As I mentioned on this very blog not too long ago, the Celtics basically backdoored their way onto the cover of the biggest basketball video game in the world with the Kyrie Irving trade. So it should come as no surprise, but its still awesome to see Celtics green prominently featured in another excellent 2K trailer. Seriously, is this the only league that knows how to market a video game with music? Anyways, some of the highlights:
And yea, this one definitely hurt. Gonna suck seeing IT check what time it is with fucking LeBron yucking it up next to him.
One of the funnier things to come out of the Kyrie -Isaiah trade is the fact that NBA2K18 was locked, cocked and ready to go with Kyrie on the cover…in his Cavs jersey.
A little bit of an issue to say the least with Kyrie now on the Boston Celtics and with the game set to drop on Sept. 19th. So not exactly a ton of time to stop the presses.
The latest 2K tweet says the new Celtics Kyrie cover is “to be released at a later date.” So does that mean I’m gonna have to print it out and slip it into the PS4 game sleeve like I used to do printing out Nomar Garciaparra covers for MVP Baseball?
Welp either way the Celtics just back doored their way into a major video game cover. This marks the 3rd video game cover for a Boston athlete in the last 12 months (Gronk Madden 17, Brady Madden 18). The last one I can recall before that was Patrice Bergeron on NHL 15. Sure, Mookie Betts was on the cover of RBI Baseball 16, but thats a garbage game so that doesn’t count.
ESPN – The 2017 New England Patriots are the overwhelming favorites across Las Vegas to repeat as Super Bowl champions, but are they better in bookmakers’ eyes than the 2007 team? ESPN spoke with seven Vegas bookmakers and asked them to make a line in a hypothetical matchup between the two teams. Six of the seven had the ’07 team favored, with lines ranging from “a small favorite” (William Hill US) to 11 points (Frank Kunovic at Caesars).
Well, no shit. The 2007 Patriots went 16-0…and then I don’t really remember the rest…but they legit didn’t lose a single game in the regular season, routinely BLOWING teams out, all while setting multiple offensive records along the way. That squad vs the 2017 team that hasn’t even played a single game together? I mean who would you take? Not to mention we have players dropping like flies and our front-7 is starting to resemble swiss cheese.
But this is exactly why video games exist. Just putting old school juggernauts against the latest and greatest. NBA2K is awesome for that exact reason. Putting Larry Bird and the Celtics against Steph Curry and the 2018 Warriors. Or playing the Shaq and Kobe Lakers against Bill Russell. I don’t know if this year’s Madden has Classic Teams like it used to, but if it does, this 2007 Pats vs 2017 Pats matchup *needs* to happen. Not only that, it needs to be played out in traditional, painstakingly full 15-minute quarters. If thats still an option then that will be my cross to bear.
Imagine Malcom Butler trying to shut down 2007 Randy Moss who had 23 touchdowns that year? Or 2017 Tom Brady trying to rifle in some slants through that forest of Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Vince Wilfork et al? Now that would be a goddamn game and that is why Twitch is a billion dollar business.
I don’t think I’ve ever needed something as badly as I need these video game sneakers. So FreakerSneaks makes all these custom Jordans and they are so choice. They got all the classics like NBA Jam, Super Mario, Duck Hunt, and Sonic. There’s stunting on people and then there’s stunting on people in totally custom NBA Jam Jordans. $1,200? Swipe swipe. So slap these on my Christmas list today mom and dad. Just look at the details though, they even have the championship screen shot on the tongue.
But lets not forget some of the other beauties like the Jordan Sonic: Marble Zone 1. If these kicks don’t take you right back to the glory days of playing Sega in the basement then I don’t even want to know you.
And of course you can’t forget the true classics, the godfather of modern video games, the plumber himself; Super Mario.
On to the best of the rest:
Somebody get me a goddamn sneaker deal!
PS – If I were to design my own pair of these I would 100% have to call them the Jordan Super Nintendo Chalmers 1.
