Team Chemistry Help for lvl

[betaman411]

Looking for help with my team chemistry in lvl tournaments. Ever since the last app update, I've been struggling mightily in lvl and it's not just 3 pt'ers. My AI gets destroyed by Top 100 teams with the same or +1 OVR difference and even -1 does ok against me (avg. +10 margin). Meanwhile, I'm struggling for +10 margins. My last two tourneys I had +5 and +3 against the same OVR or -1. I mean it has never been this bad before and I've been playing since season 1. One of my league mates is so dejected by lvl that he quit playing it and he's also a 101. Anyway, open to any suggestions - even changing game play style as I can sell my Hakeem for a different version once they become auctionable. Also, I've tried different combinations below (e.g. Ben for Russ, Dirk for Bagley without much difference):

 

[Anatdoc]

Coach changes..?
Have had these sort of 'phases' b4.. especially in the end of season 1..
As far as gameplay goes.. are u missing 3s or is the AI unstoppable..
Also this might seem counterintuitive, try dropping back to 100 and see if u have any success.

Btw dont know if u have tried it.. but in those phases i completely stopped shooting 3s unless i was really truly open and slowed the pace down and took layuo after layup

 

[cire2245]

Don’t you have any 3pt clutch? Try putting bb marbury as pg if you like to experiment. I have him in my lineup without sacrificing my ovr (currently at 101). You can get him for only 200k to 300k in ah. I also have harden and mcdermot with 3pt clutch and though i am also experiencing the same dilemma as yours (diference in gameplay between sd and lvl) those guarantee points are making difference in a 2 minute quarter. I am only doing 2s as much as i can then 3s on my last two shots. That way the gap will be determined by how often my opponent will miss. How your team will perform though as AI is a different conversation.

 

[dub365]

I wish I could help. This lineup I'm using just got waxed for -23 against another 102. But whenever I play, I'll have a good quarter & go +11 but the next.. I'll lay an egg for +2 or something. I can demolish ppl in SD, but not lvl. We're playing #66 right now, idk if they're cheating or just better. But all of the best guys in my league are experiencing the same problem

 

[JukeNukem1432]

Im stumped. We have similar teams and our league has found it easier than usual these last few weeks. One guy even broke our league record this season and put up +41 yesterday. You have great teams, and i know you know how to play so i wonder what could be causing lower than usual performance. How do you shoot 3s? What exactly is the issue? Scoring or defense?

 

[betaman411]

Coach changes..?
Have had these sort of 'phases' b4.. especially in the end of season 1..
As far as gameplay goes.. are u missing 3s or is the AI unstoppable..
Also this might seem counterintuitive, try dropping back to 100 and see if u have any success.

Btw dont know if u have tried it.. but in those phases i completely stopped shooting 3s unless i was really truly open and slowed the pace down and took layuo after layup

I just switched from Balanced Brown to Street G-Wiz as I was only getting +5 bonus with Brown. Anyway, it seems to be a total collapse and not just missing 3's. If I give up transition 3's then it seems I pass too much trying to get the open look and the pass is stolen. If I drive for dunks or in half court sets then the ball either gets stripped or player blocked. Midrange is horrible as every shot registers contested or guarded (or whatever the F it says!) even if the player is wide open and it's a perfect release. I mean I hate to come off like a whiner but there's really no explanation for this dramatic drop in game play margins.

As dub365 said, I can destroy most teams in SD, it's only lvl where my 101 team plays like a 91 team.

 

[betaman411]

Don’t you have any 3pt clutch? Try putting bb marbury as pg if you like to experiment. I have him in my lineup without sacrificing my ovr (currently at 101). You can get him for only 200k to 300k in ah. I also have harden and mcdermot with 3pt clutch and though i am also experiencing the same dilemma as yours (diference in gameplay between sd and lvl) those guarantee points are making difference in a 2 minute quarter. I am only doing 2s as much as i can then 3s on my last two shots. That way the gap will be determined by how often my opponent will miss. How your team will perform though as AI is a different conversation.

