EA never figured it out with NBA LIVE after it was rebooted. Take-Two/Visual Concepts already had a stranglehold on the sim side of the NBA, and LIVE never really did anything unique or noteworthy— other than to try and implement a streetball/culture thing that never really stood out.
In its heyday, LIVE differentiated itself from NBA 2K by leaning a bit more toward the arcade-style side of things. It still was rooted in simulation, but was far more accessible and easier to pick up than 2K was. After trying to rebrand LIVE as NBA Elite, which was stillborn, EA decided to go back to the drawing board and beat 2K at its own game. That was a fatal mistake, and one that has pretty much killed LIVE.
EA’s best basketball game in the last 10 years has been the On Fire edition of its NBA JAM revival. NBA Street should’ve been considered, but surprisingly has not.