Tag Archives: 3v3 Pro-Am

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #456 of the NLSC Podcast!

A recent Tweet from a fellow “old head” perfectly summed up why it’s a ridiculous insult for anyone who’s been around the block and knows their stuff. It’s quite timely too, as this week we’re reflecting on what simulation basketball actually means in 2022. We discuss how changes in the real NBA have affected the virtual hardwood in terms of what gamers want and what they’re emulating, and compare it to our more traditional notion of sim hoops. Our deep dive encompasses everything from mindless playcalling to the selfishness and meta gaming that dominates the online scene. In this week’s mailbag, we’re quizzing the community on the top six current and classic players in NBA 2K17.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:02:46 — 43.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a PSA about the responsible use of custom images in the various modes of NBA 2K.

It’s easy to take features such as face scanning and custom images for granted, as they’ve been in NBA 2K for years now. In particular, the level of customisation that image uploading facilitates is a clear advantage that NBA 2K’s modes have had over their NBA Live equivalents during the past decade. Sure, it’s fun to get your favourite team’s logos and jerseys for your squad in the card collecting modes, but it’s even better when you can design your own uniforms and use a custom logo! The default expansion team assets are nice, but custom images take things to the next level.

And of course, since those customisation features are already in the game, they’re naturally a part of creating your own Pro-Am squad as well. In fact, it’s one of the features that have separated it from NBA Live’s online team play modes. Just as in MyTEAM, being able to use your own logo and decorate your arena with unique assets adds a personal touch that current and historical NBA branding just can’t offer. Sometimes custom images have been more difficult to unlock than they should be, but at the same time, I can’t blame 2K for making us jump through hoops. To that end, I’d like to put out this PSA to be more responsible and mature about custom images.

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As I’ve mentioned in articles and on the NLSC Podcast, traditionally I wasn’t ever a big online or competitive gamer. I mostly played franchise and later career modes, or co-operatively with my cousin. However, after Kenny invited Arcane and I to play 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K16, I was hooked. This led to the creation of our squad – NLSC THRILLHO – in NBA 2K17.

We had an amazing year, playing over 500 games together. However, disappointment with NBA 2K18 and changes to the format of team Pro-Am in NBA 2K19 combined to put an end to that experience. It hasn’t been until NBA 2K23 that enough of us are playing the latest game and have put the necessary work into our MyPLAYERs to be able to play together online again. We’ve already had a number of sessions of 3v3 Pro-Am, and they’ve produced some fun moments and enjoyable games. I’ve put together a highlight reel from some of our early wins, as NLSC THRILLHO rides again!

Once again, Dee4Three has been spearheading our efforts to create more video content, and I’m looking to get more involved in it as well. To that end, be sure to check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more basketball gaming highlights! We’ve also got some other features planned, so stay tuned.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #447 of the NLSC Podcast!

After putting together a rough draft of an All-Time Teams roster for NBA Live 2003 PC, we decided to test it out over Parsec. The result was a fun co-op game, and incentive to keep working on the project! We’ve still been having a blast with NBA 2K23 as well, and recap our recent sessions with MyTEAM, MyNBA, MyCAREER, and 3v3 Pro-Am. We also feel compelled to call out egotistical influencers who dismiss opinions based on follower counts, and remind everyone that you don’t need to be a “big name” to have a worthy opinion. After brainstorming some more modding ideas, we open up the mailbag to discuss ideas on how to improve customisation features.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:14:57 — 51.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

In addition to the Top 10 Plays of the Week and full episodes of our podcast, we also upload other basketball gaming videos to the NLSC YouTube channel! I’ve fallen behind on sharing the uploads here on the NLSC itself, and to that end, I’ll be making a better effort to post bulletins featuring new videos moving forward.

That’s because in addition to curating the weekly Top 10 countdown, Dee4Three has been very prolific in uploading excellent gameplay highlights for a variety of titles, in addition of course to NBA 2K23. This includes his MyTEAM Domination highlights, as he’s currently working his way through the mode. You’ll also find playlists featuring our Parsec tournaments, co-op and competitive sessions, and more.

I’ve also put together a highlight reel from my first session in The Rec in NBA 2K23, in which Valor and I squadded up with a number of random teammates; some better than others! Kenny also joined us for some 3v3 Pro-Am games, and I’ll have a highlight reel from that session uploaded very soon. In short, please subscribe to our channel for some fantastic basketball gaming content, and in case those YouTube notifications don’t work, keep an eye out here for bulletins about our future uploads! For now, you can catch up on the most recent uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel below.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #445 of the NLSC Podcast!

