NBA Live 08: Online guide!

[kamiy]

Introduction

Now that football has overtaken our televisions, we know basketball isn't far off. EA Sports is back with their latest installment in the NBA Live series. They got rid of the silly Freestyle Superstar moves and have focused much more on realism. This, of course, means a renewed importance on good basketball fundamentals. IGN is here with new tips and strategies to help you out on offense, defense, as well as a team-by-team analysis, which will prepare you for dynasty run.

So what are you waiting for? Lace up your sneakers and let's hit the hardcourt!

In this NBA Live 08 strategy guide, you'll find:

* BASICS // A breakdown of the basics of NBA Live play.
* OFFENSE // Offensive tips for NBA Live neophytes.
* DEFENSE // Defensive strategies to improve your game.
* TEAMS // Tips and info on every team in the NBA.
* FAQ // Answers to some very frequently asked questions.

NBA Live 08 Basics

With so many game modes in NBA Live 08, it may be a little overwhelming, so we'll be offering a brief description of each one to help you out.

Play Now
This mode is more or less a quick match or exhibition game mode. You're given two teams (home and away) and you can change them to whatever team you want. In addition to the regular league teams, you can also choose from All Star teams as well as international teams.

Play Online
Very much like the play now mode, the play online mode is an exhibition game, but requires you to connect to the Internet. This will give you the ability to play against people from around the world.

Dynasty Mode

Always looked forward to, the dynasty mode gives you twenty five years to take a team of your choosing to the NBA Finals. Put on your general manager cap and see if you wheel and deal and make your team a championship contender.


FIBA World Championship

Compete in an eight-team tournament with any of the top international teams in the world or and NBA teams.


NBA All Star Weekend
This part of the NBA season is geared directly for the fans. You'll be able to compete in various challenges including the Rookie Challenge, 3 Point Shootout, Slam Dunk Contest, and NBA All Star Game.

Quick Pick Play
Play a Play Now game with any ten players on any two teams. Basically, you can create your own Dream Team for a single game.

Scenario Play
Create your own scenario or select a random scenario to play to see if you can control the outcome your way.

Practice
As soon as you start the game, you'll find yourself in the NBA Live Practice Arena. You can practice your jumpshot, dunks, layups, and go-to moves with any NBA player. The game offers you a menu which will allow you to change which player you control.

NBA Live 08 Offense

In this section, we will be covering the basics of an effective offense in NBA Live 08.

Know Your Players
This may sound obvious, but it's very important to understand what each of your players is capable of. This is not limited to your starting five, of course. Look at the attribute ratings each of your players have in shooting and passing, for instance. Your center probably has pretty poor ratings for 3 pointers, so try and keep him down by the basket whenever possible. On the same token, your point guard probably won't be a great dunker, so feed the ball to your big man in the paint, and slam it down your opponent's throat.

Practice Shooting
Before getting right into the game, practice your shooting in the gym. Get a feeling for the controls and understand how the shooting system works. You want to release the ball at the highest point of your jump. Releasing it too early or too late will increase the odds of you missing your shot. Once you think you've gotten this under control, go ahead and play a regular game. Shooting with no one defending you is one thing, but it's completely different to have someone trying to either steal the ball or has his hand up in your grill.

Use Pre Set Plays
Unlike football, the sport of basketball doesn't feature players huddling together to agree on a play to call. Instead, it's a faster paced game, with the point guard calling out all of the plays with his hands. You can do the same with your D Pad (depending on which game console you're using). Since there are only four directions, you only get four plays to call. The plays available to you depends on which team you're using. Each team's playbook is a little different, and it can be customized, adding/removing plays to suit your needs.

Take It To The Hole
The defense won't often give you an open lane to the rim, but when it does, take advantage of it. Regardless of the size of the player, they can all either do a dunk or a lay up of some kind. Taller players will be able to do big dunks, while good shooting guards will be able to pull off flashier dunks and/or lay ups. Driving the ball down the lane not only allows you to pull off a high percentage shot, but it increases the odds of you getting fouled and getting to the free throw line, occasionally giving you the opportunity for a three point play. You can also get the opposing team into foul trouble when you drive to the basket often enough.


