Andrew's Chicago Bulls Dynasty (NBA Live 2004)

[Andrew]

Well, I haven't quite decided which team I'll use this year, so I went for a creative thread title.

I'm thinking of taking Chicago for the first time since the breakup of the championship team. Though I remain a loyal fan of the real Chicago Bulls, I've used other teams in recent years. But with the return of Scottie Pippen, the Bulls are once again an appealing option in Live.

Rose is probably as good as gone, Pip will be my main man, unless I decide to spice up my Dynasty by having MJ make a comeback. If I do that, he'll have lowered ratings but he'll still be the first option. On the other hand, I might let MJ ride off into the sunset and play with more realistic rosters (though I'll probably make a few moves).

Now, all I need is the game...

[thaKEAF]

The Bulls are pretty good in the game, they're rated a 82 or 83 overall.

When do you plan on getting the game?

[Swoosh]

Im also seriously considering takin' the bulls as my first franchise team, i luv the fact Pip is back and he will be me veteran leader(it could be cool to have an MJ comeback but it just aint my cup of tea), i'd trade rose too i think, also fizer/marshall, cuz chicago is kinda loaded on the PF spot and trade them for a solid backup C and some flashy young guy, i could trade for Bron and make him the next MJ but it would really be followin the hype and that's not my thingy , maybe trading for larry hughes would be a good idea and make him an all star, i'm still poundering about that, but one thing is for sure, i will try to make e-rob sixth man of the year

[mdiamond]

I've already started my 2 dynastys. I'm running a 28 game season with Dallas as my "fun" franchise. But the on I really comcentrate on is with the Pacers. I've pretty much left the roster how it was (except signing Kenny Anderson) But I created myself to backup Reggie Miller at the 2-guard. I haven't decided if I'll replace Reg in the lineup when he retires or just start Al Harrington. I'll just decide that when I get to it.

[thaKEAF]

I just played with the Bulls and they're good, I like Hinrich.

[Andrew]

I'll probably be getting the console version the first week of November (hopefully it will be available here by then), but I'll be getting the PC version around the same time as the North American release. I won't start a Dynasty on the PC straight away though, since I'll take some time to post my impressions and perhaps get an early roster update out there.

[Nick]

I'm thinking of using Milwaukee, Utah or Denver because these are teams i never use.

but the thought of making Redd an all star, TJ Ford a solid PG and desmond mason making the highlight reel...i'm almost sure i'll use them.

KG-Spree-kandi is pretty appealing, but i don't like the sound of Cassell running the point. Even though i could just trade him. but i like to keep the rosters the same, and rebiuld with the team's players.

Hey...maybe i could be Minny and trade Wally and Sammy, for Redd TJ and a first rounder.

I should stop thinking about this untill i actually get the game.

[cocobee]

Hmmm--the T-Wolves sound interesting. I like the Heat though--hmm--I'm still undecided. The cavs would be a good--but so would the Knicks. the lakers are too easy.

[Nick]

Oh yeah, the Heat! They're the kind of team i'm looking for. The reason why i wanted to play with TJ is because i want to play with a rookie that was picked between 4 and 15. The heat would be good because of Wade, and Eddie Jones, Caron, Lamar... i'd probably trade Eddie Jones for a PF or C vet though, like Malone or something.
Or maybe i could play through the year, win my bench player (probably Caron) the 6th man award, then trade Eddie for the top Rookie PF or C. and start Caron...

Shit i'm doing it again.

[Fresh8]

Yo! when some1 said something bout trading for Bron (to Bulls) ...isn't there a rule where retired Jersey Numbers can't be used or somethin??? Like MJ's jersey is retired...so does that mean Bron can't use 23?

and if so...does Live 04 have something that prevents this? (Bron wearing 23 in Chicago?)

[Andrew]

Yes, in real life players cannot wear jersey numbers that have been retired (though I think special provisions have been made in the past). Can't answer in regards to NBA Live 2004 though.

[Power And Proud]

Exactly, when Karl Malone signed with the Lakers, Magic Johnson agreed to let him wear #32, and he even handed Malone a 'Malone #32 jersey', but Karl declined to wear the number and went with his olympic number, #11.

[CHHAMP]

Andrew, you don't have to wait for the game to be released, its on the internet for free!

[Andrew]

A glance at the rules is in order.

[Andrew]

I've started my Dynasty, and I have returned to the Windy City for the first time since the championship team broke up. So far, I haven't made any deals, but as I updated the rosters and thus don't have a backup point guard on the active roster (both Williams and Hinrich are on the IR), I'm considering signing Tim Hardaway.

I'm 1-2 thus far, 12 minute quarters, simulation sliders (with altered fatigue and game speed), All-Star difficulty. The games:

Washington 101, Chicago 99

Scottie Pippen had a chance to win it with a 10 foot jumper in the lane, but it bounced off the back of the rim. I basically lost the game early in the 4th when I blew a slim lead and got a little lazy on D.

