The Last Chance Suns - 1st Season, (NBA2K12)

Intro

So here it is. My first Association story. I'm very excited about this one, and I hope that you will be too. The association focuses on the Pheonix Suns. Phoenix is not my favorite team personally, but I like their squad, and with tweaking I think they'll fit just what I need for an interesting story.

Though I'm hopeful that this dynasty will span multiple seasons, the first few (or maybe even just the first) will focus on a specific spin, that of this particular Suns squad as the "Last Chance Suns" (which will be explained in a few posts). So there will definitely be changes in the mood and tone of each season, which I hope will keep the story fresh for you to read and me to write.

I myself am not only a huge basketball fan and an avid NBA2K player, I also am a big fan of creative writing; it has always been a hobby of mine. So, something like this is right up my alley, and I would like to thank NLSC for having such a forum available, and active at that. Because of my love of writing, a lot of this story will keep the focus of the actual basketball games, but less on the actual stats and more on character interactions, background, and conflicts (though I will try to include stats, but in a way that doesn't make it seem like I'm reporting them from a box score). I'll include a post at the beginning of the topic detailed the season's scores, standings, and such.

Here we go! Hope you enjoy the story!

PS. As I have stated, this group does have a nickname: "The Last Chance Suns" (much like the "Idiots" '04 Red Sox, or "The Lovable Losers" Cubs, or "The Over-the-Hill Gang" '70s Redskins). This team will embrace this title, as is central to the story. Later, the entire fanbase will do the same. So, I would love it for anyone to create dornas for this title for use later in the season.

ROSTER

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Tracy McGrady
SF - Grant Hill
PF - Marcin Gortat
C - Robin Lopez

Backcourt



Frontcourt



Center



6 - Vince Carter, SG
7 - Aaron Brooks, PG
8 - Mickael Pietrus, SF
9 - Nick Collison, PF
10 - Channing Frye, C
11 - Hakim Warrick, PF
12 - Zabian Dowdell, PG

Bench



Res. 1 - Gani Lawal, PF
Res. 2 - Garret Siler, C
Res. 3 - Nazr Mohammed, C

Reserves

SEASON

First Season

5 - 5
T-1st Pacific Division

Pacific Standings :

W	L	GB	Team
5	4	0.0	Los Angeles Clippers (Record vs. Suns : 0 - 0)
5	5	0.0	Los Angeles Lakers (Record vs. Suns : 0 - 1)
5	5	0.0	Phoenix Suns
5	5	0.0	Golden State Warriors (Record vs. Suns : 0-0)
2	8	3.0	Sacramento Kings (Record vs. Suns : 0 - 0)

Western Conference :

W	L	GB	Team
9	0	0.0	1. Oklahoma City Thunder
8	1	0.5	2. Portland Trailblazers
7	2	1.5	3. Dallas Mavericks
6	2	2.0	4. Houston Rockets
6	3	2.5	5. Utah Jazz
5	3	3.0	6. San Antonio Spurs
5	5	4.0	7. Los Angeles Lakers
5	5	4.0	8. Phoenix Suns
--	--	--	--
1	7	7.0	15. NO

Eastern Conference :

W	L	GB	Team
7	1	0.0	1. Boston Celtics
7	1	0.0	2. Miami Heat
5	3	2.0	3. New Jersey Nets
5	4	2.5	4. Orlando Magic
4	4	3.0	5. Detroit Pistons
4	5	3.5	6. Milwaukee Bucks
3	4	3.5	7. Chicago Bulls
3	4	3.5	8. New York Knicks
--	--	--	--
1	8	6.5	15. Toronto Raptors

First Playoffs

Last edited by IQuessSo on Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:48 am, edited 11 times in total.

Posts:
1. Preseason - Tracy McGrady and the Article
2. Season Opener - The Suns vs. Oklahoma City
3. 2 -3, 1.5 Games back /// 4. 3 - 4, 1.0 Games back
5. 4- 5, 1.0 Games back cont.


