Friday, August 31, 2018

NBA Stories: the 90s Dallas or how to destroy young talent


     One of the most interesting NBA teams in the 90s which happened to be one of the youngest also was the Dallas Mavericks. They were loaded with 3 point shooters. At that time we were teenagers and trying to emulate some of them.

     For years we were trying to understand what happened to that team but of course we missed the proper information on the matter. Now, with all the media out there we got the chance to solve the mistery.

     Former Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd had a Hall of Fame NBA career, but even he couldn’t completely stay away from all the drama. In 1996, the Mavs had Kidd, Jim Jackson, and Jamal Mashburn, and they looked like a young core that could be built around for years to come.

     Kidd ended up being traded away to the Phoenix Suns, with the other two traded away a short time later. There were questions about what caused the sudden downfall between the group, and there were rumors that it was Toni Braxton who broke the group up.

     When advertising for her “Secrets” album, Braxton was asked about a love triangle that she allegedly had between Kidd and Jackson, and her response was that she doesn’t kiss and tell. Kidd was recently asked if she ever had anything going on with Braxton, and he denied the rumors, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.

     “Not true,” Kidd said. “It was never true. Never met the woman. It was never true. It just somehow took on legs of its own and she breathed life into it and I guess that didn’t help [with the] kiss and tell, whatever she said. “I don’t even know if Jim Jackson went out with her,” Kidd adds of Jackson, who along with Mashburn denies the Braxton tale. “People always ask me about that. I never met the woman and never thought I was going to meet the woman, but somehow this story came about and it just took off. Did not know her. No date.”

     A lot of people probably won’t believe Kidd, but according to the Hall of Famer, this isn’t what broke up the young promising Mavs team.

     This is pre-Mark Cuban Dallas era before Nowitzki and Nash. Here is their story.



Saturday, July 14, 2018

Levy's 2006-07 Season DLC is launched (as a tribute to the revolutionary PHX Suns from the 2000s)


       Now that I have found the best formula that makes the game even more realistic than it was before, we can apply it to the new season mods I have just created in June and July 2018. :) But let's start with the most recent one.


       It was the summer of 2006 when I realized the NBA Live series after the 2005 edition wasn't just no fun anymore but it became unplayable for serious, experienced gamers like me. Granted, it was the last videogame I enjoyed on Windows XP. Yeah, good old times you might say...


       At that exact time I lived and travelled through half of USA not having much time for gaming nor watching NBA on TV except for a brief moment to enjoy the Finals that year when Nowitzki's DAL Mavericks battled Dwayne Wade's MIA Heat.


       The first laptop I bought was a very nice refurbished Toshiba Satellite that could run the new NBA Live 2007, released in October 2006. Back then one of my European friends hosted me in his small flat in Queens, NY. The game itself was very buggy and used to crash all the time so I got frustrated. My laptop got frustrated too and decided to give blow up the processor exactly one day before my US visa expired and my long flight back to Europe.


       I remember me travelling up and down Manhattan trying to find the Toshiba repair center. Of course they couldn't help fix it in less than 24 hours; luckily my international warranty helped me get a new processor for free in Europe 3 months later. I am sure the greedy corporation don't cover you anymore worldwide nowadays!


      So this is how I missed the NBA gaming experience for about a year because as soon as I interrupted the joy for 4 months, it simply wasn't there anymore for me... My biggest wish was to refresh that year in my mind somehow and be able to play that season where I have left off.


       That being said, you already know I am a huge PHX Suns fan. Well, the NBA today is what it is thanks to coach Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns team from that era! They had the best team in scoring, 3 point shooting and passing those years. Of course they also ruined the defensive side of basketball at that time but people were to busy watching the new showtime so they didn't notice the lack of defense Steve Nash & Co had. Personally I loved the flow of the game but I was a bit concerned with the missing D. And that is exactly why I can rarely watch NBA nowadays...


