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NBA Live 07 FAQ Tips & Tricks |
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Tags: NBA Live 07 FAQ Game Guides, NBA Live 07 FAQ Hints, NBA Live 07 FAQ Walkthrough |
NBA Live 07 FAQ
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===============================================================================
NBA Live 07 FAQ (PC)
Written by ChaosDemon (chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca)
Version 1.10
Last updated on February 9, 2007
Latest revisions of this document may always be located at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com
===============================================================================
=-----------------=
=Table of Contents=
=-----------------=
I - Introduction.....................................[0001]
II - Version History..................................[000V]
III - Game Modes.......................................[0002]
a]Play Now
b]Season
c]Dynasty Mode
d]Playoffs
e]NBA All-Star Weekend
f]1-on-1
g]Practice
h]Slam Dunk School
IV - Game Basics.......................................[0003]
a]Default Controls
b]What's New
c]Offense
d]Defense
V - Dynasty Mode......................................[0004]
a]The Draft
b]Staff Hirings
c]Training Camp
d]Regular Season
e]NBA Playoffs
f]Off-Season
VI - All-Star Weekend..................................[0005]
a]Rookie Challenge
b]3 Point Shootout
c]Slam Dunk Contest
d]All-Star Game
VII - Offensive Strategy...............................[0006]
a]Get Inside the Paint EARLY
b]Get a "kick-out" of each possession
c]Free Throws Win Championships
d]Pass With Care
e]Shot Selection is Key
f]Capitalize on the Offensive Rebounds
g]Look to the Fast-Break
h]Utilize your Freestyle Superstars
i]Abuse the Pick
VIII - Defensive Strategy..............................[0007]
a]Stay In Front of the Offense
b]Double Team Often
c]Do NOT Abuse the Steal Button
d]Contest Every Single Shot
e]Don't Give up 2nd Shot Opportunities
f]Don't be Afraid to Bring the Zone
VIV - Team Rosters.....................................[0008]
VV - My NBA Live......................................[0009]
a]Task List
b]EA Store
c]NBA Codes
VVI - Credits.........................................[0010]
VVII - Legal Disclaimer................................[0011]
-> To find what you're looking for quickly, press CTRL+F (Find) and type in the
set of numbers on the right of your desired destination. To go directly to an
offensive or defensive strategy, press CTRL+F and the Copy (CTRL+C) and Paste
(CTRL+V) the name from the table of contents. If you're looking to skip
directly to a team in the team roster section, just press CTRL+F and type in
the city of the team.
===============================================================================
Introduction [0001]
===============================================================================
Hello again all, I'm ChaosDemon, and this is the first FAQ I've written
in three years! Time surely passes at the blink of an eye. I want to
apologize because I got into the FAQ writing business a long time ago, and the
layout of this FAQ might not be as up to date as some others.
EA Sports is back again with an all new edition of NBA Live. What's
new this year is the Freestyle Control feature, and it requires a Logitech
Wingman to operate. It's basically a way for a player to do a fancy pass,
dunk or lay-up. Another new feature in 07 is the Freestyle Superstars. This
time, your upper tier players are separated into "Freestyle Stars" and
"Freestyle Superstars". Stars are obviously the guys that are pretty good, and
the Superstars are the elite of the NBA.
Now in the actual FAQ of NBA Live 07 by EA Sports, we're going to be
looking at the gameplay basics, the Game Modes NBA Live 07 has to offer,
and some comprehensive offensive and defensive strategy (which will
undoubtedly is the meat of the FAQ). There will also be a team listing section
and some handy information listed there, like key players, team strengths, and
team weaknesses. Along with that you'll find coverage on All-Star Weekend and
more!
===============================================================================
Version History [000V]
===============================================================================
1.15 - 02/09/2007 - Completed roster section with all players listed. The
starters are listed with their respected overalls.
1.10 - 02/08/2007 - Updated formatting.
1.00 - 01/31/2007 - First version of FAQ. Offensive and defensive strategy
finished, Dynasty Mode and All-Star Weekend sections completed. All 30 teams
in the NBA are featured in the rosters section with their respective Freestyle
Superstars listed. Complete rosters will be added on a later update.
===============================================================================
Game Modes [0002]
===============================================================================
Play Now
--------
This mode is pretty self explanatory, this is the easiest way to get right into
the action and get a good feel of the game. It's also a good way to log some
minutes before starting a Season Mode to avoid a 0-5 starting record. It's an
exhibition game so it has no proceeding impact. The default teams for "Play
Now" are the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. The default teams are always
the ones competing in the previous year's NBA Finals.
Season
------
This is basically a watered down version of Dynasty. You can play through one
full season at either 29, 58 or 82 games. Season mode takes you from the
exhibition games all the way to the NBA Finals. There are many features you
can play with, like mixing up the league with a Fantasy Draft, move teams
around in divisions.
Dynasty Mode
------------
undoubtedly the biggest part about NBA Live, the Dynasty Mode. This is
basically the Season Mode but it lasts for many, many seasons, the exact number
I'm not sure. It gives you the opportunity to mould your franchise into the
early 90s Bulls or the late 90s Lakers. The Dynasty Mode will be covered in
detail later in the FAQ.
Playoffs
--------
If you're looking to take a run at the NBA Championship but not interested in
grinding through an 82 game season, then this is definitely the mode for you.
You can again customize a lot of things, like which teams play. Playoff
length, and even a Fantasy Draft.
NBA All-Star Weekend
--------------------
This is obviously to emulate the All-Star Weekend of the NBA. There are four
things to play through: Rookie Challenge, 3 Point Shootout, Dunk Contest, and
of course, the All-Star game. All-Star Weekend will be covered in detail later
in the FAQ.
1 on 1
------
You ever wonder who would win between Shaq and Kobe Bryant 1 on 1? Well this
is your chance to find out. Pick any two players in the NBA and put them up 1
on 1. When the game starts, the Home Player gets to shoot for possession.
Practice
--------
This is not a game, not a game, we talkin' about practice. Not a game, not a
game, we're talking about practice, man. What are we talking about, practice?
You can pick any player in the NBA and practice alone in an empty gym for as
long as you like. This is a great place to start if you're not too familiar
with the controls.
Slam Dunk School
----------------
Slam Dunk school is a series of three lessons for you to prefect dunking. It
is absolutely crucial you spend some time in the Slam Dunk School before
attempting the Slam Dunk Competition because it is by far one of the most
difficult things to do well in NBA Live 07.
===============================================================================
Game Basics [0003]
===============================================================================
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Default Controls: Keyboard
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-------
Offense
-------
Pass: X
Shoot: D
Dunk: E
Lay-Up: S
Turbo: Left Shift
Direct Pass: Left Ctrl
Superstar Trigger: C
Alley-oop: A
Call Timeout: Q
Pause: Esc
Crossover/Spin Move: Space
Off-Ball R
-------
Defense
-------
Switch Player: X
Take Charge: D
Rebound/Block: E
Steal: S
Turbo: Left Shift
Direct Pass: Left Ctrl
Superstar Trigger: C
Alley-oop: A
Call Timeout: Q
Pause: Esc
-----------
Quick Plays
-----------
Post-Up: Keyboard 1 (above the Q)
Isolation: Keyboard 2
Pick and Pop: Keyboard 3
Pick and Roll: Keyboard 4
=-=-=-=-=-
What's New
=-=-=-=-=-
Freestyle Superstars 07
-----------------------
Freestyle Superstars are divided into two tiers. "Superstars", and "Stars".
Freestyle Stars are players that are good at either Inside Scoring, Outside
Scoring, 3 point shooting, Dunking (High-Flyer) or Playmaking. These players
have an arsenal of moves that he can use by pressing the Left Trigger and the
Right Analog stick. If you have the High-Flyer icon selected, you can do an
impressive dunk, or if you have the Playmaker icon selected, you can do some
no-look passes and stuff like that. The "Superstars" tier has all the moves
that the "Stars" have, and then some. Check the Team Roster section for which
players are your "Freestyle Superstars" of 07.
Total Freestyle Control
-----------------------
This is a rather innovative addition to this year's NBA Live. It basically
gives your Superstars and Stars the ability to pull off some fancy moves with a
combination of the Left Trigger and the Right Analog stick. There are not only
crossovers, but a combination of Dunks and Fancy passes too. Whether you make
a dunk or a behind the back pass depends on the Freestyle Superstar Icon your
player is currently in. For example, if he's currently in "Playmaker" mode,
then he's going to do a fancy pass if you use the Left Trigger and Right Analog
stick. To do some awesome dunks, your superstar should be in "High-Flyer"
mode.
***Performing Freestyle Control with Keyboard***
Freestyle Control on the Keyboard is slightly easier. You can perform the
freestyle control by holding on to the "Superstar Trigger" (Default "C" Button
on the Keyboard), and then by pressing one of the following buttons:
Pass Button
Dunk Button
Shoot Button
Lay-Up Button
The variety of moves available depend on which Freestyle Superstar Type your
player is currently in. For example, someone in "Playmaker" mode will be able
to do a no look pass by holding the Superstar Trigger and then pressing
the Pass Button. Power guys and High Flyers would be able to do some crazy
dunks by performing this method. Play around with it in Practice Mode to find
some neat combinations.
The X-Factor
------------
The X-Factor is a random player on each team, who can unlock his "X" by being
involved on the offensive side of the ball. When unlocked, X-factor players
can change the momentum of the game by draining a ridiculous amount of shots.
However, don't get the impression that just because your player has X-Factor
unlocked he can drain it from anywhere. He still needs to be relatively open,
just not as open as he normally has to be.
=--=-=-=-=-=-=-
----Offense----
=-=-=-=-=-=--=-
Basic Jumpshots
---------------
Jumpshots are crucial to your NBA Live experience, so it's best that we go over
this first. Jumpshots are all about room and timing. If you have both of
those on a jumpshot attempt, chances are it's going to drain. To perform a
jumpshot, press and hold the "Shoot" button to begin your jump, and when you're
in mid-air and the ball is above your head, release the "Shoot" button. On the
"catch and shoot", it is very important that you first get set, and are facing
the basket.
There are several ways to create room in Live, the most standard is the Pick
and Roll. The pick and roll is where you have a larger player, usually a
Center or Power Forward move to your area on the court, stand there, and
attempt to "pick" your defender by having him run into your pick. Another way
is to drive the basket with an inside scorer and then pass it out to one of the
shooters on the perimeter when the defense is drawn in. There will be more on
this later. If you're using a player with a decent crossover, then you can try
and use it to set up an easy pull-up jumper as well. To do that, simply move
to an area on the court, stand still, press the Crossover button, and then fire
up an attempt. This method has a mediocre success rate and probably shouldn't
be tried very often.
Fadeaways
---------
Fadeways are a pretty effective way to score with outside shooters if you pull
it out occasionally. It's not a recommended shot by any means on a regular
basis, though. To perform a fadeaway, pull-up for a jumper (as seen above),
and move the shooter in a direction away from the defender at the same time.
Fadeaways should be used preferably off crossovers, or when your player is
facing a double-team with the shot clock counting down. There are plenty of
other ways to score in Live, so you should evaluate your options.
