Live06 | San Antonio Spurs - Parker Lifts Spurs Over Celtics

[Clutch]

Christmas! Perfect time to begin the "official" thread of my new dynasty tracking the San Antonio Spurs (thx again Andrew for straightening things out in my previous botched attempt; please lock the former at your leisure)

This dynasty will feature ol' school NBA Live '06 plus the PC Project Patch ver 3.3 with a few custom tweaks to reflect some real-life woes of the Spurs (Their overall team rating was 95 post-patch/fresh install; they'll start with a 91 rating here in this dynasty)

Can't promise this will be as good or long-lived as my Rockets, and I know the vanilla Spurs may be a tough sell to earn readers, but hopefully you'll take a peek now and again to see how "the Big Fundamental" and company are doing in their quest to reclaim the NBA throne. Enjoy! - C

[Clutch]

1. Rosters & Transactions
2. Contest Rules & Leaderboard
3. Team/Player Awards & Accolades
4. Prelude

[Clutch]

[Clutch]

[For "Contest Rules" see below]

50 Thierry *

40 Martti
40 (30) Carter
40 (20) Anthony22

30 (25) C-77

25 (20) Dare

Last Update: 01/06/10

RED = Currently projected #1 Overall Draft Pick
single number = no points change
(x) = previous total
* = "Exact Match" counter

______________


The 2010 DRAFT LOTTO CHALLENGE - CONTEST RULES



Alright. The Spurs' greenhorn Scout, Roy Burns, indicates a "Strong" draft class next season. One of the reasons is because heading the class will be -YOU! IF you can beat out your competition that is.

The contest is simple and in two parts - Regular & Post Season

Part I - Regular Season

The Goal

Accumulate as many points as possible by correct predictions before the end of the Regular Season. Possible points you can earn will be posted with each weekly template and may vary from week-to-week with different "Bonus" questions for even more points.

The Prize

After the regular season, Part I ends and all participant totals will be arranged highest to lowest. You'll want to end up with the highest point total as possible!

Contestant finishing with the highest total........... IS next season's #1 overall draft pick!

Second highest? the 2nd overall pick, third highest total is the 3rd pick etc etc.

NOTE: In the event of a tie, draft order will be determined at random between finalists

The Details

How I will work this is by letting the CPU handle the draft (except for the Spurs picks of course) then .dbf editing the pre-gen'ed rookies AFTER they've been drafted and placed on teams.

I will ask for your player info closer to this time (name, age, height, weight, strengths, weaknesses, etc) and then reallocate/redistribute the pre-gen'd rookie's initial points to stats based on your description. For instance, if your pre-gen'd rook was originally a big man and had high rebound stats, I might move -10/-10 points from off/def rebounding and +20 into 3PT shooting if your description is a guard who is money from the arc but doesn't crash the boards.

Also, since these will be pre-gen'd players being edited, I won't have huge control over your appearance unless I figure this out before then; so if you're dark in real life but light in the game or vice versa, nothing I can do about it lol (I'm teaching racial tolerance )

Now a "Strong" draft class can produce a #1 draft pick with an overall somewhere in the mid/upper 70s; in general (not always) the higher the draft pick the more stat points you'll have to play with, so you'll want to finish HIGH!


Part II - Post Season

So, you ended up as the 9th overall pick and are hating life; don't count yourself out just yet because sometimes the top picks aren't necessarily the best players in the draft (*cough* Darko *cough*) That's what part II of this contest is all about!

First, the Leaderboard is reset and wiped clean.

Again, players will start accumulating points based on predictions, trying to earn as many as possible before an NBA champion is crowned. After the Finals, scores will be tallied and arranged from highest to lowest

The Prize

The TOP 3 Contestants will earn an additional 150, 100 or 50 EXTRA points (for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place respectively) towards their drafted player's stats!

Example:

Valor wins 2nd place in Part I (Regular Season), earning the 2nd draft pick whose overall rating is 76; Thierry placed 8th, with a player overall of 71

In Part II (Post Season), Valor doesn't make the top 3 (still remains the #2 overall draft pick) but Thierry comes in 1st for +150 stat points; after adding the bonus to his stats, his 71 overall rating skyrockets to rival if not surpass Valor and the race for the RotY is ON!

If you defy the odds and win both Part I & II of the contest? Holyshiz... You'll be the biggest hype since LBJ

NOTE: In the event of a tie, order will be determined at random between finalists

RESTRICTIONS

Now here's the brutal reality - not all contestants will make the cut after the contest is over. Only TEN players will be tracked next season which include drafts 1 through 10... BUT the three winners of Part II HAVE PRIORITY over the lowest draft spots.

Example:

Martti makes the 10th draft pick. Oskar is 12th in the draft but wins the +100 stat bonus in Part II. Next season will track draft picks 1-9 PLUS Oskar (even though he's a 12th pick); Martti gets bumped since he's in the 10th spot.

