re: NBA 2K21 Play Now Online: A Thread

Some general pointers that I made for my 2k16 thread back in the day that imo hold up today:

Tip 1: Always get your guys back on defense. Don't even bother stealing the inbound pass. You're more likely to give up an easy bucket than you are stealing that pass
Tip 2: If they miss the 2nd free throw, that just became a fastbreak. Throw it up to your PG or SG streaking down the court. You can usually get off an uncontested 3 if the defending team is packing the paint (they usually are)
Tip 3: Look for cutting players. This is obvious but it's important to recognize it. A cutting player on this year's 2K is a guaranteed bucket. The defense is often too slow to do anything to stop him. You have to pick up the cutter before they get 10 feet from the hoop. Usually that's where it's intercepted. It's easy to get buried that way, needing a quick bucket in a game that's starting to get out of hand, often times my opponents will make that pass too late and my C picks them off.
Tip 4: The 2-3 zone is your friend. The 3-2 IMO is mostly trash. The guys in the corner often times play too far up and leave their guys wide open along the base line. The 2-3 if you're fast enough, can be awesome for a number of reasons. The defense rotates well and the help D usually isn't too much. I like the 2-3 when my opponent keeps running the P&R or doing give and go. This defense won't work well with the Warriors but it does great if you're quick with rotations against every other team on the game. Usually I try to keep the PG at the top of the key and I pull the SF out to the baseline often. It works like a disguised 3-2.