Free Throws
-----------
Free Throws are an important part of Live, and you should always be looking to
capitalize. To shoot a free throw, first let your player finish his dribbling
animation. Then, don't press anything and let your player get set. After
that, press and hold the shoot button, and release it when the ball is just
above his head.
Dunking and Lay-Ups
-------------------
As a new feature in this year's edition of NBA Live, there are now three
different buttons to score a basket. The first one is obviously "shoot", which
can be used for mid ranged jumpers and 3-pointers. The second is a "lay-up",
which is a way for smaller guys, usually guards to get the deuce in close-
range. Someone like Allen Iverson really utilizes the lay-up because he is
undersized, but still has explosiveness and speed. The third way to score is
dunk, which is obviously where the player you're controlling goes close to the
rim, jumps up, and throws the ball, thus "posterizing" the opponent.
When using someone smaller (6'2" and under), it's usually not a good idea on
the higher difficulties to drive to the rim and try a dunk on Yao Ming.
Instead, go to "lay-up" for a much more high percentage shot. It's a bit of an
easier shot, and you might also draw a foul in the process. If you're using a
fast player, and is facing full court pressure (when the defender meets you at
mid-court), you can score a lot of easy points by blowing right past him with
the Turbo button and then dunking or laying it up in the paint.
Quick Plays Explained
---------------------
By default, you can press either 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the Keyboard. 1 for Post-Up,
2 for Isolation, 3 for Pick and Pop, 4 for Pick and Roll. The Post-Up is where
the players clear up the area directly under the bucket, so your "big man"
(usually Center or Power Forward), will have some room to go one-on-one with
his check (unless the defense brings the double team, which is a huge
possibility). The Post-Up is usually the easiest way to score, it will be
discussed in depth at a bit later.But basically, you can back into the defender
and either go for a dunk or a lay-up. You can alternatively kick it back out
if your post-up draws a double team.
The Isolation quickplay is designed to take advantage of mismatches, like if
after a rebound, a Center ends up defending your Point Guard. If
that's the case, then call for the Isolation and go to work with the Freestyle
Crossovers and such. Dance your way towards the bucket and get the easy lay-
up/dunk. It should be noted that in such a big mismatch situation, it is very
probable that your opponent will call for the double team. If this is the
case, then continue to drive towards the bucket (while protecting the ball, you
can do that by driving without Turbo), then identify who the defender left, and
pass it to him for the easy bucket.
Lastly we have the Pick and Pop vs. the Pick and Roll. The only difference
between these two plays is that in Pick and Pop, the play is designed for the
ball handler to dish it back to the player who set the pick for a jumpshot.
And on the Pick and Roll the ball handler is supposed to drive all the way to
the hoop for a lay-up or dunk. These two are effective ways to get open, and
is just another offensive play at your disposal. Mix them up a higher success
rate.
=--=-=-=-=-=-=-
----Defense----
=-=-=-=-=-=--=-
Rebounding
----------
Rebounding on the defensive end of the court is crucial to the success of any
basketball team. Any team that gives up an amplitude of offensive boards won't
be winning many games. To perform a rebound, take control of someone with
size, preferably a Center, and wait under the basket as the the ball is shot.
When it appears that it won't be falling down, position yourself under the
basket and press the "rebound" button. Keep in mind your timing is very
important here, so make sure you don't erratically press the button hoping to
grab the board.
It should also be noted that on some occasions the CPU is just going to go
crazy and come flying out of no where with five different players to grab the
offensive rebound. On those situations, there's really nothing you can do
about it so instead of getting agitated, think about how you're going to score
on the other end.
Stealing
--------
Stealing is made much harder this year, but you can still "wing" a few steals
here and there. You can do that by sort of "turbo-ing" towards the _ball_ and
pressing the steal button when you're about to make contact. This is a decent
way of forcing a teal, but most steals are going to be as a result of a double
team. When a player is surrounded by a double team with no where to put the
ball, he's going to lose possession of it and the play will be going the other
way.
Defending the Post
------------------
The majority of the points are going to be scored in the post in NBA Live 07,
so it is very important you know how to defend it and clog the lanes. When you
see a player committing to the drive, press "1" to call for the "Double Team"
quick play. This will bring another defender to help you defend the drive, and
if you call it at just the right time: when the offense is in so deep he pretty
much _wants_ to put up a shot, it is often going to an erratic and
unsuccessfula ttempt.
In-depth defensive strategy will be discussed later in the FAQ.
===============================================================================
Dynasty Mode [0004]
===============================================================================
Ahh... yes, Dynasty Mode. This is where the meat of the game is, and probably
where you'd be spending the majority of your time (that's if you can find a way
to get off Slam Dunk Contest). Anyhow, this section of FAQ is basically a
walkthrough of the Dynasty Mode, and some tips on how to maximize your success.
So let's begin, shall we?
The Draft
---------
After selecting your team and setting your options for your Dynasty Mode, it
will take you right to the 2006 NBA Entry Draft. After seeing an ESPN Mock
Draft, the CPU proceeds with the picks. At this point, a good idea is to skip
the CPU picks, because quite frankly, who cares, right? After skipping the CPU
Picks, it'll take you to your Draft Central Screen. So anyway, once the CPU
Picks have been skipped or seen, it's your turn. At the top of the screen
you'll find three team weaknesses and three players you can draft to try and
correct them. On the bottom, you'll see an ESPN Scouting Report for each
player, which will outline a couple of strength and weakness points of a
particular player.
The weaknesses at the top are fairly accurate for the most part, so you should
address them accordingly. It should be noted that you are not limited to just
the three players that are in your Draft Central Screen. By pressing the right
arrow on the bottom of the screen, it'll take you to the rest of the players
available. Try looking around here to see if you can find any players that
would help your situation that the CPU has overlooked. One of things is of
course drafting for size. In NBA Live, most of the points are scored in the
paint, so if you can get a dominate Center or Power Forward, then don't
overlook the opportunity. The Draft is over after 3 picks or so.
Staff Hirings
-------------
After the draft, you are taken to your GM schedule. Start by pressing the
envelope on the top right to check out some messages. It's important you check
this frequently, because there are often important messages from the Owner and
some coaches answering your contract offers. You should receive a message from
your Team Owner on the first day. He talks about the budget he's allocated
for the Staff, and your job of course is to stay within that budget.
Click on the first day (October 7th) and pick "Hire Staff". When hiring your
Staff, it is important to hire coaches that suit your team needs, rather than
just an "A" grade Coach. "A" grade Coaches carry a very hefty price tag, and
if their specialty is "none", it might not help you out very much. It is very
important you recognize your team needs, so you know how to divide the money
up. For example, if your team suffers from a severely lack of strength, but
needs a bit of help in the paint, it is important to spend more money on an
"Athletic" based Assistant than it is for a "Big-Man" Assistant. When making
your offers, there is some wiggle room for salary, but not a whole lot. It
should be noted that if you have the money, it might be a good idea to hire
more than one Assistant to improve your team's chances in Training Camp. After
you've made all your offers click on the next day and press "Hire Staff", then
"Simulate up to and including this day."
After simulating, you will receive a little ring, telling you have new
message. You can now check if the coaches have accepted offer. If not, go
back and make another offer. If they have, then simulate the rest of the
remaining days and enter Training Camp.
Training Camp
-------------
Training Camp is the opportunity to make those coaches you hired earlier earn
their pay checks. You have the option to simulate Training Camp, but it is not
recommended. To begin, click on the closest day with the NBA logo, and select
"Enter Training Camp." This screen allows you to divide up your Assistant's
time. The three categories are Offensive, Defensive and of course Athleticism.
This is basically another opportunity to address your team's needs. If your
team needs some offensive help, then devote about 45% of your Assistant's time
to offense, and so on. You should also utilize your Assistant's strengths, if
he's not much of a defensive guy, there's really no point in spending a lot of
time that area. After you're satisfied with your results, press the forward
arrow to complete Training Camp and enter the Regular Season.
Regular Season
--------------
Switch the month to November and view your Team Schedule. Before playing or
simulating any games there are some things that needs to be taken care of
throughout Dynasty Mode:
- Event Scheduling -
This is done by your Assistant Head Coach. To get to the event Schedule
Screen, click on the right arrow, then GM's Desk, then Team Staff, then Event
Scheduling. This screen allows you to divide how your team is going to spend
their time for a set number of weeks. It is recommended to do your scheduling
on a 3-4 week basis, because you never know what might come up that will
require you to address. For example, maybe your team is suddenly hit with a
bad case of fatigue, then you'd need to up the Days off. Which brings me to my
next point, and which each event is for:
Team Event: This will increase communication, aka awareness, and give a boost
to team passing and defensive awareness ratings.
Time: 4 Weeks
->Recommended: 10%
Press Event: Improve dunk and free throw ratings.
->Recommended: 10%
Team Practice: Improves team overall, but also decreases Fatigue and Hardiness
(means your players are more fatigued).
->Recommended: 30%
Days off: Increases Fatigue and Hardiness ratings.
->Recommended: 50%
This Schedule gets a good amount of practices in there, but also enough days-
off to recuperate from them and team events.
- Team Chemistry -
Keep an eye on this because it tells you how each player are feeling.
Remember, it is pretty hard to keep every single player on the team happy, so
all we can ask for is to keep our key players happy. To raise or maintain a
high level of happiness from a player, make sure he's getting a solid amount of
playing time, first and foremost. A way to keep up the general team chemistry
is to make sure the team is winning ball games. Also, players that are
generally involved in the game by putting up good numbers are also more likely
to be happy.
Player to player chemistry is developed for the most part by winning ball
games. Animosity between players are developed through unequal distribution of
the ball, where one player takes more shots than the other player feels he
should. Team Chemistry is most important in simulated games, but tend not to
play as much of a factor in a gamed played. Also, putting players on the
trading block will lower overall team chemistry, unless it's already really
low, which means he is seeking a trade. But you'll know that by checking your
Inbox.
- ESPN Rumor Central -
Rumor Central is located in the Assistant Head Coach screen under Team Staff
and GM's Desk. You can tell your Assistant Head Coach to research any rumor
reported by ESPN. The reason you want to do that is to of course, check the
validity of each rumor. For example, if the rumor says "Kevin Garnett on the
trading block?" this is of huge interest to any team, so naturally you'd want
to follow up on it. You can do that by pressing "Research" on the bottom of
the screen. Depending on your Assistant Head Coach's Rumor Research grade, you
will get varying results. Someone who is A+ at rumor control will not only
confirm if the rumor or not, he'll also find out what the other team is
seeking. However, I believe Rumor snoops are overrated, because they can't
really do much to help out your team.
- Assistants, Trainers and Scouts -
These are the more important screens in the GM's Desk section of Dynasty Mode.
Assistants are by far the most important of the three, because you can
(depending on how many you have) assign an Assistant to work with any player on
your team. The most progress is usually made on Rookies. You can spread the
areas that the Assistants work on by either increasing or decreasing the
percent of "Offense", "Defense", or "Athletic". Athletic is a focus on
physical aspects of the game, things like Speed and Strength. You can have an
Assistant work on players for a time period of 1-4 weeks. Also, it should be
noted that some Assistants have Specialties, along with Areas they have a high
expertise in. For example, some
Trainers can be used to help speed up recovery times for injured players. The
effectiveness of trainers of course depend on their grade. I won't go into
much detail here, because it's fairly straight forward.
