How Dunks and Jump Shots Work in Basket Bros

Two ways to score: dunks and jump shots

Basket Bros has no free throws and no mid-range two. Every basket is one of two kinds, and the game decides which one the moment you shoot (your second jump press in the air):

• Close to the rim: a dunk, worth 2 points. If you release while you are within a set distance of the basket you are attacking, the game takes over: your baller glides to the rim and slams it home with one of the dunk animations you own.
• Anywhere further out: a jump shot, worth 3 points. Every made jump shot counts as a three, and the announcer has lines for long ones such as "From way downtown!" and "From the parking lot!".

So the choice on each trip down the court is simple: drive in for a safer 2, or pull up for 3.

What makes a jump shot go in

Jump shots are not automatic. The game works out the arc to the rim and then adds a small random error. Three things in the game code change that error:

• Your Shooting rating. The higher it is, the smaller the random spread. Step Flurry and Lowry Birdhouse (both 10) are the steadiest; Bin Noshoot and Shackton Diesel (both 1) miss the most.
• How you are moving. Your sideways speed and your rise or fall at the moment of release are taken off the shot, so drifting hard or letting go on the way up pulls it short or long. Release near the top of the jump, when you are barely moving.
• Being on fire. Make three baskets in a row and the announcer shouts "He's on fire!". While your streak is at three or more, the game skips the random error on your jump shots. A miss, a block or getting knocked down ends the streak, and so does the other player scoring while you are on fire.

The set shot

Press punch (G for player 1, L for player 2) while you hold the ball on the ground and your baller does a quick hop and shoots by himself. It is quicker than jumping and pressing again, but it gets an extra sideways wobble, so a normal jump shot from a still position is the more accurate option.

Dunks, blocks and posters

• Posterizing. If you finish a dunk while the defender is in the air close to you, he is knocked to the floor and the call is one of "Posterized!", "Facial!", "Obliterated!", "Yammed!" or "Ouch!". A normal dunk gets calls such as "With the jam!", "Throw down!" or "With authority!".
• Blocking. A defender in the air with his hand right by the ball can swat a shot or a dunk before the ball gets above the rim. Blocking a dunk also knocks the dunker down and resets his streak.
• Timing the block. The block only counts near the top of the defender's jump, while he is still rising slowly, so leave the floor a moment before the shooter instead of waiting under the rim.

Dunk animations

New players start with one standard dunk. Upgrades can add the Splits, Windmill, Standing, Flip, Soar, Up and Down, Tomahawk, Double Windmill, Superdude, Airness, Cram, Statue and Upside Down dunks. Each dunk plays one of your unlocked animations at random. They change how it looks, not how many points it scores, so you can pick a dunk upgrade or a new baller without losing anything.