A New Era: Utah Jazz (Live 08) - Week 5 Update (Sort of)

[Fresh8]

Who got banned? To make it clear man, I never got banned. Thats why I can still post here.

[Lamrock]

Well, contrary to what Jing said, you clearly haven't been banned, unless you were, but then allowed to return. I'm talking about McDwyane, who is now a legend due to being the greatest spammer ever here.

Lineup Modification

Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has decided to move sophomore stud Ronnie Brewer into the starting lineup, replacing current Shooting Guard Mike Miller. "Mike has been great for us, hitting shots out of double teams and doing the little things to win games. However, I feel that his play style is best suited for a sixth man. He will likely get just as many minutes if not more, but I feel that if he comes off the bench, like he did in 2005-06, I feel we can get the best play out of him. If it doesn't pan out, we will revert back to starting Miller." Miller has averaged 14 points, 4 Rebounds and 3 Assists as a starter this season. Brewer has averaged 8 points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists, as well as a block and a steal per game in his reserve role.


Ronnie Brewer

[Chaser7]

Hmm.. can't say I really agree with the lineup change, I think Brewer is more important as a 6th man. I guess it depends, are you playing the whole game, or just simulating and intervening? How long are your quarters?

[Lamrock]

Well, Brewer has generally been outplaying Miller, plus, he is the Jazz starter in real life. I feel that Mike Miller's style of play is best suited for a sixth man role, a guy who can come off the bench to torch the other team with his shooting. Bear in mind his Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2005-06!

I intervene early in the fourth pretty much every game, sometimes just letting the game sim out when its a massive blowout. The quarters are 12 minutes, but on the rare occasion I actually play the entire game, I do 8 minutes.

[Chaser7]

Train brewer to shoot better then. A good 6 th man is always important so i guess miller ia better in that role than brewer

[Isaiah]

miller can help the second unit with his kind-of-a-veteran presence and his deadly shooting. so i kinda understand the move. anyway a good chance for brewer to improve.

[Phantom18]

woo! BREWER! BREWER! dude is sick
provides solid D and that good dunker

[Lamrock]

Week 3: November 11-November 17

November 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves @ Utah Jazz | Season Series: 0-0 | Halftime Intervention

The last team the 6-0 Jazz expected to give them trouble was the Minnesota Timberwolves, especially on their home floor. However, behind Al Jefferson's 20-10 night, Corey Brewer's solid line of 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 Steals, and Gerald Green's 24, the Timberwolves came quite close. The first three quarters of the game were very even, the Timberwolves holding on to a small lead throughout the first three quarters. They were up by 1 going into the fourth, but it was then that they ran out of gas. Behind Williams' 25 Points, Okur's 31 and 13 and Boozer's 30 and 15, the Jazz pulled out to a solid 10 point lead, in which they held on to for the rest of the game. Despite a couple nice shots down the stretch, the Timberwolves could not catch up, and were beaten by the superior Jazz 102-97.

MCDWYANE M.V.P. of the Game: Carlos Boozer: 30 Points, 15 Rebounds, 4 Blocks, 14-23

High Scorers (By Team): UTA: Okur (31 PTS, 10-17), MIN: Green (24 PTS, 10-20)
Star Sixth Man: Damon Stoudamire (UTA): 15 Points, 6 Assists, 6-13 FG

26 29 29 21 97
24 21 30 27 102

November 14 | Utah Jazz @ Toronto Raptors | Season Series: 0-0 | 4th Quarter Intervention

From start to finish, the game between Utah and Toronto was a complete disaster. In addition to their first loss of the season, the Jazz were blown out by 22, and lost backup Point Guard Damon Stoudamire for 2 weeks from a severe ankle sprain going for a layup. In an utterly dominant performance, Raptors star Chris Bosh put up huge numbers, and held Jazz star Carlos Boozer to just 16 Points and 5 Rebounds. Fellow Frontcourt player Andrea Bargnani played huge with 25 Points and 15 Rebounds, and TJ Ford impressed with 18 Points and 9 Assists. The only bright spots of the game were Deron Williams, who had 23 Points and 10 Assists, and sixth man stud Mike Miller's 25 Points. The Raptors Won it 112-90.