The greediness and pushiness of microtransactions in NBA 2K23 is under fire this past week, as the honeymoon period with the game appears to be drawing to a close. We’re certainly inclined to agree with that critique, though it’s disheartening to see people shilling and shouting down valid criticism. While we’re still enjoying NBA 2K23, there are concerning issues from gameplay balance online, to the expense of MyTEAM packs and upgrades in MyCAREER. Meanwhile, the quickness in patching a happy accident with MyNBA Eras rosters while leaving other issues untouched highlights a continued lack of goodwill. We also recall a cool feature in the Japanese-exclusive NBA Starting Five 2005, and open up the mailbag to get the community’s thoughts on the approach to VC in NBA 2K23, as well as find out what they’ve been playing so far.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:25:35 — 59.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five outlines five reasons that the online scene in NBA 2K is a mess.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve discussed problems with the online experience in NBA 2K, and while I’d prefer not to harp on issues or be repetitive in my content, it’s also important to point out problems. This is particularly important when certain issues remain unresolved for several years running, leading to increased frustration for everyone, and an aspect of basketball gaming that isn’t nearly as good as it could and should be. Having spent more time playing NBA 2K online recent years, I’ve grown dismayed and disenchanted with the experience due to several recurring problems.

Frankly, NBA 2K online is a mess. It’s kind of bewildering, actually. With the launch of the NBA 2K League, the online scene is obviously being pushed as a big part of the game, and yet it’s never been weaker or less inviting. That’s not to say that it can’t be any fun at all. I won’t pretend that I haven’t had enjoyable sessions here and there, or that NBA 2K online doesn’t have anything to offer; at least on paper. The good news is that there are solutions that would clean up the mess that is online play in NBA 2K. The bad news is that many of the problems are persistent legacy issues, so it remains to be seen if they’ll ever be properly addressed in future games.

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Episode #333 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this week’s show.

Would you pay $16,000 for a promotional copy of NBA 2K15? Someone on eBay is hoping that you will! We’ve spent considerably less on recent additions to our collections, which we were excited to pick up. Speaking of collectables, a few copies of Slam City with Scottie Pippen have also popped up on eBay, leading us to reflect on that somewhat forgotten game. Meanwhile, an influx of new gamers in NBA 2K20’s online scene has further emphasised the need to implement proper ranking and matchmaking measures (and inspired another rant). We also discuss what it takes to change our gaming habits on the virtual hardwood, and how some of those habits were formed in the first place.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:34:14 — 106.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

What’s your take on this week’s conversation? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how 3v3 Pro-Am in NBA 2K20 has been…dare I say it…fun.

I’ve been critical of the lack of proper matchmaking and new restrictions on 5v5 Pro-Am since the latter was introduced in NBA 2K19. Last week, I noted that it took all three of our teammates quitting for Kenny and I to have one of the best games we’ve ever had in The Rec. I’m on record declaring that NBA 2K’s online experience is in really rough shape, regardless of its general popularity and engagement numbers. Despite some fun games here and there, I stand by that as being the case on the whole. There are many improvements that could be made to online play in NBA 2K.

However, I have found an online mode in NBA 2K20 that has been fun more often than not. So fun in fact, I’ve titled this article like a clickbait YouTube video. The NLSC squad hasn’t had a 5v5 Pro-Am game this year as we haven’t had the numbers, but on a few occasions we have been able to get three of us together. Normally in that situation we’d head to The Rec, where it’s a little easier to control things when you account for more than half of the team, or maybe The Playground, but not so much this year. Instead, we’ve given 3v3 Pro-Am a try, and I’d have to say that it may be the most consistently fun online mode in NBA 2K20.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a recap of my experiences playing as a big man in The Rec, after years of assuming the role of a playmaking point guard.

I documented my experiences trying out a big man build that was similar to the way I played in my local league as a teenager many years ago, in a previous article that I titled MyPLAYER in the Middle. As I noted in that feature, playing as a big man after years of MyCAREER games as a point guard felt very strange and quite frustrating at times. It was, as you would expect, a major adjustment with such a drastic change in role, to say nothing of going back to being a 60 Overall after maxing out my point guard build at 99.9 Overall. At the same time, it was an interesting experience.

Of course, playing online is a whole different brand of virtual basketball, and I was curious to see how it compared to my experiences as a point guard. I’ve often heard that it’s easier to get games in The Rec as a big man, as they tend to be in higher demand due to a majority of gamers opting for point guard and wing builds. Having played several Rec games with guard-heavy squads, and sometimes struggling to get games because of people quitting to avoid that scenario, I was hopeful that that would hold true for my alternate build. As far as the quality of the on-court experience was concerned…well, I figured The Rec would always be The Rec, but it was worth a try.

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