The Chicago Bulls Season- Never Say Never

Nice win

thanks

o baby! kirk

that about sums it up

The stats for the Hornets are the stats from your last game against Orlando.

But great win, that must have been great when Hinrich hit that three. And I like your new recapping style. Much more suspensful, as I said. And I like how you let the gif do the telling, not just you writing it.

Thanks, Negative One, and also for telling me about the gamestats. I grabbed the wrong file obviously....

Yes, my defense has been poor. But I've also been getting frustrated with a few aspects of the game, mainly:

instant double-teaming by the CPU whenever you post up...my inside FG % must be like 30%, seriously, because I'm always shooting on 2 guys.
I can't take anybody off the dribble!!! When on on the perimeter, my player always faces the other direction from the basket, because his defender is on him. So if I try a crossover or spin move, I'm performing the moves going towards half-court, not inside to the paint! So the only way I'm getting free to drive is when I get a pick.

Do you have any advice on how to resolve these problems?

And to answer the rest of your questions:
I don't like the normal behind-view, so I use a zoomed-out-to-the max sideline view (I think that's what it's called)...it's more like on TV
I play more a half-court style
I mix it up on defense. Sometimes I patrol the paint with Chandler, other times I'll press the ballhandler with Hinrich or Duhon especially
Where do you find the overall team rating? I'm not sure what mine is...

thanks for trying to help mercyless41

1st of all im not sure but i believe the CPU learn about ur style of play and start to counter after the first games. if u play too much on the paint and have good players there the CPU will do dteam almost instantly, if u play outside the CPU will press outside shooters and do dteam fewer times. if u mix the styles the CPU will get sometimes confused allowin u to torch him with outside shooters free open and to put the ball in the rim in 1 on 1 with inside players.

for dteam: move ur inside player to the center and out of the rim to make double team track u and isolate the free outside shooter, then pass the ball and drain it.

for inside: in low post start to backdown the dfender one time then quickly move sideways and make a jumper (now ull be in front of the basket ). if u do this quick the dfender will never block ur shot. i use this and have 45-50% FG with Chandler and +55% with Curry. also a quick shot after receiving a good pass well posted is effective since the dfender often goes more for the steal than for the block. also knowin ur rival is important, if hes a good blocker adjusted quick shots can work. u can do more moves if ur player is a good dribbler like Garnett or Gasol.

for dribblin: use outside teamates for creatin direct blockins (i thought is called screen in NBA speech). when ur dfender gets blocked by ur teamate dribble to gain maximun space for an open shoot or penetrate dribblin to the rim. also there are situations when ur player is facing the dfender (mainly in sidecourt positions). there u can double clutch usin the dribblin key and the directional key where u want to go for a quick open shot or penetrate if the way to the rim is free.

the TV like cam is good to watch the replays but i dont like it to play. i use the higher behind view without zoomin. its the best tactical cam. it allow u to see the court very well specially to assist. i never used this cam in previous Lives but i think is primordial in this.

dfense: i know too many people likes to patrol with tall players coz dfense is difficult but this can leave inside players open and slow tall players are not quite good stoppin guard penetrations. if u can master 1 on 1 dfense as i did u can put rivals in serious scorin troubles every match. also watch CPU player moves. in many times they are so predictable so u can use dteam without givin a good shot.

u can find the overall team rating below the team icon before every match, in the screen where the 2 team icons appear and u can select the controller.

Wow thanks for all of that, mercyless41 I didn't know the CPU learns your style of play, that's amazing but it makes sense 'cause I am pretty predictable with my same 4 quick plays. And I will try the low-post, double-team, and defensive strategies. I'll try to stick my man 1-on-1; the Bulls have good defenders for that (Duhon, Hinrich, Noce especially) so it hopefully won't be too hard.

Thanks a lot man

ive downloaded ur gif animator so ill try to do some gifs showin the plays so u can learn to beat the CPU better.

thanks, but you don't have to, mercyless41...it's up to you


To all: sorry I've been dragging with the recaps around here. I've been busy doing lots of other things, and also I'm going to be out of town until next Tuesday. But next week I hope to get rolling again! I'll catch up to y'all then, peace

You're running the Bulls to the ground!

I'll probably read more of your dynasty when (and if ever) you make the playoffs. Don't stink up the Bulls.

You're running the Bulls to the ground!

I'll probably read more of your dynasty when (and if ever) you make the playoffs. Don't stink up the Bulls.

Aye-aye sir, I will try not to stink up the Bulls.


