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NBA Live 09 Predicts Winner of NBA Finals
Posted by Brian Crecente at 6:00 AM on June 5, 2008
The Lakers will win the 2008 NBA Finals, according to a simulation run by EA Sports using NBA Live 09.
The game shows that the Lakers will capture their 15th NBA Championship by defeating the Celtics in a tie-breaking seventh game, 106 to 101.
According to the simulation, MVP Kobe Bryant led the victory, averaging 29 points and 6 assists per game throughout the series. The real Finals tip off this Thursday at 9 p.m.EST on ABC in the US. Hit the jump to read the highlights of the fictional series, provided by EA Sports.
Game 1
Celtics strike first over Lakers 105-99
Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 20 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Blocks
Kobe Bryant - 25 Points, 10 Rebounds, 7 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 47%
LA - 45%
Recap - The Fleet Centre erupts after an exciting Game 1 of the NBA playoffs. Kevin Garnett leads his team in scoring and offensive rebounds. Also a monster on the defensive side of the ball, Garnett's blocking rampage is reminiscent of the Bill Russell era.
Game 2
Lakers quiet Celtic fans at Fleet Centre winning 96-90
Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 24 Points, 9 Assists
Kobe Bryant - 30 Points, 4 Three-pointers
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 47%
LA - 47%
Recap - An uncontested Kobe Bryant slam dunk sets the tone early in the first quarter. Kobe and the Lakers never relinquish the lead resulting in a 6-point victory and more importantly, a split of the first two games in Boston.
Game 3
Lakers dominate at home Game 3, 109-101
Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 23 Points, 4 steals
Kobe Bryant - 36 Points, 9 Rebounds, 10 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 46%
LA - 49%
Recap - Paul Pierce has a big game but didn't match up to Kobe's near triple-double performance. Kobe's dazzling dunk rejuvenates the Lakers and the fans at the Staples Centre. The momentum shifts towards the Lakers after taking Game 3.
Game 4
Celtics come back to win 91-88 victory over Lakers
Point Leaders
Ray Allen - 29 Points, 6 three-pointers, 4 Assists
Pau Gasol - 19 Points, 14 Rebounds, 3 Blocks
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 49%
LA - 44%
Recap - Ray Allen leads the Celtics to an important victory in the Staples Centre. Allen's strong perimeter play gave the Celtics a strong lead early in the 4th quarter and ties up the series.
Game 5
LA leads series by winning Game 5, 95-92
Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Blocks
Pau Gasol - 25 Points, 12 Rebounds, 5 Blocks
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 47%
LA - 50%
Recap - The battle in the paint was the focus for much of Game 5. Rebounding was the key to the Lakers victory. Gasol outrebounded Celtic muscle-man Kendrick Perkins. Gasol also took a page from Garnett's Game 1 performance by blocking five shots, and kept his number one rank as the leading shot blocker in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
Game 6
Celtics force Game 7, 98-97
Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 28 Points, 6 Steals, 8 Assists
Kobe Bryant - 28 Points, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 46%
LA - 44%
Recap - The Celtics, led by a strong performance from Paul Pierce, overcame the Lakers to force a Game 7. Pierce went shot for shot with Bryant, tying him in points, and rounded out his game with four defensive steals.
Game 7
Lakers win NBA Championship, 106-101
Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 29 Points, 7 Blocks, 10 Rebounds
Kobe Bryant - 38 Points, 10 Rebounds, 11 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos - 48%
LA - 51%
Recap -The Lakers win their 15th NBA Finals Championship. After a quiet first half, Kobe scored 29 of his 38 points in the second half in an astounding triple-double performance cementing himself as this year's NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals for the third time in a row. The life-long rivalry now stands at 10 - 3 in Boston's favor.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
jun581
Posted 6:52 AM 5/6/08
Didn't EA's Madden predict the patriots over the MY Giants (well not mines, but i'm a huge giants fan) and guess what...well you know what.
Anyway, i'm surprised EA was able to simulate the series with that piece of garbage called NBA live 2008. Yea i played it and it was baaaaaaaaaad!
jun581
the_answer
Posted 6:51 AM 5/6/08
LA in 5
the_answer
Gam3r
Posted 6:50 AM 5/6/08
Celtics will win. Pierce will do it.
Gam3r
mva5580
Posted 6:42 AM 5/6/08
lol, "simulation"
I'd bet the farm those games weren't simulated at 12 minute quarters. And if slider adjustments weren't made beforehand, it was nowhere near realistic.
