- OCD Hoops -

Underrated NBA Players who balled up at age 35 or later : Wilt who averaged 13.2 pts and 18.6reb to go with 4.6ast and who knows the blocks shooting 73%FG... At age 36 in his lasy season, Russell, Oscar, Baylor, and other older players like Jordan and Bird I won't be listing as I'm trying to stay as modern as possible. So much talk about Lebron being the only 35 year old to play at an elite level this past year got me curious. There's plenty of guys that were good NBA players in their mid 30s like 36 year old Marion on Dallas starting at forward for 30 minutes a night and averaging 10.4ppg 6.4rpg 2apg, is something any player at the age of 36 would be more than happy to put up. But over the past 25 or so years there have been some great elders that had wonderful seasons, even an MVP season from the mailman at age 35. But more importantly are guys like Detlef Schrempf, whom are normally not discussed or brought up. Lebron can match that but Giannis makes a toug...

Finally.  The NBA preseason has been underway as teams are pacing and spacing the floor.  This newer, faster, smaller, NBA basketball overall is a tad different than the way the game was played a decade or two ago.  A lot more "European", if that makes any sense (you'd have to watch the Euro/ACB Leagues or Olympics a lot).  Teams are living by the 3, deciding not to take that long two-point shot, and playing smaller for a majority of the games as a result of the Warriors winning the title in that fashion. With the game ever evolving and team elements increasing, one can't help but wonder what will become of the Lakers in future years. So how will the men in purple and gold fair this year?  Is it fair to expect them to make the playoffs? Sadly, even as a big Laker fan, I do not see playoff games again this season.  Luckily, that doesn't bother me as the Lakers finally have a nice young core group of players full of untapped potential, as well as Kobe's...

The surprise pick of the 2015 draft wasn't the Timberwolves taking athletic 7 footer Towns, who had been projected as the top pick in nearly every mock draft, but rather the Lakers stirred up the entire lottery and draft picking one and done Point-Guard D'Angelo Russel with the 2nd overall pick. Every projection had Towns going first with the other 7 footer Jahill Okafor going next, while Russel was in the top 3 picks anywhere up to near the 10 pick on all the mock drafts going in. As a Laker fan, though extremely objective, I did hope the Lakers would take either Russel or Muiday, a future PG with size that complements young Jordan Clarkson, last years 2nd round pick of the Lakers who made All Rookie First Team and finished the year with a bang. Russel, like Clarkson, is a 6'5'' tall and long point-guard who can also play the 2 spot as well. Other than their similar sizes and ability for the Lakers to start the 2 guys together with a 3 guard lineup (because o...

Alright, I haven't been writing or blogging much about the NBA much in the past year... well I'm back, stronger than ever and with a mission!  Anyhow, this 2015 off-season has been quite unpredictable to some degree, and with all the great player movement this summer it seems as if the upcoming season might be one of the most competitive ones in years, possibly ever. Aside from the Philadelphia 76'ers (whom have a bright future), I can't say there is any other team that is a standout "awful 20 win max team".  League parity, as Adam Silver and the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed to end the strike a few years back has now been fully implemented, and it appears to be working flawlessly.  No longer do the big markets own free agency like they once did, no longer do owners have teams in small markets with tiny caps (actually they have to have 85% of the cap on players otherwise they will be in trouble after one season). This has all resulted in a cou...

In the 6 seasons that Michael Jordan was able to capture an NBA Championship and Finals MVP he was always known as "the best ever".  Now just because I am a Laker fan does not mean I'm trying to take anything away from the best Shooting-Guard to ever play the game (especially in his and this era; I'll throw Jerry West in there but he's 60's/70's and was sort of that combo guard type. So I'll just state it quickly.  I believe Kobe is one of the best to ever play, key word "was", but I also don't think he's ever quite been on the level of the great Mike.  Or do the stats just make Jordan look so much better?  After some analysis and deep thought, it seems I've realized how much credit we as a collective fan-base of the NBA tend to give both Michael Jordan and then coach Phil Jackson. It seems that then Scottie Pippen is the subject discussed. I do believe we ought to at least look at it all objectively. Kobe couldn't take m...

The title of the post is something one could never of typed or said for maybe the entire history of the NBA. Even in their past down years they were always being overrated and talked about like they were a top contender. Sure, they still are the Lakers and are still always a subject that matters, just like the Celtics, but this recent Clipper climb has taken LA by storm, and in the past 3 years the amount of fake Laker fans becoming Clipper fans is impossible to count. The Clippers deserve credit, trading for coach Doc Rivers, one of a few coaches that commands his team and get's respect (he's right behind Poppovich with coaches like Thibs or Vogul). After a frustrating 2013-2014 season, one in which we saw Kobe play 6 total games only to go back to surgery and rehabbing his body for this upcoming season and the last 2 years of his new contract (and possibly last 2 years of his career). With Steve Nash also hurt most all the season and not playing at any level near the Nas...

