Matchmaker service - Free or Pay?

NBA Live 2003 PC's online Matchmaker was a paid service while the consoles get it free.

Will it be the same again this year?

The chances are slim. I believe it will still be a pay-service thing. Notice: you have posted two thread asking single questions. I advise you to open up only one thread and put all your qestions there; this way, you can save space.