Player Mode FAQ - Guide for NBA 2K11

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____Title:  NBA 2K11:  My Player Mode Guide, version 1.0
__Version:  1.0
_____Game:  NBA 2K11
___System:  PC
___Author:  instant000 (Gamefaqs Name)
_____Date:  March 12, 2011
Copyright:  Copyright 2011 Lewis Lampkin, III

Info:  NBA 2K11 has a game mode called the My Player.  This is a FAQ for
that Game Mode.

DISCLAIMER:  The material inside this FAQ is based upon the PC version of the
game, NBA 2K11.  If some tips do not apply to your particular version of the
game, then I apologize.  Additionally, it is worth noting that I composed this
FAQ while working on the "pre-patched" version of the game.  Because of this,
some tips may not work as well. 

NOTE:  The Challenge Descriptions inside this FAQ are taken from the PC version
of the game, NBA 2K11.

TYPOS:  If there are typos or grammatical errors in this document, then I
apologize for them.  I am not getting paid for this, so you are getting what
you pay for, in this case.  I'm not going to "rIte Lyk DiZ" or anything, so
it should not be too bad for you, the reader. 

*****
*****
*****

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.  Introduction

2.  Common Questions about My Player Mode
-2a.  What is my player mode?
-2b.  What are stat caps?
-2c.  What are skill points?
-2d.  What is the importance of height?
-2e.  What is the importance of weight?
-2f.  What are key games?
-2g.  What is the purpose of the 2K insider?

3.  Different My Player Positions
-3a.  PG
-3b.  SG
-3c.  SF
-3d.  PF
-3e.  C

4.  General My Player Tips
-4a.  How should I spend the first 10,000 skill points?
-4b.  How do I take advantage of key games?
-4c.  How should I build my player up?
-4d.  How do I cherrypick?
-4e.  How do I set picks?
-4f.  How do I get assists?
-4g.  How do I score most easily?
-4h.  How do I defend the post?
-4i.  How do I defend the perimeter?
-4j.  How do I defend screens?
-4k.  How do I get steals?
-4l.  How do I get blocks?
-4m.  How do I get defensive rebounds?
-4n.  How do I get offensive rebounds?
-4o.  How do I get to the rim?
-4p.  How do I dunk?
-4q.  How do I protect the ball?
-4r.  How do I pass out of double-teams?
-4s.  How do I draw fouls?
-4t.  How do I get an A+?

5.  Position-specific My Player Tips
-5a.  PG Tips
-5a(1) What build to choose?
-5a(2) What attributes to boost first?
-5a(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
-5a(4) How can I dominate the NBA?
-5a(5) How tall should I be?
-5b.  SG Tips
-5b(1) What build to choose?
-5b(2) What attributes to boost first?
-5b(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
-5b(4) How can I dominate the NBA?
-5b(5) How tall should I be?
-5c.  SF Tips
-5c(1) What build to choose?
-5c(2) What attributes to boost first?
-5c(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
-5c(4) How can I dominate the NBA?
-5c(5) How tall should I be?
-5d.  PF Tips
-5d(1) What build to choose?
-5d(2) What attributes to boost first?
-5d(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
-5d(4) How can I dominate the NBA?
-5d(5) How tall should I be?
-5e.  C Tips
-5e(1) What build to choose?
-5e(2) What attributes to boost first?
-5e(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
-5e(4) How can I dominate the NBA?
-5e(5) How tall should I be?

6.  Best teams for each Position, and why
-6a.  Best team for a PG
-6b.  Best team for a SG
-6c.  Best team for a SF
-6d.  Best team for a PF
-6e.  Best team for a C

7.  Other Places to go for tips
-7a.  gamefaqs.com
-7b.  2ksports.com/forums
-7c.  operationsports.com/forums
-7d.  nba-live.com/forums


8.  Why did I write this FAQ?
-8a.  To ease boredom
-8b.  To have fun
-8c.  To help others

9.  Thanks
-9a.  2ksports
-9b.  Celtic1 of 2ksports.com/forums
-9c.  Countless others of 2ksports.com

*****

1.  Introduction

Here it is, what you have been waiting for all season, a My Player mode guide,
for NBA 2K11!  There are all sorts of good tips out there, that can enhance
your My Player playing experience, and this guide is designed to do just that
for you!  This guide is broken down into nine sections:

(1) Introduction - What you are reading now.

(2) Common Questions about My Player Mode - Answering some common questions
that get asked about My Player mode, from time to time.

(3) Different Types of My Players - There are different positions you can play
in My player, and this portion of the guide lists them.

(4) General My Player Tips - There are some general tips for My Player mode,
that you can use regardless of the position that you are playing.

(5) Position-specific My Player Tips - There are some tips for My Player mode,
that are specific to a particular position.  This portion of the guide covers
these.

(6) Best teams for each position, and why - There may be some positions out
there to be coveted in My Player mode, and this portion of the guide will
"hopefully" enlighten you about them.  Hey, you might form your own opinion of
disagreement, and that's what's so fun about this game, you can do it your own
way!

(7) Other places to go for tips - I do not hold a monopoly on knowledge related
to My Player Mode, in fact, I probably have very little knowledge in general.
In consideration of that, I need to provide you with other places you can go,
to get some knowledge about My Player Mode.

(8) Why did I write this FAQ? - You have reasons you do things, and maybe I
will give my own reason for why I wrote this FAQ.

(9) Thanks - in this portion of the guide, I give thanks to everyone who has
helped me on this guide.

OK, that's it for the introduction, now on into the guide, hope you enjoy it!

*****

2.  Common Questions about My Player Mode

-2a.  What is my player mode?

In the past few years, there has been a trend in team-centric sports games, to
allow a first person experience, while playing that game.  If you've ever
played "NBA the Life" or "Superstar Mode" in Madden, then My Player Mode is
quite similar to those modes.  My Player mode is probably best thought of as
the logical successor to the 24-7 mode that used to be in NBA2K games (before
that was scrapped).  My Player mode is superior, in that you can play this mode
to live out the great NBA career that you never had.  My Player mode is quite
fun, in that it carries this simulation aspect to it.  

