Check out this and this if you’re interested in location-specific MkeBucks #MkeBucksIRL meet-ups!
To keep the sub user friendly, game reactions/hot takes should go in this thread or the upcoming postgame thread (if you post something during or shortly after the game and it is removed, this is probably why).
GAME DETAILS
Time:The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. central time (10 p.m. BT, 27 October at 12 a.m. EET, 27 October at 7 a.m. AET)
National TV: NBATV
Local TV: FSWIS (Bucks broadcast), FSSUN (Heat broadcast)
Gauging interest for a custom tipping competition app
Hi all, I like betting myself (mostly on tennis) and was recently playing with an idea of creating a web app where users could create their custom tipping competitions. It would work similarly to the competitions on Bettingexpert or the UK betting forum, with the important distinction that users could start and manage their own private competitions. So let's say you and a group of your mates all like betting on Premier League and want to start a tournament where everyone throws in 50 pounds at the beginning of the season, starts with the same amount of play money, places play bets on PL matches (using odds from a real bookmaker which the app would regularly update). The top 3 players who end up with most play money at the end of the PL season share the money pot. The app would handle all tournament bets, custom rules (e.g. restricting max bet amounts so that the participants don't go bust too early) and calculate standings after each event. In theory, such tournaments could be rolled out for any sports competition (NHL/NBA regular season/playoffs, football leagues/Champions League, tennis grand slams etc.) Is this a service you can imagine yourself using? Does the idea of a relatively low-risk gambling round where you measure your success not by absolute profit&loss but rather comparatively to the other people's/friends'/colleagues' performance sound exciting to you? Can you think of features that would make such tournaments more interesting to you? Grateful for any feedback on the idea.
Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 season highlights from the future
Preseason
The Bucks go undefeated in the preseason, during which D.J. Wilson averages 16 points per game and 22 minutes per game with a .648 EFG%.
Regular season
Oct. 24 Bucks vs. 76ers: The Bucks snap their season-opening, three-game losing streak—during which D.J. Wilson averaged 1.33 points per game and 11 minutes per game with a .152 EFG%—with a 96-92 win over the 76ers that featured Antetokounmpo putting up a 40-point, 21-rebound, 14-assist triple-double and a dunk in which he leapt over Joel Embiid, who afterward left the game due to injury, as Giannis’ member had struck Embiid in the face during the aforementioned dunk (note: Embiid was called for a shooting foul on that play), knocking Embiid unconscious for a period of about 1 minute and 7 seconds. The MkeBucks game thread comments section gets locked and bans reach an all-time high. After the game, Giannis sends his best wishes to Embiid through a social media post. Due to the impressive way in which the Bucks win this game, Adam Silver retroactively gives the Bucks wins in their first three regular-season games. Oct. 25: 76ers announce that Joel Embiid is out for the rest of the regular season with concussion-like symptoms. Oct. 29 Bucks @ Hawks: Bud really wasn’t against the Hawks tanking and helps their cause by guiding the Bucks to a 135-88 victory. Nov. 1 Bucks @ Celtics: Celtics 99-100 Khris Middleton. Nov. 8 Bucks @ Warriors: Warriors’ first loss of the regular season. Nov. 16 Bucks vs. Bulls: Jabari Parker leads the Bulls with 24 points as the Bulls blowout the Bucks in the fourth quarter, scoring 38 points to the Bucks 14 in the period. The Bucks win 123-82. Dec. 1 Bucks @ Knicks: Madison Square Garden secret weapon, Bucks’ guard Brandon Jennings, playing in his first game after signing a 10-day contract, leads the Bucks to victory with 28 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 steals. Dec. 2: Bucks waive Brandon Jennings. Dec. 8 Bucks vs. Warriors: Warriors’ second loss of the regular season. Dec. 25 Bucks @ Knicks: Madison Square Garden secret weapon, Bucks’ guard Brandon Jennings, playing in his first game after signing a 10-day contract, leads the Bucks to a nationally-televised victory with 56 points, 30 assists, 24 rebounds, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Dec. 26: After making an ill-advised, ill-fated bet in the Dec. 25 Bucks @ Knicks MkeBucks game thread regarding the likelihood of Brandon Jennings simultaneously recording a triple double and a 5X5, u/GreekAlphabetSoup gets a portrait of Brandon Jennings’ face tattooed on his chest. Dec. 27 Bucks vs. Knicks: Antetokounmpo and Middleton combine for 80 points, Thon puts up a rebounds and blocks double-double and Brandon Jennings records 3 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 14 turnovers and 4 personal fouls (one technical) in 8 minutes of playing time on 1/17 FGs (1/17 from three) and 0/4 FTs shooting. The Bucks win 112-87. Dec. 28: Bucks waive Brandon Jennings. Dec. 29: u/GreekAlphabetSoup goes to his first tattoo-removal appointment. Jan. 27 Bucks @ Thunder: Westbrook has a 20-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist triple double. The Bucks win 116-107. Jan. 31 Bucks @ Raptors: Leonard doesn’t play because he’s excused to miss the game because of a personal/family issue (uncle). Bucks win 99-94. Feb. 17 NBA All-Star Game: The NBA goes back to the east vs. west all-star game format. The east wins 205-162 (Antetokounmpo wins the game’s MVP award). D.J. Wilson was spotted cheering on the east’s team during the game. Wilson sat directly behind the east’s bench about 50 rows back in the upper bowl of the arena. Of note is that this was the first time in NBA history when a complete NBA all-star team (the eastern conference’s team, in this situation)—five starters (Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Brook Lopez, Bledsoe and Brogdon), all 11 reserve players (Snell, Ilyasova, Maker, Sterling Brown, Connaughton, Dellavedova, DiVincenzo, Henson, Tyler Zeller, Munford and Muhammad (the last two players were selected