So I thought of a theory as to why I play more at 35 than I ever did as a kid; my parents bought me the lamest games! If it wasn't Touchdown Fever, it was Total Recall. Oh, and let us not forget Bible Adventures. Yes, I had Bible Adventures. No, I didn't enjoy it.
Hoops isn't as bad as them games, but there are certainly much better basketball options on the NES (I felt sorry for my neighbor who had the Master System, and was stuck with Great Basketball if he wanted to play such a game). It's basically street basketball, and don't ask what city it is. Sure don't look like Chicago! Anyway, you get to select if you want to play 2 on 2 or 1 on 1. The 1 on 1 is basically pointless, since there aren't any special moves. You end up stealing the ball back and forth until someone manages to screw up and allow a basket. Regardless of which mode you choose, you have 8 players to choose from, each having their own abilities.
You can also select if you want to play make-it, take-it, which court you want to play on (Western or Eastern, one is blue, the other is red), and how many points you want to play up to. You really have to watch out with either court, both have gang graffiti all over them. If you're close enough to the basket, you can attempt a dunk, but this is often detrimental, since you're almost guaranteed to miss if someone is in the vicinity.
This reminds me of when I was younger, my friend and I used to play a best-of-7 1-on-1 series, complete with our own home courts. I can honestly say I know what it's like to be down 3 games to 1, and have to win to stave off elimination. Unlike the Cavs, I can't say I know what it's like to come back from such a deficit, unfortunately. But I certainly had a much better time with that than I ever did with Hoops. I'd give this game a D, since it's playable, but there's nothing great about it.