Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

[ZoneBlitz]

Please post all the proven strategies for success you have found for the game. I created this thread because I'm tired of having to search through a gazillion posts to find strategies for success. Feel free to also post what you like about the game. Please...nothing negative here or about how the game is allegedly broken. Also, don't talk about what you don't like - there are plenty of other threads for that.

At any rate, please include anything that you found helps in any mode of the game. Also, video demonstrations would be great. I will soon create a youtube account to do that.

I will start:

I have learned that practice really, really pays off. My suggestion: learn perhaps two plays for each starter on your team, then pick them as randomly as possible so that the CPU doesn't hone in on what you are doing. Of course, if your team has just one star player, then you might be stuck and just have to learn all the plays for him.

[Phins86]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

I feel like to be successful in this game you just have to have a "flow" on offense. It's kind of hard to describe, you just have to feel it. You have to watch for players coming off screens, or wait for them to get some spacing for an open shot. Also I've noticed that when you have a guy open, you have to be ready to shoot the ball right when he gets it, no hesitation.

That's pretty much the way I play...

[ZoneBlitz]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

I feel like to be successful in this game you just have to have a "flow" on offense. It's kind of hard to describe, you just have to feel it. You have to watch for players coming off screens, or wait for them to get some spacing for an open shot. Also I've noticed that when you have a guy open, you have to be ready to shoot the ball right when he gets it, no hesitation.

That's pretty much the way I play...

I noticed that also. You really have to shoot immediately and not pause. I play on All-Star/Sim, what level do you play on?

[Phins86]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Online... Always

I also love the post game this year. I've been playing with the Jazz and Paul Millsap is a BEAST. Love dumping it in to him and letting him dominate. Then the double teams start coming and I'll kick out to my guards for an open three. Man I'm lovin this game

[Tigers3]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

One thing that will help is to stick with one team and learn that team inside and out. Learn your team's strengths and weaknesses. Pick plays that setup your player's strengths. For example, I play with the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have a very good front court, so I look to go to the post a lot with Randolph and Gasol. I also have 3 good shooters with Mayo, Gay, and Henry so I mix in plays where they come off screens for mid range shots. Like someone else said, try to get in a flow on offense, once you know what it feels like, you will increase your fg % by a few points.

[ZoneBlitz]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

One thing that will help is to stick with one team and learn that team inside and out. Learn your team's strengths and weaknesses. Pick plays that setup your player's strengths. For example, I play with the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have a very good front court, so I look to go to the post a lot with Randolph and Gasol. I also have 3 good shooters with Mayo, Gay, and Henry so I mix in plays where they come off screens for mid range shots. Like someone else said, try to get in a flow on offense, once you know what it feels like, you will increase your fg % by a few points.

Sounds good. What level do you play on and what camera angle do you use?

I'm thinking that I will really learn the Knicks inside-out.

[Scriptures22]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

agree with the "flow" comment. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS. I play with the Trailblazers and having a strong bench has been a focus for me because this team is a walking injury waiting to happen. When healthy, Oden, Aldridge and Camby is a rebounding nightmare for opponents so I'm comfortable throwing up (good) shots with Roy and Batum. Portland is a slow(er) team, so fastbreaks are not as common. Know your team's natural pace and stick to it. Study your opponent and exploit mismatches. This year, it really matters. If you like to play more than coach, set Offensive Plays to AUTO, but run through them first in practice to get used to the timing. Finally, ADJUST. If you run the same plays, the CPU will pick up on your patterns. Use TC passing to change the passing angles.

[Scriptures22]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Also, don't always use turbo when driving. The defense has a way of cutting you off quickly. Use it with the last steps before shooting. I don't know if this is cheese or not, but I've had more success with this than with trying to turbo every time I want to drive. One more thing: Accept your losses and learn from them. If you are winning EVERY game with a mid-tier team, your settings are too low. The Lakers took me to town in our first meeting and exploited my weaknesses. But it helped me when I made adjustments to my gameplan. I still loss to them again, but it was an OT game and I had injuries in my starting lineup. I can't wait to meet them again!

[ZoneBlitz]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

agree with the "flow" comment. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS. I play with the Trailblazers and having a strong bench has been a focus for me because this team is a walking injury waiting to happen. When healthy, Oden, Aldridge and Camby is a rebounding nightmare for opponents so I'm comfortable throwing up (good) shots with Roy and Batum. Portland is a slow(er) team, so fastbreaks are not as common. Know your team's natural pace and stick to it. Study your opponent and exploit mismatches. This year, it really matters. If you like to play more than coach, set Offensive Plays to AUTO, but run through them first in practice to get used to the timing. Finally, ADJUST. If you run the same plays, the CPU will pick up on your patterns. Use TC passing to change the passing angles.

