NBA 2K FAQ
Ver. 1.1 11-21-99
By Dave Roy Nelson Jr.
Email:
[email protected]
1. Intro & Version Update
2. Brief Personal Review
3. Early & Advanced Strategies
4. Q&A
5. Player & Team Ratings
6. NBA2K1 Wishlist
1. Intro
NBA2K is a fine NBA simulation with top-notch graphics and excellent
sound. The game has excellent AI and is competitive even after repeated
play. Problems do exist with the game, but they are not major enough to
detract from the enjoyment of NBA2K but it does leave room for improvement in
NBA2K1. I will be writing this FAQ from the perspective that you have, you
know, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. There are a lot of features that I will
mention in this FAQ that I will not explain in detail because, well, setting
a pick is explained in the manual! I intend this FAQ to grow as people send
in new strategies and such. The game has been out barely a week, so there
is much to learn. Please send any ideas or tips or opinions to...
[email protected]
Thanks!
Changes in Version 1.1 Added more Q&A.
2. Personal Review
NBA2K is a pretty darn great game. By far the best basketball
simulation out there. It truly is an amazing feat graphics-wise and in
gameplay terms. But the game does have some problems, most of which stem
from the controller, which was bad for NFL2K but outright sucks for NBA2K.
The controller is simply not made for a sports game. Passing is not
as intuitive as it could be and that is a direct result of not having
enough digital buttons on the front of the controller. This is a major
problem. Another controller related issue is the fact that to throw an
ally-oop, set a pick or call a play you must tap the directional pad. I
know the game designers were limited because of the controller layout, but
this is HORRID. You have to either take your hands off the buttons and
press the pad, which is awkward, or let go of the analog mushroom and
press the pad that way. Unfortunately, you lose control of your player if you
do that! That has to be one of the worst control problems I have ever
seen in a videogame ever. Period. All of this could be solved with a
Sega Sports controller, which is supposedly in the works. I must
emphasize, with the exception of calling plays and the occasional botched
pass, the control in the game is excellent. The reaction time from your
button push to your player moving is right on and everything else feels
really, really tight. The excellence of the rest of the game is what
makes those two control issues so frustrating. Although once you get used
to the awkwardness, the frustration goes away.
Control issues aside, this game is AMAZING. The graphics are top
notch. They simply blow away any other basketball game you have ever
seen...home, arcade, PSX, PC or anywhere else. The players have emotions
on their face, from smiling to angry and they change according to game
conditions. The detail is excellent, even from a distance. You can
tell the difference between Marcus Camby and Patrick Ewing without even
having to think about it. No game has ever done that before. I guess
the only fair thing to compare it with is NFL2K as far as graphics go, and
in that case, it is not quite the spectacle that is NFL2K. The reason for
this is mostly because NFL2K simply had to throw a bunch of the same
looking guys on the screen with little facial and skin detail while NBA2K
requires more complex textures. Nonetheless, the graphics are 20 times
beyond any other basketball game out there.
The AI in the game is also quite good. The computer catches on to
your go to plays and guards against them and crashes the boards when the
need arises. All of the stuff you would expect a human opponent to do
the computer does, from stalling to getting off a quick shot. On occasion
the computer will hold onto the ball and let the game clock come to an end
when the score is tied instead of taking a shot. This is slightly
annoying. The computer also does not have the worlds greatest mind for
substitution patterns, especially when you let it handle the subbing for
your team, so be sure to handle your own reserves. Don't expect to
dominate all-star for an awful long time. Best of all, there is a real
difference when playing the assorted teams. When I play as the Kings I
blitz the Clippers by 20 and then get blitzed by the Spurs by 25. It is
that kind of realism in playing different teams that made NFL2K rock and
it is present in NBA2K too. Centers don't hit long jumpers, point guards
get swatted when the come in the paint and three point guys hit a lot when
open and miss a ton with two hands in their face. Just like in the NBA.
Play calling, while awkward to do, is cool and actually is a
requirement if you want to beat the better teams at the higher levels.
The practice feature in the game helps you learn the plays and how to set
picks, throw ally-oops, etc. Just about anything you see an NBA player
do on TV you can make him do in NBA2K. Crossover, pick and roll...whatever!
It's there. You can create your own player. Get Jordan and the Bulls
back together. You can do it in NBA2K.
I know there things I forgotten to mention, but I wanted to keep this
review section short...and look how I have rambled on! If you have
differing opinions on the game, send them to my email and I'll post the
good, well-written ones in the FAQ.