(Had to give this guy hits and props) When creating a new career and my player for NBA 2k14 these caps and starting stats help show you which "Play Style" is what you are looking for. For all you guys that play 2k14... this shows the caps for whatever position and play style you create.... a PF "Defensive" play style, for example, starts with better defensive stats and awareness but now you can see all the different play styles for each position, each attribute, speed and quickness, shot ratings, layup and dunk ratings, defensive, physical and mental awareness and consistency. Some guards have 90 shoot in traffic another, same position has 85 and another Play Style for that position is 80. You can really fine tune what your player will become.   https://docs.zoho.com/sheet/published.do?rid=12cbmb3fea1d7cd764d859dc27c75f10e00c0 Hopefully it helps (*on the link you change positions in the bottom left) 360 Gamertag:  MetaWorldSCHIZO Always gaming

Sure, most of the current NBA focus is on the NBA's conference finals currently going on.  But after tonight, it appears I am looking smart as the Heat  went up 3 games to 1 on the Pacers, while the Spurs should be in the NBA Finals like I predicted, OKC does have Ibaka back and finally won a game to make that series 2-1 in favor of the Spurs. Predicting the OKC/SAS Western Final and the IND/MIA Eastern Final matchup makes me proud too, though I did think for an article or so the Wizards would take out the Pacers....  The Indiana Pacers are definitely a top 5 NBA team, maybe better, maybe worse.  Roy Hibbert's inconsistencies have really caused them issues, while they also are lacking with George Hill as their starting Point Guard.  He's a nice all around player combo guard, but in my opinion is best served as the 6th man role, like he was on the Spurs.  But the Pacers are built strong with depth and great defense (well, in the regular season), and...

(I wrote this really quick, so excuse the grammar... it's a tad non-existent.  But I want to get my point across, because Live 15 has a chance to really be legit. "I really like where NBA Live 14 is headed with the gameplay, the engine, the new patch and colllison detection, 2k sim like game controls, lots of cool user modes and everything, plus it's servers work!  So if Live 15 utilizes everything it's learned from this year and adjusting things and adding modes and gameplay styles... EA you guys are doing it RIGHT. And I have played NBA2k since 2k10, though i did own Live 10 (I enjoyed both game styles though Live 10 was too arcadelike online was stupid playing 5 on 5 because a guy could just ballhog with anyone decent, let alone legit, and use cheeser moves.  But a big part of that was the inability to play defense, which NBA Live 14 has really taken over lately with the last patch.  I feel like the defense is maybe even better and more fluid and as realist...

So many questions for the LA Lakers as a Franchise, to their coach... GM... players... and all those so-sincere ex-Laker fans gone "Always been Clipper fan" simply kept growing as the season continued. While I have nothing against watching the other NBA team in LA finally have a legit season I would guess that about 10%-15% or so of "Actual Laker Fans" have hopped on the wagon, and have become the true fake fans. Unless you admit you just like to watch the best teams play each year and always switch (I try to always have that perception to be able to make observations of players I might like or dislike to some degree based on team, or what he did when playing the Lakers, etc.  But I truly became the first ORIGINAL, COMPULSIVE, and DATABASE on what the Lakers are currently doing, but what they are lacking (or when they have the right roster, coach and chemistry).  Some day soon...... The Lakers, on paper, looked legit going into 2013.  We had the same team, aside ...

After discussing things going on with the Lakers, it seems "D'Antoni" is either gone before this season starts or signed on for 2 seasons while he has to Coach a Lakers roster in year one 5-6 games into the NBA Season.  That's a tough thing to do, especially when you've never coached any of those players or been the head of the LA Laker Franchise (that whole Sterling racist statement about Magic really helps me to keep my balance with the Lakers). That's where my immediate shout-out for Jordan Hill goes, as D'Antoni did officially draft him with the Knicks in the mid/late lottery but only got him in his rookie year basically... and Hill was not NBA ready exactly. But now, my gosh, he's flourished this season under the system and coach... Now honestly, I've never been huge on D'Antoni, Sure, I felt like some of those Phoenix rosters Coach D'Antoni gathered could of had a player coach and been successful; but that's me being picky, thou...