What a week. THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T, the season’s first of three in-season tournaments, has come to a close. It was a great tournament and showed just how evenly matched the middle of the league is this year. There are so many competitive teams this season and if that group stage proved anything, it’s that anyone can beat anyone this season…unless it’s Raptors Uprising GC. Will they go undefeated? Will another team get really hot in the second half like T-Wolves Gaming and dethrone the favorites? We have seven weeks and two more tournaments to find out, but without further ado, let’s do a little recapping.

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 anything that made a huge impact on the week.

1. Are we watching the best NBA 2K League team of all-time?

Let’s preface this with a conversation point. There are very few times in the history of sports where it is worth even having this discussion about a team. It’s incredibly rare. In the NFL, the 2007 Patriots were the first team in decades to even be thought of as maybe the best team ever and they came up short. In baseball, that conversation about a team has arguably not happened since the start of the 2000’s. The advent of Big 3s and “super teams” have made the conversation a little more prevalent in the NBA, but even then you get into arguments about different eras and different styles and the conversation devolves pretty quickly. For the NBA 2K League, we need to have this conversation because it could set the level that every team is going to try to hit for years to come. It’s a good conversation to have and frankly, this Raptors team could be on its way. They currently have the best point differential in NBA 2K League history at +13.8, the best 3P% of any team at 56.8%, a 9-0 series record, a 16-3 total games record, and if you combine that with their record from THE TIPOFF they are a stunning 26-4 this season! Two wins this week will break Mavs Gaming’s 10-0 record for best start in league history AND tie the Blazer5 record for most consecutive wins at 14 straight. At the end of the day, it’s all about how you finish. If this team doesn’t win the title, then they don’t get the crown of best team ever. Yes, remote gameplay vs. playing on stage has to factor in, but at some point, the remote gameplay argument HAS to fall away so the focus can be on the team’s accomplishments. We’ve got plenty of season left and plenty of opportunities for Raptors Uprising GC to slip up. But, for now? They are that good.

2. West Coast, Best Coast?

All you have to do is look at the standings. At this moment, West coast teams are simply enjoying more success than their counterparts in the East. Three of the final four teams in THE TIPOFF were all West coast teams and with the amount of talent all three have, it’s totally reasonable for them all to have been there no matter what coast they are playing on. Kings Guard Gaming has two excellent first-round picks in Bash and Crush, one of the best 2K players in the world in Dat Boy Shotz, an all-defensive team member in Yusuf_Scarbz and an extremely good secondary ball-handler in Seem. What about Jazz Gaming? They have four former 1st round picks on their team and the only guy in their starting 5 who isn’t a 1st rounder is Lord Beezus, a very good veteran role player. Gen.G has arguably the second best player in the entire league currently in Shiftykaii, a slew of extremely talented rookies in Killeyy, Deadeye, and Gen and one of the most respected defenders and former champions in TURNUPDEFENSE. All that and we haven’t even talked about Warriors Gaming Squad who might be the best West coast team we have this season with a current 6-1 record!

3. Gen.G is a Season 3 darkhorse.

Do you feel it? The clattering of the hooves, the deep breaths, the shiny black coat, it’s none other than everyone’s favorite title contender, the darkhorse! At this point in the season, we have our “title favorites”. Raptors Uprising GC, Warriors Gaming Squad and and Wizards DG are at the top of the food chain currently, and right under them in the “contenders” category you have teams like Kings Guard Gaming, Jazz Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming, Mavs Gaming and Hornets Venom GT. You can put any amount of teams that you want in any category, but the darkhorse category can only have one team and last year, T-Wolves Gaming took that category all the way to the title. This year, with a team showing a striking resemblance to that Season 2 title team, Gen.G appears to be our Season 3 darkhose. They have every piece of the puzzle. A slow start combined with a ton of talent. A surprising mid-season run at a tournament. A young superstar figuring out the league around him. A good coach who is getting through to his team. Check, check, check, check. It’s time to start taking this team seriously. ShiftyKaii is taking the league by storm, currently sitting top 5 in PPG, APG, and SPG. He’s the catalyst behind the 2nd best offense in the league and the move to put Deadeye back at his usual Center position with TURNUPDEFENSE at lock has transformed this team into a two-way monster. THE TIPOFF was just a preview, this team might start getting really hot the second half of the year.

