NLSC Podcast

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #555 of the NLSC Podcast!

Player Lock is arguably one of the most underrated gameplay features outside of its use in career and online team play modes, but picking a suitable role is paramount whichever mode you’re playing. 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 making a new video game purchase – especially when physical media is involved – and share some more advice for capturing highlights on the virtual hardwood, whether you’re playing on PC or console.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #554 of the NLSC Podcast!

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, ranging from a love of the sport, to bonding experiences with family and friends, to joyful fantasy and escapism. Following on from last week, we and our listeners pick three stars from the 2000s to bring into the modern NBA in their prime. In response to the end of online support for NBA Live 18, we note how the offline version of The One succeeds where MyCAREER fails nowadays. We also share an interesting tidbit about Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, and answer a question about bad basketball video games in another edition of Andrew Asks.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #554: For the Love of the Video Game appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #553 of the NLSC Podcast!

This week’s show is all about the past, present, and future…and some combinations thereof! First of all, we tip things off with a recap of a fun co-op session of NBA 2K13 PC, in which we used a 1996 roster to take on the Hawks with Shaq and Penny’s Magic. Needless to say, it not only reminded us of how well NBA 2K13 holds up, but just how special the 1996 season was. Next, we join the community in naming three all-time greats that we’d want to bring into today’s NBA, and why they’re our picks. Finally, we and the community choose from a list of hypothetical features that we’d like to see added in NBA 2K26.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #553: Bringing Three All-Time Greats Into Today’s NBA appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #552 of the NLSC Podcast!

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 and lacklustre defense to zero-tolerance technical fouls and the pace of the game. While many of us are on the same page, there are definitely some differing views! In a similar vein, a comment from Charles Barkley prompts us to revisit the topic of load management; a practice that seems both myopically counterproductive and decisively anti-fan. We also discuss some other recent issues, including WNBA blunders, unwelcome advertising, pushy pop-ups, so-called gurus, and a truly terrible Dwyane Wade statue.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #552: Our Thoughts On The Current State of the NBA appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #551 of the NLSC Podcast!

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 for our money, frankly has very little to do with basketball! To that point, we discuss 2K’s motivations for adding it to the game, and the bad precedent that it could set for further paid content. The Season 2 patch has also arrived for NBA 2K25, and we have thoughts to share on the gameplay fixes and other updates that it includes. We wrap up the show by touching on an important issue that’s unfortunately been affecting the modding community for some time, and has recently come to a head.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #551: Does Gravity Ball Belong in NBA 2K25? appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #550 of the NLSC Podcast!

Assuming that we could get anyone from NBA history into a mo-cap suit, who are the five players that we’d choose to perform motion capture for a basketball video game? This week, we join the community in naming our All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Fives! We also recap a most unusual session with NBA Live 2000 PC in which we took on the Indiana Pacers with the Detroit Pistons, and got utterly smoked by the sharpshooting duo of Reggie Miller and Chris Mullin. In addition to that, we’ve got an update to share about getting back on the court, recommendations for basketball shoes, and some reflections to share as both digital broadcasting milestones and a milestone birthday loom.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #550: All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Five appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #549 of the NLSC Podcast!

Despite it never being easier to share highlights and connect with fellow gamers, we’ve noticed a general reluctance to participate in those activities and discussions nowadays. After considering some of the potential causes for this shift, we urge the community to be more proactive in sharing their love of basketball gaming, and to take an interest in what others are doing on the virtual hardwood. We also pay tribute to the late Dikembe Mutombo, and join the community in discussing the players who have been underdone in video games over the years – our Underdone Starting Five if you will – as well as our favourite current and former NBA players.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #549: Underdone Players & Community Spirit appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #548 of the NLSC Podcast!

Derrick Rose has officially retired from the NBA, and naturally, we have a few thoughts in the wake of his announcement, from fond memories to whether or not he should have his jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls. This also leads us to join the community in reminiscing about some other player retirements that had a profound affect on us, as well as undeserved reputations that players have had difficulty shaking. We also discuss some exciting upcoming modding projects that johnz1 has planned for the PlayStation 3 version of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, and provide an update on the modes that both we and the community are currently spending the most time with in NBA 2K25.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #548: Memorable Player Retirements & NBA 2K25 Habits appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #547 of the NLSC Podcast!

Although we’re still playing NBA 2K25 and have a few updates on what we’ve been doing in it, we have been talking about the game at length for a number of shows now, so this week we’re putting it on the backburner. To that end, we recap a fun session playing NBA Live 06 PC with a work-in-progress ABA mod, and reflect on the league’s legacy and importance in the history of basketball. We also join the community in reminiscing about fun and weird ideas and approaches that we’ve employed in fantasy drafts, as well as some of the most memorable transactions – good or bad – that our favourite teams have made during all of our years following the NBA.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #547: Memorable Transactions, Fantasy Drafts, & The ABA appeared first on NLSC.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #546 of the NLSC Podcast!

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. It’s still mostly good news in our book, but we’re not quite ready to declare it the best NBA 2K ever as some of our fellow gamers are. We also recap a co-op session in which we took on Dwight Howard’s Magic with Derrick Rose’s Bulls using the LeBron era rosters, leading us to reflect on those two squads. Finally, a new segment makes its debut, inspired by a surprising observation while playing NBA 08.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The post NLSC Podcast #546: NBA 2K25, Two Weeks In appeared first on NLSC.