NBA 09: The Inside - Cleveland Cavaliers [1-3] | VS OKC

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Game: NBA 09 - The Inside (PS3)
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Season: 29 Games
Playoffs: 7-7-7-7
Quarters: 7 min.
Difficulty: All-Star

Team

Starting Lineup



PG | Mo Williams
SG | Wally Szczerbiak
SF | LeBron James
PF | Anderson Varejao
C | Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Bench



Delonte West
Daniel Gibson
Ben Wallace
Sasha Pavlovic
Tarence Kinsey
Jason Kapono
Joey Graham

IR



Billy Thomas

_____________

Eh, I understand this section is dead, and I understand this game sucks, but I've been feeling the itch, and that trumps all. I've been talking about this game lately, and recently picked it up for three bucks as it's a forgotten title from the past, and it's blend of arcade/realism would make for an interesting new/old-school franchise story imo.

Difficulty/quarter length/etc. can be changed on the fly.

Lastly, I'd like to point out I'm starting this story on the 10-year anniversary of homicide's legendary Cavs dynasty story, the story that inspired me to get into this in the first place. Unfortunately, many of the images in that thread have been lost to time, unless he unlocks his account.

I also wanted to talk about the death of this section, as not much has changed since the late-2000s. Online gaming was still prevalent back then... I guess it was just a different time... On that somber note, let's get started! Hopefully I can carry this shitty game with some intriguing story telling/presentation.

Last edited by cavs4872 on Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:29 pm, edited 6 times in total.

Game 1 Preview: Cavs [0-0] @ Hornets [1-0]
Saturday November 1st, 2008



Cleveland, Ohio -- Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic each poured in 21 points as the Hornets opened their season with a one-point win Thursday night in Phoenix against Amar'e and the Suns. Today, LeBron will lead his Cavs into Louisiana and see if they can open their season right with a win against a solid Western Conference opponent.

Tipoff time: 8:00 PM EST
Watch: NBA TV, FSN Ohio

Oh man, here's some nostalgia! This game has Brandon Roy on the cover, right? Or was that '10? Either way, this should be a cool vintage dynasty.. I only played the PSP version of the game. Gameplay was dated even then, but they had some fun mini-games. Have fun dude.

Thanks! I had actually fried my PS3's HDMI port trying to hook a capture card up, so I've gotta wait a few days to resume this.

The cover art was actually a collection of LBJ, Wade, Kobe, Pierce, Melo and Boozer; B-Roy was on the cover of the shitty 2010 PSP game, their last hurrah.

Was thinking about continuing this but ran into a pretty significant issue: as I stated in the thread dedicated to this game, every player is a restricted FA, and that brings up the question to me - can you run a compelling story without a true free agency period? On a test file I simulated until 2014, and usually only B-list players hit the market (and there aren't even many at that). I saw Paul Millsap, Brook Lopez, Turkoglu, and by 2014 Jameer Nelson (at 80 overall) was the most exciting player to hit the market, so there will be no KD to the Warriors, uncertainty of LeBron, etc., so that kills the story for me.

It's friggin' sad, because the player progression system is solid, you can focus on what attributes you want to upgrade in the offseason, but just like the lack of CPU trades in Live 18 (which I still can't get over), this is this game's glaring omission. There are also no injuries (which I can get over), and a minor but valid knit is that you can't choose what jerseys you wear, so it's always standard home/away (which is a damn shame because the game has a wealth of unlockable jerseys).

Even the trades are realistic, and looking at the rosters, there is actually a generated Manu Ginobili that made his way to the Wizards.

I might just put all my eggs into my 2K18 Cavs story, which is probably a good thing. I didn't intend to make a story this year, but figured if I do a story, it might as well be on a game that isn't shit.

Would have been nice to see some highlights of your season. Do you have recording software?

Sucks that you ran into issues.

Would have been nice to see some highlights of your season. Do you have recording software?

Sucks that you ran into issues.