You can access the Scouting screen through the GM's Desk. Once in, you have
two options: either to scout your next opponent or scout the next draft class.
Scouting your next opponent really doesn't have much of an effect if you're
looking to simulate, but if you're playing the game then it's pretty much worth
looking at. Scouting a player in the upcoming draft class can provide more
accurate information and better projections. It's definitely worth doing, so
remember to check back at Scouting regularly, especially if you're looking to
run several seasons with your Dynasty.
- Roster Management -
The first thing to note is the "Player Rotation" screen. It should be noted
that all changes made in this screen is for simulation games only, and they do
not apply to games you play. For example, to actually put someone into the
Starting Lineup, it has to be done from the "Play Game" screen: where you get
mess around with the Jerseys, Game Settings, and all that. If you're
simulating through, your star players with Stamina of 90 and better can pretty
much play 80% of the game, that's roughly 38.4 minutes a game at 12 minute
Quarters.
The Inactive List is basically a way to keep players on your team, but they
won't be "dressed" for the game, so to speak. One would do this obviously to
make room for another player. Doing this to any player is sure to damage Team
Chemistry, and depending on who it is, he might even demand a trade out of your
team. Which brings us smoothly to our next point.
That's the Trade Players screen. This is the place where you obviously trade
players, either by making an offer to a team or by placing a player on the
Trading Block. Which is a way of telling other teams that you're looking to
deal a particular player so they will make offers to you. Putting a player on
the Trading Block will lower their Team Chemistry with the team, unless it's
already low and they have demanded a trade out of your franchise.
The Free Agents screen is a place for you to sign some Free Agents. There
probably isn't anyone on here who can change your team in a drastic kind of
way, as the highest overall player is an aging Gary Payton at 73 OVR. The Free
Agent pool should really just be considered when you suffer an injury to a
position where you have no depth.
- All-Star Weekend and Trade Deadline -
I decided to slap these two together because they're around roughly the same
time. For Year One in Dynasty, the All-Star Weekend kicks off on February 16,
2007 with the Rookie vs. Sophomore game. After that you have the 3 point
Shootout and the Slam Dunk Competition. Capping off All-Star Weekend is of
course the NBA All-Star Game. You can choose to take part in these activities,
and check out the All-Star Weekend section of this FAQ for more in-depth
coverage.
Trade Deadline is on the 22nd of February in Year 1 of the Dynasty. The Trade
Deadline is the last day where you can make trades, so after that your team is
pretty much set for the homestretch to the post-season. This is a good time to
head over to ESPN Rumor Central and have your Assistant Head Coach research on
some possible trades. You never know if you can pull off a blockbuster deal
that might not cost you very much (IE a star player wants out of a franchise).
NBA Playoffs
------------
If your team was good enough to finish in the top 8 of your conference, then
you will be legible for the NBA Playoffs. The path to the NBA Finals begin
here. To begin the playoffs, click on the "NBA Playoffs" icon on the Calendar
and Simulate up to and including that day. Then, press the right arrow and
click "Begin Playoffs". In this screen you can see the playoff picture, and
see the potential teams you can play on your way to the NBA Finals. Once
you've taken a good gander at the bracket, press "Simulate" until it reaches
your game. At this point, you'd of course want to "Play". The default format
for the NBA Playoffs is a best-out-of-7 series. You can pretty much use any
strategy in this FAQ to succeed in the playoffs, or check the individual team
strategy in the "Team Roster" section of the FAQ. Good luck.
Off-Season
----------
After the Playoffs are done, it's time to continue with the Off-Season. You
can take a look at the Finals MVP and all that, and then continue on with your
business. The Off-Season is basically time to tie up loose ends in your
Dynasty. Things like re-signing players and coaches rank among the more
important tasks. The very first thing to do in the Off-Season though is taking
on the Rookies in an optional 1-on-1 game with an automatically selected player
from your team. This isn't really required, and you should just do it if
you're looking to kill some time. Otherwise, advance to resigning your
players.
When re-signing your players, you should first evaluate how long you're
thinking about how much longer you're going to be playing. If the answer is
for a much longer time, then be sure you manage your money correctly and don't
sign many players to lucrative contracts. If the answer is, "I'm almost
done," then it might be OK just to sign as many high-profile players you can.
Also, it is especially important that you don't resign your whole team during
the Re-signing period. Be sure to lock up your key players like the Iversons
and Bryants first though. Let the middle-tier players go first. The reason
for that is, you might be resigning someone on your team who might not be as
good or even as cheap (money wise) as some free agent. If there are no better
options, then you can still try and bid for the player you let go, so it's
rather risk free.
The NBA Draft is pretty much the same as the first time around, and signing
free agents has already been addressed, so this takes us to the end of the
Dynasty portion of the FAQ. I hope you enjoyed it.
===============================================================================
All-Star Weekend [0005]
===============================================================================
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Rookie Challenge
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The Rookie Challenge is the part of the All-Star Weekend where the NBA Rookies
try their luck against the NBA Sophomore team. Which in lame men's terms is
the first year players against the 2nd year players. There's really nothing
special about the Rookie Challenge, it's just a regular game. Here are the
team starting line-ups anyway, though:
NBA Rookies (78 OVR)
--------------------
C - L. Aldridge - 71 OVR
PF - A. Bargnani - 74 OVR
SF - A. Morrison - 74 OVR
SG - B. Roy - 72 OVR
PG - R. Foye
NBA Sophomores (86 OVR)
-----------------------
C - A. Bogut - 76 OVR
PF - C. Frye - 76 OVR
SF - C. Villanueva - 78 OVR
SG - R. Felton - 74 OVR
PG - C. Paul - C. Paul
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
3 Point Shootout
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The 3 Point Shootout is one of the bigger attractions at All-Star Weekend.
It's basically in a format where all the players get a chance to shoot 5 racks
of 6 racks of 6 basketballs with one "money ball" The money ball is worth 2
points, the rest worth 1 point. Top two after the first round will advance to
the championship round. You can use any shooter in the NBA.
Controls
--------
Turbo - Pick up ball from rack
Shoot - Shoot the ball
Default Shooters
----------------
D. Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks - 84 3PT Rating
R. Allen - Seattle Supersonics - 90 3PT Rating
G. Arenas - Washington Wizards - 80 3PT Rating
C. Billups - Detroit Pistons - 81 3PT Rating
J. Terry - Dallas Mavericsk - 80 3PT Rating
Q. Richardson - New York Knicks - 79 3PT Rating
S. Nash - Phoenix Suns - 87 3PT Rating
P. Stojakovic - New Orleans Hornets - 85 3PT Rating
The key to having success in the 3 Point Shootout is to develop a quick rhythm.
Your instinct might be to get set line up the bucket and then put it up, but
this strategy isn't going to work here. You first have to figure out where
your shooter's best release point is, and try to repeat it every time. I find
I get the best results when I release the ball _right_ before my shooter
reaches his highest point of his jump. To keep up a quick pace, you should be
repeatedly pressing the Turbo Button right after you release each shot to pick
up the ball and then let it go. Your first few times through the 3 Point
Shootout might be frustrating, but just keep working at it. There really
aren't many other tips for this except to develop a quick rhythm and keep it
up. You'll find the default list of shooters usually put up some ridiculous
numbers like 26 or 27, but it's definitely doable.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Slam Dunk Contest
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Slam Dunk Contest is perhaps the most enjoyable and addicting part of NBA
Live 07, but the learning curve is heavy. There are over a thousand dunks you
can create, so listing them in this FAQ would be impossible. Before heading
over to the Slam Dunk Contest, it is absolutely crucial that you go to the
"Slam Dunk School" under Game Modes. They can teach you how to do it
effectively a lot better than I can, but I'll try and explain the process:
There are about two or three steps in each dunk, depending if you choose to do
a throw. Then, there's the gather and finally the dunk. The gather is
basically the "setup" to each dunk or the "jog" the bucket. First and foremost
move to the spot on the floor where you want to begin. Then, move towards the
hoop and press a gather button. As soon as the gather animation finishes (it
will be quick) press and hold the dunk button you're looking for, along with
any modifiers. Don't hold the dunk button for too long, or you'll abort it,
let go if it too quickly and you're going to abort it too. The game will now
be in slow motion, and when it looks like you're player is ready to throw down
the ball, let go of the dunk button. Here's a list of gathers and dunks on the
default controls:
Gathers
S: 1 foot gather
D: 2 foot gather
X: 180 gather
E: 180 gather
Dunks:
S: Tomahawk
E: Windmill
X: Clutch (under the leg)
D: One Hand
Here's an example to pull off a fairly basic but beautiful and high scoring
dunk.
180 Clutch (under the leg) Dunk
-------------------------------
(I used Lebron James, FYI)
* Start beyond the 3 point line anywhere on the court
* Move towards the bucket and press "E" to begin the gather
* As soon as you see your dunker hold the ball with one hand above his head,
press and hold "X" to jump and pass the ball under your leg while spinning 180
degrees
* As soon as you see the ball is about to touch your other hand, let go of "X"
To get a high score for this (or any) Dunk, you need to get lots of hang time,
and fluency. Hangtime is directly related to the amount of space you have to
work with.
That was just one dunk you can pull off, spend some time in the Slam Dunk
School to hone your skills and let the posterizing begin.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
All-Star Game
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The All-Star game is of course where the fans select the top players (in their
view) to play in one big spectacle. Here are the starting lineups.
Eastern Conference
------------------
C - S. O'Neal - 89 OVR
PF - V. Carter - 87 OVR
SF - L. James - 97 OVR
SG - D. Wade - 93 OVR
PG - A. Iverson - 90 OVR
Western Conference
------------------
C - Y. Ming - 88 OVR
PF - T. Duncan - 91 OVR
SF - T. McGrady 93 OVR
SG - K. Braynt - 97 OVR
PG - S. Nash
===============================================================================
Offensive Strategy [0006]
===============================================================================
Go Inside the Paint EARLY
-------------------------
On the opening possessions you're going to find that both teams are going to
miss a lot of jumpshots. This is just a factoid of basketball, because the
players do not have a good feel of the game yet. So take note of this and work
the ball inside early in the game get some momentum on your side. Put the ball
in the hands of your Center or Power Forward and let them back into the
defender (with the Freestyle Control, Power Move) for some easy buckets. Early
in the game you're going to find that the opponent won't bring the double team
very often, so there are a lot of points to be scored there.
Get "a kick out" of each possession
----------------------------------
One of the most effective ways to score in NBA Live 07 is to establish a drive
to the bucket, draw a double-team and kick it out to a 3-point ace waiting on
the perimeter. This strategy is usually done by using an explosive player like
Kobe Bryant, and calling for Quick Play #1 - Isolation, then drive towards the
hoop and draw the double team. At this point instead of going for the bucket
yourself, which would be an extremely tough shot, look for the man who the
doubling defender just left and kick it out to him and fire away. Even if the
player on the receiving end of the pass doesn't have a 3 point icon, chances
are he'd still drain the shot, granted it's not Shaquille O'Neal you're kicking
it out too. You can also draw double teams with Pick and Rolls as well.
