Tag Archives: Discourse

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 some thoughts on how criticism is vital, as the ability to critique and display knowledge separates the fans from the Stans.

NBA The Run was released last week, and the resulting reception and discourse hasn’t been surprising. Some people are enjoying the game, and having had some fun with it myself, I’m not shocked to hear that. Others feel the gameplay is a bit disappointing, and are critical of the lack of offline modes. I tend to agree with many of those points. And then, there are the people trying to shout down all criticism of NBA The Run. They’re decrying critics as haters who are bad on the sticks and out of touch with modern gaming, all because they dared to have negative (yet reasonable) opinions.

I saw it coming. This toxic positivity, this strong emotional investment in a video game to the point where you take any criticism of it personally, has been brewing long before the game’s release. As I said last week, I think that aspect of the community that NBA The Run has cultivated is potentially going to be very damaging. Dee and I will be reviewing NBA The Run on this week’s NLSC Podcast, so I won’t be going into too much detail about the game itself here. However, I do want to reflect on this toxic Stan culture in gaming, because it isn’t just NBA The Run. Somewhere along the line, too many people have decided that “real fans” shouldn’t engage in criticism.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #632 of the NLSC Podcast!

Although we’ve been playing basketball video games for decades now, the hobby is still capable of surprising us. To that end, what are some of the biggest surprises – both positive and negative – in basketball gaming in 2026? This week we’re sharing and discussing what amazes and astonishes us when it comes to the virtual hardwood, from the quality of the games and modern design philosophies, to the lack of competition and changes in community attitudes. That includes touching on the shift in modding culture, and the general discourse when it comes to basketball gaming issues. Our listeners also weigh in with what surprises them the most – for better or worse – with basketball video games today.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 58:50 — 40.8MB)

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!

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 some thoughts on how real agendas have been infiltrating the virtual commentary in basketball video games.

The other day, I saw a social media post praising the positivity of the NBA on Prime crew’s coverage of a Lakers game. It drew comparisons with Inside the NBA, opining that Shaq in particular would’ve been negative in his commentary. It echoes recent remarks from Nick Wright, who at least tried to couch his callout with compliments. Back in November last year, Nikola Jokic wrapped up an interview with the NBA on Prime crew by calling it “much better“; a not-too-subtle jab at the lack of positivity he’s endured from other analysts, including the notoriously petty Shaq.

As much as I have my quibbles with the modern game, I can’t entirely disagree. When I first got into basketball, the NBA and its stars were presented as being part of a great ongoing legacy. That’s how it should be today. The problem is that in recent times, past generations have been disrespected in a way that I couldn’t imagine back in the 90s. Talking heads like Nick Wright have been a big part of that smear campaign – the “plumbers and dentists” rhetoric – so it’s rich to hear him plead for intergenerational peace and respect now. It’s bad enough that agendas like his plague coverage of the real NBA, but these days we have to listen to them in video game commentary too.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #623 of the NLSC Podcast!

The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo now owns the second-highest mark for scoring in a single NBA game with 83 points. It’s a performance that has certainly drawn mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike, with some people seeing it as great accomplishment while others are less impressed given the context of how it was achieved. This week, we join the community in giving our thoughts on Bam’s 83-point game, and discuss what we believe separates legitimate records and other statistical feats from manufactured accomplishments. To that end, we make some historical comparisons, and react to a few of the more passionate comments both praising and criticising Bam’s big night.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 57:20 — 39.7MB)

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 some reflections on being hooked on history and nostalgia with my current basketball gaming habits.

Many years ago, we were discussing the most recent WWE video game in the Forum. Sauru – a long-time member who had a few years on most of us – was wistfully noting the lack of wrestlers from the Golden Age/Hulkamania Era. As somewhat of a lapsed pro wrestling fan, he was far more interested in playing with his nostalgic favourites than the contemporary wrestlers. I understood his disappointment and agreed that a larger selection of Legends would be great, but noted that a majority of the userbase were more interested in the current WWE; a point that Sauru did concede.

Of course, all these years later, I find myself relating to Sauru’s disinterest when it comes to basketball and basketball gaming. His stance isn’t just understandable, but now very relatable! Indeed, it’s one of those “It’ll happen to you!” moments that The Simpsons warned us young viewers about back in the 90s. As I’ve grown disillusioned with the modern NBA and the disrespect for the history of the league – to say nothing of my issues with recent NBA 2K games – I’ve doubled down on my nostalgia. And so, these days I find far more satisfaction in going back to older titles that still hold up, discovering new favourites, and playing with Legends and other nostalgic lineups.

