Shot some videos of my linked machines today.

I thought watching them might give me a clue why the machine on the right (player 2) consistently scores higher than the machine on the left. Didn't help.

Here are a couple of the vids for anyone interested. Change the quality settings. Default is 360p.

I've never shipped a game, but one of my NBAs had the 3 separate toppers all around the backbox (top and sides).
So if you're talking about those 3 pieces, I'd have them removed and see if it might be possible to have them seriously secured somewhere with the game. I can see them getting wrecked/broken very easy. Just particle wood (I think). Easy to screw on/off.

If I could make inside cabinet decals for this game, the art would be fans in the stands. Have cartoony Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson courtside. I'm sure there are some others it'd be fun to add. Anthony Kiedis maybe

Those decals you made are really nice looking, but I'm not into having the same art repeated everywhere.