Lace up the tops and play it Live! The fast-break action of NBA Live™ 2001 by EA SPORTS returns for another year of in-your-face NBA basketball. Use the tips provided in this strategy guide and dominate the hardcourts.

BEFORE THE GAME
Familiarize yourself with NBA Live 2001 before you play for keeps.

• Play a few games in Exhibition Mode before you begin a season. Think of Exhibition mode as practice. Don't worry about the score, the time on the clock (but do worry about the 24-second clock), or the quarter because it's not about winning and losing. It's about improving your skills. Your goal is to improve your game on both sides of the ball. Play games against easy opponents and then challenge the tougher teams. Playing teams with a solid defense will help improve your game dramatically. When playing, practice the basics: dribbling, passing, and shooting. When you feel you're ready to move on, practice some more.
• Know where the "special" buttons are located on your controller. After you get comfortable with the basic commands, work on the next set of buttons until they become second nature. Without thinking, you should know that when you press L1 on offense, your ball handler walks down the court, or when you press SELECT on defense, you call for a double team (when playing on the PS2). There are many more button commands that help bring your game up a notch, such as Direct Pass, Alley-Oop lobs, and Jump Hooks.
• Know your opponent. Every team has different strengths and weaknesses and it's your job to know what kind of team you're playing. Study team and player ratings--these can help you find key mismatches that can turn a game in your favor. For example, if your team features a solid center, feed him the ball on the inside as much as you can. If you're playing against a team that shoots well from the outside, guard the perimeter a little more than usual. In other words, play to your strengths and attack their weaknesses.

  OFFENSE: KEY TIPS

  • Use alternative ball handling moves when bringing the ball up court. If you're unguarded and not in a hurry to score, walk the ball up court (but be sure to cross the half-court line in less than 10 seconds). Walking the ball up kills some time off the clock and gives a quick breather to the rest of the team. If you have a player guarding you, mix up your dribble in order to gain that extra step. Bust out a "behind the back" or a "through the legs" crossover dribble or use a turbo boost or a spin move to shake the defender. When running the half-court offense, back down a defender and move closer to the basket.
  • A good offense is a patient offense. When running the half-court offense, use the 24-second shot clock to your advantage and pass the ball to find the open man. Starting with your guards, move the ball around the perimeter and then dump it inside to one of your big men. If you don't have a clear shot from up close, kick the ball back outside again and start over. Sooner or later, somebody will have an open shot. Also, if you're double-teamed that means that one of your teammates is open. Find him and feed him the ball. He will most likely have an open look at the basket. If you find yourself in a fast break, two-on-one situation, use the "give-and-go" to finish off the play.
  • Don't just shoot the ball; be smart about your shot selection and take a high percentage shot instead. If you feel like you have an open shot, take it. When shooting from the outside, release the ball when your player is at the height of his jump shot. The chances of him making the basket increase that way. If you feel that you have to shoot with a defender in your face, use a pump fake to help your chances. On the inside, drive the lane and look for the easy lay-up off the glass. But don't force the play if the lane is not there.

  ON THE COURT
  In order to make it to the title game, you must dominate on both sides of the ball.

  OFFENSE: KEY TIPS

  • Use alternative ball handling moves when bringing the ball up court. If you're unguarded and not in a hurry to score, walk the ball up court (but be sure to cross the half-court line in less than 10 seconds). Walking the ball up kills some time off the clock and gives a quick breather to the rest of the team. If you have a player guarding you, mix up your dribble in order to gain that extra step. Bust out a "behind the back" or a "through the legs" crossover dribble or use a turbo boost or a spin move to shake the defender. When running the half-court offense, back down a defender and move closer to the basket.
  • A good offense is a patient offense. When running the half-court offense, use the 24-second shot clock to your advantage and pass the ball to find the open man. Starting with your guards, move the ball around the perimeter and then dump it inside to one of your big men. If you don't have a clear shot from up close, kick the ball back outside again and start over. Sooner or later, somebody will have an open shot. Also, if you're double-teamed that means that one of your teammates is open. Find him and feed him the ball. He will most likely have an open look at the basket. If you find yourself in a fast break, two-on-one situation, use the "give-and-go" to finish off the play.
  • Don't just shoot the ball; be smart about your shot selection and take a high percentage shot instead. If you feel like you have an open shot, take it. When shooting from the outside, release the ball when your player is at the height of his jump shot. The chances of him making the basket increase that way. If you feel that you have to shoot with a defender in your face, use a pump fake to help your chances. On the inside, drive the lane and look for the easy lay-up off the glass. But don't force the play if the lane is not there.