Free Throws win championships
-----------------------------
Being a good free-throwing team doesn't always guarantee a victory, but it's
not a stretch by any means to say the better free throwing team wins about 90%
of the games. The best way to draw a foul is to drive aggressively towards the
hoop with "Turbo" and attempt a lay-up. The importance of free-throws really
doesn't lie on drawing an excessive amount, but more on making the most out of
the opportunities presented. Free throws can be consistently made simply with
good shooting mechanics. Gone are the annoying, and on higher difficulties,
often impossible "touch two dots in the centre" days. The key to making free
throws in 07 is developing a rhythm for each player and releasing the ball
right as it reaches his head.
Pass With Care
--------------
Passing is always a good thing to do in theory, but in NBA Live 07 it can be
quite a hardship trying to distribute the ball around, especially into the
post. The key is to not be predictable when passing, and don't always do the
pass from PG to C as soon as you're running your half-court offense. Instead,
try and do something to throw the defender off, like pull up for a jumper and
then press "pass" as you're in the air. This is a good way to keep the defense
honest. Alternatively, you can try and lock on your target and try a direct
pass. This is just a way to make sure the ball is going exactly where you want
it to, because sometimes it might be difficult to aim the arrows precisely.
Shot Selection is Key
---------------------
If you're someone who loves to bring the ball down, do a bit of a crossover,
and then pull up for a jumper, this game isn't going to be a lot of fun.
Shot selection is one of the most important keys to a victory, and it's no
different in NBA Live 07. So why not try something like PG takes the ball
down, dishes it over to the SG, then to the SF in the right pocket, and then
into the C for a post-up deuce. If you find that you can't get open by passing
the ball around and driving, then it's time to call a quick play.
Capitalize on the Offensive Rebounds
------------------------------------
When you are able to get a second shot opportunity following an offensive
board, it is very important you capitalize. The obvious reaction after getting
a board is to try and throw it down for the easy deuce. This however will not
work a lot of the time, because of the number of defenders surrounding the
rebounder. Because of this, it would be an extremely good decision to pass the
ball to one of the shooters waiting on the perimeter for the trifecta. If
that's not an option, just kick it out to one of the guards and reset your
offense and call some quickplays (Pick and Roll, Isolation, etc).
Utilize the Freestyle Control
-----------------------------
One of my favourite features of all Live games is the freestyle control. As
mentioned earlier, it is useful on Isolation plays because it allows you to
dance around the opponent and create some room for a pull-up jumper as well.
The best part about the Freestyle control this year is you don't even need the
Logitech Dual Analog controller to use it. All you need to do is hold down
Crossover and press any of the movement buttons to perform an And1 like move or
spin. On a Logitech Dual Analog controller, all you have to do is mess around
with the Right Analog stick.
Look to the Fast-Break
----------------------
After you've made a good defensive stand and have the rebound after a miss,
look for the outlet pass to start a fast break opportunity. The fast break is
one of the easier ways to score on NBA Live, because it's usually an odd-man
rush (2-on-1, 3-on-1, etc). When on the fast-break, it is crucial to pass the
ball back and forth, and force the defense to commit to a player. As soon as
that happens pass it to the other player and get the easy deuce via dunk or
lay-up. You can also try to a pick and roll from about the key (area where the
free throws are shot), and get a bucket that way. That way, even if the pick
isn't successful the player who set the pick will be wide open for a pass back
and easy "J".
Utilize your Freestyle Superstars
---------------------------------
Inside Scorer (Ball w/ Bucket)
Power (Fist)
Outside Scorer (Fireball)
High Flyer (Wing)
3 Point Specialist (3)
Playmaker (rotating arrows)
Certain players are good at certain things, and they have icons to indicate
that. The above is a list of offensive specialist types with their
corresponding icons in brackets. It is very important to utilize your
freestyle stars and superstars. For example, it's ideal for 3 point
specialists and outside-scorers to call for picks often to get just a moment of
separation to swish the jumper. Conversely, if your 3 point specialist is PF
or C like Antoine Walker or Dirk Nowitzki, then it might be a good idea to
utilize the pick and pop. Call for the pick from Walker or Nowitzki and draw
the defense onto the ball carrier then kick it back to one of those guys for an
easy drain.
It should also be noted that you certain players have more than one ability
their good at, like Allen Iverson, who's a Playmaker, Outside Scorer and an
Outside Defender (more on that later). If you have a Dual Analog Controller,
you can alter between each icon depending on the situation by holding the Left
Trigger and pressing down on the Right Analog stick. For example, if you're
Allen Iverson and you're setting up a Pick and Pop, and you're looking to draw
the defense to you and then kick it out for the "Pop", you'd want to have the
Playmaker icon selected. So press and hold the Left Trigger and press the
Right Analog stick until you see the rotating arrows selected. This is really
more of an annoying feature if anything.
Abuse the Pick
--------------
The Pick and Roll is one of the most effective ways of scoring in NBA Live 07.
I'm not sure what the reason is, but after you call for a Pick and Roll and use
it to drive to the bucket, the lay-ups and dunks just have a higher success
rate, even if your ball handler doesn't get a lot of separation from the
defense. Also, the pick and roll often draws a double team or even a bad
switch (C on G). If your pick draws a double team, the obvious thing to do is
to pass it back to the player who set the pick and fire away. If it's a bad
switch, call for the Isolation quick play and goto work with your Freestyle
Control.
===============================================================================
Defensive Strategy [0007]
===============================================================================
Stay In Front of the Offense
----------------------------
Scoring is made rather difficult in NBA Live 07, so use it to your advantage on
the defensive end of the court. With any defender, stay concentrated on the
offense looks like he's doing. Not only does your player in NBA Live have to
be quick to keep up with quick players, you have to be too. As soon as you see
the offense go to the right, you have to be going in that direction with your
controller just as quick. If the offense drives, be sure to use the Turbo
button to keep up. If you don't, the opponent is just going to blow right past
you. If they pull-up for the jumpshot you absolutely _have_ to get your hand
up just as quickly, if you're slower by even half a second it'll turn out to be
an easy deuce.
Double Team Often
-----------------
The Double Team should be utilized on every second possession, if not every
possession. Be sure you have the proper personnel to do it, though. For
example an ideal player to bring the double team with is someone quick like
Allen Iverson. Even if the player you're double teaming finds a way to get it
back to his Point Guard, Iverson has the speed to get back in time and still
contest the shot. Double Teams are a great way to force erratic passes, if you
manage to cut off the right lane, and often turnovers. Just be sure to do it
with someone quick so you don't get caught out of position.
Do NOT Abuse the Steal Button
-----------------------------
Defensive Fouls are no longer a rarity in NBA Live this year, and the Steal
button's success rate has fallen considerably as well. It might work once
every 10 attempts, if that. Abusing the steal button in years past has allowed
you to force easy turnovers without having to worry about defensive fouls, but
all that has changed this year. Instead of mashing the Steal Button, focus on
contesting shots, bringing double-teams, and of course staying with the
offense.
Contest Every Single Shot
-------------------------
This might seem like quick an obvious thing to do, and it is, except on some
occasions where it appears the shooter is wide open. Once you see that, it is
very easy to give up and just let them take the shot. However, getting a hand
up, even if you're almost an arm's length away will still make the shot
considerably more difficult, and you're going to find that the other team might
miss quite a few "wide open shots".
Don't Give Up 2nd Shot Opportunities
------------------------------------
2nd Shot opportunities can really hurt a team, and is quite often frustrating
when they are given up. The worst part is they can easily be avoided by simply
good positioning and good timing. On every rebound, the defense has the
advantage, don't forget that. Quite often when rebounds are missed by the
defense is because of excessive jumping, and mistimed jumping. All it takes to
bring down a board is to press your "pass" button to take control of the
nearest defender to the ball and time your jump so you'll meet the ball before
anyone else can in mid-air.
Don't Be Afraid to Bring the Zone
---------------------------------
When you find that one player on offense is simply dominating one of yours, or
that you're giving up too second shot opportunities, then it's time to call the
for the zone defense. The zone defense is the style of D where each player
occupies a certain area on the court, and is responsible for anyone who comes
into their area. As mentioned before, if any particular player on the opposing
team is creating a lot of trouble for you because of speed, strength, or
whatever, then a switch up to the zone might be a good idea. Using the zone
defense also clogs up the lane, so this will take away points in the paint
considerably.
One disadvantage of the Zone defense is it really gives more room for perimeter
shooting, so it might not be the best idea if the other team has some great
outside shooters. You should avoid using the zone D when you're behind.
Because of the smaller amount of pressure on the offense, they can often use up
a lot of the clock on each possession.
===============================================================================
Team Rosters [0008]
===============================================================================
LEGEND:
-Offense-
I: Inside Scorer (Ball w/ Bucket)
O: Outside Scorer (Fireball)
F: High Flyer (Wing)
3: 3 Point Specialist (3)
Y: Playmaker (Rotating Arrows)
P: Power (Fist)
-Defense (Lower-Case)-
o: Outside Stopper (Lock)
i: Inside Stopper (Hand)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlanta Hawks [78 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Zaza Pachulia - 69 OVR
PF - Shelden Williams - 67 OVR
SF - Josh Smith - 78 OVR
SG - Joe Johnson - 83 OVR
PG - Tyronn Lue - 70 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Josh Childress
SF - Marvin Williams
C - Lorenzen Wright
SG - Salim Stoudamire
PG - Speedy Claxton
PF - Esteban Batista
PG - Royal Ivey
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
J. Johnson - 85 OVR (O)(Y)(3)
J. Smith - 78 OVR (F)(i)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Hawks really aren't headed anywhere anytime soon, one would think. Their
best player is Joe Johnson, but aside from him there really aren't many bright
spots on this team, with the exception of Josh Smith. A good move would
probably be to sit down Josh Childress for Josh Smith in the starting lineup.