Game #8: Denver Nuggets (9-1) @ Chicago Bulls (3-4)

The red-hot, Denver Nuggets came to Chicago sporting a 9-1 record, and right away they showed why they were playing .900 basketball. They held the Bulls to just 11 first-quarter points, on 23.5% shooting. The Nuggets front line of Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby were impenetrable for the Bulls guards.



And things didn't get much better in Quarter #2 for Chicago. They shot 36.4%, but trailed by only 9 points at halftime, 42-33, due to Denver cooling off to shoot just 39% in that period.

But, in the 3rd quarter, the Bulls made a run.



They closed the gap to 64-61, and trailed by just 3 points after getting a boost from Andres Nocioni (shown above) and Ben Gordon, who hit 4 of his 8 shot attempts in the period.

The Bulls looked to Gordon in the 4th, but the 2nd year man cooled off with a 1-for-5 effort. His poor shooting turned out to be devastating, because the Nuggets simply [color=red]caught fire. They scored 32 points on 11-for-16 FGs (68.8%) in the fourth, and closed out the Bulls with a 96-88 win on the road. DerMarr Johnson did a lot of damage as he hit all 5 of his shots down the stretch.[/color]


The Bulls bench could only look on in agony as their teammates got burned by the Nuggets when it mattered most.

KEY PLAYERS
Ben Gordon (CHI): 22 pts, 3 rebs
Luol Deng (CHI): 11 pts, 4-7 FGs
Carmelo Anthony (DEN): 22 pts, 5 rebs
Andre Miller (DEN): 18 pts, 7 rebs, 7 asts
Kenyon Martin (DEN): 18 pts, 6 rebs

UNUSUAL IMAGE OF THE GAME

Orthella Harrington posts up....Earl Boykins! Maybe the Bulls could have won if they'd seen this matchup more often...

STATS SECTION
coming soon...


BULLS RECORD: 3-5

Game 9: San Antonio Spurs (9-1) @ Chicago Bulls (3-5)

For the second straight game, the Bulls faced a 9-1 team on their home floor. Would the outcome of this game against the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs be different from the previous contest's loss to Denver? We shall see...

The Spurs' Tony Parker cut through the Bulls defense in his trademark NASCAR style for 8 first quarter points, and helped his team to a modest 5-point advantage after 1 period: 26-21.

Chicago started off really slowly in the 2nd, though, and the Spurs' bench, led by veteran Michael Finley, built up a 14 point lead. Bulls coach Scott Skiles was furious, and called a timeout. He fired up his team, and inserted 3rd-string PG Jannero Pargo into the lineup. With a backcourt of Pargo and Ben Gordon, the Bulls rallied back, and cut the deficit in half by halftime: SA 54, CHI 47.

The Bulls carried that momentum into the 3rd quarter. They really outplayed the Spurs- grabbing 14 rebounds to their 7, shooting 57% to their 38%, and garnering 7 assists to San Antonio's 1 single assist. Orthella Harrington and Luol Deng were smoking. Here's a reverse layup by "O":



With all of that, though, the Bulls only managed to outscore the Spurs by 7 in the quarter, and the two squads entered the final period at a deadlock tie, 72-72. Could the Bulls upset the defending champs?

As it turned out, they couldn't. The Spurs' Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen dominated the final quarter. Ginobili had a HUGE 1-handed slam followed by a 3-pointer that put SA up by 10, 95-85, and Bowen hit a clutch 3 with 48 seconds left to put his team ahead 102-95. The Chicago crowd was devastated by that shot, as their team had pulled within 4 points with under 1:00 left. But it didn't work out for the Bulls on this night. The Spurs shot 68% in the 4th, and pulled out a 103-95 win.

KEY PLAYERS
Luol Deng (CHI): 17 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 8-11 FGs
Ben Gordon (CHI): 18 pts, 4 rebs, 6 asts, 9-17 FGs
Tyson Chandler (CHI): 10 pts, 10 rebs, 4-7 FGs
Tony Parker (SA): 22 pts, 3 rebs, 3 asts, 11-19 FGs
Emanuel Ginobili (SA): 18 pts, 3 rebs
Tim Duncan (SA): 18 pts, 6 rebs

HIGHLIGHTS

Tim Duncan at his best: nothing flashy, but you can't stop what's comin'


Tyson Chandler with the two-handed throwdown.

STATS SECTION
stats coming soon...

BULLS' RECORD: 3-6

aw man! Tough loss

I love this picture. How in the world did that happen?

