The Playoffs
With the 2015 NBA Playoffs set to tip off on Saturday, 2K Sports announced the results of their own simulation using the NBA 2K15 algorithm. For the most part the high seeded teams advanced with two exceptions. The 6th seed Spurs knocked out the 3rd seed Clippers in a competitive 7 game series and the Washington Wizards pulled off an upset over the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors breezed by the Pelicans in 5 games, the Blazers end up beating the Grizzlies 4-2 despite not having home court advantage and the Rockets handled the Mavericks 4-1 to round out the Western Conference Semis. In the east, the aforementioned Wizards would beat the Raptors 4-2. The Cavs (4-1), Hawks (4-2) and Bulls (4-0) all handled their opponents easily setting up some intriguing match ups in the conference Semis.
The Warriors would battle with the Blazers for 6 very competitive games but eventually the lack of defense and injury woes were too much to overcome for Portland as the Warriors move on 4-2.
The battle of Texas saw James Harden continue to perform at a MVP like level and almost single handedly willed the Rockets into the Western Finals. The Spurs depth and team chemistry proved too much to overcome however and San Antonio would move on after a hard fought 7 game series. In the east, the Hawks handled the Wizards without major trouble 4-2 and the Cavaliers looked to be peaking just at the right time sending the Bulls home after just 5 games.
The Western Conference brought us an interesting storyline. The narrative of Old versus New was in full effect as Gregg Popovich’s Spurs matched up against his former player Steve Kerr’s Warriors. It would be a very hard fought series going the distance but ultimately Golden States youth and depth proved to be too much to overcome for an aging San Antonio squad, defeating the Spurs in an epic game 7. The east would also see the top 2 teams facing off against one another when the Hawks host the Cavaliers. The series, although competitive ended up coming down to superstars making plays. The Lebron James-Kyrie Irving duo proved to be too much to handle for an otherwise good defensive team in the Hawks, eliminating them from the playoffs in 6 games.
The Finals
This would set the stage for a star studded finals with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game one was a highly competitive, high scoring affair with the Warriors squeezing out a 1 point victory over the Cavs 117-116.
Game 2 was all Warriors and their depth on the bench proved to be impossible for Cleveland to overcome. Golden State would take a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Cavs 109-99 behind an impressive 22 point performance by Harrison Barnes.
The return to Cleveland for game 3 of the finals saw Lebron James proving why he is the best basketball player on the planet as he dominated with a 36 point triple double performance beating the visiting Dubs 110-103. That momentum was short lived however as the Warriors bounced back in game 4 behind “lights out” shooting performances by Steph Curry (32 pts) and Klay Thompson who was red hot in the 4th quarter scoring 15 of his 20 points in the period. The Warriors would beat the Cavs 116-112 ultimately.
Game 5 saw an all time finals great battle between Lebron James and Steph Curry. Curry’s 43 points were not enough as Lebron James, who had 44 points on the night got the last laugh defeating the visiting Warriors 125-120 in a very high scoring affair.
Steph Curry would back this phenomenal performance up with a 46 point effort in game 6 as the Golden State Warriors would defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-104 in game 6 of the NBA Finals to secure their second NBA Championship in franchise history. Curry was rightfully named the Finals MVP and his play was the difference.
What do you guys think? Do the real life Warriors have what it takes to hoist up the Larry O’ Brian trophy in June? One thing this simulation proved is that we are in for a wild ride as the NBA Playoffs kick off this weekend. Look below for a full bracket of the playoffs. As always. Like and share this story and feel free to chime in and leave a comment below.
