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NBA LIVE 2005: Ming Dynasty, Part One
By Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com
While franchise modes have become a staple of sports video games, NBA LIVE 2005 has added a few new wrinkles to the standard formula that ramp up the realism and excitement of running an NBA franchise in an effort to turn it into the league's next great team. Dynasty Mode is the name of this game, and so, to fit with the theme, I chose to take charge of the Houston Rockets and their superstar center, Yao Ming. Could I take the Rockets to the top?
After selecting the Rockets and setting up the dynasty rules—schedule length, quarter length, and so on, I was immediately sent to training camp and asked to allocate training time to one of four regimens: Shooting, Defense, Offense, or Conditioning. Houston added star guard Tracy McGrady this year, so offense didn't look to be much of a problem. I focused more on defense and overall conditioning, and camp began to simulate. I heard my in-game PDA beep for attention, and a click of the left thumbstick opened it right up. I've never been fond of ring tones, so I set the PDA to vibrate when I got a new message, and began to peruse the functions of my new PDA. I can check with my team's owner; my coaching, medical, and scouting staffs; the players' agents; as well as messages from around the league or from specific teams. It's a handy tool. In this case, my coaching staff sent me a report from training camp—seven players improved defensively, and six improved their conditioning. Not too shabby.
I decided to head to the Dynasty Central menu and see what else I could do to improve my squad. There wasn't much help available in the free agent market, so I hoped to make a trade and improve the Rockets' talent at point guard and small forward. While perusing other teams' rosters, a bar appeared next to each player indicating their potential value to my team, and the bar next to my players showed the other team's interest in players on my roster, making it easier to create an equitable trade offer.
I offered a package deal to the Denver Nuggets for pint-sized point guard Earl Boykins and former top-ten pick Rodney White for my veteran shooters Bob Sura and Reece Gaines. Unlike most games, I didn't receive a response immediately; instead, I was informed that the Nuggets would look at the offer and get back to me in a few days. Sure enough, three days later the Nuggets got back to me and agreed to the deal. After re-ordering my roster, it was time to tip off the season.
In November, the Rockets started out 7-9, and our star Tracy McGrady had to play much of the month with an injured foot. The losing month didn't much please the team's owner, as my PDA received a few not-so-friendly e-mails from the wealthy fellow …
As the year went on, I started to scout the incoming players for next year's NBA draft. After all, one can never be too prepared, right? This year's draft looked to be strong in post players, so I focused on getting a little more help in the paint for Yao Ming. By mid-February, it was obvious that my Rockets were too soft in the paint and too reliant on Ming and McGrady for scoring. However, the vagaries of the salary cap and the lack of depth on my roster made it difficult to consummate another trade, and the Rockets limped into the All-Star break with a disappointing 22-31 record.
There was some good news for the Houston fans. Yao Ming (21.9 PPG, 10.9 REB) and Tracy McGrady (22.8 PPG) had played well enough to be voted in as All-Star starters for the Western Conference, and McGrady was invited to participate in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three Point Shootout. Tracy acquitted himself well in the shootout, finishing behind only Reggie Miller of the Pacers and the winner, Milwaukee's Michael Redd. Dunking went better for Tracy, however—he won the contest with a fantastic final dunk to edge out Orlando's Steve Francis. McGrady and Yao both played well in the All-Star game itself, but the West lost in an exciting overtime game.
The second half of the season is now upon the Rockets, who find themselves grasping for a playoff spot that's slipping away. Can they turn it around in time? If not, how can they prepare for another run next season?
Check back next week as we continue studying NBA LIVE 2005's captivating Dynasty Mode in action!
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