Why only ten players make it next season? Let's face it. These contests have sporadic entries (as I learned from the "Jumbo Mutombo" contest in my Rockets dynasty) and often there's not a whole lot of participation so someone could technically enter once or twice and never again. It would be a waste keeping track of their player when more attention could be paid to the top ten. A top ten also makes it more competitive to secure the highest spot you can to avoid being bumped. Basically? It's win… OR GO HOME!

Well, that's the contest in a nutshell. The first template is already up so get your picks in if you haven't already. First results/update should be posted near the end of the week - good luck!

[Clutch]

reserved

[Clutch]

The 2008-09 season culminated with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their franchise's 15th championship after besting the Orlando Magic 4-1 in the NBA Finals. Unanimously the Lakers' fearless leader, Kobe Bryant, arguably the league's most dangerous closer, was selected Finals MVP and added one more to an already impressive trophy room.

In stark contrast, the injury-plagued San Antonio Spurs led by All-Star Tim Duncan, sputtered to start the '08-09 post-season resulting in a sound 1st-round defeat at the hands of the up-tempo Dallas Mavericks. It was the Spurs first 1st-round Playoff exit since the 1999-2000 season and first with Tim Duncan in the line up.

Clearly the balance of power between the two conference rivals now favored the Los Angeles Lakers; but this had not always been the case.

Battles between the two teams date back to the '70s but only intensified beginning in the late '90s and carried over long into the new millennium. Their epic tug-of-war for Western Conference supremacy included five meetings in the NBA Playoffs, a period of dominance where the teams combined to appear in seven consecutive NBA Finals and a combined six championship titles in eight seasons, not to mention innumerable individual heroic moments, awards and honors.

Entering the '09-10 season with a roster choked full of aging veterans, the Spurs attempted to improve their chances of a title run by bringing in the much needed energy of Forward, Richard Jefferson; meanwhile, the Lakers used the off-season to further fortify their juggernaut status by acquiring premiere defensive-stopper, Ron Artest.

Sensing more needed to be done to restore his team's winning culture, Spurs' Head Coach, Gregg Popovich, then purged his coaching staff and brought in defensive specialist, Corin Cole, as Assistant Coach and a pair of top-notch trainers to keep the team healthy: specialists, Emanuel Stokes and Garth Burns. Lastly, a relatively inexpensive greenhorn scout by the name of Roy Burns was chosen to round out the team staff, the coming draft lottery being an afterthought in Popovich's mind.

Whether or not Popovich and franchise General Manager, R. C. Buford, feel this roster and new coaching staff make the Spurs legit title contenders or if more personnel changes are still to come, remains to be seen; but one thing is for certain. Whatever road to greatest Tim Duncan aims to lead the Spurs back to, whatever legacy he leaves behind, the journey ahead inevitably must pass through the city Los Angeles, where a deadly black mamba waits coiled around the championship trophy.

[kibaxx7]

I assume I can post now? Good luck man, I always liked the Spurs. Hope Manu gets a starting spot

[Clutch]

all clear Thierry and yeah i'm like them too; Manu's gonna come off the bench to start just 'cause the reserves are mediocre and seriously need him!

[Valor]

Thanks for this wonderful Christmas present Clutch
Don't like the Spurs but good luck with this, i will be following

[anthony22]

this should be interesting,i'll follow it

[deihatein]

Well good luck with this. Gonna follow. To me the only interesting player in that roster is Roger Mason and Dejuan Blair who I have been hearing is great.

[Clutch]

valor, ant22, dei - thx guys; i'll have some contest info up soon so stay tuned

[Oskar]

Always been a big fan of your dynasties, the Houston one was pure gold, one of the few dynasties that I really enjoyed. Good luck with this one, pretty team selection and all, I hope you'll carry the team far !

[Clutch]

Okay, here's the first template for the coming prediction game called, "the 2010 Draft Lotto Challenge." From the title you can guess what it's about but I'll post more details about the contest and what you'll be playing for shortly.

For now I'm just putting the template out there for you to make your picks before the first weekly recap update.

THE TEMPLATE

Week 2 Schedule - Sunday thru Saturday (NOTE: No "Week 1" since the Spurs had no games scheduled during opening week in Oct)

Nov 1* CHA @ SA:
Nov 2 SA @ LAC:
Nov 4 SA @ NOH**:
Nov 7 SA @ BOS:

* Home/Season Opener
** Correction made (originally listed as "CHA")

For EACH game, also include a number for what you think the Win/loss spread will be.

Example:

"CHA @ SA: Hornets, 5" means you pick Charlotte to win by 5 (see EARNING POINTS below);

"SA @ BOS: SA 3" means you take Spurs to win by 3 (see EARNING POINTs below) etc etc.

