I am amazed right now. I decided to build up/rebuild the Toronto Raptors in MyGM and just started last night. I beat the Celtics in the season opener 98-88 so I was pretty satisfied. I maintained a solid lead over them the entire time and never really had to fight for the win.
Then today... I played the second game of the season against the Hawks in Atlanta (I am a Hawks fan, so it was tough to play against my own team) and had the best game of my NBA 2k career thus far. I play on All-Star with 12 minute quarters (using the_future420's slider set on here). On my first shot of the game, a three pointer with Derozan, he sprained his ankle and went out of to injury. The shot was a success, though, and led to me starting really well, going up by 10 points. After he was injured (for 2 weeks I might add) I brought in Vasquez and he did a really good job for me. It didn't last but about 6 minutes through the first quarter though and then it was a back and forth game until the very end.
There were so many lead changes and somehow I managed to get ahead by 1 point at the end of each quarter. I was up 44-43 at the half and felt pretty good coming back from the break. I still never managed to get more than a 5 point lead and would even go down by 3-5 points on occasion. Even so I typically held the lead and had some good defense going. It got to the last two minutes and I was still within 1 or 2 points fighting for the win. All of a sudden, I went up by 2 with just under a minute left and felt like I could play good defense and waste the clock, so I called a timeout and changed my game emphasis to heavy defense. But somehow they took it down the court and Teague got a 3 pointer. At that point I was down 91-90 and the Hawks took a timeout.
This is where it got interesting. I took it down and tried to get in the paint for an easy 2 points. I got fouled and missed my first free throw. Luckily I got the second one and tied it up 91-91. I fouled on purpose to prevent a three pointer and to send Williams to the line. He ended up making both free throws, taking the lead 93-91. I was looking for the game winner with 21 seconds left but still didn't produce. Hawks got the ball and managed to get down court, but luckily for me they didn't waste the clock and also didn't score. After this I had 6 seconds left and was down 93-91 still. I was sweating because I had put so much work into this game and did not want to lose it like this. But despite my last two drives coming up with practically nothing, I took a chance and threw it half court down to Lowry to give him a shot for a 3. He had missed his last five 3 point attempts, but I took the shot right in his hot zone, bam... score. I went up 94-93 with just 1.6 seconds left. Of course the Hawks had one last chance, but they missed it, giving me the win.
Honestly the experience as a whole is what was amazing. The game was tense and had me on the edge of my seat. The crowd was playing a huge role and the players emotion on the court was ramped up. The commentary was shaped to what was going on and you could really feel the excitement and amazement amongst them as the game got close to ending. It was a beautiful feeling when that final 3 pointer went in. Also, I noticed something I don't remember being in 2k13 last gen. As with any real life game, when the moment is tense at the end or they are behind and trying to come back they play that "epic" comeback/win it music to pump the crowd up. That was actually playing in the arena. It was just the entire feel of it.. It felt like a playoff game and it was only the second of the season. I can only imagine what the playoffs (if I make it) will actually be like.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. I just felt like this should be shared as it is what makes this game amazing. It is what makes each game worth playing. There are downfalls and issues, sure. But the core experience is simply amazing.
