On-Ball defense tips.

[bo.jangles344]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

Yeah man, as a center you never come out if the paint. You need to constantly have a foot in the paint or you're out if position. I tell my buddy this all the time. Let the big guy shoot because he's going to miss.

[iam31yearsold]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

I don't know, 6 game on offline on SS/Sim and on ball D seems great, both ways.

Online though...turbo, wiggle, and square seem to be good enough in Play Now Online. I'm not getting blown out when I lose, its just...I have to turbo and wiggle, and I can score because he can't guard me either. Just not the way I wanted to play, or the way it played in the last few weeks.

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[iam31yearsold]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

Duplicate post.

[Sundown]

On-Ball defense tips.

Were you using the right stick to put that hand up? Noticed that now you can barely move at all when you do that, inviting a blow by

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While the actual result looks terrible, you were literally doing everything opposite of how you should guard Dwight on the perimeter-- tight with hands up. You should be gapping him all the way at the free throw line. The result isn't actually that surprising though Dwight driving slow mo looks weird, but that's exactly how you give him the drive.

Are you backing up when he attempts to drive or were you just expecting the body contact animations to take care of it?

While you say they are doing nothing worthwhile on offense, you're also doing "nothing worthwhile" on defense as far as defending a non shooting big at the perimeter by doing the precisely wrong thing.

It's somewhat telling that the gameplay before patch has trained people to do the wrong thing on perimeter defense, thinking body contact animations will take care of everything for them in all situations, regardless of whether it's a center or a small or whether they can shoot.

[The 24th Letter]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

While I understand the wonkiness of iam31's play deserves some dialogue....can we get some conversation around actual tips going?

Game has definitely changed after the patch and it'd probably help a lot of guys if we could exchange some ideas on what's help on the defensive end...

[thormessiah]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

Dwight Howard is also one of the fastest centers in the game with a ridiculous 80+ speed. I've seen the CPU's center blow by me for layups and dunks when I put my hand up on the perimeter, so if anything that was a good play by the other guy.

[iam31yearsold]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

Day 1 that hand in the face at the perimeter would of instantly made Dwight pivot and pick up the ball. This guy had no idea what to do the entire game, so I started pressing him to make him freak out. That is why I closed out on Dwight. This is not against AI, it is a bad player who has no idea how to even post up, it seems.

But, now, instead of rushing Dwight and locking him up, he is able to dribble out, somehow, and turbo into people, with a below avg ball handler, and still be successful. That is my issue here. People can, and have played up on Dwight Howard, especially when the guy playing with me literally didn't post up once.

And if I gave him space, the exact same thing would happen, no difference. Up, back, he was able to dribble with no dribble moves, no passes, no thought.

Only when I crowded up like that could I force him to make bad passes, and turn it over. Can'texactly play realistic D when guy your playing does nothing realistic.

That's the problem, playing good defensive positioning did nothing, so this worked...sometimes...but in this case, and others, dribble and wiggle always found a way.

Offline SS/Sim, wouldn't of even left the paint until 2-one-thous..., and Dwight would if passed, or faced me up, and if they were going to go back to Dwight for a bucket, he would of posted up, so came out to set a pick then roll.

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[Drejor]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

I always try to give the ballhandler about 2 to 3 ft...you can't blow past me at that point and I'm close enough to contest. Forces most of the shots to be contested jumpers. Even if a guy is hot he won't hit 45% of lightly/moderately contested shots off the dribble... if he hits a few contested, keep a contesting it'll average out.

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[iam31yearsold]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

When the guy keeps passing to Dwight at the perimeter and keeps dribbling in, and scoring, with no dribble moves, realistic D no longer works.

This is what happens when I did step up after getting burnt by staying in position.

Sick of him abusing it I had to step up, didn't matter. Same result.

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[iam31yearsold]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

While the actual result looks terrible, you were literally doing everything opposite of how you should guard Dwight on the perimeter-- tight with hands up.

It's somewhat telling that the gameplay before patch has trained people to do the wrong thing on perimeter defense

And as far as, using the right stick hands up D, not being the realistic way to defend at the perimeter...

:51 second mark.

https://youtu.be/FGUfNUv6llI

After Dwight dribbles and burns you like a guard, from the perimeter, and never in the post, because that is possible now, you have to play him like a guard every now and then.

Same with the Lawson video. Langston not the best defender, but I matched everyone of his zigs and zag for 3 seconds straight, still wasn't enough.

Could we maybe not judge my entire style of play off of one play from an online game?

