========================================================== /@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@ @ @ @@@ / / @@@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ / / @@@@@@ @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@@ @ @@ @ / / @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ / / @@@ @@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@/ / @@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ @@ @@ /============/ / @@@@ @@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@ / Ver. 1.5 ============================================= NBA 2K2 FAQ for the Playstation 2 Console (c)Rueben Amigleo 2002(xxRDOGGxx@aol.com) ================== Table of Contents ================== I. Introduction II. Revision History III. Basic Controls IV. Advanced Controls V. Free Throws VI. Modes VII. Offensive Strategy A. Shooting B. Crossovers/Spin Moves C. Only shoot when you have an open look D. Win the battle in the paint E. Pick and Roll F. Take care of the ball VIII. Defensive Strategy A. Stick with your man B. Steal that rock! C. Crash the boards D. Contest every shot E. If your defense is getting torn apart... F. Shot blocking IX. Top 10 Teams X. Rosters/Ratings XI. Frequently Asked Questions XII. Codes/Secrets XIII. Special Thanks XIV. Legal Info XV. Contact Info ================ I. Introduction ================ Hello my fellow basketball fans! This is my FAQ for one of the best basketball games available, NBA 2K2. I saw a few requests for a FAQ so I said what the hell. In this guide, I will discuss some basic offensive and defensive strategies that should help you become a dominant force in the 2k2 universe. ===================== II. Revision History ===================== Version 1.5 (4/6/02) - Added Frequently asked questions, codes/secrets. Version 1.0 (4/2/02) - Most of FAQ completed, only Rosters, FAQ, and top 10- team list remain. ==================== III. Basic Controls ==================== As the title says, these are the basic controls for 2k2. Offense X - Pass Square - Shoot/Rebound/Pump fake Triangle - Icon Passing Circle - Crossover/Spin L1 - Back down defender L2 - Call for pick R1 - Turbo R2 Pass to player closest to basket Left analog stick - Control player Right analog stick - Bring up play call menu Right analog + x,0,[],triangle - Call play Start - Pause Defense X - Switch defender closest to ball Square - Block shot/Rebound Triangle - Switch defender closest to basket Circle - Steal L1 - Face up ball-handler/box out L2 - Call for double team R1 - Turbo R2 - Intentional Foul ====================== IV. Advanced Controls ====================== Ok, these are the more advanced controls for those of you that like to add a little flash to your game. Master these moves and enjoy the beautiful replays they produce. Advanced Offense Pump Fake - Simply tap the shoot (square) button. If you're lucky, your defender will bite on the fake leaving you an open shot. Icon Passing - Use this technique to pass to a specific member of your team. Pressing triangle will bring up icons above each teammate; press the corresponding button to pass to that particular teammate. This is how the icons appear: X - Point Guard Square - Small Forward Circle - Shooting Guard Triangle - Power Forward R1 - Center Alley-Oop - This one is pretty easy. If you see that one of your teammates has an open path to the hoop, just throw him the rock with either x or R2 and enjoy the result. Hook Shot - Hold L1 to back down opponent. While backing down, press shoot button (square) to perform the hook. If you have a good center or power forward, this shot is almost unstoppable when close to the hoop. Fade-away - There are a few different variations on the fade-away shot. Basically, all you need to do is point the analog stick in the opposite direction of the basket and press the shoot button. Drop-step - This move is very effective when trying to get around a pesky defender. Back your defender down (L1), then press up or down on the left analog stick to perform a drop step maneuver. Spin Move - Hold turbo while moving and press the crossover button (circle). Running shot/Leaner - To perform a runner just press the analog stick towards the basket while you're moving. If a leaner is your style, then all you need to do is press the direction you'd like to lean. It would be either up or down. Advanced Defense Turbo steal - If you hold the turbo button (L1) and press the steal button (circle), you will lunge out with your arm outstretched and go for a steal. The lunge covers a lot of ground...if you see an opening, go for it! Swat block - You'll have to time this right to get it to work. Just hold down turbo while moving, go up for the block (square) and instead of just simply putting your hand up you'll swat at the ball. Like I said, you have to time this just right to pull it