STORY STARTS NEXT POST!

Last edited by IQuessSo on Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:48 am, edited 4 times in total.

Preseason

Tracy had no sooner reached his browser's homepage before his eyes caught the sidebar, and the link to the article: "Suns Trade; Season Done Already?"
T-Mac could not resist clicking, and so he did. It was now the final week of the offseason, and McGrady was in Phoenix, his new home. That summer, on draft night, he was shipped from the Detroit Pistons to the Suns for Jared Dudley and both of Phoenix's draft picks. He was puzzled, but Phoenix's new general manager, John Cartwright, has explained the decision to him : he believed Tracy could lead the Suns back to contendership. Over the years, even Tracy himself had lost faith in his talent; billed originally as "the next Jordan" and "the most potential the league had ever seen", Tracy had been reduced to the "injury-plagued sad-story". Since his injuries had come to prominence, T-Mac had greatly improved his durability, but by now the athleticism he held earlier in his career had diminished. Still, it was good to know someone had recognized he still had something left to give a team. It didn't hurt that it was Phoenix, where his cousin Vince Carter played; it was Vince's home that Tracy had been staying at for both the team camps and to find a new house in Arizona for his family.
Now his eyes scrolled along the page of the article, his heart sinking with each word.

PHOENIX, AZ - A lot of thoughts ran through the heads of the young prospects waiting to hear their name called on draft night. A lot of thoughts ran through the heads of the teams and their respective staff, scrambling for the best of the best out of that same class sitting in front of the stage. Apparently, the only thoughts on the mind of John Cartwright, newly appointed President of Basketball Operations for the Phoenix Suns, were that of : "How do I get out of here without having to make a single pick and simultaneously screw up the team I just received?" Well played, Mr. Cartwright.

The Phoenix Suns, shortly after the first three picks, were reported and later confirmed to have traded with the Detroit Pistons, sending Jared Dudley and both of their draft picks to Auburn Palace for shooting guard Tracy McGrady. The trade was the favorite talk of the "analysts" covering the draft for the next few picks, and the next morning it had an article or a segment on most major sports websites or networks. Most of this discussion was of the sheer ridiculousness of the trade, and why the Suns would downsize their squad for a former highlight-maker that has since lost his reel.

This writer would have to agree. Dudley, aged at 26, was the starting shooting guard for the Suns, and was a bright young spot on the roster. That's the key word of this whole situation. "Young". The Suns now have a lineup of old men, with McGrady, 32, Carter, 34, Nash, 36, and Grant Hill at 39. The entire point of the draft is to keep your talent fresh, and Mr. Cartwright and the Suns saw it as an opportunity to age their roster. And at that, most of their current young talent isn't up to snuff with the other 1-year rookies and 2-year sophomores of the league.


Tracy McGrady shoots free-throws with new Suns teammate Grant Hill in an arena team practice on Saturday.

The story remains to be seen of these men, but from a pre-season assumption, it does not look good. There is no denying that those men have talent, but with the exception of Nash it might be safe to say that they have all past their prime. The Suns are of course not the largest market, and so coverage of their camps and practices have been minuscule. One thing is for sure though. For Nash, Carter, Hill, and McGrady, this season better be a good one, because for any of them it could be their last chance.

- Ian Elias, Pheonix Sports Blog

Tracy kept going over the last line with his eyes. Last chance.

You really should have kept J-Dud, but I like the idea of T-Mac going to Phoenix to go hang with his former teammates Grant Hill and VC.

iirc I think VC and T-Mac are related?

iirc I think VC and T-Mac are related?

Cousins?

iirc I think VC and T-Mac are related?

Cousins?

I don't really understand what you mean by the question marks. They are first or second cousins I believe, there was a big deal made out of it when they both played in Toronto at the beginning of their careers. I think they were close and then when T-Mac went to the Magic they had a falling out or something, and not much has been made of it since; so for creative purposes I just decided to have them be close again.

