NBA 2K19 MyTeam Wishlist: Challenges

I’ve discussed challenges a little already, and the main takeaway from those conversations can be summed up with just one word:

More.

Obviously more challenges, of both the Weekly and Moments variety. But they need to come with more cards and more MT. For example, when James Harden got his first pink diamond card back in January, how about giving us a Challenge:

James Harden just tallied the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history against the Orlando Magic. Using any version of Harden, get your own 60-point triple-double and win the game to receive an exclusive pink diamond card.

If you want to put it in packs later on, fine, but give us a chance to actually earn something amazing playing the game. Here’s another one, free of charge:

Using sapphire players or lower, and at least four Celtics, beat the All-Time Celtics to earn 1,700MT (the 17 honors their 17 NBA Championships) plus one random card from that amazing squad.

Plus I’m going to suggest a new tier of challenge, which I’ll call “Franchise Challenges.” Let’s say a team has 10 of these, and they are basically gameplay-centric history lessons for each franchise. New games for each team could unlock weekly, or even monthly, so we aren’t earning the biggest rewards up front. It would just be nice to have more content to look forward to throughout the year.

Here’s five potential challenges for the Rockets:

1. In 1967, the first ever draft pick of the (then) San Diego Rockets was a forward from Kentucky named Pat Riley. Yes, that Pat Riley. He played three seasons with the Rockets before moving on to Los Angeles, and the rest, as they say, was history. Beat the ’71 Rockets to unlock a silver Pat Riley card, plus an amethyst card for Coach Riley.
2. On December 9, 1977, Rudy Tomjanovich tried to break up a fight in a game against the Lakers. He got blindsided by a punch from Kermit Washington, and ended up missing the rest of the season (and almost losing his life). Using your squad, beat the 1977 Lakers by double digits to earn a sapphire Rudy T card, plus a diamond card of him as a coach.
3. During the 1986 playoffs, the Twin Towers (Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson) led the Houston Rockets to victory against the Lakers. It was only time the Showtime Lakers lost a series to a Western Conference opponent during this era. Beat the Lakers and earn player of the game with one of the Twin Towers to earn a ruby card of that player.
4. It’s another December 9, but this time in 2004. The Rockets are losing to the Spurs in the fourth quarter. Technically, they are down by 13 with 33 seconds left — then, Tracy McGrady happened. Do yourself a favor and google it, because this is a highlight that has be seen to be believed. Okay, are you back? Wasn’t that amazing? Oh, you’re thinking “impossible” instead of amazing. Yeah, maybe. Tell you what, what if we go ahead and give you a diamond T-Mac card with all the best shooting badges UP FRONT. Would that help? Now, there’s 33 seconds left and you’re down by 13, can you win the game?
5. It’s May 28, 2018, aka Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Without Chris Paul, the Rockets blew a “golden” opportunity to defeat the defending champion Warriors. Let’s re-write history and say that Chris Paul is able to play in Game 7, can you dethrone a dynasty in the making? Using any version of Paul, get a double-double and beat the Dubs to earn a pink diamond Chris Paul card, plus a top secret bonus! (The “bonus” is a chance to play a best of seven series against the Cavaliers using your new card. If you win, there are crazy MT rewards, but if you lose, you get nothing.)

Wouldn’t it be interesting to actually learn something from a video game?

I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite aspects of NBA 2K is getting to use cards for players I’m not familiar with. Then when I inevitably fall in love with some of those players, I watch highlights and learn everything I can about them. It’s just an awesome way to further my connection with basketball, and I appreciate 2K for providing that opportunity.

What about you? Are there any challenges (historic or otherwise) that you’d like to play through? Or what do you think are reasonable rewards for the time you put into MyTeam?