Tag Archives: What If

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 five interesting facts about Wilt Chamberlain.

Today would’ve been Wilt Chamberlain’s 90th birthday. As an Elder Millennial, Wilt was obviously before my time. However, as a newly-minted basketball fan some 30 years ago, he was unsurprisingly one of the first Legends that I learned about. When you score 100 points in a game, average 50.4 ppg, and play an “impossible” 48.5 mpg – all in the same season, no less – future generations of hoop heads will know your name! I was fascinated to hear about those records and his legendary rivalry with Bill Russell, not to mention tales of his incredible athletic feats.

Growing up as a basketball fan in the 90s, Wilt Chamberlain was to me what Michael Jordan is to younger fans nowadays. In fact, from the way that older fans insisted that he was better than MJ to remarks on the subject from Wilt himself, the discourse and debates involving LeBron James nowadays feel very familiar! It’s why I understand where younger fans are coming from, though I do feel that there used to be far more reverence for NBA history. In any case, I enjoyed learning about Wilt Chamberlain back in the day, and I’ve been delighted to learn even more since then. With that being said, here are five interesting Wilt Chamberlain facts that you may or may not know.

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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 pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Shaq had stayed in Orlando in 1996?

Earlier this month, I reminisced about the 1996 offseason. It was always going to be nostalgic to me being the first offseason that I experienced after becoming a hardcore basketball fan, but on top of that, it turned out to be an extremely important one in NBA history. A number of notable names switched teams, either via free agency or blockbuster trade. Although they obviously hadn’t achieved legendary status as yet, the Draft Class of 1996 was nevertheless exciting and full of promise. And of course, Shaquille O’Neal joining the Los Angeles Lakers was the move of the offseason!

Needless to say, Shaq signing with LA not only drastically altered the future of the Lakers, but also the fortunes of the Orlando Magic. The move worked out for Shaq, though he has admitted to having some regrets about leaving Orlando in 1996. Now, hindsight is 20/20, and retired players have demonstrated that they don’t have any qualms about twisting stories to improve their image in the eyes of fans. Still, had Orlando handled the situation better, perhaps Shaq would’ve stuck around longer. It’s another interesting What If, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Isiah Thomas was traded to the Knicks in 1994?

Let it be known that I’m not a big fan of Isiah Thomas! I certainly respect his skill and accomplishments, and I’d even go so far as to say that like too many players of his era, he’s now become somewhat underrated. However, I’ve never respected his decision to lead the walk-off after the Chicago Bulls finally topped the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, and consider it a stain on his character. Also, many of his comments regarding Michael Jordan in recent years have been incredibly petty, and laughably inaccurate. I’d suggest that some of the harsh truths in The Last Dance hurt!

With that being said, he’s undoubtedly one of the all-time greats. On top of being a two-champion and 12-time All-Star, Isiah Thomas remains the Detroit Pistons’ all-time leader in points, assists, steals, and minutes, having spent his entire NBA career with the club. However, there was briefly a possibility that Zeke might end his career with the New York Knicks – a team that he’d later come to be associated with – and one more NBA Finals run. It’s an interesting What If, and with the Knicks back in the NBA Finals, it feels like a good time to revisit it! Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Wilt Chamberlain made a comeback in the 80s?

Monday marked 64 years since Wilt Chamberlain scored a record 100 points as his Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 169-147. As a young basketball fan in the 90s eager to learn about the history of the game, that iconic performance seemed so long ago. After all, it happened 22 years before I was even born! To that point of course, now that I’ve witnessed and am nostalgic for events in NBA history that happened upwards of 30 years ago, it’s certainly changed my perspective of time. Nevertheless, to me Wilt Chamberlain will always be from a bygone era.

However, Wilt Chamberlain playing in the NBA came very close to feeling like more of a modern event from the perspective of a 90s kid. Even though many stars of the 80s had retired before I got into basketball, their careers intersected with the all-time greats that I grew up watching, such as Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and so on. They were frequently spotlighted in the NBA home videos that I watched, so in a way they still felt contemporary. The same could’ve been true of Wilt Chamberlain, had he made a comeback in the 80s. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Charles Barkley was traded to the Lakers in 1992?

