The Lakers will win the 2008 NBA Finals, according to a simulation run by EA Sports using NBA Live 09.

The game shows that the Lakers will capture their 15th NBA Championship by defeating the Celtics in a tie-breaking seventh game, 106 to 101.

According to the simulation, MVP Kobe Bryant led the victory, averaging 29 points and 6 assists per game throughout the series. The real Finals tip off this Thursday at 9 p.m.EST on ABC. Hit the jump to read the highlights of the fictional series, provided by EA Sports.

Game 1
Celtics strike first over Lakers 105-99

Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 20 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Blocks
Kobe Bryant - 25 Points, 10 Rebounds, 7 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 47%
LA – 45%

Recap – The Fleet Center erupts after an exciting Game 1 of the NBA playoffs. Kevin Garnett leads his team in scoring and offensive rebounds. Also a monster on the defensive side of the ball, Garnett’s blocking rampage is reminiscent of the Bill Russell era.

Game 2
Lakers quiet Celtic fans at Fleet Center winning 96-90

Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 24 Points, 9 Assists
Kobe Bryant - 30 Points, 4 Three-pointers
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 47%
LA – 47%

Recap – An uncontested Kobe Bryant slam dunk sets the tone early in the first quarter. Kobe and the Lakers never relinquish the lead resulting in a 6-point victory and more importantly, a split of the first two games in Boston.

Game 3
Lakers dominate at home Game 3, 109-101

Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 23 Points, 4 steals
Kobe Bryant - 36 Points, 9 Rebounds, 10 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 46%
LA – 49%

Recap – Paul Pierce has a big game but didn’t match up to Kobe’s near triple-double performance. Kobe’s dazzling dunk rejuvenates the Lakers and the fans at the Staples Center. The momentum shifts towards the Lakers after taking Game 3.

Game 4
Celtics come back to win 91-88 victory over Lakers

Point Leaders
Ray Allen - 29 Points, 6 three-pointers, 4 Assists
Pau Gasol - 19 Points, 14 Rebounds, 3 Blocks
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 49%
LA – 44%

Recap – Ray Allen leads the Celtics to an important victory in the Staples Center. Allen’s strong perimeter play gave the Celtics a strong lead early in the 4th quarter and ties up the series.

Game 5
LA leads series by winning Game 5, 95-92

Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Blocks
Pau Gasol - 25 Points, 12 Rebounds, 5 Blocks
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 47%
LA – 50%

Recap – The battle in the paint was the focus for much of Game 5. Rebounding was the key to the Lakers victory. Gasol outrebounded Celtic muscle-man Kendrick Perkins. Gasol also took a page from Garnett’s Game 1 performance by blocking five shots, and kept his number one rank as the leading shot blocker in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

Game 6
Celtics force Game 7, 98-97

Point Leaders
Paul Pierce - 28 Points, 6 Steals, 8 Assists
Kobe Bryant - 28 Points, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 46%
LA – 44%

Recap – The Celtics, led by a strong performance from Paul Pierce, overcame the Lakers to force a Game 7. Pierce went shot for shot with Bryant, tying him in points, and rounded out his game with four defensive steals.

Game 7
Lakers win NBA Championship, 106-101

Point Leaders
Kevin Garnett - 29 Points, 7 Blocks, 10 Rebounds
Kobe Bryant - 38 Points, 10 Rebounds, 11 Assists
Field Goal Percentage
Bos – 48%
LA – 51%

Recap –The Lakers win their 15th NBA Finals Championship. After a quiet first half, Kobe scored 29 of his 38 points in the second half in an astounding triple-double performance cementing himself as this year’s NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals for the third time in a row. The life-long rivalry now stands at 10 - 3 in Boston’s favor.

Ridemaster Pro Horseriding Simulator Is Just Sad [Giz]

Wagner James Au points out that a Second Lifer has programmed some ants to seek out and find food and in turn to recruit other ants to help out. The clip above, courtesy of New World Notes, shows the ants leaving pheromone trails as they wander to aid in their recruitment.

Pretty cool stuff. I could see this sort of thing being used in a game. Can you imagine a game that has your character leaving a scent trail and features dogs that can track him or her? Brian Crecente

ANT FARM [NWN, via BoingBoing]

A military sim trainer without weapons? Tactical Iraqi focuses not on body counts, but body language. Soldiers learn things that might be offensive in the US are not necessarily in Iraq and vice versa.

Developed by the USC's Information Sciences Institute, the game differs from previous sims that focused solely on language. Tactical Iraqi must navigate language, cultural gestures and taboos. So far, 300 soldiers have used the system and several thousand more are expected to have by the end of the year.

The game contains no weapons or combat situations. Rather, soldiers must gain the trust of Iraqi communities in helping to rebuild. "I got a kick out of removing the weapons and replacing them with gestures," says the program's technical director Hannes Vilhjalmsson.

In Iraq, things like introducing oneself with out introducing others and showing the soles of one's feet are considered rude. Vilhjalmsson recalls when an Iraqi man gestured at a female troop by rubbing his fingers together. The gesture meant friendship. Situations like this can lead to misunderstanding in the volatile war-zone.

"An 18-year-old who joins the military might be in a foreign land for the first time and think that everyone does it like we do in America," says Marine Lt. Christopher Seeley.

We've got our fair share of FPS titles, how about a few First Person Interaction games? Civilians learn how to interact with various types of people. Because Lieutenant, it's not only new recruits that think that way.

More Here [Wired]

US Troops Taught Iraqi Gestures [BBC]

The red phone in the Kotaku office just lit up and EA let us know that their insanely popular Sims 2 was shipping a week ahead of schedule for Sony's handheld. Now instead of Dec. 13, the realish-life simulator ships Dec. 7 (omg next week!). It is a little disheartening that one of the biggest PSP titles of the holiday season is one of the biggest PC games - from last year.

EA Sports is readying a thinking man's football game in NFL Head Coach, a new strategy football title slated for release this spring. The game puts players in charge of building a football team from ground level, and involves creating a successful franchise from the sidelines. In their quest for realism, hopefully EA includes a "sleep at the office" function, along with a "getting nagged by your wife to spend more time at home" feature and a "you've missed out on your children's childhood" mini-game. EA Sports, it's in the game, right?

EA Offers New NFL Franchise ]]> Mon, 17 Oct 2005 10:42:01 MDT lsmith http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=131394&view=rss&microfeed=true