NBA Live is garbage, and has been garbage for years. That game hasn't been good since the Genesis/SNES days.
mva5580
J-Fro
Posted 6:37 AM 5/6/08
Those predictions seem a little safe. No blow outs? Not one 40+ game from Kobe? I can't see the Celts grinding it through another long series these playoffs. I'll pick the Lakers in 6. Kobe gets Finals MVP and ESPN write 87,462 Jordan comparison articles.
J-Fro
JayD16
Posted 6:33 AM 5/6/08
SPOILERS!
JayD16
kw4k
Posted 6:31 AM 5/6/08
@Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h: i'm callin a game 6 too, even though i hope they pull it off in game 5. and yes, win or lose, always a laker!
kw4k
kw4k
Posted 6:29 AM 5/6/08
@Black_Ops_19: I know! i was recappin just yesterday, watching game 6 (i believe?) to defeat the celtics on espn classic. damn, so many legends on that court during that series. made me giddy with joy...
kw4k
TwoSetBonus
Posted 6:29 AM 5/6/08
Gotta balance out the Laker love with more Celtics love. This is gonna be a good series. Someone run a Double Dribble sim of this series, haha.
TwoSetBonus
kw4k
Posted 6:26 AM 5/6/08
@exkon: MVP MVP MVP! man, if only games could predict the future? i hope it doesnt get to a game 7. it'll be harsh on my emotions... cant wait for tomorrow to come! game 1!
kw4k
DaOtter
Posted 6:26 AM 5/6/08
@Raziel Dune: Go team, go! Beat the opponents... in the skirmish. Soundly!
DaOtter
maraxusofk
Posted 6:25 AM 5/6/08
err above post i couldnt post the link but scroll down
[www.nba.com]
and find kobe's top 10 plays and ull see
maraxusofk
zanzibarlegend
Posted 6:24 AM 5/6/08
@EnigmaNemesis: hey don't come on here hating, Obi Wan. the force is strong with the NBA...lol
@akashhhhh: lighten up he did put a silly face at the end.
zanzibarlegend
maraxusofk
Posted 6:24 AM 5/6/08
pft who cares about kobe's attitude. hes the best player in the game right now. need proof?
Kobe's Top 10 Plays of the Season
maraxusofk
amazinglarry
Posted 6:24 AM 5/6/08
Fleet Center huh? As Jay427 already pointed out, it hasn't been the Fleet Center for a little while... so it looks like the Lakers win game 7 in Imaginationland.
amazinglarry
LittleBigPlaneteer
Posted 6:22 AM 5/6/08
This is the first NBA Finals I've looked forward to in years. Lakers vs Celtics has awesome written all over it. The two best teams facing off. Honestly I'd like the Lakers to win, but I wouldn't really be upset if the Celtics did. Can't wait.
LittleBigPlaneteer
EnigmaNemesis
Posted 6:20 AM 5/6/08
@akashhhhh:
I dont understand, you quote a guy backing up his statement, and not ask him why he would even read this post, other than to troll, since all he had to say was that the game was garbage ... I just dont get it.
Oh wait, yes I do, if you opinion is shared, all is good on the interwebz!
EnigmaNemesis
ChiisaiRamen
Posted 6:19 AM 5/6/08
@ChiisaiRamen: think* not thing
ChiisaiRamen
ChiisaiRamen
Posted 6:17 AM 5/6/08
@EmTeeZ: what kind of attitude? the pay for his teams dinner or help his whole teams score with assists?
well unless you still thing the guy is a ball hog you havent been getting some news.
Cuz I hate that guy when he was a ball hog.
ChiisaiRamen
akashhhhh
Posted 6:16 AM 5/6/08
@EnigmaNemesis:
I don't understand, why would you even read this post? Just to be a troll? Yeah? Thank you. Now shut up.
akashhhhh
0bsessions
Posted 6:16 AM 5/6/08
@jay427:
Damn right!
0bsessions
Len Bias Cocaine Surplus
Posted 6:16 AM 5/6/08
No wonder they lost.
In the Fleetcenter it must have been Vin Baker drunkenly stumbling down court half the time
Len Bias Cocaine Surplus
excaliburps
Posted 6:15 AM 5/6/08
On another note. Is that NBA Live 09? Wow! They're still keeping the plastic -skin textures for the player models I see...Nice!
Sarcasm off
@Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h:
Agreed. If LA wins one in Beantown and format being 2-3-2. It's going to be hard for the Celtics to win.
excaliburps
akashhhhh
Posted 6:15 AM 5/6/08
@etchasketchist:
Werd. 2K7 was good, 2K8 was alright. Honestly, VC may have peaked with 2K1.
