At any time when you visit the Operation Sports forums, 2K readers outnumber every other forum. They outnumber Madden, and outnumber LIVE readers/fans 10-1 on any given day easily. For every one live guy you have comparing the two, you'll have on average ten 2k guys making the opposite comparison across the forums. That is the reason the backlash for comparing the two games is so swift, its just numbers tied to 2K's success and LIVE's bad history. Hopefully Live 16 will bring a slight swing in forum numbers and sales towards LIVE 16, erasing more of the disparity of successes between the two games, and offering two great games of digital basketball.
Personally I am rooting for LIVE and EA, as this is where it all started for me. From Dr. J vs. Larry Bird on PC (EA), to NBA Showdown (EASPORTS on SNES) to LIVE 95 and Coach K, to the current NBA LIVE 14-16 releases. The progress and attempted resurgence of the franchise has been exciting to watch, and I want to believe we won't be holding our collective ankles after this year's release.