The OKC Thunder and the NBA are waiting to get back into action, but in the meantime, the popular game Strat-O-Matic has finished simulating the NBA season
The NBA season has been put on pause for over a month now, so instead of gearing up for the postseason that should’ve gotten underway this weekend, we sit at home with nothing to do. The OKC Thunder should be making yet another postseason appearance in a matter of days with one of the scrappiest, and most fun teams in franchise history.
If you are of the older demographic you will remember a popular game called Strat-0-Matic, the original game was played with dice rolls, cards, lineup cards, and played in a true board game fashion. It was such a hit, that you can still play the game to this day–only like everything else it is digital now! I’ve played Strat-o-Matic before, courtesy of my stone-aged father, and it actually is an extremely fun game.
So, in this mundane time of binge-watching Tiger King, and reality TV, or even 20-year-old sporting events that you know the outcome to, what better way to spend your time than reading about a video game’s simulation of the season?
Strat-o-Matic simulated the final 20 percent of the NBA season and will begin simulation of the playoffs this weekend. So here is how it all ended.
The game of my youth — @StratOMatic — has simulated the remaining 20 percent of the NBA’s regular season and will begin simulating playoff games on Saturday (when the actual playoffs were supposed to start). Details here ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/d4ID1wWuNr
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 15, 2020
Shockingly enough, the OKC Thunder went from playing for the fourth seed the night the league was shelved, to plummeting all the way down to the sixth seed against the L.A. Clippers!
One bright spot about this simulation is that the OKC Thunder would retain its own pick by slipping all the way to sixth. However, if we truly did play out the final 20 percent of the season I would bet money the Thunder do not free fall like this, we may never know.
The Playoff matchups:
1) Milwaukee vs 8) Brooklyn: Milwaukee will do to the Nets, what they did to the Pistons.
2) Toronto vs 7) Orlando: Toronto easily sweeps this series and begins a long postseason run.
3) Boston vs 6) Philly: The Celtics are just a better team, and I do not trust the 76ers offense to score enough to top Tatum, Brown, Kemba, and company.
4) Miami vs 5) Indiana: The Pacers have been just a good, scrappy team for their entire existence it feels like, this year is no different. However, I think the Heat would win this series in six games.
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1) L.A. Lakers vs 8) New Orleans: While I do not think the Pelicans could’ve made up this ground if we truly played the final 20 percent of the season, the TV networks would be salivating over this series.
With Brandon Ingram and the rest of the outcast Lakers running back into La La Land in the postseason, mixed with Zion against LeBron there is no question the storylines are there. I would give the Pelicans maybe one game.
2) Denver vs 7) Dallas: The Denver Nuggets are a good regular season team, but they do not translate well to the postseason. The Mavericks are led by two guys who have never been on this big of a stage before in the NBA.
This would be a boring match up to the casual fans, but those who follow the NBA closely would eat this series up. Ultimately, give me Luka and KP to overcome Denver. The Nuggets almost lost to the Spurs in the postseason a year ago.
3) L.A. Clippers vs 6) OKC Thunder: The OKC Thunder does not match up well with the Clippers, and it is the one series that I am not sure if they can compete in. If the Thunder gets matched up with anyone outside of L.A., I would feel comfortable picking them as an upset special. I do not think the three-guard lineup works against the Clippers.
4) Houston vs 5) Utah: The Rockets do not have a big man and were facing serious questions before the delay, but the Jazz is in total disarray within the locker room. This series would be an interesting one for almost every off the court reason. Ultimately, give me the Rockets, I guess? I am not sure how anyone can pick this series with true conviction.
Who would you pick in these simulations? Do you think the NBA season will pick back up in any way?