Also, go Lakers. So stoked.
akashhhhh
Khalil
Posted 6:13 AM 5/6/08
Thursday can't come soon enough... GO LAKERS!!!
Khalil
excaliburps
Posted 6:13 AM 5/6/08
Hehe@etchasketchist:
Not really garbage. More like uncooked burger meat. Or a soda without its fizz or...ah who am I kidding? it is a pile of dump the last few years!
Pretty good idea by EA. Though it doesn't cover the intangibles like the Lakers unbeaten at home at this year's playoffs. How the Celtics are finding it hard to win on the road. etc. (No I don't hate the Celtics. I'm fine with whoever winning it).
Just when I commented on the NBA2k post about Kotaku posting concerning sports-games and we have this! Thanks Crecente! I/we appreciate this! Though I'm sure you're going to get posts of "is this news" "sports game meh!" or whatever. Glad too see you still think of other genres and the commenters of Kotaku as well.
Cheers! =D
excaliburps
Americo
Posted 6:10 AM 5/6/08
Go, team! *waves blank flag*
Americo
EnigmaNemesis
Posted 6:09 AM 5/6/08
@etchasketchist:
NBA is garbage.
Fixed!
:-p
EnigmaNemesis
Black_Ops_19
Posted 6:08 AM 5/6/08
Lakers Vs Celtics FTW-Classic.
Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird. Ahh the good old days of simple NBA games.
~19
Black_Ops_19
EmTeeZ
Posted 6:06 AM 5/6/08
@etchasketchist: Haha, that first post made me laugh. Just such a simple disquieting response to such a long elaborate post.
Also, go Celtics. Can't root for a team like the Lakers with the attitude of their star player.
EmTeeZ
Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h
Posted 6:06 AM 5/6/08
Real Lakers Fans will be Lakers fans even if they lose... Here's to hoping they don't. I say they sweep if Celtics lose the first game. If Celtics win first then maybe Lakers in 6.
-ph15h
Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h
jay427
Posted 6:05 AM 5/6/08
Fleet Center? It hasn't been named that for years :)
jay427
Le Légende de Vincent Tremblay
Posted 6:05 AM 5/6/08
EA Sports also picked the San Jose Sharks.
For what it's worth.
Le Légende de Vincent Tremblay
Raziel Dune
Posted 6:05 AM 5/6/08
lol if only i cared about basketball so...Go Winner.
Raziel Dune
exkon
Posted 6:03 AM 5/6/08
This is going to be a great finals.
Here's to my lakers!!
exkon
etchasketchist
Posted 6:03 AM 5/6/08
NBA Live is garbage.
etchasketchist
Zosic
Posted 7:14 AM 5/6/08
Zosic: /em would never play an NBA game after street, sorry, not for that yearly new game thing.
Zosic
aR-Tard
Posted 7:03 AM 5/6/08
NBA Live 09 you say?
I hope it's not as bad as 08...
There's always 2K9 I guess...
aR-Tard
TwoSetBonus
Posted 7:00 AM 5/6/08
@jun581: Yeah, on paper/simulation, the Patriots were a better team. The best all season, until that one game, the one that mattered. It's the intangibles that can't be measured in numbers, like the heart of that Giants defensive line, or that seemingly improbable last minute drive by Manning. Still makes me sad.
TwoSetBonus
akashhhhh
Posted 6:59 AM 5/6/08
@EnigmaNemesis:
What?
akashhhhh
tshack
Posted 7:44 AM 5/6/08
Too busy watching the Stanley Cup finals, sorry :)
tshack
Strangelove
Posted 7:40 AM 5/6/08
I find it hard to believe a team with suspect defense will limit Paul Pierce to a max of 28 points in seven games played. Not going to happen.
Strangelove
rzac30
Posted 7:32 AM 5/6/08
Yeah that's what I like to hear! Let's go LAKERS! Lakers in five.
rzac30
NoFunShogun
Posted 7:23 AM 5/6/08
Neat, but inconsequential.
Everybody knows that using Double Dribble is the only true way to determine who would win the NBA Finals..... so long as it's between either New York, Chicago, Boston, or L.A. (so we lucked out this year!)
NoFunShogun
twantime39
Posted 8:16 AM 5/6/08
CELTICS, BABY
twantime39
Owen Good
Posted 8:15 AM 5/6/08
@Absent Blue: On second thought, that was a little harsh and uncalled for. Sorry.
