NBA 2K18 is reinventing sports gaming yet again with the introduction of the Neighborhood, the first live world inside NBA 2K18.

After months of major trades and free agent deals, the time is almost here. There’s only a few days until the 2017-2018 NBA season tips off!

We ran a MyLEAGUE season simulation in NBA 2K18 to answer the big question: did teams do enough? Will a team’s realignment of superstars give them the chance to take down the Golden State Warriors? Which team(s) in the East benefited from off-season moves the most? How are other teams’ development and rebuilding looking?

We have all this and season award predictions right here for you!

OKC’s Big Three Not Big Enough

Westbrook, Melo, and PG13 continued to put up great numbers, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to propel the Oklahoma City Thunder into the top of the Western Conference. Even with Westbrook winning MVP again (26.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists), OKC’s lack of depth was unable to support the ball-dominant leaders.

The team finished with a 52-30 record and was later eliminated in the Conference Semis.

Houston, We Don’t Have a Problem

Chris Paul used his ability to distribute – 11.3 assists per game with 12.5 points and 3.7 rebounds – to lead the Houston Rockets to a 58-24 record.

Not only did the team place second in the Western Conference, but Ryan Anderson was also awarded the Most Improved Player Award. The duo led the Rockets in eliminating OKC, but the team later lost to Golden State in the Conference Finals.

Lotto Winners

The NBA recently voted on reforming the draft lottery starting in 2019. This is the last season teams can race for the best odds at getting a top draft pick. Teams like the Knicks and Bulls are in need of young talent during their rebuilding. So which teams took the crown of Winner of the Losers?

Surprisingly, the Miami Heat (22-60) and Indiana Pacers (27-55) were the “winners” here, with the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings (both 30-52) rounding out the bottom four.

All four teams certainly benefit from top picks, and the Kings get to bring in another top talent to play alongside last year’s 5th overall pick De’Aaron Fox.

The Rookie of the Year Goes to…

All eyes will be on Fox and Los Angeles Lakers rookie sensation Lonzo Ball as they clash four times this season. In our sim, Ball won the battle between the two every time they met head-to-head. Ball’s averages in games against Fox were near identical to his season stats: 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists.

However, the Rookie of the Year award went to the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons. After missing the 2016-2017 season, he averaged 16.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.

Having been with an NBA team for a year may have prepared him for the grind of the season and helped him develop quickly.

And speaking of the 76ers:

The Process Was Worth the Wait

Joel Embiid came back healthy and stronger than ever. In 27 minutes per game, he was able to produce 17.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks.

Markelle Fultz also came out with a strong rookie season stat line of 14.4/4.7/5.4. The 76ers finished with a 45-37 record, their best since the 2002-2003 season.

Though the team wasn’t strong enough to get past the first round of the playoffs, the simulation shows there’s a bright future for the team.

Leaders of the East

One of the biggest questions coming into the 2017-18 season is “which team will take the East?” Our sim showed the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers had a close race for the top seed all season – Cleveland finished first with 53 wins, Boston second with 47. Ultimately the trade for Kyrie Irving and signing of Gordon Hayward paid off for the Celtics.

Statistically a better shooting team than the Cavs – 56% to 47% on field goals, 39% to 33% on threes, 82% to 74% on free-throws – and leading in every category except rebounds and blocks, the Celtics won the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games.

Durant Dethrones LeBron as King

It’s been an on-going discussion as to who is better between the two superstar forwards. This season may finally be when Kevin Durant takes over the league.

Durant put up better season stats than LeBron in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Oh, and he won Finals MVP again.

And with that, you may have guessed it…

This is Still the Dubs’ Nation

Even with all the major moves in the NBA off-season, the Warriors won the NBA Championship. After another five-game series against the Boston Celtics in the finals, Golden State remained the top team in our simulation.

The Celtics won game four by two points behind a Kyrie Irving triple-double. But with an overwhelmingly talented core of players, the Dubs won every other game in the series by an average of 12 points.

Steve Kerr also won Coach of the Year.

Go ahead and run your own MyLEAGUE sims in NBA 2K18 and try it for yourselves. Are you getting similar results? Tell us what your sims turn up!

