How do you play defense?

[jonmchugh007]

I saw a thread about the offensive side so I'd make a thread about the defensive side. So how do you play d in the game? I'm an average 2Ker. Been getting pretty good using the Isomotion and the post moves and what not. Struggle to play defense.

I play man to man only. Haven't tried zone. I always control the player who has the ball. I haven't really messed with coach match-up settings because I don't know who to deny ball, who to double team, who to sag-off, or who to play tight etc etc. How do you know what to do for each guy? Do you play zone? Do you only control one man the entire trip down the floor and don't switch?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[yuriz09]

Re: How do you play defense?

I saw a thread about the offensive side so I'd make a thread about the defensive side. So how do you play d in the game? I'm an average 2Ker. Been getting pretty good using the Isomotion and the post moves and what not. Struggle to play defense.

I play man to man only. Haven't tried zone. I always control the player who has the ball. I haven't really messed with coach match-up settings because I don't know who to deny ball, who to double team, who to sag-off, or who to play tight etc etc. How do you know what to do for each guy? Do you play zone? Do you only control one man the entire trip down the floor and don't switch?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

If your doing an association, just check on the team your scheduled to play. Just visit your opponents roster to see who is good at this and bad at that. Zone defense is rather easy to use and can potentially lead to your team mates picking off a lot of pass's the CPU will try to do. Try 3-2 Defense if you get bored with man to man and see if you like it.

Having a player set to Play Tight can cause issue's if they get screened.
I have not had to double team any player yet. ( I assign a preferred defender )

[mixmasterjeff]

I only play man d in association with the bulls. I also only control the pg 99% of the time.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: How do you play defense?

The secrets to defense are as follows:

1) Play the whole floor + ball, not just your man. Yes, you are ultimately responsible for the player you're assigned, but you're also expected to play an implied zone against the other four players you're not guarding - or, namely, the ball. (This basic point is why I'm not in favor of switching guys during a defensive sequence.)

2) String perfectly-timed actions together. Just as three, four or five well-timed passes will almost always get you an open look, layup, or dunk, stringing together multiple well-timed plays on defense almost always results in a stop. The whole thing is sequential and cumulative, actually: there is a major difference in how the game responds to your input after you've made ten straight well-timed plays versus those times when you haven't timed anything properly since the first quarter.

Which ties directly to:

3) Don't make mistakes. Timing is everything. Weak steal attempts, jumping for a rebound when the ball's still on the rim, setting up for a charge when the guy's already past you, falling for pump fakes, etc. Don't do it. Ever. Make your best effort to time everything as perfectly as you can. (If you do make a mistake, attempt to recover. You have more time than you think. Once you do recover, don't make another mistake!)

4) Lots of L2. Learning precisely when and how to effectively use L2 can be tricky (I really don't think I have it down yet), but there's no question it should be used frequently.

[eDotd]

Re: How do you play defense?

Good stuff, NEO.

Like yuriz said, look at the other teams roster and their ratings to see which players you want to play tight on, sag off of, etc. Usually you want to play tight on shooters, that way you force them to beat you off the dribble or find another way to get a look at the basket as opposed to just rising up in your face and hitting a jumper. Deny ball to players you don't want to get the ball or when you want to make it hard for them to get the ball. Sag off of players who aren't great shooters or players that you want to keep on the perimeter (rondo).

Something else that is overlooked is that no matter how good your D is you will get beat. Numerous times.

Just don't get frustrated. If you forced the offense into the shot you wanted them to take and they still made it, live with it and come back down on the next possession and try again. Too many guys get frustrated when a guy makes a miraculous shot when in reality you should live with them taking that shot. Instead of moving on to the next possession guys press start with the quickness and look for a slider to lower.

Don't be afraid to play off-ball D. I'm not sure why some people look at off-ball D like it's the plague, but if you want to play effective D you have to play some form of off-ball D, IMO of course. The AI cannot read your mind so it doesn't know what position you want your guys in. It doesn't know if you want to trap, switch or show and get back on pick and rolls. You'll probably always get beat on any downscreen plays where wings pop up to the wing, resulting in wide open looks.

[CougarMVP]

Re: How do you play defense?

Thanks for the update everyone!

[KingV2k3]

Re: How do you play defense?

Check this out:

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...-settings.html

I'm having a tough time with the D this year...

I'm running a Cavs Association and they usually have a glaring mismatch at SF (no sh*t) and often times, another one somewhere else...

I tried to run zone a couple times (to take the pressure off individual matchups) and it was a disaster...

Last night I stuck with a 2-3 for the second quarter and the Pistons started to shoot airballs, turn it over in the paint and throw ally oops into the 3rd row...

When they came back after the half it was like they discussed it n the locker room and went with a all smalls perimiter attack and killed the zone...

I went back to man and hung on for the win...

My next strategy is to run the 2-3 AFTER the half to combat the inevitable 3rd quarter CPU burst by "confusing" them anf then going back to man when it stops working...

