NBA THE RUN — The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

From Play-By-Play Studios (former EA Big talent), NBA The Run is a fun 3v3 streetball game with a solid foundation — but it is not NBA Street Vol. 2, and Vol. 2 nostalgia may set you up for disappointment.

Bobbito Garcia commentary and familiar animations echo Street, yet Malik urges constructive feedback to a small, receptive indie team rather than demanding a straight remake.

Launch ships with Knockout (one player per squad), Knockout Solo (control all three), and Knockout Friends (up to 48-slot custom brackets). Beta only had squad Knockout.

Win-streak matchmaking feeds elimination brackets; four straight wins earn a trophy displayed in the lobby. Random rule sets each round — first-to-21, NBA clock scoring, etc. — force different strategies and give the mode a battle-royale energy.

Possession starts with a sprint-for-the-ball dive instead of a tip-off, rewarding fast smalls. Rollback netcode felt responsive throughout his session.

Right-stick tricks (spin, step-back, push-off) felt underwhelming and wooden — chaining moves and off-the-heezy plays lack the fluidity Street Vol. 2 had.

Malik calls this his biggest criticism: trick speed, animations, and transitions are too slow, which also slows in-the-zone meter building since tricks feed the personal gamebreaker bars.

Blocking and on-ball defense work well; steals feel Street-like. He misses trick counters and extreme goaltending, but likes that paint camping is not rewarded.

30+ NBA stars and five street legends launch; about a third were in beta. No create-a-player yet. Bobbito's callouts sell the atmosphere.

Foundation is promising — clean up the trick system, add Street grit (rebound flair, counters), and Malik thinks they have a clear winner on their hands.