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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 some thoughts on how nostalgia is something special that we’re lucky to have, rather than being sad and pitiable.

Nostalgia has been getting a bad rap for quite a while now. Oh sure, there’s plenty of nostalgic communities and content online, as many of us love to reminisce. However, there has undoubtedly been a noticeable backlash to nostalgia as online demographics have shifted over the past decade or so. Beyond tired arguments about what was better – then or now – the discourse has been polluted by smug armchair psychoanalysis. If you’re nostalgic, or prefer to stick with something older, you must be hung up on the past, miserably chasing a moment in time that you’ll never get back.

Now, I can’t say that that doesn’t hold true for some people, though I’ll say it with far more sympathy and understanding than those who want to dump on the past to prop up the present! For many of us though, continuing to enjoy the classics – or at least looking back on them fondly – is neither depressing, nor preventing us from having new experiences. And so, the idea that nostalgia is a sad, delusional cry for help is infuriatingly condescending. Frankly, if we’ve made fond memories with our interests and passions that we can enthusiastically recall, then we’re extremely fortunate. If those things can still bring us joy, we’re even luckier. There’s nothing sad about that.

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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 some advice for 2026: just keep scrolling.

Nothing is for everyone. I wish I could phrase that more eloquently and profoundly, but when it comes down to it, that’s the way it is. This is as true for content on the internet as it is for TV shows, movies, music, video games, or basically anything else you can name. Not every YouTube video will be appealing to you. Not every forum, Reddit, or social media post will concern a topic that you care about. Not every article that I or anyone else writes will be interesting to everyone that happens to stumble across it. Even if you’re the intended audience, it still may not be your thing.

That’s OK, but somehow, too many people still take great exception to encountering something that they’re not interested in. Now, you could say that there are far more important matters in the world, but that’s kind of my point here. If the worst thing that happens to you today is that you’re suggested a video or a social media post that just doesn’t interest you, I’d argue that it’s been a pretty good day! And yet, some people still can’t help lashing out with snark and outright hostility when either the algorithm or a creator they follow delivers content that’s completely inoffensive, but simply not their cup of tea. It’s ridiculous because there’s an easy solution: just keep scrolling!

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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 some reflections on how after all these years, way too many people don’t know that EA Sports’ famous slogan is “It’s in the game”.

It’s Christmastime once again – aka the “silly season” – so it’s time for some merry, light-hearted fun in this week’s features! To that end, I’m combining my Monday Tip-Off “brand” with JaoSming’s old feature, Dumb Mondays. I did this last Christmas, in order to make a tongue-in-cheek comparison between the movies of John Hughes and the rise of the Chicago Bulls. It was a fun, silly “theory” that came to mind years ago. I ended up sitting on the rough draft of an article outlining the “connections” for a long time, before finally polishing it up and publishing it last Christmas.

Since the time has come for some more silliness, let’s talk about something that I find extremely silly: the sheer number of people who don’t know that EA Sports’ slogan is “It’s in the game”! More specifically, they believe that the slogan is something else that may sound kind of similar to that. Furthermore, they insist that they’re absolutely correct in thinking that EA Sports’ slogan is anything but “It’s in the game”. Now, this may not seem like something to get too riled up about, especially given the spirit of the season. With that in mind, I’m definitely not trying to be a Grinch here. This is all in good fun, and revelling in some silliness. At the same time though…come on, now!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #603 of the NLSC Podcast!

A week into the 2026 NBA season, the league has been rocked by a gambling scandal. Not only that, but many fans – us included – have been irritated by the amount of flopping and free throws on display. This week, we join the community in discussing the gambling scandal and the way it throws the league’s credibility into doubt, issues with officiating and the style of play, and a few other NBA matters that are getting us down. We also talk about whether playing basketball video games makes up for feeling disappointed with real hoops, before wrapping up with some stories about the times we’ve been ejected on the virtual hardwood.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:03:56 — 44.3MB)

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 some reflections on why I understand where fanboys are coming from, as well as the appeal of recency bias.

Recency bias is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to online discourse these days. New isn’t always better, because neither humans nor the world in general are perfect. There are peaks and valleys, missteps and corrections, good and bad ideas alike. In a similar vein, I don’t hold the opinions of fanboys in high esteem, either. “Stan culture” is way out of control, muddying discussions with ridiculous takes and performative debate, not to mention attacks on people who dare to disagree or dislike what you like. That isn’t a recent thing of course, but social media has made it worse.

