Not 5, Not 6, Not 7 - Y3 Lottery Team Needs

[Sasaki17]

Breaking News: Wade and James to Sit Out Game 5

Both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will sit out Game 5 of the NBA Finals in order to recover from minor injuries sustained in the Heat’s 95-83 win against the Nuggets last night. G Arron Afflalo will start in place of Dwyane Wade and F Shane Battier in place of LeBron James.

[Mark.]

Will be a tough game for you, lets see if the benchies can get it done!

[Sasaki17]

Game 5: Heat @ Nuggets
Lawson’s Rampage Results in Miami Championship

Ty Lawson drained 10 threes as the Miami Heat routed the Denver Nuggets 117-88 to win the NBA Finals. Arron Afflalo (11 PTS, REB, 2 AST, STL) and Shane Battier (8 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK) did admirably in filling in for Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, who watched their team win the Finals in street clothes. Serge Ibaka was all over the place, with 21 points, 6 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. If the Heat do have to move on from LeBron James, they will surely be able to make playoff runs with the core of Wade, Lawson, and Ibaka, not to mention their wealth of draft picks in the next two years.

Player of the Game:
Ty Lawson (MIA): 46 PTS, 6 REB, 17 AST, 10 STL, 17-18 FG (10-11 3PT), 2-2 FT

LeBron James Inexplicably Wins Finals MVP

Despite not even playing in the last game of the NBA Finals, LeBron James was somehow awarded the Series MVP, which he awkwardly accepted in his street clothes. Both LeBron and Ty Lawson looked dumbfounded when the commissioner called LeBron’s name, as Ty Lawson was obviously the Heat’s best player in the postseason.

[Mark.]

Congrats on the championship Hilarious with LeBron winning the MVP, oh well Haha.

[Sasaki17]

BREAKING NEWS: Gregg Popovich to Retire

Gregg Popovich has decided to step down from his position as the Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs after 19 years. Pop took the Spurs to the NBA Finals six times in his tenure, where his teams finished with a 5-1 record. This is truly the end of an era for San Antonio, with Duncan retiring last season, and neither Parker nor Ginobili remaining on their roster. Popovich spent his entire career as a Head Coach with the Spurs.

Notable Accomplishments:
5x NBA Champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
6x Western Conference Champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2014)
3x NBA Coach of the Year (2003, 2012, 2014)

[Mark.]

Sad to see, one of the truly well managed clubs has seen all its corner stones leave. Where to now for the Spurs?

[Sasaki17]

BREAKING NEWS: Rick Carlisle Retires

Orlando Magic Coach Rick Carlisle has surprisingly decided to step down after two seasons with the team. He had a successful tenure with the team, albeit a short one, as he lead the Magic to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances and an NBA Finals appearance. Carlisle previously coached the Pistons, Pacers, and Mavericks, the latter of whom he lead to a title in 2011 over the Miami Heat.

BREAKING NEWS: Kevin Garnett Walks Away

Celtics PF/C Kevin Garnett has decided to step away from the game of basketball today, after deciding that he would rather retire with the Celtics than continue to play for another team. The Celtics are beginning a full-on rebuilding process, leaving no room for the future Hall of Famer and 20-year vet. Garnett spent eight seasons with the Celtics (12 with TImberwolves), and helped bring them a championship banner in 2008.

BREAKING NEWS: Mr. Big Shot Calls it Quits

Clippers G Chauncey Billups has decided to retire today after spending 21 seasons in the NBA. "Mr. Big Shot" won the NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, and while his four year tenure with the Clippers may not have been spectacular, the rest of his career certainly was. Billups played for the Clippers, Celtics, Raptors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks.

Full List of Retirements:
Players
Kevin Garnett, F/C, Celtics (Hall of Fame)
Chauncey Billups, G, Clippers
Richard Hamilton, G/F, Bulls
Jermaine O’Neal, C/F, Bulls
Joel Przybilla, C, Heat
Stephen Jackson, F/G, Knicks
Marcus Camby, C/F, Knicks
Hedo Turkoglu, F, Trail Blazers
Richard Jefferson, SF, Warriors

Coaches
Gregg Popovich, Spurs
Rick Carlisle, Magic

[kibaxx7]

Congrats on winning the trophy man, but damn, it was Finals MVP for Ty all along!

[Sasaki17]

Lottery Team Needs:
Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets are coming off of a bad loss in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, but the only thing they really need is depth at this point. Point Guard and Shooting Guard are in most need of depth.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons are coming off of an extremely disappointing season after acquiring Carmelo Anthony, but their two first round picks (2, 19) should help with that. They could use an upgrade at Point Guard and Shooting Guard.

Miami Heat: LeBron James may not return, which means both Forward spots need depth. The two guard spots are locked down by Ty Lawson and Dwyane Wade, so their two lottery picks will be used to acquire forwards, whether it be through draft or trades.

Trail Blazers: Shooting Guards Wesley Matthews and Elliot Williams are both free agents, and the Trail Blazers probably won’t want either of them back. Batum is also recovering from an MCL injury and may miss some time, so unless they want Luke Babbit to be their only Small Forward, they need some depth there.

Orlando Magic: The Magic may be the most complete team in basketball. Andre Miller will not return, so they could use some depth at Point Guard; and Nikola Pekovic could be improved upon, but the Magic will more than likely be in the Eastern Conference Finals yet again, so their picks could be used in a trade.

Washington Wizards: This team looks great on paper, but they play terribly on gameday. Power Forward could use an upgrade, but the Wizards need chemistry more than any player.

Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki is getting old and slow, and he may not be back next year. Power Forward is the most important need for the Mavs, as the rest of the team is stacked.

New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets need a Point Guard. Josh Selby and Greivis Vasquez will not cut it, as neither of them should be playing more than 15 minutes a game.

Utah Jazz: The Jazz are good at every position, but they don’t have any great players. They could use an upgrade at every position except Point Guard, which is locked down by Rookie of the Year Andrew Harrison.

Phoenix Suns: The Suns are by far the most disappointing team in the NBA. They acquired both Jrue Holiday and LaMarcus Aldridge in Free Agency last year, yet ended up a lottery team. The Suns are good on paper, and the only position that really needs an upgrade is Center.

Oklahoma City Thunder: James Harden has played a total of 33 games since signing his max contract two seasons ago. The Thunder need a Shooting Guard who can stay healthy, but they also have no Centers under contract. One of those positions needs to be addressed with their lottery pick, with the other in free agency.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets are a good team who keep barely missing the playoffs. They could use some depth at forward, but finding a player who can improve their chemistry is more important than finding an impact player.

[Sasaki17]

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to go past season five on this association, as I have encountered a stat glitch that will make this extremely hard/impossible to continue. I'll probably pick up 2k13 for my PC at some point in the next few weeks (waiting to see if it gets a summer sale discount on Steam), and I'll start another Heat association when I do. In the meantime, I was just wondering if you guys still wanted me to post what will sadly be the final season of this association.