I do have recording software; it's just a pain to set up so I resorted to taking screenshots on my phone. I was actually going to turn this into a Nets story to get a breather from the Cavs, but after the first game (which despite the gameplay I still had fun playing) I had second thoughts.

In the first game I got torched by the Wizards but did manage to snap a few photos:

Looks like the game showed a lot of promise.

I'm going to see if I can find it at gamestop today. If I can, I may do a throwback Thursday feature on it with my youtube channel.

wow, look at wizards stats... they've made almost every single shot.

Looks like the game showed a lot of promise.

I'm going to see if I can find it at gamestop today. If I can, I may do a throwback Thursday feature on it with my youtube channel.

I think it would work really well in that context.

wow, look at wizards stats... they've made almost every single shot.

Yup, and I was playing on Hall of Fame. They were leaving Carter open, so I was kind of just chucking with him all game.

---

I can't lie when I say I still have the desire to do this story despite all the shortcomings, so don't be surprised if you see me actually do this one day. The exciting thing about the Cavs is I can kind of control the narrative: if I want to rebuild I can let LeBron walk, and if I want to compete I can keep him around.

There is an aura to these old games that is lost with the hyper-realistic graphics and gameplay of the newer titles, which makes for a perfect dynasty story imo.

Paul & the Hornets brave Cavs in OT


CP3 bullied Mo Williams in his Cavs debut.

Cleveland, Ohio (AP) -- Coach Mike Brown made a late change to the Cavs starting lineup, as he inserted Wally Szczerbiak for Delonte West. "I like what Delonte gives us as a playmaker coming off the bench, while Wally can be more of a spot-up shooter" said Brown at shootaround.

The game was an unbelievable journey: the Cavs trailed by more than 20 in the first half, but a scorching hot second half by King James allowed the Cavs to eventually take the lead late in the fourth, but ultimately Chris Paul and the Hornets were too much for the Cavs; they had 5 players in double-figures.

The Cavs will play again in two days when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the Q.


Let the bodies hit the floor!

Key Player Stats (I'll have box scores for future games)


LeBron James: 46 pts (15-21 FG)
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 28 pts, 11 reb


Chris Paul: 28 pts (13-18), 10 ast
Morris Peterson: 25 pts
Tyson Chandler: 18 pts, 15 reb
David West: 16 pts, 9 reb

Play of the Game

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LeBron James posts up Stojakovic and switches hands on West for the jam.

Hopefully you can keep this up

I only played it on the PSP and I didn't know it was even on any other console.

Hopefully you can keep this up

I only played it on the PSP and I didn't know it was even on any other console.

Yeah, a lot of people seem to like this more than my 2K18 story.

I'd say 2K9 and Live 09 were when this section was on fire (definitely when I was around), so I think this is a nice throwback for a game I don't think anyway has ever even attempted a story for.

It's hard to control inspiration (and a severe lack of free time), but I'll do my best.

Hopefully you can keep this up

I only played it on the PSP and I didn't know it was even on any other console.

Yeah, a lot of people seem to like this more than my 2K18 story.

I'd say 2K9 and Live 09 were when this section was on fire (definitely when I was around), so I think this is a nice throwback for a game I don't think anyway has ever even attempted a story for.

It's hard to control inspiration (and a severe lack of free time), but I'll do my best.

A lot of people certainly prefer the older games. In fact, the NBA 2K14 thread by TrueFaith in this section has been doing very well.

I think it's cool, nice job with the screenshots. Sad that you can't get higher quality video because you probably don't have a capture card, but still cool to see the attempt (And the highlight itself)

I've thought about doing one of these (In depth) for 2K17. But, it's really tough to find the time.

Cavs fall short in Dallas heartbreak
Tuesday November 4, 2008

After a tough season-opening overtime loss to the Hornets in NOLA, the Cavs had another chance as they took the hardwood just two nights later in Dallas to tangle with the Mavericks in their season/home opener; it was tightly contested throughout, but Dallas was able to hold court in the final minutes.

