Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five sensible roster choices that were made in classic basketball video games.

Generally speaking, roster accuracy is something that we want to see basketball video games strive for. Of course, in the days before official roster updates were common, it didn’t take long for games to become outdated. A big trade or an abrupt retirement shortly after the roster cut-off date could leave games with glaring inaccuracies. Still, we wanted the games to do their best: all of the necessary players as of the roster cut-off date, the correct players starting, and so on. Even in arcade titles, we wanted to see up-to-date squads that featured the most sensible roster choices.

To that point however, sometimes the most sensible roster choices in classic games – both simulation and arcade – have meant foregoing accuracy. In these situations, a completely accurate roster or starting lineup wouldn’t be as fun, because it would mean leaving out a player we want to take control of on the virtual hardwood. If a game lacked an inactive roster, was a sim or sim-arcade hybrid that didn’t include full lineups, or otherwise called for a break from reality, it was the right choice to make. With that in mind, here are five classic games where the developers wisely made sensible roster choices, even when it technically meant getting something wrong.

1. Healthy Tim Hardaway Starting for the Warriors (NBA Live 95 SNES)

In most cases, Tim Hardaway starting at point guard for the Golden State Warriors in classic basketball games from the early to mid 90s is not an inaccuracy. He certainly should be in that role in any game set in the 1995 season. The catch here is that the Super Nintendo version of NBA Live 95 is actually set in 1994, with final rosters from that campaign. Tim Bug certainly would’ve been starting for the Warriors that year if he could, but he missed the entire 1994 season due to a serious knee injury. Accuracy would dictate that he be relegated to the bench while Avery Johnson starts instead, but this is a perfect example of roster accuracy not being the sensible choice.

After all, with all due respect to The Little General, most basketball fans and gamers at the time would prefer to play with and against a healthy Warriors squad, with Tim Hardaway in the lineup. As NBA Live 95 SNES didn’t include an inactive roster or the ability to modify starting lineups, it would’ve been a mistake to set Johnson as the starter and leave Hardaway on the bench as the twelfth man. Sure, it was a sign that future games needed deeper and more accurate roster customisation and mechanics, but in an era when simply featuring every team in the league and 12-man rosters was a big deal, the developers made the sensible choice in ignoring Tim Bug’s lost season.

2. Ron Harper Replacing B.J. Armstrong (NBA Jam Tournament Edition PC & PS1)

So, this isn’t actually an inaccuracy, but it is a change that the developers didn’t necessarily have to make. As I’ve previously covered in-depth, thanks to multiple arcade revisions and home ports, NBA Jam Tournament Edition spans a couple of seasons with hints of a third. When the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis ports were released, B.J. Armstrong was featured alongside Scottie Pippen as the Chicago Bulls’ default duo. The PC and PlayStation versions were released after Armstrong had been selected by the newly-formed Toronto Raptors in the 1995 Expansion Draft, resulting in him being replaced by Ron Harper. Looking back, it was a sensible roster choice.

The fact that Oliver Miller remains in Detroit in NBA Jam TE PC and PS1 despite also being taken by Toronto in the Expansion Draft suggests that they could’ve kept Armstrong in Chicago as well. Ron Harper, who was a Clipper in the original arcade release, also didn’t appear in the 16-bit console ports, so it was more effort all around to make the change. It was a good idea though, as Harper was about to become the starter on three consecutive championship teams. Armstrong was there for the first threepeat, but that was now in the rear view mirror, and Harp was clearly the more relevant player to feature. As such, the developers made the right call on that swap.

3. Brad Daugherty Remaining Active (NBA Live 95 & NBA Jam Tournament Edition)

Although Brad Daugherty played his final NBA game on February 23rd 1994, he remained under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers through to the end of the 1996 season. It’s therefore no mystery as to how or why he was included in the rosters of video games released during that span, as it was technically accurate to do so. It’s also only in hindsight that we can definitely declare that his career was over at that point. At the time, he was simply inactive and hoping to return, even if that was unlikely. As far as NBA Live 95 for the SNES, it made sense for him to be in the Cavs’ lineup for the same reasons it was logical to have Tim Hardaway active on the Warriors’ roster.

Similarly, the original arcade versions of NBA Jam Tournament Edition were set in the 1994 season. That brings us to the PC version of NBA Live 95 and home ports of NBA Jam TE, set in 1995. Daugherty is the eighth man on the Cavs in NBA Live 95, and alongside Mark Price as their default duo in NBA Jam TE. Again, in hindsight he could’ve and some might argue should’ve been replaced in both games – or at least set as the 12th man in NBA Live 95 PC – but his popularity and status as a five-time All-Star demands some leeway here. It’s still preferable to have him playable, especially in NBA Jam TE as there aren’t many players on the 1995 Cavs that I’d swap him with.

4. Wayman Tisdale Making The Five (NBA in the Zone)

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Konami’s NBA in the Zone, I’ve covered it in detail for Wayback Wednesday. To provide a quick overview however, it’s a sim-arcade hybrid with a casual approach to 5-on-5 action. Real rules are in effect and it isn’t over the top like NBA Jam, but the dunks are exaggerated and there’s minimal skill differentiation between players. As such, realism to the best of the abilities of the technology at the time wasn’t the goal! In that spirit, there were no substitutes. Each team fielded a lineup of five players: either their actual starting five circa 1995-1996, or the five best – or the most well-known players on their roster – as the case may be.

With that being said, some of the roster choices in NBA in the Zone weren’t that sensible, or at the very least were debateable. One that I do agree with is Wayman Tisdale making the cut for the Phoenix Suns’ five. With Charles Barkley’s absence, there was already a gap to fill. That role went to Danny Manning, but the developers also included Wayman Tisdale ahead of Joe Kleine, the Suns’ regular starter at centre. Tisdale did actually start a handful of games himself that year, but more importantly, played more minutes and put up better numbers. No disrespect to Smokin’ Joe from Slater Mo., but Tisdale was easily the sensible choice despite being a bench player.

5. Kobe Bryant Starting for the Lakers (Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside)

As I’ve acknowledged in previous articles and in my video retrospective of the game, there’s a persistent rumour that the reason everyone’s ratings were hidden in Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside is because Kobe himself had a hand in them, and they didn’t want to cause offense. It’s a well-travelled rumour, but as I’ve said, I’ve come to take it with a grain of salt. I mean, when would Kobe have had the time to provide that much input into a game that was being developed during the season? Of course, one thing that we do know for sure is that the game features a notable roster inaccuracy. Kobe is starting at point guard for the Lakers by default, which he definitely wasn’t in reality!

While it’s easy to paint it as an egotistical move, or pandering to your cover player at the expense of accuracy, it’s ultimately a sensible choice. It wouldn’t be a great look to have the face of the game coming off the bench, requiring gamers to edit the rosters or make a substitution to play with him. Sure, Sam Cassell had been the cover player for the original NBA ShootOut while coming off the bench in real life and in the game, but that doesn’t mean it was a precedent that other titles had to follow! Having Kobe start in his own game while he was still a bench player in real life may have appeared sycophantic in 1998, but it was sensible, and correctly gambled on his future stardom.

What’s your take on these sensible roster choices in classic games? Can you recall any other changes that were inaccurate, but ultimately logical because they made the game more enjoyable? Have your say in the comments, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.

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