Chicago Bulls 2004/2005 (Road to the 2005 Playoffs)

[Andrew]

As my Chicago Bulls Dynasty for NBA Live 2004 proved to be so popular (I stopped updating that, but after simming to the Conference Finals of year two I managed to win back-to-back), I decided to do another one this year. At first I was going to take control of Cleveland, but decided that I'd once again go with my favourite team. After all, with simulation intervention I might even have another Dynasty going at the same time.

But this will be my main Dynasty this year. With that exciting introduction out of the way, let the 2004/2005 season begin!

Settings

My opening night roster
My sliders v1.0
12 minute quarters (12 minute sim)
82 games
Simulation Intervention
All-Star Difficulty, moving to Superstar once I find All-Star too easy

Offseason

I spread the time around between Shooting, Offense and Defense with a little bit of time spent on Conditioning. Not much improvement but some key players like Curry and Chandler gained a couple of rating points here and there.

Deciding that I didn't like the look of the bench, I shopped the free agent market for a backup power forward who would come relatively cheaply. I settled on Keon Clark, signing him to a 2 year contract worth $6.5 million - I waived Jared Reiner to make room for him. I elected not to make any other moves until I'd given my roster a chance to prove itself.

Chicago 95, New Jersey 84

Starting Five:
C-Curry
F-Chandler
F-Deng
G-Gordon
G-Hinrich

Even without Kidd, the Nets proved to be a worthy foe. The final score doesn't really indicate how well New Jersey played, especially during a third quarter run that had me shaking my head at the lazy interior defense some of the Bulls were playing and lack of execution at the offensive end - Kirk Hinrich just didn't have a good shooting night. He finished with 10 points but shot just 3-11 for the game.

Gordon and Nocioni were also quiet, but Deng chipped in with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler were both impressive with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks and 24 points and 9 rebounds respectively. The two Cs and Deng played well down the stretch and seemed to respond to the challenge with the score close and time winding down in the fourth. A more balanced scoring attack will be necessary for the team to be successful throughout the season but it was a good opener for the year.

Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 25 while Ron Mercer added 22. Also, some bad news in the final two minutes as Tyson Chandler had to be helped off the floor with what turned out to be a sprained knee.

Next Game: @ Indiana (1-1)
Current Record: 1-1

Injury Update

Tyson Chandler is available to play despite a slightly sprained knee, but will likely sit out the next two games against Indiana and Phoenix. If he does play, it will be sparingly and he will not start.


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A little bare, I know. As with all of my projects, suggestions and feedback most welcome.

[Donatello]

good luck with gordon- he's in my nets dynasty and has developed pretty well (i'm half way through 05-06, he's a 74 overall, and a defensive beast)...glad to see you sticking with the bulls

[Andrew]

Thanks Donatello. I think I'll have to run a few more players for Gordon. Curry and Chandler were playing so well at the offensive end, the ball was in their hands most of the time - the rest of the time, it was Hinrich setting up the play.

[LegoTP]

Excellent, I'll always read this dynasty, it looks great.
Good luck.

[KDWilliams85]

Nice goin' Andrew. Tyson Chandler can be a beast when he wants to be. Although I don't think Ben Gordon would be particularly effective without some FG coaching, but it's your Dynasty and whatever floats your boat.

Word of advice... ditch Nocioni. He isn't worth having on your roster. I'd trade him and get a guy like Brent Barry or Allan Houston. You'll need somebody who can rain some shots when Gordon goes on a cold streak.

[Andrew]

Thanks for the advice KDW, I was mostly using Gordon driving to the basket. I'll give some FG coaching a try. Thanks for the heads up about Nocioni too, I'll give him a chance to see if he works out in my system else I'll start exploring trade options too.

[TheBigEasy]

Hey ... its nice to see you back. I already wondered, when you might start another dynasty ... Good luck with it.

TBE

[Jing]

oooooh... this should be good, never seen an andrew dynasty either

[Micchy_boy]

finally, i've been waiting this for almost forever. good luck, i know this will be a blast!!!

[Andrew]

oooooh... this should be good, never seen an andrew dynasty either

If you feel like hunting through the 2004 Dynasty section, it's still there with a similar title to this thread, a couple of hundred replies.

Thanks for the enthusiasm everyone, I don't work Tuesdays so I'll probably play another game and post the results. I'll try to make my recaps a bit more interesting this year and see what else I can throw in.

[Ataraxia]

nice maybe add a bit of color to it will make it even more interesting....u know logos, shiny graphics or screenshots (1 or 2) from the game.

Keep it up Andrew, good to see the head boy having his own dynasty

[cocobee]

Good start Andrew. I know this dynasty will be as solid as your 2004 dynasty. Good luck

[-BHZMAFIA-]

nice start, i hope curry can finally become a double-double guy this season.