Owen Good
oldskuel
Posted 8:14 AM 5/6/08
@Absent Blue: Oh well. You can't count on the refs to win or lose games for you, even if it was a missed call. My dad wanted the Spurs to win only because his old airforce basketball friend coaches the Spurs. That old Pock face coach Popovich:). Go Lakers!
oldskuel
Owen Good
Posted 8:12 AM 5/6/08
@Absent Blue: The Spurs could play in a finals against the 1976 ABA All-Stars, transported to the present by a time machine and armed with flamethrowers, and it would still be the most godawful boring 2+ hours in sports.
Owen Good
Owen Good
Posted 8:10 AM 5/6/08
@J-Fro: A triple-double in Game 7? With 29 second half points? That's not exactly an everyday safe prediction.
Owen Good
MrDo
Posted 8:01 AM 5/6/08
So now even disgruntled Celtic fans can rig the game to win. Its the only way they will.
MrDo
Absent Blue
Posted 7:58 AM 5/6/08
How convenient Lakers and Celtics are coming in for the first time in 16 years when NBA ratings are low.
Forget that the NBA let someone ref the last Spurs game who was previously never allowed to ref another Tim Duncan game ever again. Also, don't mention that they digressed and said a foul should have been called at the end of the game against the Lakers.
Sorry, I'm being a bitter Texan.
Absent Blue
Yonderboy
Posted 8:57 AM 5/6/08
@Le Légende de Vincent Tremblay: Pffffft. The Sharks could never beat the Lakers in the NBA finals. Their dribbling skills are abysmal.
Yonderboy
PogiJet
Posted 8:56 AM 5/6/08
@PogiJet: they're making it sound realistic.
PogiJet
PogiJet
Posted 8:54 AM 5/6/08
This data seems made up coming from EA but hey in real life that is what might happen.
PogiJet
J-Fro
Posted 8:52 AM 5/6/08
@Owen Good: Sure it is...
Nah, I'm just saving face. Maybe they weren't that safe after all.
J-Fro
BLiTzMkIV
Posted 8:34 AM 5/6/08
Celtics.
Even though I am a fan of the team with the worst record for '08.
BLiTzMkIV
SaintEmpire
Posted 9:19 AM 5/6/08
Celtics all the way , have to.
SaintEmpire
CarlitosColon
Posted 9:39 AM 5/6/08
My money's on the Vancouver Grizzlies.
CarlitosColon
wasanasan
Posted 10:05 AM 5/6/08
Lakeshow baybee!
wasanasan
majatt
Posted 11:01 AM 5/6/08
@JayD16:
lol, that was funny. Erm...that whole face/face thing is creepy is such a sick way. I really hope this is the first and last of this marketing scheme.
majatt
henhowc
Posted 12:45 PM 5/6/08
Pierce is from Compton...he's going to throw the game. If the Lakers win, the Grizzlies GM should get a ring. ;)
henhowc
Sentientv2
Posted 1:19 PM 5/6/08
Go Lakers!
But seriously, you could simulate this game out a million different times and eventually get the results you want to show off how "accurate" your game is. I used to do the same with a college basketball 2K game to get my team (unranked in the country) to knock off the #1 team. Granted, it is seven games, but still, the matchup here is closer.
Sentientv2
Tietsu
Posted 3:37 PM 5/6/08
now watch it be a sweep by the celtics
Tietsu
amazinglarry
Posted 1:03 AM 6/6/08
Was just reading on boston.com that the Celtics win in 7 in NBA 2k8
[www.boston.com]
Which game will be correct?!!?!
amazinglarry
dudeman5000
Posted 6:45 AM 6/6/08
@Owen Good:
Perhaps, but SO true!
dudeman5000
maraxusofk
Posted 1:54 PM 6/6/08
game 1 down. lets see if the rest holds true. i sure hope so.
maraxusofk
SuperFox
Posted 2:57 PM 6/6/08
@excaliburps: "Agreed. If LA wins one in Beantown and format being 2-3-2. It's going to be hard for the Celtics to win."
Are you serious? You ARE aware that only two teams with the three consecutive home games were able to win all three ('04 Pistons over Lakers, '06 Heat over Mavs,) right? Celtics in 5, and I've being generous in giving the Lakers a victory.
As for the Live prediction, there is no way the Celtics lose two home games.
SuperFox
vamponymouse
Posted 11:47 AM 8/6/08
Sorry, Crecente, not Bash. I got confused by the Brians. Dang no edit, you got me again. *beady eyes*
vamponymouse
vamponymouse
Posted 11:46 AM 8/6/08
Are you sure it was Live '09 and not 08 Bash?
vamponymouse