No new NBA games does not have to mean the end of NBA DFS action. We here at Awesemo are committed to bringing you contests while sports are on hiatus. And that continues today with Awesemo’s NBA2K Daily Challenge, featuring the 2004-05 Spurs taking on the 2012-13 Heat.
Here’s what we’re doing: over the next few weeks, we’re giving away $20,000+ in prizes in FREE TO PLAY contests based on simulated NBA games that will air on YouTube and Twitch streams involving your favorite Awesemo personalities. There will be Daily Contests where you are asked to predict aspects of the day’s simulated game. Get the most correct answers and you’ll be eligible for great prizes. Prizes will vary from day-to-day and tonight’s prize is an Epson projector! Enter now (and every day) by clicking on the following link:
https:www.awesemo.com/nba2k-daily-challenges
We are also running a $15,000 Bracket Challenge with $10,000 to first. You’ve made your bracket picks and if you get the highest score you could walk away with $10,000.
In addition, FanDuel is running a contest based on our streams! For full details and to make your picks, follow the link http://https://bit.ly/FanDueleNBA. We have included some FanDuel-specific picks below.
Additional details regarding both the $15,000 Bracket Challenge and the Daily Contests, including full Terms and Conditions, are available here:Â https:www.awesemo.com/nba2k
Thank you for supporting us and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to give something back. We aren’t going anywhere and hope you feel the same.
Now, let’s dig into a preview of tonight’s matchup between the 2004-05 Spurs and the 2012-13 Heat.
The Teams (and How They Got Here)
Though these two teams are separated by eight years, from a personnel standpoint, this is awfully close to a 2013 and 2014 Finals rematch. Other than Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard — arguably the Spurs’ best players in those respective Finals — San Antonio has the star pieces that Miami had to deal with in two hard-fought series.
2004-05 Spurs
Starters:
PG – Tony Parker
SG – Bruce Bowen
SF – Robert Horry
PF – Tim Duncan
C – Nazr Mohammed
The Spurs rode the wave in this tournament, dominant in one round, fighting for their lives in the next. After dismantling the Pistons in round 1, San Antonio needed every bit of Parker heroics to knock off the Suns in round 2. The Spurs and Suns swapped leads in the second half and Steve Nash was even named game MVP by the 2K broadcast after a timeout with the score tied. Alas, shortly after, the Spurs pulled ahead slightly, building their lead to seven in the waning seconds and holding on to win.
With Miami looking as good as they have, the Spurs may be major underdogs in this matchup. And yes, perhaps they do not have the personnel to match the Heat stars. That said, a far older Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili nearly knocked off these 2013 Heat in the Finals and did in fact beat them the next year. As such, San Antonio may be getting discounted too much.
2012-13 Heat
Starters:
PG – Dwyane Wade
SG – Ray Allen
SF – LeBron James
PF – Shane Battier
C – Chris Bosh
Frankly, this Miami team appears to be the most unbeatable in the tournament. They handled a championship Rockets team without issue in round 1 and then fought off the scrappy 2011 Bulls to advanced to the semis. With prime LeBron and prime Wade playing at their peak, the Heat have ridden that two-man game to two convincing wins.
Miami is simply a perfectly built team. They have two of the eras best slashers in Wade and James, and those guys are surrounded by great shooters such as Battier and Allen. And while the Heat shot just OK from 3 last game, they made 4-of-6 in round 1, so they can take over with outside shooting if need be. Plus, with Wade and Battier serving as stout, athletic defenders, they may be able to match the Spurs’ strengths of Duncan and Parker. If anyone is set up to cruise to the championship of this 2K tournament, it’s the 2012-13 Heat.
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The Studs
Tim Duncan
Despite being one of the 10 greatest players in NBA history and a generational performer in the postseason, Duncan has been the clear No. 2 to Parker in San Antonio’s first two matchups. That is not to say Duncan underwhelmed; he put up strong lines in both games. However, he is more of a peripheral offensive piece right now with late runs boosting his stats. Parker has driven the offense the majority of the time. Still, San Antonio won easily in round 1 and fought off Phoenix without Duncan dominating, so there may still be an extra gear for the Spurs to reach if Duncan takes off.
Tony Parker
The shortlist of tournament Most Outstanding Player right now is Parker, Heat LeBron and Stephen Curry. Parker is setting the standard as a ball-dominant, penetrating point guard, dropping a 16 and 13 in round 1 and nearly getting to 30 points in round 2. The Spurs are running through Parker and he is scoring and distributing efficiently. Dwyane Wade is effectively playing point guard for the Heat, so perhaps that will limit Parker’s production, but no matchup has slowed him down as of yet.