because of their spectacular play during short stretches with the Bucks throughout the season))—and the head coach (Budenholzer) came from the same team (the Bucks). Feb. 21 Bucks vs. Celtics: Celtics forfeit the game since they’d otherwise have to play Middleton on his home court. By rule [disclaimer: I don’t actually know this rule], the Bucks win 1-0. Feb. 27 Bucks @ Kings: With the Kings ahead by 5 points with 1.4 seconds to play in the fourth quarter with Kings guard Iman Shumpert having just made the first of two free throws, interim head coach Jason Kidd, worried about the Bucks possibly converting a 5-point-play, instructs Shumpert to miss his second free throw attempt. Shumpert, though quite puzzled, does as Kidd told him to do and misses his second free throw attempt. The rebound goes to Middleton, who then makes a buzzer-beating, nearly full-court shot and is fouled during the shot. While Middleton is at the line getting ready to shoot the free throw that if made would leave the Bucks down by 1 point and end the game, Kidd, with the Kings with no timeouts remaining, is assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout (we all know that rule from stat chasing in NBA2K) he had wanted to call to ice Middleton out of spite. Middleton makes the first free throw and gets ready to shoot the second free throw that would tie the game. Kidd, who still wants to attempt to ice Middleton, is seen and heard saying “hit me” to Kings’ assistant coaches Jason Terry and Sean Sweeney. Terry pretends to have not heard Kidd, but Sweeney knocks into Kidd, who tries to use that to make it look like an accident as he stumbles onto the court, takes off his pants and Superman briefs and defecates on the playing surface to force a stoppage of play. The referees see through Kidd’s antics and assess him a second technical foul, resulting in another free throw attempt for Middleton and Kidd being ejected from the game. Middleton makes his second free throw. As Kidd waddles off the court while using a dry-erase marker to cover up his member, Middleton makes his third free throw to successfully convert the six-point play and end the game. The Bucks win 97-96. Feb 28: The Kings remove the interim tag from Jason Kidd after Kidd signs five-year head coaching contract with the franchise. Reports indicate the Kings wanted to change their playing style to be one that works better in the modern NBA and they believe Kidd, a young head coach with experience as a player, can succeed in doing that. Reports also indicate that the contract was agreed to by both parties and finalized after Kidd agreed to have assistant coaches Jason Terry and Sean Sweeney be in charge of calling timeouts and also vowed to run his secret 7-point play prevention defense end-of-game-scenario drill (that Kidd developed and supposedly can stop 6-point plays as well) with the team during every practice. Feb. 29: “#FireKidd” billboards are spotted throughout Sacramento and surrounding areas. Mar. 4 Bucks @ Suns: Suns assistant coach Joe Prunty goes missing inside his suit at some point during the third quarter. The Bucks win 101-93. Mar. 5: Suns assistant coach Joe Prunty is found thanks to a tip called in by someone who saw one of the missing person posters for Prunty that u/traphag put up all over Phoenix the previous evening. Mar. 17 Bucks vs. 76ers: Fultz, playing in his first game of the season after being cleared by doctors to play before the preseason started, scores 2 points in 19 minutes of playing time. The Bucks win, 76-67. Mar. 19 Bucks vs. Lakers: LeBron puts up a triple-double in the first half, but leaves the game before the start of the third quarter after learning of the hiring of LaVar Ball as the Lakers new GM. The Bucks win 109-97. Apr. 10 Bucks vs. Thunder: Though none of the Bucks starters play (so they can rest up for the playoffs) and the Thunder are still jostling for playoff seeding in the western conference, the Bucks bench, led by 26 points, 7 assists and 6 steals from TheBigRagu in 35 minutes of playing time and 4 points from DJWILSONSHAIR in 32 minutes of playing time, made a huge second-half comeback to defeat the Thunder 110-105. The Bucks finish the regular season with a record of 82-0, narrowly beating the Warriors (80-2) for the best record in the league. Antetokounmpo wins MVP, Snell wins MIP, Ilyasova wins the sixth man of the year award, Budenholzer wins coach of the year and Horst wins executive of the year. Regular season note: The #MkeBucksIRL2 game meet-up was a huge success and since he traveled all the way from Australia for the event, u/JethroBarnes got a special treat from Maker, who dunked Jethro through a basketball hoop before the game started. u/JethroBarnes then enjoyed watching the game on the TV in his hospital room before eventually making a complete recovery from injuries he willingly sustained at the #MkeBucksIRL2 game meet-up. 10 randomly-selected people from the MkeBucks group got to watch the fantastic halftime entertainment (and then a portion of halftime player warm-ups) courtside from the Bucks bench. Halftime entertainment was provided by u/justinsuperstar, who was flown in by the Bucks from across the country to perform his five-minute, dancing-while-wearing-a-deer-head-mask-and-a-Plumlee-face-T-shirt act. u/GeauxBucks34 joined the MkeBucks pregame gathering but watched the game from the Chick-fil-A located inside the Fiserv Forum, where halftime entertainment was provided by u/cookster123, who was allowed by the Bucks to purchase a ticket to the game to perform his 33-second, curse-filled and music-less dancing act. u/Ruvio00 also made a long trip—all the way from the U.K.—to attend the event, which he had a lot of fun at but doesn’t remember any of after consuming a large quantity of alcohol during the pregame gathering. After the game (that the Bucks won) we all went down onto the court to be present for the wonderful marriage between u/traphag and u/MrsRodgers. One of u/traphag’s husbands served as the ceremony’s officiant and her other husband, Joe Prunty, who wore one of his suits that u/traphag picked out for him, was both the ring bearer and flower man. Dirk Nowitzki was u/traphag’s man of honor and D.J. Wilson was u/MrsRodgers’ maid of honohype.
