The Quest for #2 : The story of the 2007 - 2008 ATL Hawks

[ixcuincle]

I fail to see how it's strange. The settings are set for 80 shooting for all 3 ranges for both cpu and human. If they were set lower the opponent would score like 60-70 points. These settings allow realistic NBA scores more commonly seen in the real NBA than the original 70-65 low-scoring games that would occur if I had not jacked up the settings. That plus the difficulty is set on starter...as hard enough as it is on starter (look at the close games and scores for comparison) I imagine it would be harder if I were to suddenly play in superstar or whatever the mode after starter is. I don't think I'm ready for that next step...

If Jasikevicius going crazy for 50+ points for 4 straight games is crazy I will try to even out the points next time. The thing was before March or April Jasikevicius was never a ball hog and the team's philosophy as was mines was to try to spread the points out and not have one player dominate points-wise. The weird thing is , when I was playing as the Lakers in NBA Live 2005 Kobe never had monster games like that mainly because he shared the ball with the rest of the team. I need to get back to the fundamentals.

[King James #23]

sarunas is OWNING

[KIG1]

sarunas is a complete BEAST

[ixcuincle]

New Jersey 105 - Atlanta 90

Even with the return of Reggie Miller out of retirement , the Hawks (39-34) were unable to give him a welcome-back present as they were flat-out embarassed tonight by the New Jersey Nets 105 - 90. Sarunas Jasikevicius , the star that had scored in 4 straight 50+ point games , was limited to 19 points and was not as good as previous games.

The Hawks were shocked to learn earlier today that Marvin Williams , who had been sitting out the last couple of games with a foot injury , would be out for 13 weeks , essentially the remainder of the season and about the length of the playoffs. "It's a huge blow for us." , coach Mike Woodson said during his press conference. "He was an integral part of this team and his presence will be missed." They wasted no time trying to find a capable replacement , signing 40 year old shooting guard Reggie Miller to a 2 year contract. "Let's hope he doesn't retire early!" , Nick Van Exel , the team's current shooting guard joked as he left the team's hotel to get ready for the game.

Miller , unfortunately , could not generate enough offense by himself and the cold shooting by Jasikevicius would make this game uncompetitive from the start. The Hawks led early 4-2 and managed to keep it close in the first half. Eventually the Hawks were plagued by extremely poor defense and Steve Kerr , TNT commentator , even commented "Marv , this team is paying no attention at all to what Coach Mike Woodson emphasized in practice , which was defense". Jason Kidd would often fly by Hawks players who stood by the net and didn't even lift a finger to contest him. When he was contested , it would often be a 3 point play where he was fouled as he hit a successful shot. At one point the Nets led by 29 in the 4th before Woodson finally pulled Jasikevicius and inserted Tony Delk. It would be Delk's multiple steals and three pointers which would make the score more respectable as a 15-point loss , but the game was not as close as the scoreboard indicated. Miller led the way with 20 points and Andrew Bogut had 17 in the loss. Jason Kidd led the way for the Nets with 39 points.

After the game Mike Woodson unveiled his new plan for success , since key role player Marvin Williams was out with injury. After much decision in a hotel conference room , Woodson and his staff finally came out and announced that Josh Childress would return to his original position as "power forward". "We have been impressed with his style of play of late and we feel he is a capable replacement for Williams." , Woodson said. The 3-guard offense , often used by the 2005 Illini , is not new in the Hawks playbook , as they have often resorted to it multiple times during the season.

Things do not get easier for the Hawks as they face the streaking Minnesota Timberwolves next. The Wolves are 8-2 over their last 10 games.

[box score to come here later]

[zakIrah]

well thats retarded lol. if you used other guys that are even better on your team, you could bmaybe get off starter. coz seriously, having one guy hogging it, when there could be other places for guys to shoot is just not good. if you want realism, got to NBA LIVE 06 General Issues and go to the slider thread. try and look for Sit's, there good. plus there are some others there that are pretty damn good as well

[Fresh8]

Yes... use my sliders... soory, just have to say that!

[ixcuincle]

I actually used some of those sliders when I was starting out in NBA Live...I edited them of course for more offense since the scores were too low. Here are my current sliders , check them out and criticize them if you want.

They are in zip form...I have a headache and am feeling dizzy now so I really don't want to transfer them to jpg or combine them today. sorry.

http://rapidshare.de/files/11032897/Sliders.zip.html

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 84 - Minnesota 75

The Hawks got back to their winning ways and crossed the 40-win plateau as they dominated the Timberwolves (46-29) from start to finish. The game was hyped up as a matchup of two over-.500 teams , but did not live up to the hype as the Hawks (40-34) led from start to finish , at one point leading by 20. Nick Van Exel led the way with 15 points for the Hawks.