LeBron James
2013 LeBron was the greatest player of the decade and this tournament is showing it. He has put up over 25 points in both of Miami’s games so far, doing so in different ways both times. In the first round against the Rockets, James dominated in transition, finishing fast breaks with thunderous dunks. In the second game, he broke down Chicago’s defenders off the dribble and did not record a single dunk. And as usual, he filled the stat sheet with peripherals and owned the MVP spot in winning lineups. LeBron appears to be the most unguardable player in the tournament, at least as far as scoring goes, and he will be the easy MOP if Miami finishes their run.
Dwyane Wade
While he has been the clear second fiddle to LeBron, Wade has put up excellent numbers himself. He finished with a double-double in the first game then game close to a 20 and 10 in round 2. He is showing why Miami was so hard to beat in this era because, in the rare instances where LeBron was stonewalled, Wade was nearly as effective a scorer. He has been a strong play in the Star spot in both games to date.
Chris Bosh
Meanwhile, Bosh has slipped down into role player territory. Wade and James are dominating usage so much that there is not much volume to spread to other players, so Bosh has been mostly a rebounder and occasional jump shooter. It has been tough to justify Bosh’s price thus far with him averaging around five and five in the two games. That said, he may have a few more openings tonight since he will line up at center opposite Mohammed. Bosh will have a significant quickness advantage there and he will not have to expel as much energy on the defensive end.
The Role Players
Spurs
Bruce Bowen – Bowen was mostly a defensive cheapshot artist in real life, but he has been a solid scoring option in both games. He went for 11 in round 1 and approached double figures in the second round. As 2K matches by positions, Bowen will be somewhat wasted as a defensive specialist defending the aged Ray Allen, but shutting down that 3-point threat is a worthwhile task.
Robert Horry – Horry has been quiet, providing very little scoring presence and not taking many 3’s at all. That said, the danger of Horry is that he can underperform for games on end only to show up in the waning moments to deliver iconic shots. That may come into play tonight.
Nazr Mohammed – Mohammed continues to chuck up undeserved shots from range, but he is also controlling the glass reasonably well with a handful of rebounds a game. He has a bit of a mismatch against Bosh, but Bosh has been a nonfactor thus far, so Mohammed could certainly poach a few rebounds and force Bosh to step outside to get his points.
Heat
Ray Allen – Again, no one outside of Wade and James has contributed much. Allen at least got close with eight points, three assists and two steals against Houston, but he then went cold last round against the Bulls. Miami is getting so much out of its two stars that they are not dependent on Allen to hit shots, but obviously, he can catch fire and hit a bunch in a hurry should the paint collapse.
Shane Battier – Battier’s role will be arguably most important among the role players as he will defend Tim Duncan in the starting lineup. Battier has also contributed a few points, but he has not caught fire from 3 yet, so defense is where he will make his mark. In round 1, he struggled a bit against the bigger Otis Thorpe, but he did a little better against Carlos Boozer last round. Still, if San Antonio is smart, they will look to exploit the size mismatch they have with Duncan.
FanDuel Plays
MVP – LeBron James – $15,500
Star – Tony Parker – $14,000
The top two spots are easy based on what we have seen thus far. The question is whether we want to try James or Parker in the MVP slot. I like James since Miami is turning misses and turnovers into points at will with LeBron running the break and he also has the more favorable matchup with Horry. That said, Parker has been the top fantasy scorer thanks to his assists and he also approached 30 points last game. Either James or Parker could emerge as MVP. Whichever way you go, the massive discount with Parker (relative to his production) keeps a lot of things open down the lineup and allows us to go top-heavy with a little flexibility.
Pro – Dwyane Wade – $14,500
Wade or Duncan is the debate for me for the Pro spot. Both teams appear to be two-deep with competent fantasy production, so the safest bet would be to load up with as many of those four players as possible. I am leaning Wade since he is playing point guard for Miami which typically guarantees production. Wade is a fairly safe bet to lead the Heat in assists since he is starting breaks and feeding LeBron a lot, leading to a near 20 and 10 in round 1 and comparable production in round 2. I like Wade’s peripherals and scoring upside a bit more than Duncan’s, and at $500 cheaper, we can try Battier or Brent Barry at one utility slot with a punt in the second one.
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