       Anyway, here I am 12 years later creating this superb 2006-2007 Season DLC for NBA 2K11 so anyone nostalgic like me or simply just curious about that era can play this in 2018 and the following years.


       Now, a few things about this DLC. Since I had to change all players cyberface ID because of the new system I am using, this meant almost every player got a new, upgraded CF. Some of them are more realistic than others, some use lookalike CFs because nobody ever made a cyberface for them. Unlike the 2K12-2K13-2K14 mods at least my game has CFs for ALL players even the obscure ones! Yes, I used everything I could get my hand on to add high definition textures to 3D models I had. The results are great.


       Before haters come and try to bash my work, let me tell you that I have always charged money ONLY for the Roster file that I personally created from scratch, with NO HELP from anyone. The graphic part is an immense collection of pieces I had found over the years on the internet and compiled into my game - you are not paying for those because they were free and remain free. One more thing: although I had them, I chose to eliminate the portraits from all DLCs I created.


       Briefly, the 2006-07 DLC contains:
- realistic gameplay based on a formula I came up with after 3(!) years of testing that gives realistic scores/percentages
- historical accurate skills and tendencies for each player based on a formula that is using real stats from NBA players career (it calculates career average ratings per 36 minutes from the data sheet on https://www.basketball-reference.com)
- some players' names were tweaked so it matches the game's list and the arena announcers can tell it; some players can't be matched with the 2K list so I chose to use the "Money" nickname for at least it sounds like a made basket when they score (if you don't like it, you can change these things in the game by editing the player's bio)
- real coaches names with real height, cyberfaces and experience years
- real arenas and jerseys for each team
- an NBA TV presentation
- a few dornas with ads from that era (this I intend to improve to get a real historical feel)


       This DLC comes with all the necessary files plus the Roster file and the Season Mode file where I set up the historical accurate lineups. Be warned you will need to use my Game Sliders and Coach Profile plus Fatigue as substitution method that is in the Settings file (don't worry it will be all send it to you by email!). If you want to understand how my version of the game works, you should go to the How To Play The Game link on this blog. There are explanations about the Game Settings, Game (Active Coach Mode) Sliders and the Universal Coach Profile.

         In case you're interested in acquiring this mod, send me an email to leeunagi@gmail.com first and then I will provide you with my PayPal account where you can send your payment for this mod. After I cleared your payment, I will send you an email containing the Roster (ROS) file and the Season Mode file.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

NBA Stories: J.R. Smith high on drugs ruining LeBron's championship ring dream in 2018


If you really want to know how I feel when people (hard to call them that though) cheat and lie to me, just look at LeBron's face when J.R. Smith is clueless. See it? That's ME. Not that anyone cares anyhow...



This is about you "youngsters on drugs". Look at J.R. Smith and what they do to your brain! :)))


Cleveland losing because J.R. Smith HAD NO CLUE where he was nor that his team WASN'T leading with 4.7 seconds left in the game. Next thing...the game went to overtime and Cleveland lost Game 1 of the Finals. Well done chicken head generation! Aliens will never visit this planet anymore.


And again, just so you know I am not the only one telling you Chicken Head Generation you are brainless. :)))



If you still don't get it...watch this. It's me leaving you behind when I got tired of giving explanations because I am fed up with "basketball fans" stupidity and hate.


NBA Stories: "The GOAT"...



     People keep comparing apples with oranges comparing LeBron James with Michael Jordan or viceversa. Firstly, you have to be a moron to even start comparing these two! Of course 90% of the people are...morons. They played in different eras in a league with different trends and very different opposing players. You CANNOT COMPARE MJ and LBJ! But ya'll bored so that's what you do all day...

    Secondly yes, you can compare stats (a monkey could do that easily by looking at the numbers). I would compare their personalities and winning mentalities instead 'cause that's something doesn't get affected in 5000 years. In this case, MJ will come out as a "better" player because he hated to win and he could literally kill someone for the sake of winning. LBJ plays for fun most of the time and to make his teammates better. I prefer the human; robots will dominate the planet later we like it or not so I'm not in a hurry to get there.

