From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #572 of the NLSC Podcast! The seventh generation saw NBA 2K pull ahead of NBA Live – and for good reason – but which 2K titles stand out as the best releases during that run? This week, we join the community in ranking NBA 2K6 through NBA 2K13 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – as well as the PC por…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #571 of the NLSC Podcast! What are some of the biggest What Ifs in the history of the NBA? This week, we join the community in reflecting on what might have been, from the tragedy of Len Bias to the various injuries, trades, and Draft picks that shaped the fortunes of teams and players alike. Thi…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #570 of the NLSC Podcast! Is nostalgia actively ruining the NBA? Channing Frye and other talking heads certainly seem to think so, but frankly, we have a very different take on the matter! This week, we join the community in providing an impassioned rebuttal to yet another asinine talking point t…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #569 of the NLSC Podcast! In the wake of yet another dismal and disappointing All-Star Weekend – one that saw more advertising and extracurricular events than actual basketball – this week we join the community in discussing ways that the NBA can possibly fix their midseason classic. From potenti…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #568 of the NLSC Podcast! This week, we’re reacting to the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest, and the suggestion that threepeat champion Mac McClung has established himself as the greatest dunker of all-time. We’re inclined to disagree, and are bewildered by the lack of acknowledgement of the boosts that he…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #567 of the NLSC Podcast! At the suggestion of one of our listeners, this week we’re breaking out the proverbial crystal ball to gaze into the future, and discuss what we think NBA 2K – and video games in general, for that matter – will be like in five years. This includes our expectations for in…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #566 of the NLSC Podcast! The basketball world was shocked by the announcement that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Naturally, we have a few thoughts on the deal, and what it means for both teams moving forward! Criminally underrated player…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #565 of the NLSC Podcast! How many hours per week are we currently spending on the virtual hardwood, and which modes are keeping us hooked? This week, we join the community in crunching the numbers, and sharing our preferred ways to play. Needless to say, we also make a point of encouraging every…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #564 of the NLSC Podcast! Which NBA players are the best of the best when it comes to dunking, shooting, shot blocking, stealing the ball, and going one-on-one, both in real life and on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join the community in sharing our picks in each of those categories. We als…

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #563 of the NLSC Podcast! With rumours that both EA Sports and Visual Concepts are considering bringing back their respective college basketball video games, which series would we personally prefer to see return? Our answer may surprise you…or then again, perhaps not! We also join the community i…

Now that 2025 is underway and NBA 2K25 has been out for a few months, what are our ultimate thoughts on the game? This week, we join the community in giving NBA 2K25 a final score, and running down the pros and cons following ample time on the sticks. We also reflect on the unwritten house rules that we employ in our multiplayer basketball gaming s…

With the holiday season drawing to a close and a new year almost upon us, this week we join the community in sharing the basketball and basketball gaming gifts that we gave and received for Christmas, as well as listing some of our resolutions for both real hoops and the virtual hardwood in 2025. We also recap a couple of fun co-op sessions with NB…

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings, basketball fans and gamers! We're in the holiday spirit this week, which means we're joining the community in asking Santa for the gifts that would grant our fondest basketball and basketball gaming wishes. We also join our listeners in reflecting upon some of our all-time favourite gifts related to real hoop…

What is the best sim basketball video game to date? This week, we join the community in nominating the title that has achieved the most realism on the virtual hardwood, and also reflect once again on what it means to be sim. Following up on last week's show, we also discuss even more madness with three-pointers in the NBA, as teams continue to bric…

Are three-pointers actively ruining the NBA and making it less fun to watch? As much as we enjoy long-range sharpshooters and a timely trey, we believe that the chucking is really getting out of hand, and affecting the quality of play. We're not alone in feeling this way, and to that end, this week we join the community in discussing ideas of how t…

What does "sim" really entail in basketball video games? There are definitely some myths and misunderstandings, which we're eager to clear up! That leads into us joining the community in recalling the go-to moves that we liked to use when playing real basketball. We also recap our co-op session of NBA 2K17 featuring the Ultimate Classic Teams Roste…

What are some of the worst basketball and basketball video game takes that we've encountered? This week, we join the community in recalling an assortment of truly terrible opinions that definitely made us scoff! We also recap a couple of co-op sessions of NBA Live 18 that saw us gain revenge following a tough defeat, and on a similar note, reflect …

Player Lock is an underrated feature outside of the career and online team play modes, but picking a suitable role is paramount. To that end, this week we join the community in choosing the players that we'd most prefer to lock on, from a shortlist of notable names from the 2000s and today. We also reflect on the excitement of a new video game purc…