LeBron James attempted a whopping 40 shots, shooting 40% from the field; he neared his typical triple-double territory tallying 35-8-7. After an inconsequential debut, Mo Williams was able to get on track, scoring 20 points on an efficient 8/10 from the field. Big Z snared a 19-11 double-double, but if anything showed for the Cavs, it was their lack of depth (even mainstay Eric Snow played an entire quarter in this one). They may have to search the FA waters while Mike Brown continues to toy with his lineup in this abbreviated season.

Jason Kidd had just as good of a night as James, as he tallied his own near triple-double of 31-6-7 to take the load off Dirk's shoulders, but that didn't matter as Nowitzki followed suit with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks to his name. The Jet and Josh Howard added 18 and 14 respectively to the scoring column, while old man Dampier neared a double-double with 9 & 10.

In this abbreviated 29 game season, the Cavs will have a chance to get back in the win column in nearly three weeks from now (I kinda regret only doing a 29 game season, but I'll play them all and each game'll matter -- leave nothing to the CPU) as they host the 0-1 Atlanta Hawks in their home opener on November 22nd.

Media


Top: LeBron hits a fadeaway early in the first, while Mo Williams returns to form after a lackluster debut
Bottom: Dirk showing his signature stuff against two elite defenders

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#1: Anderson Varejao hits the buzzer beater off a sweet dish from James
#2: Z cleans up the V miss
#3: LeBron hangs with some nice air time to find an open Boobie Gibson in the corner

Boxes
Cavs
Mavs

POTG (Jason Kidd)

Hawks hand Cavs third devastating loss of season
Saturday November 22, 2008
Hawks 107, Cavs 106

All three of the Cavs' games have been lost by four or less points this season, this being the hardest to swallow (1 point); the fans filled a raucous Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night for their home opener against the 0-3 Atlanta Hawks, but now those Hawks made the Cavs 0-3.

Mike Bibby led the way for the Hawks on a fairly efficient 14-23 shooting; he had 30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists on the contest. Bigs Al Horford and Josh Smith each contributed 22 points on efficient scoring as well: Smith had a cool 6 steals, while big Al brought down 15 boards. Iso Joe added 16 points and 4 dimes.

LeBron James continues to be outstanding for the Cavs. He had his second 40-point game of the season (42), but turned the ball over 8 times. The Cavs actually had five players in double-figures so he did get help; it was just a tough loss to swallow:

Ilgauskas: 15 points, 7 rebounds
Szczerbiak: 14 points
Delonte West: 12 points
Ben Wallace: 12 points, 8 rebounds

This was Ben Wallace's first start of the season over Andy Varejao and he thrived, but Mo Williams put on a disappearing act again with just 4 points and 5 dimes.

With so many big contracts on the books in James, Wallace, Ilgauskas and Szczerbiak, the Cavs are over the cap limit and can't tap free agency for help. They have to march on and host Kevin Durant and the 2-4 OKC Thunder Wednesday night. Durant is already averaging 30 points on the season and a young Westbrook 15 & 10, so no task will be easy for the Cavs this season.

Media


Iso Joe fades for 2 of his 16 points; surprisingly, he was only 4th in scoring on the Hawks tonight.


The King burning Akron rubber as usual.

(We've already got a picture of Graham in his new jersey )

Cavs send Eric Snow to Toronto for Kapono & Graham
November 26, 2008

The Raptors came knocking, and the Cavs agreed: Eric Snow for Jason Kapono and Joey Graham. The Raptors eliminate two middle-aged projects with long contracts in exchange for a shorter, aging one. Kapono will return to the team who drafted him (and Graham would join the team irl post-LBJ); the Cavs really had no small forwards to back up James, so they get two who can do different things: Kapono will be another great shooter to compliment James, while Graham can be more of a creator as a backup.

The playoff-hopeful Raptors get a veteran PG to back up Jose Calderon, something they didn't have before.

Kapono might be an All-Star in today's NBA with his shooting! Hope he can light it up for you.

