Welcome to 2k! You picked a good year to get into it. One of my favorite things about this game is that it rewards you for taking time to practice and get better.
Anyway, some quick pointers that helped me out the last few years:
- DON'T abuse the turbo button. It will lead to turnovers, contact animations, and unresponsive controls. Save it for when you have numbers on a break or a clear lane to the basket. In general it's wise to play slowly and under control. Make your moves and shots with purpose.
- Understand that you need momentum for your slashing players to shine.
- Keep your offensive game unpredictable. Have a gameplan and stick to it, but always be willing to adapt when they catch on to what you're doing. I like to start posting up with my big men until the D is forced to double... then you can dish out to shooters for open looks all day.
- On defense, use the Left Trigger (360) to create body contact with your man and prevent penetration. If he creates too much space then hold down LT + RT to shuffle into position, releasing RT once you are in position
- On defense, don't over-commit with steals and blocks. Unless you are using Dwight Howard or Rondo, gambling will leave you in the dust more often than not. Play good d and don't always reach for the flashy play.
- MISMATCHES are crucial. The CPU will exploit mismatches, and you should too. Every time down the floor, see who is guarding who... if you have a clear mismatch then get that player the ball and space the floor.
- Utilize the defensive strategy options. If you are getting murdered in the paint, then choose "LOCK DOWN PAINT". If they are raining from three then choose "PRESSURE SHOOTERS". As you progress in difficulty level you will have to go to the menu screen and adjust your specific defensive matchups (who to double, play tight, sag off etc)
- Practice a few plays for each of your star players. This will typically get them the ball where they are most effective.
Hope this helps you out