What is it that keeps us hooked on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join the community in sharing the reasons why we play basketball video games, from a love of the sport to bonding experiences to joyful fantasy and escapism. We also pick the three 2000s stars that we'd bring into the modern NBA in their prime, reflect on the NBA Live 18 server …

Past, present, and future are all topics of discussion this week! First of all, we tip things off with a recap of a session of NBA 2K13, using a 1996 roster to take on the Hawks with Shaq and Penny's Magic. Next, we join the community in naming three all-time greats that we'd want to bring into today's NBA. Finally, we and the community choose from…

As the 2025 season gets underway, how do we feel about the current state of the NBA? This week, we join the community in sharing our opinions of the league these days, from three-point barrages to zero-tolerance technical fouls. We also discuss the evergreen problem of load management in the wake of a comment from Charles Barkley, along with some o…

Does Gravity Ball belong in NBA 2K25? This week, we join the community in reacting to the new mode for The City that's not only paid downloadable content, but frankly has very little to do with basketball! We also share our thoughts on the gameplay fixes and other updates in the big Season 2 patch for NBA 2K25, and touch on an important issue that'…

If we could get anyone from NBA history in a mo-cap suit, who are the five players we'd choose to perform motion capture for a video game? This week, we join the community in sharing our All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Fives! We also recap a strange session with NBA Live 2000, talk shoes and getting back on the court, and get a little reflective as digita…

Despite the ease of sharing highlights and connecting with fellow gamers, we've noticed a reluctance to do so nowadays. After discussing the potential causes, we urge the community to actively share their love of basketball gaming, and take an interest in what others are doing on the virtual hardwood. We also pay tribute to Dikembe Mutombo, and joi…

Derrick Rose has officially retired, and naturally, we have a few thoughts in the wake of his announcement, including whether or not he should have his jersey retired by the Bulls. This leads us to join the community in reminiscing about some other player retirements that affected us. We also discuss johnz1's upcoming mods for NBA Jam: On Fire Edit…

Although we're still playing NBA 2K25 and have a few updates on what we've been doing in it, we're putting the game on the backburner this week. To that end, we recap a session playing NBA Live 06 PC with a work-in-progress ABA mod, and reflect on the league's legacy and importance in basketball history. We also join the community in reminiscing ab…

NBA 2K25 has been out for about a couple of weeks now, which means the annual honeymoon phase is drawing to a close. To that end, this week we join the community in following up on our first impressions with a rundown of our key likes and dislikes of the game so far. We also recap a co-op session in which we took on Dwight Howard's Magic with Derri…

NBA 2K25 is out now, so this week, we join the community in sharing our first impressions of the gameplay! Our time on the sticks has revealed a number of pros and cons, though we'll certainly continue to comment on NBA 2K25 in the coming weeks and months. We also reflect on some of the pre-release footage proving to be misleading, and feeling cons…

You know what really grinds our gears? This week, we take a page out of Peter Griffin's book to discuss a few things that are bugging us, from Anthony Edwards' ridiculous comments to unnecessarily rude and hostile interactions to content creators being scripted super shills. We also join the community in reacting to pre-release NBA 2K25 gameplay fo…

After celebrating a milestone, we delve into some NBA 2K25 MyTEAM news, including the return of the Auction House. Although we're intrigued and will give the mode a try if we like the gameplay, we're still sceptical, and it would appear that the community shares our view. We also discuss the positives and negatives of community days in light of the…

As the NBA 2K25 preview season rolls on, this week we react to the latest news including the Steph Era coming to MyNBA, the return of MyGM, enhancements to The W, and other details. We also read out some reactions from the community, from their thoughts on the new era to which one they're planning on playing. Additionally, we recap a session with N…

This week, we react to the NBA 2K25 Courtside Report previewing MyCAREER and MyPLAYER. While some of the details are promising on the surface, the grindy nature of the mode and pushy recurrent revenue mechanics remain an elephant in the room that too many influencers refuse to acknowledge. We also asked the community what they'd pay for a home port…

The first gameplay trailer for NBA 2K25 has been released, along with a courtside report outlining the key improvements that we can expect to see. This week, we join the community in sharing our thoughts on the trailer, and our reactions to the changes, additions, and promises described in the developer blog. We also discuss the new arcade-exclusiv…