A lot of the players of 2K will dismiss My Player Mode as being "newbish" ... 
and it may very well be, considering that it is a pretty "new" game mode.  Most
of the hard core players prefer "online, online, online"  Regardless of that, 
it brings a lot of fun to a group of players who may prefer to play offline.  
With my player mode, you now have something cool to play offline besides the 
excellent Association mode.  In 2K10, I played My Player a good bit, but not 
nearly as much as I played association.  In 2k11, that scenario has been 
reversed, and I play TONS of My Player Mode.

While the mode is newbish, it has tons of support by players on the 2ksports
forums.  Also, a cool thing about My Player is that after building up the My
Player offline, you can take it online to play with.  Anecdotal reports from
the user community indicate that this works a lot better on the consoles than
on PC.  Having never played with My Player online, I cannot delve into that
subject at all in this guide.  I apologize in advance for that.  With all of
this said, you should now have a pretty decent idea of what My Player Mode
is, if you did not know what it was before.

-2b.  What are stat caps?

Stat caps refer to how high you can boost any given attribute.  For example,
a basketball player may have several common attributes, such as LAYUP, DUNK,
3PT shooting, etc.  A stat cap is how high you can boost that given attribute.

In NBA2K11, you are limited in how high you can boost certain attributes of 
your My Player, depending upon the "Build" of that My Player that you have 
chosen.  This caused such a fuss for players, that they opened an entire thread
about it (many pages long, I might add), where they explored what the different
stat caps were for the different builds of players, so that they could then
choose a My Player build based upon which one had more of the attributes high
in the categories that mattered most to them. 

For example, an Athletic Center could get up to 75 speed and 99 block, but 
another type of center may only be able to get up to 60 speed and 90 block. (I
am just issuing fake numbers here, not having checked the stat caps list).  
This can become a big difference in gameplay, when you need to do a chase-down
block to win the game, but are too slow and don't have enough blocking skills
to execute.  Speed is a very powerful attribute in the game, so a slow big man
won't be worthless, but he just won't be as good as he could be if he were a
little quicker.

In order to help with that problem, I posted a google docs spreadsheet that
lists all of the My Player stat Caps.  It appears that the link often gets
buried on the forums, so maybe by including it within this guide, it might
help some of the readers.  The stat caps are in about three standard formats,
so you should be able to view them, after downloading.

Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B_M9eYJdAQXNNGY1ODYwZjEtZTRiZC00OTg4LTg0YTktMT
M5YjVhZGNmNjdm&hl=en

(Note: the above link needs to be peiced together, as there is a carriage
return on the first line.)


That's enough chatter about stat caps for now, but just in case you want a
little bit more, here's the link to the sticky topic on it in the 2kSports
forums.

http://www.2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270905

-2c.  What are skill points?

Skill points to a My Player are like water to a plant.  Skill Points make your
My Player grow!  You want as many skill points as you can get, trust me.  When
a My Player is first created, dependent upon their build, they get a rating in
several attributes.  To increase beyond this rating, you have to use skill 
points.  For example (may not be accurate), an Athletic Center, when first
created, may have a 60 rating in the speed attribute, at initial creation.  It
may cost 1,000 "skill points" in order to raise up to 61 speed points.  I
mention speed specifically because it is the most expensive, and also probably
one of the most important attributes you have available to you.

Skill points are gained based upon your on-the-court performance in games, your 
performance on skill drills, and hitting milestones.  

From your in-game performance, you can gain skill points in the following 
categories:

(1) Overall Performance, max of 900, for A+, less for other grades
(2) Hitting Offensive Objective 100, or 0 for failure
(3) Hitting Defensive Objective 100, or 0 for failure
(4) Winning the game 100, or -100 for losing
(5) Bonus Points, +10 for each highlight play
(6) Performance Points, additional points, based on how well you played in
the game.
The shorter you are, the more performance points you can get, for the same
performance that a taller player would execute
(7) Hitting team objective grade 100, or 0 for failure (this is based on how
well you grade out for performance)

As you can see, the critical things you want to do in a game are to get the
A+, and to win the game, which can get you 1,100 points per game. A+ = 900,
win =100, and team objective = 100.  Of course, you want to play as well as
you possibly can, and get the offensive and defensive objectives, and lots
of highlight plays, but, don't let your hunger for rebounding objectives
stop you from blocking shots that cause you to lose the game, as it takes
two objectives to make up for a loss, and if you already have one objective
clinched, its better to go ahead and win the game, than risk losing it, 
for another objective.  Now, of course, if you have losing the game 
clinched, then you need the objectives, just to break even, due to the
-100 penalty of the loss.

The drills you get every so often (I think once every five games, never
really counted), also can help your my player to boost up.  You get 400 skill
points if you do well in the drill, plus you get some attribute points to an
attribute based upon the drill.  If you're god at the drills, these can help
your my player gain some expensive attributes for less than they'd cost
otherwise.  For example, if speed costs 1,000 points (which basically takes
an entire game to get), and you can get a speed point (or, if lucky, a +2 to
speed) from a drill, then it is an optimal usage of the minute to do the
drill, versus the 15 to 20 minutes to play a game, to get the A+.

-2d.  What is the importance of height?

Height is VERY IMPORTANT in the game.  In fact, it is so important, that if
you make a tall player, you get less "performance points" than if you are
shorter.  Of course, to me, I would rather have the height, because in the
end, the short and tall players have the same stat caps, so while the shorter
player might beat you to max out, by a few games, in the end, the taller
player will be more dominant. Based upon this logic, I rather have the
taller player.

Height is most apparent on these game taks:
1.  Shooting over defenders - if you are really tall, people will have a
really hard time contesting your shot.  If you don't believe me, play
against the Houston Rockets,and try to defend Yao Ming.