Key Features:

• RUN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The future of sports career modes has arrived, allowing you to play the game the way you like. Build your career in NBA games, hit the courts in The Playground Park, join the Pro-Am circuit, or explore the shops and venues in an all-new open neighborhood setting. Featuring new MyPLAYER upgrade and endorsement systems, our biggest cast of characters to date including NBA players, and so much more.
• The Road to 99: The overarching meta-game that rewards users for improving their MyPLAYER’s overall rating, regardless of which modes they choose to play. Featuring a unified badge system across Pro-Am, Park and your NBA journey in MyCAREER, your attributes, animations and badges all combine to define your play style on your road to a 99 overall rating.
• Updated Create A Player: Create the MyPLAYER you want, whether scanning your face with the MyNBA2K18 mobile app or building something custom using our preset options. Hairstyles have been updated with numerous new options to choose from, and body weight and height are more accurately represented to ensure the unique look you want for your MyPLAYER.
• MyTEAM: Collect player cards featuring NBA legends from yesterday and today, and compete in a variety of online and offline modes.
• Super Max: Construct a salary-capped team and compete against other users of similar ability in a new season mode. With a limited salary cap to distribute among 13 players, you’ll have to be strategic in selecting your lineup for each round. Prizes are awarded based on your performance each round, ensuring that every game matters.
• Pack & Playoffs: An all-new draft mode that challenges you to build the best possible 5-man team from packs you’ll open before each round. Compete against other users’ drafted teams and advance to earn better prizes. With Pack & Playoffs, it’s a new lineup and a new experience every round.
• Schedule Challenges: Play through a 30 game schedule for each of the 30 NBA teams. Earn MyTEAM points and prizes as you work your way through 900 unique challenges based on the 2017-18 NBA schedule.
• New Motion System: The new motion system brings player control to a new level of realism. Now, dribbling and off the ball movement are no longer driven by animations. This groundbreaking technology dynamically creates animations to deliver the best gameplay experience possible. You are now in complete control.
• Improved Shot Meter: Hit shots more consistently thanks to an improved shot meter, featuring multiple feedback points for more precise shot timing.
• Improved Player Accuracy: Countless hours of work have been put in to make every NBA player look and feel like their real-life counterparts, down to the smallest details including scars, stretch marks, and even faded tattoos. The player body system has been completely redesigned to accurately match the physique of every player in the league, and player faces have been rebuilt from scratch to show more details and respond more realistically to light.
• Laser Scanned Uniforms & Accessories: Laser scanned uniforms from all 30 NBA teams accurately depict each design down to the smallest stitch. Using True Color Technology, team colors have never been more pure & authentic, and whites have never popped so brightly. And with the overhauled player body system, uniforms fit accurately for each specific body type. To round out the complete on-court look of an NBA player, users will enjoy the largest collection of scanned shoes and accessories in NBA 2K history.
• Special Guest Commentary: The biggest roster of broadcasting talent in sports videogame history gets even bigger. Future Hall of Famers and former NBA 2K cover athletes Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett join the booth on a rotating basis to lend their expertise to the broadcast, bringing the total number of in-game broadcasters to 13.
• All-Time Teams: The greatest players in NBA history from all 30 teams, together on All-Time franchise rosters for the very first time. Compete in Play Now to find out which franchise’s All-Time Team reigns supreme, or challenge all 30 All-Time Teams in MyTEAM’s All-Time Domination mode.
• Classic Teams: Play with 62 of the NBA’s greatest teams from the past, including 17 new additions. Pit your favorite classic roster against current NBA teams, replay epic Finals matchups, find out if Shaq & Kobe can compete with the great Lakers teams of the past, or matchup the ’97-98 Bulls against the ’15-16 Warriors to settle the argument once and for all. The possibilities are endless.
• MyGM: For the first time in a sports game, MyGM introduces a narrative-driven, story-based franchise experience that maintains all of the user control and team building aspects that fans have come to love over the years. Your path will be determined by the choices you make and the answers you provide at many key points in the narrative. Make the story your own, and build a winner!
• MyLEAGUE: 2K’s fan-favorite franchise mode allows users complete customization over their league. Choose the number of games and teams, adjust the league settings, and apply your custom setup to a single season, multi-season or online experience. Or, skip the regular season and jump right into to the Playoffs.
• True-To-Life League Structure & Rules: Both MyGM and MyLEAGUE feature numerous updates to match real-life NBA rules, including many from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Negotiate player contracts that work best for your franchise and each player, including Super Max & “Bird Rights” deals for elite players, Over-38 contracts for older players, and two-way contracts for younger players. Manage your roster by using the Stretch Provision to minimize the Salary Cap when you waive a player, or develop younger talent in the G-League or by stashing them overseas. Simply put, the most detailed and authentic franchise experience on the market puts you in the hot seat as an NBA GM like never before.

The NBA 2K18 Standard Edition is now available in both digital and physical formats for $59.99 on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Windows PC platforms. The NBA 2K18 Legend Edition and Legend Edition Gold are also now available in both digital and physical formats for $99.99 and $149.99 respectively, on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One. NBA 2K18 is available in digital format on Nintendo Switch, and will be released physically on the platform on October 17, 2017.