Several former EA developers are working on The Run: Got Next; a 3-on-3 basketball game that's being described as a spiritual successor to NBA Street. This week, we join the community in sharing our thoughts on IGN's early preview of the game, and whether it sounds like it's truly carrying on the legacy of the iconic series. We also react to a New …

As we wait for the NBA 2K25 preview season to kick into high gear, we have another PC basketball game to keep an eye on: Full Court Heroes. As the demo is currently available on Steam, we have some impressions to share. We also recap a session playing NBA Live 2000 PC and NBA 2K for the Dreamcast back-to-back, leading us to compare the two games an…

The first details about NBA 2K25 have been revealed, and they've brought exciting news: the New Gen version is coming to PC! This week, we join the community in discussing this much-anticipated announcement, as well as some other details such as the system requirements, lack of crossplay with the console versions, and the cover players. We also spe…

The NBA 2K League has been put on hiatus until 2025, which came as a surprise to the players and everyone else involved. This week, we join the community in discussing how and why the NBA 2K League failed to meet some incredibly lofty expectations, despite the backing of the NBA. We also recap our recent sessions with NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10, advi…

No basketball video game is universally liked, and sometimes you just won't vibe with a title that most other gamers seem to enjoy. This week, we join the community in discussing the games that other people liked, but for one reason or another, we just couldn't get into. We also share some more stories of playing real basketball, and react to an ar…

More and more basketball gamers are revisiting the classics, and also stepping back in time with retro season mods, as we did in a fun session with NBA 2K10 using a 1997 roster. This week, we join the community in discussing our increased interest in retro content - whether it's through mods or what's in the game by default - as well as the importa…

Which NBA players from the past would be even better today? This week, we join the community in picking five players - be they superstars, fringe All-Stars, or role players - that we believe would really thrive in the modern NBA. We also pay tribute to the late, great Jerry West, the inspiration for the NBA logo and one of the league's most success…

Which basketball video games made you fall in love with the genre? This week, we join the community in reminiscing about the titles that got us hooked on the virtual hardwood, and how that so often coincides with the wonderful time that is our entry into passionate basketball fandom. We also share some thoughts on the 2024 NBA Finals, which leads u…

With EA Sports College Football 25 generating some positive buzz, could it lead to EA Sports bringing back its college basketball series as well? Or indeed, could the NBA Live series finally return as EA expands its lineup? This week, we join the community in discussing EA Sports potentially returning to the virtual hardwood, and our expectations f…

If a basketball video game featuring modern technology but a past setting was ever to be released, which year would you want it to be? This week, we join the community in sharing our choices of legendary seasons to re-live. We also react to the announcement of upcoming arcade hoops game NBA Superstars, discuss interactions with former NBA players o…

Which stars, past or present, have been harder to use in basketball video games than they should've been? This week, we join the community in recalling our most memorable examples, and discussing why we struggled with them. We also recap a fun session using 1986 rosters in NBA 2K19, and discuss the dismaying news that NBA 2K24 has been extremely pr…

Who are the most memorable deadeyes from downtown on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join in the community in reminiscing about the best three-point shooters in the history of basketball video games. We also discuss the possibility of intrusive in-game ads becoming the norm - along with some worrying examples that we've already seen - and recal…

What is the most overused jargon in basketball discourse? This week, we join the community in listing the terms that annoy us the most. We also cover the latest NBA 2K24 MyTEAM controversy, wherein 2K has abruptly and without explanation pulled a Kobe Bryant reward card that a pre-release developer insight promised was coming in Season 6. Of course…

Who are the worst and most annoying commentators in basketball video games? This week, we join the community in picking our least favourite voices of the virtual hardwood. Of course, it probably won't come as a surprise that we're generally not fans of them in real life, either! We also recap a fun session with Basketball Classics, and quiz the com…

Which basketball games are the easiest and hardest to put up stats in? This week, we join the community in discussing the titles that stick out in our minds, and the statistics that either eluded us or piled up way too easily. We also recap a session with Virtua NBA, provide an update on our journey in the original NBA Jam, pick our ideal games for…

After feeling inspired to revisit the Super Nintendo version of the original NBA Jam, we were reminded of how fun it still is...and also, just how unfair it can be! A couple of interesting ratings likewise stood out, leading us to dive into some statistics from 1993. We also join the community in discussing which ideas we'd take from other sports g…

What are some of our favourite NBA jerseys of all-time? This week, we join the community in naming our top three uniforms throughout history, as well as listing other memorable designs as honourable mentions. We also discuss some of the players that made those jerseys so iconic, and reflect on how 90s styles are seemingly making a comeback despite …