2.  Blocking shots - This should be pretty self-explanatory.  If not, go play
against Earl Boykins, and get back to me, LOL.

3.  Rebounding - The taller player is already closer to the rim, so, yes,
getting rebounds is indeed easier, if you are taller.  This was pretty well
placed into the game.

-2e.  What is the importance of weight?

I have found that weight may or may not help.  I cannot determine if it is
purely psychological, or not, as I did not do extensive experiments.   I tried
playing with max weight, and then I tried playing one game with minimum
weight.  I can definitely say that more weight seems to help you in back down
situations, and also with rebound and defensive situations, as it seems to
help you have a larger "force field" if that makes any sense at all.  Since I
like to have a larger "force field" I play with more weight on the My Player.

-2f.  What are key games?

Key Games are games that will highlight in your schedule, for the next game
that you are about to play.  Key Games give you twice as many skill points
as you normally get for playing your games.  Because of this boost, key games
are prized and cherished, LOL.

Key games trigger from the following:
1 - matchup against a traditional rival
2 - matchup against a past playoff foe
3 - matchup against a star player at your position
4 - elimination game of a playoff series

That elimination game of a playoff series is a special case, as it is a type
of key game that can be triggered manually.  That is, you can play a playoff
series, and play horribly, and lose the first three games ON PURPOSE.  
After this, you get four games in a row, of double-point games!  Pretty 
sweet, huh?

-2g.  What is the purpose of the 2K insider?

I'm not sure that the 2K Insider has much of a purpose ... HAH, all kidding
aside, the 2K insider mainly comes out to give you some information, to help
you get situated, and started at the game.  After that, don't expect to see
him until key games trigger, you win a great award or endorsement, or you have
a poor in game performance.  This is a fresh change from 2K10, where you could
expect to hear from the Insider all the time, and you were looking for the
"turn off Insider" option after just a few games.

*****

3.  Different My Player Positions
-3a.  PG

The Point Guard (PG) is the floor general, and directs all of the action on
the court.  When I think of point guard, I think of great players like Magic
Johnson, Mark Jackson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash.  Point
guards are usually the best all-around players on their teams, as they have
to be able to do everything to be considered good at their position.  

-3b.  SG

The Shooting Guard (SG) is usually relied on as a scorer, and/or a defender of
scorers. When you think of shooting guards, consider greats such as Michael
Jordan, Mitch Richmond, or Dwayne Wade.  Shooting guards tend to be pretty
fast, as they, like the point guards, have primary defensive responsibility to
prevent fast breaks.

-3c.  SF

The Small Forward (SF) is usually relied on as a utility player, who can do
things on the inside, or the outside.  When you think of small forwards, 
consider greats such as Scottie Pippen, James Worthy, or Lebron James.  
All of these players could play either inside or outside on offense or
defense, as well as get out on the break.  Pippen was so good, that he could
literally defend all five positions on the court.

-3d.  PF

The Power Forward (PF) is part of the big man duo, and can be relied upon to
provide interior defense and offense.  Some power forwards are athletic like
guards, and others are not.  The common thread among them is that to be good,
they provide an interior presence.  When you think of power forwards, 
consider greats such as Karl Malone, Shawn Kemp, or Tim Duncan.  Duncan is
not very athletic at all, but many say that when his career is done, he may
very well be considered the top power forward in NBA history.

-3e.  C

The Center (C) is the other big man.  When you think of centers, consider
greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, 
David Robinson, or Shaquille O'Neal.  Centers usually provide the ultimate
interior presence, be that from an offensive, or a defensive standpoint.
A good center can dominate the game like no other position can, as so few
players will have the size to even match up with them, let alone stop them
once they get on a roll.

*****

4.  General My Player Tips

-4a.  How should I spend the first 10,000 skill points?

To me, this question is best answered *after* knowing what your position is,
as well as what style of play you prefer to have.

If you choose PG, SG, or SF, then the best single attribute that you could
boost would definitely be "shot medium" hands down.  After this attribute,
the next most important might be layup, then consistenty, and then off-dribble
shooting.  If, however, you choose PF, or C, then your best choice is the
following:  Dunk to 65, Standing Dunk to 55, then everything left over on
block.  

There is a method to this, and I will explain.  (You may have a differing
opinion and method, and I won't disagree with you.  What works for me might
not work for you.)

The reason medium shot is the first to boost for the small guys is simple: 
Early on, this will be your primary way to get offense for your player.  It
takes a lot of other work to be able to get to the hole out of a set play,
but if you have a high medium shot attribute, you can pretty much let it go
as long as you are inside the three point line, and have a good chance of
it going in. 

It is very easy to get off a medium shot ... maybe too easy.  But, in the
real NBA, if you have a mid range shot that is good, you can score a lot
of points. The same applies here.  Boost that medium shot asap, then
enjoy shooting 70% from mid-range.  Also, do not forget that you can get
a +8 pair of Jordan's, and tack that onto your player, and use that to
boost your medium shot rating a little bit more.  (But, this may not be
available to you, if you are just starting out on playing NBA2K11, and
have not earned this already.)

Now, you might be wondering why I don't also recommend the medium shot for
the big guys?  (What's good for the goose is good for the ginney, right?)
Well, in the case of big guys, they usually cannot shoot the medium shot
as well, but even beside that point, their primary offensive responsibility
is closer to the rim usually, so they can get offensive rebounds.  

Also, if you play as a big man, and miss a shot from the perimeter, the other
team has an easier fast break opportunity, than if you were down low missing
a shot, and/or were down low to help prevent the opposing team from so easily
getting the defensive rebound.  Giving up defensive rebounds is a bad thing
for a big man to do, and sitting out on the perimeter is an easy way to give
the opposing team a rebounding advantage.

