Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
After two consecutive seasons in which the Boston Celtics finished below .500, fans would be excused for the missing the 2007-08 squad that rolled through the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2008 NBA championship. Fortunately, thanks to NBA 2K16, Celtics gamers will be able to take the floor with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and a young Rajon Rondo once again.
In its weekly YouTube TV show (roughly the three-minute mark), EA Sports and the 2K franchise revealed three teams that will be included in NBA 2K16’s “Classic” franchise mode — the 1999-00 Toronto Raptors (led by prime Vince Carter, who will be entirely too much fun as a video-game character), the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2008 Celtics.
That Celtics squad is an excellent candidate for the Classic feature. Boston submitted one of the more impressive regular seasons in recent memory, finishing 66-16 and utilizing the floor spacing of Pierce and Allen to draw attention away from Garnett as he pick-and-popped opponents to death with Rondo.
MassLive: 2008 championship squad to be Legendary Team in upcoming video game
Here’s the link to the YouTube show where they announce the three teams.
I really hope the ’08 team is ultimately remembered appropriately. After that attempt at ranking where the greatest teams put the ’08 team 38th, I have a little fear that those Celtics aren’t going to get their due.
I guess a generation of kids torching teams with that ’08 Celtics squad is a good way to get them some extra positive publicity. I just hope that Lakers fan in the video doesn’t have some sort of ridiculous Easter egg buried in there somewhere that screws them up.
I used to play the 2K games a lot, but I haven’t in a while. Maybe this is the version that gets me back into it. I just want to see pre-knee injury Kevin Garnett in some form again. I’ll take what I can get.
Page 2: Tim Donaghy is still a piece of shit
Donaghy added: “I’ve never had conversations with the commissioner about what to call in a game and what not to call in a game, but from the operations department, they clearly dictate through video, through emails, through meetings what they want called and what they don’t want called. And it always seems to revolve around the star players or the big-market teams. Kobe Bryant’s a star in this league. He puts a lot of people in the stands. He sells a lot of sneakers, and he sells a lot of jerseys. And the fans pay an enormous amount of money to sit in those courtside seats, and they want those type of players on the floor. That’s who they came to see.
“I don’t think the officials feel that they’re doing something that’s not right, because, in their minds, they’re being told what to do from the league office. And if they’re going to continue to advance and get those big playoff-bonus checks, you’re going to do what the league wants.”
One former referee contacted by the Herald said flatly: “That guy is just so full of (expletive). It’s laughable, except that he’s calling our character into question.”
Herald: Donaghy is still a blight on the NBA
What Donaghy did to the NBA is worse than just gambling on games, manipulating point spreads, or whatever he did as an NBA official. After his conviction, he’s gone on to make baseless claims that some fans believe, causing a segment of NBA-lovers to believe games are constantly fixed by the league.
THAT is the worst thing that Donaghy has done. That he has created this perception… which, if you really look at what he’s saying, he can’t prove at all… is the most unforgivable thing to me. That he continues this assault on the game is what makes him a giant piece of shit.
Unfortunately, there are writers out there who lack the good sense and judgement to see him for what he is, and who treat his word as gospel and perpetuate his lies and exaggerations. They don’t make it any easier for people to see the truth… Tim Donaghy will say anything to make the NBA look bad, and to make himself look like the victim.
He’s been less than apologetic about his actions, merely taking the stance that he read between the lines of those NBA memos, did the wink-wink-nudge-nudge things he interpreted the NBA wanted, and the only difference between him and every other ref is he simply used all this stuff in the wrong way after falling in with gamblers.
I don’t buy it. I never have. The NBA is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that would fall apart if it was revealed the league office manipulated outcomes. It would remove any legitimacy from the sport. The ultimate loss would far outweigh the gain of Kobe or LeBron or whomever winning another game.
Now, it’s no secret that the NBA WANTS big market teams in the playoffs because those equal bigger ratings. It WANTS bigger stars in bigger situations. But wanting and fixing are different things.
And the officials… well… they can really suck sometimes. But being bad and being crooked are different things too.
Donaghy can’t disappear fast enough for my tastes. If life had a mute button or some kind of parental controls for douchebags, I’d block him from public view forever.
And Finally….
Ho hum….
The rest of the links:
Globe: This NBA Finals matchup is man vs. machine | Herald: Alvin Gentry hired as Pelicans coach
