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NBA 2K14 Retro Series: 1991 NBA Finals

NBA 2K14 Retro Series: 1991 NBA Finals

If you’ve subscribed to the NLSC YouTube channel, then you may have already seen this week’s instalment of the NBA 2K14 Retro Series. If not, you’re in for a radical treat, as it’s a re-creation of Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals between Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers!

Why Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals in particular? Well, I originally intended it to be the title-clinching Game 5, but I neglected to make some necessary adjustments to the Lakers’ lineup to accurately portray that contest. Obviously, these highlights would still work as a re-imagining of a non-specific clash from that Finals series, but I decided to make it Game 4 as it lines up with MJ doing it all at the offensive end in that game, from pouring in buckets to racking up assists. Indeed, he dished out more assists than Magic in Game 4, and his final line of 29 points and 12 assists is very close to the actual box score. Check it out!

As always, there’ll be more fun on the way very soon, so be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content! Remember that Dee and I are also open to suggestions for games that you’d like to see us play, so feel free to hit us up. Also be sure to submit your best plays to Dee to be featured in the weekly Top 10 countdown!

NLSC Podcast #513: Bringing Back An Alternative to NBA 2K

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #513 of the NLSC Podcast!

If we could bring back just one Triple-A release as an alternative to the NBA 2K series, what type of game would we choose: NBA sim, NBA arcade, street, or college basketball? This week we join the community in answering what is a very tough question! We also recap a session revisiting ESPN NBA 2Night, which despite some interesting features and great presentation, was not one of Konami’s better hoops titles. On the bright side, we played with an interesting New York Knicks team that was definitely in a transitional era. In this week’s mailbag, we’re talking about the players that got us into basketball, and our historical favourites on the virtual hardwood.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

Wayback Wednesday: My 1998 Season in NBA Live 96 PC

Wayback Wednesday: My 1998 Season in NBA Live 96 PC

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at my season in NBA Live 96 PC, playing with a 1998 roster update.

I’ll readily admit that sometimes it’s difficult to get my head around the fact that it’s been over 25 years since The Last Dance came to an end. To put it into perspective, in 1998, that would’ve been the equivalent of looking back at the New York Knicks’ 1973 championship season! It doesn’t feel like such ancient history when your own nostalgia is involved, and as a Chicago Bulls fan, the 1998 season is naturally quite memorable for me. Those memories also involve the virtual hardwood, as it was during the 1998 season that I made my first roster updates for NBA Live 96 PC.

It was also one of the first seasons that I tried to play along with in a video game. Not in NBA Live 98, mind you. Unfortunately, our family’s aging PC couldn’t handle that game, as I found out firsthand when I tried running the demo! Instead, I used NBA Live 96 PC and my aforementioned 1998 season roster update. Although it was ultimately another season that I didn’t complete, it’s nevertheless one of my favourite basketball gaming experiences, thanks to all of the effort that I put into it beyond simply playing the games. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Wayback Wednesday: 25 Years Since The Last Dance

Wayback Wednesday: 25 Years Since The Last Dance

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on it being 25 years since the Chicago Bulls’ sixth championship, aka The Last Dance.

I admire fans who continue to support teams that haven’t won a championship, or even had the opportunity to compete for one by making it through to the NBA Finals. As rough as it’s been to be a Chicago Bulls fan in the 21st century, I’m comforted by the memories of watching their incredible run in the 90s. That’s not to say that I don’t want to see them get back there, but I had it pretty good growing up as a Bulls fan; far better than fans of most other teams! As such, with so many bandwagoners, and fans that follow players rather than teams, I respect loyalty to clubs despite tough times.

Of course, those memories of the glory days are getting further into the past! To put it into perspective, there were fewer years between Bill Russell’s last championship and Michael Jordan’s first, than there are between MJ’s first ring and today. Sure, that’s just how the passage of time works, but it doesn’t make it any less wild to get your head around! As the 2000s became the 2010s, and the 2010s became the 2020s, every Bulls title began passing milestones that would’ve felt like such a long time ago to a kid like me in the 90s. As an adult in 2023, it seems like it was only yesterday! And now, The Last Dance is a quarter of a century old. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Wayback Wednesday: Running With The Baby Bulls & Beyond

Wayback Wednesday: Running With The Baby Bulls & Beyond

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reminiscing about playing with the Baby Bulls teams in basketball video games.