Also, consider that they can
wear +10 dunk shoes, so they may only need a boost to 55, to get 65 dunk.
65 dunk is a special number, as it is at that number that the big men dunk
packages unlock.  Dunk packages are helpful, as by equipping a dunk package,
your big man will dunk better than he would with a basic package.  With 65
dunk and 55 standing dunk, your big man can be a dunking machine, thus giving
him some semblance of an offensive threat after he gets an offensive rebound.
You then use the other points on block, as having a high block rating 
(followed by strength) is a key way for a big man to have a stout defense.

-4b.  How do I take advantage of key games?

To take advantage of key games, it is simple.  You watch your calendar for
them.  Key Games will highlight when they are "next" on your schedule, but
not before that time.  Also, make sure that you try to hit your milestone
performances in key games, as you get double points for them.  A 500 point
milestone might not seem like a big deal, but doubling that to 1,000 feels
good, right?  Do not forget that key games double ALL skill points earned,
so a standard 1,100 point game could be 2,200 points, just because it was a
key game!

To combine the milestone tip with the calendar watching tip ... if there are
some milestones of yours, that it might take more than 5 minute quarters to
get, and you feel like you need to boost your minutes to get them (such as
high point scoring, or rebounding objectives), then if you are watching the
calendar for the key game, you can flip the options up to high minutes for
that one game, get your milestone, then switch it back for the next game.

There was a tip revealed earlier, about optimizing the playoffs, and I'll
repeat it here, just so you don't have to jump around the guide to see it:

That elimination game of a playoff series is a special case, as it is a type
of key game that can be triggered manually.  That is, you can play a playoff
series, and play horribly, and lose the first three games ON PURPOSE.  
After this, you get four games in a row, of double-point games!  
Pretty sweet, huh?

-4c.  How should I build my player up?

I may have been digging into this already.  The key to building a player up
is deciding what you want to be good at.  Base example of sticking points
here or there are just starters, to get you going.  After that, you should
be able to play well enough to build up your player how you choose.

Make sure that you read "4t.  How do I get an A+?" if you read nothing else
in this FAQ, as those tips should help you immensely.

I've made so many My Players, that I kind of have a cheat list of how to
build them.  If you build in this manner, you can dominate from the very
first game of the draft combine.

Small Guy build cheat list
1.  max medium (easy mid range shots, easy points), use +8 shoes if you
have them
2.  max layup (hit inside shots on breaks or drives)
3.  max steal (steal the ball from other team)
4.  max str (force field, great for offensive post or general defense)
5.  max on ball defense (great for defense)

Big Guy build cheat list
1.  Dunk to 65 (unlock dunk package, and increase dunking frequency) use
+10 dunk shoes if you have them
2.  Standing Dunk to 55 (makes you standing dunk more easily)
3.  max block (stopping the other team from shooting is important)
4.  max str (force field, great for offensive post or general defense)
5.  max shot inside (great for scoring inside) 

If you want to be a defensive small guy, then work on steals, strength, 
and on ball defense.  

If you want to be a defensive big guy, then work on block and strength.

If you want to score inside, work on layup.

If you want to score from mid-range, work on medium.

If you want to be a post presence, work on strength.

-4d.  How do I cherrypick?

Cherrypicking is often complained about on the game forums.  It is a very
effective way to score points.  Actually, cherrypicking is sound offensive
strategy, as it is easier to score a layup before the defense gets set up,
than waiting for everyone to set up, so you can struggle to get to the hoop.

Anyway, what is cherrypicking? ... you must be curious by now.  Cherrypicking
is basically what smart offensive players do to lazy defensive players.  As
soon as the offense lets go of a shot, the offensive small guys (or bigs
if quick enough) will race down towards the offensive end of the court, 
hoping that the other team misses.  If they miss, then the offensive players
will have a great head start on the fast break, for easy points.

This might not seem like that big of a deal, but consider this:  If you make
a my player, they may start out without many skills to get directly to the
basket so easily, so, if you cherrypick, you can get them out on fast breaks.

If you get fast break points, they can boost your skill points score.  If you 
dunk it, you can get a bonus play, worth an additional 10 skill points.  Also,
as I was saying above, it is a lot easier to hit an uncontested layup, than it
is to hit a contested medium shot, 99 rating or not, LOL.

So, if you can break free for some cherry picks (I recommend attempting this
as often as you can get away with.) you can score some easy points, which can
be the difference between barely winning a game, and blowing your opponent out.

I don't see how you can feel bad about doing this, as if you ever don't get
back on defense after a defensive rebound, the CPU will try to burn you for a 
fast break dunk so fast it'll make your head spin, so it is only fair
competition, to do the exact same thing to them.

If you get good at this technique, you can really score a lot of points, even
from your very first draft combine game.  I know that I've averaged 40+ in
in five minute quarters with a small guy, specifically because I 
cherrypicked my heart out, LOL.

-4e.  How do I set picks?

Good Off-Ball Screen.  Good On-Ball Screen.  Set Screen for Score.  Screens are
some of the easiest plays you can make, and also one of the most valuable ways
to boost up your My Player, in the early going.  

To set a screen, you simply hold down the take charge button.  (This is the
same as the fake pass button.)  Once you hold the button down, your player
will stand still, and try to form a "wall" that you can try to set against the
opposing defensive player.  

When you set the pick, try to set it so that the defender will run into you.

If is probably easiest to set picks for the person defending the ball-handler,
but you are most rewarded if you set picks for the people off-ball, as 
off-ball screens are worth more points, and make you a better teammate, as
you're helping your teammates get open.

After setting the pick, try to go to an open area of the court, and don't be
surprised if your teammate passes you the ball.  If you can't get open, at 
least take pride in setting picks for your more skilled teammates, so they can
get open going toward the hoop.

When you start out as a big man, and don't have much of skills, this will be
your primary form of offense:  setting picks for other players.  It might not
seem like much fun, but after you get the A+ and you're still in the first
half of a 5-minute quarter game, you'll be the one smiling.  (And also
probably reducing the played and simmed minutes, LOL.)

