scoopy1122
November 23rd, 2004, 02:08 AM
Might help some of you...
First the obvious #1 cheese is the 3 pt bomber.
Solution - Hall of Fame mode. If you can play decent defense, they shoot a MUCH more realistic game. In fact, my last game on was obviously against some former Pro level player as all he did was jack 3's with Bibby/Peja. Cake. Just defended them..didn't even go for the block. He was like 20% shooting. That won't cut it in Hall of Fame mode.
The next one I hate is the inbound pass directly to the man under the hoop for the cake layin.
Best bet - The last guy I played against used this like crazy. Every foul or timeout was almost a guaranteed 2 pts. What I staretd doing was the Box-1. But its risky. If he was watching he could have changed to someone outside for an open jumper. But he kept pounding it inside and this at least gave me a 50% miss rate on him.
Double Teamers sucks to play against
But, this is also one of the easiest to exploit if you use direct passing or have a knack for finding the open man. What I've noticed alot of lately is a computer double team, then the player tries to anticipate where the pass is going and picks it off midair. I still struggle with that at times, but other times it looks like a freaking layup drill on them. One thing I would suggest is to try to use the double team to draw fouls. Pass early and watch your passing lanes. Once the double team has locked you down its a pain to pass out of.
The cherry picker....arg. Thats the guy who does the full court passes.
Two solutions for this. First, pressure the inbounding passer. Throw your SF/PF/C on him and stay close. They have a really hard time getting the pass thrown that far with someone right on them. The next is Box-1 Defense. Use that IMMEDIATELY after scoring. This gets everyone but your PG to congregate around the hoop. After the lob, switch to the defender, hit your double team button (Left trigger), and do what you can. If its the PG running down, you'll swat it away like crazy.
To some of the guys having trouble in this thread....
The pass to the center of the floor for a layup. Np..go to your team matchups and set whoever the PF or C is to double team in the paint. Stay using your PG/SG as the defender and this does 3 things. First, it gives you quick access incase they kick it out for a 3. 2nd, if they back down on your man to better their position in a double team scenario, you can strip the ball. 3rd, a well timed steal in the passing lane gets you the ball back. This won't work all the time...after all most NBA teams strive to get the ball in the paint in the first place, but it will help.
Okay the 1-3-1 steal machine...
This is no problem. 1-3-1 is exploited heavily on the baselines. Work your offense around the horn until you see a favorable matchup. Work it to the corner and either fire the 3 ball, fake a shot and hope for the double team (Note: The double team almost always comes from the PG, the guy playing up top, this enables you to kick it back quickly for a wide open 3, or a mildy contested jumper from the free throw line.), or draw a foul, or if you have a good slasher, charge the hoop and go for the dunk. 1-3-1 gets ruined if you get past the middle. Keep in mind too...crosscourt passes can work along the baselines, but kickouts is where the passes get picked off. If you go to the corners, you almost either have to commit to taking a shot or driving, or wait for the double team or dribble it back out. Passing it back out once its down low is a good way to help your turnover stat.
PG down the center...
This is another brutal thing about the pro game. If you notice, almost all guards have REALLY good inside ratings. This means unless you block or contest the [***] out of a shot, they will score. Now in higher games, defensive pressure makes it tougher. First thing I would suggest, if you are playing your PG as a defender (Most people do), be all over that double team if you get beat. Thats basketball strategy 101, help defense. Next, if they are using this alot, like as a primary means of scoring, consider pretty much any zone defense. PG's layup ability goes to [***] when 2/3/4 defenders close down on him. Lastly, most people suck and defending man-to-man as a player. Don't be proud..if this is you, maybe switch to a big man and patrol the middle, or maybe use the SG and help defend.
Fast Break Picks....(or as the poster called it STEAL MASTER)
Anyone who has 20 games under their belt understands the importance of transition defense. If you are getting your passes picked off everytime you get a rebound or a stop, you aren't passing wisely. PGs bring the ball up for a reason..its safer. If you want to run a fast break...try not to pass to guys off your screen. You never know whats lurking. Make sure you have open passing lanes. Also know when to pass it directly to them, and when to lead pass. A lead pass is done by double tapping the pass button. If you have a defender a step or two ahead of your player, pass it right to them. If your guy has a step or two ahead, lead pass it for the easy lay-in. If you lead pass with defense ahead of you, you turn it over. If you direct pass with defense behind you...you turn it over. One thing I'd suggest to anyone...know your halfcourt game first. You can ALWAYS set up your half court game. If you wanna play crazy and just run transition and hope for the best, an experienced player will eat you alive.