MCDWYANE M.V.P. of the Game: Chris Bosh: 34 Points, 14 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 3 Steals, 3 Assists, 13-22

High Scorers (By Team): UTA: Mike Miller (25 PTS, 10-20), TOR: Chris Bosh (34 PTS, 10-22)
Star Sixth Man: Mike Miller (UTA): 25 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 10-20

14 20 30 26 90
27 28 24 33 112

November 16 | Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers | Season Series: 1-0 | 4th Quarter Intervention

Coming off of a huge loss in Toronto, the Utah Jazz had planned to get back on track with a win in Cleveland. The Cavaliers, wanting revenge from the November 7 blowout defeat, had different plans. The game was very exciting from start to finish, with the Jazz staying in control for most of the first half. LeBron and co. turned it on in the second half, coming within two going into the fourth. Led by Carlos Boozer's 26 and 11 and Deron Williams' 16 and 10, the Jazz pulled out to an 8 point lead. Solid Cavalier defensive execution helped the Cavaliers get back into the game, and after Deron fouled out, third-string PG Jason Hart came back out. Hart played brilliantly in the waning minutes of the game, but Lithuanian Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas played huge for his team (fitting for his 7-3 frame) and led his Cavaliers to a 104-102 victory, handing the Jazz their second straight defeat. With a second to go, Mehmet Okur pulled up for a game-winning 3, which was blocked by Ilgauskas.

MCDWYANE M.V.P. of the Game: Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Blocks, 9-13

High Scorers (By Team): CLE: LeBron James (28 PTS, 13-25), UTA: Carlos Boozer (21 PTS, 9-24)
Star Sixth Man: Jason Hart (UTA): 18 Points, 7 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 6-10

20 25 26 31 102
19 21 29 35 104

November 17 | Utah Jazz @ Indiana Pacers | Season Series: 0-0 | Simmed Game

After suffering two straight hard road losses, the Jazz came into Indiana tired, but also hungry. Deron Williams led the way with 26 Points and 10 Assists, as the Jazz jumped out to a 20 Point lead by the third quarter. They held on to that lead, as Mike Dunleavy's 24 Points could not stop the Utah Jazz. Final score: 116-107 Jazz. Utah is now 8-2, with only Toronto and the Lakers sporting better records.

MCDWYANE M.V.P. of the Game: Deron Williams: 26 Points, 10 Assists, 11-14

High Scorers (By Team): UTA: Boozer (27 PTS, 12-21), IND: Dunleavy (24 PTS, 8-16)
Star Sixth Man: Mike Miller (UTA): 15 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5-11 FG

29 32 32 23 116
29 22 23 33 107

Team/League Leaders

Points Per Game: Joe Johnson (32.8, ATL); Carlos Boozer (26.0, 8th)
Rebounds Per Game: Carlos Boozer (11.5, Leads League); Chris Bosh (11.4, 2nd, TOR)
Assists Per Game: Deron Williams (10.8, Leads League); Kirk Hinrich (10.1, 2nd, CHI)
Steals Per Game: Caron Butler (2.3, WAS); Deron Williams (1.6, 11th)
Blocks Per Game: Ben Wallace (2.7, CHI); Carlos Boozer (1.9, 12th)

Rookie Watch:

Morris Almond: 4.1 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.4 APG; 39% FG, 8.7 MPG - Despite Stoudamire's injury, has actually gotten less minutes. Per 48 stats aren't that bad, but he has only played 87 minutes all season.

---------------------------------------------------

Notes Somewhat late, and not really different from the other recaps, despite a couple very small changes. Monthly report coming soon in next update, which will contain Power Rankings, Free Agent Info, and a nice article. Keep watching!

[Chaser7]

Wow Joe Johnson is leading the league in scoring, haha! Well at least the ppg are realistic on 360 unlike on current gen. this dynasty is shaping up to being really well. Can't wait to see what surprises you have in the monthly recap!