3. Early Strategies.
A. Pick Your Team.
When you start on the game, you want to start on ROOKIE setting and
pick a somewhat decent team with a good center or power forward and at
least once decent shooter. This will allow you to control the inside
game while your defense is still suspect and get you the chance to
practice shooting with a good shooter. As a beginner, I would
recommend the LA Lakers. You can post-up, score inside and rebound
with Shaq and learn the finer points of outside shooting with Glen
Rice. As an added bonus, you can drive the lane and slash about the
court with our buddy Kobe Bryant. Using the Lakers first will make
you well rounded. The Trailblazers are good for this also, but the
skill players are not as forgiving, so it will not be as easy as it is
for the Lakers. Once you get yourself a few exhibition games under
your belt, these teams are good for beginners. The provide the best of
both world with a great inside presence and good shooting
*Utah Jazz - Karl Malone is really good and the outside shooting of the
guards is fantastic.
*Portland Trailblazers - All around awesome team with no one who gets
constantly exposed on D.
*LA Lakers – You can play the whole game with just Rice, Bryant and
Shaq scoring and win 80% of the time.
*Sacramento Kings – A really fun team to play as. Chris Webber is
awesome and Jason Williams has a nice outside touch. Corliss
Williamson is also pretty good and gets a lot of open looks because of
Webber.
*Miami Heat – Alonzo Mourning is great inside and QUICK. Tim Hardaway
can shoot the lights out.
*San Antonio Spurs – Robinson and Duncan are almost unstoppable and let
some pretty average outside shooters shine with wide open looks.
B. Basic Strategy
i. Set up the inside game. This is the most important thing you can
do to set up early success. You WILL NOT WIN against even
average teams without good inside play. Maybe you'll luck out in
Rookie, but in Pro and all-star you will get killed. To set up
your inside game, you should....
- Get the ball inside early in the possession. Big guys usually
cannot create their own shot quickly (Shaq, Webber, Duncan and
a few other are exceptions to this) so it is imperative your
point guard get the ball in quickly so the slow post-up
process can begin.
- Post-Up. I don't do this as often as I should, but I still do
it regularly, especially if you have the height advantage or a
big difference in speed.
- Call for a pick. Call for the pick when you are close to the
basket and need a little more room and just have to lose your
defender for one second. With NBA2K, if you lose your
defender for just a split second and then shoot often times
the computer takes over and gives you a slam or a quick lay-
up. If you have a fast big man, again Duncan or Webber or
someone similar, you can call for the pick when you are at the
foul line and drive the lane.
- Try to wait for your opponent to jump before you shoot. The
best way to do this is by the pump fake. Once your opponent
is on the way down you should be on your way up for a monster
jam or a soft jumper.
- Watch where you are in relation to the basket. Because of all
the confusion when 5 or more 6'8" and up guys are in the paint
you can get confused and try to shoot when you are behind the
basket. Not a great idea.
ii. Drive The Lane. This is where your shooting guards and small
forwards usually come in. Try to find an open path to basket
and turn on the speed. Even if the lane collapses odds are you
can get a foul. At worst you can pass off to an open man. And
trust me, if you are in the lane and it collapses on you someone
is open.
iii. Call Plays. They could not have made play calling any more
inconvenient than they did. You actually have to move one of
your hands to tap the directional pad. This makes calling
plays, something imperative in all-star level, a real big-time
hassle. What plays are best to call for a beginner? One.
Which one? Just choose one, get good at it and get an idea of
how the offense moves. All plays require some skill and
familiarity with the game, so don't worry about them for now.
Just know how to...
iv. Throw an Ally-Oop. Very important! When your center or power
forward waves to your point guard he is not saying hi. He is
asking you to toss him the ball to slam it home. This is a very
effective play that has a chance of success that is quite high.
I rarely miss on these when I throw to a decent player with
height. But be careful! For some reason the guys you toss to
are dumb as rocks and will sometimes start walking in the other
direction after you toss the ball. Bad thing.
v. Learn to Shoot Remember when you spent hours in the driveway
perfecting the perfect jump shot? Well, NBA2K is very similar.
Shooting is an art in the game. You must release the ball at the
height of your jump to get off a smooth shot and give it the best
chances of going in the hoop. Real life rules apply here. If
two guys are in your face the odds of you hitting a shot are
almost nil, although at the end of tight games the chances seem
to go up. Also, do not shoot threes with Shaq. He will miss
them. No matter how perfect a show you toss up. Use the
practice feature and perfect a perfect jump-shot.
vi. Play Hard D. How do I play hard D? Well you...