Nice move. I never was a big Eric Snow fan.

I YouTubed this game, and it looks like something I would enjoy. Looking forward to more.

I YouTubed this game, and it looks like something I would enjoy. Looking forward to more.

It is so ideal -- I'm not going to say RIP to my Live 10 story, but the great thing about this game is it's the perfect blend between arcade and realism: I can sit down and play a 7 min. quarter game and feel like I'm not draining my time.

In Live 10 there was all that BS like you would drive to the hole and get the same contact animations, and it would essentially be a dice roll if it was a foul (much like the shooting -- at least this game has the meter which 2K probably "stole")... the game in general is just faster with little-to-no lallygagging to break up the gameplay; it's primitive, but it'll do. I'm glad to give it service because no one ever mentions it.

As I stated in the thread about reviving this section, the only letdowns of this game is there are no injuries and I'm pretty sure every player is a RFA. I simmed a couple season a while back and the best players to hit the market were like Brook Lopez, Lou Williams, Hedo Turkoglu and Marc Gasol (basically the guys who are one-and-done All-Stars), so probably the only way big names will move is via trades.

LeBron scores 49 to hold off surging Thunder
Wednesday November 26, 2008
Cavs 113, Thunder 105

Another day at the office for King James? He scores 49 points and adds 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks on an efficient 22/32 shooting. Z adds a 22 & 12 double-double while Wally Szczerbiak scores 13 points in a start, but perhaps most surprising for the Cavs was the bench play of the newly acquired Joey Graham: he had 10 points as the backup PF and showed a little bit of everything - passing, scoring (2s, 3s and and-1s), defense and rebounding. Mike Brown commended him after the game: "You know, we have a bit of a logjam in the paint with three conventional centers in Z, Varejao and Ben"; much really wasn't expected of Graham in the trade, but "He might be just the piece we're looking for". James has already taken a liking to him, and may become one of his favorite targets like Boobie Gibson or Varejao (and later in an alternate reality, JJ Hickson and Delly ).

The Cavs had a significant double-digit lead early on, but thanks to a 32-20 third quarter by the Thunder they were able to make it a 2-point game late. The fans feared yet another close loss by the Cavs, but Mo Williams, LeBron and Z checked back into the game and were able to hold off KD's Thunder.

Durant's 29 points looked modest to James' 49; he also added 6 assists, but OKC's biggest surprise of the night was the solid bench play of Earl Watson, scoring 20 points on an efficient 8/12 shooting. Westbrook had his season average double-double in 14 points and 11 dimes, while Chris Wilcox scored 11. A couple Cavaliers made their Q return in Joe Smith and Donyell Marshall as well.

So the Cavs finally get into the win column on the season, while the Thunder drop to 2-5. The Cavs don't have to wait long for another home game as they host the 3-4 Warriors in two days in a Friday night ESPN game; a bit of a balanced attack squad, as Corey Maggette, S-Jax, Al Harrington and Monta Ellis are all averaging double-figures in the scoring column. Even without Baron Davis, after last year, they would be foolish to underestimate.


Wally getting torched by KD; just like his rookie year, he is still their SG.


... except it was Wally's World at the Q today.




LeBron against his former teammate.

Cavs vs Warriors, before that became a thing! Nice work putting the first mark in the W column.

Incidentally, a Michael Jordan Instagram fan account I follow featured DeShawn Stevenson as their Role Player of the Day, and used the full version of the photo you're using for your avatar. An unexpectedly familiar sight on another site!

Always nice to see the Thunder lose.

Cavs vs Warriors, before that became a thing!

I didn't realize that, lol! One year before Curry entered the league, so it's too bad we couldn't have seen an early duel.

Wally's world, used to really enjoy watching him play!Young Bron was very enjoyable to watch too, raw athleticism!Really nice idea with Kapono trade. I look back at guys like him and Korver and see how under utilised they were back then, crazy how much things have changed. Do you play Delonte as backup PG? Wonder if we will see him get up to any off-court antics later!