[Vroman]

Quote: Originally Posted by isdatyt

I think it's the classic "What separates AI from humans" issue. This play looked decent on defense, until Pierce inexplicably decides David West is more dangerous on the perimeter than Ariza. I feel like defense is never going to be perfect in this game. Defense is 100% mental. So many players have the physical tools to be great defenders but it doesn't pan out for most of them as far as being elite at it. It's mental. It's knowing exactly what to give up, knowing what to take away, knowing when to reach, when to switch or rotate early. It's a snap decision every second and the wrong choice ends in a bucket. It's why Tony Allen has been in the league over a decade despite being one of the worst offensive players on any team. I feel for developers trying to get that perfectly in the game without creating a team of impenetrable death-bots, that are capable of stopping everything the offense can do. Offense is so easy to quantify, but defense is incredibly hard, in almost any sports game, let alone one as fast-paced as NBA basketball. Not to make excuses for them, but I can see why defense is consistently an area of struggle for 2K.

Hard to tell if Pierce decision was bad. West 84 midrange, Ariza 73 3pt ratings there and Rondo wasn't far from closing Ariza in time. Its just difference of immersion to me when I see defenders so responsive and active and I really don't think the logic can get better than this. It would even be unrealistic if they rotate super fast and never leave anybody open. You do the defensive adjustments to stop certain offensive plays that are normally difficult to stop rather than trying to make your defenders less dumb in basic sutuation.