Postseason
The Bucks sweep the 76ers, Celtics and Raptors to make it to the NBA finals vs. the Warriors. Of note from the Bucks series against the 76ers is that Joel Embiid made his return to the court after a lengthy absence due to injury. During the first quarter of game 1, Antetokounmpo had an extremely impressive dunk during which he leapt over Joel Embiid, who afterward left the game due to injury, as Giannis’ member had struck Embiid in the face during the aforementioned dunk (note: Embiid was called for a shooting foul on that play), knocking Embiid unconscious for a period of about 1 minute and 7 seconds. Giannis sent his best wishes to Embiid through a social media post after the game, but shortly after that the 76ers announced that Joel Embiid is out with concussion-like symptoms until at least the beginning of the 2020-21 season. In the NBA finals, the Bucks take a 3-0 series lead against Warriors and then throw games 4 and 5 to get a longer look at D.J. Wilson (he averages 48 minutes per game in games 4 and 5 of the series, which are the only games of the series he plays in) before the NBA Summer League starts. The Bucks win game six to win their franchise’s second NBA championship. Antetokounmpo wins the finals’ MVP award and in game 6 of the series he recorded a quadruple-double and a 5X5, while also the NBA’s single-game scoring record (previously held by Antetokounmpo as well) by scoring 134 points. ————— Everyone is shocked by the Bucks’ season except for people in the MkeBucks community. We are the best team in the NBA. Go Bucks. Edit: A typo and formatting.
The Story of Paul Pierce and the 2002, 21 Point 4th quarter comeback... with gifs. [OC]
March 13th, 2001. Just another day at the office for Shaquille O'Neal. One of the most eccentric and dominant players in history was cooling off in the locker room after a 112-107 Lakers win against cross country rival The Boston Celtics. The voluminous O'neal had only a year previously posted the first 60 point, 20 rebound game since the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. O'Neal after this game however, had a different target of his famous bravado. He grabbed the nearest Boston reporter within his enormous reach and pointed toward his notes. "Take this down" . When the flamboyant center got serious, his words were often resonant. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal, and Paul Pierce is the motherfucking truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out." This was Shaquille O'Neal speaking. This was the same guy who delivered a hand written note to Hakeem Olajuwon challenging him to one on one after a finals loss at age 22. His praise was always delivered with a tint of backhandedness. But something about the way that Shaq said this made it clear this was not about Shaq. The way that this kid put on in front of his hometown, 42 points on 13 of 19 from the floor, not the numbers themselves, but the way he did it, was enough to draw respect from the most bitter of rival. Los Angeles around the turn of the millennium had a personality. Dr. Dre's iconic album 2001 had encapsulated so many aspects of the culture, hard nosed, tough, and not to be disrespected, all riding on a cool California breeze calmer than Snoop Dogg himself. Looking back, its easy to see why Paul Pierce carries himself the way he does to this day. It's been said that in Inglewood "You either bang or you ball". Luckily, that chubby kid waking up at 5:30 every day to shoot in the shadow of the the forum understood Dr. Dre's words. "No man can choose the card he was dealt. You either gone quit or you gone play like you get it" Funny how things work. The man who no better could have represented LA in that moment was drafted by the team that could have been no more the opposite. Arch Rival. A city notoriously tough on black players. Just about as far removed from "A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness" as you could get. The kid that played with that thick skinned Cali-cool knew that making his impression felt was just as much the way you did it as getting it done. Boston has always loved tough. They are a blue collar city. Resilience is respected in any culture across the world, and though Bostonians may not share the same west-coast state of relaxation, watching a man refuse to quit will always be worth its weight. So on September 25th, 2000, when Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times in his back, neck and face, had a bottle smashed on his head, and underwent lung surgery as a result, Boston watched with bated breath. Pierce has never been in a gang, but it was clear the toughness of Inglewood ran in his veins when on October 30th, just over a month later, Pierce would start the first game of the season. And then every game for the rest of it. He was the truth, and there was no getting around it. That combination of southern California swagger and grit simply dripped from Pierce's skin. He wanted to win, he wanted you to know it was his doing, and he wanted to make it look effortless. He wasn't going to beat you with his athleticism, he wasn't going to muscle you. He wasn't a lightning fast ball handler or passer. He was just going to win. You knew where he was going to go, but he was going to get there, and he was going to win. If Stephen A. Smith thinks Aaron Rodgers is a bad man, then Paul Pierce should be sitting in front of the International Court of Justice. So put yourself in front of one of the oldest, most loyal, most historic crowds in pro basketball. Put yourself on one of the, if not the most iconic hardwoods that has ever graced the association. Put yourself in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now put yourself down by 21, with 9 points on 2-14 shooting, and accept the truth. It seems easy for anyone in this position to accept the truth. Except the Truth. The Jason Kidd led New Jersey Nets 74-53 in game three of the first Eastern Conference Finals since the golden era. With the series tied, losing one at home would be disastrous, and the current trajectory seemed to indicate that would be the case. Now, I'm the type of guy who'd give up the will to live attacked by any animal larger than a golden retriever (reasonably it's more like a bobcat but I'm not sure everyone knows their specifications). Paul Pierce is the type of guy who gets stabbed in the face eleven times and plays a pro sport a month later. The game wasn't over to him. The Truth would catch the ball on the baseline at 11:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Two jabsteps and a drive to his left and and the lead had been cut to under 20 in the most unassuming way. The broadcaster took note of Pierce's cold blooded nature.- "Of course Pierce a great fourth quarter player" he said, "But The Celtics have put themselves in too big of a hole to make it matter". Talking about anyone else he may have made a safe bet. Co-star Antoine Walker would receive a pass off of a Nets turnover and cut the lead to 17. The broadcast team wearily acknowledging the possibility of a comeback, though there seemed to be little belief outside of the faithfully loud Boston fans and the C's themselves. A minute and 20 seconds after Pierce's first bucket, he again found himself using his trademark "How the fuck is this guy getting to the basket" technique to slip past The Nets defense for an and-one lay in. The crowd grew louder as a spark of emotion erupted from Pierce before he slipped back to his focused calm. Freethrow. 14 point deficit. The Celtics would again regain possession, and again, Pierce would slip to his left hand for a finger roll. The man who had shot and made only 2 of his 14 attempts in the first three quarters had found a solution. Not speed, or athleticism, there was no need yet to shoot. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results. The Truth had never looked more sane. Layup. Layup. Layup. The lead was dwindling. 12 points was the differential, and the crowd had grown so loud the commentators we're forced to yell over the excited buzz. This town knew Paul Pierce by now. 7:47 on the clock. Pierce again finds the ball within 14 feet of the basket and spins through two defenders to easily place the ball over the front rim. 9 points in the fourth quarter alone, yet every standing member of the Boston faithful in The Garden knew those were not his final tallies. By a slight over 6 on the clock the lead had been cut to 8. It was clear that night had already set itself apart from a typical game, but just how far could Paul Pierce's California Love carry the green and white. With another split of a double team, both calculated and controlled, yet effortless and smooth. What Pierce was displaying was different in so many ways. The NBA had seen men dominate by force of will plenty of times in the past. But these players did it with speed, strength, size. Number 34 in green and white seemed to be leading a team whose fate seemed hopeless because it was them or it was him. "It's either my life or your life, And I ain't leaving, I like breathing." - Dr. Dre, The Watcher Freethrow after freethrow the Boston Celtics began their ascent to what would be the greatest comeback in NBA Playoff history at that point. Jason Kidd watched the clock begin ticking away, while a four point lead, then a three point lead continued to look like an in increasing deficit rather than a winning margin. More and more often the camera would cut to the look on New Jersey Head Coach Byron Scott's face, pressed into some sweaty contortion of anger, desperation, and fear. The juxtaposition of the stoicism of Pierce and Jim O'Brian, the Head Coach of the Celtics desperately trying to his his excitement. When Paul Pierce yet again found himself emerging effortlessly like a weed through busted concrete at the rim. A minute and a half remained, The Nets' lead was only three. The Boston Garden was alive, the decibels jumping each time the C's lopped off a chunk of what was once thought to be an insurmountable lead. The free throw is a funny thing in sports. So few opportunities do fans get to view what should be almost guaranteed points. The crowd can feed off of a play that in truth, involves less action than really any other play within the game. But at a home game, when the crowd silently waits in anticipation for the pop of a ball against nylon, the result is unlike anything else in the world.* So when Paul Pierce, The Truth, the league leader in fourth quarter points on the season, hit one. To cut the lead to two. Two. To cut the lead to one. Three. To cut tie the game. and Four. To go up by one with 46 seconds remaining in what would potentially be the greatest comeback in playoff history. Boston Garden may as well have been behind a Boeing 747. The shell shocked Nets' attempts to retaliate would fall flat, turning it over, which would lead to a Kerry Kittles 2 point goaltend on a Kenny Anderson layup, and then watching their next two attempts get blocked. PP, the Celtics, and the City of Boston could let their guard down. For the first time since tip off, Pierce smiled. There would be more of these moments in his future than he could have possibly imagined. When you're from Inglewood, you either bang or you ball. But when Inglewood comes to Boston, when Inglewood brings that west-coast cool to that east-coast determination. You get a cold blooded competitor who can leave an opponent head in hands with nothing left to say but "DAMN I wish he was on my team." Watching him takeover for 19 points in the fourth quarter of that game alone, it's tough to argue the sentiment. Now Paul Pierce is gone from the Celtics. Back to Los Angeles where he made his start. But Paul Pierce never really left Inglewood. He brought it with him everywhere, with the chip on his shoulder, the chip that only the City of Boston could have nurtured. Together they created, without question one of the all time clutchest players we've ever seen. "And if you're wondering where's the proof, You should wait no longer cuz here's the truth" - Dr. Dre, Truth Hurts. *Except for this, which is in my opinion the greatest crowd-athlete interaction ever. As some of you may know, this is part of an ongoing offseason series called Youngblood University. It's a series of stories with GIFs inside to tell the best NBA stories of the 2000s. I like to show them to reddit first, plus you guys help me edit, which is great. Series Intro- The general idea. Episode I. "38"- Jordan scores 51 points at age 38 playing for the Wizards Episode II. "Straight"- Lebron scores 25 points straight to win an ECF game. Episode III. "Gold Standard"- The Redeem Team rebounds from a Bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. The rest of the weird shit I do like Top 10 NBA High School Mixtapes and interviews with @NbaCatwatch are here. Same goes for all those draft prospect player breakdowns with gifs.
[OC] As Paul Pierce retires, I figure I'd share with you the story of one of The Truth's greatest moments- A 21 point 4th quarter comeback in the 2002 ECF.
March 13th, 2001. Just another day at the office for Shaquille O'Neal. One of the most eccentric and dominant players in history was cooling off in the locker room after a 112-107 Lakers win against cross country rival The Boston Celtics. The voluminous O'neal had only a year previously posted the first 60 point, 20 rebound game since the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. O'Neal after this game however, had a different target of his famous bravado. He grabbed a local reporter and gestured at his notepad. "Take this down" . Serious words from this jovial man were often resonant. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal, and Paul Pierce is the motherfucking truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out." This was Shaquille O'Neal speaking. This was the same guy who delivered a hand written note to Hakeem Olajuwon challenging him to one on one after a loss in the finals at age 22. His praise typically delivered with a hint of backhandedness, something about the way that Shaq said this made it clear this was not about him. The way that number 34 put on in front of his hometown, 42 points on 13 of 19 from the floor- not the numbers themselves, but the way he did it, was enough to draw respect from the most bitter of rival. Los Angeles around the turn of the millennium had a personality. Dr. Dre's iconic album 2001 had encapsulated so many aspects of the culture, hard nosed, tough, and not to be disrespected, all riding on a cool California breeze calmer than Snoop Dogg himself. Looking back, its easy to see why Paul Pierce carries himself the way he does to this day. In Inglewood "You either bang or you ball". Luckily, that chubby who woke up at 5:30 every day to shoot in the shadow of the the forum understood Dr. Dre's words. "No man can choose the card he was dealt. You either gone quit or you gone play like you get it" Funny how things work. The man who no better could have represented LA in that moment was drafted by the team that could have been no more the opposite. Arch Rival. A city notoriously tough on black players. Just about as far removed from "A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness" as you could get. The kid that played with that thick skinned Cali-cool knew that making his impression felt was just as much the way you did it as getting it done. Boston has always loved tough. They