-4f.  How do I get assists?

Assists are not that hard to get, actually.  The easiest way to get them is to
call for the pick-n-roll play.  To call for the pick-n-roll, you hit the pick
button (L1), then, choose the button of the corresponding player you want to 
set the pick.  Hold the button down, until they start running toward you.
Once they start running as if they're coming to set the pick, let the
button go.

When they set the pick, try to drive your man into the pick, then try to drift
towards whichever side your man went to, to get an open lane to pass it into 
him for the easy score.

Now, what happens sometimes is that the CPU will actually bring a third
defender when they see the pick and roll setting up.  In this case, this means
that one of your other players has been left wide open.  Pass to that player,
and they should shoot, since they will be wide open.

The key to passing is to use the icon-passing, not the directional passing.
With the icon passing, you can pass to exactly who you want to pass to.
The directional passing is unreliable.  

Of course, this play puts a lot of pressure on the defense, so when you run 
around the pick, make sure to also drive twoards the hoop, so you can have a
chance at getting an easy basket for yourself, if you do not pass to your man.

Special note about the pick and roll:
If you release the button before they get there, they roll to the basket.  If 
you hold the button until they get into position, then they will pop. You want
to let go before they make the pick, so they can roll to the basket.

-4g.  How do I score most easily?

If you want to score most easily, do the following:
1.  cherrypick - layup is the easiest shot in basketball
2.  medium shots - easy way for small men to score
3.  layups - easy way for small men to score

Hrm, this seems a little biased ... what if I'm a big man?  Well, you can
actually do everything above ... I didn't label it for small or big
men.  

But, if you want to be a more traditional big man:
1.  post-up - easy way to score for bigs.  the quicker you get your strength 
up, the sooner you can start doing this
2.  put-backs - get those offensive rebounds, then slam then back in.  You did
get at least 55 standing dunk, right?
3.  pick-n-roll - these opportunities usually only appear once you get a
little faster, but you can get scoring opportunity off rolling to the basket
at the right time
4.  fast breaks - these opportunities usually only appear once you get a
little faster, but you can get scoring opportunities off the break if you
sprint down court and call for the oop.

-4h.  How do I defend the post?

How you defend the post kind of depends on whether the offensive player has
the ball or not.

If the post player does not have the ball, then you want to front the post 
player, and stand between them and the ball.  You want to prevent the offense
from passing the ball into the post.  This is one of the best ways to defend
the post, as it forces the offense to come up with another option of working
the ball down inside.  

If you defend the post well enough, the guy you are guarding usually eventually
goes up and sets a pick for the ball handler, and then sets you up to have to
defend a pick and roll situation.  In this case, stay sagged back to the rim.
It doesn't matter what, but you want to defend the rim as a big man, they can
try to shoot long shots if they want to, but your defensive area is from the
free throw line in.  Anything outside that, is someone else's responsibility.
Keep their shot chart outside the painted area, and you should win most games.

If the post player already has the ball, then the key thing to do is to not
foul them.  Seriously.  Your big man represents your offense's greatest post
threat (especially if you built that strength up like you were supposed to.)
You do not want to get in foul trouble.  So, how do you not foul them?  Just
hold your hands straight up, by pushing up on the right analog stick (go into
controller settings and set defense to absolute, otherwise you may get
unexpected results when you push up on the controller).  

Now, of course, if you're not in danger of foul trouble, you might want to be
a little more aggressive, and block some shots, right?  In this case, make sure
that you are the LAST person to jump.  Seriously, watch their feet on defense,
and wait until the offensive player leaves the ground, before jumping.  This 
gives you the best chance at blocking the shot, and not fouling them.  If you
are in danger of foul trouble, though, remember, just hold the hands up.  If
they score, so be it, but you are such a valuable piece to your team, you
cannot afford to be so selfish for stats that you get into foul trouble.  

-4i.  How do I defend the perimeter?

Similar to how you defend the post.  It kind of depends on whether the 
perimeter player has the ball or not.

If the player you are guarding does not have the ball, then you have to be 
aware of what is going on, and where they are moving to.  If you do not want 
them to get the ball (they are a dangerous player, such as Kobe or DWade), then 
you need to get between them and the ball.  Also, you should get between them
and the ball if you think it can disrupt the offense's play.  If they are
running around a lot of screens, then be careful, and try to predict where they
will come out of the screens, and meet them there, instead of running into the 
contact.  Generally, I actually sag back towards the middle, to give my
defense more strength as a team, and let them have their fun throwing up three
pointer bricks.

Now, if the player has the ball, you have to decide if you want to stop the
outside shot, or the drive.  I prefer to sag back, to stop the drive, and dare
them to shoot a contested jumper.  Remember:  it is harder to hit a three 
pointer than it is to hit a lay-up.  If they start driving on you, you need to
know if you are in foul trouble or not.  If you aren't in foul trouble, then
you need to try to block it.  If you are in danger of foul trouble, you need 
to just stick the hands up, and let it go.

-4j.  How do I defend screens?

Defending screens is fun.  I am writing this from the big man perspective.  
When you see your man setting a pick, you know this means that he is trying to
pick off one of your teammates.  What you do at this point is check for which 
side of the pick they are going to be running towards, and you stand over 
there, and block the path of the offensive player.  At this point, the
offensive player will stop, and go somewhere else, and you've just stopped
them from getting open for an easy shot.  Now the offense has to try to
diagram another play. Be careful to watch out for anyone else getting open.

Now, if you are the small man, and you're the one being run into the pick,
then you need to be aware of what is happening, and run wide of the pick,
either under or over the pick, and be there to meet your man on the
other side.

-4k.  How do I get steals?

There are several types of steals.  Let me try to cover them all (8)

1.  Inbound steals - At the inbound, closely guard the offensive player
closest to the inbounder.  At one point, you will see the inbounder switch
focus, and prepare to pass to the player further away.  At this point, jump
the passing lane, and get the steal.

