Arcade or simulation - game gear basketball did not get any better than Arch Rivals amazing release.
First off - this game was way ahead of its time...it had cutscenes of the coach, cutscenes of the refs, etc. which made the presentation of this game thru the roof.
The whole game had this "dark" feeling to it - dark gym, dark menus and violence. Yes here you can punch people to steal the ball.
Every team was different - you could pick the big bruiser team, the quick team, the team that shot the 3 ball well - really the game was amazing and then you could match your play style to the game.
Much like tecmo bowl, etc. defense had the quicker players as was par for AI during this era.
Game gear basketball games all drooled over being what this game was - a hidden gem in the gaming industry and the top of the class.