Even though Childress is a slightly better shooter, Smith is much more
dangerous in close on the offensive end of the floor and a good shot blocker on
his end. If you're looking to start a Dynasty with the Hawks, you're going to
have to make some big moves. The Hawks need help at nearly every position, but
the first issue that needs to be addressed is probably the Center. The
Center/Power Forward position in NBA Live is extremely crucial because of how
easily the big men can dominate the game in the paint.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston Celtics [80 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Kendrick Perkisn - 66 OVR
PF - Al Jefferson - 76 OVR
SF - Paul Pierce - 89 OVR
SG - Wally Szczerbiak - 73 OVR
PG - Delonte West - 73 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Ryan Gomes
PG - Sebastian Telfair
SG - Tony Allen
C - Theo Ratliff
PF - Brian Scalabrine
PG - Rajon Rondo
SG - Gerald Green
PF - Brian Grant
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
P. Pierce - 89 OVR (I)(F)(3)
W. Szczerbiak - 73 OVR (3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Celtics are another team on the decline. They still have Paul Pierce who
has been the face of the franchise for as long as I can remember, but because
of a mediocre supporting cast, especially at the Center position, Boston won't
be competition for many championships in the near future. The best chance to
win with this team is to set a lot of picks for Pierce to drive to the bucket
and put up some mid-ranged jumpers. When Pierce draws the double team, look to
kick it out to Szcerbiak for some 3 pointers. On the defensive side of the
ball, your goal should be to force some turnovers with Pierce and your fairly
quick guards.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlotte Bobcats [76 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Primoz Brezec - 69 OVR
PF - Emeka Okafor - 78 OVR
SF - Adam Morrison -75 OVR
SG - Gerald Wallace - 78 OVR
PG - Ramon Felton - 75 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Brevin Knight
SG - Bernard Robinson
PF - Sean May
SG - Matt Carroll
PF - Othella Harrington
PF - Melvin Ely
C - Jake Voskul
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
E. Okafor - 78 OVR (P)(i)
G. Wallace - 78 OVR (H)(i)(o)
B. Knight - 68 OVR (Y)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Charlotte Bobcats are a decent team with a young backcourt. We all know
about Emeka Okafor, the 2nd Overall Pick out of Connecticut in the 2006 NBA
Draft. He's a solid player on both ends of the floor, but has no range
whatsoever. It wouldn't be a long shot to say all his points are going to come
in the post. The biggest offensive threats on this team are at the Forward
positions, with Wallace and Okafor, both of whom who are only effective in the
paint. Morrison, the 3rd Overall pick in the 06 Draft poses as a minor outside
threat, but he can still drain a few. The Bobcats are a young team that is
only going to get better. If you're looking to start a Dynasty with the
Bobcats, the first thing to do would probably be to get a proven offensive
Point Guard to work with Morrison on the outside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Bulls [92 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Ben Wallace - 84 OVR
PF - P.J. Brown - 74 OVR
SF - Andres Nocioni - 76 OVR
SG - Ben Gordon - 79 OVR
PG - Kirk Hinrich - 81 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Luol Deng
PF - Tyrus Thomas
PG - Chris Duhon
SG - Thabo Sefolosha
PF - Michael Sweetney
SF - Adrian Griffin
PG - Howard Eisley
SF - Viktor Khryapa
PF - Malik Allen
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
B. Wallace - 84 OVR (P)(i)
B. Gordon - 78 OVR (O)(3)
K. Hinrich - 81 OVR (O)(Y)(3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Bulls are a team that made it to the Post-Season for the first time in
nearly a decade last year. They have a young and talented team with a
backcourt that might evolve into one of the best in the NBA one day. Gordon
and Hinrich are already excellent offensively, and they are only going to get
better. The Bulls also managed to add Ben Wallace in the off-season, who
signed the lucrative contract to go to Chicago. If you're looking to rebuild
the Bulls of the early 90s, this team might be able to do it in the 3 years or
so. Off the court, look to add a proven scorer at one of the Forward
positions, because the Bulls aren't really strong offensively up front. If
you're playing with the Bulls on the court, look to set a lot of Picks for your
two guards, and look to Ben Wallace to try and pull-down some Offensive Boards,
then reset it back to the Guards. Even though we don't talk about Wallace on
the offensive end that much, he's still a decent dunker and powerful, so don't
hesitate to try some points in the paint with him.
On the defensive end, do your best to stay with the offense and force some
tough shots because they aren't going to get many second shot opportunities
with Wallace patrolling the rim.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland Cavaliers [89 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas - 76 OVR
PF - Drew Gooden - 73 OVR
SF - Lebron James - 97 OVR
SG - Larry Hughes - 84 OVR
PG - Eric Snow - 70 OVR
- B e n c h -
PF - Donyell Marshall
PG - Daniel Gibson
PF - Anderson Varejao
SG - Shannon Brown
C - Scot Pollard
SG - Ira Newble
SG - Aleksandar Pavlovic
PG - Damon Jones
SF - Like Jackson
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
Z. Ilgauskas - 76 OVR (I)(i)
L. James - 97 OVR (F)(I)(O)(Y)(P)(o)
L. Hughes - 84 OVR (o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference,
and one of the most exciting too. Lebron James is one of the best players in
NBA Live 07, and just 21 years of age, too. In Dynasty Mode, it is ideal that
you lock up James for as long as you play, because he is the guy to build this
franchise around. I'm not sold on Eric Snow being the man to quarterback this
offensive. He is aging, and no longer the defensive or offensive player he
once was. It wouldn't be a bad idea to trade someone like Larry Hughes for a
proven scorer. Because of Marshall's 3 point range, it is probably a good idea
to start him in front of Dwight Gooden. In game, just play Lebron James in
every situation possible (just look at his Freestyle Superstar Icons). He is
capable of scoring from any spot on the court, but he is most dangerous when
his explosiveness and speed are utilized, so attack the rim with everything
you've got. Set Pick and Rolls, and when the double teams come, look to kick
it
out to Donyell Marshall for some 3 balls. Larry Hughes is also a solid player
on both ends of the court.
On the defensive end of the court, look to try and force some steals with
James. See if you can anticipate some passes and Turbo towards them with
Lebron. He's also a solid defender on the outside along with Larry Hughes, so
use them and stay with the offense to force some tough shots.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dallas Mavericks [94 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Erick Dampier - 70 OVR
PF - Dirk Nowitzki - 91 OVR
SF - Josh Howard - 85 OVR
SG - Jason Terry - 81 OVR
PG - Devin Harris - 78 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Jerry Stackhouse
C - DeSagana Diop
PG - Anthony Johnson
PF - Austin Croshere
SG - Greg Buckner
SF - Devean George
SG - Maurice Ager
C - DJ Mbenga
SF - Ndudi Ebi
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
D. Nowitzki - 91 OVR (I)(O)(3)
J. Howard - 85 OVR (O)(o)
J. Terry - 81 OVR (O)(3)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Dallas Mavericks are coming off an NBA Championship season, so the only way
to have a better season is to of course take down the NBA title. The Mavericks
got to the big dance with a high-octane offense, because their defense is for
the most part non-existent. They obviously have Dirk Nowitzki, undoubtedly
the most versatile big-man in the NBA today. He's literally able to score from
any spot on the court, whether it'd be from beyond the arc or with a power move
inside the paint. The key to scoring with the Mavericks is setting a lot of
picks and rolls/pops with Nowitzki, Howard or Terry. Setting the pick with
Nowitzki gives you a lot of options. For example if you're Jason Terry calling
for the pick by Nowitzki, you can either use the pick and put up a mid-ranged
jumper, or you can pass it back to Dirk for an easy deuce.
On the defensive end of the court, don't hesitate to bring the double team a
lot with Howard or Terry to help out the mediocre defensive in the paint. They
are quick enough to get back to the outside if the offense chooses to kick it
out, so you shouldn't worry about that too much. You should be more concerned
with the fact that any decent Center or PF can expose Nowitzki and Diop's
mediocre D.
From a GM standpoint, it'd probably be worth it to pick up a decent shot-
blocking Center. You can get a serviceable one by dealing Jerry Stackhouse and
a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. In fact, one of the main reasons the Mavs lost
in the finals was because they didn't have an answer for Shaquille O'Neal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denver Nuggets [85 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Marcus Camby - 78 OVR
PF - Kenyon Martin - 84 OVR
SF - Carmelo Anthony - 86 OVR
SG - J.R. Smith - 73 OVR
PG - Andre Miller - 74 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Earl Boykins
SF - Eduardo Najera
PF - Joe Smith
SF - Linas Klieza
SG - Julius Hodge
PF - Reggie Evans
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
M. Camby - 78 OVR (i)
K. Martin - 84 OVR (P)
C. Anthony - 86 OVR (I)(O)
J. Smith - 73 OVR (F)
A. Miller 74 OVR (Y)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Nuggets are one of the more overrated teams in the NBA, in my opinion.
Carmelo Anthony is a solid player, especially in NBA Live 07. In real life he
suffers from a poor shot selection, but luckily in Live, you have total control
about the types of shots he takes. Melo is an inside threat and outside
threat, so you should of course be setting a lot of picks for him. Inside the
paint should be where you goto Kenyon Martin, the ex-Net. Have him post-up a
lot and Freestyle Control your way to the hoop and throw it down.
Unfortunately, he doesn't have any jump shot to speak of, and he's a poor Free
Thrower. That puts the Nuggets at huge disadvantage because the team can foul
him and about 30% of the time take away 2 points away from the team. Another
problem with the Nuggets is they don't have any outside threats on this team,
besides Carmelo Anthony. Which is something you should definitely look at it.
As for some offensive strategy, the key is to move the ball around, drive and
then kick it out. Unfortunately this team doesn't have any outside threats, so
the majority of the kickouts will have to Anthony, which takes away a driving
threat. Smith is still a decent dunker, so you can drive the ball with him if
need be.
On the defensive end of the ball, it's kind of unfortunate when the Nuggets'
best defender is an aging Marcus Camby. Defense is a huge thorn on the Nuggets
side, and that's a huge reason for their inconsistency. Marcus Camby is still
a decent shot blocker though, but he is a bit undersized.
If you're looking to play with the Nuggets on GM Mode, a good idea is to
perhaps trade away Martin for a decent Outside shooter and defender. The
franchise player is of course Carmelo Anthony, who can keep getting better, so
focus on building a team of defense and shooters around him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detroit Pistons [84 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Dale Davis - 68 OVR
PF - Rasheed Wallace - 84 OVR
SF - Tayshaun Prince - 80 OVR
SG - Richard Hamilton - 82 OVR
PG - Chauncey Billups - 84 OVR
- B e n c h -
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
R. Wallace - 84 OVR (I)(P)(i)
T. Prince - 80 OVR (i)
R. Hamilton - 82 OVR (O)
C. Billups - 84 OVR (O)(Y)(3)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
Despite losing Ben Wallace, the Pistons are still one of the best teams in the
NBA. They do it by having a group of 4 unselfish players in Rasheed Wallace,
Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Chaucey Billups. The key to success with
this team is to utilize all the offensive threats available to you. The beauty
of the Piston offense is literally any single one of those 4 players can put
the shot up. Because of this, you need to utilize ball movement and lots of
picks. Call for the pick and roll and drive with Rip, only to kick it out to a
waiting Billups on the perimeter for the tray.