I have Hakeem, Booker and McDermott all with abilities. I remember now why I hate abilities - completely changes the flow of a quarter. Having said that, no real difference either way.

 

[dub365]

I just switched from Balanced Brown to Street G-Wiz as I was only getting +5 bonus with Brown. Anyway, it seems to be a total collapse and not just missing 3's. If I give up transition 3's then it seems I pass too much trying to get the open look and the pass is stolen. If I drive for dunks or in half court sets then the ball either gets stripped or player blocked. Midrange is horrible as every shot registers contested or guarded (or whatever the F it says!) even if the player is wide open and it's a perfect release. I mean I hate to come off like a whiner but there's really no explanation for this dramatic drop in game play margins.

As dub365 said, I can destroy most teams in SD, it's only lvl where my 101 team plays like a 91 team.

To me it often seems like a CPU/ AI problem, not necessarily my players/ chemistry or my own skill. It's like on an SD game where the CPU has you losing from the get go. I can't get a steal, all their shots fall, I get no rebounds, my open looks brick. That's why I can't understand why/ how guys in tops leagues can get 2 great quarters and I seem to be at the mercy of the NBALive gods

 

[Stewie309]

Team chemistry is very subjective but I think that they nerfed LvL because the majority of people have an issue with it compared to SD which means a nerf for the mode I have the same problem I'll get a +13 then a +3 or vice versa

 

[betaman411]

I wish I could help. This lineup I'm using just got waxed for -23 against another 102. But whenever I play, I'll have a good quarter & go +11 but the next.. I'll lay an egg for +2 or something. I can demolish ppl in SD, but not lvl. We're playing #66 right now, idk if they're cheating or just better. But all of the best guys in my league are experiencing the same problem

Exactly the same problem. Check pm

 

[JukeNukem1432]

1) Make only ONE pass per possession and only to the player that will take the shot on that possession.
2) We do this back and forth move on our joysticks in the corner to create separation before we shoot a 3, more often than not this results in an open shot as the defender tends to back off just enough. So we sprint to the corner, then move your player left and right until the defender backs off then shoot.
3) Alternate your shots with different players, take one with your SG, the next with your SF, the next with your PG or PF then go back to your SG or the player that you started with. AND if you miss a 3 with say your SG, take the next 3 immediately with the same player. This allows you to take advantage of the percentages as it is rare for the same player to miss again right after a miss.
4) Also alternate your type of shot, e.g. take a 3 with your SG on one possession, a dunk with your PF on the next possesion, another 3 with your SF on the next possesion, a dunk with your PG on the next possession and so on.
5) Lastly set your device pointer sensitivity to max if using an Android. This allows you to steal the ball easier. It's crazy how very little mobile gamers know about this. Most Android devices have it set at 50% by default and hardly anyone changes it, take it to 100%...(https://www.inclusiveandroid.com/content/how-control-sensitivity-your-screen).
Here is mine....I've found it doesn't just affect your pointer or tackpad but increases your screen sensitivity which is always good for gamers. When I tap steal I want as little input lag as possible...

If you need a gameplay video clarifying the back and forth corner move which creates space for open shots let me know. Hopefully this helps.
Just as an example of what this strategy does in LvsL...

 

[betaman411]