are a blue collar city. Resilience is respected in any culture across the world, and though Bostonians may not share the same west-coast state of relaxation, watching a man refuse to quit will always be worth its weight. So on September 25th, 2000, when Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times in his back, neck and face, had a bottle smashed on his head, and underwent lung surgery as a result, Boston watched with bated breath. Pierce has never been in a gang, but it was clear the toughness of Inglewood ran in his veins when on October 30th, just over a month later, Pierce would start the first game of the season. And every one after it all season long. He was the truth, and there was no getting around it. That combination of southern California swagger and grit simply dripped from Pierce's skin. He wanted to win, he wanted you to know it was his doing, and he wanted to make it look effortless. He wasn't going to beat you with his athleticism, he wasn't going to muscle you. He wasn't a lightning fast ball handler or passer. He was just going to win. You knew where he was going to go, but he was going to get there, and he was going to win. If Stephen A. Smith thinks Aaron Rodgers is a bad man, then Paul Pierce should be sitting in front of the International Court of Justice. So put yourself in front of one of the oldest, most loyal, most historic crowds in pro basketball. Put yourself on one of the, if not the most iconic hardwoods that has ever graced the association. Put yourself in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now put yourself down by 21, with 9 points on 2-14 shooting, and accept the truth. It seems easy for anyone in this position to accept the truth. Except the Truth. The Jason Kidd led New Jersey Nets 74-53 in game three of the first Eastern Conference Finals since the golden era. With the series tied, losing one at home would be disastrous, and the current trajectory seemed to indicate that would be the case. Now, I'm the type of guy who'd give up the will to live attacked by any animal larger than a poodle (likely a bobcat but I'm not sure of their specifications). Paul Pierce is the type of guy who gets stabbed in the face eleven times and plays a pro sport a month later. The game wasn't over to him. The Truth would catch the ball on the baseline at 11:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Two jabsteps and a drive to his left and and the lead had been cut to under 20 in the most unassuming way. The broadcaster took note of Pierce's cold blooded nature.- "Of course Pierce a great fourth quarter player" he said, "But The Celtics have put themselves in too big of a hole to make it matter". Talking about anyone else he may have made a safe bet. Co-star Antoine Walker would receive a pass off of a Nets turnover and cut the lead to 17. The broadcast team wearily acknowledging the possibility of a comeback, though there seemed to be little belief outside of the faithfully loud Boston fans and the C's themselves. A minute and 20 seconds after Pierce's first bucket, he again found himself using his trademark "How the fuck is this guy getting to the basket" technique to slip past The Nets defense for an and-one lay in. The crowd grew louder as a spark of emotion erupted from Pierce before he slipped back to his focused calm. Freethrow. 14 point deficit. The Celtics would again regain possession, and again, Pierce would slip to his left hand for a finger roll. The man who had shot and made only 2 of his 14 attempts in the first three quarters had found a solution. Not speed, or athleticism, there was no need yet to shoot. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results. The Truth had never looked more sane. Layup. Layup. Layup. The lead was dwindling. 12 points was the differential, and the crowd had grown so loud the commentators we're forced to yell over the excited buzz. This town knew Paul Pierce by now. 7:47 on the clock. Pierce again finds the ball within 14 feet of the basket and spins through two defenders to easily place the ball over the front rim. 9 points in the fourth quarter alone, yet every standing member of the Boston faithful in The Garden knew those were not his final tallies. By a slight over 6 on the clock the lead had been cut to 8. It was clear that night had already set itself apart from a typical game, but just how far could Paul Pierce's California Love carry the green and white. With another split of a double team, both calculated and controlled, yet effortless and smooth. What Pierce was displaying was different in so many ways. The NBA had seen men dominate by force of will plenty of times in the past. But these players did it with speed, strength, size. Number 34 in green and white seemed to be leading a team whose fate seemed hopeless because it was them or it was him. "It's either my life or your life, And I ain't leaving, I like breathing." - Dr. Dre, The Watcher Freethrow after freethrow the Boston Celtics began their ascent to what would be the greatest comeback in NBA Playoff history at that point. Jason Kidd watched the clock begin ticking away, while a four point lead, then a three point lead continued to look like an in increasing deficit rather than a winning margin. More and more often the camera would cut to the look on New Jersey Head Coach Byron Scott's face, pressed into some sweaty contortion of anger, desperation, and fear. The juxtaposition of the stoicism of Pierce and Jim O'Brian, the Head Coach of the Celtics desperately trying to his his excitement. When Paul Pierce yet again found himself emerging effortlessly like a weed through busted concrete at the rim. A minute and a half remained, The Nets' lead was only three. The Boston Garden was alive, the decibels jumping each time the C's lopped off a chunk of what was once thought to be an insurmountable lead. The free throw is a funny thing in sports. So few opportunities do fans get to view what should be almost guaranteed points. The crowd can feed off of a play that in truth, involves less action than really any other play within the game. But at a home game, when the crowd silently waits in anticipation for the pop of a ball against nylon, the result is unlike anything else in the world.* So when Paul Pierce, The Truth, the league leader in fourth quarter points on the season, hit one. To cut the lead to two. Two. To cut the lead to one. Three. To cut tie the game. and Four. To go up by one with 46 seconds remaining in what would potentially be the greatest comeback in playoff history. Boston Garden may as well have been behind a Boeing 747. The shell shocked Nets' attempts to retaliate would fall flat, turning it over, which would lead to a Kerry Kittles 2 point goaltend on a Kenny Anderson layup, and then watching their next two attempts get blocked. PP, the Celtics, and the City of Boston could let their guard down. For the first time since tip, Pierce smiled. 19 years since he left California, his career now ends in Los Angeles as a Boston Legend. But Paul Pierce never really left Inglewood. He brought it with him everywhere he went, with that chip on his shoulder- the chip that only the City of Boston could have nurtured. Together this blend of counter-cultures created without question one of most cold blooded motherfuckers in the history of sports. "And if you're wondering where's the proof, You should wait no longer cuz here's the truth" - Dr. Dre, Truth Hurts
Whether you are wagering your first $1 or betting big money, the principles remain the same. We've consulted with people that really know what the hell they're doing with betting and have distilled that information down into a few key points to help you out:
#1: You Win Some. You Lose Some.
