The jumpshot animation: It's a little stiff. It seems like leaning in during a jumpshot is arbitrary, and most of the time, the player just goes straight up. Again, also related with the lack of fouls during a jumpshot. Players like Kobe and McGrady don't get to the line JUST by driving. They fake a lot, lean into the defender to get fouled, etc. This is noticeably absent in ID 2003.
I think the timeouts are of GREAT significance in this game. I've noticed, if you do not run the plays correctly for most of your possessions, and you're struggling to score, the spacing on the floor becomes MUCH more cluttered, which means less chances of a foul. I've noticed that offensive players just won't cut to the basket or run their play as much unless a timeout is called. Then, after it's called, the offensive players will space the floor much better and cut to the basket and everything, UNTIL you start messing up the plays again. Timeouts aren't just for substitutions after all, and it's very important to use them in a timely manner. When your star player is cold, and the offense is stagnant and the defense stops rotating effectively, and the other team's starting to score, it's a great time to call a timeout. Using them liberally will get you into trouble later in the game, since you won't have any left and you need one because your offense and defense is poor.
I hope High Voltage takes notice of teams like the Knicks, who like to draw charges and sacrifice their bodies (at least a couple of their players do, like Ward and Kurt Thomas). Not all teams rely on this tactic, so it should only be used depending on the team. I hope NBA 2k4 does this as well.
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