@ z02 : Well I just kind of had the idea when I was scrolling through the rosters and noticed the Suns good but older talent, and T-Mac's similarity. So I paired them up, so it would help fit the theme of it being their "last chance" to make a run. Jared Dudley was collateral because he was the Sun's starting shooting guard in 2k's default rotation. I also included the draft picks because obviously there are no rookies yet, plus it adds to them being an older team.

Second cousins, I believe. And both of them are great players, Tracy just doesn't like being left at Carter's back. This is like a reunion.

Second cousins, I believe. And both of them are great players, Tracy just doesn't like being left at Carter's back. This is like a reunion.

Yeah, and now Carter is backup to Tracy. Maybe I'll play off that, but then again they have matured. I think I'll take a few games to just get everyone set up before I dive into some true conflict.

Season Opener



It never got easier. Everyone felt the knots in their stomach. The season opener. Oklahoma City had won its first game already, and they had gotten that feeling out of the way; but it was still present within the Suns locker room, especially with two men: the unofficial but very much recognized captain, Steve Nash, and Tracy McGrady. Nash did well enough hiding it, and his nervousness wasn't too bad, but simply just the feeling of wanting to start off the season on a good note. For Tracy, it was a feeling he had many times before but could not shake; he was in front of a new crowd once more, and the pressure was definitely present. How would they react? He could never tell. It wasn't rational to think they were just going to outright boo him upon his entrance, but at this point he wasn't sure of anything.

"... and at shooting guard, your newest Sun, Tracy McGraaaaaady!" Tracy made his way onto the court and was immediately greeted by deafening cheers. For whatever reason, the people were excited to see him. For a moment, T-Mac could not have felt better. It was taking him back to a younger time in his career.

Then tip-off came. From the beginning, Nash was ready. The Thunder started out with the ball, but Robin Lopez would pull down a missed Westbrook shot and Nash would take it up court, quickly getting it to a cutting T-Mac who would lay in a closely contested ball. And that was as much as you would see from Tracy in the first half. Which was unfortunate for the Suns, as before the game Nash had told Tracy he was going to get him the ball as much as possible to loosen the jitters. But Tracy would go 0 - 3 on his next few tries, and a few times he even lost the ball, though both times the Suns were able to recover. But Phoenix still had Steve Nash. With his good defense on Westbrook, he would lead them to a 6 - 0 run to start, and had them up by 8 at the first timeout, with about 4 minutes left to go.


How amusing, throwback jerseys for an old team?

Coach Gentry would take Tracy out in favor in Vince to see his first minutes of the season. Tracy obliged. He was not feeling his groove.
But Vince obviously was feeling a grove. The next play after his entrance, he would pull down a miss by James Harden and take it up the court himself en-route to a fastbreak layup. This lit a fire in Tracy, a suppressed competitiveness he had long held with his cousin, and the agitation slowly faded. He was ready.

The first quarter though, was all Nash; this was after all still his team. He had 8 points and 4 assists by the start of the second, and his defense on Westbrook was doing the team well.

The second quarter began with the Sun's bench squad, with the exception of McGrady. The Thunder would go on a 12 - 2 run in the first 3 minutes, highlighted by Kevin Durant's scoring (he would finish the game with 31). About 8:00 in, Tracy pulled down the orange in a heated rebounding battle, and having previously been 1 of 5, went on a 2 of 2 scoring run on the next two possessions. He was finally getting it; he felt fresh, as if this was a new beginning and he could really contribute something here. And for this game, he certainly did.



This perception was strengthened when he hit a transition three off a half-court pass from rebounding Robin Lopez with 4:24 minutes remaining in the first half, to tie the game 39 - 39. Then the next possession, after a two point OKC trip, Nash would hit an open McGrady for another three; 42 - 41. Thunder timeout. Nash grinned at T-Mac as they entered the huddle: "I told you I'd get you."