Some other general advice...
Offense...
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make your #1 priority getting an open look. I know that if you have McGrady and you wanna go down despite the double team and razzle dazzle you may score. But as a Jazz player..I can't tell you how many games I've won BECAUSE my opponent was so concerned about Kirilenko/Boozer that I got wide open shots from my guards and center all day long. Your centers will be almost automatic from up to 10ft if they are open. Don't win games with tricks. Work the ball around, watch for opportunities. My [***] I can't count the # of times your opponent will give you a wide open 15ft shot around the free throw line because they are paranoid about layups or 3pters. An open shot is so crucial to a winning strategy.
Next, mismatches. For those of you who don't know much about basketball and just like video games, let me share something with you. A mismatch is when two players are paired up in such a way that one player has a distinct advantage over the other. Let me give you an example.
Houston is playing against LA Lakers. During the course of the offense, somehow a screen or something ended up bringing Yao out to the 3pt stripe to guard Atkins. If you are using LA, you should be licking your chops at the practically guaranteed free 2 pts you are about to get. Yao is like 9 ft tall and blocks shots like a flyswatter...but...he is slow. Atkins is like 6 feet and shooting over Yao is basically as good as just passing to him. However, Atkins is fast. Atkins drops a little crossover, leaving Yao looking at the floor and gets in for the easy layup.
There are some basic mismatches to look for. Speed advantages, height advantages, and talent advantages. Anytime you get a big man out on the perimiter, that is your green light to slash tot he basket after pulling a nifty little dribbling move. If you get a little man guarding the post, get it in to your foward or center and dunk on him hard enough he knows to stay the [***] out of your paint. Lastly, if you can swap off a tough defender in exchange for a lesser defender, you are better off. Even a star like McGrady will be a lot better trying to shoot over say Tinsley or Croshere than Artest. Some mismatches are built in to your natural starting lineups and you need to compensate for that. A key example, Kirilenko for my Jazz is a great defender...Giricek...pretty average. If I'm playing a team where they have a strong SG like Kobe or whatever, I'll switch the matchup. It helps, but its still difficult to stop a franchise player.
Fouls...fouls are your friend. Most people play so aggressively that you can get them in foul trouble if you like. Its much easier on long timer games, but its plenty possible in 5 min quarters. The way you do it....protect the ball. Lots of people love to just constantly pressure the ball handler for a steal. Just gently turn your guy around to keep the ball away. They will get called for reaching often. Also if you are driving the lane and say you get some nasty help defense like Miller/Webber coming to stop you...use the double clutch. Thats that Isomagiggy or whatever its called. Double pumping a shot like that will increase your likelihood of getting fouled, and also finishing the shot after the foul.
Streaks...
You may have noticed that there are times where you can't buy a bucket, and your opponent is hitting everything. I think the developers put in a natural run system where your stats go up alot or down alot for shot periods of time.
When you are on a hot streak...(Taking advantage)
Push that ball like crazy and get a fast open shot. Work for good midrange jumpers or 3pters. This is where you can make a good comeback or stretch your lead. You want to maximize the # of shots during this time without giving up too much on the quality of your shots.
When you are on a cold streak...(Weathering the storm)
The best advice I have here is SLOW DOWN. Let time pass. When you set up your offense, get the ball CLOSE TO THE BASKET. During these streaks even open shots are liabilities, but a good layup or two will help get you back out of the funk.
Defensive Suggestions...
First know your defenses. There are important and major defenses between each and you want to know the strengths and weaknesses to shut down your opponents.
Man Defense - This is your stand up, everyone guard someone. This is a good basic defense. Its strengths, no one goes uncovered with the exception of screens. Keeps the perimiter players honest and generally keeps your big men closest to the basket. Its weaknesses, mismatches happen here alot. It isn't rocket science to get an easy mismatch off a screen or a double team they recovered from improperly.
I always open the game on man to man defense since it allows me to see what my opponent is up to. It is also a very solid defense against a good sim player.
2-3 Zone - This is where you have 2 men guarding up top (Above the free throw line taking the left and right sides) and 3 men down low (one under the hoop and one on each side). This zone is great for taking away the center of the court and to stop people from driving in. The 2-3 allows good collapsing on the center, and midrange spots on the wings at about 10 ft. Its weakness is a good inside/outside game. Using a 2-3 helps you contain star players that go to the midrange alot, or that use drives to set up inside plays. It is miserable tho to a good passing team that will get it inside then send it back out quickly. If your opponent does this (Alot do) work it in and out and watch their poor defense run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Find the open man, point at the scoreboard for them on your way back down after your easy shot.