off. =============== V. Free Throws =============== Now I know how Shaq feels when he steps to the line. Poor guy can't shoot a free throw to save his life. Maybe he should read this FAQ, I'd be happy to help the big fella out. Difficulty of free throws varies with each difficulty level and player. Basically, you have two green arrows on either side of the basket that you need to line up over the hoop. You move each arrow with the analog sticks, the left stick moving the left arrow, and yep, you guessed it, the right stick moving the right arrow. Once you have both arrows lined up over the hoop, press any shoulder button (L1, L2, R1, R2) to release the shot. Be careful, you only have a certain amount of time to line up the shot. The time decreases as you move up in difficulty. ========== VI. Modes ========== Exhibition - Choose any two teams and go at it in pre-season competition. Practice - Get your ass in the gym and get to work! From here you can perfect your timing for releasing shots, run some offensive plays, and even practice those pesky free throws. Season - Do you have what it takes to get through a full 82-game season? Can you win enough to make the playoffs? Find out if you belong with the big boys of the NBA. Street - You'd rather play on blacktop? This is the mode for you. 2 on 2, 3 on 3, 4 on 4 this is the playground at it's finest. You'll be playing at some of the most famous street courts in the country...bring your A game if you want to be successful here. Franchise - You want to be the next Jerry West? See if you have what it takes to manage a NBA franchise. Trade, sign, and release players in your quest to build the next dominant b-ball dynasty ======================== VII. Offensive Strategy ======================== Ok...the meat and potatoes, offense. I will just go over the basics to assist you in getting some W's. A. Shooting Release is everything. Each player has a different point of release for his jumpers. I advise you to practice a bit with your team to get a feel for each players timing. You generally want to release the shot at the top of the player's jump. B. Cross-over/Spin Moves Repeat after me...crossovers are my best friends. Yes! They sure are! Each player has different crossover abilities. For instance, Kobe Bryant or Allen Iverson will dribble the ball between the legs then do a quick spin move. The bigger players like Shaq, Mutumbo will do a slow stutter step type move. Needless to say, it's really easy to take someone to the rack if you have a quick player on your team. C. Only shoot when you have an open look It's hard as hell to make a shot when it's contested. Use your screens; get to know your offensive sets, the more you know, the better. D. Win the battle in the paint Drop the ball down low...let your front line handle their business. If you have a powerful PF or C, this should be your bread and butter. Back your defender down, shoot a quick hook or drop step around that loser and dunk the ball home. Usually if you start getting hot down in the post, the other team will start double-teaming. This is when the Jason Kidd in you should be coming out! If two men are on you, one of your teammates is open...get him the rock! E. Pick and Roll Ahh, the play Stockton and Malone made famous. Once mastered, this play will almost always lead to a bucket. Be it a three or a dunk. Learn this play! It will get you out of plenty sticky situations. F. Take care of the ball Passing is good. Over passing is bad. Make sure you have an open passing lane BEFORE you pass the ball. It's not too hard for the other team to jump up and snatch the ball from the air. The comp can play good D, especially on the harder difficulty settings. ========================= VIII. Defensive Strategy ========================= This is easily the most important part of the game. You can have a kick ass offensive line-up, but if you can't play any D you're screwed. A. Stick with your man. Whenever I'm on defense, I always take control of the defender closest to the ball. The computer is pretty good at keeping up with the other offensive players; so don't worry too much about them. If you find yourself isolated against a good player (Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter) don't be afraid to call for the double team (L2). If you do call for the double team, keep your eyes peeled for that open man because if you stop the guy you're double-teaming, he'll be looking for the open man. Go for the steal if your man is trapped. Watch the screens. If you see the opposing player setting a screen for the guy you're guarding, try to get around it with out hitting the screen man. There should be enough room to either go behind the screen or jump in front. Slamming into the screen is the absolute worse thing you can do. Say you get beat by your man and he starts driving to