I Called Game

About I Called Game

I Called Game comes from HoopGrids, the site behind the daily NBA player grid of the same name. Instead of a single player to guess, it hands you a whole game from NBA history. Each day you get a set of images taken from video of one game, and the rounds ask you to pin down what you are looking at, from the broad facts to the small details.

There are six rounds and a summary. You pick the home and visiting teams, then the year, then the game type: regular season, a playoff round, the Conference Finals, the Finals or the All-Star Game. Next come the head coaches on both benches, then a players round where you name anyone who played in the game; each name you give is rated by how few other players thought of it, from Common to Unicorn. The last round asks who scored the final points. The rounds add up to 1000 points, and 700 or more earns the Fiery BANG trophy. A round can be skipped, but not replayed.

The summary links to the game's highlights and its box score on NBA.com, so you see what you just pieced together. An archive holds every earlier game, and a free HoopGrids account keeps your streak and stats across devices. The game is free with ads, which HoopGrids Premium removes. It suits fans who remember old playoff series and coaching staffs, not only today's stars.

How to play I Called Game

1. Open icalledgame.hoopgrids.com after 8 pm Eastern and look at the images from the day's game.
2. Select the home and visiting teams, then submit or skip the round.
3. Pick the year of the game and the game type.
4. Choose the head coach of each team.
5. Name players who played in the game; rarer correct names are worth more.
6. Select the player who scored the last points, then read the summary with highlights and the box score.

Tips

• Look closely at jerseys, court designs and arena signs in the images; they often settle the teams and the era before you guess.
• In the players round, think of bench players and role players; common names score less than ones few others remember.
• Skip a round only when you have no idea: it cannot be played again later.
• Use the archive to practise on older games before you chase the 700 point trophy.

Questions