[Jing]

hm... man we gotta have some crazy shit here. i say keep going with that you have right now cause its great to see something that is not commonplace like literally 99% of the dynasties here, including mine

[HonorGlow]

...from the Chronicles of the 2006 Birdie Project:(info)

ixcuincle's Atlanta 2005-06 three-quarter-season Birdie Breakdown:

..as the Hawks are eyeing the Heat to take over the division, Sarunas is still the man carrying the load in carrying his team to victory as he earns Team MVP honors with a weighted Birdie efficiency score of 19.61 - and his 'reversible' LiveCard will be enabled.

...and he breaks into the TOP 10!:
This Dynasty instance is currently ranked #8 on the Official 2006 Birdie Board


(view entire list here)

The qualifers:
S. Jasikevicius 23.7 ppg (ranks 6th)
A. Bogut 4 rpg (ranks 10th)
S. Jasikevicius 1.17 spg (ranks 10th)
M. Williams 0.718 field goal% (ranks 1st)
A. Bogut 1.97 bpg (ranks 6th)
S. Jasikevicius 6.8 apg (ranks 6th)

Complete 'Birdie Breakdown' coverage AND to see Jasikevicius 's' reversible' Live Card clickhere.

ixcuincle: Wow that was a pleasant surprise today....in receiving your pstat files...I wanted to get the shout-out onto the boards here as soon as possible! Can you send me your favorite screenshot of Jasikevicius so I can get his Live Card going? Congrats on making the top ten of the board and I'm looking forward to your end of season stats!

[ixcuincle]

Quick update



The Hawks won all the games up to the Charlotte game , except for the Magic game. They are now 43-35 and play Charolotte next followed by Milwaukee.

The Hawks were able to clinch the 7th spot in the East. Coach Mike Woodson did not plan to rest his starters.

As the playoffs approach many of the Hawks were excited as this would be their first time in the playoffs in a long time. Reggie Miller , recent Hawk signee , told his team-mates to put aside playoff nerves and focus on winning the remainder of their games to go into the playoffs with momentum.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

nice images, crystal clear. Mine suck cuz i have it for PS2

[ixcuincle]

Miami 120 - Atlanta 90

If the Hawks play like this in the playoffs , they won't be staying long.

Sarunas Jasikevicius had 21 points to lead all starters , as the Hawks struggled to find rhythm and lost by 30 to the division champion Miami Heat , 120 - 90. It was just more bad news piled on as , earlier in the day , general manager Ixcuincle received a 30 dollar parking ticket from the Virginia Tech Parking Services committee. Livid as he was about this ticket , the outcome of today's game sure didn't help.

Miami exploded out of the gates from the starting tip , seizing a 10 point lead and never trailing. As the Heat dominated early and led 8-1 coach Mike Woodson did not have a good feeling about the game. It only got worse as the deficit swelled to 20 and at times 30. Atlanta struggled all day with foul trouble , as 2 players had 5 fouls and Andrew Bogut fouled out in the final minutes of the 4th.

"It was just a very bad day for us" , Mike Woodson said. "Nothing we did went right." Woodson actually called the usual postgame press conference off after a few questions , claiming he didn't want to talk anymore about what was unquestionably the Hawks' worst performance of this season.

Box Scores

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 107 - Cleveland 101

The Hawks were down by 16 and were struggling from the three-point line. No one was hitting their shots , and they looked on pace to repeat their horrible performance against the Miami Heat.

But Mike Woodson wouldn't have it.

Tony Delk and Sarunas Jasikevicius unleashed a barrage of threes to cut into the deficit , and the Hawks rallied from behind to win in Cleveland , 107 - 101. Delk led the way with 34 points.

"It feels great to be back in the playoffs...obviously it's been a while" , Delk said in the postgame celebration in the locker room.

The last time the Hawks went to the playoffs , it was 1999. But , with solid guardplay from Sarunas Jasikevicius , the team has turned around and shed its title of "league cellar-dweller". General manager Ixcuincle and coach Mike Woodson must be commended for signing Jasikevicius , who was ranked 68 and was a free agent. Combined with the big play of forward Marvin Williams and occasionally Andrew Bogut , the Hawks are no longer the laughingstock of the league but a young team to be feared in the future.

"We've done what we've set out to do" , Ixcuincle said. "Now we must wait to see who we face in the playoffs , and hopefully fate will look kindly upon us."

The Hawks ended the season 45 - 37 and have the #7 seed in the East.