3-6, ouch. You'd better get it together soon.

u better get on a roll
good luck

I love this picture. How in the world did that happen?

The Nuggets just got switched up And I don't know where 'Melo was running off to- Nocioni was wide open for 3 in the corner

aw man! Tough loss

u better get on a roll
good luck

thanks guys, I've got to do really start playing better if I'm going to have a shot at the playoffs. These games are TOUGH for me, but I believe I'm improving...

You're slacking with this dynasty bullsfan009.

yo bullsfan, dont worry bout the loss with the spurs. theyre a hard team to beat up. the important thing is that u still can improve. season is long enough for u to catch the playoffs. remember: being a tough 1 on 1 dfender is the way to win games. how long is ur reg. season?

I love the dunk!


I don't get to see those type of dunks in 05 or 06...Live 04 had some sweet dunks...especially the ones when you're behind the plane of the backboard.

Please let me know when you're finished 1/4 of your season so I can compute your Profiency stats! I just did Negative One's and should be posting it soon...

especially the ones when you're behind the plane of the backboard.

When that happens you end up dunking through the backboard. But my favorite dunk down low is when the big man spins baseline and then does a reverse on the baseline. I never knew that Shaq could to that in real life.

You're slacking with this dynasty bullsfan009.

yeah, I know... I haven't been finding Live 2004 to be as much fun as I'd hoped, especially with the limitations of dribbling. But I'm not going to give up...I'll just post a game or two every once in awhile.

yo bullsfan, dont worry bout the loss with the spurs. theyre a hard team to beat up. the important thing is that u still can improve. season is long enough for u to catch the playoffs. remember: being a tough 1 on 1 dfender is the way to win games. how long is ur reg. season?

Thanks for the support, mercyless. My regular season is 29 games, the shortest one.

Please let me know when you're finished 1/4 of your season so I can compute your Profiency stats! I just did Negative One's and should be posting it soon...

HonorGlow, I'm just over the 1/4 point right now, having played 9 games out of 29. What do you need to calculate the Profiency stats?

Oh okay...so that means...submit after 15 games...you'll find my e-mail when looking at my profile...thanks for your interest! Looking forward how your Bulls team will fare on the Birdie Board!

i usually played shortest seasons too. u can do the way to playoffs even with a 13-15. 14-14 almost assures u to reach them and above that mark ure surely in.

Game #10: Chicago Bulls (3-6) @ New Jersey Nets (7-4)

The Bulls were looking to get back on a winning track last night in New Jersey, playing the hosting Nets. Both teams started off evenly, shooting the ball well, and limiting their turnovers. Andres Nocioni came out smoking, scoring 13 first-quarter points to go along with 4 rebounds, which for the Nets, Jason Kidd and the ageless Cliff Robinson each scored 8. After the first quarter, it was all even at 24-24.

But things quickly fell apart for the Bulls in the 2nd. New Jersey upped the tempo, and were fastbreaking everywhere. Jason Kidd used his great speed to get multiple uncontested fastbreak layups, and his team put together runs of 13-0 and 8-0 to take a commanding 59-45 halftime lead. They shot 63.6% in the 2nd, while the Bulls went extremely cold- 7 for 24, 29.2%.

The Bulls competed hard in the 3rd quarter, but simply couldn't hit much from the field. They shot 36%, and while they had 6 more field goal attempts than NJ, the Nets were able to tack on 9 more points to their lead, making it 88-65 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulls were very discouraged, very frustrated, very upset.

But it was New Jersey's night. The Nets showed no mercy to the Bulls, shooting 68.2% in the fourth, just blowing out Chicago at home. The Bulls were down by as much as 40 points, and had to humbly walk off the court after a 123-85 loss.

KEY PLAYERS
New Jersey- 7 players scored in double figures for the Nets. Their top scorers were Kidd (24 pts), Richard Jefferson (19 pts), and backup PG Jeff McInnis (18 pts).
Chicago- Kirk Hinrich had 17 points and 6 assists for the Bulls, and Andres Nocioni finished with 17 points (only 4 after the 1st quarter) and 10 rebounds. Ben Gordon had perhaps the worst game of his career: 4 pts, 1-14 FGs, 0-6 3FGs.

COACH'S CORNER
Nets Coach Lawrence Frank: "Well, I'm not sure what happened to the Bulls in this game. I'm sure they are disappointed with their play, but our guys deserve credit for competing hard, playing smart, and just overall coming out and giving our fans a great win."

Bulls Coach Scott Skiles: "No comment, guys, I think the game speaks for itself."

