Bulls 2008/2009 Dynasty [NBA Live 09/Xbox 360]

[Andrew]

Well, like I said, I've had other things get in the way of my gaming the last few days. Finally got some time to start the season properly tonight.

October 28th, 2008
Milwaukee (99) at Chicago (105)
Bulls win opener behind strong fourth quarter

The Bulls snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a wild shootout in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visiting Bucks 37-24 in the period to open their 2008/2009 season with a win. Newly acquired Mehmet Okur led the Bulls with 24 points and 14 rebounds while Ben Gordon scored 22 in the win over Chicago's Central Division rivals.

A raucous United Center crowd fell silent early as the Bucks jumped out to a commanding lead, the deficit reaching eleven points early in the first quarter. The Bulls rallied behind Tyrus Thomas however, who stole on the ball on three consecutive possessions and ran out on the fast break where he finished each time with a thunderous dunk. The game was knotted at 25 apiece heading into the second where Milwaukee rode Charlie Villanueva, who finished with 28 points on 13/20 shooting. The Bucks ended the half up 50-44 and withstood every Bulls charge through the third quarter, at one point stretching the lead back out to nine.

Milwaukee seemed to have the game in hand in the fourth before a final push saw the Bulls take the lead for good with under two minutes remaining. Andres Nocioni knocked down two big threes and Kirk Hinrich added another from downtown to keep the Bucks at bay and eventually sealed the game at the free throw line. Rookie Derrick Rose, the first overall section in the 2008 Draft, had a solid debut with 14 points and 6 assists while bringing the crowd to its feet with a couple of dunks but was on the bench during Chicago's fourth quarter run while veteran Hinrich manned the point.

"It's not a pretty win, but we'll take it," Bulls coach Andrew Begley commented after the game. "There's room for improvement but I'm proud of the way we hung in there and were able to chip away at the lead. We showed great composure after the rough start." The game saw Scott Skiles' return to Chicago after being fired by the Bulls last December. Skiles received a reasonably cordial reaction from fans when he was introduced before the game, a reaction that surprised the former Bulls' coach. "I appreciate the respect they showed me," Skiles said after the game. "I would've preferred us to leave with the win, though".

Notes: All five Bucks starters scored in double figures led by Villanueva's 28. Michael Redd scored 20 points while Richard Jefferson added 17...Villanueva also came up with 17 rebounds, grabbing 11 in the first half alone...only two free throws were missed between both teams, with the Bulls shooting 10/11 and the Bucks 7/8 from the charity stripe.

Record: 1-0
Next Opponent: Boston Celtics (October 31st)

[Valor]

nice win to shame scott skiles in the opener, just like real life

[C-77]

wow! nice recap,good luck with the Celtics.

[Cleveland wins]

Wow great win! But how are you going to stop pierce and allen? I think in the next game the bulls are going to have to score from midrange, and play some defense against garnett. The bulls are gonna have to play extra hard defense. I hope you win.

[Andrew]

Knicks sign free agent guard Salim Stoudamire

NEW YORK, NY -- The New York Knicks today announced the signing of free agent guard Salim Stoudamire. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stoudamire played three seasons for the Atlanta Hawks between 2005 and 2008, posting averages of 8.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.0 apg in 157 career games, including one start. He was signed to a non-guaranteed contract by the San Antonio Spurs during the offseason but was cut during training camp.

Suns sign Michael Doleac

PHOENIX, AZ -- The Phoenix Suns have signed free agent centre Michael Doleac. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Doleac, a ten year veteran, spent last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he appeared in 24 games including 8 starts and posted averages of 2.4 ppg and 2.0 rpg. He has also played for the Magic, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets and Heat, where he won a championship in 2006.