     Well let me explain this once and for all as I watched both players in their prime.

     LeBron James was facing the champion team Golden State Warriors by himself in 2018. He did that before and not just once. In Jalen Rose's words: "my back hurts from watching him carrying those dudes". :))) Secondly, MJ never played alone, he had the perfect teammates where everybody had a clear role to back him up, from Stacey King and Tucker to Longley and Kerr or even the obscure Buechler.

     Also MJ had the best coach in the history of the game (no offence, Pop!) while T. Lue the actual coach of Cleveland Cavaliers can't even call a timeout when his team gets the ball with 3.7 seconds left on the clock...

     Oh yeah, and NBA referees were on MJ's side all his career; definitely not on LBJ's side in the last 10 years of his career.

     At this point you can STOP COMPARING MJ with LBJ, 'aight? They might be the same if you want to talk about them in practice and training but not in the game. There are two completely different circumstances. We can all have personal preferences but that is another topic and shouldn't have the word GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) written all over it.


Friday, May 11, 2018

NBA Stories: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - the shooting G.O.A.T.

        In many basketball fans opinion, the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) in terms of basketball shooting was/is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. If you could watch Caesar conquering Europe in real time this is what Rauf looked like when he was dominating the world of basketball. I wish people stopped comparing Rauf to Curry. Why? Because Rauf was unguardable while Curry is but players simply choose not to guard him properly.

           I am so happy I watched the game in his prime in the 90s before the US gov't through the NBA commissioner David Stern decided to kick him out! The NBA invented a new criteria for free throws historical stats just to get rid of Rauf's name as the best FT shooter of all time. That tells you how much (Jew) marketing hated Rauf's beliefs. Remember that Racism is something racist people created along with all the other "isms" invented by hateful people - usually those who had the power in a group or a country. Some people comment on YouTube with this: "They suspended Rauf and barred him from even dressing on the bench even though there wasn't even a rule against not standing for the pledge. And everyone just let it happen to him.  Dude was only exercising his amendment right. America land of the free...". Yep!

         Abdul-Rauf told the website The Undefeated that he views the American flag as a symbol of oppression and racism. He has been silently protesting oppression and racism for more than 20 years. “I hold true to it,” he said last week. All Americans have a right, if not obligation, to draw attention to perceived wrongs, he said. “If you feel there’s something wrong and you want to change it, whether you’re an athlete, whether you’re a doctor, whether you’re a garbage man, we all have been given a voice by God, and we have a right to voice our concerns,” he said. Reasonable people can disagree on how best to voice concerns, he said. Each person must decide a course of action. “Whatever it is, you have to live with those consequences,” he said.

          Abdul-Rauf has. His quiet protests sparked death threats, the burning to the ground of a 2,800-square-foot home in Mississippi and, he believes, being weeded out of the NBA and thus losing several prime years of a pro career. Effectively banned from the NBA at age 29, Abdul-Rauf then played in Turkey, Russia, Italy, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Japan before retiring in 2011. This echoed what he told The Undefeated last year. “It’s priceless to know that I can go to sleep knowing that I stood to my principles,” he said then. “Whether I go broke, whether they take my life, whatever it is, I stood on principles. To me, that is worth more than wealth and fame.” “I’m for anybody who wants to bring about a change for the better in society, period,” he said.