[Donatello]

yeah gordon definitely needs some coaching in the shooting realm, if that's what you want to use him for. but my man can drive to the hoop with the best of them

[Ruff Ryder]

Do I smell another KG trade again in the works?

GL with this dynasty, was just thinking about how you should start another one.

[Andrew]

Since I'm 2-0 (details below) and seem to have my roster working out for me, I might hold off on trading for KG this year. I was thinking of sticking to more realistic roster moves - I don't really have much to offer Minnesota without gutting my team so it's not really feasible anyway.

Chicago 105, Indiana 101

Starting Five
C: Eddy Curry
F: Keon Clark
F: Luol Deng
G: Ben Gordon
G: Kirk Hinrich

Tyson Chandler was available to play but I decided to sit him rather than risk further injury, moving Clark into the starting five. While Clark played well enough in 19 minutes of court time, scoring 8 points on 4/5 shooting and adding 3 rebounds, the pleasant surprise for the game was the play of Andres Nocioni. After he scored 8 points in the first quarter I decided to give him a bulk of the minutes at power forward. It certainly paid off.

Despite the strong play of Nocioni, the Pacers remained with us through the whole first quarter and ran us out of the building in the second, outscoring us 31-19. Jermaine O'Neal and Austin Croshere simply outfoxed Curry repeatedly, scoring at will. When they weren't scoring, guys like Eddie Gill were embarrassing my big men while Artest and Jackson chipped in points from the perimeter and slashing to the basket. A late burst led by my bench (including Harrington and Piatkowski) stopped the bleeding but the damage had been done.

Nocioni had scored 14 points in the first half, so I didn't wait too long to bring him back in the third quarter. The Pacers cooled off and my defense was a little better, and I started creeping back into the game. A couple of fast breaks pushed me right back into the game and by the end of the third quarter both teams were trading baskets again. Jamaal Tinsley appeared to have the last word of the quarter with a jumper to put Indiana up by two, but Piatkowski ran behind a screen from Antonio Davis and nailed a three with 0.6 seconds left in the period.

The game remained close the rest of the way with a couple of lead changes but late in the fourth I managed to build up a four point cushion. It was quickly erased as Curry fouled O'Neal giving him an opportunity at a three point play. He missed the free throw but in the scramble for the rebound the ball fell into O'Neal's hands and he threw it down to tie the game. We traded a couple more baskets before Curry made it 103-101. Tinsley misfired on a long two and Nocioni grabbed the rebound. The Pacers put him on the line, where he made 1/2.

By that stage, Indiana had no timeouts to use so they had to run the length of the floor and put up a quick shot. With Nocioni's miss at the foul line, there was still a chance for them to tie the game with a three. However, they once again failed to score and Nocioni headed back to the line. He again made only 1/2, but the four point advantage gave the Pacers a very slim chance of forcing an overtime. Tinsley fired up a three as time expired but it bounced off the back iron, preserving a hard-fought four point victory.

Noteworthy Performances

Andres Nocioni (CHI): Player of the Game with 26 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench
Luol Deng (CHI): 14 points, 3 assists
Keon Clark (CHI): 8 points, 3 rebounds
Eddy Curry (CHI): 22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
Eric Piatkowski (CHI): 10 points (2/3 3PT) in 12 minutes off the bench
Jermaine O'Neal (IND): 28 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks
Austin Croshere (IND): 19 points, 12 rebounds
Ron Artest (IND): 17 points, 5 assists
Stephen Jackson (IND): 10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists

Record: 1-1
Next Opponent: Phoenix

LEAGUE NEWS

• The Denver Nuggets' Kenyon Martin is expected to miss three weeks after sustaining a broken toe.
• The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Corie Blount to a 1 year deal worth $1.1 million

Sorry, no pics yet; nothing really interesting to show.

[The X]

yeah, I like Nocco as a 6th man on your squad, seems like it did the job against the Pacers


X

[Donatello]

as i read through that last recap.....i pictured your team running the floor- i bet you're really enjoying this one, you have good solid role-players, this must remind you of the bulls hayday (spelling?).

[Andrew]

I certainly am enjoying it so far. Work prevents me from playing Live as much as I used to, but I should have another game recap or two up soon.

[Andrew]

Decided to play another game tonight.

Phoenix 109, Chicago 106 OT

This was a tough loss to swallow as I had basically won this game, but a costly error led to an overtime period and a couple more in the OT led to the first loss of the young season.

