How DO YOU play on ball defense? (Online mainly)

[cardinalbird5]

I am not terrible by any means at on-ball defense, but this a part of my game I'd like to step up. I have a good defensive gameplan for each game I play. I also have good man to man principles, with good rotations, help defense, and the proper spacing. My main problem is just simply staying in front of man and cutting him off. Maybe it is just because online has a short delay, but I find it hard to just stay in front of your man.

Do you guys use the LS, RS, LT, RT at all? A combination? Do you try to avoid using turbo? Here are my thoughts:
When I use LT it seems to suck me into animations and into other players that I don't want to be sucked into to. But w/o LT it feels like my player loses all awareness with the guy he is guarding.

When I use RT, even sparingly, it seems to be even harder to stay in front of man and if your timing is off at all when trying to sprint to cut someone off then they just burn you. Maybe I shouldn't use turbo at all for the halfcourt?

LS...obviously you have to use this move your player, but how much do you use this?

RS...this one I like, but sometimes when I try to slide with my hands up or contest a shot it feels like my guy is just a slow tree out there and can just be dribbled around. I mainly use this for the big guys though, but it can be hard.

So how do YOU approach on ball defense? I tried only using LS+RS, but I feel like I need turbo to catch up sometimes. I have heard holding LT is bad, but then again I feel like my players don't react without enforcing LT.

Also what does everyone set their defensive AI to? Automatic contest, RS only? And how do you set the AI assistance?

[aerohitman]

Well, i use a combination of everything. I mainly keep the LT when im behind the three point line tryingt o stop the drive. I TRY using the cutoff but i can't do it constantly....the RT seems like it's more to catch up if you're beat but it can leave you in a bad spot if they switch directions fast enough.The shading takes a little too long since everyone is busy baseline cutting for easy cheese dunks or going left-right-left-right while trying to get a little open thanks to the online delay. Im really interested in this post because im having SERIOUS defense problems in this game.Probably because it's myplayer and well...that game mode is super Cheese.

[cardinalbird5]

Anyone else?

[99centChickenSammich]

Like this...

[Optik]

Use LS to keep up with players who are just dribbling from one side of the court to the other.

Use LT and LS when slow players are attacking or about to attack the baseline from the sides. Use LT+RT and LS when fast players are doing the same and/or seem to already have a step on you. I let the CPU defend the middle, I found it to difficult to keep players out of the paint if I'm defending there myself.

Use LT+RT and LS when you are in bad defensive position either at halfcourt or like the scenario above. You need to push the LS diagonally upwards.

Don't use RS for a perimeter player unless he's in a contact layup animation, he's picked up his dribble, or he has nowhere else to go. If you do, he will burn you everytime. RS just slows you down.

I usually use RS on a big when they're going for a close layup. I usually use LT with this, in order for them to go into a contact layup animation. Don't play on ball with your big, when your opponent's big is cutting to the rim, you usually are too sluggish to stop him or any pass that comes his way when someone's trying to do that cheesy slip lead pass. If you do attempt to steal the pass with your big, just standing there instead of pressing X seems to work better, although I've only seen this once. My big just caught the ball.

Also, if they are trying to go into the post, front them. In the same way alley oops are much harder to do this year, throwing the ball over the fronting defender to your big isn't automatic anymore. I've missed more passes than I've connected on.

You'll eventually have to learn not to use LT so much. I've noticed that sometimes I've played perfect defense on my opponent, but then they try to throw up a shot or try to go up for a layup, and because I was still holding LT, they got bailed out by the ref.

[BornBetter]

I move the right stick in the direction the person is trying to drive in conjunction with the left stick. It's kind of hard to explain without showing you, unfortunately I don't have a video of it but once you get it down people have a really hard time driving around the defender unless its someone like LeBron.

I played against someone who had LeBron on their MyTEAM and it was a joke. I only won by a point. He would literally just walk LeBron into the paint and layup or dunk. One time I double-teamed him on the baseline and he PUSHED my players out of the way.... it was unbelievable. You can spam the steal button on him all you want too and never get a steal.