... rated higher? There's no "stupid debate" going on, but starting into 2005 (when Live introduced Freestyle Control) Live began getting higher ratings than the 2K series. The 2K series was only ahead in ratings for about 2 or 3 years. Live's always been rated higher, generally, espeically in the past 2 years.
Btw, those graphics are misleading because they are shot from the XBox 360 (a next generation system that isn't out yet). Most screens people will see regarding NBA Live will be off a PS2 or an XBox console, so those screen shots may actually be irrelevant. Just wanted to bring it to your attention.
These graphics from a normal XBox would probably be more relevant:
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/740/740966/imgs_1.html
These are the NBA Live graphics to compare (still on XBox):
http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/740/740958/imgs_1.html
It's just my opinion, but I think NBA Live's graphics are way better.
But I do agree that playing both makes the decision easier. It worked for me and I totally love the game that I bought. It's all a matter of personal preference.