My nostalgia for the NBA and basketball video games doesn’t end with the 90s; far from it! Many of my favourite titles were released in the 2000s through to the early 2010s, and I’ve remained an avid NBA and basketball junkie long after Michael Jordan called it a career. Of course, playing with His Airness on the virtual hardwood required some modding back in the day, owing to his absence from the official roster. When it came to running with Bulls teams in the years that followed, I (usually) didn’t have to worry about them missing a prominent player.

Mind you, while all the names might’ve been accounted for, the talent was certainly lacking. I’ve previously reflected on the challenges that came with assuming control of my favourite team in the early 2000s; an extraordinarily tough time to be a Bulls fan after experiencing the glory days of MJ! I mentioned in passing that they became far more appealing to play with as the decade wore on, and their rebuilding efforts began to yield better results. Those teams came to be known as the Baby Bulls due to their youth, and while they didn’t reach the top of the mountain once more, I did enjoy putting them on the virtual hardwood. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NLSC Podcast #479: Narratives, Nuggets, & Inspiration

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #479 of the NLSC Podcast!

With some big stories and events in the NBA right now, our attention turns to real hoops this week! From the Denver Nuggets making their very first NBA Finals, to Carmelo Anthony announcing his retirement, to the latest sad and bitter tirade from Scottie Pippen, we’ve got some thoughts to share. Speaking of real basketball, we also join the community in talking about the pre-game rituals and inspirational material that gets us pumped up to play pick-up and league games. As for the virtual hardwood, we discuss a false narrative regarding the style of NBA Live and NBA 2K during the 2000s, and shout out some excellent content creators in the community. In this week’s mailbag, we’re taking a look back at the Overall Ratings of the top seven active players in ESPN NBA 2K5.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

1993 NBA Finals Using NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition

1993 NBA Finals Using NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition

Dee and I have discussed the NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition mod for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition at length on the NLSC Podcast, and we’ve also had johnz1 on the show to discuss the project. It’s something that we’ve been waiting for years to see, and we’ve had a blast connecting on Parsec to play with it! Recently, we used the mod to replay the 1993 NBA Finals matchup of the Chicago Bulls vs. the Phoenix Suns.

With Dee as the host and controlling Scottie Pippen, I took control of Michael Jordan as we battled Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson. Even with our experience playing co-op together and the skill of MJ and Pip, Sir Charles and KJ proved to be an extremely challenging matchup. Needless to say, Dee recorded our arcade take on the 1993 NBA Finals, and put together another fantastic highlight reel for the NLSC YouTube channel!

We’re consistently uploading great basketball gaming videos to our YouTube channel these days, an initiative that Dee has been spearheading with gameplay reels for a multitude of hoops titles, not to mention the weekly Top 10. I’ve also posted a couple of video retrospectives for Wayback Wednesday recently, including NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, so be sure to subscribe for more virtual hardwood fun!

Monday Tip-Off: Finishing The Drive for Five

Monday Tip-Off: Finishing The Drive for Five

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a recap of my Drive for Five in Year 5 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

At this point, my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is well beyond being just a kick. It’s become one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences, and a staple of my rotation on the virtual hardwood. Even though I enjoyed NBA 2K23 far more than NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22, it couldn’t replace NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 as the star of my lineup. And honestly, why should it? While I do consider NBA 2K23 to be the strongest release in the last few years, if I’m enjoying an older title even more, there’s no reason to put it aside just because it isn’t the latest game.

Year 5 proved to be another captivating journey. As I’ve said before, I’ve greatly enjoyed how each season in this NBA 2K14 MyCAREER has ended up telling its own story, even if they’ve ultimately culminated with a similar ending. To that point, though every season has ended with my player celebrating a championship, the road to that destination veered off into different routes that were all fun to travel. While the numbers may suggest otherwise, the Drive for Five actually stands as one of the most challenging seasons so far in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. It demonstrates the value of playing through multiple seasons, and experiencing an ongoing alternate reality.

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NBA Live 98 Highlights: Bulls vs Jazz

NBA Live 98 Highlights: Bulls vs Jazz

This past week, Dee and I connected on Parsec to play NBA Live 98 – a standout game in the series – and as always, our session produced some fun highlights. Dee has put together a reel of those moments, and uploaded them for the community to enjoy.