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[2_headedmonster]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

MOVING RIGHT ALONG

Another thing that I am utilizing is the right stick. I found pre-patch that it lead to a lot of defensive 'wins' in relation to on-ball defense.

I give a player space, react to the angle of his move while feathering down L2, and then compliment that with a nudge of the right stick in the direction im going.

If im at a large speed disadvantage, i do the same as above with R2 held down.

This seems to come in handy mostly against disadvantages or the westbrooks of the world.

[Slegger]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

I for one love to see this continue as a clean tread were people share tips on D. All about stick skills, positioning and what not. Thanks OP for starting this [emoji109]🏻

[Sundown]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

And as far as, using the right stick hands up D, not being the realistic way to defend at the perimeter...

:51 second mark.

https://youtu.be/FGUfNUv6llI

After Dwight dribbles and burns you like a guard, from the perimeter, and never in the post, because that is possible now, you have to play him like a guard every now and then.

Same with the Lawson video. Langston not the best defender, but I matched everyone of his zigs and zag for 3 seconds straight, still wasn't enough.

Could we maybe not judge my entire style of play off of one play from an online game?

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Uh. Hands up tight is NOT the right way to defend a big with no shooting skill. When you're tight and contesting, you are conceding the drive.


I'm not sure what the video is supposed to prove-- Bowen is talking about active hands and even then he has the space he needs to recover as a mobile perimeter player. He's not simply going hands up and tight, which in 2K is readying for a shot contest and slows you down.


He's also mobile as a wing so he can adjust to drives or the shot. That IS how you should defend the perimeter against guards with good perimeter defenders-- but you're defending a non-shooting big that way with a non-mobile big. You're defending Dwight like Kyle Korver as if you were Andre Iguodala. It's again precisely the wrong thing to do.


I'm not sure what you mean by having to play Dwight like a guard-- it seems that playing him like a guard is what caused that blowby in the first place. Your reason for guarding Dwight that way was "to freak the player out"-- that isn't really a basketball reason.


So while the animation is hokey and I don't like the look of that slow motion blow by, it remains you're defending Dwight wrong and I would expect Dwight to get the step on you. What I don't like is the lack of recovery to chase Dwight or dropping back once he does, but I don't know if you were trying to and your defender was just stuck in place. I've seen it in other instances where a big tries to trap a guard and just gives up once the guard starts to blow by.


What happens if you drop back and body him in the post? I think that's even more important to clear up than weirdness that's happening when you're defending a player the exact way you're not supposed to, though I agree that you should be able to recover without being frozen completely at least. What happens if you defend Dwight realistically-- gap, pack the paint, get a help defender to swarm for turnovers if you need to while he forces the issue inside? Do you regain mobility once you let go of either Intense D or Right Stick Hands Up or both?

[ChiliPalmer]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

I for one love to see this continue as a clean tread were people share tips on D. All about stick skills, positioning and what not. Thanks OP for starting this [emoji109]🏻

As i wasnt able to play that much the last days could some1 summarize what exactly has changed online-gameplay-wise? I've read the patch notes but also a lot of different impressions in multiple threads about the patch. One thing i noticed that its (still) quite easy to strip the ball (by just running into the ball handler sonmetimes), which is my biggest concern as i rely on the post game a lot.

[bo_jax2000]

Re: On-Ball defense tips.

Spoiler

i play with default rosters and superstar sim sliders. i don't believe this issue has anything to do with bad 2k rosters or sliders. i'm not a defensive "expert" but i've been able to slow the computer when it comes to points in the paint. notice i said "slow" and not "stop". these tips should also work against human players as well.


1. know the player you are defending. if the player isn't known for being a great jump shooter, back off. no need to play too tight. give them the open shot. if they make it, fine. i would rather give up the shot, then have them drive the paint. you can still challenge the shot if you don't back too far off. it's just the opposite for great jump shooters. play tight but also respect their ability to drive. don't take anything for granted.


2. don't be afraid to switch to the next closet defender if the first player gets beat. you have four other players, use them. these are "virtual" nba players so they should be able to get by one on one defense. unless you have a lock down defender.


3. learn to use the shading feature in the game. by shading right or left, you control which direction the ball handler will go. knowing the direction that they should take makes it easier on defense. no more guessing. shade them to where you help defense (or next closet defender) is. you can also use the sideline as an extra defender. also double teams can be effective near the sideline.