[ixcuincle]

It was announced today that the Hawks would face the #2 seed Philadelphia 76'ers in the playoffs. The Hawks are 0-3 against Philadelphia , but that doesn't worry point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius.

"What's done is done." , Jasikevicius said in a press conference from the team's Philadelphia hotel. "Obviously , they have our number of late , but it's the playoffs now. We hope we can step it up and knock these guys off."

The Sixers are ranked #2 for a reason. They have superstar point guard Allen Iverson (20.1 ppg) and forward Chris Webber (20.2 ppg) .

Here are the playoff seeds assigned.



Statistical Analysis
Philadelphia

Atlanta

[ixcuincle]

Philadelphia 105 - Atlanta 86

Make it 0-4.

Philadelphia showed why they were the #2 seed today as they administered an old-fashioned ass-kicking of the lowly #7 seed Atlanta Hawks. Philadelphia now leads the season series 4-0 and the playoff series 1-0.

"Obviously we didn't play our hearts out tonight." , point guard Sarunas Jasikevecius said. He ended up with 11 points.

The offense was truely pathetic tonight and only mustered up 86 points. Mulitple three point attempts by the Hawks to try to get back into the game clanked off the rim , to the Hawks and coach Mike Woodson's dismay.

"Our formula for coming back has been dependent on the three all season. When no one on this team wants to hit the three , when they can't hit it with accuracy , how the hell are we supposed to get back in the game? We can't!" , Woodson ranted during a furious postgame conference.

The game was nip-and-tuck for most of the 1st quarter. The Hawks actually looked sharp and Jasikevicius got the ball in to Tom Gugliatta , who ended up with 18 points. The Hawks eventually let the game slip away as the Sixers pulled away in the 2nd quarter. The Hawks managed to close the gap to 9 at halftime , but in the 3rd half the Sixers started off on all cylinders and the Hawks could not answer the onslaught. The Hawks continued to play poor defense , often standing by as a Philadelphia player would dunk uncontested.

"When someone is coming down the lane , with a wide open path , usually you should at least try to obstruct him" , Woodson angrily stated. "I don't know why we just stand back and let them get easy points like that!"

The Hawks must step up defensively. They were able to contain Allen Iverson but the Sixers aggresively attacked the rim and often were fouled with the opportunity for 3-point plays. The Hawks offense must also start hitting the three-pointers again. It's clear that every time the Hawks are hitting their downtown shots , they have a greater chance of winning. If this means bringing back the 3-guard offense and sacrificing a tall forward like Gugliatta , so be it. It's playoff time , and the Hawks must not be swept. They must do all they can to avoid total humiliation.

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 112 - Philadelphia 100

The Hawks finally got it done.

Atlanta led throughout and started off with a bang as they evened up the series with Philadelphia 1-1. This game was a complete opposite of yesterday's debacle , as the Hawks hit their three pointers early and maintained the lead throughout the game for their first win against Philadelphia this season. Willie Green , who was red-hot against the Hawks yesterday , signifigantly cooled down.

Tony Delk led the Hawks with 28 points.

[ixcuincle]

Philadelphia 101 - Atlanta 95

Hawks Fall Just Short
Team fails in critical 4th quarter stretch - trails 2-1 in series

The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Philadelphia 76'ers , who avenged a 11 point loss yesterday and managed to beat the Hawks to lead their playoff series 2-1. Allen Iverson had 32 points as the 76'ers grabbed key rebounds and hit their free throws to eventually pull away in the final minutes and win this game , 101 - 95.

The game remained close with no team having a clear advantage in the first 3 quarters. Atlanta , however , tried to tie the game in the final minutes with a barrage of three pointers , and many of them clanked off the rim.

"We shouldn't have it come down to that" , Mike Woodson said. "We need to dominate early and leave them out of the game like last time."

The Hawks later announced a new 3-guard lineup in an effort to instantiate more points in what has been an anemic offense.

Starting Lineup for Game 4

C Andrew Bogut
PF Tom Gugliatta
SF Josh Childress
SG Sarunas Jasikevicius
PG Tony Delk

[Jing]

hey 3 guard offense. kinda like what i play.. except mine is a 3 center offense sometimes lol

[ixcuincle]

A Fitting Birthday Present
Team wins one for General Manager on his birthday

Atlanta 106 - Philadelphia 84

Game 4 didn't start off too well for the Hawks. But in the end , on his birthday , general manager Ixcuincle got what was perhaps the best birthday present of all : a win in game 4 of the 7 game series to tie it at 2 apiece.

The Hawks 3-guard offense struggled to operate as the 76ers jumped out to an early 9 point lead. Things looked gloom for the team as shot after shot clanked off the rim. During a timeout , Mike Woodson was furious. He implored his team to wake up and made several key substitutions which would turn the game around.