As you can see, we took control of the Chicago Bulls in a co-op showdown against the Utah Jazz. It was a highly competitive game that saw us make a furious rally to force overtime. In case you’re wondering about the presence of Michael Jordan in these NBA Live 98 highlights, we were playing with the 1998 season roster update created by our founders, Lutz and Tim. That mod is still available here in our Downloads database, for anyone who would like to use it in their own retro gaming sessions!

We’ve said it several times on the NLSC Podcast, but connecting to play over Parsec has been an absolute joy, and we expect it to be a large part of another fun year of basketball gaming in 2023. Dee has been spearheading the initiative to share gameplay highlights for the past couple of years – from reels to the weekly Top 10 Plays – and there’ll be a lot of fun coming your way throughout the year. To that point, please subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play!

Wayback Wednesday: When The Lights Are Brightest in NBA 2K20

Wayback Wednesday: When The Lights Are Brightest in NBA 2K20

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the MyCAREER story in NBA 2K20, titled “When The Lights Are Brightest”.

Following NBA 2K18’s ridiculous MyCAREER tale starring a prospect who quit basketball to be a DJ, finally makes it to the NBA following a streetball tournament, and is flanked by his annoying best friend/roommate B-Fresh, NBA 2K19 featured a much better written story. “The Way Back” not only boasted impressive production values from a cinematic standpoint, but also attempted to spice up the journey with mini-games and other interactive elements. It wasn’t perfect, but it stood out as one of the better MyCAREER stories, and a tough act to follow.

To that end, Visual Concepts collaborated with Maverick Carter and LeBron James on the story for NBA 2K20’s MyCAREER, “When The Lights Are Brightest”. Indeed, Carter, LeBron, and their production company, Springhill Entertainment, are credited on the cover as executive producers for MyCAREER. The story has been shelved for good following the shutdown of the NBA 2K20 servers, since MyCAREER is no longer playable. With that being said, what was the story, was it any good, and are we missing out since we’re now unable to revisit it? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NBA 2K14 Retro Series: ’93 Bulls vs ’93 Hornets

NBA 2K14 Retro Series: '93 Bulls vs '93 Hornets

Happy New Year, basketball gamers! I hope you’ll join us throughout 2023 to discuss basketball video games, share and download mods, and enjoy our original content. To that end, I’m tipping off the New Year with the next instalment in the NBA 2K14 Retro Series, featuring the ’93 Bulls taking on the ’93 Hornets.

Can you believe this matchup is a throwback to thirty years ago? As much I’m trying not to think about that, I had a blast replaying it in NBA 2K14, a game that turns ten this year. This clash between the two-time defending champion Bulls and an up-and-coming Hornets team gave us some exciting moments in real life, and also inspired Michael Jordan’s challenge in NBA 2K12’s NBA’s Greatest mode. MJ was in his prime at this point, so you can expect a mixture of high-flying dunks and savvy plays. Scottie Pippen, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues also contributed to the highlight reel, presented with post-production effects to resemble a broadcast from the 90s.

You can catch up on the entire NBA 2K14 Retro Series using this playlist! While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We’ve been stepping up our video content over the past couple of years – an initiative that Dee has been spearheading – and that’s definitely going to continue throughout 2023. So, stay tuned, and feel free to suggest historical matchups for me to play in future instalments of this series!

NBA 2K14 Retro Series: The First Four Games

NBA 2K14 Retro Series: The First Four Games

Although I’ve chiefly kept NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 in my gaming rotation because I’m enjoying an ongoing MyCAREER, it’s not the only thing I’m doing with the game. If you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel or follow us on social media, you may be aware of my NBA 2K14 Retro Series.

In short, the NBA 2K14 Retro Series is a journey through NBA history, using NBA 2K14 PS4. On top of playing various matchups with the game’s selection of classic teams, I’m adding effects in post-production to capture the aesthetic of their respective eras.

First up, there’s a showdown between two bitter rivals, the ’89 Bulls and ’89 Pistons. In addition to the filter, you’ll also see some VHS tracking, as you might if you were re-watching the game on an often-played and well-worn tape. Next, there’s the ’65 Lakers and ’65 Celtics squaring off, in glorious black and white with some era-appropriate audio and visual effects!