4. Who is the Defensive Player of the Year so far?

Defense has always been my favorite part of basketball, besides 3-point shooting of course. Yes, I’m a bit weird, but there is just something about locking up a team all game that gets the juices flowing. It’s clear at this point that Kenny Got Work is the favorite for MVP. Coach of the Year is a bit of a toss-up, but there are about 4-5 candidates at this point. The other awards will become more clear as the season goes on, but…who is the Defensive Player of the Year so far? Is it the current steals leader in TimelyCook? Is it someone like PeteBeBallin or oLarry who lead the league in blocks? Do we go rebounding this season and look at someone like Slaughter or FEAST? Is it a player off the reservation that is having a great stand-alone defensive season? Defense has been tricky to quantify so far in the history of the NBA 2K League and this season is no different. There isn’t a right answer currently, but let me know on Twitter @sportstein who your candidates are and we can begin the conversation!

5. Congrats to the whole crew for a great tournament!

THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T was nothing short of a masterpiece. The entire league staff put their heart and soul into this one and put together, from our vantage point, a fantastic product. The broadcast, the tournament structure, the digital content, the game admins, everything was coordinated from multiple different states in multiple different timezones communicating almost exclusively over the internet. Congrats to the whole team. Special shoutout to Scott Cole and Dirk, who have called about 100+ games so far this season and continue to grind it out.

Highlight(s) of the Week

The Banner Chain is going to The Six. @RaptorsGC wins THE TIPOFF Powered by @ATT and takes home $70k! 🏆
#ThisIsNotAGame pic.twitter.com/VnQqRLpg3L

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 20, 2020

The champs speak! 🏆

Listen in as @RaptorsGC checks in with @ScottColeShow and @Dirk_JDR about THE TIPOFF Powered by @ATT right after their big Finals win! pic.twitter.com/0mrlfZi2qH

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 20, 2020

No doubt about it. 😤@KennyGotWork is your MVP of THE TIPOFF Powered by @ATT! 💪 pic.twitter.com/G4LgadtYWj

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 20, 2020

3 Games to Watch in Week 7

Grizz Gaming (4-4) vs. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai (4-4)
Tuesday, June 23 – 7 pm/et
1-on-1: Vandi vs. ShiftyKaii

A game that could have MASSIVE tiebreaker implications tips off a five-game Tuesday night slate! Both teams played very well in THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T and both are looking to make a big second half run, starting here. ShiftyKaii has been dominating so far this season, but the revamped defense of AuthenticAfrican and GOOFY 757 could make it a long night for the rookie. Gen.G looked excellent in the tournament, but even as the aforementioned Season 3 darkhorse, they have a long way to go and a tough restart to their season.

T-Wolves Gaming (5-3) vs. Kings Guard Gaming (6-3)
Thursday, June 25 – 9 pm/et
1-on-1: FEAST vs. Dat Boy Shotz

Another game with huge tiebreaker implications, this could end up being one of the more meaningful games between contenders we get all season. A 5-4 record would be a huge step back for a T-Wolves Gaming team that just a few weeks ago was 5-1 and looked primed for a top seed. Now, they come off a group stage exit in THE TIPOFF and run right into the runner-up in Kings Guard Gaming. The FEAST vs. Dat Boy Shotz match-up down low should be a riveting battle between two of the best big men in the entire league. Both teams don’t necessarily need a win at this point in the year, but dropping a game to a playoff team at this point in the season is going to mean a lot in the long run.

CLTX Gaming (0-7) vs. Mavs Gaming (6-3)
Friday, June 26 – 8 pm/et
1-on-1: oFab vs. Dimez

Doesn’t matter if these two teams are the best in the league or the worst in the league, Dimez vs. Fab will always be a rivalry. In this case, it’s a massive game for both teams. CLTX Gaming is looking at an 0-7 record and any chance of making it back to the playoffs dwindles by the week. A win here could spark a crazy win streak, but falling to 0-8 may mean their hope for the postseason comes from THE TICKET. For Mavs Gaming, this is a bigger game than you may think. They have stumbled as of late and failed to make it out of the group stage during THE TIPOFF. Dimez vs. Fab is fun and should make for a great show, but this is the point in the season when games start to mean a little more. This is one of those games.