2.  Pass back to PG steals - If you pressure the PG on the inbound, the
offense will pass the ball to the SG, then proceed up the court.  After
crossing halfcourt, the SG will try to pass the ball back to the PG.  At this
point, be ready to jump in front of the pass, for the steal.

3.  Perimeter pass steals - when the offense passes the ball around the
perimeter, your man may be the next to receive the ball.  If you can be ready,
you may get a good opportunity to jump the passing lane, and get a steal.

4.  Post entry steals - when the offense prepares to pass the ball into the
post, you might sag over from your other responsibilities, and be able to get
into the passing lane.  If successful, you just got an easy steal.

5.  Big man dribbling steals - Big men are not good dribblers ... at all.
Armed with this knowledge, know that you can try to steal the ball from them,
the moment they start trying to dribble it.

6.  Small man dribbling fancy steals - Small men are usually great dribblers,
and on-ball steals are usually more difficult.  The best strategy is to try to
be swiping at the ball at the moment they attempt an advanced move, such as a
crossover or something, and that's when they have least control of the ball.
If they are protecting the ball, then you can forget about it.

7.  Airball steals - when someone launches an airball, it's a steal if you
catch it, as the ball never becomes a shot attempt by hitting anything.

8.  Deflection steals - when someone deflects the ball, and another lucky
teammate gets the ball, they get credit for the steal.  

-4l.  How do I get blocks?

Blocks are about having a high block rating, and good timing.  To get blocks,
you have to be in position to get the block, that is, between the ball and the
basket.  Then, you also have to have timing, to jump AFTER the offensive player
jumps.  After that point, it's all up to ratings.

As long as you are in position, and jump last, you have a great chance at
getting the block.

If you tend to get dunked on, then you want to meet the offensive player
outside the restricted area.  It is difficult to get dunked on if you stand
outside the restricted area.

-4m.  How do I get defensive rebounds?

Defensive rebounds are a nice stat to get, but make sure that you are not
shooting for defensive rebounds, at the cost of actually giving up
offensive rebounds.

The easiest way to get defensive rebounds is to first know the basic physics
of a basketball shot is that shots tend to go long when missed, UNLESS the
offense releases the ball late.  The offense usually only releases the ball
late when the shot is heavily contested.

So, if the shot is heavily contested, then look for the ball to come off on
the near side.  If the shot is not heavily contested, then look for the ball
on the other side of the rim.  

Now, with that into consideration, you have a general idea of where to go.

Now I will give you one other thing to consider:

Watch the other players.  You might be drifting towards the general area
where the ball "should" go, but if you see the other player going to a certain
spot, that is the spot where the ball will come off the rim, so you need to
get inside of that spot, so that you can get the rebound instead.

If you are the only player under the rim, for whatever reason, hitting the
"box-out" button will usually make your player drift towards the spot where
the ball is coming off the rim, automatically (unless you have someone to box
out already) ... and do not forget that boxing out appears to be a very good
boost.

-4n.  How do I get offensive rebounds?

To get offensive rebounds, you actually do pretty much the same thing that you
did for defensive rebounds.  There is one catch with offensive rebounds,
though.  It is usually harder to get inside position when you are on offense.
Of course, there is a way around that, though.

This is what you do.  You stand underneath the basket support, out of bounds.
When the shot goes up, you look to get to the other side of the rim, unless it
was contested, then you look at where the other players are going, and try to
get towards that spot, to try to get the rebound.  This is a highly effective
method of getting offensive rebounds.

-4o.  How do I get to the rim?

1.  cherrypick  - this is the easiest way to get to the rim

2.  call for a pick, and run to the rim - this is about the second easiest way 
to get there.

3.  post-up, and do a step-through or spin to get to the basket - this is
probably another easy way to get there

4.  offensive rebound, then put-back -- this is another way, but since it is
dependent upon grabbing the rebound first, not as easy as the other ways

5.  fake out, then drive -- takes a little bit of skill, but if you can juke
with the stick properly, you can indeed do some amazing drives to the bucket

-4p.  How do I dunk?

If you want to dunk, you have to get to the rim first, and then dunk.  
The most critical thing, if you want to dunk, is to hold down turbo when you
are in an open area to dunk.  Also, make sure you do not do any secondary
moves with your shot stick, or it will cause you to do a fancy layup instead.
Now, if there is a lot of contact, you will probably do a layup, instead
of a dunk.

To increase the frequency of dunks, as well as the range of dunks, as well
as the ability to dunk through contact, then increase the dunk rating.

-4q.  How do I protect the ball?

To protect the ball, you need to hold down the shift and the sprint at the
same time.  This causes your man to dribble with the ball protected.  
This is a necessary skill, if you want to back down your man, without 
giving up the ball.

-4r.  How do I pass out of double-teams?

To pass out of double-teams, look for your closest teammate who is open, then 
icon-pass to him.  Do not pass to someone on the other side of the court,
unless you DEFINITELY have a clear lane.  The CPU likes to intercept and
deflect cross-court passes.

-4s.  How do I draw fouls?

To draw fouls, you basically need to run towards the basket, and draw contact.
Of course, this is not the BEST method for drawing fouls though, given the
chance of losing the ball, getting blocked, etc.

The best way to draw fouls is to get into a post-up animation, back-down,
then do a step-through, then, attempt the lay-up with the defender to your
back-side, which should draw contact, more often than not.  

After you do this a few times, of course, the opposing team may begin to
double-team you, as soon as you catch the ball.  Your best counters to this
responsive tactic are the following:
1.  good spacing - gives you the most time to finish doing your moves anyway
before they get there
2.  good passing out of double-teams - gives you a chance to get the ball
away before they steal it from you due to the defensive pressure

-4t.  How do I get an A+?

