Fool the other USER, not the AI, part 3

In the final part of this series we cover a few more aspects of gameplay that should require fooling the other user in H2H, shortly we'll touch on a few more points about the pump fake. But first, lets take a second to appreciate the infamous Charles Smith play in the 1993 playoffs--where we see just how pump fakes allow the defenders who don't fall for them time to key in on the offensive player.

 While this kind of pump-fake-gameplay has been a part of 2K for an extended period--its time for the scrap heap. Not only is it exploitative, but its also an eyesore and is quite frankly, embarrassing.

 This kind of gameplay has to result in strips, tie-ups and Hands Up Contains like these:

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  But when the pump fake works? The defender's momentum has to take him out of the play or he's whistled--we should see chances for continuation as well. But this? Constant Neutral Outcomes allowing spam to defend the rim and actually award a Smothered Contest? NO WAY. Even Rudy Gobert has to have good timing.

Here I baited him. And keep in mind no one forced him to leave his feet, hands up would have more than sufficed. AGAIN: Ratings don't mean good defenders get mulligans--it represents their ability, not gameplay bending physics to suit them. Heavily Contested? How? The rim protector left his feet and the only other defender, Rubio (who just missed a steal) is in beat position behind me.

Attacking Close-outs with the Pump Fake is an NBA staple. But the shooter/defender interaction is so bad that its almost completely non-existent in NBA 2K. Situations where we can take advantage of a defender closing out hard are rare. While they can certainly block your shot, the alternative simply doesn't exist in a real sense. Its almost of no use to pump fake a defender into the air or bait him into jumping into you. Gameplay just doesn't recognize this aspect of basketball yet--there's a much greater chance of the defender landing/colliding with you with zero effect.

You're more likely to see gameplay warp reality and let a defender collide with you and then slide with you to the basket where he's rewarded with a Heavy Contest than you are to get a whistle:

Below I get hit on a last second shot. NOTHING:

 When we should be seeing this:

I hope you guys enjoyed part three. In the final piece we'll touch on how the flawed steal system rewards spam and why Neutral Outcomes there negate fake pass/backdoor options.