That sound you just heard was the cash register RINGING OFF THE HOOK. Look, have I ever thought in the 21 years (!) the WNBA has been in existence “I really wish I could play with these gals on my PS4” ? No, no I have not. BUT, give me that option and you bet your ass I’ll be jacking up set shots and technically perfect layups while spacing the floor like its a 1950s NBA game. Sounds like a Brad Stevens wet dream.
In fact I may even force my friends to use strictly WNBA teams when they come over to play a couple games. Chicago Sky vs Minnesota Lynx for $100. Whats the fun in dunking from the free throw line with the Greek Freak when you can drive to the hole for a layup with Candace Parker?
The real question is, will NBA Live 2018 let you play WNBA teams vs NBA teams? THAT would be something. In fact I feel like EA would be doing the fans a disservice really if they don’t allow this. Get excited.
A younger version of myself would freak out at the prospect of my franchise quarterback appearing on the cover of Madden because dudes used to routinely get injured after landing the cover. But TB12 put that to rest real quick with a few simple demonstrations.
Smashed mirror? No problem? Walk under a ladder? Get that shit out of my face.
Lets get scientific about it though and break it down year by year, going back an arbitrary number of years because Madden 03 was the first Madden I actually had. On the PC no less. You ever try running go routes on a 12 inch computer screen? Holy hell, but I digress. Onto the list, with some help from Digital Trends.
2003: Marshall Faulk has one of his worst years ever and its the beginning of the end of his career.
CURSE: In full effect
2004: Michael Vick fractures his fibula and misses the first 11 games of the season
CURSE: 100%
2005: Ray Lewis has a down year, but nothing curse worthy…he did tear his hamstring the following year though.
CURSE: Meh
2006: Donovan McNabb was plagued by a groin injury before tearing his ACL later in the year.
CURSE: You bet
2007: Shaun Alexander broke his foot in Week 3 that season.
CURSE: Prevails once again
2008: Vince Young was plagued by quad injuries all year before being replaced by KERRY COLLINS.
CURSE: Continues to cruise
2009: Brett Favre played pretty well actually before injuring his shoulder down the stretch and tanking his (and the Jets) effectiveness.
CURSE: Yea, not even including Brett’s cell phone pic troubles
2010: Larry Fitzgerald/Troy Polamalu – Fitz actually had a career year, but Polamalu injured his MCL, missed a month and then eventually injured his PCL as well.
CURSE: 50/50 split but still yes
2011: Drew Brees stayed healthy but threw twice as many picks as the year prior and the Saints lost to the first team to ever make the playoffs with a losing record in Seattle that year.
CURSE: Not reallyyy
2012: Peyton Hillis came out of nowhere to have a huge year to land the cover of Madden only to battle illness and hamstring issues all season. Rushed for under 600 yards, the Browns let him walk after the season and that was a wrap on Hillis’ career.
CURSE: Yup, you sunk my battleship
2013: Calvin Johnson set the single season record for receiving yards soo he did alright.
CURSE: Nope, Megatron shatters it
2014: Adrian Peterson battled through a foot injury all year long and the Vikings only won 10 games.
CURSE: Yessir
2015: Richard Sherman had a great season and stayed healthy…but they did lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
CURSE: Nah, but we did get this legendary GIF out of Sherman’s season
2016: Odell Beckham Jr. has 1,400+ receiving yards and 13 TDs and is named to this second consecutive Pro Bowl.
CURSE: No shot
2017: Rob Gronkowski played only 8 games last season as missed the first game of the year with a hamstring injury, then got on a roll, but ultimately hurt his back in Week 7 against Seattle and missed the rest of the season.
CURSE: Put the smackdown on Gronk
So by my scientific count, that makes 10 instances of the Madden Curse wrecking a guy’s season since Madden 2003.
But, hey this is Tom Brady we’re talking about. The 5 time Super Bowl champ who continues to get better like a goddamn fine wine. As long as he’s go his avocado ice cream and his shady health guru Alex Guerrero and his TB12 voodoo magic, I think Brady will continue to roll. You think the Madden Curse and mother nature can stop this specimen?