EARNING POINTS

There are TWO ways to earn Points awarded as follows:

1) Guessed correct W or L: +10 pts

AND/OR

2) Guessed spread by +/- 4: +5 pts

○ +/- 2: +10 pts
○ Exact match: +25 pts

Example: your prediction, "SA @ CLE: Cavs 6"

if result was Spurs win by 11, you would get zero points;
if result was Spurs win by anything between 2 and 10, you would still earn +5 points (6-4=2 or 6+4=10);
if result was Cavs by anything between 2 and 10, you would earn +15 points (+10 for the W, and +5 for the spread)
if result was Cavs by 6, you would earn a whopping 10+25=35 points!

You get points from your Spread pick even if your W/L pick was wrong and vice versa. There is NO penalty for incorrect guesses; simply no pts are awarded

That's it. Again more info about contest details soon to come. For now, make picks and good Luck!
____

Oskar - appreciate it man! get your picks in early

EDIT: Spread rules clarification (added example) and adjustments

[anthony22]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA: Spurs 12
Nov 2 SA @ LAC: Spurs 9
Nov 4 SA @ CHA: Spurs 2
Nov 7 SA @ BOS: Spurs 6

hope for 4-0 start man,good luck !

[dare]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA: Spurs 8
Nov 2 SA @ LAC: Spurs 10
Nov 4 SA @ CHA: Spurs 12
Nov 7 SA @ BOS: Boston 5

goodluck with this dynasty man..go vanilla spurs

[kibaxx7]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA: Spurs, 13
Nov 2 SA @ LAC: Spurs, 8
Nov 4 SA @ CHA: Spurs, 7
Nov 7 SA @ BOS: Celtics, 3

"CHA @ SA: Hornets, 5"

Guess you never wanted the Hornets to leave Charlotte either, just like the Sonics

[Cartar]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA: Spurs, 11
Nov 2 SA @ LAC: Spurs, 9
Nov 4 SA @ CHA: Spurs, 5
Nov 7 SA @ BOS: Celtics, 9

[Martti.]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA: Spurs, 15
Nov 2 SA @ LAC: Spurs, 5
Nov 4 SA @ CHA: Spurs, 10
Nov 7 SA @ BOS: Celtics, 2

God luck.

[Clutch]

thx for you picks guys!

God luck.

yah, i'm praying for divine intervention with this one!


Contest details now posted (see "Contest Rules" above) - post you picks if you have 'em since picks after the recap don't count; recap coming later this week...

[C-77]

Nov 1* CHA @ SA:Spurs,14
Nov 2 SA @ LAC:Spurs,9
Nov 4 SA @ CHA:Spurs,13
Nov 7 SA @ BOS:Celtics, 5

[Clutch]

Boris Diaw can do little to prevent Tim Duncan from establishing himself deep in the paint

Spurs Run Away With Season Opener

BOX SCORE

The San Antonio Spurs opened the 2009-2010 season in front of their home crowd of AT&T center, overcoming a sluggish start on route to an impressive 98-81 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Gerald Wallace's early dozen in the 1st-quarter had the Spurs trailing by 8 after one; but Spurs' newcomer Richard Jefferson turned up the defense limiting Wallace to only 5 more points the remainder of the night. Wallace finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists while Jefferson looked impressive in his Spurs debut with 20 points, 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 assists.

Anchoring the Spurs was "the Big Fundamental" Tim Duncan who looked to be in terrific form. Duncan helped mount a crushing 36-14 third quarter which the Bobcats would never recover from. Bullying the smaller Boris Diaw in the post, Duncan led the Spurs in scoring and seemed unaffected by past tendonitis woes. "We did a lot of work on it during the off-season," he said of his left knee which was supported by a brace during the game. "It really paid off. I'm glad to get the season going and happy we came away with a win tonight."

Duncan led San Antonio with 24 points and 12 rebounds adding 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal for good measure. Diaw finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds. "Too big, too strong for me," Diaw conceded after the match.

Manu Ginobili, who was also plagued by injuries last season, came off the bench for San Antonio showing hints of his speed and quickness of years past. Ginobili's scrambling style of play and attacking defense seemed a terrific complement to the inside power game of rookie DeJuan Blair. Ginobili finished the night with 12 points and 3 boards while Blair debuted for San Antonio by dunking his only shot attempt and gathering 5 rebounds. "Nervous? Not really," said Blair after the game. "Just doing what coach needs me to do. But I am excited to be here, that's for sure."

Next, the Spurs take to the road to face the Los Angeles Clippers, first in a grueling six game road trip.

___________

As the Draft Lotto Challenge is an ongoing additive style contest, there's still time to get your entries in using the existing template for the week (minus the Season Opener of course ) Those who've already entered, your guys' picks are locked in - thx and good luck!

[newc]

Bobcats had no chance to beat you! Good luck against the Clippers

[kibaxx7]

TD, great as always. Good to see Jefferson stepping up.

[Martti.]

Man, if you'd let the Cats score 2 point more, my prediction would have been 100% accurate.

Great win!