Yeah, I have NBA Live 2004... and first off, I don't feel its compareable to golf og hockey in any way.
NBA Live 2004 is by far the best Basketball game out there if you wanna play some ball without flying 3 feet above the rim in the many PS2 arcade games.
Furthermore it also signals that EA wants to make more of the franchise mode, which I hope will get a leg up in 2005 due november.
So unless you absolutely can't wait till November, don't buy 2004.
Cheers, Flix