- Always contest every single shot. Even if your guy is 4 feet
away when the shot is released jump at your opponent and get a
hand in his face. The computer or your opponent will hit open
shots. I know it is impossible to not give up any open shot,
but make it a priority not to be trying to steal all the time
which often results in your player getting burned. That
said...
- Try and steal a lot. But you just said don't try and steal a
lot. What I mean is don's try a steal when you are guarding
a quick big-guy near the hoop, try to strip Patrick Ewing when
he is behind the 3-point arc. Try to snag a ball from
Stockton at mid-court.
- Keep your center in the middle. Even if the guy your center
is guarding takes off out of the paint do not follow. Odds
are it is the other teams center or power forward, who
probably cannot hit an outside jumper anyway. This leaves
your center in the mix to swat away jumpers and do what might
be the most important thing in the whole game...
vii. Rebound Like A Fiend. Always jump for the rebounds. Keep your
center in the middle to rebound like hell. And as soon as you
grab a rebound pass the ball the hell out of there. Big
rebounders are not usually good ball handlers and having Marcus
Camby dribble out of the paint in traffic is death in the NBA and
death in NBA2K too. If you can, have your rebounder start a
fast break, which is a GOOD THING.
viii. Pass The Ball A Lot. I know this is obvious, but moving the ball
around the perimeter a lot will allow you to find an open man and
spread the D. All good things. Don't pass around too much in
the paint, as that is a BAD THING.
If you follow those 8 tips you will soon be beating the computer like a
rented mule in Rookie and staying competitive and winning more often than not
in Pro. The thing is, you have to do fancy things to kick butt against good
players and in all-star...As I have only had the game for a week, my list is
not long, but please send me some of your own strategies if you can to the
email listed above. I will credit you in the FAQ.
- Have a nice group of goto plays. I have three plays I can
run pretty consistently and they have bailed me out many
times.
- Take control of a non-ballhandler and make your own show and
ask for the pass. This works well but can be confusing at
first.
- Make situation specific line-ups. A three-pointer line-up
and a big man line-up to crash the boards can be very helpful.
4. Q & A
Q. I am having problems with free throws!
A. Just take your time. You get quite a while to line things up, so take
advantage of all the time the allow. Push the two trigger buttons
slowly and have your thumb already hovering over the X button before
you start to line up the arrows. The slightest movement on the
controller will make your arrows move. Just like everything else in
the game, this is very realistic, as it is harder to make Shaq hit a
free throw than Glen Rice, so don't be surprised when you have a harder
time with poor shooters.
Q. I found that your faq is very helpful! But, I have a question concerning
the LA Lakers' jersey. Do they have the new jersey or the old version jersey?
I'm not sure because all other teams seem to have the new jersey but only the
Lakers doesn't. I did restore the roster of the team to original in the option
menu though. Anyway, if they have new jersey please let me know how can I get
it back.
Thank you for your time.
A. As far as I can tell, you just get the old uniforms with the Lakers. If
anyone else knows how to get the new Laker uniforms, send in mail and I
will post it here.
Q. I was wondering if you have noticed that the PA tends to cut the announcing
of a players name short sometimes? I was wondering if it was a coding but of
if I had a bad disc (Ready 2 Rumble had sound issues i heard, but this seems
minor). Thank you for your time -Byron Franklin
A. I too have noticed the PA cutting off and on a few occasions the announcers
voices getting really soft or distorted. I think it is typical because I have
received this question from several people.
Q. There's 45 seconds left, my opponent has the ball, I'm down by two, and
for some reason my team begins to intentional foul. How can I stop this from
happening!!!??? - Steve Berman
A. My best advice to you is to go into the coaching menu and make sure ALL
the auto coaching options are turned off. I do all my own coaching, from play
calling to subs and this never happens to me.
Have any questions? Mail them to me at
[email protected]
5. Team & Player Ratings
I will rate the best players and teams here. As the game has only
been out a week, expect this section to evolve a lot.
Best Teams
1. Portland Trailblazers
2. LA Lakers
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. New York Knicks
5. Miami Heat
6. Utah Jazz
7. Phoenix Suns
8. Indiana Pacers
Worst Teams
1. Dallas Mavericks
2. LA Clippers
3. Vancouver Grizzlies
4. Boston Celtics
5. Orlando Magic
6. Chicago Bulls
I'll have complete player ratings in here once I get some response from you
guys at
[email protected].
6. NBA2K1 Wishlist
- Better controllers!
- More fluid free throw animations
- More intuitive play calling
- Smaller VMU save file.
That's it! Please mail me any ideas or updates! Thanks!
This document Copyright 1999. This document may be posted on any web page
with the approval of the author, David Roy Nelson Jr.