When I think of Charles Barkley, I generally picture him in the Phoenix Suns’ iconic sunburst uniforms of the 90s. After all, that’s where he was playing when I started taking a keener interest in basketball. Hoop heads who have been watching longer than I have may well picture him on the Philadelphia 76ers instead, and indeed that stint accounts for half of his career. With that being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if the MVP and NBA Finals appearance in 1993 has led to those fans likewise coming to associate Chuck with the Suns more than the 76ers (or the Houston Rockets).

Of course, had a proposed trade gone through in 1992, it seems a safe bet to say that we’d have never seen Sir Charles in a Suns or Rockets uniform. For a brief moment, Charles Barkley was set to join the Los Angeles Lakers, before the deal went up in smoke. As with any What If involving legendary players, it’s fascinating trying to imagine an alternate history and all of the possible ripple effects. It’s all speculation at the end of the day, but Charles Barkley going to the Lakers is undoubtedly a huge What If, in real life and on the virtual hardwood. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #611 of the NLSC Podcast!

What Ifs are always an intriguing topic in basketball discussions, especially when they involve comebacks that could’ve been, and comebacks that could potentially still occur. To that end, this week we’re reflecting on a handful of historical comeback rumours, as well as returns that were reportedly very close to happening. Either way, they’re What Ifs that we would’ve loved to have seen come to fruition! We also discuss whether there are any recently-retired players that could feasibly still have an impact if they were to make a return to the NBA today, and a novel comeback scenario involving a player who’s been out of the league for over a decade after retiring young.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 56:48 — 39.4MB)

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!

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 five coincidences with squads in the series of Legends Challenges in NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team.

As was the case with NBA Live 18, Ultimate Team has been one of my main modes of choice during my NBA Live 19 kick. It’s the only way to play with all the Legends, which appeals to my nostalgic approach to basketball gaming these days. Because I’m getting into NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team so late in the game, I’ll still have plenty of unfinished Challenges when the servers are shut down. With that in mind, I’m picking and choosing the ones that appeal to me the most. Needless to say, that includes the 31-game series of Legends Challenges!

Each game in the series of Legends Challenges places a former great back in uniform, albeit the jersey that their respective teams are sporting during the 2019 season. While they may be playing alongside one or two of their former teammates – or at least other greats who played for that team at some point – the squads are generally comprised of whichever Legends would make for a challenging lineup. For the most part, it doesn’t seem that those out-of-place Legends have been selected for any specific reason. To that end, I noted what I believe are some fun coincidences with the (mis)placement of certain players in the Legends Challenges, from actual history to infamous What Ifs.

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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 pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Kobe Bryant broke the all-time scoring record?

Even before he became a star, many people had correctly predicted that Kobe Bryant would go down as one of the all-time greats. There’s a reason that he was tapped to be the cover player and namesake of the NBA Courtside series, and also appeared on the cover of NBA Action 98 – a forerunner of NBA 2K – while still a bench player in his second season. Robert Horry certainly believed in his young teammate back then. I recall a magazine article published during the 1998 season that quoted Big Shot Bob’s claim that Kobe Bryant would be the one to finally break the all-time scoring record.

While that prediction didn’t come true, it wasn’t too far off the mark! Kobe ended up joining the 30,000 point club, finishing his career third on the all-time scoring leaders after surpassing Michael Jordan. Throw in his countless incredible performances and career accomplishments including five rings, and it’s no wonder that a lot of fans felt that Bleacher Report ranking him as the 11th best player in history was insulting. That raises an interesting question: would Kobe Bryant have a different legacy if he had in fact broken the all-time scoring record? 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 five reasons why I enjoy weird stints when they’re represented in basketball video games.

Although my favourite memories of players are from when they were on the teams they spent most of their careers with – or in some cases, where they were when I first got into basketball – I do oddly enjoy their weird stints as well. Granted, while I’ll never enjoy watching Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards jersey quite as much as seeing him doing what he did best for the Chicago Bulls, I can appreciate those years in hindsight. As much as I wish he and other long-tenured Hall of Famers never suited up for other teams, it’s undeniably interesting to see them in different jerseys.

Naturally, that interest carries over to the virtual hardwood, where video games have preserved the weird stints of so many big names over the years. Much as I ultimately prefer to watch games and highlights where those players are in familiar uniforms, my first choice is to revisit video games – or play with classic teams – that represent those famous stints. However, just as I find it oddly fascinating to watch Wizards MJ or Patrick Ewing playing for the Seattle Supersonics alongside Gary Payton, it’s also fun to be reminded of those bizarre tenures whenever I encounter them in an old release. To that end, here are five reasons why I enjoy all of those weird stints in video games.