4. right stick (hands up) defense + intense defense to challenge shots. i have seen more shots missed by using this combination. i actually don't even go for blocks. just try to make the shot as tough as possible. leaving your feet to block leaves you vulnerable to pump fakes and can also create more driving space for your opponent.


5. intense defense (LT) + right trigger (turbo) = quick shuffle movement. use it to keep up with the ball handler. this works hand in hand with number 2 + 3. keep in mind that by using turbo your players will tire faster. so learn when to use it. use the left thumbstick to move your player while using the quick shuffle movement. try to beat you opponent to the spot forcing them to use other options. using the left trigger + right trigger can also make it easier to box out for defensive rebounds. the left trigger (box out) is already being pressed, you just have to icon switch to the player with the best position. or box out the other teams best rebounder, allowing your other teammates a chance for the rebound. you must keep your opponent boxed out throughout the whole rebounding process. they will try to get around you.


6. take smart shots. don't try to force offense. work the ball while looking for the best possible shot. bad shots and uneven offense can leave you out of position in transition defense. cuts down on fastbreak points and points in the paint opportunities for the opposing teams.


7. learn when to bring the double team. as soon as you call for the double team, make note of who the open player is. your opponent should make the smart pass to the open man. be ready to icon switch to your defender that is closet to that player. playing good "team" defense can be rewarding. it creates turnovers for you leading to fastbreak chances and momentum.


8. use the OTF (on the fly) quick defense options (defend the paint, play tight on shooters, etc.) i'm not talking about the settings in the defensive matchup screens (although they can be used as well). use each option at various points during the game. keeping your opponent off balance. throw in a little zone every now and then. i mainly use the 2-3 (defending the paint) or 3-2 (defending against the 3 point shot) zone after a made free throw. your defenders should be in position by the time the offense comes down court. the reason i don't use the settings in the defense matchup screen is to keep the opponent guessing. those settings never change. if your opponent knows exactly how you are playing them, they have the advantage.


9. know the team you are playing and defend accordingly. you wouldn't defend a 3 point shooting team the same as a team that is strong in the paint. even throughout the game, know who is on the floor. pay attention to substitutions. adjust your defense to the players on the court.


10. personally, i say leave the sliders alone. learn to play the game as it was meant to be played. i'm sure when 2k tested (designed) the game it was to be played using the slider sets they made (default, sim, casual). by adjusting sliders you are changing things without knowing how they affect other dynamics of the game. even a "simple" change could have adverse effects.


i like the fact that the game is challenging. your opponent should attack the paint if you don't adjust. i actually lose more than i win, but as long as i'm playing "sim" basketball, i'm ok with it. at the end of the day, it's just a game. i play to have fun. i'm not looking for perfection.

if you play on ball defense, i would try conservative defense as your defensive POE while changing your flex POE based on what is happening on the court. ex. getting beat inside (nothing inside), giving up too many threes (limit perimeter shots), getting beat in transition (limit transition), giving up offensive rebounds (crash defensive glass). you can also change your flex POE based on the opposing teams lineup. ex. you don't need to "limit perimeter shots" if your opponent doesn't have three point shooters in the lineup. keep an eye on lineup changes and adjust your POE. with conservative defense, your defenders will play loose (they should be in position to defend the drive). while playing on ball defense, you will have to switch (once the pass is made) and close out on shooters manually.

Defense
This gives the user a quick access to setting up the Defensive Settings on the fly:
Pressure Shooters – for opposing players good at med/long range shots; tight onball, deny ball, go over screens, hedge on screens
Lock Down Paint – double down in the post for all players, go under screens
Focus on Stars – for opposing star players; always double, tight onball, deny ball
Constant Pressure – double team on drive for guards, double team in post for bigs, play tight on stars, go over screens, hard hedge

Those used to be the settings for defensive quick plays before POE. Try to make these adjustments in your individual defensive settings. Combined with the POE, it should help your defense.

As far as the dynamic defense assistance the left trigger (LT/L2) is pressure sensitive. Try different levels of pressure. I wouldn't recommend pressing too hard. Or as you said you feel like you're stuck in the mud. But you could use the quick shuffle movement by pressing both the left and right trigger (LT/L2, RT/R2) at the same time to keep up with your opponent. While using dynamic defense assistance try to shade your opponent towards your help defense (next closest defender). Also while defending the post make sure you release the left trigger (LT/L2) once the shot animation begins. Use the vertical contest (left stick away from the shooter and Y/triangle) to challenge the shot. That should cut down on your fouls as the defender jumps straight up with his hands raised in the air.

Old tips but could be useful