1) Make only ONE pass per possession and only to the player that will take the shot on that possession.
2) We do this back and forth move on our joysticks in the corner to create separation before we shoot a 3, more often than not this results in an open shot as the defender tends to back off just enough. So we sprint to the corner, then move your player left and right until the defender backs off then shoot.
3) Alternate your shots with different players, take one with your SG, the next with your SF, the next with your PG or PF then go back to your SG or the player that you started with. AND if you miss a 3 with say your SG, take the next 3 immediately with the same player. This allows you to take advantage of the percentages as it is rare for the same player to miss again right after a miss.
4) Also alternate your type of shot, e.g. take a 3 with your SG on one possession, a dunk with your PF on the next possesion, another 3 with your SF on the next possesion, a dunk with your PG on the next possession and so on.
5) Lastly set your device pointer sensitivity to max if using an Android. This allows you to steal the ball easier. It's crazy how very little mobile gamers know about this. Most Android devices have it set at 50% by default and hardly anyone changes it, take it to 100%...(https://www.inclusiveandroid.com/content/how-control-sensitivity-your-screen).
Here is mine....I've found it doesn't just affect your pointer or tackpad but increases your screen sensitivity which is always good for gamers. When I tap steal I want as little input lag as possible...

If you need a gameplay video clarifying the back and forth corner move which creates space for open shots let me know. Hopefully this helps.
Just as an example of what this strategy does in LvsL...

Thanks Juke...nothing really new in there for me except the Android tip but a good reminder of what I should be doing during my quarters nonetheless. I have both an iOS and Android device and noticed the lag issue on the Android so I've been trying to play my lvl quarters on my iOS device. I'll have to check my settings when I get home so thanks for the tip!

p.s.
I use the back and forth move religiously unless I'm already open but it's definitely money when shots are falling

 

[Stewie309]

3) Alternate your shots with different players, take one with your SG, the next with your SF, the next with your PG or PF then go back to your SG or the player that you started with. AND if you miss a 3 with say your SG, take the next 3 immediately with the same player. This allows you to take advantage of the percentages as it is rare for the same player to miss again right after a miss.

I agree with everything but the 2nd half of #3 because I've always seen players have the ability to miss multiple shots In a row

 

[JukeNukem1432]

Thanks Juke...nothing really new in there for me except the Android tip but a good reminder of what I should be doing during my quarters nonetheless. I have both an iOS and Android device and noticed the lag issue on the Android so I've been trying to play my lvl quarters on my iOS device. I'll have to check my settings when I get home so thanks for the tip!

p.s.
I use the back and forth move religiously unless I'm already open but it's definitely money when shots are falling

Yeah as i was typing that I was like im sure everyone knows this already and almost deleted it but thought it would just serve as a reminder lol. It's really perplexing the different results people are having. A theory I've heard from others is that the total ovr average of your league affects gameplay. Say you play against the same exact team twice, you will have different experiences depending on your league average ovr vs their league ovr. If your league average ovr is higher then everyone in your league will have it easier even a 99 vs a 101. But if your league ovr is lower even a 102 on your team will have it rough against a 100 or 99. It's just a theory but I do know this ever since our league ovr increased by adding a few 102s and benching anyone lower than 100ovr, it's been much easier for me even when im playing at a disadvantage.

 

[JukeNukem1432]

I agree with everything but the 2nd half of #3 because I've always seen players have the ability to miss multiple shots In a row

I agree misses in a row do happen most definitely. But what I've found is that more often than not it's harder for a player to miss 2 shots in a row though yes it does happen.

 

[Commondjapan]

I've also been struggling in LvL this month. I swear it's gotten worse since everyone started using that damn Fool's Court. I really hate customization. If you're the New York Knicks play as the goddamn New York Knicks not some bastardized version of them. People are boost happy at the moment and I am sure that has something to do with my struggles (I play on a regular court with little or no boosts.)

Lately, I've been struggling to get stops, which basically means it comes down to my shooting vs. the AI and since I can't manage to stop the AI from scoring if my shots aren't falling then I put up a poor margin. The only reason I have a positive margin at times is that I take more threes than the AI does. I've also been struggling to convert my stops. The AI seems to have gotten smarter at transition defense and they are much stronger around the rim than before. Not being able to get easy buckets in transition has let to me making some stupid plays of late.

I also think the gameplay of the Mobile Madness cards is pretty poor and I don't say that lightly about cards as I hate the whole "this card is trash" mentality, but they don't play well for me.