3-2 Zone. This is the opposite of the 2-3 where you have 3 men uptop and wide along the perimiter, and 2 big men down low guarding the hoop. This is meant to add additional pressure to big 3pt shooting teams...but they give up alot underneathe, including offenseive rebounds. If your opponent is in a 3-2, look for slashers and cutters and get the ball to the rack. Not a good defense to launch 3's against. (Note: in pro mode I don't care what defense you are playing, a good 3pt attribute is death from your opponent).
1-3-1 Zone. This is one defender up near the 3 pt line, 3 defenders across the center just below the foul line, and one big man under the basket. This is an awesome defense for NBA 2k5 because precious few players work the midrange game. People want dunks or 3's. That is why this defense wreaks havoc on them. You have a hard time getting it underneathe, because the lanes are so blocked off. 3pt shooters get a man on them at the top of the key and get double teamed on the sides. This is a good multipurpose defense and I use this alot when I'm getting beat down thet middle or on the perimiter. I'll also start off in man defense, and then when they get it down to a corner, I'll switch to this to trap them into going baseline.
Box -1 Zone. This is where you have one player (The PG) who can freely roam the court, and the other 4 set up 2 wide at the free throw line and 2 wide under the hoop. A good perimiter team will eat you alive with this. However, a good team under the the basket has a lot of trouble here. This is also really good for teams with dominent bigmen (Yao, Shaq) because in the middle of the paint, they will get quadruple teamed hard. This also helps your rebounding a lot if you are getting killed on the boards.
The trapping and pressure defenses are pretty self explanitory. Double down and set traps to try to force turnovers. You will force more turnovers, you will foul more often, and you will give up ALOT of open shots (See offensive tip #1). Some people do this well, some get burned. Its not my thing so I don't feel right selling it to ya.
Anyways, hope some of this info is helpful...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND playing at superstar difficulty or hall of fame as you will eliminate alot of the cheese. People still do some lame stuff...but it isn't NEARLY as bad as the Pro settings.
Good luck and happy ballin!
Link to that post to read the whole thing is here http://www.espnvideogames.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?t=53174
First the obvious #1 cheese is the 3 pt bomber.
Solution - Hall of Fame mode. If you can play decent defense, they shoot a MUCH more realistic game. In fact, my last game on was obviously against some former Pro level player as all he did was jack 3's with Bibby/Peja. Cake. Just defended them..didn't even go for the block. He was like 20% shooting. That won't cut it in Hall of Fame mode.
The next one I hate is the inbound pass directly to the man under the hoop for the cake layin.
Best bet - The last guy I played against used this like crazy. Every foul or timeout was almost a guaranteed 2 pts. What I staretd doing was the Box-1. But its risky. If he was watching he could have changed to someone outside for an open jumper. But he kept pounding it inside and this at least gave me a 50% miss rate on him.
Double Teamers sucks to play against
But, this is also one of the easiest to exploit if you use direct passing or have a knack for finding the open man. What I've noticed alot of lately is a computer double team, then the player tries to anticipate where the pass is going and picks it off midair. I still struggle with that at times, but other times it looks like a freaking layup drill on them. One thing I would suggest is to try to use the double team to draw fouls. Pass early and watch your passing lanes. Once the double team has locked you down its a pain to pass out of.
The cherry picker....arg. Thats the guy who does the full court passes.
Two solutions for this. First, pressure the inbounding passer. Throw your SF/PF/C on him and stay close. They have a really hard time getting the pass thrown that far with someone right on them. The next is Box-1 Defense. Use that IMMEDIATELY after scoring. This gets everyone but your PG to congregate around the hoop. After the lob, switch to the defender, hit your double team button (Left trigger), and do what you can. If its the PG running down, you'll swat it away like crazy.
To some of the guys having trouble in this thread....
The pass to the center of the floor for a layup. Np..go to your team matchups and set whoever the PF or C is to double team in the paint. Stay using your PG/SG as the defender and this does 3 things. First, it gives you quick access incase they kick it out for a 3. 2nd, if they back down on your man to better their position in a double team scenario, you can strip the ball. 3rd, a well timed steal in the passing lane gets you the ball back. This won't work all the time...after all most NBA teams strive to get the ball in the paint in the first place, but it will help.
Okay the 1-3-1 steal machine...