The above might be a one time thing, but I'm going to look into it more...

Other than that:

I play "on ball" until the shot goes up and then rely on the AI to handle the work under the boards, which I seem to only mess up...

I try to keep track of who's coming off the screens and play that lane to force a secondary option...

I "sag off" a point guard who's always driving or running a pick and roll (see video)...

I only double for a while, if that guy is killing me...

I "L1" double on occasion when they are deep in the shot clock...

That's all I've got...

Cool thread, OP and participants!

[B Easy]

Re: How do you play defense?

Defense has always been an issue for me. In the past I've clicked off to whoever has the ball and that strategy works in terms of me contesting shots by the CPU. I've also had it back fire on me many times when I get crossed up or just plain blown by (pause).

Everyone is right though, you had to mix in a form of contesting shots and off ball D to be effective. Also the CPU will go on runs out of nowhere. I find myself getting a decent sized lead by half time, mid way thru the 3rd quarter or even the 4th quarter I coast a bit and next thing you know the CPU is making everything in the gym.

You have to play basketball for 48 minutes or else you'll pay. Always be focused on D.

[Jeffx]

Re: How do you play defense?

I play 'man' D. Most of the time I control a PG or C. The sliding makes playing defense frustrating.

B Easy is right. The CPU always goes superman in the third quarter.

[TeddyKGB]

Re: How do you play defense?

I never play zones.

Usually I stay in control of the player I was last controlling on the offensive end; then I run back and locate my man--regardless of whether he has the ball or not. From there, I'll play my man accordingly: denying the ball, doubling off of him, switching, rotating, etc. Occasionally, I'll switch to the defender closest to the ball if the defense has been broken down by penetration, or I need to grab a rebound.

[Shield]

Re: How do you play defense?

Man to Man, except for the occasional zone just to see if it's more effective (i never find it to be). Usually control my C and let the other guys do the work, but whenever i play a team with a superstar i usually control my counter defender [kobe, lebron, wade, melo, yao, rose]. My most challenging issue is not falling for pump fakes and reacting to first moves.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: How do you play defense?

I play primarily man, but throw in an occasional zone. Often times I may force a TO with a zone, but do not stay in zone multiple times down the court or you will get burned. I like the 1-3-1 but it is vulnerable to the corner 3.

Personnel matters. Don't expect to have a stout D with the Wizards. Every team should have one defense guy. In my association I traded for Artest.

Know who you are playing. Know their strengths and weakness and adjust accordingly. Don't expect to not alter your strategy against each team and not be beat.

Double teams- use it. Against the Celtics for example every time Garnett would get the ball on the high post I double with my pg. Why? Rondo can't shoot. I would rather give up a Rondo jumper instead of Garnett's infamous shimmy fade.

Defensive settings. Use them.
Deny ball- opponents primary scorer/ all around players. If possible put your best defender on him. Artest deny ball on LeBron James = savior. Just because a guy is good does not mean you should deny ball though. For the Heat I never deny ball on Wade. It tires my team and usually Wade still gets position. Be careful with deny ball though. For the LeBron example Artest is good, but if you do it with a sub par defender it may hurt you more than not. Backdoor cuts could cause problems. Alley oops aplenty.

on ball vs off ball
contrary to what some may say, I find it better to set off ball to sag off on some shooters (Ray Allen). The reason being is if you set to tight an off ball screen could cause problems, leaving to a wide open look. off ball sag, on ball tight. Or you personally play off ball D.

One final thing, you will not be able to shutdown the offense, but you can shut down parts of it. Make the team beat you on your terms. For the Celtics as an example, give Rondo the J. If he makes it, he makes it. Just don't try the same strategy against the Thunder or Westbrook will have a field day. And finally there is no real universal strategy. It depends on your team and the opponent.

[Tecmo SB Guy]

Re: How do you play defense?

When do you guys use Intense D (holding down LT)?

Because sometimes I find I defend better when I don't use it because I have better lateral quickness and if my guy beats me I can recover quicker by not holding it down.

[Zastrin]

Re: How do you play defense?

I used to struggle a lot on defense, but I put a CPU vs CPU game on and watched how they would defend against players in the post and perimeter.

How I Play Defense:

I play both on and off ball defense because my off ball defenders might have a very low defensive awareness and will let the opponent score. As I am defending the on ball player, I watch around the court to see how my players are. I will anticipate most of the time and jump right on the off-ball defender and play him and move him in a position where the on-ball player will have to look elsewhere to pass.

In the post, you need to have a split second reaction. They will do fakes on you and everything - this comes with experience. If you can stay and follow him through his move, you will stop him. If he is someone like Kevin Garnett - you need to double him. Call for a double team and once the double team happens, switch to an off ball defender and try to stick to him incase he passes out if he doesn't decide to shoot.

It is all about anticipation.

How this helps....