the hoop... quickly press triangle. By doing that you'll switch to the person closest to the basket and hopefully stop that guy from getting an easy lay-up. B. Steal that rock! The easiest way to get a steal is to jump into the passing lane. If you play your man tight, you should be able to see where he wants to pass before he throws the ball. Use the turbo steal method mentioned above to jump in there and snatch the ball. Another easy way to get the ball is when the opposing player is trying to post you up. When the offensive player is backing down your center, simply switch to either your pg or sg, sneak up on him and hit the steal button (circle). You can also steal the ball easily if you stop an offensive player while he tries to pull a crossover on you. If you step in front of him as he tries to drive, he'll be stunned for a moment...that's when you smack that ball! Easy money. C. Crash the boards If you're playing good defense, expect to get a crap load of rebounds. Always box out by pressing L1 when the opponent takes a shot. This will make it harder for the opposing players to get offensive boards. Here's another tip; as you jump in the air and grab the rebound, tap circle repeatedly to throw your elbows. I've injured many people with that move...ahh the memories. D. Contest every shot Try your hardest to contest every shot. The probability of making a shot drops drastically when you got a hand in someone's face. E. If your defense is getting torn apart, change the defensive set If you're running a man-to-man defense, and the other team is constantly driving on you, dunking in your face...that's not a very good sign. Change up your set to a zone. Playing a zone defense (a 2-3) will cut down on those pesky point guards from driving on you left and right. Just remember, with a zone you need to rotate with the ball or the other team will rip the zone apart. To change your defensive play move the right analog stick and press the corresponding button for the play you wish to choose. F. Shot blocking Shot blocking is kind of hard in NBA2k2. You have to time your jump perfectly to get the block. If you bite on a pump fake, you're pretty much screwed. I only go for the block if I have the clear-cut advantage. Like Shaq guarding John Stockton or something. ================= IX. Top 10 Teams ================= Coming Soon =================== X. Rosters/Ratings =================== Coming Soon =============================== XI. Frequently Asked Questions =============================== Q: Can I shatter the backboard? A: No Q: I recently moved up from Rookie to Pro and I'm getting blown out! What can I do? A: Play better D! Use the zone defense it works wonders. Only take open shots. Q: Why can't I use my created player in Franchise mode? A: Good question. I don't know why this option was left out...it was VC go blame them. =================== XII. Codes/Secrets =================== I don't know what the deal is, but VC/Sega have not released many codes for NBA 2k2. I've tried the same codes that were released for the Dreamcast version, but none of those seem to work with the PS2. Unlock Code menu screen - Go to options, then game play. Hold left on the D- pad and right on the right analog stick. Press start, go back to the options menu, and the codes option will be selectable. (Credit - HIT of GameFAQs) Hidden Teams - type MEGASTARS in codes screen to unlock the VC, SEGA, and NBA 2k2 teams. (Credit - dogslikeit of GameFAQs) To have your home crowd hold up balloons while your opponent is at the free throw line, simply press the square button before he shoots. ===================== XIII. Special Thanks ===================== First off, thanks to Sega Sports and Visual Concepts for making such a great game. Thanks to CJayC for maintaining & running this awesome site we all know and love as GameFAQs. Thank you, the reader for taking the time to check out this FAQ. Most of all, thanks to my boredom. It was you that compelled me to write this, as I was bored outta my skull. ================ XIV. Legal Info ================ This guide and everything contained within it is the sole property of Rueben Amigleo, author. This document may not be reproduced electronically or manually without consent from me. This guide may not be used for any profitable reasons whatsoever. The only site authorized to use this guide is www.gamefaqs.com. The most recent updates will only be sent to GameFAQs as well. Webmasters: if you wish to have this document posted on your site see contact info below. ================== XV. Contact Info ================== If you feel I've left something out or you'd like to add something to this document, feel free to e-mail me at xxrdoggxx@aol.com. When you do e-mail me, make sure you put NBA 2k2 in the subject line otherwise it'll get deleted. Thank the damn spammers for that.