Atlanta 109, Chicago 103

Similar situation to the first game. I had a small lead in the 4th, but a couple of bad plays gave Atlanta momentum and they pulled ahead. By the time I'd settled down, it was too late. I didn't defend Reef very well, and I shot poorly from the free throw line. Two things to keep in mind next time I play them.

Chicago 111, Milwaukee 106

Tim Thomas was on fire, scoring 31 points and shooting above 70% from the field. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about that, but I gave him too many open jumpshots. It was close up until the final 45 seconds, when I managed to shut them down and they were forced to put me on the line a couple of times.

Pippen is my leading scorer so far, he's played pretty well in all three games. Rose was disappointing against the Wizards, but he played well in the last two games (though he seems to miss a lot of dunks). The next game is against Houston, in Chicago.

[Mark.]

Sounds awesome
so you havent changed the sliders much??
You should post some stats too,
If you need a back up guard sign Kirk Penny for a little Kiwi magic!!!

[Andrew]

I haven't made too many changes to the sliders. I might play a few exhibition games and tweak them a little more.

Loss to the Rockets (about 120-109)

A few terrible defensive plays cost me this one, as I again blew a lead late in the game. I wasn't running my offense particularly well, and none of my big men could shut down Yao in the fourth quarter. With about 3 and half minutes left, I took all of my starters out and let some of the seldom used reserves play a bit.

Chicago 111, Orlando 93

My best defensive game so far, as I managed to hold T-Mac to 19 points in 39 minutes (8/19 FG, including 2/5 from downtown). Curry had a double-double, and I managed to hold Orlando to 13 points in the second quarter.

I'm now 2-3, same as the real Bulls (though that wasn't intentional ). I'm also up to date with the real NBA, though I'll probably be ahead after the weekend. I probably won't get a chance to play tomorrow, so no games until Saturday.

[Boyk]

sounds great andrew.
and the scores look nice with 12 minute quarters

now i see that ya still getting 110+ when ya win, is it coz u are a run n gun type of playr or the game still is a lil easy to score?

[Andrew]

Possibly the difficulty, though further tweaking of the sliders might also lower the scores a little. I'm averaging around 107 ppg, which isn't too bad - there are CPU teams averaging more than that in my Dynasty.

[Seonadancing]

I'm playing the Bulls too. I'm currently at 17-0 (almost got beat by the Kings on a 2 OT game, Chandler was injured).
all-star level
default settings (except for fatigue=45)
7 minute quarters

I have Chandler leading my team in points 21.0, blocks 4.1 and rebounds 6.2, he is currently an MVP candidate.

Kirk Hinrich is a pretty good back up pg.

[Ruff Ryder]

Andrew, are you going to restart this franchise after the pc version comes out?

[Andrew]

I might restart this one, or I might start an entirely different one. I'll definitely be playing plenty of games on the PC once I get that version.

[Ruff Ryder]

Any transactions yet, or anyone on your mental trading block?

[Andrew]

Still thinking about signing Tim Hardaway. I was considering moving Rose, but he's been playing better since the first couple of games.

[Andrew]

Played a couple more games.

Chicago 116, Philadelphia 111

I had an unbelievable start, and was leading 36-13 at the end of the first. I had so much confidence in my lead, I had my starting five sit for the entire second quarter, and finished the half leading 52-40. The Sixers mounted a huge rally in the third though, as they shot 88% from the field thanks to subpar interior defense on my part.

(I must pause to mention how great the commentary is. Marv and Mike referenced the big lead, the way I jumped out to an early start, and the resulting comeback of the Sixers. A huge improvement over 2003. )

The Sixers actually took the lead briefly during the fourth, but I managed to pull ahead in the final two minutes and hold on to win it 116-111.

New Orleans 92, Chicago 87

Another good defensive game, but in places my defense wasn't good enough, specifically as we battled midway through the fourth. At times I had a double digit lead, but only Rose was effective on offense in the second half, finishing with 37 points. However, with the Hornets leading 88-87 with less tha 2 minutes left, he failed to score in consecutive trips down the floor.

The Hornets then scored making it 90-87, and after another failed attempt at evening the score I had to foul Baron Davis. He made both, sealing a 92-87 victory for the Hornets. Still, I couldn't complain. It's nice to have these close games where strategy actually comes into play, and you can actually play defense.

So I'm 3-4 now, but it's very early in the season so I'm not worried. I haven't made any transactions yet, but if I keep on hovering around .500, I might look to make some changes. Right now, I like my roster and can attribute the four losses to adjusting to the game and failing to execute on key plays.

Fact of the Day:

Scottie Pippen missed his first free throw of the season against Philadelphia. I think he made about 18 or 19 in a row before his first miss. He's now 29/32 for the season.