Cleveland, Ohio. The home to the Indians, Browns and Cavaliers.
Cleveland is also the birthplace of arguably the greatest basketball player to ever grace an NBA court, three-time NBA champion LeBron James.
It was a LeBron led side which propelled the Cavaliers to their first and only NBA title back in 2016 when they became the first team ever to overturn a 3-1 defect in the NBA Finals to defeat the Golden State Warriors 4-3.
Whilst they may not have won a title before 2016, the Cavs have had some serious talents turn out for them over the years. Here we have the list of the best starting five you can make with those Cavaliers talents, both past and present.
PG - ‘98 Mark Price (OVR 97)
Card type: Legacy
Best stats: 98 shot 3pt, 98 hands, 98 hustle
Cost: 80k
The point guard position in this side is occupied by a Cavaliers legend, the OK Kid himself, Mark Price.
Price may have been born in Oklahoma but he was Cleveland through and through. A four-time NBA All-Star, Price spent the majority of his career playing for the Cavaliers, with his standout campaign coming in 1989 when he became a member of the elusive 50-40-90 club, one of only eight NBA players in that list.
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As a two time NBA 3-Point Shootout champion, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that his three-ball is his highest rated stat (98), with Price coming up trumps with hot zones in each of the five areas from beyond the arc.
SG - ‘81 Austin Carr (OVR 94)
Card type: Legacy
Best stats: 97 stamina, 95 offensive consistency, 95 hands
Cost: 22k
Joining Price in the guards is a real fan favourite. Known as ‘Mr Cavalier’ by the Cleveland faithful, it’s Austin Carr.
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The first overall pick in the 1971 draft and despite injuries hampering his progression on in his early days, once he got going, Carr never looked back. He made a singular All-Star appearance in 1974 and ended his career with averages of 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Carr’s trademark was his ability to get to the basket and score on the drive. His 87 rated driving layup is boosted by the Acrobat and Fancy Footwork badges which he possesses, which increase the likelihood of Carr making those difficult layups.
SF - ‘85 Campy Russell (OVR 90)
Card type: Legacy
Best stats: 98 offensive consistency, 97 shot IQ, 95 stamina
Cost: 9k
The old school Cavs continue to make their presence known in this All-Star five with Campy Russell taking up the small forward spot.
Campy had two stints in Cleveland, firstly between the years of 1974-1980 before returning in 1984. Russell wasn’t a particularly glamorous player, but he knew how to put points on the board. The Michigan man made one All-Star appearance in 1979.
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The key to Campy’s game is ensuring that you get those shots away quickly. All three areas of his outside shooting are 80+ rated and with 91 rated hands and the Catch & Shoot badge to his name, popping of those quick shots should bring you plenty of success.
PF - ‘94 Larry Nance (OVR 94)
Card type: Legacy
Best stats: 95 block, 95 help defense IQ, 95 defensive consistency
Cost: 26k
In at the power forward spot is the older of the two Larry Nance’s, Larry Nance Sr.
Newer Cavaliers fans will be used to seeing Nance’s son, Larry Nance Jr, doing the business on the court, but those old-school Cavs fans will remember the greatness which Nance Sr brought to the side.
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The 1984 Slam Dunk Contest champion brought some highlight-reel moments for the Cavs, leading to his jersey (22) being retired. Although Nance lifted this retirement to allow his son to follow in his footsteps with the 22 jersey.
It's all about defensive for Nance, with a whopping 90 rating in defending. His 87 rated rebounding and 90 rated strength make him a seriously difficult man to get past en-route to the basket.
C - Tristan Thompson (OVR 88)
Card type: Moments of the Week
Best stats: 97 offensive rebound, 95 hustle, 95 standing dunk
Cost: 6k
The final name in this All-Star Cleveland five is the only current Cavalier in the setup, Tristan Thompson.
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Thompson saw his base card jump 10 ratings to an 88 as part of the first Moments of the Week team of 2K20. Thompson has been with the Cavaliers since the Cleveland franchise chose him as the 4th overall pick in the 2011 draft. The Canadian center was part of the 2016 championship-winning team.
Rebounding is the standout stat on Thompsons card, coming in at a 92 overall made up of 97 offensive and 90 defensive rebounding. In terms of scoring, look to his standing dunk (95) to have the most success.
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The NBA regular season is well underway and the early favorites are beginning to assert their dominance across the league already as 20 is serving up hoops action to fans in their living room across the world.
Things have settled down around the 2K community after a turbulent start and players are finally enjoying the game.
Prior to the latest update, the 2K community was outraged by the number of bugs and glitches that were present on the release of the game. Many took to Reddit to let their thoughts be known.
Now that those bugs have gone, RealSport has compiled a list of the most important badges that you need for your MyPlayer if you want to dominate on The Rec and The Neighborhood.
10 – Difficult Shots
Moving shots have become a part of many offensive player’s repertoire in The Neighborhood.
Once your teammate has set you a solid screen, you have the opportunity to run into space and pull up for either a three-pointer or a mid-range jump shot.
Difficult shots allow you to put your shot up with a higher chance of making it even though you may be off-balanced.
This makes it perfect for The Neighborhood.
READ MORE HERE.
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