The first tip for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gambling is knowing that you cannot win every bet. Some players lose and start blaming the teams, website, or the person who gave them the advice, or worse, changing the strategy that had been working all along. Just know that any time you place a bet, there is risk. Even the best, most profitable long-term winners have losing streaks. Stay within your means, keep a level head, and understand that there is volatility.
#2: RESEARCH THE TEAMS IN-DEPTH
This is the most important tip you will ever get in CS:GO betting. There are odds all around the web, but the odds only reflect what the general public thinks and odds can be swayed in a number of different ways. The most successful esports bettors are the ones with expert opinions on the matches. They use this experience and knowledge of the teams (especially their head-to-head matchups) to locate inefficiencies in the odds and find high-value betting propositions. A few important aspects to focus on are:
Team history - are they a volatile team? Are they consistent? How do they perform on certain maps?
Win %
Head-to-Head Matchups
Tournament Performance
A few of the best resources around the web for getting great info about teams are:
YouTube - find successful gamblers streaming their sessions or talking about matches
What makes CS:GO great for betting is that there is a lot of “skill” involved. With in-depth research and extensive knowledge of the teams, you can gain a major advantage over the hoards of lazy gamblers who don’t bother to research or think they are smart enough to beat the odds alone. Tip: As a beginner, if you don’t know much about the teams then DO NOT BET. Research a few matches extensively and start small. See which things rang true and which didn’t matter. There are patterns to every match. Find them.
#3: Watch Games
This should go without saying, but the best esports bettors are matching fanatics. There is only so much you can learn about Counter-Strike from reading or gathering data. Watch as many matches as possible to get a feel for the game flow. Just like statistics can never tell you how well an NBA player listens to his teammates on defense or how well a striker performs under pressure, you can never get the full picture from reading odds or stats after a CS:GO match. Pay attention to:
Playstyles
Maps
Team Form
Conversation
Individual Players
But remember, don’t let it take away from the enjoyment of the game! After all, that's why esportzbet.com exists...to enhance your esports experience!
#4: Make Your Own Odds and Compare
The majority of successful gamblers beat the odds by making their own. Once you are equipped with extensive knowledge of both teams, create your own betting line in your head. Factor in:
Match History
Current Team Form
Head-to-Head Stats
General Stats
The most successful gamblers come up with odds that are close to the actual line. The difference is that they can find minute inefficiencies and take advantage of the betting public by understanding nuances of the game. If your odds dictate a team has a 30% chance to win but the majority of books have them at 20%, it’s time to make a bet on the underdog.
#5: Understand Risk vs. Reward
All gambling revolves around risk vs. reward. Is it worth the money to win your potential payout? The best wagers to make are ones where you don’t risk much but the reward is relatively substantial. For example, you see odds are 70-30 for a team but are pretty sure based on research and current composition that the odds are more like 60-40. You decide to place a good bet on the underdog because you can wager a small amount and win a substantial payout. That’s a good bet. On the flip side, you see a team is 90% to win a match and you are fairly certain those odds are accurate. In order to win anything substantial, you’d have to make a large bet. That’s a big risk. Instead, it’s better to make a small wager on a game like this (especially as a beginner). In decimal odds, say the team is 1.2 odds to win a match and you believe those odds are spot-on accurate. If you risk $100, you stand to win $120 ($20 profit). Not much for such a big bet. But say a team was 2.5 odds to win and you feel that those odds are underestimating their chances, then you’d only have to wager $13.50 to net the same profit ($13.5 x 2.5 = $33.75). Your chances of winning are lower of course, but you will come out ahead in the long run if the books’ odds are not accurate. The second bet is much better long-term value. Golden Rules from esportzbet.com
Know the teams
Keep a stable mindset
Never bet more than you can afford
Ignore single comments on forums that are clearly biased (these comments are spam and probably paid for to sway the odds)
Always keep track of your bets
Betting cash is more convenient, safe, and profitable
Are you ready to spice up the matches that you’re already watching? With this CS:GO betting advice, you’re already ahead of the majority of bettors online who just play hunches. There’s a lot of money out there to be won. esportzbet.com- the Most Trusted CS:GO Betting Site Fully regulated and 100% transparent**,**esportzbet.com is a trusted site for fans by fans. We offer cash betting so you don’t lose money on fees or risk losing all of your skins to regulation. The best part? Your first bet is on the house! https://preview.redd.it/swzvd0g1zqd21.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=086c5e00f0822c1b7600e6552a9f1304d6f3742c
I reserve an entry into the $3 Sharpshooter on DK the night before the contest. I only make one lineup. I enter that same lineup that I end up making for the Sharpshooter into a dozen or so 50/50s and then maybe a 100-player contest, and a 40-player contest, and a 20-player, and a 10, and a 5, and a 3. Then I search for H2Hs. I just load my lineup and look for opponents that have less than 5 games available. I know all about what a cash game lineup is and what a GPP lineup is. And I understand why people differentiate them. But I go against that anyways because with my single lineup, I'm just simply looking to score the most points that I can. I see no sense in hedging my bets by making multiple lineups; I'm not a monster on the GPPs. I see the Sharpshooter as a lottery ticket. But the difference between the Sharpshooter and the state lottery is that I can play it every day and not lose money. All you gotta do is finish in the top 20% of a GPP on DK and you at least double your entry fee. It's not hard to make a little profit when you put up your absolute BEST lineup on there. On the day of the contest, I hold off tinkering until about 2 hours before the first game takes place. I open up a tab on DK, and click on the "edit" button for my entry. Then I open up 2 tabs for Rotogrinders. I read Notorious's NBA Grind Down (not for the advice, but mainly just to immerse myself in DFS), and I read the posts on the forum for the day's NBA games. I open up a tab for Rotoworld, and since all the little blurbs on there are time-stamped, I go as far back as the previous night, and I just read each post chronologically to catch up or stay on top of things. In these 2 hours leading up to the first tip-off, lots of things happen. I write down on a sheet of paper all the players I have even remote interest in, and their prices. But I never commit to a lineup any less than a few minutes before game time. There's just too much chaos to sort out. As things become more clear, I develop an 8-man roster that consists of players in which I'm looking for 6X value from each. That's the hard part. Gauging everything from matchups to coach's intentions is not easy. But there are plays I fall in love in with and I surround those with whatever else makes the most sense. One thing I noticed that baffles me is that a lot of people on DK don't roster their teams in a way that gives them flexibility later on. What I mean by that is that if you're starting 3 point guards, play the one whose game is happening first in the PG slot, and then by time, put the next PG in the G slot, and the PG that starts his game at 10:30 (usually Steph), put him in the Utility spot. It gives you flexibility in case anything happens. I guess from there I just like to see what happens.