         Abdul-Rauf still trains daily. “It’s in my DNA,” he said. “It’s therapeutic.” Exercise provides a respite from the Tourette syndrome that affects Abdul-Rauf. Exhaustion relieves the symptoms of the neuropsychiatric disorder. Abdul-Rauf trains and plays one-on-one against young athletes who have no knowledge of his former on-court achievements. “They seem to be amazed at my quickness and ability to still get off my shot,” he said. “My strength is pretty much still there. My conditioning is still there. I think I'm still pretty quick to get where I want to go. Not the 20, 25-year-old quick. But I'm not complaining.” He is still doing his wizardry on the court at the age of 50(!!) in Ice Cube's BIG3 league. Abdul-Rauf said he participates in the three-on-three games (10 sites over 10 weeks this summer) to see how he can do against ex-pros who are 10 or 15 years younger.


       From one of the YouTube comments about Rauf: "He was blackballed out of the league. Imagine what he could've been if that didn't happen. To me he was a better shooter than Steph cause he was waaay more athletic and he shoots a jump shot. From any angle and has more variety of shots. No hate on Steph, he has range but this weak league allows the offensive player a lot more freedom than back in the day." Forget about Steph Curry, instead watch the best shooter of all time still being on fire in 2018!


       There is a difference between being mediocre and being great. So, are you ready to face death to embrace living at the fullest? 99% of the people would say no. This is how I thought and trained when I was a teenager giving up partying, girls and everything 99% of you, people did. Unfortunately the discs in my spine didn't catch up with the hard training but I didn't give up, took the pain every day and still had become the best I could be. Now sometimes I can hardly walk but I am at peace with myself and in my mind I am flying to magic places 99% of people don't even know they exist. And that's when you meet yourself and god as full package. Rauf, the legend talking sense like no other does today:


             In some of the comments on YouTube: 
         "I grew up admiring and copying MJ's game/moves. But I did kept an eye of this man. He's been robbed. So many times  I've seen him played so great, yet he would be put to bench every time. And at times, he's not even a starter... damn, this man would have change the game earlier, so underrated. Just because of his religion, name & beliefs... the man didn't even complained. What a great man. Salute to you sir. I did practice the way you shoot, the form and accuracy is so high. You should be acknowledged sir... I loved the game so much back then, and you're one of my inspiration... love from the Philippines!!!"

         Unlike the fake super woke athletes of today that are backed by corporate sponsors like Nike and the liberal sports media, he took a truly unpopular stand and did it B4 having made a lot of money.  As far as basketball, in his prime, he was right there with Curry.  I think he made an unwise decision regarding the flag but I understand why he did it.

            If Mahmoud had been allowed to have a full career, the current 3 point revolution the Steph is the center of probably happens much earlier on the NBA timeline.

            Phil Jackson knew exactly what he was saying and to top that he would give Step the business right now at 47yrs of age.

         Another fun fact about Jackson. He was only 165lbs. which makes it a bit more impressive especially for his physical era. There is a very short list of players under 170lbs that had a successful NBA career.

         My favorite player of all time, I had so much fun watching him in the 90s. Considering that Mahmoud had a rough childhood where he overcame a physical disability, grew up in poverty with a single mom, was undersized in a much more physical NBA era than today, played for a small market team with mediocre ownership, never got in any trouble off the court, and then was blackballed by the league for his personal beliefs...it's pretty damn impressive that he still managed to have so many flashes

          Back when you had to have skill to play elite NBA basketball... What a player! Pure shooter, great passer, he was a mix of steph curry and steve Nash. so happy I grew up with this basketball as a kid. Oh and don’t forget the guy who he was coming in to replace at the draft... Big Mike Adams, also underrated. YouTube him, kids.

         A great player blackballed over the Racist Flag! If THEY DIDN'T blackball him, a sure HOF seat was his. A pure shooter with excellent skills.  Shame on the NBA, shame. Bottom line, David Stern robbed us of one the best players in an of the game. This was not the first time a player was blackballed because of his beliefs. Let's not forget they also did Craig Hodges dirty back in the day too, even Kareem wasn't treated too kindly when he converted to Islam, while with the Bucks. I think land of the oppressed and home of the cowards is far more fitting when it comes to social issues and acceptance in the United States."
         