Don't Dribble Into A Crowd
The CPU often does a very good job at clogging the lane to the rim. It doesn't matter which player you're using, you'll eventually have the ball stolen from. Instead of always driving the ball to the hoop, pass it to someone who is open or pull up for a jumper.

Kick It Out For a Three

The CPU can play some pretty stingy defense in the paint. Because of this, throw it in to your big man. As the defense swarms him, toss it out to your perimeter shooter for an open shot.


Use Your Go-To Moves

A lot of the star players have what are called "go-to" moves. These are often fancy jumpshots, such as fadeaways, which will allow the player to create some space between himself and the defender. While you can practice these moves in the practice mode, it's always better to give them a try under fire, so to speak.


Hit The Boards
When you miss a shot, don't give up. Keep your center and power forward near the rim when possible. Grabbing rebounds isn't particularly easy. It relies very much on positioning and timing. You have to time your jump properly. Work on your rebounding to get second chance points, something every team needs.

[kamiy]

NBA Live 08 Defense

In this section, we will be covering the basics of an effective defense in NBA Live 08.
Know Your Opponents
Although you obviously cannot study film of your opponents, you can research the attribute points of your opponents. Look to see what each player can do well and what they're terrible at. For instance, Shaq can be a big threat when he's got the ball near the hoop, but he's terrible shooting free throws. This is why many teams have used the "hack a Shaq" method of defense during certain parts of the game. Study your team's strengths and weaknesses, and you won't be surprised in a game.

Clog Up The Paint

When you're on offense, you'll often see that the CPU has defenders in the paint, making inside passes and drives to the hole a little more problematic. Why not do the same? You'll cause similar problems for the CPU's offense. Just be sure to keep defenders on their man, so as not to allow open shots on the perimeter.

TIP Don't stay in the lane too long, or you'll be called for an illegal defense.

Take It Like A Man
Whether you're clogging up the paint or guarding someone on the perimeter, you will likely eventually encounter a player who has decided to drive to the basket. Get in front of him, plant your feet, and take a charge. Charges can sometimes change the momentum of a game.

Keep Your Hands Up

Whether your defending an in bound pass or simply defending a player, keep your hands up. This will cut down on the number of passing lanes available to your opponent, possibly causing them to throw an errand pass.


Pick-and-Roll
The CPU teams call a lot of pick-and-rolls compared to last year's game. Keep an eye out for a man setting up for a screen and quickly get around him. If you get tangled up with him, don't worry about it. A few times a game isn't out of the ordinary and won't hurt your chances of winning by very much.

Just... Take It
Some of the best defenders in the NBA don't wait for the point guard, for instance, to make a bad pass. He'll actually create opportunities for himself by reaching in and taking the ball away. Don't be afraid to reach in and steal the ball. Your steals won't likely take place when you and the ball handler are standing still. Instead, you'll likely get the ball if you time your steal attempt(s) when the ball handler is attempting to make a move, perhaps in a pick and roll, for instance. The refs won't call a foul for every steal attempt, but they will call it on occasion, so don't go crazy with it. After you've got the ball, you've got a great fast break opportunity, so take it to the hole.

Stuff It

One of the most enjoyable plays on defense is stuffing a guy's dunk or layup attempt. Such a play can not only lead to a fast break, but it can be the start of a big shift in momentum. While it's possible to block a shot from behind, you'll be far more successful if your primary shot blocker is in front of the shooter. Try to be as close to the shooter as possible. If he's been able to get a cushion between the two of you, he'll likely be able to get the shot off and over your outstretched arms. As the player goes up for a shot, make your leap upward. Timing is very important. Although it's quite easy to move towards the shooter as he's shooting, keep your hands off of the player movement control. Lunging at the shooter in mid air may very well cause in a foul.

Staying with the issue of timing, you should be aware that the CPU offense tends to use the Pro Hop frequently while in the paint. This can be difficult to defend against if you're inexperienced, so be aware that the Pro Hop is intended, in part, to throw off your timing. If you attempt to block the shot and get fooled by the Pro Hop, you're going to be up in the air, blocking nothing but the glare of the spotlights and looking like a damn fool. Be patient and study the move and time your jump properly, and you'll be stuffing players left and right.