Hey guys, first off I would like to thank you all for all of the great discussion that goes on here. I used to surf the forums (covers, pregame, sbr, mad jack, etc.) and was really annoyed with the influx of ridiculous threads and stupid/uninformed opinions. I have been capping NFL and CFB for a while now and have begun to get a pretty good feel on how to op them. I love the NFL and CFB but my true love is the NBA. I am very interested in getting involved with capping the NBA. I watch a lot of basketball and have for awhile. I was just wondering if you guys had any tips for me as I try to get more involved with betting the NBA. I have made a spreadsheet with the suggestions of U/murrayyyyy but was wondering if you guys had any other suggestions? Thanks.
Not at all. Nobody is perfect, but I'm happy to work at EA, and proud of most of what we do. I own a bunch of EA stuff that I wear regularly, and in the real world, have never had anything but positive reactions.
When done right, they're fine. I've sunk a lot of money into Clash of Clans and FIFA Ultimate Team, for example. They're very easy to do very wrong though, and you have to design the game from the ground-up to accomodate them. Bolting them on gets you bad results.
As long as it's not pay-to-win, and the game isn't artificially frustrating to try to coerce you into paying to skip shitty stuff, they can work. I'm less a fan of MTX for $60 games - the latest crop of games from everyone on XB1/PS4 is frustrating, as it seems like everyone is trying to get onboard. They work best for totally optional game modes like FUT, or ME3 multiplayer - we get to develop that content for players because of the money the MTX provides, but if you don't play it, you're still getting great value for the $60 base game.
I think we're the leader for western spots games, for sure. We dominate with FIFA, Madden/NCAA, Tiger, NHL, but we're obviously getting stomped in basketball. We used to do baseball.
2k puts out a very, very good basketball game every year. They share baseball with Sony, but that's a small market.
Not sure which games you're talking about where we got destroyed by other releases on gen4.
Re: mods, I don't know enough about the situation to even have a personal opinion. From a QA/design standpoint, giving people that ability makes the game much more complex. The Skate series for example did "create a spot", which was a sandbox for skateboarding. It was awesome. Once a game company releases mods, they also can't control quality. Check out the Skyrim forums, and all the problems that stem from users installing stuff that doesn't work, and then going to Bethesda for support about it.
Cheers. I've been playing Rivals as a cop and enjoying it, for arcade racing. For sim, I think Shift 2 was the most recent. I haven't played it, but heard good things.
MTX used well is done in one of two ways - it supports a F2P game, or it's used to make a game mode that a company otherwise couldnt do otherwise. The more it makes, the more they can improve it, etc.
MTX in general is still new in the west. There's going to be a lot of bad implementation until the market decides what 'good' implementation is. Support the stuff you like, and the market will have it's way given time.
It's much more aggressive, far less player-friendly, and exploitation of psychology is very, very prevalent. Gacha is the japanese term, but the principle is the same. Puzzle & Dragons is a common example you might be familiar with.
I haven't heard designers really use that as a starting point. If someone recognizes an untapped market, that's one thing, but I don't think many designers start with the market, then design the game for it. I know we're constantly trying to be more inclusive, particularly for women gamers. Double your potential market right there. More and more games are getting pushed worldwide and localized, and that's an industry-wide trend.
Mostly positive, but there's always mistakes made. Overall, we're not evil. Bad calls get made. I wish stuff went better, and part of my role is to help improve game quality by using player feedback.
EA puts out a -lot- of games, and we're a huge company, so the quality is going to vary. Comparing Bioware to Tiburon to Criterion is something people naturally do, because "EA" is on all the games, but the teams are totally different. Hopefully everyone does great, and good people work hard trying to make that happen.
People always focus on the negatives, which is understandable, but I get to see a lot of the positives too. We do a crapload of charity stuff (I can get $300 for a charity if I do a small number of volunteer hours, employee donations are matched, we do outreach/donations a -lot-, etc), and the company treats full-time employees pretty well.
Best memory for me was doing design work on the newer NBA JAM. As a well-intentioned but woefully inexperienced QA guy helping the team, it was an amazing experience, and people mostly liked what I did, which is absolutely awesome.
I'm a full-time employee, pay is ok. In general, the gaming industry isn't where you go for great pay, but from what I've seen, EA does better than most in that regard.
Benefits are fantastic though. Standard medical/dental etc, but also get $100/year to buy online games, got $100 rebated for buying a gen4 console, and get 5 free EA games a year (10 if on PC).
I'm a weird anomaly, in that I don't have a degree in anything. Ran my own businesses, did some cool gaming-related stuff, but no formal education. Most of my team is very intelligent, highly educated folks. We have 1 phd, 4 masters degrees, 1 game design degree, and 2 of us without degrees. Both of us non-edumacated yokels spent years in QA learning a lot, and performing very well.
There are a lot of games-industry academics, but very few people actually work in the industry - there's just not a lot of jobs. The demand is growing fast though, so if you're interested, do your research on it. Most people that make the jump to industry get degrees in HCI or psych. Psych tend to have PHDs rather than Masters, but I don't know why. Psych is really useful in understanding player motivation, and in designing good, scientific experiments to measure results. Clubbing video games with science is a pretty awesome gig.
