We’re officially into June and onto Week 6 of Season 3! Week 5 saw four straight days of NetsGC games, Lakers Gaming getting their 1st win, and another example of Raptors Uprising GC dominance! Without further ado, let’s get into the 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 anything that made a huge impact on the week.

1. Out With the old, in With the new?

So far, this season has produced far different results for several of the typically dominant NBA 2K League teams. Coming into the season, the three winningest teams in 2K League history were 76ers GC, Blazer5 Gaming and CLTX Gaming. After five weeks, their combined record is 4-14. If you mix in elite Season 1 teams Heat Check Gaming and Pistons GT, that record drops to 6-24. You never want to count out the league’s usual great teams, but their just seems to be a new wave of teams at the top.

Teams like Warriors Gaming Squad, Kings Guard Gaming, Jazz Gaming, who were all at the bottom of the standings in Season 1, are now a combined 14-3 on the year! Just for the record, Raptors Uprising was a playoff team in Season 1, missed it last year, but is on pace to get back with their current 7-0 record. They need to be put into any new guard conversation as well. But so far, it’s been fascinating to see the league and it’s teams evolve this season. Having new teams step up and enhance the competition makes it harder and harder to sustain success from year to year and we’re definitely seeing that this season. Will those usual titans improve to their usual form? Maybe. But it’s also fair to ask another question…is it already too late?

2. Blazer5 Gaming picks up 3rd regular-season loss for 1st time in league history.

They are 4-3, so on paper, this may not be as big of a deal as people make it out to be, but for a team that went 14-2 last year and didn’t pick up their second regular-season loss until the last game of the year, picking up three losses within the first seven games is definitely something to note. Even more noteworthy than that is the amount of games they are dropping in these 3-game series. So far, Blazer5 Gaming has played 19 total matches to the tune of a 10-9 record, barely above .500. There isn’t a particular number or player that can speak to their struggles this season — all the players on the roster rank in the top half in their position in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) and all of their team stats rank in the top half of the league.

The good news for B5 or any team losing games so far is that it’s always better to lose games early than to lose them late. It’d also be foolish to bet against B5 over the course of a season. Something tells me that an underdog role for this team might be exactly what they need to get over the hump this season. It’s either that or it’s back to the big drawing board for the Portland boys.

3. Nets Gaming Crew puts their stamp on Season 3.

After 3.5 weeks with no NetsGC action, we got four full games this week and they really impressed. The highly anticipated Choc was excellent, pushing his averages on the season to 32 PPG and 8.6 APG while shooting 63/54 from the field and from 3 respectively on 22 shots a game. He’s lived up to that No. 9 overall billing in a big way even in losses, going toe-to-toe with Dimez and Kenny Got Work. Alongside Choc, Shuttles and the newly-acquired Chess have picked up the slack on offense, giving Choc a weapon down low and on the perimeter that he can rely on. Add in the good defense from Randomz, and Wavy/Potts manning the corner, and you all of a sudden have a promising squad. To be fair, the schedule may have been in their favor. Their wins have come against teams with a combined two wins this season, but they have a huge challenge this week against Hawks Talon GC and Kings Guard Gaming, so we’ll know what they are made of coming out of Week 6.

4. We need a new tier for the Warriors and Raptors.

We have a ton of great teams in the league this season. Wizards DG are excellent, T-Wolves Gaming is making a great title defense, Jazz Gaming have been hot to start the year, and toss the Kings and the Mavs in and we have a pretty clear top of the table at this point. Warriors Gaming Squad and Raptors Uprising GC, however, are in a tier of their own at the moment. Not only are they undefeated, but they are also the only two teams to have won 80+% of their series games this season, Raptors being 14-2 and Warriors being 12-2. The dominance doesn’t stop there, with them ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in team PPG and offensive rating, not to mention the Raptors RIDICULOUS team 3P% at a stunning 57.5%. To go one-for-one, Warriors Gaming Squad is currently setting a new league record with a defense rating of 97.5. For reference, if you’re anywhere near 100, you’re a pretty good defensive team. To be under 100? You’re on the edge of greatness. We’ve got a lot of great teams this year, but for now, everyone is looking up at these two teams.

