NBA 2K12 hits stores in just about three days' time, and players everywhere will be able to get their basketball fix without listening to David Stern and Dwayne Wade yell at each other.  Thank goodness, because it's the sport that matters, not the politics behind it.  What's more, you can literally get into the action with the PlayStation 3 version by taking control with the PlayStation Move.  So how's it work?

Last year, when it came to deciding on a basketball game to own, there was clearly no contest.  EA Sports, worried about the critical backlash it would receive, canned NBA Elite 11 days before it was set to ship, leaving 2K Sports' NBA 2K11 wide open to dominate the market.  This year, however, EA Sports has an interesting new competitor to take on NBA 2K12, even though it's made for a different kind of audience than those who played Elite.

NBA 2K12 is now ten days and counting from hitting retail, and we can tell that a lot of you fans out there are thrilled to be getting your hands on the only true basketball game in town.  But now 2K Sports is adding some extra incentive to the deal for those of you that are early adopters.  If you buy one of the first few copies that hit shelves on day one, you'll gain access to two additional "legends" teams for download, upping the count to 34 playable teams.  Yes, 34.

Even though the upcoming NBA season doesn't look like it's going to happen, that hasn't dulled our excitement for the upcoming NBA 2K12, which is now just two weeks away from release.  You can download the demo now on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network and get a taste of what changes the gameplay have gone through (not much negative, we can honestly say), but one mode we can't wait to try in the final game is NBA's Greatest.  You're no longer just dealing with Michael Jordan's legacy, but rather the legacy of 30 classic NBA teams.  And the way 2K Sports has done this mode is unbelievable.  Basketball fans will love it.

NBA 2K12 is fast approaching, and brings with it a number of improvements over last year's stellar game, along with a handful of legends to play alongside Michael Jordan and several new players.  While the wait for the game's October 4th release isn't a long one, you'll be able to check out a demo for it when it releases this Tuesday for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.  We've got a few reasons as to why you should check it out.

Cologne -- 2K Sports took the hardwoods to Germany, literally. Inside the 2K Sports booth at Gamescom 2011 was a basketball court suite with hardwoods for a floor and walls adorned with NBA legends Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. 2K Sports exec Chris Snyder was on hand to demo new gameplay and talk about the latest details for one of the games biggest new features – NBA’s Greatest. Check out the exclusive video below.

2K Sports NBA 2K11 has sold over 5 million copies to date, thanks in part to no direct competition from EA Sports. With the NBA lockout in full swing, 2K Sports will once again face no competition this upcoming NBA season on the simulation front from EA Sports or anyone else. Sony exited the NBA game arena a couple years back. But EA will have a new NBA Jam: On Fire Edition being released digitally this fall filled with arcade action. The developer talks about what’s in store for EA’s second NBA Jam title in this exclusive interview from EA Showcase.