After that, I got a little creative and used the ’95 Magic and ’94 Rockets to play a November 1994 matchup between the two future 1995 NBA Finalists. My most recent entry in the series is a matchup between the ’86 Hawks and ’86 Celtics, as Dominique Wilkins duels Larry Bird in the old Boston Garden. Along the way, you’ll notice a few other touches to take you back to the year in question.

Check out the first four games in the NBA 2K14 Retro Series below! Stay tuned for more classic matchups using NBA 2K14 PS4, and feel free to throw out some suggestions for other historical showdowns you’d like to see. Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content.

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Wayback Wednesday: Retro Teams You Can Create in NBA 2K14 PS4/X1

Wayback Wednesday: Retro Teams You Can Create in NBA 2K14 PS4/X1

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at some alternative retro teams that you can create in the PS4/X1 version of NBA 2K14.

While I was on my extended retro kick with NBA 2K14 for PS4, I played several games with the retro teams. There aren’t as many to choose from as in later games, and while inter-era games can be fun, I do like to re-create historical matchups. As such, after a while I tried my hand at creating some alternative retro teams. I’ve already discussed my fondness for minimalist modding, and given the content that’s available and the lack of Create-a-Player in NBA 2K14 PS4/X1, it was a stimulating challenge to see how many new retro squads could be assembled.

To that point, there are some obvious limitations when you don’t have the benefit of mods and external roster editing, to say nothing of having to destroy the lone custom roster save file. However, as long as you have a backup on hand – either via USB or cloud storage – you can mess around and add some new retro teams to NBA 2K14 PS4, and later restore a cleaner custom roster as necessary. If you’re keen to find out how you can change up your retro gaming, let’s take a look back…way back…

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NBA Live 2001 Highlights: Double OT With 1996 Mod

NBA Live 2001 Highlights: Double OT With 1996 Mod

Dee4Three has put together a reel of NBA Live 2001 highlights from one of our Parsec sessions a few weeks back. In the game, we were using my 1996 season roster mod, taking on the Milwaukee Bucks with the Chicago Bulls in co-op play.

To be honest, we were expecting an easy victory, even as we cranked up the difficulty for more of a challenge. The CPU had other ideas, though! Vin Baker, Glenn Robinson, Eric Murdock, Todd Day, and an aging Terry Cummings were not intimidated by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Toni Kukoc, jumping out to an early lead. Even after we seized control, the Bucks weren’t about to quit, leading to a double overtime thriller. Of course, my choke job at the end of regulation didn’t help matters. Watch the highlights below, or check them out over on YouTube!

We’ll be talking about NBA Live 2001 in this week’s NLSC Podcast, as Nate and Roger – the NBA Live 2001 Legends – have returned for another guest appearance. Stay tuned for that show, and possibly a couple of further updates to that 1996 season mod! Now that I’ve been able to troubleshoot my controller issues in NBA Live 2001 PC, you’ll probably see some more highlights from the game here and there. As always, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content! You may also want to check out my NBA Live 2001 retrospective – part of our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content – and of course, feel free to discuss the early NBA Live games here in our Forum.

The Friday Five: 5 Comebacks That Would’ve Been Fun To Play With

The Friday Five: 5 Comebacks That Would've Been Fun To Play With

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of derailed comebacks for NBA players that would’ve been fun to play with in games, had they come to fruition.

We’ve seen some noteworthy comebacks take place in the NBA over the years. Two of the most famous NBA comebacks are Michael Jordan – twice, in fact – and Magic Johnson. A number of other players have likewise returned to action after years away from the NBA, though not all of them were retired for that duration. Nevertheless, whenever there are rumours that a former star is contemplating a return, it grabs our attention. Will it happen? Where will they sign? How much do they have left in the tank? And yes, how will it impact their team in video games?

Even before these comebacks are official, we can speculate and play out scenarios on the virtual hardwood. We can also create our own fictional “What Ifs”. My cousin and I had Larry Bird make a brief but shocking return to the Houston Rockets in our NBA Live 95 PC Season. Bringing Shawn Kemp out of retirement for one last run in my NBA Live 06 PC Dynasty really made the experience. However, there are some real almost-comebacks that likewise present us with some intriguing “What If” scenarios to dabble with in video games. Some of them would’ve required a bit of prep work in the form of modding, while others were quite easy to set up using the default assets.

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