  DEFENSE: KEY TIPS

  • Try not to over-switch your defenders when guarding the ball. Play as one defender and let the AI take control of your teammates. You don't always have to guard the player with the ball either. Just play your position and let the game come to you. When the ball is away from you, stay on your man but try to anticipate the opponent's next move. When your man does have the ball, do whatever it takes to prevent a score.
  • Once you're comfortable playing as a single defender, practice switching from one player to another. But remember, don't over-switch, and be aware of the player who you're controlling--it's easy to get lost on defense while the offense is running their set plays.
  • No matter where you are on the court, crash the boards when your opponent throws up a shot. If their shot doesn't go in, jump high for the rebound and try to grab the ball at its highest point. The more bodies that you have under the basket, the better the chances that you'll get the rebound.
  • There's nothing more embarrassing for the other team than having a shot swatted away by your big man in the middle. So when the offense is looking for the easy basket underneath, control your center and time your opponent's shot in order to deny the bucket.
  • Steals are another way to create a turnover. Use the steal button when you're defending in front, or if you're coming up from behind. But be careful, the ref will blow his whistle if you're making too much contact.

  ADVANCED TIPS
  Know the benefits when (running or facing) a particular formation.

  OFFENSE: ADVANCED TIPS

  • Motion: Passing is key when running the Motion offense. After passing the ball to an open player, look for teammates moving toward the basket. Keep passing until you find an open shot.
  • Post Up: A play designed around a strong center or power forward. When one of your big men is playing one-on-one (and facing away from the basket), clear out the area and take a chance against a single defender. Fake inside and turn to the baseline for a shot, or fake a baseline shot and come back with a shot from the inside.
  • Quick Hitter: When bringing the ball down court, look for a teammate (normally a guard or small forward) cutting down the middle of the lane. After the cutter receives the pass, and the defense reacts accordingly, pass the ball again to your big man for the easy shot.
  • Sideline Triangle: With your guards handling the ball, the Sideline Triangle uses screens and passes to free shooters for the open shot near the sideline.
  • Turnout: The "Turnout" is a play designed for your shooting guard. When running your half-court offense, your guard, playing without the ball, will fake setting up a screen on the block, cut toward the perimeter, and circle back to the corner in anticipation of a pass. He should be alone for a few, brief seconds.
  • Zipper: With the aid of a number of different screens set by your teammates, move your point guard near the sideline and wait for players to cut toward the basket. When the time is right, pass the ball to the cutter for the open shot.
  • 1-4 High: When running the "1-4 High," pass the ball around the perimeter, setting up a pick-and-roll at the high post.
  • 3-Point: The 3-Point Offense is useful when you desparately need a three-point basket. Your best three-point shooters will try to get themselves in a good, unguarded situation behind the three-point arc.
  • Box: Your offense surrounds the perimeter while your big man holds his position under the basket. You can create scoring opportunities by passing the ball inside to your center for a shot down low or by kicking it back out to the outside to an open player when being double-teamed underneath. Your center can also pass to a player cutting toward the basket.
  • Double High: The "Double High" creates a number of mismatches down low with the use of screens.
  • Flex: The "Flex" is a man-to-man offense that uses a baseline screen and cut, followed by a down screen.
  • Hawks: At least four of your players are aligned near the three-point arc. After making a pass or two around the perimeter, your guards will eventually cut toward the basket, isolating a defender still on the outside. The player holding the ball can make the pass to one of the guards or take the shot from the outside.
  • High Post: In the High Post offense, players cut to the ball from behind the play, setting up the back door play.
  • Inside Triangle: After you pass the ball inside to your center, the low man away from the ball sets a back screen across the lane. From here, your center has three options: pass to the player coming off the screen, pass the ball to the player that set the screen, or shoot the ball himself if the defense gives you the open shot.
  • Isolation: When running an Isolation play, one of your players will try and draw a double-team in order to free up a teammate who then cuts to the basket.

  DEFENSE: ADVANCED TIPS

  • Intentional Foul: If you select this strategy, the players on your team will try to intentionally foul the opponent's ballhandler as quickly as possible. This is very useful in situations where you are behind and need to stop the clock.
  • Quarter Quart: This is as close as you get to running a zone defense. The defense jams the middle while leaving the outside unprotected.
  • Auto Switch: The Auto Switch setting automatically picks the best Defensive Strategy for you, depending on the game situation.
  • ¾ Court Press: With the ¾ Court Press, your defenders pressure the offensive players in the backcourt after they inbound the ball.
  • Box Out: With this setting enabled, your teammates will try to box out the defenders after a missed basket. This increases your chances to get the defensive rebound, but it will also limit your chances to run a fast break.
  • Double Team: One of your defenders will stop guarding his own man and will help you out with your defender, giving you a better chance for a steal. You have to be careful though because one of the opponent players is automatically unguarded and could cut to the basket.
  • Full Court Press: When running the Full Court Press, your defenders pressure the offensive players in the backcourt even before they put the ball in play.
  • Half Court Press: The defense sets up and establishes position on their end of the court while allowing the offense to bring the ball up the floor. Once the offense crosses the half-court line, the defense begins to defend their basket.
  • Half Court Trap: The Half-Court Trap is run similar to the Half Court Press except for the fact that two of your defenders will pressure the point guard near the half-court line.

  WRITER:
  Gabe Leon

  BEFORE TIP OFF | ON THE COURT | ADVANCED TIPS