The only noticeable flaw to the Pistons this year is they really haven't found
a suitable replacement for Ben Wallace. Their team is a bit undersized this
year because of it. And we all know in Live, without good defense in the
paint, the other team will just eat you alive. So because of the Pistons' lack
of a strong defensive center, you _have_ to bring the double team as soon as it
looks like the offense is about to get an easy deuce inside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Golden Sate Warriors [82 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Adonal Foyle - 63 OVR
PF - Troy Murphy - 75 OVR
SF - Mike Dunleavy - 74 OVR
SG - Jason Richardson - 85 OVR
PG - Baron Davis - 87 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Mickael Pietrus
SG - Monta Ellis
C - Ike Diogu
PG - Keith McLeod
PF - Andris Perkins
C - Patrick O'Bryant
SG - Devin Brown
PF - Zarko Cabarkapa
PF - Chris Taft
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
A. Foyle - 63 OVR (i)
J. Richardson - 85 OVR (F)(O)
B. Davis - 87 OVR (F)(O)(Y)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
With the addition of Baron Davis in the second half of the 05 season along with
some nice off-season acquisitions, seem to put the Warriors in a potential
playoff run for 06. That didn't happen though. Nevertheless, the Warriors are
still a solid team to ball with in NBA Live 07. With the aforementioned Baron
Davis quarterbacking this squad, it really opens up a lot of options on the
offensive side. He is obviously one of the most versatile players in the game,
posing as a significant threat inside and out. Use his playmaking abilities to
set up Mike Dunleavy and Jason Richardson. Speaking of Richardson, he is of
course a huge inside threat with his dunking ability. Use Richardson to draw
the double teams and kick it out to Dunleavy and Davis on the outside for some
easy deuces.
The one area where the Warriors need help in is defense. Aside from Baron
Davis, there really aren't any good defenders on this team. Richardson is
serviceable, but Shooting Guard is one of the most talented positions in the
NBA, and I just don't see him being able to shutdown guys like Kobe Bryant or
Tracy McGrady. With that being said, don't be afraid to bring the double team
Baron Davis to any position that needs it. He's quick enough to get back to
his defender if the offense picks up the double.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Houston Rockets [87 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Yao Ming - 84 OVR
PF - Juwan Howard - 73 OVR
SF - Shane Battier - 77 OVR
SG - Tracy McGrady - 98 OVR
PG - Rafer Alston - 74 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Luther Head
SG - Kirk Snyder
C - Dikembe Mutombo
SF - Ryan Bowen
PF - Maciej Lampe
PG - Bob Sura
SG - David Wesley
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
Y. Ming - 84 OVR (I)(i)
T. McGrady - 98 OVR (F)(I)(O)(Y)(3)(o)
S. Battier - 77 OVR (o)
R. Alston - 74 OVR (Y)
D. Mutumbo - 68 OVR (i)
- A n a l y s i s -
With the team that the Rockets have put together, they are primed for a run
deep into the NBA Playoffs in NBA Live 07. Coverboy Tracy McGrady is by far
the best overall player in Live 07. He just has the ability to score from any
spot on the court and also free up a lot room for his team-mates because of all
the double teams he draws. Yao Ming is a solid player on both ends of the
court and his a great free throw shooter for a big man. The addition of Rafer
Alston brings a proven ball distributor to the Rockets. He had questionable
shot selection when he was playing with the Raptors, but he shouldn't have that
problem here playing with McGrady and Yao. On offense, call for a lot of picks
and isolation plays for McGrady to create scoring opportunities via kickout.
Yao Ming is a solid option inside, so set up a lot of post-up plays for him.
On the defensive end of the court, all you really have to do is stick with the
defense, because for the most part you have a good defensive team here. Just
force some tough shots by staying in front of the offense, and bringing the
occasional double team to keep the opponent honest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indiana Pacers [81 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Jermaine O'Neal - 86 OVR
PF - Al Harington - 80 OVR
SF - Danny Granger - 77 OVR
SG - Stephen Jackson - 74 OVR
PG - Jamal Tinsley - 75 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Marquis Daniels
PG - Saruna Jasikevicius
C - Jeff Foster
PG - Darrell Armstrong
SF - Shawne Williams
C - David Harrison
C - John Edwards
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
J. O'Neal - 86 OVR (I)(P)(i)
D. Armstrong - 69 OVR (o)
- A n a l y s i s -
Ironically enough, after the retirement of Reggie Miller, this team seems to be
steadily on the decline. Don't take it wrong though, they are probably still a
playoff team, it's just they aren't going to be contending for any
championships in the near future. On the offensive end of things, focus on
working the ball inside with Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harington. Stephen Jackson
is still a potent offensive threat from the outside, so kick it out to him
often. He's also got the talent to create some shots on his own, so don't
hesitate to do so.
On the defensive side of the ball, bring the double team from Darrel Armstrong
often. He's a solid defender in his own right, but he can help out a mediocre
defender like Stephen Jackson.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles Clippers [91 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Chris Kaman - 74 OVR
PF - Elton Brand - 90 OVR
SF - Quinton Ross - 67 OVR
SG - Cutitino Mobley - 78 OVR
PG - Sam Cassell - 73 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Corey Maggette
PG - Shaun Livingston
SF - James Singleton
C - Zeljko Rebraca
SF - Yaroslav Korolev
C - Aaron Williams
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
C. Kaman - 74 OVR (i)
E. Brand - 90 OVR (I)(P)(i)
C. Maggette - 82 OVR (F)(O)
C. Mobley - 78 OVR (3)
S. Livingston - 76 OVR (Y)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Clippers are really one of the more exciting teams in the NBA. They use to
be one of the laughing stocks of the NBA, but with the emergence of Elton Brand
as one of the game's top forwards and the continued exciting play by Corey
Maggette, they are finally out of the basement. Someone would say they are
even in contention for a Western Conference title, but I think they're still a
little far from that. Nevertheless, on the offensive end of the court, work
the ball inside with Elton Brand. He's a powerful man, so it'll be pretty hard
to stop him. He's got a decent stroke from the outside, but don't expect many
pull up jumpers to be landing for him. The addition of Cutino Mobley really
gives the Clippers a proven and dangerous threat from the outside. So once the
defense brings the double team on Elton Brand, kick it out to Mobley for some 3
pointers.
On the defensive end of the court, you have two good inside defenders in Brand
and Kaman, so the issue is probably on the outside with Mobley. He's an aging
Shooting Guard, one of the most talented positions in the NBA. If you can,
bring the double team from Livingston if Mobley starts getting in trouble.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles Lakers [93 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Chris Mihm - 66 OVR
PF - Vladamir Radmanovic - 71 OVR
SF - Lamar Odom - 84 OVR
SG - Kobe Bryant - 97 OVR
PG - Smush Parker - 73 OVR
- B e n c h -
PF - Kwame Brown
PG - Jordan Farmar
SG - Maurice Evans
PF - Brian Cook
SF - Luke Walton
C - Andrew Bynum
PG - Sasha Vijacic
SG - Aaron McKie
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
L. Odom - 84 OVR (I)
V. Radmanovic - 71 OVR (3)
K. Bryant - 97 OVR (F)(I)(O)(Y)(3)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
After the departure of Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers were undoubtedly Kobe
Bryant's team. Kobe Bryant has put up some magnificent numbers since Shaq
left, but there has been a decrease in wins with "Kobe's team." Nevertheless,
Kobe is right up there in terms of scoring, and he is without a doubt the best
clutch player in the NBA has seen since Jordan. When the game is on the line,
you want the ball in Bryant's hands. Throughout the game, move the ball around
with Bryant and create some scoring opportunities. Kick it out to Radamovic, a
potent threat from the outside. Lamar Odom is very hard to stop inside the
paint, his best shot is probably the 5 foot jumper. The reason the Lakers
haven't been that successful because of their lack of team defense. Kobe is
still a good defender, but the rest of the team is a mediocre at best. They
really don't have much team speed either.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memphis Grizzlies [80 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Jake Tskalidis - 61 OVR
PF - Pau Gasol - 86 OVR
SF - Rudy Gay - 71 OVR
SG - Eddie Jones - 75 OVR
PG - Damon Stoudamire - 78 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Mike Miller
PF - Stromile Swift
PF - Chucky Atkins
SG - Dahntay Jones
PF - Hakim Warrick
SF - Brian Cardinal
PG - Kyle Lowry
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
P. Gasol - 86 OVR (I)(i)
M. Miller - 73 OVR (3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Grizzles surprised the basketball world a few years ago by exploding into
the playoffs. However, since then they have been swept out of the
quarterfinals for two years in a roll. Back when the Grizzlies were still in
Vancouver, they were plagued by horrible drafting, but the best pick in
franchise history probably has to be Pau Gasol. He's a good defender, scorer
and an unselfish player. He's extremely hard to stop inside the paint with his
short-jumper. Aside from gasol though, the Grizzlies are really an aging team,
with the likes of Eddie Jones and journeyman Damon Stoudamire in the starting
lineup. The Grizzlies aren't very good defensively, and they don't have many
scoring options, either. The Spurs really exposed them a couple years ago, and
until you can find some secondary help for Pau Gasol, this team probably isn't
going anywhere near the Semi-finals, or even back in the playoffs it seems. On
the offensive end of the court, Eddie Jones is still a great shooter from the
outside though, along with Mike Miller. When the defense starts doubling up on
Gasol in the inside, look to kick it out to E-J and Miller for a good chance
for some buckets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami Heat [94 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Shaquille O'Neal - 89 OVR
PF - Udonis Haslem - 72 OVR
SF - Antoine Walker - 79 OVR
SG - Dwayne Wade - 94 OVR
PF - Jason Williams - 76 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - James Posey
PG - Gary Payton
C - Alonzo Mourning
SG - Derek Anderson
PF - Wayne Simien
C - Michael Doleac
SF - Jason Kapono
SF - Dorell Wright
C - Earl Barron
SG - Mike Gansley
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
S. O'Neal - 89 OVR (P)(i)
D. Wade - 94 OVR (F)(I)(O)(Y)(o)
J. Williams - 76 OVR (Y)
A. Mourning - 76 OVR (i)
- A n a l y s i s -
We have arrived at the defending NBA Champions. The Heat were able to help
Mourning realize his dream in 06, and capture his first NBA Championship. That
was in large part to the most dominant big-man in the game today though,
Shaquille O'Neal. His size and power just makes him such a hard assignment for
anyone. You should of course utilize his dominance in-game, and set-up
multiple post-up plays per game for Shaq. Dwayne Wade has developed into one
of the best players in the game, and according to Shaq, the best player he's
ever played with (ouch). Wade has an excellent dunking ability, so drive the
ball with him often to set up some perimeter shots. He's also got great
defense, so you don't have to worry about him keeping up with the "O". Jason
Williams is great playmaker at PG, so have him quarterback the offense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milwaukee Bucks [75 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Andrew Bogut - 73 OVR
PF - Charlie Villanueva - 78 OVR
SF - Bobby Simmons - 78 OVR
SG - Michael Redd - 85 OVR
PG - Maurice Williams - 72 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Ruben Patterson
SG - Charlie Bell
PG - Steve Blake
C - Brian Skinner
C - Dan Gadzuric
SF - Ersan Ilyasova
C - Ha Seung-Jin
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
A. Bogut - 73 OVR (i)
M. Redd - 85 OVR (O)(3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Bucks are really a below .500 team, and I don't seem them going anywhere
soon. They were able to acquire Charlie Vilanaueva though, a solid player at
the Power Forward position. There are just too many holes in this team to be
considered a threat in the Eastern Conference (and that's saying a lot). They
have Micheal Redd, who's going to be able to put up his usual number of points.
But defensively, this team is very shabby, probably one of the very worst in
the NBA. They aren't going anywhere until they get a good Center, and better
defense. If you find yourselves playing with the Bucks, work the ball around
with Redd and see if you can put up some points with some Picks and Isolations.