Now with twelve, McGrady would finish out the second quarter with 16. The Suns were up 46 - 43 heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Suns worked with a mid-range game, with Nash dishing out the assists and taking in a layup when no open shot could be found. It was still tight, with Durant making it hard for the Suns and keeping the game close: at a 5:00 timeout the score was 58 - 58. In the next few minutes, Steve Nash would go on to toss an assist to Grant Hill for three, Hill would block a Durant fast break layup, and Nash would hit Grant two more times for three consecutive assists between the two. Two trips later, Grant would pull down yet another Westbrook miss (he finished the game with only 9 pts and 4 assists), and take it up court himself for a transistion three. To anyone on the outside, it would seem as though Grant Hill was an elder statesman who was kept around just out of respect. But the Suns saw differently, and so did Grant: He could still make it happen.

In the fourth quarter, Phoenix truly started to pull away. Nash played the stalwart, scoring when needed and making excellent passes. However, with 4:30 minutes to go, with the bench squad of the Suns on the court, Oklahoma City would make an amazing 15 - 0 run off a number of passing lane steals from Thabo Sefolosha, to cut the game to 85 -95.

Then Steve Nash would check in and almost immediately hit a three; off an assist from Vince Carter. It seemed to take the life out of the Thunder, and this is where the game truly ended.



McGrady's true introduction was yet to be seen, and it would come with 37 seconds left. Grabbing an inbound pass from Lopez, he was immediately double-teamed by Harden and Kendrick Perkins; but the double-team was from the outside. Tracy immediately saw a lane and broke free of his defenders, drove and lept over an unsuspecting Westbrook for the dunk - and one. The crowd went ballistic. It was a glimpse of a young McGrady - and they hoped - a glimpse of things to come.



The Suns would win, 106 - 97.
Tracy would finish the game with 29. But Nash was the real highlight, racking up 12 assists and 25 points, only missing four shots. Hill would finish with 15, and Carter with 8 and 6 rebounds. There were also useful contributions from Gortat, Lopez, and Warrick, each pulling in a fair share of rebounds and each having six points.
After the game, the locker room was full of smiles and jokes. There was no pressure; no one expected the Suns to go anywhere, but the Suns knew they could win, and that was where the elation came from. Beating OKC, a tough team, by a good margin in their first game could be a great stepping stone.
John Cartwright entered the locker room, and congratulated Nash and then Tracy. He shook Tracy's hand. "Good game out there."
Tracy could simply be appreciative. He had joined the roster as a starter, and contributed one of his biggest games in years. "Thanks, Mr. Cartwright." It might be a good season after all.

Nash should average 25/12. That would be a talking point.

2 - 3, 1.5 Games back
@ Indiana Pacers, 1- 4



It had been a rollercoaster since the season opener for the Suns squad. The next game, at LAL, was a big win, and their confidence was soaring. But the next three games that followed were defeats, first to Portland, then to Memphis, and finally a close loss to Minnesota (though this was the one that hurt most, as big man Hakim Warrick had muttered after the game: "It shouldn't have even been close.") The bright spots were still the backcourt combo of Tracy McGrady and Steve Nash, coming into Indianapolis averaging 18.0 and 16.5 PPG respectively, with Nash adding an 8.7 APG average. Though the national sports networks did not yet bother to acknowledge it, much of a buzz locally was being made out of the two, especially the arrival of T-Mac, and attendance had spiked. But this time, Phoenix was on the road, and against a good Pacers team (though they had gotten off to a poor 1 - 4 start).

There was another buzz around the locker room as the team suited up. In the early season trade talks, the name of Josh Childress had been thrown around. The reasoning by some of the analysts was that the Suns were planning to look for a better low-post player in exchange for him and also to free up the log-jam at the 3 spot (Jared Dudley had also been primarily a small forward who was played down to a 2); the Suns still had a mix-up with Mickael Pietrus and Josh Childress, with Pietrus being the primary backup and Childress' talent being wasted at the third-string. There was no discussion by Josh or anyone else on this subject, but an agitated air existed around him during the pre-game.

