Not sure if this is due to the new engine or what, but is the press useless now? I played this team in the first exhibition and lost in overtime by 2-4 points. Probably should beat this team, but hey everyone loses sometimes. So today I look at the rematch and I get beat by 27 points. If you look at my team I'm pretty stacked and have been quite good for many years and have never lost by more than 12-14 points. Now maybe I'm just complaining and it's just a coincidence that the new engine came out, but I think something is a little off. Not sure if the press has lost its magic or the new engine has just completely changed the image of my team, but I figured I'd say something to see what you guys have to say about it. By no means am I trying to discredit the coach of the team that beat me or complain for the sake of complaining, but I'm looking for answers on how this happens?





http://www.whatifsports.com/hd/GameResults/BoxScore.aspx?gid=5762451

I suspect that, given that Defense rating is supposed to reduce personal fouls, and fouls are now stronger in the press, that all the teams that skimped on defense for the press are going to pay heavily for it.

Also, in your case. . you have a lower than normal set of IQ's for Press.

I won my first game using the press, despite having a higher amount of fouls than I might want. I have some ideas on how to adjust. And I think thats the key, what is needed for the Press has changed, and it is probably hard to judge until we have had time to adjust and figure out what the new press wants..

Your pressing IQs are not great. His offensive IQs are better than your defensive IQs. You've got more ATH, he had more speed at the top even though the team speed might be comparable. He's got decent BH and PA.

Your opponent took 52 FGA. He was 5-9 against an open shot. The PBP did not indicate any shots over a dt or trap. I sincerely hope that seble didn't remove this valuable piece of information from the PBP (double team notation) that took years to add. I'm hoping that in this particular case you didn't successfully trap any shots or better--that he didn't force anything over a dt. (I also think that we should be given that as an option--to not shoot over a dt)

He was 5 of 9 on open shots and 24 of 43 against a defense that was not out of position (29-52 overall). There was virtually no difference in FG% between shooting an open shot and one against a normally guarded defense.

Most of his distribution went to Lewis--his SG. Lewis is 47/73 in ATH and SP. Your SG was 71/68 in those ratings with a 69 DE rating. Your SG played 21 minutes. Lewis played 28 so he was matched up with a backup SG (Hammons or someone else) for at least 7 minutes. Hammons is 40/62 in ATH/SP with a poor IQ and 54 DE rating. Lewis had a very high PE rating to go along with his ath and sp.

I think one difference was the rebounding. Your rebounding ratings are much, much higher. His team consisted of 8 Per players--mostly sim recruited. His guard rebounding ratings were much higher than yours and both teams' guards combined for 25 rebounds. Seems high.

Free throw shooting is the new press.

They didn't tell us much (and I didn't see much in the beta test) about things being drastically different in terms of how offenses and defenses run fundamentally. I return 11 guys from my pressing team last season, a team that had great success. So, I look forward to seeing how they do in the new engine.

My problem with the new engine is that if it's so fundamentally different, then it's eliminated the strategies I used when building this team. Do I totally throw out my strategies and adopt new ones, only to have them patch the engine or release an update in which case I once again have to start all over?

I don't think its dead. Just weaker. Pressing Memphis just destroyed Man2Man #22 Florida State in Allen last night. 82-55 I think.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Rails- Thanks for all of those points, I haven't been playing on here that long, your ideas helped me a lot. The rebounding difference was odd to me too.

Quote: Originally Posted By reinsel on 5/26/2010
I don't think its dead. Just weaker. Pressing Memphis just destroyed Man2Man #22 Florida State in Allen last night. 82-55 I think.

I thought this would make for an interesting case-study. I took this game and the UMD(FCP)/Tennessee State(FCP) games and looked at a few things. Thought these would be interesting because Mem/FSU is fairly evenly matched (Mem won) but UMD/Tenn State was a huge mismatch in favor of UMD and a home game for UMD but Tenn State won. To save you the long read the upshot is that stamina is even more critical than before and coaches that continue to run the press may have to really re-think their roster management in terms of taking walk-ons/redshirting guys.

I adjusted the Off and Def IQs, Def Rating, and Stamina for minutes played and here's how it looks:

Memphis vs FSU

Mem Def IQ: A-, FSU Off IQ: B

Mem Def Rating: 74

Mem Stam: 87

So advantage to Memphis in IQ and they win big at home in an evenly matched game.



MD vs Tenn State

MD Def IQ: B, Tenn State Off IQ: C+/B- right on the border

MD Off IQ: B-, Tenn State Def IQ: B-

MD Def Rating: 86, Tenn State Def Rating: 77

MD Stam: 78, Tenn State: 80

MD has a huge talent advantage and an advantage in IQ when their press is on the floor vs Tenn State's offense...but they lose at home. What seems to have made the difference is that, while both teams are tired throughout the game, by the end (and in OT) MD is just exhausted - 3 guys on the floor in full on red for the entire 5 minutes. Basically a full shade more exhausted on average than Tenn State.

So in the end a 2pt stamina advantage overcame: 1) the homecourt, 2) a 7 pt def rating difference, 3) a slight IQ difference, and 4) a massive overall talent difference. And since its a fouling machine and guys are fouling out that makes stamina even more important...

Which means the press teams may have to re-think how they manage their rosters. The other issue MD has is that they're redshirting a guy and had two guys foul out - one with 11 mins in the game, the other with 4 mins . From the 16 min mark to the 4 min mark they played with 10 guys and from the 4 min mark til the end of OT they played with 9 guys.

Edited to correct the MD stamina - typo.

Oh, its dead; give the forums a month or so and you'll see "Is the Man magic" 8 of 9 teams in the Elite 8 are playing man...just saying... :)

there are 9 teams in the elite 8?

I don't think it's quite dead yet. My #6 UCLA team in Tark played at #17 Florida, who runs a FCP, and I managed to lose by 30.

I hope not....I just started and the team I took over runs a triangle with fcp. I've been recruiting specifically for it (or trying to) by going after low defensive guys who are fast and athletic or better in other areas.

Quote: Originally Posted By cerebro on 5/26/2010there are 9 teams in the elite 8

That was the joke dude...

Switching to half court zone... I guess.

I think with the new update it was to try to get teams to switch away from the press that truly don't recruit for it. If you get the most athletic guys, with decent defensive ratings, the press will probably work as before. With what I'm seeing, if you don't have very good to phenomenal ath and spd, a little bit of D, and good IQs, you're screwed. That's the way the press works in real life, and I guess that's the way Seble made it here.