Rick Brunson and Reggie Miller entered the game in the 2nd quarter to try to bring the Hawks back into it. Although Brunson did not contribute much , it would be the play of Miller and Tony Delk which would help close the gap and give the Hawks a lead they would not relinquish. With the Hawks down by 4 , the ball was stolen and thrown to Tony Delk who made a layup to cut the deficit to 2. On the next possession , the ball was stolen again by Delk and thrown to Miller who hit a three pointer from the right side to give the Hawks a 1 point lead. The Hawks , with all the momentum , continued to capitalize on a suddenly struggling 76er's team. A few possessions later , the Sixers dribbled the ball out of bounds , one of 3 instances where they would turn the ball over in this fashion. More three pointers , turnovers , and slam dunks ballooned the lead to over 29 at one point in the 4th as the Hawks completely pulled away from the 76ers and evened the series up at 2.

"Obviously we weren't playing very well in the first few quarters...we needed a spark to get going and there it was" , Jasikevicius said , referring to his teammate Reggie Miller.

Superstar guard Allen Iverson was injured on an Andrew Bogut foul in the 3rd quarter , and his status remained unclear. "We hope he can play tommorow" , 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

[ixcuincle]

It will go on
Philadelphia extends series to game 7 with 94-78 win

Philadelphia 94 - Atlanta 78

The Hawks were hoping to advance to the 2nd round today after a dominating win in game 5. Unfortunately the Sixers had other plans.

Allen Iverson and the Sixers avoided elimination with a 94-78 win which sent the thrilling series to a winner-take-all game 7. The Hawks and Sixers kept close throughout the first half until the Sixers finally capitalized on missed shots by the Hawks offense , which suddenly fell asleep. Before the Hawks knew what happened they were trailing by 10 , then 20.

"They struck quick , and fast" , guard Nick Van Exel said.

The Hawks managed to close the gap to a more respectable score but it was too little too late. Game 7 will be played at the Wachovia Center tommorow.

[ixcuincle]

In the End , It's not Enough
Key Rebound ends Atlanta's season

Philadelphia 101 - Atlanta 97

Allen Iverson was on the line with 10.7 seconds left. Seconds before Sarunas Jasikevicius had attempted a three and was fouled. He hit all free throws to bring the Hawks within 2 , 99 - 97. But after Allen Iverson missed both free throws , a key rebound and put-back put the Sixers ahead by 4 , and the Hawks season essentially was over at that point. They had made the playoffs , and given Philadelphia a huge scare. In the end , though , it would be the Sixers advancing to the 2nd round to face the Miami Heat.

"It's obviously very disappointing" , coach Mike Woodson said after the game.

The Hawks and Sixers fought tooth and nail in the first 2 quarters but in the 3rd the Hawks would pull away. The Sixers though , would get back into the game with help from Allen Iverson and Kyle Korver , who lifted the team on their backs and guided them to victory. Again , the Achilles heel of the Hawks was their horrible three-point shooting , and it would end their season. In the waning moments , with ample opportunities to tie the game , the Hawks could not hit key game-tying and game-winning three pointers, giving Philadelphia rebounds.

Still , one must be optimistic about the Hawks' resurgence. A team no one had given any thought to being in the postseason managed to find it's way in , and despite going out in the first round , they gave Philadelphia a hell of a fight. One expects the team to improve next year and build on this year's success.

[Anthony15]

ouch, good season for u. At least u accomplished a mission of getting into the playoffs!

[ixcuincle]

update - detroit pistons beat phoenix suns in NBA Finals 4-1. Apparently Phoenix beat San Antonio in the NBA Finals (how is this possible!)

[ixcuincle]

New Players , Same old Story
Team manages to lose even with added superstars

Toronto 101 - Atlanta 97

Even with 2 new starters shipped in , and a fresh bench signed during the offseason , the Atlanta Hawks still managed to blow another close game. However , this game did not mean much since coach Woodson was experimenting with his new offensive weapons obtained during the offseason. They signed free agents Gary Payton , Doug Christie , Donyelle Marshall , and Devean George. 2 rookies also joined the team in the offseason , point guard Rodney Tian and power forward J.T. Foreman. Tian was impressive in his first NBA start as a rookie coming off the bench , going 4 for 5 with 11 points. His contemporary , rookie J.T. Foreman did not play poorly either , going 6 for 11 for 12 points.

"I think we've improved significantly during the offseason" , Woodson said. "With an improved frontcourt and a dangerous backcourt we are now a force to be reckoned with."

Box Score