This is no problem. 1-3-1 is exploited heavily on the baselines. Work your offense around the horn until you see a favorable matchup. Work it to the corner and either fire the 3 ball, fake a shot and hope for the double team (Note: The double team almost always comes from the PG, the guy playing up top, this enables you to kick it back quickly for a wide open 3, or a mildy contested jumper from the free throw line.), or draw a foul, or if you have a good slasher, charge the hoop and go for the dunk. 1-3-1 gets ruined if you get past the middle. Keep in mind too...crosscourt passes can work along the baselines, but kickouts is where the passes get picked off. If you go to the corners, you almost either have to commit to taking a shot or driving, or wait for the double team or dribble it back out. Passing it back out once its down low is a good way to help your turnover stat.
PG down the center...
This is another brutal thing about the pro game. If you notice, almost all guards have REALLY good inside ratings. This means unless you block or contest the [***] out of a shot, they will score. Now in higher games, defensive pressure makes it tougher. First thing I would suggest, if you are playing your PG as a defender (Most people do), be all over that double team if you get beat. Thats basketball strategy 101, help defense. Next, if they are using this alot, like as a primary means of scoring, consider pretty much any zone defense. PG's layup ability goes to [***] when 2/3/4 defenders close down on him. Lastly, most people suck and defending man-to-man as a player. Don't be proud..if this is you, maybe switch to a big man and patrol the middle, or maybe use the SG and help defend.
Fast Break Picks....(or as the poster called it STEAL MASTER)
Anyone who has 20 games under their belt understands the importance of transition defense. If you are getting your passes picked off everytime you get a rebound or a stop, you aren't passing wisely. PGs bring the ball up for a reason..its safer. If you want to run a fast break...try not to pass to guys off your screen. You never know whats lurking. Make sure you have open passing lanes. Also know when to pass it directly to them, and when to lead pass. A lead pass is done by double tapping the pass button. If you have a defender a step or two ahead of your player, pass it right to them. If your guy has a step or two ahead, lead pass it for the easy lay-in. If you lead pass with defense ahead of you, you turn it over. If you direct pass with defense behind you...you turn it over. One thing I'd suggest to anyone...know your halfcourt game first. You can ALWAYS set up your half court game. If you wanna play crazy and just run transition and hope for the best, an experienced player will eat you alive.
Some other general advice...
Offense...
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make your #1 priority getting an open look. I know that if you have McGrady and you wanna go down despite the double team and razzle dazzle you may score. But as a Jazz player..I can't tell you how many games I've won BECAUSE my opponent was so concerned about Kirilenko/Boozer that I got wide open shots from my guards and center all day long. Your centers will be almost automatic from up to 10ft if they are open. Don't win games with tricks. Work the ball around, watch for opportunities. My [***] I can't count the # of times your opponent will give you a wide open 15ft shot around the free throw line because they are paranoid about layups or 3pters. An open shot is so crucial to a winning strategy.
Next, mismatches. For those of you who don't know much about basketball and just like video games, let me share something with you. A mismatch is when two players are paired up in such a way that one player has a distinct advantage over the other. Let me give you an example.
Houston is playing against LA Lakers. During the course of the offense, somehow a screen or something ended up bringing Yao out to the 3pt stripe to guard Atkins. If you are using LA, you should be licking your chops at the practically guaranteed free 2 pts you are about to get. Yao is like 9 ft tall and blocks shots like a flyswatter...but...he is slow. Atkins is like 6 feet and shooting over Yao is basically as good as just passing to him. However, Atkins is fast. Atkins drops a little crossover, leaving Yao looking at the floor and gets in for the easy layup.
There are some basic mismatches to look for. Speed advantages, height advantages, and talent advantages. Anytime you get a big man out on the perimiter, that is your green light to slash tot he basket after pulling a nifty little dribbling move. If you get a little man guarding the post, get it in to your foward or center and dunk on him hard enough he knows to stay the [***] out of your paint. Lastly, if you can swap off a tough defender in exchange for a lesser defender, you are better off. Even a star like McGrady will be a lot better trying to shoot over say Tinsley or Croshere than Artest. Some mismatches are built in to your natural starting lineups and you need to compensate for that. A key example, Kirilenko for my Jazz is a great defender...Giricek...pretty average. If I'm playing a team where they have a strong SG like Kobe or whatever, I'll switch the matchup. It helps, but its still difficult to stop a franchise player.