[Clutch]

Still goin' strong man; Booz, D-Will and MM seem like a very solid trio for your Jazz; man... no way you can get some pics? It'd be nice to see even a few shots of that action especially with Boozer abusing people in the paint

[Lamrock]

Chaser7, Joe Johnson leading the league in scoring doesn't surprise me. He is an all-star on a pretty bad team. Someone there needs to score.

Clutch, Yeah, still doing pretty well, though the last week was tough. I have tried to take pics but they look awful. No matter what I try, there is glare and light in the center of the image.

Anyway, the next update won't be for a week or so. I recently got Guitar Hero 2, and have been playing it almost nonstop. I am also going on vacation for a few days. My goal is to get an update done by Thanksgiving.

[Phantom18]

Lamrock93,
dude date is tommorrow
anything new?
you havent been on msn...or you blocked me hah

well anticipating the update

[Lamrock]

Okay, due to relative demand, I will finally post the update. Would have been sooner, but Guitar Hero is way funner than NBA Live, and my dynasty just being so-so. Plus, the 5 minute load times are bullshit. Either way, here is Week 4, with a couple experimental changes!

------------------------------------------------------

Key Player Stats Color Code

Red * = Hot Shooter
Blue * = Cold Shooter
Black * = Lead Scorer (By Team)
Green * = Star Sixth Man
Orange * = MCDWYANE MVP
Dark Red * = Injured or Fouled Out


Week 4: November 18-November 24

November 19 | New Jersey Nets @ Utah Jazz | Season Series: 0-0 | Simmed Game

Richard Jefferson had an excellent game, scoring 29, but the rest of his team struggled as the Nets suffered a blowout loss is the Utah Jazz, who are now 9-2, and tied with the Toronto Raptors for the league's best record. Utah had control in most of the first half, holding on to a ten point lead going in to the third. The Jazz big three dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 32-17 en route to an easy victory.

Key Player Stats

Boozer: 24 PTS, 13 REBS, 11-20 FG
Okur: 27 PTS, 10 REBS, 10-20 FG*
Williams: 21 PTS, 12 AST, 3 REB, 9-15 FG*
Harpring: 15 PTS, 6-9 FG*

Jefferson: 29 PTS, 5 REBS, 11-22 FG*
Carter: 17 PTS, 4 AST, 4 REB, 7-19 FG
Kidd: 8 PTS, 7 AST, 3 REBS, 3-14 FG*
Williams: 11 PTS, 5-7 FG**

17 22 17 29 85
26 23 32 28 109

November 23 | New Orleans Hornets @ Utah Jazz | Season Series: 0-0 | Played Game

One of the hottest rivalries in the league right now is the Chris Paul/Deron Williams debate. Drafted within one spot of each other, both Point Guards have been stars for their respective teams. Paul has a considerably better first season, winning Rookie of the Year, but injuries, and the emergence of Deron Williams as a star pushed him back a notch. Now in their third season, they battle it out in their first meeting of the year.

Unfortunately, the hyped, televised game was a huge disappointment. Six minutes into the first quarter, Chris Paul hurt his knee and didn't return. He finished with just 3 points. The Jazz took advantage of the young star's misfortune and pulled out to a 10 point lead, which never wavered,as the Jazz won 90-79. The teams do not face each other again until February. Paul's injury turned out to be minor, and he should be cleared to play in the Hornets' next game.

Boozer: 35 PTS, 11 REBS, 3 AST, 15-18 FG***
Williams: 21 PTS, 12 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL, 6-18 FG
Harpring: 10 PTS, 6 REBS, 5-8 FG
Miller: 14 PTS, 3 REBS, 5-11 FG*

Paul: 3 PTS, 2 AST, 2 REB, 1-5 FG**
Butler: 15 PTS, 6 REBS, 6-8 FG*
Peterson: 16 PTS, 3 REBS, 2 AST, 7-14 FG
Stojakovic: 17 PTS, 7-17 FG*

21 17 24 17 79
30 19 22 19 90

Team/League Leaders

PPG: J. Johnson (33.8, ATL); Boozer (7th, 26.6)
RPG: C. Boozer (11.6, 1st); Bosh (11.5, 2nd, TOR)
APG: D. Williams (11.0, 1st); Hinrich (10.1, 2nd, CHI)
BPG: Y. Ming (2.6, HOU); M. Okur (1.8, 10th)
SPG: J. Howard (2,0, DAL); D. Williams (1.6, 6th)

[Phantom18]

Lamrock93,
looks good but it seems you have a lack of motivation

[Lamrock]

Well... my lack of motivation comes from the fact that Live 08 is a mediocre game, and my inability to have pictures makes this a somewhat lame dynasty.

