One. Series. Left.

After an incredible playoff weekend, only two teams remain. Wizards District Gaming takes their spot after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NBA 2K League history and defeating the undefeated Raptors Uprising GC in the semifinals. On the other side, Warriors Gaming Squad continued their rampant hot streak and fought off Utah Jazz Gaming to punch their ticket. Both teams have some huge storylines heading into this monumental 2K match-up. The best-of-5 format returns at Friday, 7 pm/et. Who will be the king of remote gameplay? Let’s break it down.

Wizards District Gaming

How They Got Here:

Wizards DG started the year with some big expectations. A great draft combined with a strong returning roster and one of the best coaches in the league culminated in the best season in franchise history. A fantastic 13-3 regular season and a Finals appearance in THE TURN Powered by AT&T puts this team in elite territory. They entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed with a huge match-up against Kings Guard Gaming. They triumphed in two games after the No. 1 overall pick JBM hit a clutch three to finish off Game 2 and send them into the Semis. A TURN rematch against Raptors Uprising GC set up one of the biggest wins for any franchise in league history. Taking down the undefeated Raptors Uprising GC is a big deal, this is a team that was on their way to being known as the best team ever and Wizards DG pulled stopped it dead in it’s tracks. Now they are staring down a chance to cement this team in history and become the third different team to win a title in three seasons.

Storylines:

1. Primetime Dayfri: Dayfri has arguably been the MVP of the playoffs so far. 14 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 4 SPG, 4 BPG, and some of the best defense we’ve seen from any Center this season, Dayfri has taken the reigns as the league’s premier big man. There are certainly other options, but he’s an MVP candidate and playing for a title. That’s a strong resume. His 2-way impact has been prevalent all season long, but his in-game leadership and communication remains unmatched around the league. He’s a bonafide superstar and one of the faces of the NBA 2K League, and to think he was acquired in a trade! The best move of the offseason is still Wizards DG building their entire roster around him and it may carry them all the way to the title. He’s the clubhouse leader for Finals MVP if Wizards DG take home the chip.

2. The Rookies have arrived: Let’s start with the fact that both JBM and Just_Awkward have been very good all season long, and JBM has proven that he was a very deserving No. 1 overall pick. BUT, when it comes time for the playoffs, you need the new guys to step up. Like BearDaBeast, Jmoney and JoJo last season, JBM and Just_Awkward have answered the call. JBM shooting 59.4/53.4 through four games in the playoffs so far with a 25/12 AST:TO ratio and controlled the tempo against Raptors Uprising GC since the opening tip, something no point guard has been able to achieve this season. He’s developed into a fantastic playmaker, something everyone pegged him on during the pre-draft process. Offense in this league isn’t always about scoring and JBM is the prime example of that. Tempo, efficiency and playmaking have become the name of the game in the playoffs and the No. 1 overall pick has lived up to the expectations. On the defensive end, you can see why Dayfri is playing with Just_Awkward in the offseason. He was already one of the most underrated players in the league in Season 3, but the playoffs have brought his great play to the forefront. It isn’t easy to slow down both Bash and Kenny Got Work, but Awkward did just that. His active hands and ability to stay in front of guards makes him a really important feature in the Wizards DG defense.

3. From No. 1 pick to the title: This Wizards DG team is just a great story. It’s not their first time in the playoffs, but after needing to rebuild the team twice over after losing Boo Painter in Season 1, for them to get into the Finals just two seasons later is huge. Retaining ReeseDaGod, trading for Dayfri, the odds landing in their favor with the No. 1 overall pick, the great late picks of both Just_Awkward and Newdini, this team was masterfully put together. Even without the Finals victory, this organization needs a ton of props for rebounding over the past two seasons.

How They Win The Title

For a team that has been able to completely alter how they play basketball multiple times this season, Wizards DG is going to have to do it again. If they play Warriors Gaming Squad the same way they played Raptors Uprising GC, it may be a tough matchup. These are two entirely separate teams with contrasting play styles, but I’d trust Patrick Crossen to coach the team into something new. Defensively, CB13 is going to play incredibly slow like he has all season long, which plays a little bit into the Wizards’ hands. The difference is how good this Warriors team is at cutting and slashing to the rim and scoring on the interior. Even with someone as good as Dayfri defensively, it’s hard to slow them down low. Wizards DG is built to stop people on the perimeter, we saw that in the Raptors series, but they’ve struggled against great interior teams like Jazz Gaming or Blazer5. They will need to make an adjustment, but I think offensively is where their advantage could lie. As JBM has expanded his game, so has this Wizards DG team. I’d go as far as to say that JBM has been one of the best transition Point Guards in the entire league. That’s where they can win. WGS is built to win with their half-court defense. Gradient has been on another planet during the second half of the season and I’d expect that to continue into the Finals, and the rest of the team rotates and switches as well as any defensive team in the league. If Wizards DG wants to win, they are going to have to force turnovers and get a fair amount of scoring in transition. If they can do that and slow down the post/finishing game of CB13, it could be a good night in DC.

