The player controls basketball star Julius Erving or Larry Bird in a game of one-on-one against another player or the computer. The game has excellent animation, personal fouls, a 24-second shot clock, jumpers, fall-aways, putbacks, and what is likely the first instant replay in video games. It allows for play to a certain score or timed games. On offense, a player can spin or shoot, on defense, attempt to block or steal the ball, with over aggressiveness penalized by fouls. A hard dunk can shatter the backboard, prompting a janitor to come out and sweep up the shards, directing censored complaints at the player in the process.