exciting game that went back and forth and right down to the wire, with back-to-back clutch plays leading to an epic victory. NBA 2K10 is a more a recent favourite of ours, but I know that we’ll connect on it again, especially with that awesome 1997 roster at our disposal.

Meanwhile, thanks to Parsec and RPCS3, NBA Live 10 has long been one of our favourite games to play together. With the 2024 Olympics looming, we were inspired to play with the FIBA teams, specifically taking on Argentina with Team USA. It was yet another reminder that NBA Live 10 was doing some great things, and could’ve set up a bright future for the series. Wistful What Ifs aside, it was a blast to play NBA Live 10 as always, and it produced some entertaining highlights.

We’ll be discussing those games on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, coming out this Tuesday. In the meantime, check out both highlight reels below! As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, and be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content!

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The NBA Finals may be over, putting a bow on the 2024 season with the Boston Celtics winning their eighteenth championship, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy some Playoff action on the virtual hardwood! To that point, the NBA 2K14 Retro Series is back with a new instalment, featuring a showdown between the 1996 Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics.

More specifically, this matchup is inspired by Game 3 of the 1996 NBA Finals. The Bulls had taken care of business at home, going up 2-0 after returning to the Finals for the first time since 1993. Chicago’s big three of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman looked to go up 3-0 as the series shifted to Seattle, but Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and the rest of the Sonics weren’t content to be a footnote in the Bulls’ return to glory. This is obviously a very nostalgic showdown for me, and it’s still a blast to play in video games to this day. Check out how my version of Game 3 of the 1996 NBA Finals went down, and look out for a classic commercial for one of my all-time favourite basketball video games at halftime!

Stay tuned for future instalments of the NBA 2K14 Retro Series! As always, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.