5. MVP Race shaping up.

We’re 5 weeks in, so let’s put 10 names out there in no particular order that are currently in the MVP race, keeping in mind we still have plenty of games to be played, so more players will likely jump into the mix. Kenny Got Work, CB13, Shiftykaii, Type, Mama Im Dat Man, BearDaBeast, Sick One, Ria, Dayfri and BSmoove would certainly be in or be hovering around the current top 10. Some others like ReeceMode, JBM, FEAST or Slaughter deserve a mention as well. Jeff Eisenband will give us his Top 5 MVP candidates on Tuesday’s BFW Live at 5:30 pm/et on the Bud Light Twitch channel, so be sure to check that out and see what he says. Also, find me on Twitter @sportstein and let me know if there is someone you think deserves a mention!

Highlight(s) of the Week

It's raining threes here in 3Q! @CB13 is goin' off💦 pic.twitter.com/v04HR59pQu

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 6, 2020

CB13 catching FIRE!

👀 These @AuthenticAfr plays tonight though… pic.twitter.com/Df4ikVB0KR

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 5, 2020

Heck of a night for AuthenticAfrican!

3 Games to Watch in Week 5

Mavs Gaming (5-2) vs. Wizards District Gaming (5-1)
Thursday, June 11 – 7 pm/et
1-on-1: Dimez vs. JBM

Dimez and JBM square off in a game with a few early Playoff and seeding implications as we get closer and closer to tournament play. Both of them being No. 1 overall picks is a great touch to this game, but despite that commonality, both teams play very differently. Mavs Gaming has deployed a dual-ballhandler system with Sherm and Dimez swapping possessions down the floor while Wizards DG has a more usual lineup with a PG and a sharp while Dayfri dominates in the pick and roll. Down low, he’ll get to face off against PeteBeBallin, who’s had a heck of a season of his own. Great way to kick off a star-studded second half of Week 6.

Raptors Uprising GC (7-0) vs. Blazer5 Gaming (4-3)
Thursday, June 11 – 9 pm/et
1-on-1: Kenny Got Work vs. Mama Im Dat Man

Maybe the best matchup of the week on paper, Blazer5 brings a 3-game losing streak into this clash with the dominant Raptors Uprising GC. Season 3 breakout star Kenny Got Work goes stares down his biggest test of the season against Mama Im Dat Man, a clash of one MVP versus possibly a future one. Both have been wildly featured as top players each week and received a spot on the Player of the Month vote. Raptors Uprising have been Season 3s biggest story, holding one of the league’s only undefeated records and an even better defense to back it up. Almost every position vs. position matchup is a great one, with OneWildWalnut getting Sick One and Ma7estic getting Timelycook. It’s a huge game for both squads and one that you won’t want to miss this week.

Hornets Venom GT (4-2) vs. Jazz Gaming (3-1)
Friday, June 12 – 9 pm/et
1-on-1: Ria vs. Type

A great one to end the week with two of the best Centers of Season 3 facing off. Ria and Type have been on another level this season, but in different ways. Ria has been your prototypical big man, averaging 17 PPG and 14 RPG while dominating in the paint. He’s been playing like a former No. 1 overall pick as of late and his carrying of Jazz Gaming has been nothing short of impressive. Type has led the way in his own system, acting as the Point Center for an upstart Hornets Venom GT team. He’s averaging the most assists of any Center this season at 6.8 a game, finding guys like Snubby (19 PPG), Expose (15.3), and Zae (15.8) on the perimeter and on cuts to the hoop. Defensively, both of these teams check out as two of the league’s best. We’re in for a great match-up to finish Week 6 on Friday night.