Tales from the front office

[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND (GAME 3)

Justin McCuthison continues to impress. His stats may not be off the charts, but they are impressive and consistent. They indicate to me that this is a player who is skilled in every aspect of the game. McCuthison scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, had 5 assists, four steals and 7 blocked shots. I know I have been going on and on about this kid, but he is quickly becoming the face of the franchise and he is having a fantastic year. Best of all, he hasn't reached his full potential yet and as the greatest player of the game, Micheal Jordan, once said..."The ceiling is the roof!" Alright, enough about McCuthison, let's go get the sweep!

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
CHI(1)| 27 | 27 | 34 | 34 | -- | 122 (3) | DAL(1)| 40 | 16 | 30 | 14 | -- | 100 (1)
TOR(5)| 24 | 25 | 32 | 35 | -- | 116 (0) | NOP(4)| 29 | 25 | 31 | 23 | -- | 108 (2)      
                                         
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ATL(2)| 32 | 31 | 34 | 20 | -- | 117 (2) | GSW(3)| 33 | 28 | 35 | 17 | -- | 113 (2)
ORL(3)| 23 | 30 | 39 | 23 | -- | 115 (1) | SAC(7)| 14 | 28 | 31 | 27 | -- | 100 (1)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND (GAME 4)

Giannis finally cut loose with 36 points, 7 assists and 20 rebounds. Like most great players, you can only hope to contain him and you can't do that every night. Especially not with a player who is motiviated and with all the "sweep" trash talking, he had plenty of bulletin board material. So, the Raptors take game four and stave off elimination and we are now headed back to the friendly confines of the United Center. I don't like making predictions or guarantee victories, but we are going to win game five...I guarantee it!

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
CHI(1)| 16 | 22 | 40 | 24 | -- | 102 (3) | DAL(1)| 21 | 22 | 33 | 25 | -- | 101 (2)
TOR(5)| 21 | 28 | 32 | 28 | -- | 109 (1) | NOP(4)| 23 | 20 | 22 | 25 | -- |  90 (2)      
                                         
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ATL(2)| 37 | 25 | 13 | 37 | -- | 112 (2) | GSW(3)| 24 | 22 | 25 | 22 | -- |  93 (3)
ORL(3)| 18 | 34 | 29 | 39 | -- | 120 (2) | SAC(7)| 26 | 14 | 28 | 18 | -- |  86 (1)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND (GAME 5)

P.J. Washington led all scorers with 35 points and 8 rebounds as the Bulls closed out the Raptors in five games. We didn't shoot especially well, but we did hold Giannis to 19 points and that is usually enough to defeat the Raptors. Now we get some much needed rest and await the winner of the Orland vs Atlanta series. Speaking of that series, the Orlando Magic were able to force overtime and defeated the Hawks 134-126 in Atlanta. With the series heading back to Orlando for game six, it will be interesting to see if they can close out the Hawks at home.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
TOR(5)| 26 | 18 | 33 | 27 | -- | 104 (1) | NOP(4)| 20 | 24 | 33 | 33 | -- | 110 (3)
CHI(1)| 37 | 32 | 16 | 23 | -- | 108 (4) | DAL(1)| 26 | 32 | 21 | 29 | -- | 108 (2)      
                                         
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ORL(3)| 23 | 32 | 38 | 27 | 14 | 134 (3) | SAC(7)| 23 | 30 | 36 | 38 | -- | 127 (2)
ATL(2)| 30 | 31 | 20 | 39 |  6 | 126 (2) | GSW(3)| 26 | 30 | 17 | 29 | -- | 102 (3)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND (GAME 6)

The Orlando Magic pull off the upset, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 108-95 and clinching the series four games to two. I know the Magic were considered the underdogs and that they were the lower seed, but they scare me more than the Hawks. The Magic's Matt Hankins is arguably the best point guard in the league. He averages 32.2 points, 7.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. Hankins can score points in bunches and forty to fifty points in a game is not unheard of. In addition to Hankins, they have Joaquin Villarreal. Villarreal is one of the best small forwards in the league and his basketball IQ is off the charts. The Magic will be tough to beat, but I think we can...but it just might take all seven games to do so.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
CHI(1)|                              (4) | DAL(1)| 27 | 30 | 14 | 28 | -- |  99 (3)
TOR(5)|                              (1) | NOP(4)| 27 | 20 | 15 | 19 | -- |  81 (3)      
                                         
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ATL(2)| 25 | 18 | 25 | 27 | -- |  95 (2) | GSW(3)| 24 | 23 | 23 | 21 | -- |  91 (3)
ORL(3)| 22 | 29 | 17 | 40 | -- | 108 (4) | SAC(7)| 29 | 28 | 31 | 17 | -- | 105 (3)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND (GAME 7)

Zion gets denied again and the Mavericks advance to the Western Conference finals to face off against the Golden State Warriors.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
TOR(5)|                              (1) | NOP(4)| 17 | 22 | 22 | 28 | -- |  89 (3)
CHI(1)|                              (4) | DAL(1)| 26 | 22 | 19 | 31 | -- |  98 (4)      
                                         
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ORL(3)|                              (4) | SAC(7)| 28 | 29 | 27 | 24 | -- | 108 (3)
ATL(2)|                              (2) | GSW(3)| 36 | 40 | 23 | 34 | -- | 133 (4)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (PREVIEW)

This is my seventh season playing DDS:PB20. There has been a lot of player movement, retirements and many new computer generated players. Obviously, I focus these reports on my experiences as GM. I understand there is a bit of a disconnect between what is going on in the rest of the league and what is happening within my own franchise. Reporting on league wide events is a bit of a daunting task and it sounds like a helluva lot of work. I don't want to turn my hobby into a job, but in the future I'm going to at least try and provide a little more context to our playoff opponents. Hence, this new series preview.

