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Inside Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals
San Antonio is known for a few things: the Alamo, the River Walk and the Spurs. In 2014, as was the case last year, the NBA Finals saw the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs battle it out for basketball glory, though this time, the team from Texas had the benefit of home-court advantage. For Game 5, which San Antonio ultimately won, the AT&T Center was a full house (it always is, really), packed with fans and a ton of broadcasters, journalists and other members of the media from all over the world. So what's it like behind the scenes? Let's find out.
NBA 2K14 puts Lebron James on cover, pre-orders get King James DLC
NBA 2K14's cover athlete is Miami Heat frontman Lebron James. It's the first video game to feature James on the cover, and the star will play some role in a new mode called "Pass to Greatness." All pre-orders on Xbox 360 and PS3 will receive the King James Bonus Pack DLC: an extra 10,000 virtual currency, extra content for "Pass to Greatness" mode, instant unlock of Lebron James in Blacktop mode and a Lebron James signature skill for MyPlayer mode. NBA 2K14 will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 1; Xbox One and PS4 versions are also in the works and expected to arrive alongside the new consoles.%Gallery-190604%
NBA 2K14 coming on Oct. 1; Xbox One, PS4 versions at launch
NBA 2K14 will be available on October 1 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Versions made for Xbox One and PS4 are also in the works for their launches, SVP of Basketball Operations at 2K Sports Jason Argent confirmed on a conference call earlier today. "We are not doing a Wii U version this year," Argent said. "The decision was made internally." Argent added studio didn't have enough resources to pursue a Wii U port while also developing for next-generation consoles. Though next-generation and current generation versions of NBA 2K14 will have "some overlap," they will be "distinct." "The common thread, of course, is the game first and foremost is based on simulation basketball," Argent said. "Both current and next-gen will be distinct, unique experiences."
Retailer's 3D Demo Days, new Pirates movie trailer highlight ESPN 3D's first NBA game
We're just a few hours away from the first NBA game on ESPN 3D when the Heat face the Knicks at 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden, and now ESPN has announced it will have the "television premiere" of the 3D trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides during the broadcast. While we wonder if that will become a trend for the network to show off 3D trailers for the slew of movies coming to theaters in the future, those who haven't bought a 3D capable TV but do want to see how the broadcast looks may want to check out one of the retailers (Best Buy, among others) participating in the CEA's Demo Days, coming back this weekend just in time for the game. Of course, that may mean choosing between Lebron vs. Amare and The Engadget Show tonight, but we're sure you'll make the right decision.
ESPN 3D will broadcast 14 NBA games this year starting with Heat/Knicks December 17
While ESPN 3D's NCAA football plans are still leaking out in dribs and drabs (Ohio State is featured in the next two broadcasts, hosting Indiana on September 9 and at Wisconsin on the 16th) it has finally released its plans for the NBA season. Basketball fans can look forward to 14 planned broadcasts this season, with eight regular season matchups and six games in the playoffs, including three in the Western Conference Finals. LeBron, Dwyane, Chris and the rest of the Heat kick things off with a visit to Madison Square Garden against the Knicks December 17, with plenty of highlight matches among those that follow. Check the full schedule after the break, with so few on the slate you'll want to make sure you're free.
NBA Jam screens give us a taste of the James, Bosh, Wade trifecta
You've already seen a near photo-realistic rendering of LeBron James in a Miami Heat uniform, and now you can see a comically over-the-top version, courtesy of NBA Jam. These shots give us but a taste of what's to come from new teammates Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James, but also provide a look at the Chicago Bulls' new forward: Carlos Boozer. Take a shot on our gallery below for the new screens. %Gallery-97509%
Lebron James' move to the Miami Heat and how it'll affect NBA 2K11
Yesterday, it seemed like the only thing people could talk about on TV, the radio and Twitter was Lebron James. For the uninitiated, he's one of the greatest basketball stars playing today. Wrapping up a lengthy stay in Cleveland with the Cavaliers -- where he's been for the past seven years, since age 18 -- James had finally become a free agent, able to go wherever he wished. As we learned last night, he chose to join the Miami Heat. With 2K Sports set to launch the latest iteration in its NBA 2K series, NBA 2K11, on October 5, we got in touch with Chris Snyder, director of marketing for the label, to get his thoughts on the situation. While he admitted that 2K Sports was "not at all" worried about the recent events surrounding James stealing the spotlight from Michael Jordan's signing as this year's cover star, he did admit that James and the teams affected by his decision haven't had their stats finalized in the game just yet. "It's too early to tell, as the Heat have to fill out the rest of the roster," Snyder said. "The Heat definitely will be improved, and the Cavs will definitely take a hit, but we need to see where everyone else lands before we can determine who is the number one ranked team." (Sports experts currently predict a Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference showdown for the foreseeable future.) Finally, 2K Sports offered us a lone screenshot (above, click to enlarge) which provides us with our first glimpse of James in a Heat uniform. We know it's painful to see, Cleveland -- but it's all a part of moving on.
Shaq reprises role as NBA 2K7 cover athlete
Shaquille O'Neal looks to continue his illustrious games career by accepting the role of NBA 2K7 cover athlete for a second straight year. 2K Sports has implemented a new post play mechanic for this year's iteration, allowing players to perform a dazzling array of Kung fu-based maneuvers -- okay, we made that last part up.2K Sports has confirmed a September release for PS2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The PS3 version will likely be released at the system's launch or soon after.
What's on HDTV today: Not the NBA
I woke up excited to check out the basketball games today. The stars are out:, Lebron James, Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups and more, but despite an excellent first game to the triple header, today is definitely a bust.Three games: Cleveland vs. Phoenix, Houston at Miami, and Pistons vs. Lakers, but I'm only going to see one of them in high definition, and if you don't live near one of the home teams, you may not even get that. The Detroit Pistons game will be broadcast locally in 1080i by WB20, as many of their home games are, but it will also be available nationally on ESPN, however not in HD. Neither of the two earlier games were broadcast in high definition on ABC. I don't know if this is due to local licensing agreements (what I suspect keeps ESPN from broadcasting the Pistons game in HD tonight) or what, but David Stern needs to take care of this. With no NFL on this weekend, the NBA is the only game in town. Sports fans love their high definition, but with none available my attention is wandering over to the X-Games and Arena League football. If I want to catch some HD sports, my best bet at the moment is probably Gotham TV on my Xbox 360.With all the expenses paid to broadcast and view games in high definition, how professional basketball can simply ignore national high definition broadcasts is a mystery to me. It seems the NFL is taking a page from the NBA's book and broadcasting some games themselves, but maybe more is needed for professional basketball to continue to grow as HDTV adoption does.Update: Apparently the NBA is more on the ball than I thought, the Miami game switched to HD later on, and the Pistons - Lakers game is available in high definition on both WB and ESPN, unlike games earlier in the season which were nationally broadcast only in SD. More later, I'm watching the game. (Go Pistons)