Warriors Gaming Squad

How They Got Here

Few teams came into the Season 3 draft with a better roster, and few left with one either. CB13, Gradient, BSmoove, and Jin is one of the league’s premiere cores and they lived up to the hype this season, but in a much different way than last. Last season, this was a team that stood up when the money was on the line and won a lot of that pot. Two tournament wins put them in the upper echelon of the league as well as a favorite to win the title. On the flip side, the regular season went the complete opposite way. A 7-9 finish felt underwhelming, but a win over top seed Blazer5 Gaming in the playoffs erased that, and while they fell to the eventual champion T-Wolves Gaming, they had a ton of momentum coming into the season. This season? A dominant 13-3 regular season led them to the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, but two early exits in the two midseason tournaments left similar confusion to last season. What can’t be ignored is how good this team has been since THE TURN, they haven’t dropped a single series since that tournament and it’s carried into the playoffs. CB13 has developed into a clear MVP candidate, Gradient is one of the best defensive players in the world and we know how BSmoove is built. This is a very good team that is peaking at the right time…they are just running into the one team playing as good as they are.

Storylines:

1. CB13 is elite: 34.2 ppg, 8 apg, 58.5% shooting from the floor in what has been a dominant showing from the WGS PG. He had an odd year last year for sure as 11.1 PPG is not representative of how talented he is, but this year has been much closer to what he was expecting. His Gamertag isn’t “CharlieGetsPaid” in the offseason for no reason, the dude always seems to show up in huge games, even in losses. He is going to be the key offensively for any title hopes the Warriors have, but that’d be a very good thing for any team. He’s one of the league’s premier players and his unique style of play is a joy to watch. Can it break down one of the best defenses in the league? He’s been able to a few other times this season, but this is peak Dayfri we are talking about, so it’s going to have to happen on the sticks.

2. A big three on the wing: If you know this notebook, you know I love shooting 3s and strong play from wing players. The Warriors don’t shoot a ton of 3s, but they make up for it with arguably the best wing trio in the league. Season’s come and go, but if you’re looking for multi-year excellence, no team really comes that close. Gradient, BSmoove and Jin have created the most consistent wing trio the league has and it’s what makes WGS truly special. No one has the on/off switch that Gradient has. When he turns it on and decides you aren’t scoring anymore, it’s pretty much over. Bsmoove is one of the most surefire buckets the league has and one of the only sharps to have played on the same team for three full seasons. Pair him with the corner shooting of Jin, who has responded very well since rejoining the lineup, and you have three guys who know how to win and are ready to add a championship to that resume.

3. Coaching matters: Coaching in the NBA 2K League is hard, that’s just a fact. Finding good coaches is even harder and you can slot WGS as 2-for-2 after the success of Mike Check this season. Sure, he adopted a great roster, but rebounding from a mid-season three-game losing streak and keeping his guys on the right path through multiple tough series needs to be acknowledged. Some big shoes were left after Tommy Abdenour left last season, but Mike has come in and helped cement this team as one of the best organizations the 2K League has.

How They Win The Title

It’s hard to think that anyone beats the best version of this team. When that whole team is clicking on both ends, it’s everything you could ever ask for out of a 2K team. The issue is, we don’t always get it. A consistent theme over the past two seasons is that sometimes that switch just doesn’t flick on. It’s a bit confusing considering the talent they had, but whether it’s the regular season last year or in tournaments this year, sometimes it’s just not all there. But let’s say it all works out and they do show out, then this is going to be a defensive SLUGFEST. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have some games where neither team even reaches 65 points. Gradient on his day should be able to defend JBM pretty well and the wing rotation elsewhere should do just fine on the perimeter against Awkward and Newdini. But the real question for this team, can Slaughter keep up with Dayfri? Slaughter has proven to be one of the best big men in this league. He was leading the league in rebounds for a large part of the season and his 2-ways skills are one of the primary reasons why WGS is where they are. Credit to him — he did as good of a job as you can do against Ria, another MVP candidate at Center — but now it’s time for him to take on Dayfri. That’s the key to this entire series. If Slaughter can even contain Dayfri’s usual production, the rest of WGS should be able to make enough happen elsewhere. But if Dayfri controls the game and dominants the rim, it’s going to be a long series.