After hunting for something to say, I decided to rehash one of my posts from
the 2ksports.com forums, and just posting that here, to drop the knowledge.

http://2ksports.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3330178&postcount=13

OK, yeah, it hurts to get those negative plays, but if you do some positive
plays, you can really boost your grade up.

Let me be clear: My Player rewards you for doing the "dirty work" of 
basketball: setting picks, boxing out, contesting shots, etc. You don't have to
get any assists, block, rebounds, points, or steals, and you can still get an
A+ in My Player.

Let me give you an example of some plays you can do that are easy, that can
really boost your my player grade up. (These things have little to nothing to
do with how stacked your my player is, they just make you the type of teammate
everyone wants on their team.)

1. Setting Picks (on offense)
If you set picks, you get a slight boost from it. If you set another pick, you
get another slight boost. Try to set as many picks as you can per offensive
possession. You can try to set them for the ball handler, or to put someone
into position to score, but if you don't really have a hang of it, just set a
pick for your nearest teammate. You can pick their man over and over and over
again, all the while getting boosts. This is a valuable way to boost up your my
player, mainly because in the beginning, you won't be worth too much on
offense, LOL. But using this technique, you can get A+ every time. The only
time a pick is bad is if you set one in a direction where your teammate has to
run out of bounds to use it ... at least it was that way last year, which was
kinda funny when you made that mistake, haha.

2. Boxing Out (on defense)
On every shot attempt, you need to find someone to box out, and you get a
"slight boost" from it. It doesn't even matter if they make the shot, or if you
get the rebound or not. You still keep the boost from the boxout. This is an
easy way to make sure that defensive possession didn't go to waste, if you
really didn't get anything to do, as the play ran away from you, and you had
backside responsibilities that you couldn't sag too far from. Rebounds might be
a good boost, but boxouts are something anyone can do, just get down there, and
box something out.

3. Contesting Shots (on defense)
If you get a chance to, try to contest every shot. If you get a good shot
defense, you get a slight uptick, even if the shot goes in and you get scored
on. Plus, you get a chance at the block, which is another boost. True, blocking
shots is the biggest boost, but even constesting the shots can provide a boost.

Even this year, 2K enhanced it, where you get credit for "good foul" when the
person was about to score on you if you didn't stop it, and you also get credit
for the pass that leads to an assist, which encourages positive ball movement.

While it is true that you can get scored upon easily, and you are also prone to
losing the ball on offense as a weak, 40 overall my player, if you set picks
every possession, and box out every shot you can, unless you set your minutes
under three per quarter, you can get an A+ every game just from doing the
"dirty work" of basketball. 

*****

5.  Position-specific My Player Tips

-5a.  PG Tips

-5a(1) What build to choose?

To decide what build to use, you would probably want to look at what the
maximum attributes were for each build, and then decide from there, correct?

In that case, you want to look at this link:

Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B_M9eYJdAQXNNGY1ODYwZjEtZTRiZC00OTg4LTg0YTktMT
M5YjVhZGNmNjdm&hl=en

(Note: the above link needs to be peiced together, as there is a carriage
return on the first line.)

Of course, I should give my recommendation, and my recommendation is to choose
one of these:
scoring - due to initial shooting and layup abilities
athletic - due to initial speed and close to dunk abilities

-5a(2) What attributes to boost first?

This was covered earlier in the guide, but is re-posted here, for your
convenience.

Small Guy build cheat list
1.  max medium (easy mid range shots, easy points), use +8 shoes if you have 
them
2.  max layup (hit inside shots on breaks or drives)
3.  max steal (steal the ball from other team)
4.  max str (force field, great for offensive post or general defense)
5.  max on ball defense (great for defense)


-5a(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?

1.  Cherrypick
2.  Cherrypick
3.  Cherrypick
4.  Did I mention cherrypick?
5.  Oh yeah, get your medium up fast, so you can drain those midrange J's when
you cannot get a fastbreak opportunity to score

-5a(4) How can I dominate the NBA?

See 5a(3)

-5a(5) How tall should I be?

Maximum height, for your position.  You should only choose a lesser height if
you want the additional challenge.  You might point out that you get skill
points faster when shorter, but then I point out that you all end up at the
same end result.  So, the question becomes, do you want to be 5'5" and 99
overall, or 6'7" and 99 overall?  I take 6'7" all day long.

Here are the maximum heights, per position:
PG - 6'7"
SG - 6'9"
SF - 7'0"
PF - 7'1"
C - 7'5"

-5b.  SG Tips
-5b(1) What build to choose?

See 5a(1).  Even with that said, you cannot go wrong with the athletic build,
either. 

-5b(2) What attributes to boost first?

See 5a(2)

-5b(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?

See 5a(3)

-5b(4) How can I dominate the NBA?

See 5a(4)

-5b(5) How tall should I be?

See 5a(5)


-5c.  SF Tips
-5c(1) What build to choose?

See 5a(1).  Actually, I have a bit more to say about the SF.  In the case of
the SF, the Athletic build may be superior, due to the athleticism and defense
of that build.  Also, consider that the +8 medium shoes will give you a 98
medium shot.

-5c(2) What attributes to boost first?

See 5a(2)

-5c(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?

See 5a(3)

-5c(4) How can I dominate the NBA?

See 5a(4)

-5c(5) How tall should I be?

See 5a(5)



-5d.  PF Tips

-5d(1) What build to choose?

See 5a(1).  Now, after looking at the spreadsheet, just trust me when I tell
you that Athletic is the best build for a big man.  It has the same max speed
as the all-around, while also having max dunk, block, and strength.  That alone
sells me on using the athletic builds for big men.

-5d(2) What attributes to boost first?

This was stated earlier, but repeated, for your convenience.

Big Guy build cheat list
1.  Dunk to 65 (unlock dunk package, and increase dunking frequency) use +10 
dunk shoes if you have them
2.  Standing Dunk to 55 (makes you standing dunk more easily)
3.  max block (stopping the other team from shooting is important)
4.  max str (force field, great for offensive post or general defense)
5.  max shot inside (great for scoring inside) 

-5d(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?
1.  block shots
2.  rebound 
3.  dunk


-5d(4) How can I dominate the NBA?