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Vince Carter gives the fans what they want to see.


Kirk Hinrich makes a nifty move against Carter.

STATS SECTION
Game Stats: http://bullsfan09.atspace.com/Game%2010%20Teams.txt
NJ Stats: http://bullsfan09.atspace.com/Game%2010%20Nets.txt
CHI Stats: http://bullsfan09.atspace.com/Game%2010%20Bulls.txt

BULLS RECORD: 3-7


***I tried playing man-to-man D, and I got burned in that game, guys...But I'll keep on playing that way, because I'm going to get better. I've got to!

I'd say keep play zone unless the opponent has some dangerous three point specialists. What I like about Man to Man is that you can totally adjust once they start doing the pick and rolls. Looking forward to your stats...although we're about 6 games away still

uf, tough loss man. new jersey is a hard team coz they fast break all the time, but the losin margin is too high. Carter & Jefferson r the guys u have to control coz theyre the most dangerous fastbreakers and Kidd is always backin them up. one tip to avoid this kind of games against this kind of teams is to not take quick shots, specially with outside shooters. to play half court with long posesions and a lot of motion is the way to score safely against fast break teams. If ur outside shooters r not playin a good game dont insist on them coz u will eat too many points from the rival. i guess thats what happened to u this game.

Ow, that must have hurt. I'm always down on myself after losing by that much.

uf, tough loss man. new jersey is a hard team coz they fast break all the time, but the losin margin is too high. Carter & Jefferson r the guys u have to control coz theyre the most dangerous fastbreakers and Kidd is always backin them up. one tip to avoid this kind of games against this kind of teams is to not take quick shots, specially with outside shooters. to play half court with long posesions and a lot of motion is the way to score safely against fast break teams. If ur outside shooters r not playin a good game dont insist on them coz u will eat too many points from the rival. i guess thats what happened to u this game.

About fastbreaking: If you take a three-point shot and miss, make sure you manually control your player and take him back, because your CPU teammates won't do it themselves. I've gotten too many 3-on-none fast breaks because I forgot to do that.

If you have a two-on-one or three-on-one fast break, then you're done. There's nothing you can do about, unless you intentionally foul them, and that might be too slow.

If you have a one-on-one fast break: If it's a player who's not tall and not good at blocking, and you're behind the other guy, then the play is finshed. He's going to score. If the guard is in front of the opposing fast breaker, then your best bet is to try to draw a charge. If it's a big man running behind the guard, than that is the best situation, believe it or not. If you time it perfectly, you can block the little man almost every time from behind.

Man, I take NBA Live seriously. Way too seriously.

uf, tough loss man. new jersey is a hard team coz they fast break all the time, but the losin margin is too high. Carter & Jefferson r the guys u have to control coz theyre the most dangerous fastbreakers and Kidd is always backin them up. one tip to avoid this kind of games against this kind of teams is to not take quick shots, specially with outside shooters. to play half court with long posesions and a lot of motion is the way to score safely against fast break teams. If ur outside shooters r not playin a good game dont insist on them coz u will eat too many points from the rival. i guess thats what happened to u this game.

Yeah I believe you're right mercyless41. Unfortunately, the Bulls are heavily dependent on the success of outside shooting. The loss of Eddy Curry, who was our only legitimate low-post threat, has made it that way. But I've read your advice, and I'll try to take it. New Jersey is definitely a tough team though.

About fastbreaking: If you take a three-point shot and miss, make sure you manually control your player and take him back, because your CPU teammates won't do it themselves. I've gotten too many 3-on-none fast breaks because I forgot to do that.

If you have a two-on-one or three-on-one fast break, then you're done. There's nothing you can do about, unless you intentionally foul them, and that might be too slow.

If you have a one-on-one fast break: If it's a player who's not tall and not good at blocking, and you're behind the other guy, then the play is finshed. He's going to score. If the guard is in front of the opposing fast breaker, then your best bet is to try to draw a charge. If it's a big man running behind the guard, than that is the best situation, believe it or not. If you time it perfectly, you can block the little man almost every time from behind.

Thanks for these tips about fastbreaks, I definitely need them. This is a part of the game that's very frustrating for me, especially because it's not like this in the NBA (with the exception of the Suns maybe- but even then, 3-on-0 fastbreaks!?!).

Man, I take NBA Live seriously. Way too seriously.

we all do

Actually, when you've played NBA Live for a while, those things come naturally. Those things about the fast break- no one ever taught me, and I never even thought about it. It just came naturally during the course of the game.

So the motto is: Play more, more experience.