I think not.
PS – If something does happen to Tom this year I am going to go full Brian Mills on everyone that has ever worked at EA Sports.
And we’re off. It was officially announced that there will be 17 teams participating in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K esports League in 2018. Good looks by 2K on the official sponsorship, my sources are telling me they narrowly edged out the NBA Jam franchise.
To be honest, I’m surprised the NBA got this many teams to participate, but I for one am all about this. God forbid MLB tried this, it would take a decade of old guys debating how this would sully the history of the game. As a guy who plays far too many video games, breaking only to watch sports, this is a win-win.
I would watch the shit out a YouTube show documenting how the Celtics go about building their team, scouting, recruiting, training and competing.
Might have to call up Wyc and pitch that idea myself. Franchise that shit out as a vlog for every team…
We’ve all heard how big esports are becoming (hell even colleges are offering esports scholarships now), but it was mainly for games like League of Legends, which I’ve never even contemplated playing. But when you catch something a little more accessible like a Call of Duty tournament on G4, its just nuts how good the guys are. In the same way its nuts watching professional sports. The NBA knows a cash cow when they see it coming down the road, like ya know god damn La Liga patches on jerseys.
So a lot of people will say this is for nerds and nerds alone, but in the same sense its hard to appreciate just how good LeBron James is if you’ve never played competitive basketball. I am 5’8″ and didn’t make it past youth basketball so watching what that manchild can do resonates with me. I have a frame of reference as an average white guy with just how absurd LeBron is at basketball.
Here are the 17 teams that will be a part of the inaugural NBA eSports league.
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
The NBA 2K esports league announced today that 17 #NBA teams will participate in its inaugural season, set to debut in 2018! pic.twitter.com/OWZtnuLwuz
What I’m curious about is how the hell you can get 5 guys playing together on one NBA 2K team. Have you ever tried playing with a buddy on one team? Fucking impossible. You basically just end up playing iso ball and looking for running screens chucking up 3’s falling out of bounds because its impossible to try and run any semblance of a real play.
So yes, I will watch the shit out of this. Will I pay to watch this? Probably not, but I’ve bought dumber things. So, probably, yes.
I know NBA Jam 2K17 was discussed here last week, but some new information has come into The 300s headquarters. The original Sega Genesis version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition can be played online, WITHOUT DOWNLOAD, at:
Welp, there goes my productivity this afternoon. You can also find the original NBA Jam on that site, but you can’t beat the 9-pointers only available in Tournament Edition. And don’t get me started on the garbage SNES version. No in-game music, just squeaky shoes. Brings me back to silent suicides my high school basketball team did after losing games. [I doubt those are even allowed any more. Probably aren’t allowed to call them suicides either. But I digress.]
Only real downside is not being able to play your buddies. NBA Jam against the computer is like playing Monopoly against the computer. It’s just not the same when you can’t taunt your pal for hitting Boardwalk two turns in a row and sniff the play money until he flips the board.
If anyone out there has a working Sega and a tube TV, we might need to set up the inaugural 300s NBA Jam Tournament Edition Tournament this spring. I’ll get working on the logo.
So apparently Tyler Durden works for GameSpot now. GameSpot put out a video yesterday to honor the Xbox 360 since they are officially halting production of the system. Then, like Brad Pitt splicing porn into family flicks in Fight Club, for a split second GameSpot absolutely roasts Microsoft with a shot of the one thing that pissed more people off than the Water Temple; The Red Ring of Death. Blink and you miss it. I had to rewind the video a couple of times just to get the screenshot it was so quick. Savage move, but 100% true. Halo, Gears of War, Mass Effect all incredible games. Doesn’t change the fact my 360 died more deaths than a cat and finally got sent to the great Xbox farm in the sky before I defected back to PlayStation. Sorry Bill Gates.
The 300s 