Rookie OJ Mayo sidelined by broken foot

MEMPHIS, TN -- OJ Mayo's rookie season has gotten off to an unfortunate start with the promising first year player sidelined by a broken foot. The injury occurred during the Memphis Grizzlies' 100-90 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, early in the third quarter. After scoring 26 points in the first half, Mayo was seen to be in tremendous pain after landing on Yao Ming's foot and had to be taken back to the lockerroom in a wheelchair. He is expected to miss at least two to three months.

"I just feel so bad for OJ," said Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni. "He was simply amazing in the first half and having a great debut. It's not the way any of us wanted him to start his career, that's for sure." The Grizzlies host the Magic on Friday and will then face the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday.

LeBron to miss two weeks with achilles injury

CLEVELAND, OH -- The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a blow when superstar LeBron James was injured in last night's game against the Bobcats in Charlotte. The injury occurred with four minutes remaining in the first half and has been identified as a strained achilles tendon. The initial prognosis is that James will miss at least two weeks with the injury. Veteran Wally Szczerbiak is expected to start in place of James, last year's scoring champion and one of the most exciting players in the league.

"This is just about the last thing any of us wanted to see but we just have to tough it out until LeBron gets back," said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. "It's fortunate that the injury isn't any worse and that we'll hopefully only be without him for two weeks."

October 31st, 2008
Chicago (91) at Boston (103)
Defending champions defend homecourt

The Boston Celtics fought off a valiant effort by the Chicago Bulls to remain undefeated at 2-0 and defend their homecourt with a 103-91 victory. Kevin Garnett led the charge for the defending champions with 32 points and 17 rebounds while reigning Finals MVP Paul Pierce scored 22 points of his own. Andres Nocioni led the Bulls with 14 points off the bench.

"They came out trying to prove a point but we showed why we're the champions," Pierce said after the game. "They played hard, you have to give them a lot of credit. They weren't intimidated. But we weren't about to let them beat us here". The teams traded baskets through the first quarter and Chicago led by as many as six during the second quarter but a 13-2 run by the Celtics gave them a lead they would not relinquish, leading by as many as sixteen in the second half.

Garnett terrorised the Bulls in the paint, scoring on a variety of turnaround jumpers in the post and pounding the boards, snaring four of his seventeen rebounds at the offensive end and playing tough defense on Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas at the opposite end of the floor. His efforts overcame a poor shooting night by Ray Allen, who had just seven points on 2/14 shooting. "That's how we beat up on teams," Garnett explained. "We don't just rely on one guy, we're all willing to step up and if one of us is having a tough night, the rest of us have got his back."

Turnovers hurt the Bulls in the second half as a handful of errant passes turned into fastbreak points for the Celtics. The Bulls were also outmuscled on the boards, being outrebounded 43-35 including a 9-3 differential at the offensive end. Chicago also struggled to get shot attempts against Boston's tenacious defense, attempting only 80 shots to the Celtics' 94 and several Bulls looked uncomfortable shooting the ball. Luol Deng, who only scored two points against Milwaukee, managed nine points in tonight's game but was 3/9 from the field. Ben Gordon also had a tough night, scoring just 13 points on 6/15 shooting.

The Bulls will try to rebound tomorrow night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics will face the Pacers in Indiana.

Record: 1-1
Next Opponent: Memphis Grizzlies (November 1st 2008)

Raptors sign Fazekas

TORONTO, ON -- The Toronto Raptors have signed free agent forward Nick Fazekas. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Fazekas was drafted by Dallas with the 34th pick in 2007 but was released in February of 2008 to make room for Keith Van Horn, who was traded to New Jersey in a deal that allowed the Mavericks to acquire Jason Kidd. He also spent time with the Clippers and signed with the Denver Nuggets during the offseason before being waived on October 23rd.

[hova-]

Nice win against the Bucks, but tough loss vs the Cs. Nocioni leading all scorers with 14p shows that this was not the best night on the offensive end against a good team D by the Celtics.
Its hard to play good offense with the Bulls imho since they have a lot of talented players offensively. In my 82 games 2k8 Association with the Bulls (my only 82 game dynasty Ive had so far) I simply decided to make Deng my main guy on offense and it turned out to be a nice decision because a balanced offense might be nice at times, but you need mismatches and a go to guy to be successfull imho.
But from your last dynasty I know that Gordon could bring these points to the sheet .. why didnt he in the first two games ?