I can't, sorry. Some advice if you're finding it difficult to compete with what you've got, is hit offline Seasons for easy coins. Team of the Week on high difficulty is awesome too.
FIFA 14 has a new feature where you can compare items in your trade pile to the market prices, which makes it easier to identify expensive players. I had a silver striker that I sold for something like 80k coins, never ever would have expected him to be expensive without that feature.
It's got a lot of potential, and I like a lot of the stuff we're doing with it. Origin has the (afaik) only digital return policy on games, and we've done some awesome promotions like the Humble Bundle a while back. The possibilities for cross-game promotions are cool too. It's certainly not perfect, but it's constantly getting better.
We do a lot of different testing. Most of it is targetted gameplay, because that's faster, but we also do multi-day testing of things like career modes. QA does that kind of stuff as well.
We also do At-Home testing, where we give copies of the game to people, and have them fill out surveys and such after the game is launched.
We advertise via Facebook and local advertising around our playtesting studios. Folks sign up online, we send them surveys for playtest applications, and folks fill 'em out. If they meet the demographics we need, we contact them to come into the studio.
It's -not- a job at all, we give you EA developed games as thanks for your time. Sometimes it's a $60 game for 15 minutes, sometimes it's 5 games for 3 days of playtesting, it varies a lot :)
That's an awesome question that I wish I could answer. I don't have anywhere near enough facts to have a good guess, and if I did, it'd be information I have to keep internally.
You're welcome, unfortunately I can't help with your qeustion. Even if I knew, which I don't, it's not something I could talk about. I'm a PC gamer and NHL player myself, so I'd love to see it come to PC again. My first QA project was on NHL 09, for PS2 and PC, so it'll always have a spot in my cold, dead heart :)
No idea, sorry. I've got some unflattering commentary about the Bruins, being a casual Canucks fan, but I don't think it'd be relevant ;)
Ratings are impossible to get "right", because nobody can agree on them. We do a lot of work trying to make them as accurate to real life as possible though, and it's why updating during the season is awesome for both us and players - if something gets overlooked, we can fix it.
Hrm, probably more Canucks fans than any other team, but that's because we're in Vancouver. There's a wide, wide variety of fandom though - there's a lot of jerseys being worn around the studio in general :)
Step 1: Be astoundingly lucky. Step 2: Work your butt off.
Most people that do what I do have post-graduate degrees in HCI or experimental psychology. I work with a lot of very big brains. I'm an oddball, since I came through QA, where I basically just outworked most people and performed at a high level long enough to get noticed, and then got extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Getting a full-time job in the gaming industry is hard work, because it's extremely competitive. Keep working on your own skills to make yourself more valuable to yourself and your team, regardless of whether you have one at the moment.
To test as QA, it's a job, can find them the usual way. For playtesting, it's not employment at all, just a fun way to play a game, get some games for your time, and help make games better. I'd post links, but they'd get trolled to death. If there is an EA studio near you, hit their website, or google their name and "playtest".
I work directly with developers, and they all want to make a great game. If that game sells well, they know they'll probably get to keep making great games.
Answer screeners honestly is the best you can do. Unfortunately, we get so many applications that we can't bring in everyone, but we constantly try to get new faces in.
Everyone but Nintendo and Ubisoft has left, it seems. I was optimistic about the Wii when it first came out, but not WiiU. I agree, there's some neat stuff. I really liked the map/companion powers on the screen for Mass Effect, and Nintendo has some neat games on it.
I have no idea about actual numbers, and couldn't share 'em if I did. Games for consoles get tested very heavily - developers (or their publisher) will test it, then it has to be tested by the console holder (Sony/MS/Nintendo) and pass their certification process. PC and mobile is the wild west, which is why there's so much shovelware. EA tests those games just as thoroughly, because we've got the resources and infrastructure to do so.
What folks usually don't realize is that the sheer scale of people means even "obvious" stuff gets found by the community far faster than any test team could find it, and that'd discounting stuff that breaks because of the scale of people (usually online servers; see: every popular online release in history).
A team of dozens or hundreds of QA folks can't compare to hundreds of thousands of players hammering the game. QA does it's best, but AAA games are just too complicated to ensure perfection.
We do playtests at some of our studios, so if you're near one of them, your best bet would be to contact the studio, or do a search for the studio name and "playtest".
Sorry, that's way too broad for anyone to help with, let alone a dude that has nothing to do with that kind of thing. There's a ton of writing that's been done about it online though, if you're passionate, hit the books and enjoy the ride.
Come discuss NBA Betting before you place your bets. Our very active sports betting forum is full of different points of view. Daily NBA free picks, predictions and tips from expert handicappers. Get the latest NBA handicapping information, live betting odds and lines NBA Basketball Betting - NBA betting and handicapping forum: discuss basketball picks, NBA odds, and predictions for upcoming games and results. Today’s NBA Betting Tips. America’s NBA is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, and hugely popular among our bettingexpert community, members of whom post NBA betting tips throughout the NBA season, which runs from October through to the following June. The NBA season is in full swing. NBA Sports Betting: Picks For Thursday, Saturday, Sunday Games Expect both teams to go all out on the defensive end in trying to walk out of FedEx forum Come discuss NBA Betting before you place your bets. Our very active sports betting forum is full of different points of view. Covers Sports Betting Forum - All the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and College betting discussions from our massive community Compare live NBA Odds, Lines and Spreads. Up to date betting odds of the top sportsbooks including money lines, point spreads, totals and futures on SBR. Betting the spread is when you bet on either the favorite or underdog to cover the points spread, anonymous ethereum nba live betting. Anonymous ethereum Snooker betting There are occasional exceptions to this – promotions that are exclusive to one platform or banking options that aren’t supported for example – but the vast majority of The NBA betting experts and NBA odds for the game are in favor of the home team. Jazz vs Bucks Game Info. Utah Jazz (4-4, 3-2 Away) at Milwaukee Bucks (5-3, 4-0 Home) Date: Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 Venue: Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI Start Time: 8 p.m. EST TV: NBA League Pass, Fox Sports Wisconsin, AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain
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