He's pretty much their only chance of scoring.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesota Timberwolves [87 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Mark Blount - 68 OVR
PF - Kevin Garnett - 93 OVR
SF - Ricky Davis - 78 OVR
SG - Randy Foye - 75 OVR
PG - Mike James - 76 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Trenton Hassell
PG - Marko Jaric
PF - Eddie Griffin
SF - Justin Reed
SG - Rashad McCants
PF - Mark Madsen
PG - Tony Hudsen
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
K. Garnett - 93 OVR (I)(P)(i)
R. Davis - 78 OVR (F)
M. James - 76 OVR (O)
- A n a l y s i s -
The T-Wolves has always been a good team in the Regular Season, but that hasn't
translated to any success in post-season. Unfortunately, the addition of Mike
James probably isn't going to change that for them. However, in Live this team
has a pretty good chance of going deep into the playoffs if Garnett can produce
like he always does. The T-Wolves have Ricky Davis, the ex-Celtic, and he's a
threat inside with his dunking ability. He really doesn't have much of a
jumpshot to speak of though. Mike James had a solid year with the Ratpors last
year, and I don't see any reason why it won't continue here. On offense, the
best way to score is work the ball inside with KG and draw some doublet eams.
Once you do, kick it out to James to hit some Jumpers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Jersey Nets [86 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Nenad Kristic - 70 OVR
PF - Cliff Robinson - 70 OVR
SF - Richard Jefferson - 83 OVR
SG - Vince Carter - 89 OVR
PG - Jason Kidd - 85 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Marcus Williams
SF - Bostjan Nachbar
SG - Antoine Wright
SG - Eddie House
C - Mikki Moore
PF - Josh Boone
PG - Jeff McInnis
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
R. Jefferson - 83 OVR (F)(O)(o)
V. Carter - 89 OVR (F)(I)(O)
J. Kidd - 85 OVR (O)(Y)(O)
- A n a l y s i s -
On paper, this team has the potential to go deep into the NBA Playoffs. They
have three proven scorers in Jefferson, Carter and Kidd. A small problem might
be the fact that they don't have a Power guy for post-ups, though. And their
team defense is mediocre, at best. On offense, utilize all the threats that
you have with Jefferson, Carter and Kidd. Move the ball around a lot and
spread the ball around so the defense never knows who's going to be taking the
shot. Utilize Isolations to take advantage of the mismatches you're bound to
find. Pick and Rolls are a great way to get these good shooters open, and for
Carter to drive the ball inside. If the other team starts doubling Carter,
just kick it out for some easy Js from Jefferson and Kidd.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Orleans Hornets [82 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g R o s t e r -
C - Tyson Chandler - 76 OVR
PF - David West - 74 OVR
SF - Peja Stojakovic - 83 OVR
SG - Desmond Mason - 77 OVR
PG - Chris Paul - 85 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Rasual Butler
PF - Marc Jackson
C - Hilton Armstrong
PG - Bobby Jackson
PF - Brandon Bass
PF - Cedric Simmons
PG - Jannero Pargo
SF - Marcus Fizer
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
T. Chandler - 76 OVR (O)
P. Stojakovic - 83 OVR (3)
D. Mason - 77 OVR (F)
C. Paul - 85 OVR (O)(Y)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Hornets recently acquired Peja Stojakovic from Sacramento. He's a great
shooter from the perimeter, but he hasn't always had playoff success, and not
much of a clutch guy. I'm not sure you can call him the franchise player, at
all. However, in a few years maybe a guy like Chris Paul can really take
control of this franchise and take it to the next level. On paper, this team
isn't bad, but unfortunately they need lots of help around the forward and
center positions, because the Hornets do not have any inside threats. When
that happens to a team that's filled with good shooters, the shooters can't
really be utilized as effectively. However, you can still try the pick and
roll to see if you can get enough room for guys like Chandler and Stojakovic to
drain some shots.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Knicks [90 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Eddy Curry - 74 OVR
PF - Channing Frye - 76 OVR
SF - Jamal Crawford - 75 OVR
SG - Steve Francais - 81 OVR
PG - Stephon Marbury - 83 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Jalen Rose
SG - Jared Jeffries
SF - Quentin Richardson
PF - David Lee
PF - Malik Rose
PG - Nate Robinson
SF - Renaldo Balkman
C - Jerome James
PF - Maurice Taylor
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
E. Curry - 74 OVR (i)
S. Marbury - 83 OVR (O)(Y)(o)
S. Francis - 81 OVR (F)(O)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Knicks have been the laughing stocks of the NBA for the last few years now.
They just seem to bring together a lot of selfish players on a team, and end up
losing year after year. On paper, they don't really have a bad team, with of
course two of the most overrated players in the NBA "Starbury" and Stevie
"Franchise" leading the way at the guard position. If you're taking control of
the Knicks for a franchise, you should be able to make a run for the playoffs
if you play enough games. The problem is though, with the amount of selfish
players on this team you can't really simulate many games. The Knicks just
seem like a place for players to go as they head on the decline and slowly
disappear from the mainstream. If you can, try dealing either Marbury or
Francis for an inside threat, because the Knicks are filled with "Shooter" type
guys like Quentin Richardson and Jalen Rose.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orlando Magic [77 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Darko Milicic - 63 OVR
PF - Dwight Howard - 84 OVR
SF - Grant Hill - 77 OVR
SG - J.J. Redick - 68 OVR
PG - Jameer Nelson - 79 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF - Hedo Turkoglu
PG - Keyon Dooling
SF - Trevor Ariza
PF - Pat Garrity
SG - Keith Bogans
PG - Carlos Arroyo
PF - Bo Outlaw
PG - Travis Diener
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
D. Howard - (P)(i)
G. Hill - (o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Magic are really one of the basement teams in the Eastern Conference. They
don't have many scoring threats at all, and their starting lineup is filled
with guys that would be on the bench on most other teams. Grant Hill can still
drain a few shots, so don't overlook him. Dwight Howard is billed as the
future of this franchise, but he really isn't big as a scoring threat as Tracy
McGrady was. He hasn't really developed a jumpshot yet, so in Dynasty Mode
that's the thing you have to work with him. He's a powerful young man, so
that leaves a lot of doors open for dunking in the future. The Magic have a
lot of holes on their team, and you need to address them, especially
offensively.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philadelphia 76ers [82 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Samuel Dalembert - 72 OVR
PF - Chris Webber - 81 OVR
SF - Andre Iguodala - 80 OVR
SG - Kyle Korver - 68 OVR
PG - Allen Iverson - 90 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Kevin Ollie
C - Steven Hunter
PF - Randolph Shavlik
SF - Rodney Carney
SG - Willie Green
PG - Louis Williams
PF - Michael Bradley
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
S. Dalembert - 72 OVR (i)
C. Webber - 81 OVR (I)
A. Iguodala - 80 OVR (F)(i)(o)
K. Korver - 68 OVR (3)
A. Iverson - 90 OVR (O)(Y)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
Allen Iverson is undoubtedly the man who makes this team run. He literally
took the Sixers on his back in 2001 and took them to the NBA Finals, and he is
still capable of doing that in Live, but he shouldn't have to because of the
strong supporting cast. On paper, this team can go deep into the Playoffs, no
question. Dalembert is young and in Dynasty the Assistants can really improve
him offensively. Chris Webber is a solid second option on this team, and is
pretty dangerous with the inside jumper. Iguodala is a good defender and a
threat to posterize anyone in the NBA. Kyle Korver rounds off this strong
eastern conference team with excellent 3 point shooting. The key to scoring
with the Sixers is driving with Iverson and kicking it out to Webber and Korver
for some easy buckets. Iverson also has the ability to take it all the way
himself on any possession.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix Suns [95 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Amare Stoudemire - 89 OVR
PF - Boris Diaw - 72 OVR
SF - Shawn Marion - 89 OVR
SG - Raja Bell - 76 OVR
PG - Steve Nash - 91 OVR
- B e n c h -
PG - Leandro Barbosa
C - Kurt Thomas
SF - James Jones
PG - Marcus Banks
PF - Pat Burke
SF - Eric Piatkowski
C - Sean Marks
SG - Dijon Thompson
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
A. Stoudemire - 89 OVR(F)(I)(P)(i)
S. Marion - 89 OVR(F)(I)(i)(o)
R. Bell - 76 OVR(o)
S. Nash - 91 OVR (O)(Y)(3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Suns are one of the most exciting teams in the NBA because of their high-
octane offense. The reigning two-time MVP Steve Nash makes everybody around
him better. He has such a great shot that you have to utilize the picks. Use
it to get a little room and then launch it from any spot on the floor. Nash
can also use his great passing abilities to dominate teams with the Pick and
Pop. Shawn Marion is a threat from the inside and out. Stoudemire can be a
nightmare inside because he's so strong and athletic, so be sure to set up a
lot of post-ups for him. If it's anything the Suns needs help on, it's
defense. The best player on this team Steve Nash is a mediocre defender
himself, and the best is by far Raja Bell.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Portland Trailblazers [83 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Jamaal Magloire - 75 OVR
PF - Zach Randolph - 79 OVR
SF - Darius Miles - 79 OVR
SG - Brandon Roy - 76 OVR
PG - Jarrett Jack - 66 OVR
- B e n c h -
PF - LaMarcus Aldridge
SG - Juan Dixon
SG - Martell Webster
C - Joel Przybilla
PG - Dan Dickau
SF - Travis Outlaw
PF - Raef LaFretnz
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
J. Przybilla - 65 OVR (i)
Z. Randolph - 79 OVR(I)
D. Miles - 79 OVR (F)
J. Magloire 75 OVR (o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Trailblazers are a decent team that are missing that extra push to get into
the post-season. Zach Randolph is their best player, and he's a potent threat
inside. The problem with the Trailblazers though is they don't have any
outside scoring. The addition of Magloire really doesn't help that situation,
but it does improve the team. Miles is a great dunker, but he doesn't have a
jumpshot to speak of. In order to become as good as he think he is, he'll need
to develop one, and he's steadily approaching his 30s. Your best chance to
score with the Trailblazers is to work the ball in the post and create some
wide open shots for your guys.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacrmento Kings [88 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Brad Miller - 77 OVR
PF - Shareef Abdur-Rahim - 78 OVR
SF - Ron Artest - 87 OVR
SG - Francisco Garcia - 61 OVR
PG - Mike Bibby - 83 OVR
- B e n c h -
PF Kenny Thomas
SG John Salmons
C Loren Woods
SG Quincy Douby
SF Corliss Williamson
SF Sergei Monia
C Vitaly Potapenko
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
R. Artest - 87 OVR (I)(o)
M. Bibby - 83 OVR (O)(Y)(3)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Kings has been beaten by the Lakers a lot in the past, but they have bigger
worries now. They have a good enough team to win in Live, but a problem might