[Fresh8]

Gordon had 22 in game 1. Must have had a poor shooting night in game 2.

[C-77]

Well IMO,You should rely on Derrick Rose & Luol Deng sometimes

[Andrew]

I've had difficulty scoring with Deng through the first two games. Gordon and Okur were great in the season opener but the Celtics are simply a tougher team.

But from your last dynasty I know that Gordon could bring these points to the sheet .. why didnt he in the first two games ?

Gordon did score 22 points in the first game. I guess the short answer is that NBA Live 09 isn't NBA Live 06, it's a bit tougher to score inside with a player like Gordon in 09. In 06, if you were in desperate need for a basket you could go to Freestyle Superstars and utilise an Outside Scorer layup with Gordon nine times out of ten. My shot selection could be a little better too.

[deihatein]

Nice to see Andrew that you have made another Dynasty here. Gonna follow it. Tough luck against the Celtics. Hope you win your next game.

[Andrew]

Thanks dei, I hope so too since it's the Grizzlies and they'll be without Mayo.

[AMenace]

Any more updates??????? I've enjoyed reading this and will continue to follow.

[Andrew]

Not yet, a few other things have gotten in the way (including an addiction to Fallout 3) but I'll be playing some more games soon.

[AMenace]

OK, i'll be looking forward to the next update!!!

[Andrew]

Appreciate the enthusiasm.

I finished Fallout 3 this evening so I'll be picking up my Dynasty again.

[kibaxx7]

I finished Fallout 3 this evening so I'll be picking up my Dynasty again.

Nice Incredible game. I like the trade you did for Okur. Later if you have time pass by my dynasty Andrew, click on Mr. Stark on my sig

[deihatein]

Still updating this Andrew??
This is the reason I want to post again..

[Andrew]

When I play some games, sure. I've been wanting to but other things keep getting in the way. Maybe this evening once I get through a few things I need to do.

[UVA44]

NIce dynasty. Too bad with the loss against the C's. Oh, and if you don't like the scoring ability of Deng, you could always trade for Gerald Wallace, who can score well, but also plays great defence.

[Andrew]

I'm always open to doing something like that, but I'd like to try and utilise him better first.

[UVA44]

Yeah I guess. When are you gonna update again?

[Andrew]

When I play some more games. Other stuff gets in the way and when you prefer to play 12 minute quarters, sometimes you have to pick and choose when you can sit down and play a couple of games.

[racetime]

I play 12 minute quaters too! always have, and always will. sucked so much of my time during my high school days back in 97/98/99/2000

hey the trade is awesome, CJ miles should be one of your future stars. Drafting a big guy for 2010? wow... can't believe the 01-09's are gone, and its 2010. yeah its been a while.. omg i am getting so old.

[Andrew]

I can certainly relate.

I do intend on getting back into this at some point, just been busy with NLSC projects and of course the real world. I can't quite kick my Fallout 3 obsession either and with the Broken Steel DLC coming out next week it'll be a while yet before I'm done with it. As soon as I play a few more games I'll start posting some new updates though.

[racetime]

i was waiting heaps on f03, but i dont have an awesome enuff computer to play it.

i've always been a big fan of BG, made a wallpaper of him sometime back with snaps of him doing amazing buzzer beaters on nba.coms highlight player. can't believe he brought it all to the bulls-celts series, that was certainly something. somehow nba and si.com and espn focused not on gordons one man show performance in winning game two but rather on the celts which i found kinda dumb.

and pierce, ray, those vets do not have the lateral speed to defend chicagos young bench. i think bulls will find it difficult to score inside against teams with a legit inside presence if they go to the next round.