       Don't forget you can play with Abdul-Rauf in NBA 2K11 when using two of my DLCs, the 1995-96 and the 1997-98 NBA seasons that you can download here on this blog. ;)

Friday, May 4, 2018

Levy's 2010-11/2011-12 Seasons DLC



                 Can you remember the day NBA2K11 came out and you tried to play it but it got you all frustrated because of the lame default settings? What about all those weeks and months you tried to change the game sliders to avoid all the bugs the game has?

                  Long story short, to me the original NBA2K11 wasn't playable at all. But now I managed to make the proper adjustments to the gameplay, added a few dozen of players with all their attributes made realistic so there you have it: a brand new realistic game. And not just one season but two: 2010-2011 and 2011-2012! Which comes to the payment. Unlike before, you will get two DLCs for the price of one. :) The Roster files which are 100% my work and basically load the mods are available in exchange for a $10 fee (lunch price in Europe) via PayPal.

                  Place your order ASAP as I plan on moving to another continent (again). I can still process PayPal payments not later than this month (May 2018). Thanks!

Sunday, April 1, 2018

NBA Stories: STEVE NASH - Basketball Hall of Famer

This is how history is being made!



In 1996 I predicted something that nobody could even imagine. The fact that Steve Nash will be one of the greatest ever playing this game. At that time 99% of the fans in PHX were booing him when seeing Nash warming up before the game. Just like people who watch basketball today and fans who attend games, they didn't really have a clue about sports and the effort that some players put in throughout their sometime short(ened) career.

Because I was watching the Suns closely as die hard fan since 1991-1992, I noticed this young guard who's moves were...unreal due to the fact he played multiple sports in his youth. I knew he will be unstoppable in a league were giant players couldn't do complete lateral movements :)))



There are a few extreme nut-heads out there who even deny Nash the merit in earning 2 league MVP titles. That is just moronic! And yes, that includes Shaq too who destroyed the system in Phoenix over 1.5 years he played for the Suns. Some say Nash didn't deserve one of the trophies. Well...facts are that the next 2 years after his 2nd MVP were even better! So if you take 1 title, he still should have had 3 MVPs! ;)

Some smart and well-informed people on YouTube agree with me when they say RM07: "The NBA today wouldn't be what it is if Nash's Suns didn't pave the way... and now people are trying to disrespect his name by "giving" his MVPs to their favorite player who didn't win a second one (Kobe, Shaq) SMH. Nash deserved both his MVPs, and should have won the title in 2007 too."

MB: "Agree!  The 3rd year and MVP was arguably Nash's best of the 3!  Some say that people didn't think he should get a 3rd mvp because of other NBA greats that had 3 MVPs. Nash deserved all 3, but I can be happy that Dirk won one too despite their early playoff exit that year."  :) "Well deserved Steve Nash!!!Most underrated superstar of the 2000’s. Could’ve averaged 25PPG if he wanted to."

JN: "Only Kobe and Shaq fans hate on Nash...everyone else acknowledges him as one of the greatest point guards in basketball history." So there you have it! FYI Nash is the LAST unselfish deadly shooting & passing real PG in the NBA. As much as I like CP3, he is not even close. :))) And...I am sure you didn't know this but..."The first video the NBA posted on their YouTube channel was Steve Nash kicking a basketball from half court and making it." said someone in the comments sections to Nash's HOF enshrinement speech video. :)

Now there are many weird things in this video if you are WELL informed but I am not gonna discuss too much of it. Someone said "Congrats to Steve. However I'm surprised Mark Cuban is there!  He didn't resign Nash and didn't allow him to play for Team Canada!" TRUE The truth is not many supported Steve Nash along his career. In Phoenix in the 2010's the ownership destroyed the team and even Nash said it a few years ago that he had a "mediocre team since 2010". But he "played for fun" and made everyone better. That's why Steve Nash deserves to be in the HOF. :)