IGN and Gamespot were able to get their hands on the latest in the 2k basketball series:

Gamespot NBA 2k9 Preview

NBA 2K9 is better than last year’s game in every regard. Everything that made last year’s game such a success has been brought over and new features such as an improved franchise mode and online 5-on-5 should add the game’s experience. Though with all the improvements in NBA Live this year, consumers may have a difficult choice this season.

via GAmespot

IGN NBA2k9 Preview

While this was our first real look at NBA 2K9, the game is already 90 percent complete. And it showed. Animations were tight, the crowd looked better than it ever has for the series, and the basketball actually felt like the genuine article. There’s apparently a “big online innovation” announcement coming in the next few months, but online 5-on-5 play was big enough to please those in the room. There has also been “a lot of work done” to the franchise mode, but your guess is as good as ours as to what that means.

via IGN