It is still enjoyable to update it though.

Does anyone have an opinion on the new additions?

[Chaser7]

Why did you delete your post, and then bump it by putting the exact same thing? I'm only pointing this out because you've called stuff like this out on me haha. C'mon man, you know better than that

Anyways heres real constructive criticism: I think you have a strong basis with your dynasty and I know it is hard to make it look nice without pictures. However, I think there a couple ways to improve this. First if you are able to make some banners, or request someone to do it for you in the photoshop lounge. That way you'll at least have some design. Also, with your recap style, separate each game with like ---------- or something, because its kinda messy right now. Also maybe use the espn.com/nba.com headshots for the player (or Mcdwayne MVP) of the game. Thats all I can think of now.

Also the new additions, not really feeling it. there are too many color codes to memorize with one glance and I found myself having to keep scrolling back to check the code...

[Lamrock]

Man, I don't know what I'm going to do with this dynasty. It isn't good. The delete, then bump thing was pretty bad. I'm just really desperate for any reply.

I think I'll probably end up retiring this. The Jazz, especially with the trade, are not a very good dynasty team, I don't have many followers, my recaps are subpar at best, poorly presented and without any edge or innovation to them at all, and there just isn't any heart there. I will probably end up making another dynasty, not one much better than this, anyway, though. I have nothing better to do.

[Clutch]

man sorry to hear that; but if it's just no fun for you then definitely pull the plug and no one will feel lesser of you for doing so

i think this one had potential though and could be your 'test' dynasty; before my Rockets dynasty i briefly had a Warriors one and used it to try some things out; even now it's still evolving

maybe it's the team you're just not into anymore or maybe even the Live version of the game too; if you aren't feeling Live '08 maybe go back to a version of the game that you really got you hooked and felt was Live "at it's best" then find the latest rosters (which should be floating out there) and start a dynasty on the hardest level of difficulty for a new challenge? Everyone knows EA gave no love to the more recent versions

"Retro" dynasties are hot man

[Lamrock]

Okay, I think I have come to a decision on the dynasty, and future dynasties.

I will sort of follow The X's recapping style with monthly updates. I won't post long winded recaps for each game because they don't get read and look bad. Basically the dynasty will be fast-moving, but will include enough innovative features, that I think you guys might like, as I was planning something special for the monthly recap anyway.

I may use this dynasty as a testing ground for the new features, before starting a new one. The next update will be a test monthly update.

Right now, I am planning a Sonics dynasty, the team I should have done all along, for this. Hopefully this turns out better.

[Lamrock]

Okay, here is a bare-bones update. (I know it looks bad) Since I'm mostly working on my Sonics, this won't be updated frequently, and I am simming all of the games from now on. (Expect slightly off stats)

Week 5 Update

@ - Loss 98-94; Wallace: 24 PTS, 11 REBS, 3 BLKS, 2 ASTS, 9-13 FG | Williams: 20 PTS, 10 ASTS, 8-10 FG

@ - Win 132-96; Boozer: 39 PTS, 13 REBS, 14-27 FG | Curry: 17 PTS, 4 REBS, 8-19 FG

@ - Win 110-69; Boozer: 27 PTS, 11 REBS, 3 BLKS, 12-21 FG | Iguodala: 21 PTS, 4 ASTS, 3 REBS, 10-17 FG

Vs. - Win 107-93; Williams: 21 PTS, 12 ASTS, 8-20 FG | Artest: 24 PTS, 6 REBS, 5 ASTS, 10/22 FG

Week Record: 3-1 (1-0 Home; 2-1 Road); 13-3 Overall (#1 in Division, #2 in Conference, #2 in League)