t’s hard to stay at the top, but basketball teams historically pull it off more frequently than champs in other sports. Nine NBA teams have won back-to-back championships, the best of which — the Boston Celtics of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s — won an astounding eight straight titles and 10 in 11 years. Add NBA 2K to this list of legends, as this year marks the ninth straight year of dominating the ­competition. 

NBA 2K9 goes above the rim with its strong blend of realistic animations, solid controls, and superior presentation. The crowds received a major makeover and the difference is immediately noticeable — fans legitimately react to big plays by standing up to scream and clap after thunderous dunks or lead-swinging shots. New player animations for on-the-ball defense, blocked shots, and collisions in the paint bring the already stellar on-court graphics to another level.

NBA 2K9 doesn’t have a fancy marketing campaign like Live’s Made Fresh Daily, but it doesn’t need it. The game already features realistic results where star players command the ball and role players make the hustle plays. The only things hindering the gameplay are the sporadic post play — which is still difficult to master — and the unpredictable free throw system. Most players have different shooting motions, which makes guessing when to release the shot stick at the foul line a painful ­experience.

The star feature of NBA 2K9 is the Association, the best franchise mode across every sports title. The new NBA.com hub makes it easy to keep track of league happenings, including trade rumors and injury updates. The role system tasks owners with promising specific playing time to each player, finally solving the problem of addressing disgruntled players. Whereas other games pull discontent out of thin air, NBA 2K9 has a logical cause and effect system.  The result is true personality management and heavier trade dialogue throughout the season. The contract renegotiations are also remarkable, featuring Bird rights, options, no-trade clauses, and the ability to frontload or backload contracts.

NBA 2K9 also features five-on-five online games, but no club teams like NBA Live. The on-court action is better due to the superior defensive controls, but the dynamic camera needs some work in the transition game.

With its realistic animations, solid controls, and ambitious Association mode, NBA 2K9 makes its title run once again. But the competition is stiffening, and next year needs to bring significant leaps forward with online play and the low-post game if 2K wants to make it 10 in a row.