[achieveduser]

I too stayed away from basketball since 98 until couple of years ago. NBA2K11 was my first 2K title I ever played. When I first got that game, I stayed away from playing with current NBA teams since I only knew few players like Tmac, Grant Hill, KG, Kobe etc.

So I played a lot of classic match ups. I suggest the same for you. Play some match up using Houston, Knicks, Magic, Bulls, Jazz, and Sonics. You should be more familiar with players from that era and their style. Having some knowledge in team roster and match ups can help your game a lot against CPU.

Also you have to invest some time learning dribble moves and post moves. I suggest, after going through tutorials, play some match ups in player lock mode. (You can do this in control setting if I remember correctly. Just choose preferred position to PG, SG, or whatever you desire.) Play around only controlling Hakeem, MJ, or Penny Hardaway. I find controlling just one player is an excellent way to learn this game. Try 2K camera or Drive cam at the beginning... I find this is a pretty good way to execute moves with less user input error. But camera setup is really a user preference. Do what you like.

You can also do this through MyCareer mode (create your player and just control him) but like I said, make use of classic roster and have fun with classic match ups as you remember it. Enjoy.