A finish is a momentum choice, not a separate minigame. Release sprint too early and the same shoot button becomes a floater or a short layup.
Which finish to use
| Finish | When | Input |
|---|---|---|
| Straight dunk | Open lane or fast break | Hold sprint to the rim, hold shoot or Triangle/Y |
| Hop step dunk | Gather from farther out | Move forward or sideways, tap shoot, then hold dunk |
| Euro dunk | Rim protector is square in front | Drive straight, no sideways tilt, tap shoot, then dunk |
| Floater | Protector is under the glass | Run without sprint and hold shoot |
| Layup | You want the green window | Hold sprint and hold shoot until green |
| Jelly | Blocker commits early | Start the layup, then tap shoot again in the air |
| Self-lob | Open paint, show finish | F on keyboard, or double-tap pass/lob on controller while driving |
| Teammate lob | Cutter is separating | Hold pass (Q on keyboard) and aim up; do not throw from touching distance |
Euro and hop step split on the stick. Any left or right tilt during the tap makes a hop step. Hall of Fame Acrobat is the badge cited for keeping the euro gather through contact. Limitless Takeoff extends the takeoff past the painted semicircle. If the attack window setting is too low, the hop tap becomes an awkward layup.
Self-lobs do not branch into layups. Low driving dunk finishes fail or stall. The cited floor for a consistent aerial dunk animation is 60 driving dunk. Under 70, contact finishes are described as coin-flip contests. A 99 driving dunk is the cap used on dedicated slashers for deeper gathers. Strength around 90 is cited for staying on the gather when a guard bumps you. Center hop steps from the painted semicircle still work with a modest driving dunk if interior ratings are high.
Reading the contest circle
Defense does not stop a dunk by jumping late. If the area around the ball handler is clear or white when the gather starts, the dunk converts. The stop is to be in front before the paint line and turn that indicator red before they leave the floor. Drop under the rim against hop steps and euros instead of reaching at the three-point line. Jumping early loses to the pump fake out of the gather.
Badges that change the finish
Acrobat, Limitless Takeoff, Posterizer, Slithery Finisher, Consistent Finisher, and Tireless Finisher are the finishing tools named for contact, distance, and low stamina. Giant Slayer needs 83 driving dunk or driving layup and is for finishes against taller paint defenders. Green Machine on a finisher build is still a shooting badge; do not spend finishing points there.
Jerry Copeland is a dunk style named on the 6'8" defending slasher, with the Chino layup package. Those are animation slots, not extra attributes.