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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 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

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 a historical What If; namely, what if Karl Malone broke the all-time scoring record?

Welcome to what I hope will be a recurring Wayback Wednesday feature, in which I explore some intriguing NBA What Ifs, illustrated by basketball video games! For a hardcore basketball and history buff, diving into the league’s biggest What Ifs can be just as interesting as reflecting on real events, results, and records. What small change would have a huge impact on NBA history? Which important events that defined the legacies of teams and players are dependent on a particular decision or twist of fate? For want of a nail, what possible butterfly effects can we imagine?

Considering that I remain a huge fan of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, you might think that I’d be inclined to explore a hypothetical involving them. After all, for all of their success during the 90s, there are a couple of What Ifs there! I will get to them at some point as I do have my own opinions to share, but they’re popular NBA What Ifs that have been discussed many times before. As such, for my first What If, I’m imagining a timeline where Karl Malone breaks the all-time scoring record. It’s a once-feasible event that’s hardly discussed now, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 some thoughts on the wasted potential of NBA Live 18, in the wake of its servers being shut down.

NBA Live 18 has recently (and unexpectedly) made its way back into my rotation. Admittedly, it wasn’t an unthinkable prospect. It’s always been the eighth gen NBA Live that I’ve liked best – not that that’s a high bar to clear – and Dee and I also had a fun co-op session with it using Parsec and the Xbox app. Still, I expected it to be an occasional novelty, yet it became a full-blown retro kick. I’ve been revisiting Ultimate Team with my squad of 90s All-Stars, working through the challenges in The One’s Pro-Am Tour, and even assembling some makeshift 2017 and 2025 rosters!

These sessions have reminded me that NBA Live 18 had some good bones, and plenty of potential. In fact, I’d say that I have an even more positive impression of the game than I did when it was new! Of course, that has brought about a mixture of delight and wistfulness. There’s always joy in rediscovering a game or seeing one in a new light, and expanding your rotation. Given that most of my recent retro basketball gaming kicks have been much older, it was also refreshing to find a new one that’s from the past decade. At the same time, even before the server shutdown, the fun I was having with NBA Live 18 was accompanied by nagging thoughts of squandered opportunity.

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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 a few of the free agents who were in NBA Live 16, and putting them back in uniform.

To say that the roster customisation options in the eighth gen NBA Live releases were a disappointment is a massive understatement. After all, they were missing entirely until a patch added roster editing to NBA Live 18, and even then, the functionality was botched and buggy come NBA Live 19. Still, it’s far easier to set up a custom roster or fantasy scenario in those two titles, compared to the first three releases on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Indeed, outside of the official roster updates – which are no longer available – Dynasty mode is the only way to see players in a new jersey.

It’s also the only place that you’ll see the selection of Free Agents that are included in NBA Live 16. To that point, there are some veterans still in the game that, if we could create custom rosters, would’ve allowed us to set up some fun scenarios. It can still be done in Dynasty, but with the limitations of the salary cap and an inability to edit jersey numbers, re-creating lineups is quite a challenge. Nevertheless, I’ve been able to place some of those NBA Live 16 Free Agents back in a uniform that they once wore, correct number and all. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 some thoughts on whether it would be viable to create a single season roster mod that’s based on What Ifs.

Hypothetical situations invite thought-provoking discussions, no matter what the topic. To that end, like all sports, basketball has provided us with countless What Ifs. Granted, too many fanboys believe that their imaginary scenarios prove a point, as theoretical accomplishments are used to enhance a legacy. Tribalistic discourse aside however, NBA What Ifs are fun and interesting to ponder. They’re also a tantalising idea for roster mods, since those hypothetical situations can be made tangible, thus allowing various debates to be played out on the virtual hardwood.

A couple of people have made What If roster mods over the years. In fact, it’s an idea that I keep in the back of my mind as a project that I’d be open to tackling at some point. However, those What If rosters are usually comprised of standalone teams, and maybe an opponent for them. In other words, it’s a mixture of What Ifs: Tim Duncan on the 2001 Orlando Magic, Kobe Bryant on the 2005 Los Angeles Clippers, and so on. Such a mod is still fun to play with of course, but I’ve been wondering if it would actually be possible to make a single season roster that accounts for multiple What Ifs. If so, what would be the ideal season for it, and how much history would we change?

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