Unfortunately, there are a number of online issues that can derail your fun. The nuanced controls make this feel just like the real sport and give you a huge number of ways to score. There is real weight to your movements, so you can slowly back your opponent down, square up for a short jumper, or quickly pass out of a double team. In NBA 2K11, however, everything starts on the block. In real life, most offenses are run through a big man in the post, but this aspect of the game was often ignored in the digital re-creations. But the biggest improvement comes in the post-up game. You can go behind your back, through your legs, or pull off an ankle-breaking crossover with ease. Using the right stick along with the triggers allows you to lean in specific directions, so you can duck under an opponent's arms to swoop in for a layup or fade away to give you the extra inch you need to get a shot off. A new control scheme gives you a huge array of different shots, post-up moves, and dribbling techniques in which to gain the upper hand against your defenders. Thankfully, NBA 2K11 gives you all the tools you need to overcome this swarming defense. Poor Sonics fans have only their memories to hold on to now. But, by and large, the improved AI works great and forces you to approach every possession with the strategic care of a real player. For instance, long passes are frequently intercepted even when defenders aren't looking. The lock-down defense can be frustrating at first, and the computer does occasionally cheat to thwart your success. Pick-and-rolls are a breeze to pull off, but you have to utilize your entire playbook if you're going to keep your opponents on their toes and take high-percentage shots. You have to run your offense intelligently to score. But this game steps up its defensive presence to such a high degree that newcomers will suffer through Dikembe Mutombo-like rejections until they finally adjust their style. In NBA 2K10, guards could penetrate to the basket with such stunning ease that it stripped away any semblance of strategy. Defense has been drastically overhauled from last year's edition. Stumbling down memory lane may lead you to believe that NBA 2K11 falters in other key areas as well, but the on-court action is a realistic and satisfying representation of the real thing. By forcing players to conform to specific statistical goals instead of greatness that extends beyond the box score, it devalues Jordan's achievements and forces you to play like a selfish ball hog. If you come up short in any area, you have to restart from the first quarter. For instance, against the Jazz in The Flu Game, you have to put up at least 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists and win the game.
To come out victorious in each of the 10 games, you have to reach a certain statistical milestones. Unfortunately, The Jordan Challenge mode isn't much fun. There's an entire mode devoted to replaying Jordan's most memorable games, and seeing those hallowed Knicks, Hawks, and Celtics teams in 2010 is a welcome reminder of the NBA's glorious past. This blast from the past extends much further than the opening tip.
It's odd that the first time you take control of Jordan in NBA 2K11 is in a game he lost in real life, but there's a nostalgic tingle to see these classic Lakers and Bulls teams re-created. Upon starting up the game for the first time, you're introduced to #23 as he walks onto the court for the player introductions to the 1991 NBA Finals. Even though Michael Jordan is no better than a benchwarmer in NBA 2K11, it's impossible to ignore his presence.