Awesome advice. I'm loving it. Keep this coming.

[jshmoopy]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Also, don't always use turbo when driving. The defense has a way of cutting you off quickly. Use it with the last steps before shooting. I don't know if this is cheese or not, but I've had more success with this than with trying to turbo every time I want to drive. One more thing: Accept your losses and learn from them. If you are winning EVERY game with a mid-tier team, your settings are too low. The Lakers took me to town in our first meeting and exploited my weaknesses. But it helped me when I made adjustments to my gameplan. I still loss to them again, but it was an OT game and I had injuries in my starting lineup. I can't wait to meet them again!

The turbo advice is great, people always complain about the controls and a lot of the times they are probably squeezing that turbo button the whole time. That will really mess up your dribble. The only time I use turbo is after I get that first step and I'm going to the basket or I'm playing catch up on defense.

I'd like to add that you should really master the isomotion. I can finally do all of the moves on command (thanks to the Dribble Course in My Player mode) and it is such a breath of fresh air when I am walking up court and I can double cross, in-and-out, spin, behind the back and half spin on command from any spot on the court. Also, the isomotion is just part of the equation you really have to know where your moves can take you. I have made some really great moves by trying to anticipate where the defense will be and guessing correctly. After all of your crossovers, depending on which way you hold the stick, you'll make a different move towards the basket. Once you completely figure out the isomotion it becomes a much better system and the frustration really goes away, it's just difficult to get there. Pulling off a hesitation crossover into a step-back into another crossover and getting a nice highlight dunk out of it is so gratifying.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Another thing is adapt on the fly or in your timeouts to your opponet. In a game I was playing against the Magic they were chucking up 3 pointers and crashing the boards. After seeing this for a good 4-5 minutes I went ahead and turned up my tempo to the max as well as my fast break and turned my crash boards to almost nil. For about the next 4 minutes I made sure I positioned Bosh or Lebron near the glass and fought for my boards and was able to get out and run and start draning open jumpers and got some very easy layups and a few dunk and went on a 10-3 run.

Bottom line is this game makes you adjust, and adapt 2-3 times a game easy to what the AI is doing. And they will adapt to you as well.

Using your on the fly coaching setting is vital to long term season success.

[Tigers3]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Sounds good. What level do you play on and what camera angle do you use?

I'm thinking that I will really learn the Knicks inside-out.

I play on All Star Sim but I might bump it up because I just blew out the Magic with the Grizzlies, and I am winning almost every game easily. 2k camera.

[Tecmo SB Guy]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Hi. I have a strategy question. What do you guys do when you're getting denied in the post by fronting?

For example, let's say I have it on auto play calling and the call is "35 Post" for Amare. But the post defender is denying him the ball and fronting him.

From what I've seen in real basketball when the big guy is fronted constantly, the post feeder will throw a pass over the top while the big guy frees himself and goes toward the hoop to catch the pass over the top. But you can't really do that in this game. There's a lob command (LT+B) but that's for an alley-oop play and you also need to tell the big guy to go towards the hoop at the same time but you can't.

So what do you guys do? Just break the play and pass it somewhere else? Or just call another play?

[2slik]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Have at least three go to plays:

- Post spin dunk
- Giant hop step and multiple pump fakes then dunk
- Slow walk offense

Practice for a while and then go to town on everyone in your path.

Remember OP, don't play basketball, play video games.

[2slik]

Re: Strategies for Success In NBA 2k11

Hi. I have a strategy question. What do you guys do when you're getting denied in the post by fronting?

For example, let's say I have it on auto play calling and the call is "35 Post" for Amare. But the post defender is denying him the ball and fronting him.

From what I've seen in real basketball when the big guy is fronted constantly, the post feeder will throw a pass over the top while the big guy frees himself and goes toward the hoop to catch the pass over the top. But you can't really do that in this game. There's a lob command (LT+B) but that's for an alley-oop play and you also need to tell the big guy to go towards the hoop at the same time but you can't.

So what do you guys do? Just break the play and pass it somewhere else? Or just call another play?

Dribble entry or just take control of Amare through total control passing, hold LT, back into the post defender with the left stick and shove that noob off by flick the right stick.