For some reason, I am playing better on my alt. I went +9 and +5 on my main the past two tournaments but yesterday I had a 22-2 quarter on my alt. My main is a smaller league where we are routinely pitted against high OVR opponents. My alt is a larger league, further back on the leaderboard, that plays a wider range of opponents. I definitely agree that there is some sort of OVR advantage going on but there also seems to be a random difficulty setting per quarter just like in Showdown.

No gameplay tips, sorry. Brian is always talking about separation and getting your feet set but he claims there's no nerfing. I don't want to run back and forth to shake my defender. To me, that's pure arcade style. Even dribbling to an open spot kind of annoys me. I realize that it's an arcade game but I would like to go back to putting up decent margins playing the way I've always played.

 

[Stewie309]

I agree misses in a row do happen most definitely. But what I've found is that more often than not it's harder for a player to miss 2 shots in a row though yes it does happen.

No I meant that I have never seen the proof of that being the case I've seen the odds to be about even wether or not you can miss 2 in a row with the same player or miss the first and hit the 2nd

 

[dub365]

I've also been struggling in LvL this month. I swear it's gotten worse since everyone started using that damn Fool's Court. I really hate customization. If you're the New York Knicks play as the goddamn New York Knicks not some bastardized version of them. People are boost happy at the moment and I am sure that has something to do with my struggles (I play on a regular court with little or no boosts.)

Lately, I've been struggling to get stops, which basically means it comes down to my shooting vs. the AI and since I can't manage to stop the AI from scoring if my shots aren't falling then I put up a poor margin. The only reason I have a positive margin at times is that I take more threes than the AI does. I've also been struggling to convert my stops. The AI seems to have gotten smarter at transition defense and they are much stronger around the rim than before. Not being able to get easy buckets in transition has let to me making some stupid plays of late.

I also think the gameplay of the Mobile Madness cards is pretty poor and I don't say that lightly about cards as I hate the whole "this card is trash" mentality, but they don't play well for me.

For some reason, I am playing better on my alt. I went +9 and +5 on my main the past two tournaments but yesterday I had a 22-2 quarter on my alt. My main is a smaller league where we are routinely pitted against high OVR opponents. My alt is a larger league, further back on the leaderboard, that plays a wider range of opponents. I definitely agree that there is some sort of OVR advantage going on but there also seems to be a random difficulty setting per quarter just like in Showdown.

No gameplay tips, sorry. Brian is always talking about separation and getting your feet set but he claims there's no nerfing. I don't want to run back and forth to shake my defender. To me, that's pure arcade style. Even dribbling to an open spot kind of annoys me. I realize that it's an arcade game but I would like to go back to putting up decent margins playing the way I've always played.

I think it's nuts that we all experience different things in similar situations. Like MM WB and Jimmer are by far the best backcourt I've had all year. WB just kills it in every way and I'm LITERALLY shooting 75% + with Jimmer from everywhere on the court. I haven't tried all the MM players but Bagley is serviceable, Hakeem is good. Duncan is better than Bagley. McDermott is money from the corners and pretty good inside. I haven't found any of them to suck. But it's just like some ppl can still ball out in LVL and some of us are ready to revolt. Idk, strange times in NBALive land.

 

[teamduncan]

The changes for me are I tend to find it hard to defend. And I can actually have 2 good games now instead of 1 good and one bad.
So it seems random

 

[betaman411]

Defense does seem to be the difference maker for me too. I can score +20 pts in a lvl quarter but just as easily give up 16. I usually get out to an 8pt lead rather quickly and then either go cold or have a blowout quarter of +16-18. Very same team the next quarter and I win by one. How these guys put together two monster quarters against the same team and go +35 is beyond me but you can see it’s mostly in the points they don’t give up than the points they score.

Edit: Just to be clear with my OP, the above was me 2 weeks ago. Since then I can barely get double digit margins in two quarters and 3 of my last 4 matches have been single digit totals with a +3 being my bottom today.