be at the Center position. I don't believe Brad Miller has what it takes to be
a legitimate offensive threat day in and day out. Shareef Abdur-Rahim is a
decent player, and should be serviceable. The Kings brought in Ron Artest to
help out with their lacklustre defense, and he is a great defender. Aside from
Artest though, they really aren't that much better defensively. On offense,
have Bibby quarterback. Use him to spread the ball around with great passing
and he can shoot the 3 ball effectively as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Antonio Spurs [92 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Francisco Elson - 65 OVR
PF - Tim Duncan - 89 OVR
SF - Bruce Bowen - 72 OVR
SG - Manu Ginobili - 86 OVR
PG - Tony Parker - 84 OVR
- B e n c h -
SG - Michael Finley
SG - Brent Barry
PF - Robert Horry
SF - Eric Williams
PG - Beno Udrih
PF - Fabricio Oberto
PG - Jacque Vaughn
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
T. Duncan - 89 OVR (I)(P)(i)
B. Bowen - 72 OVR (o)
M. Ginobili - 86 OVR (I)(O)(Y)
T. Parker - 84 OVR (O)(Y)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Spurs contend for the championship year in and year out. Their franchise
player, Tim Duncan is one of the best players in the game. He is just such a
force on both ends of the court. The Spurs has been as good for as long they
have because of good team defense. A guy like Bruce Bowen might be regarded as
cheap artist around the league, but he's still one hell of a defender. Put him
on the opponent's best guard. Ginobili is the biggest offensive threat, in my
opinion, because of his ability to drive and also put up a shot from any spot
on the court. Parker is one of the most accurate shooters in the league, so
utilize his mid-ranged jumper.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seattle Supersonics [79 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Robert Swift - 69 OVR
PF - Chris Wilcoz - 77 OVR
SF - Rashard Lewis - 84 OVR
SG - Ray Allen - 86 OVR
PG - Luke Ridnour - 75 OVR
- B e n c h -
PF Earl Watson
PF Nick Collison
C Saer Sene
SF Damien Wilkins
PF Danny Fortson
C Johan Petroo
PG Mike Wilks
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
R. Lewis - 84 OVR (I)(O)(3)
R. Allen - 86 OVR (O)(3)
L. Ridnour - 75 OVR (Y)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Sonics are one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, but their defense is
also one of the worst. In the NBA, it's just hard to win a championship
without a good defense. The Sonics need a lot of help upfront. They have
Rashard Lewis, and he's a threat from any spot on the court, but he's not
powerful enough to match up with centers. Ray Allen is one of the best pure
shooters I have ever seen, so utilize a lot of pick and rolls. The Sonics
aren't going to do very good until they get some depth and defense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toronto Raptors [78 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e up -
C - Rasho Nesterovic - 64 OVR
PF - Chris Bosh - 87 OVR
SF - Andrea Bargnani - 73 OVR
SG - Morris Peterson - 77 OVR
PG - T.J. Ford - 79 OVR
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
C. Bosh - 87 OVR (I)(i)
F. Jones - 70 OVR (F)
T. Ford - 79 OVR (Y)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Raptors seemed primed to be in the NBA's basement for many years, but Mike
CoAngelo has done good for this team. The Raptors are looking to build around
Chris Bosh. Bosh is a great player, but he's not physically strong enough to
go up against some of the league's premier Power Forwards. The Raptors are
going to need a strong supporting cast if they are looking to re-enter the
post-season for the first time since 2001. You might want to start by
acquiring a young guard who can provide an outside scouring threat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utah Jazz [75 OVR]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- S t a r t i n g L i n e u p -
C - Carlos Boozer - 77 OVR
PF - Mehmet Okur - 72 OVR
SF - Andrei Kirilenko - 89 OVR
SG - Gordan Giricek - 69 OVR
PG - Deron Williams - 71 OVR
- B e n c h -
SF Matt Harpring
PG Derek Fisher
SG Ronnie BRewer
C Jarron Collins
C Rafael Araujo
SG C.J. Miles
PG Milt Palacio
- F r e e s t y l e S u p e r s t a r s -
M. Okur - 72 OVR (I)
A. Kirilenko - 89 OVR (I)(i)(o)
- A n a l y s i s -
The Jazz are an average looking team with a great player, one of my personal
favourites. Andrei "AK-47" Kirilenko is one of the most versatile players on
the NBA. Think of him as a less offensively potent Dirk Nowitzki, but much
stronger defensively. He can also spread the ball around, but unfortunately
there aren't many offensive threats on the Jazz. Your best chance to score is
probably to mess around in the post with Kirilenko and try and create some open
shots. The problem with the Jazz is they don't have many outside threats at
all. In my opinion, signing Carlos Boozer to the lucrative contract was a huge
mistake. Try and deal him if you can, for someone who can shoot decently from
the outside. Matt Harpring can shoot too, so he's an option to be on the
receiving end of a kickout.
===============================================================================
My NBA Live [0009]
===============================================================================
=-=-=-=-=
Task List
=-=-=-=-=
Most team points can be earned easily on 12 quarters or 5 minute quarters if
you're good. You can use points to buy stuff from the EA Store. Here's the
task list. I realize that it is in the game, but it is not viewable in an
actual game, so having this list here is handy.
Player Tasks
------------
Score 10 pts in a qtr 5 pts
Score 25 pts in a half 10 pts
Score 20 points 5 pts
Score 30 points 15 pts
Score 40 points 30 pts
Score 50 points 40 pts
Grab 6 rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 2 off.rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 4 def.rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 8 rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 4 off.rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 8 def. rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 15 rebounds in a game 25 pts
Grab 8 off.rebounds in a game 25 pts
Grab 12 def. rebounds in a game 25 pts
Record 4 assists in a qtr 5 pts
Record 7 assists in a half 10 pts
Record 10 assists in a game 25 pts
Record 3 blocks in a qtr 5 pts
Record 5 blocks in a half 10 pts
Record 7 blocks in a game 25 pts
Record 2 steals in a qtr 5 pts
Record 4 steals in a half 10 pts
Record 7 steals in a game 25 pts
Score 3 three pointers in a qtr 5 pts
Score 4 three pointers in a half 10 pts
Score 6 three pointers in a game 25 pts
Achieve a Double Double 20 pts
Achieve a Triple Double 75 pts
Achieve a Qaudruple Double 250 pts
Every player scores in the game 250 pts
Team Tasks
----------
Score 40 points in a qtr 5 pts
Score 70 points in a half 10 pts
Score 100 pts in a game 30 pts
Grab 15 rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 5 off rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 9 def rebounds in a qtr 5 pts
Grab 30 rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 10 off.rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 15 def.rebounds in a half 10 pts
Grab 50 rebounds in a game 25 pts
Grab 17 rebounds in a game 25 pts
Grab 25 def rebounds in a game 25 pts
Record 10 assists in a qtr 5 pts
Record 25 assists in a game 25 pts
Record 5 blocks in a qtr 5 pts
Record 8 blocks in a half 10 pts
Record 13 blocks in a game 25 pts
Record 6 steals in a qtr 5 pts
Record 10 steals in a half 10 pts
Record 15 steals in a game 15 pts
Score 5 three pointers in a qtr 5 pts
Score 8 three pointers in a half 10 pts
Score 12 three pointers in a game 25 pts
Win by 10 points 10 pts
Win by 20 points 30 pts
Win by 30 points 40 pts
Win by 40 points 75 pts
Win by 50 points 100 pts
Shot 100% in a quarter (Min. 5 shots) 50 pts
Season Tasks
------------
Players Score 1700 points in a season 200 pts
Player has 820 rebounds in a season 200 pts
Player has 650 assists in a season 200 pts
Player has 150 blocks in a season 200 pts
Player has 100 steals in a season 200 pts
Player avg a Double/Double in a season 100 pts
Player leads the league in scoring 300 pts
Player leads the league in assists 300 pts
Player leads the league in rebounding 300 pts
Player leads the league in blocks 300 pts
Player leads the league in steals 300 pts
Player wins Player of the Month 200 pts
Player wins Rookie of the Year 300 pts
Player wins Most Improved Player 300 pts
Player wins Sixthman of the Year 300 pts
Player wins Defensive Player of the year 300 pts
Player makes the All-Defensive Team 100 pts
Player makes the All-NBA First Team 100 pts
Player makes the All-NBA Second Team 100 pts
Player makes the All-Star Team 100 pts
Player wins season MVP 300 pts
Player wins Finals MVP 300 pts
Player finishes season with 30 PPG 500 pts
Player finishes season with 40 PGG 750 pts
Team makes the playoffs 250 pts
Finish First in your Division 100 pts
Finish First in your Conference 300 pts
Advance past 1st round of playoffs 500 pts
Advance past 2nd round of playoffs 500 pts
Advance past 3rd round of playoffs 500 pts
Win NBA Championship 500 pts
Team Scores 8200 points in a season 200 pts
Team gets 3100 rebounds in a season 200 pts
Team gets 1800 assists in a season 200 pts
Team gets 400 blocks in a season 200 pts
Team gets 650 steals in a season 200 pts
Win Coach of the Year 1000 pts
Player wins Rookie Challenge MVP 250 pts
Player wins All-Star Game MVP 250 pts
Player wins Slam Dunk Contest 500 pts
Player wins 3 point shootout 500 pts
=-=-=-=-
EA Store
=-=-=-=-
This is the place where you can use the points you earn by playing in
Exhibition games, and also Season and Dynasty modes. The many ways to earn
points are listed at the bottom of this section, under "Task List." In EA
Store, you can buy shoes from Jordan and Reebok, Menu Skins, Tattoos and more.
Shoes and Tattoos are used on your created players. Here are all the items you
can buy and their cost:
Jordans
-------
Jordan Melo M3 - 300 pts
Jordan V White & Red Morpheus - 350 pts
Jordan V Black & Grey - 350 pts
Jordan V White & Grey - 350 pts
Jordan V Black, Grey & White - 350 pts
Jordan V White, Red & Black - 350 pts
Reeboks
-------
Pump Omnlite - 50 pts
Answer X - 250 pts
S. Carter IV BB Mid - 200 pts
S. Carter IV BB Mid Black - 200 pts
Answer X White & Blue - 250 pts
Answer X DMX - 50 pts
Answer X Black & Red - 250 pts
RBK Lift - 200 pts
S. Carter - 50 pts
Main Menu Skins
---------------
Highflyer Legends - 200 pts
Tracy McGrady - 100 pts
Tim Duncan - 100 pts
Playmaker Legends - 200 pts
Gilbert Arenas - 100 pts
Kevin Garnett - 100 pts
Scorer Legends - 200 pts
Chaucey Billups - 100 pts
Music Tracks
------------
10 Days Till... - 400 pts
Tattoos
-------
Dragon 2 - 50 pts
Fireball - 50 pts
Spider - 50 pts
Basket 2 - 50 pts
Pattern 2 - 50 pts
=-=-=-=-=
NBA Codes
=-=-=-=-=
This is a screen for you to enter codes. For a database of useful codes, check
out the Codes and Secrets section of GameFAQs.
===============================================================================
Credits [0010]
===============================================================================
GameFAQs: For being a great free site and having one of the best Message Boards
on the internet.
===============================================================================
Legal Disclaimer [0011]
===============================================================================
This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on
any other web site or as a part of any public display without explicit consent
from the author is strictly prohibited, and violation of copyright.
===============================================================================
Copyright 2007
Just another FAQ brought to you by...
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