Amare Stoudemire asserted himself at the offensive end from the start of the game, abusing Nocioni (whom I had moved into the starting five) down low. Nocioni, who had 26 points against the Pacers, started cold as Amare blanketed him at the other end. Curry had a quick start while Deng and Gordon looked solid, but Hinrich was shaky and the Suns had the lead at the end of the first.

Hinrich's play picked up as he started racking up assists in the second. We captured the lead and held it through halftime, though Amare had scored 19 of his 29 in the first two quarters. Some aggressive double teams kept the ball out of his hands in the third quarter but the Suns remained close behind the hot shooting of Steve Nash, who finished the night 10/19. Heading into the fourth quarter I was confident that I could hold off Phoenix's rally.

The fourth quarter was a slow paced battle with a few baskets being traded but plenty of tight defense played by both teams forcing both of us to use up most of the shot clock on every possession. With an 87-83 advantage late in the final four minutes, I remained confident that I'd keep the Suns at bay. Perhaps I was a little overconfident as Phoenix quickly scored four points to even the score. The pace picked up as the dogfight became intense.

It was then I made a costly turnover. With the score tied, Hinrich brought the ball up to set up the offense. However, he stepped back over the halfcourt line, giving Phoenix the ball. Deng grabbed the inbounds pass and Curry was fouled in the act of shooting, but missed both free throws. Phoenix ran the ball up the court and took the lead, 95-93. Although I recovered, I had left the door open for the Suns to stay with me. I had a shot to win the game but Hinrich missed the long two, guaranteeing another five minutes of play.

The overtime was much like the start of the fourth quarter: slow paced with tight defense. Hinrich hit a couple of threes to give us the lead with less than three minutes left in the game, but Barbosa responded with a three of his own to give the Suns a 105-104 victory with time running out. Amare got past Nocioni for an easy dunk. Desperate for a three, I only managed to score two points over the next three possessions while the Suns made another layup for a 109-106 lead. I had to foul Voskhul, who missed both free throws.

Curry grabbed the rebound and I called timeout, setting up a last play for Kirk Hinrich. His three bounced hard off the back iron, giving the Suns the victory.

Top Performers

Eddy Curry: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Andres Nocioni: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
Luol Deng: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
Ben Gordon: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists
Kirk Hinrich: 13 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Keon Clark: 8 points, 9 rebounds

Amare Stoudemire (POG): 29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks
Steve Nash: 26 points, 4 assists
Shawn Marion: 16 points, 6 steals
Joe Johnson: 18 points

Record: 2-1
Next Up: LA Clippers (2-4)

Tyson Chandler's injury has healed and he will be in the starting lineup when we take on the Clippers.

Around the League

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Lonny Baxter to a 1 year deal worth $620,000

[Waring]

How about trades ?

[Donatello]

heckuva game by curry......i'm really enjoying reading this. i can't say i read too much of your dynasty last year- as i think it was winding down (or perhaps finished) by the time i really started frequenting the boards, but if it was this good, I'll go back and read it

[Legolas]

I'm also on using the Bulls on my Dynasty. Where 15-5 right now. My line up is this.

C- Curry
PF- Chadler
SF- Kwame Brown (I traded Antonio Davis & Chris Duhon)
SG- Peja Stojakovic (I trade Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon & Kirk Hinrich third week of november)
PG- Adrian Griffin
----------
C - Mourning (I traded Keon Clark - after I signed him & Othella Harrington)
PF - Malone (I got him from the free agent pool)
SF - Luol Deng
SG - Eddie Robinson (free agent)
SG - Piakowski ------- using only on garbage time
SF - Jefferson (the one with the Wizards) ------- using only on garbage time


I lead the league in block shots (15 a night) and field goal percentage (.495).

I got Peja and Chadler averaging 24 & 20 points respectively

Brown is averaging 13 points, Curry with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

I love my bench players:
Mourning leading my bench team with 8 points and 8 rebounds a game
Deng and Robinson with 7 points average
with the mailman....he's only averaging 6 points a night coz I not giving him the ball allot. but what I like about him is that he could hit an 18 footer jumper all night long.

[Andrew]

How about trades ?

None have been made yet, so there's none to report. I don't have any plans to make any changes to my roster just yet either.

Interesting lineup your using there Legolas. How does Griffin perform at point guard?

[Legolas]

Interesting lineup your using there Legolas. How does Griffin perform at point guard?

He's avaraging about 22 mins a game. With a point production of 2 points a night, dishing out 4 assists per game and also stealing the ball 3 times per game. Im not using him as a scoring point but rather a passing guard.

What I like with this line up is that they are really BIG. I got 6'10" shooting guard, 6'11" & 7'1" forwards. Plus a two All Star players of the bench.

By the way, last night I switch to Superstart mode, and I already lost twice. one with Orlando and one with Detriot.