Tip-off and the first quarter were an inverse reflection of the season opener. Tracy began to hit shot after shot, while Steve struggled to find anything. The first attempt by the Suns was a Nash runner that was quickly blocked (the Pacers had 10 blocks by the final buzzer). Phoenix's second attempt was a gorgeous McGrady spin layup, which would fall beautifully off an assist from Nash, who still managed to dish out 3 assists in the first. McGrady would hit a three the next possession and finish the one after that with a powerful dunk. Danny Granger would perform well for the Pacers in the first, as he had so far during the season, averaging 20.0 points coming into this matchup.This was the trend of the quarter. Phoenix would miss, Indiana would score, and McGrady would score to deadlock the lead. He finished the quarter with 11, with the Suns up 24 - 21.



The second quarter would be different. Nash fed the ball to McGrady on each of their next four possessions, yet T-Mac would miss all four times, at one point being blocked (though another trip would result in two points off free throws. Tracy went into the game shooting 95% from the line, and would go 6 - 6 in this game). Coach Gentry put an end to the cold streak before it got worse, sending in Vince Carter. And, as he'd done every game of the young season (he had the night's team-high 22 points in the lost to Minnesota), VC immediately went to work. The Suns were losing on the boards and from the field, but they held onto the lead with four straight baskets from Carter, who would widen the lead to ten. The next possession, Carter delivered a ferocious slam over three Pacers, silencing the Indiana crowd. With a big grin, Vince pointed at Tracy on the bench; T-Mac could simply wave a hand dismissively. Obviously, there was some one-upping going on between the two.



Whatever it was, the Suns were rolling with their bench squad. Well, almost. The lone dark spot was Josh Childress. He was posting team lows in almost every statistic entering into the game, and the trade rumors didn't help his confidence either. He would turn over the ball 2 times in the quarter, and 3 times in the game; he finished with zero points on 0 - 3 shooting.


One of Childress' turnovers, a lost ball on a bad dribble.

Nevertheless, the Suns went into the locker room at halftime up 56 - 50. Nash had caught his groove offensively once more, and despite starting out 0 - 4 was up to 11 points. Childress was clearly shaken by his play, and was reclusive while waiting for the third quarter to begin. Many teammates could sense that it might be one of his last games in a Phoenix uniform.

The third quarter mirrored the second. The Pacers could never gain a lead, or even come within two, though occasionally a run would pickup and die. McGrady had still not found his stroke, and after the next few misses, it was again Carter who was called in to deliver the scoring. He did so. 6 - 6 in the first three quarters, he would finish with a perfect FG% on 7 - 7 shooting, with 16 points, including two from deep. With 3:50 minutes left in the third, Childress, having commited another turnover, would check out on a Pacers free throw attempt. His head down, giving a lighthearted tap to Grant Hill, many could see the look of a man with numbered days.



The fourth quarter was again a problem for the Suns. Starting off with a 12 point lead, the Suns would get off to a horrible start shooting, going 0 - 6, and finally ending it with an impressive dunk from Hakim Warrick, who would finish with 8 points and some good work on the glass. Unlike the Oklahoma City game, the Pacers would not be able to make a viable run at the lead. This was do in large part to an injury to Darren Collison at 8:54, who came down wrong on a leaping rebound. He stayed out the rest of the game; his absence was noted as the Pacers ball movement was hindered (two times they were called on shot clock violations looking for an open man).

The game would mercifully come to an end for the crowd in Indianapolis, with the Suns winning 108 - 93. McGrady finally finished strong with 31 points, and Steve Nash would have 22 points and 12 assists by the final buzzer.

After the game, a reporter scrambled for Childress. "Josh, your performance tonig-"
Josh brushed forcefully past the microphone and towards the locker room. He didn't need to stand in front of a camera and predict what people already were thinking. Tonight was his last game as a Sun.

