I bought NBA 2k8 the day it came out, quite excited to finally be able to get some high quality, next generation console basketballing going, and overall I must say I've been very impressed. I've noticed, however, two trends when I've played against the computer. I'd say I've played as the Warriors against the Mavericks four or five times. Every game, the Mavs push out to an eight of nine point lead until the last five minutes of the game, at which point it seems anybody I trot out absolutely cannot miss a jumpshot. I won each and every one of the games. I found myself wondering if the designers of the game, mostly bay area Warriors fans (their office overlooks the Northgate mall in Terra Linda) had tinkered with the game at all to make the Mavs particularly susceptible to getting thumped in Oakland.

The other side to this coin, however, is more distressing. I've probably played six or seven games against the Jazz, and I haven't won a single game. It's beyond just getting out rebounded, which I would expect, but whenever I play Utah the computer puts up CRAZY numbers. Last night I played a game against Utah, since I have a sort of comfort habit of playing a game against whatever opponent the Warriors are gonna go against. I spent almost the entire game trailing about ten points, which is pretty much how it always goes when I play them. But it's a lead that the Jazz were sustaining in such a ridiculous and improbable way, as the Jazz were outrunning and outgunning me, Kirilenko was dropping fadeaway threes, and Gordon Giricek was making like he was Michael Jordan. Deron Williams could waltz to the basket whenever he wanted, since he was markedly quicker on offense and defense than Baron was.

As I entered the last five minutes of the game, things started to turn. Boozer started shooting long jumpers, and I was getting fast breaks off the boards. With 1.4 seconds to go, Matt Barnes hit a sweeping layup for the Warriors first lead of the game, 111-109. The Jazz called time, and Boozer took the ball at halfcourt for the inbounds. Kirilenko ran out to about thirty five feet, took the pass, and hit a line drive three point fadeaway with Azubuike's hand in his face, giving the Jazz a 112-111 win. It was perhaps the most deflated I think I know how to feel after a loss in something purely imaginary.

Anyways, if anybody involved with the making of that game happens to read this, I appreciate how fallible the Mavs seem to be, but couldn't you have eased up the Jazz a little bit? It's not like Carlos Boozer is a damn scoring champ.

Anyways, here was the scoring report from my futile effort...

GS
DAVIS 24/7/12
BELINELLI 23/4/4
BARNES 18/8/1
BIEDRINS 17/17/3 (3 BLK)
ELLIS 14/3/0
PIETRUS 8/2/0
AZUBUIKE 3/3/0
O'BRYANT 2/2/0 (2 BLK)

UTAH
OKUR 31/12/3 (3 BLK)
BOOZER 30/17/3
GIRICEK 25/7/1 (1 BLK)
KIRILENKO 19/9/2 (2 BLK)
WILLIAMS 7/6/32 (1 BLK)

Just to highlight, that is indeed 32 assists by Deron Williams. So the way I figure, if Utah needs Deron to dish out 32 assists to win at the buzzer, we're in pretty good shape tonight, ne?