[Chalky White]

I don't understand why everyone is trashing the video.

There's only so much you're going to get out of a 9 second clip, so I wouldn't read too far into it one way or the other, but I watched the high-res version of the teaser a handful of times and of what we were shown there were more positives than negatives.

For starters, the court spacing and the physical proportions of the players are spot on. I've read complaints of the models appearing too "skinny" and wonder if the posters in question actually watch NBA games. Its players, for the most part, are a thin and lanky group. Live captures this more accurately than they are given credit for. Jerseys are tight and snug as they should be. Subtle movement in the tops, with more give and sway in the bottoms.

Steve Nash looks like Steve Nash. The video is poor quality relative to what we'll all be playing on in our living/gaming rooms, so the minute details such as wrinkles and blemishes are absent, but it's accurate beyond that. I also like how his face and eyes appear alive and alert. You'll notice his eyes follow the roll man(Pau), and then leave the roll man and shift to the basket when he shoots the floater.

With the exception of the rails being too high, the Rose garden was done well. The arena and atmosphere in general look to be a step up from current generation titles. The bench is full, officials are present and properly positioned, there are camera men on the baseline, etc. Could definitely use more media at the table though.

The Blazers P&R defense is structurally correct, as are most of the ensuing reactions after Nash accepts the pick. Lillard fights through Pau, Pau then rotates, drawing Aldridge with him. Kamen's man, Robin Lopez rotates off of him into the paint to block off the rim, forcing Nash to take a floater instead of a layup. My only question would be why Lillard is walking after fighting through the pick? Could be user era or poor defensive AI that goes along with lower difficulty settings, but it looks off. Also, the movement of the video looked a little whacky. I think it was slown down.

The lighting looked a little off, and the colors washed out. This seems to be an issue consistent throughout EA sports titles. I wish they'd fix it.

Anyways, kudos to EA for doing as the community asked and releasing a 5v5 gameplay video, things are looking good thus far. The competition may very well still release a better game(I expect this to be the case), but Live looks to be laying down a reliable foundation for future iterations of the title. I'm excited to see more on Friday.