Week 2 is in the books with with multiples teams making their Season 3 debut as we continue with remote gameplay. It was great seeing Season 2 regular season champion Blazer5 Gaming back in action along with Grizz Gaming as both teams have some new pieces they are trying to fit into their existing roster. Lets’ recap all the action starting with the biggest storylines.

STORYLINES

Each week, we’ll sort through the top storylines that emerged from the previous week of games. This can be team performances, standout players, new lineups, or really anything that made a huge impact on the week.

1. Suprise, Blazer5 Gaming is really good.

Not a surprise at all actually! Turns out having the two regular season MVPs negates any possible concerns over roster turnover, plus LavishPhenom showed again he isn’t too shabby either. Blazer5 prevailed in a tight contest with Pacers Gaming and then really flexed their muscles in a matchup against Lakers Gaming. Mama and Walnut took over in back-to-back 4th quarters and took care of their West Coast rival. During the offseason, Blazer5 Gaming picked up both Hood and MaJes7ic and so far, so good. MaJes7ic looked good at lock and Hood really impressed at the secondary ballhandler next to Mama. Having a guy that can take some stress off of Mama Im Dat Man is important and not having that guy was their downfall in Season 2. This team looks primed for another deep run this season, which of course is not really breaking news to anyone who watches the league at this point.

Post Game Thoughts 💫 pic.twitter.com/IUCqzSu2p6

— Nidal (@NidalNasser_) May 15, 2020

2. Goodness, this Raptors Uprising GC team is good.

Not sure if there is any other real takeaway from Season 2 that matters. Right now, this team is on a different tier. They are just playing at a different speed than everyone else right now, besides maybe only Warriors Gaming Squad. They made short work of a really talented Grizz Gaming team that we’ll discuss shortly and likely would’ve swept the then-undefeated Hornets Venom GT if not for an awesome buzzer-beater by Expose that won them Game 2. They have the best point differential (16.5) in the league and a mind-bending 132.5 Offensive Rating. At this point, they have arguably the best player at three of the five starting positions at any time, and the advent of Sick One as their secondary playmaker from the Center position has been nothing short of revolutionary this season. They get Knicks Gaming and a really fun matchup against BP and Hawks Talon GC coming up in Week 3, so we’ll see if they can keep this incredible run going.

3. Is Bucks Gaming onto something?

After a disappointing 0-2 start, Bucks Gaming rebounded in a huge way in Week 2, going 2-0 behind some incredible performances from their 1st round pick, Regg. Along with that, they made the surprising decision to move Plondo to PF and let Squidris play Center. We saw him have decent success taking over for GOOFY 757 with Knicks Gaming during THE TICKET in Season 2. It paid off in a huge way as Idris was a monster on the boards, averaging 18.7 rebounds per game during Week 2, and defensively they were a completely different team. Bucks Gaming still needs to find a way to get Arooks going as his scoring and shooting is behind where it was last season. Perhaps a move to a secondary ball-handler at the 2 might spark him, but taking the ball out of Regg’s hands at this point is a tough argument to make. Arooks is one of the best players in the league, so he’ll get going eventually. When he does, this team is going to take another massive leap.

4. Slow starts are just that, starts.

In sports, there has to be a loser for every winner. Obviously. Sometimes those teams that come out on the losing end are incredibly talented and there just isn’t one reason why they lost. Sometimes, you just lose. So far, for Heat Check Gaming, Lakers Gaming, 76ers GC and more recently, Grizz Gaming, that’s what it has been. You can get into small nitpicks reasons as to why the teams are struggling and start pointing fingers, but maybe it’s just as simple as four talented teams that are acclimating to remote gameplay slower than other teams. This season is raising some huge new challenges for teams, credit to the ones who have been able to weather them and succeed so far early in the year. But, if you’re pressing the panic button on any of these teams, we’re watching very different games. Lakers Gaming has been on the cusp of three series wins, Heat Check Gaming has won Game 1 of multiple series so far despite both being 0-4. Grizz Gaming is going through some early-season bumps as they acclimate a brand new team to the big stage. We’ve heard rumblings about 76ers GC being dominant in scrimmages for months, but so far they’ve only won one game through the course of four different best-of-three series. 76ers GC seemed to figure something out against T-Wolves Gaming in Games 2 and 3, so maybe this is the week they turn it around. There are no “bad” teams this year, that’s for sure. It won’t be a surprise if all four of these teams start racking up wins very soon.

5. Preseason prediction have been and always will be silly.

Going to always keep No. 5 short, but shoutout to Hawks Talon GC. They had a lot of doubters across the league and were on the receiving end of some pretty ridiculous predictions. So far, BP is doing BP things and the rest of the team has been playing up to their talent. They have clearly come together as a team around all of that preseason doubt and it’s fueled them to a 3-1 record. Shout out to Coach Wes as well for turning the team around after a tough Season 2!

 

Highlight(s) of the Week

The end of @HornetsVenomGT vs @RaptorsGC Game 2 was CRAZY!! 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/ruyeAMwAH9

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) May 15, 2020

Nothing better than a game-winner!

OH MY, that @dayfri spin move! 👀

📺 ESPN2
💻 https://t.co/v1LLynxNVO
📱 https://t.co/KuOHN32wo2 pic.twitter.com/dDRIVXQD9E

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) May 13, 2020

Getting an extra highlight in this week because this spin move from Dayfri is nasty.

3 Games to Watch in Week 3

1. Pistons GT (0-0) vs. Wizards District Gaming (2-1) (Tuesday, May 19 – 9 pm/et)
1-on-1: Ramo vs. Dayfri

The long-awaited debut of the new-look Pistons GT is finally upon us. Ramo is back in Detroit, along with Demon JT and 1st-round pick Charger, to try and turn around a difficult Season 2 for the franchise. We get to see them take the stage against Dayfri and the rest of the talented Wizards DG team. Obviously, Dayfri vs. Ramo would’ve been one of the match-ups of the year if we were in the studio, as the trash talking is always legendary between those two. The on-court clash, however, should be just as riveting as two of the best big men in all of 2K go at it again.

2. Mavs Gaming (4-0) vs. Hornets Venom GT (2-1) (Wednesday, May 20 – 7 pm/et)
1-on-1: Sherm/Dimez vs. Snubby/Expose

A really fun game between two teams that mirror each other in more than one way. Both have an elite Center (Type vs. PeteBeBallin), play with a secondary ballhandler, a rookie at lock (Sleetys vs. Trap), and an incredibly underrated player at PF position (Spartan vs. Zae). Hornets Venom lost a great series against Raptors Uprising, but get another chance at spoiling a team’s undefeated start. This is the opener to an all-around thrilling Wednesday night of games, so get your popcorn ready.

3. Raptors Uprising GC (4-0) vs. Hawks Talon GC (3-1) (Thursday, May 21 – 7 pm/et)
1-on-1: Kenny Got Work vs. BP

A clash of two of the best players in the entire league, Raptors vs. Hawks should serve as a fantastic test for both teams. BP going up against Timelycook in an intriguing matchup, and pairing that with Lee against Sick One makes this a must-watch battle. This is a litmus test in a lot of ways for Hawks Talon GC, who currently sits at 3-1, but gets to test their new roster against the best team in the league so far. Anytime to elite PGS face-off, it’s must-see TV, but when it’s Season 3 and you have Kenny Got Work vs. BP, you should be glued to your chair.