Hit The Boards
Whether on offense or defense, grabbing rebounds are a key to winning. If you want to win, don't rely on the CPU to rebound for you. Keep your center and power forward near the rim when possible. Grabbing rebounds isn't particularly easy. It relies very much on positioning and timing. You have to time your jump properly, so jump just as the ball bounces and hits the rim.

NBA Live 08 Teams

This section of the guide covers each of the regular NBA teams. You'll find team strengths and weaknesses discussed below, along with a list of the starters. It's important to keep in mind that this information is based on the starting lineups in the game. These are subject to change.

Of all the teams in the NBA, Boston made the biggest moves in the offseason, acquiring top-notch talent like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. After last year's terrible season, things are looking up for the Celtics. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen should account for over eighty percent of the team's points from game to game, leaving very little opportunity for the bench players to have much of an impact. Of the starters, Rondo and Perkins are the least experienced, but we don't think it'll be a big problem for the team.

NBA Live 08 FAQ

This brief FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) will cover some of the more commonly asked questions in regards to NBA Live 08. Should you have a question that isn't answered in this section or any other section of this guide, you can turn to our NBA Live 08 message board to ask the regulars for help.

Q? I don't have a favorite team, so which team should I play as?
A! If you don't have a favorite team, perhaps you have a favorite player. Check out the team he's on and play a game or two. If not, look elsewhere. You have a lot of choices to find a team you feel comfortable with.

Q? Is Michael Jordan in the game?
A! Unfortunately, no. You'll have to create him.

Q? How can I improve my free throw percentage?
A! With no practice mode for this, it can be a little frustrating to miss free throws. Use the in game help screen when you have to shoot free throws as it'll tell you what you need to do. Move down on the right analog stick and when the ball is up in front of the shooter's face, push the stick upwards. Make sure you do it in a straight line, however. We've witnessed many free throws which were off to the left or right because some people hold their controller in such a way that when they press the stick up, it ends up left or right slightly. Be careful of this. If you're still having problems after a while, you may consider buying a new controller. The sticks on controllers get worn out after a while and yours could need replacing.

Q? I've been training players in certain aspects of the game in the Dynasty Mode. When will I see improvements?
A! You won't receive these reports until just before the next season begins.

Q? The game seems a little sluggish. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
A! Yes, we recommend cranking up the gameplay speed. How far is debatable. If you go all the way, you'll likely run into problems when guarding players. It's easy to over-pursue players when this is maxed out. Play around with this until you find the right feel for you. You should notice the game plays a little more smoothly.

Q? What happened to the Superstar Abilities?
A! While they were fun, those have been removed from this year's game. Instead, there are go-to moves and quickstrike ballhandling.

[YungAI]

Great guide mate

A! Yes, we recommend cranking up the gameplay speed. How far is debatable.

Have you tried this? If you have...does it make the gameplay alot realer and funner?

And it has no mention about using a point gaurd to score every basket

[kamiy]

I didn't try it. I didn't even try the game!
This all guide came from ign. If you want to check the the original guide click the pic what is at the top of the page!

[YungAI]

Ah alright
I thought it looked like an IGN guide.
Good game you should try it

[kamiy]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the release of the PC version.

[suphomes]

i got it on xbox 360 and i recommend it to every1, everything is good about it, and i dont care what people have to say about it, its still rad as

[MR. CLUTCH]

Originally Posted by suphomes99

i got it on xbox 360 and i recommend it to every1, everything is good about it, and i dont care what people have to say about it, its still rad as

Yeah, this game is pretty good imo, a lot of fun to play.

Thanks for the guide kamly

[Airsim15]

thanx, cant wait till i get pc version (n ill upload for all u guys too)

[ore_wa]

Originally Posted by suphomes99

i got it on xbox 360 and i recommend it to every1, everything is good about it, and i dont care what people have to say about it, its still rad as

DONT BUY IT IF ITS NOT ON THE 360... trust me... its a piece of crap on the PS2