A whole different ballgame: NBA 2K18 playoff simulation log
Round Two
Rockets 4-Thunder 0:
Chris Paul finally made the Conference Finals! Given the tortured playoff history of the stars involved in this series (with the exception of Playoff P of course), a Houston sweep seems somewhat unlikely. And yet, the virtual Rockets take no prisoners. They obliterated the Thunder in three out of the four games of this series.
Game 1 was an 135-88 embarrassment of epic proportions in which Harden dropped 31 points and Chris Paul came 3 steals short of a quadruple double. Much the same occurred in the next two games of this star-studded matchup. Gerald Green went for 17 points in 17 minutes during a 114-95 thrashing in Game 2 and CP3 netted another triple double in a 119-98 romp in Game 3. In a strange turn of events the Thunder bench performed fairly well, but the starters got worked. Steven Adams and Paul George were uncharacteristically bad, especially shooting the ball.
The Rockets simply keep on rolling behind the preposterous efficiency of Harden and Paul. Not even Playoff P could save the Thunder from the Rockets buzz saw. Houston shut down OKC’s offense and finished the four game stretch with a +22 point differential. The Rockets are pretty good at basketball.
Warriors 4-Pelicans 1:
With Steph Curry still out the Warriors barely survived a haymaker from the Pelicans in Game 1, escaping with a 121-119 win; Klay Thompson came up huge with another 30 point game. The Pelicans fought hard in an ugly Game 2, but the offense in 102-92 loss. New Orleans then pulled off a huge comeback Game 3, fighting back from 18 down to win the game. Nikola Mirotic led the way with an incandescent shooting performance, dropping 38 points and a ridiculous ten 3-point bombs on the defending champs.
Steph Curry returned for Golden State in Game 4, and boy did he came back with a vengeance. Things did not go well for New Orleans. They went about as poorly as possible actually, as KD, Steph and Klay put on one of the greatest collective heat checks in NBA history. Durant went for 41, Curry exploded for 37 in his return and Thompson added a nonchalant 30; the trio combined for 14 makes from long distance… let that sink in for a minute. 108 points between three dudes!! Unsurprisingly, the Warriors closed out the series at home in Game 5.
Sixers 4-Bucks 2:
The future of the NBA was on display in this series, as Embiid and Simmons took on Giannis. Despite Giannis going bonkers, the Sixers outlasted the Bucks in a brutally close series behind numerous monster performances from Joel Embiid. Both Giannis and Embiid bizarrely averaged the exact same stat line by the end of the series. And they were both Hakeem-like, averaging exactly 23/10/4 with 3 blocks per game.
These teams produced one hell of a series. Every game in the series was decided by 4 points or less, with the exception of the pivotal Game 5 in Philly. After the Bucks jumped out to a 2-1 lead, Philly came back to win three straight. Embiid delivered a signature performance in Game 5 (hopefully the first of many!), destroying the Bucks with a 33/7/7 and 6 blocks! Philadelphia took Game 5 124-116 and then closed out Milwaukee in a 100-96 grind. J.J. Redick came up huge in the closeout game, nailing five shots from beyond the arc.
Cavaliers 4-Wizards 3:
After years of the Wizards talking crap about the Cavs, they finally got their chance to go at Cleveland in a playoff series. And they came up just short, losing at Cleveland in Game 7. We got the full on wacko Cavs experience again in this matchup, with offensive explosions, blown leads, complete no-shows and try-hard mode LeBron. Oh and a Jordan Clarkson buzzer beater in Game 5 of course…
LeBron averaged a casual 30/8/8 to lead Cavs past the galvanized virtual Wizards. After trading lopsided wins through the first four games, Washington appeared to have Cleveland on the ropes in Game 5. LeBron led a late comeback from down eight in the last four minutes of the game, which was improbably capped off by a Jordan Clarkson buzzer beater. Just when Washington has you believing, they self-destruct! The Wizards took Game 6 109-106 however, despite a vintage 33/9/12 game from James. Marcin Gortat and Marfkieff Morris led the Wizards to victory (it makes sense if you don’t think about it much?). Imagine the headlines.
The Wizards hung with the Cavs during the first half of Game 7, only to fall apart in the second. Cleveland won 116-90 in another episode of the LeBron show. He put up a 30/16/7 on 11 of 16 shooting. Watch out for the King Philly.