However…I get it. As someone who has made a few more trips around the sun than some folks who insist that the latest NBA 2K is always the best, or that today’s NBA players are bigger, faster, stronger, and more talented than the “plumbers” of the past, I understand the feelings and the thought process. I disagree and may grumble about the youth of today with curmudgeonly sentiment that I’m still way too young for, but I honestly do get it. After all, I was your age once! I’ve been a fanboy too, and a victim of recency bias. It’s something that I’m pushing back on now, but it’s not just an issue with the younger generation today. It’s something that we all have to grow out of.

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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 few thoughts on the habit of tossing out confidently incorrect gotchas in online discourse.

Through message boards, chat rooms, social media platforms, and Discord servers, the internet provides us with various ways to connect and discuss the hobbies and interests that are important to us. To that point, we have numerous avenues to tell each other that we’re wrong! This is of course a very old observation about online discourse. Cunningham’s Law posits that posting an incorrect answer is the best way to get the correct information about a topic. The iconic xkcd strip “Duty Calls” sums up our need to argue with each other: “Someone is wrong on the internet!”

You don’t have to be a troll or a toxic member of an online community to have felt the catharsis of telling someone they’re wrong and setting the record straight. As much as we rightfully call out the obnoxiousness of an “um, actually“, there’s no denying its appeal. Besides, it is possible to offer up a correction and useful information without being a pompous know-it-all. Unfortunately, the appeal of being the one to catch a mistake or misinformation leads some people to be very quick on the draw. In short, some of us are way too eager to shout “wrong” in an effort to embarrass someone else and sound smart. This is how we end up with so many confidently incorrect gotchas.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #556 of the NLSC Podcast!

What are some of the worst basketball and basketball video game takes that we’ve encountered over the years? This week, we join our fellow gamers and hoop heads in recalling an assortment of truly terrible opinions that definitely made us scoff! We also played a couple of co-op games of NBA Live 18 using Parsec and the Xbox App. As we discuss, these sessions not only reminded us of the promising potential that NBA Live 18 had, but also saw us gain some satisfying revenge following a tough defeat. On that note, we also join the community in reflecting on the most devastating losses that we’ve endured on the virtual hardwood.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:28:06 — 60.9MB)

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 few thoughts on how we’re in the age of gatekeeping, and how that gatekeeping frequently involves age.

With my thirties drawing to a close, I’ve never identified more with that classic scene in The Simpsons where Abe warns Homer that one day, he won’t be “with it”. For Elder Millennials like me, it feels like we’ve been suddenly and unceremoniously pushed out of pop culture and some of our favourite hobbies; or at least, an effort is being made to do so. Our fashions are outdated (yet at the same time, they’re being brought back), our jokes might as well be “Boomer Humour”, and apparently we don’t even shoot videos correctly! We’re now among the “old heads” being sneered at.

And hey, to make a very Millennial-coded reference, it’s the Circle of Life, right? We’re not the trendy young crowd anymore, with only the youngest Millennials clinging to the upper end of the 18-34 demographic. This is the way of pop culture; this is, as blink-182 put it, growing up. Still, it feels like we’re being pushed out of things that we’re not too old for, or that anyone is too old for, really. We’re in an age of gatekeeping in general, but the gatekeeping itself is also often about age. That’s not to say that we didn’t have our own version of “Old Heads Keep Out” on the proverbial clubhouse door, but online discourse definitely revolves around generational division.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #527 of the NLSC Podcast!

MyTEAM gamers are up in arms once again, as 2K has pulled a Kobe Bryant card that a pre-release developer insight for NBA 2K24 promoted as the top Collector Level reward, coming in Season 6. We share our thoughts on the situation and 2K’s trademark lack of communication, drawing comparisons once again to the Pink Diamond fiasco in NBA 2K19. Talk of Take-Two’s greed also has us looking beyond the virtual hardwood, as Top Spin 2K25 has presented some familiar issues. In our main discussion this week, we join the community in listing some of the most overused jargon in basketball discourse. If these terms come up when talking about hoops, it’s not going to be a fun or thoughtful conversation!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:12 — 55.4MB)

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!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #519 of the NLSC Podcast!

We’re tipping things off this week with a strange (but not altogether surprising) incident on Twitter/X. Indeed, the quality of discourse on social media is on our minds this week, as we feel compelled to respond to the latest ridiculous narrative being pushed about Michael Jordan and NBA history. We also check in with Troydan’s quest to pull a 100 Overall card in NBA 2K24 MyTEAM, and discuss the new mobile game, NBA Infinite. In this week’s mailbag/featured discussion, we join the community in reminiscing about the basketball video game modes that have kept us hooked over the years, and the titles that we played them in.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:25:28 — 59.0MB)

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!