Bulls vs Magic (So we meet again!)
Last season the Magic went 54-28 and took us to a game seven in the Eastern Conference Championship. We defeated them 119-114 to clinch the series, before defeating the Pelicans in five games in the NBA Finals. However, Orlando's GM Cory Snow was quite busy in the off season. The Magic are still led by point guard Matt Hankins (5-Stars) and small forward Joaquin Villarreal (4.5 Stars), but the rest of the starting lineup was acquired via a trades and free agency. At power forward is former Chicago Bull Daniel Gafford (2.5 Stars). Gafford was acquired via a trade with the Bucks that sent center Mohamed Bomba, power forward Brad Lofton and small forward Jake Layman for Gafford and a 2nd round pick. At center is Myles Turner (3.0 Stars), who was one of many of the Magic's free agent acquisitions.

Finally, last but not least, the Magic signed free agent shooting guard James Harden (2.5). Yes, that James Harden. Harden is now 37 years old and his game is on a severe decline, but he still manages to get the majority of starts, despite shooting guard Jarrett Culver (3.5 Stars) being on the bench and uninjured. Granted, Culver does get the bulk of minutes and could conceivably be the sixth man of the year, but I just don't understand why Harden would start over Culver. Sometimes the coaches do things that simply escape me. Oh and as a footnote, the Magic signed Stephen Curry (2 stars) during the off season as well. Curry is 38 years old and I'm guessing he will retire at the end of the year. He does play, but he gets less than ten minutes a game in relief of Hankins.

Personally, I think we match up pretty well against the Magic, but Hankins will be difficult to contain. Hankins is the leagues leading scorer and we cannot allow him to score at will. If we cannot prevent Hankins from lighting up the scoreboard, we will have to contain Villarreal and Culver. Either way, Orlando is a tough defensive team and we'll need to play well to defeat them. No taking your foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (GAME 1)

What a game! There were 18 ties and 27 lead changes and neither team led by more than 8 points. Orlando's Matt Hankins went off, scoring 48 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Hankins also had six steals and a blocked shot, but we did manage to control Villarreal and Culver, holding the duo to a combined 22 points. It also didn't hurt that the Magic shot only 19.5% from beyond the arc, going 5 of 26. We had a little more balanced attack, with Bradley Beal contributing 25 points and P.J. Washington another 23 points and 17 rebounds. As a matter of fact, the entire starting lineup was in double figures and Markelle Fultz came off the bench to add 19 points of his own.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ORL(3)| 25 | 26 | 31 | 27 | -- | 109 (0) | GSW(3)| 20 | 32 | 16 | 35 | -- | 103 (0)
CHI(1)| 25 | 26 | 38 | 27 | -- | 116 (1) | DAL(1)| 29 | 27 | 22 | 34 | -- | 112 (1)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (GAME 2)

Orlando came out of the gates running on all cylinders and we were quickly down by as much as 18 points. However, we scored a combined 80 points in the second and third quarters to erase that deficit and never looked back. Justin McCuthison led the Bulls with 29 points and 16 rebounds. Markelle Fultz was once again a key contributor, adding 23 points of his own coming off the bench. For Orlando, Matt Hankins once again lit up the scoreboard with 49 points, but we once again held Villarreal and Culver to 12 and 13 points respectively. Allowing Hankins to be the lone ranger seems like a winning recipe. Let's see if we can carry over this success to game three. A road victory in Orlando would be devastating for the Magic.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
ORL(3)| 31 | 27 | 33 | 23 | -- | 122 (0) | GSW(3)| 13 | 29 | 16 | 21 | -- |  79 (0)
CHI(1)| 15 | 40 | 40 | 29 | -- | 124 (2) | DAL(1)| 19 | 22 | 28 | 30 | -- |  99 (2)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (GAME 3)

Matt Hankins scored 44 points and Jarrett Culver scored 30 points coming off the bench for the Magic, but the Chicago Bulls would not be denied, shooting over 60% (51-84) from the field. We were unable to contain Culver and Villarreal, who combined for 46 points, but we simply couldn't miss and when you shoot that well, it's very difficult to overcome. This was one of those games that simply has to be demoralizing for the Magic. They played very well on their home court, but couldn't find a way to stop the Bulls and now the outcome seems inevitable. The only real question is whether or not the Bulls will complete the sweep, because no one believes that the Magic can win four straight against the defending NBA Champions.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
CHI(1)| 27 | 37 | 36 | 39 | -- | 139 (3) | DAL(1)| 24 | 24 | 27 | 34 | -- | 109 (3)
ORL(3)| 26 | 43 | 29 | 34 | -- | 126 (0) | GSW(3)| 21 | 41 | 24 | 15 | -- | 102 (0)

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[daltontr]

2026-2027 SEASON - PLAYOFFS - CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (GAME 4)

After getting shot out of the building in game three, the Orlando Magic decided to return the favor, shooting over 57% from the field and defeating the Bulls to stave off elimination. Hankins once again was the leading scorer, with 49 points and 9 rebounds. The real key to this game was that Orlando simply ran the Bulls off the court, scoring 23 fast break points compared to the Bulls 6. We didn't play poorly, just not good enough and the Magic were definitely the better team tonight. Now it's back to Chicago for game five and the United Center will certainly be rocking as the Bulls look to close out the series on their home court.

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           EASTERN CONFERENCE                        WESTERN CONFERENCE
        Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W            Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT    F   W
CHI(1)| 27 | 32 | 23 | 25 | -- | 107 (3) | DAL(1)| 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | -- |  90 (3)
ORL(3)| 33 | 41 | 23 | 27 | -- | 124 (1) | GSW(3)| 32 | 20 | 20 | 26 | -- |  99 (1)

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