Pickup street games of basketball are for the concrete courts. Players who take their game to the console controller with NBA 2K15 should elevate their game with plays that will make them hardwood champions.
There already is a guide to effectively running a play when controlling the ball, but this tutorial contains four common defenses for every game situation. Keep in mind the formation’s numbers read starting at the positions furthest from the basket.
Man-to-man
This defense is the longest running formation in basketball and is still commonly used throughout all levels. Man defense is aggressive, constant, and involved. Every player must follow their assigned opponent to contest shots and passes, no matter if they go to the half court line or concession stand.
After man-to-man defense, the 2-3 zone formation has been an integral part of basketball’s history. This formation features two guards defending one half of the floor near the three-point line’s highest arch (aka the top of the key), and three forwards guarding a third of the court near the baseline. Any offensive player entering the zone is picked up by that section’s defender, and defensive pressure is applied when the ball enters their zone.
With three players closer to the basket, this defense stops the threat of inside scoring. The lane on which the offensive player drives to the basket becomes clogged, and more defenders can put a body on bigger players.This formation is most affective against teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies that have bigger lineups, especially with center Marc Gasol and power forward Zach Randolph in their lineup. The Brooklyn Nets also feature assertive and tall players such as center Brook Lopez and power forward Kevin Garnett.
The 2011 Dallas Mavericks are an example of effective zone use. They used this type of defense to upset the Big Three’s first year together in Miami and win the 2011 NBA Finals. Chris Bosh, Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade had difficulty penetrating the Mavericks’ zone without off-ball movement and screens. Without those offensive adjustments, they resorted to passing the ball around the perimeter where they were trapped by several defenders.
That Dallas Mavericks team, though, was an exception to how the 2-3 zone is typically ran. While man offense is aggressive, zone defenses are laid back. This helps recover stamina, but it also opens up opportunities away from the basket to shoot the ball. Defenses should not run this type of zone against teams with sharpshooter guards and forwards.
3-2 zone
This formation is a subtle flip of the 2-3 zone, but provides a noticeable effect when contesting outside passes and deep shots.
Because more players are defending near the top portions of the 3-point area in this formation, the offensive guards face more pressure. This is especially effective against teams such as the Pheonix Suns, who make up for their lack of size inside the paint with precision soothers. Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, and Gerarld Green are a part of the Suns’ depth at the guard position. Those four players all shoot over 34.9 percent from 3-point range and substitute in for each other throughout the game.
Just like the 2-3 defense, the 3-2 is weakest where there are less players. In this instance, an extra player near the 3-point line sacrifices defense near the basket.
2-2-1 Full Court Press
While the previous four defenses occur on one half of the court, this formation is a play spreading the entire defense along the playing field that begins when the offense passes the ball inbound.
The full court press can be sporadically executed throughout the game, but this formation is typically done during the later half of the fourth quarter when the defense needs to create offensive opportunities by turning the ball over. The objective of this formation is to constantly apply pressure and preferably force opponents to the sidelines where the defense has a higher chance of helping create turnovers.
Even though this defense is the preferred crunch time formation, it drains stamina to stop the ball early after the offense inbounds the ball. If the offense is able to break the press by going up the middle or launching deep passes, the defense will not have enough time to hustle down the court.
These four defenses are enough to start a casual gamer towards a championship path in mastering the plays NBA 2K15 offers.