Fouls...fouls are your friend. Most people play so aggressively that you can get them in foul trouble if you like. Its much easier on long timer games, but its plenty possible in 5 min quarters. The way you do it....protect the ball. Lots of people love to just constantly pressure the ball handler for a steal. Just gently turn your guy around to keep the ball away. They will get called for reaching often. Also if you are driving the lane and say you get some nasty help defense like Miller/Webber coming to stop you...use the double clutch. Thats that Isomagiggy or whatever its called. Double pumping a shot like that will increase your likelihood of getting fouled, and also finishing the shot after the foul.
Streaks...
You may have noticed that there are times where you can't buy a bucket, and your opponent is hitting everything. I think the developers put in a natural run system where your stats go up alot or down alot for shot periods of time.
When you are on a hot streak...(Taking advantage)
Push that ball like crazy and get a fast open shot. Work for good midrange jumpers or 3pters. This is where you can make a good comeback or stretch your lead. You want to maximize the # of shots during this time without giving up too much on the quality of your shots.
When you are on a cold streak...(Weathering the storm)
The best advice I have here is SLOW DOWN. Let time pass. When you set up your offense, get the ball CLOSE TO THE BASKET. During these streaks even open shots are liabilities, but a good layup or two will help get you back out of the funk.
Defensive Suggestions...
First know your defenses. There are important and major defenses between each and you want to know the strengths and weaknesses to shut down your opponents.
Man Defense - This is your stand up, everyone guard someone. This is a good basic defense. Its strengths, no one goes uncovered with the exception of screens. Keeps the perimiter players honest and generally keeps your big men closest to the basket. Its weaknesses, mismatches happen here alot. It isn't rocket science to get an easy mismatch off a screen or a double team they recovered from improperly.
I always open the game on man to man defense since it allows me to see what my opponent is up to. It is also a very solid defense against a good sim player.
2-3 Zone - This is where you have 2 men guarding up top (Above the free throw line taking the left and right sides) and 3 men down low (one under the hoop and one on each side). This zone is great for taking away the center of the court and to stop people from driving in. The 2-3 allows good collapsing on the center, and midrange spots on the wings at about 10 ft. Its weakness is a good inside/outside game. Using a 2-3 helps you contain star players that go to the midrange alot, or that use drives to set up inside plays. It is miserable tho to a good passing team that will get it inside then send it back out quickly. If your opponent does this (Alot do) work it in and out and watch their poor defense run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Find the open man, point at the scoreboard for them on your way back down after your easy shot.
3-2 Zone. This is the opposite of the 2-3 where you have 3 men uptop and wide along the perimiter, and 2 big men down low guarding the hoop. This is meant to add additional pressure to big 3pt shooting teams...but they give up alot underneathe, including offenseive rebounds. If your opponent is in a 3-2, look for slashers and cutters and get the ball to the rack. Not a good defense to launch 3's against. (Note: in pro mode I don't care what defense you are playing, a good 3pt attribute is death from your opponent).
1-3-1 Zone. This is one defender up near the 3 pt line, 3 defenders across the center just below the foul line, and one big man under the basket. This is an awesome defense for NBA 2k5 because precious few players work the midrange game. People want dunks or 3's. That is why this defense wreaks havoc on them. You have a hard time getting it underneathe, because the lanes are so blocked off. 3pt shooters get a man on them at the top of the key and get double teamed on the sides. This is a good multipurpose defense and I use this alot when I'm getting beat down thet middle or on the perimiter. I'll also start off in man defense, and then when they get it down to a corner, I'll switch to this to trap them into going baseline.
Box -1 Zone. This is where you have one player (The PG) who can freely roam the court, and the other 4 set up 2 wide at the free throw line and 2 wide under the hoop. A good perimiter team will eat you alive with this. However, a good team under the the basket has a lot of trouble here. This is also really good for teams with dominent bigmen (Yao, Shaq) because in the middle of the paint, they will get quadruple teamed hard. This also helps your rebounding a lot if you are getting killed on the boards.
The trapping and pressure defenses are pretty self explanitory. Double down and set traps to try to force turnovers. You will force more turnovers, you will foul more often, and you will give up ALOT of open shots (See offensive tip #1). Some people do this well, some get burned. Its not my thing so I don't feel right selling it to ya.
Anyways, hope some of this info is helpful...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND playing at superstar difficulty or hall of fame as you will eliminate alot of the cheese. People still do some lame stuff...but it isn't NEARLY as bad as the Pro settings.
Good luck and happy ballin!
Link to that post to read the whole thing is here http://www.espnvideogames.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?t=53174