I havn't tried the game myself but from what I've read you are not alone in feeling this way.
The only tip I can give you is to change the rules (via main menu). If you uncheck everything there you should lower the defensive fouls and foul outs to zero. The just get infront someone during gameplay and do a handcheck and the ball should come loose.
But if you wanna become better at steals without cheating, I think you know what you need to do. Work hard.
Good luck and happy gaming
