re: NBA 2k19 Ranked H2H Journey

Man, I read through some of the PNO (play now online) thread on OP sports and I can’t get behind the idea that the game lets “easier opponents” get breaks, go on weird runs, etc etc (also known as rubber banding). Usually when I lose to someone I deem not good at the game, it’s because I made bad IQ plays such as taking too many bad threes or getting sloppy passing or sometimes I fail to recognize that they’re playing better than the way they were earlier in the game and I don’t adjust. I’ve come back from so many holes just by switching it up a bit on offense. Just now I was down 0-8 as POR to the 97 Jazz. I subbed in Leonard, went to 4 out 1 in offense, and ran everything through McCollum because Stockton wasn’t letting Lillard get any. Suddenly it’s tied up at 11 at the end of the first (I also changed how I was playing his P&R).

So many people I play still just run the same shite all game. In the example above, he kept running some stupid P&R and I was letting Malone/Stockton get what they want. I then pull my guy off Ostertag at the 3pt line and use him as help in the lane. His offense then stutters. Just simple stuff like that. He failed to recognize this.

I played a guy early on after buying the game who battled me neck and neck for about 3 quarters. I didn’t think he was that good (it was in the shite beginners league). He just kept hitting threes. 4th Q came and those contested threes didn’t fall and I continued to abuse his defense and won by like 15.

I do believe there’s some luck involved. It’s all a RNG (Random Number Game) at the end of the day. It’s insane to me to believe that in the algorithm that there’s a “when losing by 10, the losing team gets a plus 10 in all rating and winning team gets a minus 5”.