4 - 5, 1.0 Games back

But it was not. The front office of the Suns was obviously not one to dabble in rumors, and for the next few games there was no sign of Josh being moved. Those few games though, were marked by two losses after and finally a win against the Raptors, during none of which Childress had contributed in. That's when enough appeared to be enough. Following the game at Toronto, Childress was called in by an assistant coach to a seperate room away from the lockers. His fate would be decided there.

Another important event occured in that three game span. The day in between the Pacers win and the loss (to the Bucks, where Steven Jackson posted 31 points), Grant Hill announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season. The 39 year old would turn 40 soon, and in a press conference he said that both he and his agent had agreed it was time to hang it up. He also noted though, that his desire for a ring had not been diminished. "I still want it," he said. "And you never know, maybe before it's done, I'll have one."

[To the folks reading this;

I've been contemplating whether to switch to a lighter writing style that would allow me to post more often. Do you guys prefer that or the longer posts, at the cost of slower updates? I'll try to do whatever.

BTW, any jersey patchers? I have some ideas for new Suns jerseys that I'd like to debut during the association. Thanks!]

Definitely opt for the shorter recaps if it's funner for you. There are exceptions, but in general, most people skim recaps that are more than a couple paragraphs long, checking out the pics and whether you won.

So unless you're in sports journalism class, I'd recommend more concise recaps.

Definitely opt for the shorter recaps if it's funner for you. There are exceptions, but in general, most people skim recaps that are more than a couple paragraphs long, checking out the pics and whether you won.

So unless you're in sports journalism class, I'd recommend more concise recaps.

[Fair enough, thanks.]

4 - 5, 1.0 Games back cont.



So it was announced, following the Raptors game, that Josh Childress was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed. In what was a head-scratcher to most, insider information eventually revealed that Childress' poor play had ruined his trade value, and though the Suns wanted more, they were desperate to get rid of him and had to settle for the two bench big men. A press conference was held by John Cartwright, where he addressed the media.
"We want to wish the best of luck to Josh in his new home in OKC, and we want to extend a warm welcome to Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed, our two newest Suns!"
The decision on the two was obvious. Big bodies who could crash the boards; and that's exactly what they got, albeit at a non-star level.


4 - 5, 1.0 Games back cont.


T-Mac gives Suns fans a new image of "the Shot"

It was a nailbiter. Seconds left on the clock, a three needed to tie. Nash bombs upcourt, tosses to McGrady. Tracy shakes his defender and launches a high arc. The ball swishes as the buzzer sounds. 98 - 98. "We're going to overtime!"

The Bulls had come into Phoenix and the U.S. Airways Center not much better than the Suns, with a 4 - 4 record. They got off to an 11 - 4 start in the game, but Tracy McGrady would do a superb job drawing fouls and would bring Phoenix to 14 - 11 purely on free throws and and-ones. From there, through four quarters, it was a battle. Both teams traded leads back and forth, a total of 16 times. With 2:30 to go though, Chicago was up by 9. With VC providing the spark, Nash, Hill, and T-Mac would all cut it down to three and a good stop on the Bulls' final possession would leave them with the last shot. It had to be seen to be believed. In OT, the Suns pulled away, highlighted by an amazing windmill dunk by T-Mac. The Suns would win 116 - 109, and now tie the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors in their division with a 5 - 5 record each.

Stats:

• T- Mac had 44 points, 4 boards, 7 assists, and 4 steals. He's really breathing new hope into this Suns team, and playing at an All-Star level while doing it.
• Steve Nash scored 23 points, and dished out 7. Still playing at a good level when it matters most.
• Pietrus scored 13 with his extended minutes after Childress' leave.
• VC got 12, still working well as the offensive spark off the bench.
• Grant Hill had a solid 8, with 2 three-pointers to cut the lead.
• Newcomer Collison had 2 of each; boards, points, assists.

• Luol Deng led the Bulls with 25 in the losing effort; Rose had 19 points and 14 assists.

Highlights:

phpBB [video]

T-Mac's buzzer beater at the end.