See 5d(3)

-5d(5) How tall should I be?

See 5a(5)

-5e.  C Tips
-5e(1) What build to choose?

See 5d(1)

-5e(2) What attributes to boost first?

See 5d(2)

-5e(3) How can I dominate draft combine and summer circuit?

See 5d(3)

-5e(4) How can I dominate the NBA?

S33 5d(4)

-5e(5) How tall should I be?

See 5a(5)

*****

6.  Best teams for each Position, and why

NOTE:  Of course, you could always choose your favorite time, whichever team
that might be.  Or, you could just choose a team that doesn't need you at that
position, just to challenge the estabishment ... "I ain't mad at cha".

Note:  All of these suggestions are based upon opening day rosters.  Some
players have changed teams since that time, and these suggestions may not be
valid at this time.

-6a.  Best team for a PG

If you want to be that missing piece:

Heat - they have a strong roster, really could use PG and C, everything
else is already All-star caliber
Lakers - only missing one piece, a strong PG, can you be that for them?
Kings - Give them a great PG, and they should be set

If you want to be on a team that really doesn't need you...:

Grizzlies - Conley is already a decent PG, but you could take his spot.

If you want to score a lot of points (the team kinda sucks):

Raptors (yes, I list the Raptors for every single position)

-6b.  Best team for a SG

If you want to be that missing piece:

Bulls - You can be an upgrade for a position that isn't much of an offensive
threat
Pacers - You can be an upgrade for Dahntay Jones
Jazz - Forget who their SG is, but you can give them a great roster if you fill
in here
Nuggets - You can fill in at SG, and make them a solid roster.
Hornets - After SG, they don't seem that weak at all

If you want to be on a team that really doesn't need you...

Mavericks - Jason Terry is kinda short, so you could take his spot

If you want to score a lot of points (the team kinda sucks)

Cavaliers - no comment necessary
Raptors - no comment necessary


-6c.  Best team for a SF

If you want to be that missing piece:

Hawks - You give them a SF, then they have a very solid roster
Kings - you can bump out their SF, to make a solid team

If you want to be on a team that really doesn't need you...

Trailblazers - take Batum's spot?
Clippers - take Aminu's spot?


If you want to score a lot of points (the team kinda sucks)
Raptors - No comment necessary
Cavaliers - No comment necessary

-6d.  Best team for a PF

If you want to be that missing piece:

Magic - Ideal spot to come into
Pacers - Great squad to be on
Suns - Nice, fast-paced team to be on
Rockets - Get beside Ming, and make your own Twin Towers
Pistons - Dangerous team with a solid PF here
Bucks - Give them a strong PF beside Bogut, and you have something special
brewing in Milwaukee
Bobcats - You can upgrade Tim Thomas with yourself, all day long

If you want to be on a team that really doesn't need you...
Magic - Bass is already decent ...

If you want to score a lot of points (the team kinda sucks)
Raptors - No comment necessary

-6e.  Best team for a C

If you want to be that missing piece:

Spurs - ideal situation, they have a complete team around you
Heat - very good situation, provide that rebounding and inside presence they
lack
Thunder - very good team, young and fast, everyone shoots threes except
Westbrook
76ers - Pretty good spot to go into
Knicks - Get beside Amare, and rebuild the twin towers in NYC
Bobcats -  Upgrade the C position


If you want to be on a team that really doesn't need you...
76ers - Dalembert isn't that bad

If you want to score a lot of points (the team kinda sucks)
Cavaliers - No explanation necessary
Raptors - No explanation necessary

*****


7.  Other Places to go for tips

-7a.  gamefaqs.com

Gamefaqs.com is the premier site for game tips, tricks, and reviews.  I have
been a member of gamefaqs.com for quite a few years.  (Enough that I won't say
here.)  If you care to know how long, you can look up my profile on the site.

-7b.  2ksports.com/forums

2ksports is the team that made NBA 2K11.  I thank them for this game.  I try
to be a helpful member of the forums over at 2ksports.com/forums

-7c.  operationsports.com/forums

Operation Sports is a site that exists primarily on the basis of gaming forums,
but also is coming into prominence as a game review and information site.  My
association with Operation Sports came from when Maddenmania was swallowed up
into it, back in the day.

-7d.  nba-live.com/forums

NBA Live Series Center is a site that exists to primarily discuss basketball
gaming.  The site is about more than just NBA Live, or NBA Elite, or whatever
you might want to call it.  It is a fun site, and it is neutral against NBA
2k11, and there are forums for the NBA 2k series on the site, also.  Many
editors and patches are made for the 2K series games there.  An overall good
site, don't let the name fool you.

*****

8.  Why did I write this FAQ?

-8a.  To ease boredom

I was sitting at home bored over the weekend, and decided to do this.

-8b.  To have fun

I enjoy doing this.

-8c.  To help others

There are several people who come onto the forums at 2ksports.com, and are a
bit clueless, about what to do in My Player mode.  Hopefully, this guide will
assist them.

*****

9.  Thanks

-9a.  2ksports

I thank 2ksports for making this game.

-9b.  Celtic1 of 2ksports.com/forums

I thank Celtic1 of 2ksports.com/forums.  He started the Big Man thread, for
NBA 2K10, as well as the Big Man thread for NBA 2K11.  He is a great
contributor on the forums.  Sometimes, your biggest supporters can be your
biggest critics, and I can say that Celtic1 indeed has a love-hate relationship
going with 2KSports, over "the patch"

-9c.  Countless others of 2ksports.com

There are many others that provide great insight at the 2ksports.com forums, 
and though I singled out Celtic1 (he's an easy one to single out).  I dare not
start to single out others, at risk of alienating someone.  To all the big men
out there, "this dunks for you!"


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