What a week. To say Week 7 lived up to the hype would be a massive understatement. Through the heroic performances and thrilling finishes, we are left with a much clearer playoff picture as we creep closer and closer to THE TICKET powered by AT&T. We have a new section towards the end centered around some fun statistics, but before we get to any of that, let’s go through our notes from Week 7.

Wednesday (Night 1):

1. In sports, it’s rare for a trade to end up working out for both sides. On Wednesday, we had not one, but two of those trades on display. ToXsiK was excellent in his debut with Magic Gaming, Sick x 973 is fitting right in with Raptors Uprising, and KelMav looks poised to bring another dimension to the Grizz offensively when he gets his chance.

2. One extra point on ToXsiK…with him in tow, you could argue that the Magic have an above-average to elite-level defender at every single position. Combine that with Reizey officially breaking out and the Magic look very formidable.

3. For anyone who watches college basketball, Pacers Gaming x Warriors Gaming Squad felt like a gritty Big Ten game in the middle of January. It’s hard to have a thrilling defensive battle, but when you have the #2 & #4 teams in defensive rating, that’s exactly what we had. Only Bsmoove scored more than 15 points and both teams shot exactly 50% on the night. It simply came down to willpower and a couple of huge stops and buckets at the end by Type and company.

Thursday (Night 2):

1. There was something really special watching Dat Boy Shotz go to work against Warriors Gaming Squad. Seeing him dice up the league-leader in Opp. PPG with post moves and mid-range jump shots was like hopping in a time machine. 33 points on 15/24 shooting using the Shot Creating Post Scorer archetype was a true thing of beauty.

2. OneWildWalnut told us he was sick the week prior, but he came into the matchup against Pacers Gaming 100% and it showed. His unique energy and vocal ability were on display in this game, constantly trying to get under the skins of Ramo and Lord Beezus. 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals later, it’s safe to say the reigning MVP is still at the top of his game.

Friday (Night 3):

1. Many around the league were skeptical of Cavs Legion’s decision to trade Sick for All Hail Trey. Probably not going out on a limb, but it’s working out quite well for them. Trey sliding in at the 4 and Savage taking over the PG spot has allowed their best lineup to present itself almost by accident. However, it is finally time to acknowledge the most underrated player in the league, Strainer. His unselfish play and his chemistry with oLarry have turned him into a quietly lethal offensive player.

2. You thought one game winning dunk was cool? How about a second one in consecutive weeks! What an incredible comeback by the Cavs. Easily one of the best moments of the season so far.

3. Two losses on the week is a tough look for Kings Guard, but they are still quite good. Their defense just fell apart towards the end of both games and Bp never got going. Sherm (Mavs Gaming) and LavishPhenom(Blazer5 Gaming) were excellent both on the court and in the arena by getting in his head, but great players have bad days. Bp and the rest of Kings Guard will be fine.

4. Pour one out for the Mavs undefeated record. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to an amazing shooting performance and take the loss. It took ZDS dropped 39 points on 9/17 shooting from 3 to take them down and they should wear that with pride. With that being said…Scretty getting hot and hitting what seemed like every shot he took was the perfect way to end Week 7. It’s been a roller coaster season for the 2nd-year pro and he struggled shooting since THE TURN heading into this game. Good to see him get off the schneid.

What To Watch For In Week 8:

1. Must-See Game:
   1. Magic Gaming (5-4) vs. Bucks Gaming (5-5):
      1. Time: Friday, 6 pm/et
      2. Best Match-up: DT vs. BigMeek
      3. Summary: 5th place and 16th place are separated by just 1.5 games in the standings and this game will just further how thrilling the playoff race is becoming. Magic Gaming have finally found out their best lineup and come into a game with 2 of the top 5 scorers in the league right as their defense is hitting it’s stride. Let’s see what head coach Jonah Edwards brings to the table in our Friday opener.
2. Game Flying Under The Radar
   1. Lakers Gaming (1-8) vs. Knicks Gaming (1-7)
      1. Time: Wednesday, 7 pm/et
      2. Best Match-up: Moottyy vs. G O O F Y 7 5 7
      3. Summary: With the wrinkle for THE TICKET that seeding will be based off your performance the 4 weeks prior to the tournament, it puts a ton of pressure on this game. If either of these teams want to win this tournament, getting as high a seed as possible is imperative.
3. Elite Position Battles For Week 4
   1. Point Guard:
      1. Reizey (Magic Gaming) faces off against Hood (Heat Check Gaming) at 6 pm/et on Thursday.
      2. Yeah I Compete (#1 in TS% for PG, Jazz Gaming)  has his first of two Friday games against BearDaBeast (T-Wolves Gaming) on Friday at 7 pm/et.
   2. Shooting Guard:
      1. Newdini33 (76ers GC) will have his hands full with NateKahl (#2 among SG in FG%, NetsGC).
      2. Lotty (#1 among SG in FG, Heat Check Gaming) with a true battle of the locks as he takes on ToXsiK (Magic Gaming) this week.
   3. Small Forward: 
      1. UCMANNY (Magic Gaming) goes up against Arooks (#1 among SF in PPG, Bucks Gaming).
   4. Power Forward: 
      1. DT (Magic Gaming) and BigMeek (Bucks GG) take center stage as one of the marquee matchups of Week 8.
   5. Center:
      1. Mootty (Lakers Gaming) & G O O F Y 7 5 7 (Knicks Gaming)  have one of the most important duels of the year as both teams are fighting to keep their seasons alive.
      2. Hotshot (13.8 ppg, 15.5 rpg in May, Heat Check Gaming) squares off against KingCamRoyalty (League-leader in FG%, Magic Gaming)
      3. AuthenticAfrican (Grizz Gaming) goes up against Ramo (Pacers Gaming) looking to rebound from a tough week.

Top 5 Stats of the Week:

1. OneWildWalnut leads the league in offensive rebounds with 70, which is 16 more than Hotshot in 3rd place. Offensive production is not always about points or assists. Being able to keep the ball on offense and turn it into 2nd chance points is imperative in this meta.

2. Through 7 weeks, the best defensive team in the 2K League has been Warriors Gaming Squad, who rank #1 in Opp. PPG.

3. Their record may not shot it, but Hotshot was dominant in the month of May. He put up 13.75 PPG, 15.5 RPG, 6.75 apg, 4 spg while shooting 70% from the floor.

4.  Even without the undefeated record, Mavs GG leads the league in team FG% at 63%, over 2% higher than the next 2 teams.

5. For those wondering about the offensive statistic we created, we won’t be posting the whole rankings and numbers until it’s verified. For now, the top 3 offensive players this season according to the stat are very interesting. 2 players you’d expect in Mama Im Dat Man and Arooks. The 3rd? OneWildWalnut.

Content You May Have Missed: 

• T-Wolves Gaming made a sweet video about their training facility.
• Heat Check Gaming coach Famous Enough sat down with ChaChingSingh and had a great conversation about their team and their upcoming games.
• Raptors Uprising went shoe shopping.
• We’re going to Orlando for THE TICKET powered by AT&T!

Scott Cole and Dirk Moment Of The Week:

👀 CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? 👀@AllHailTrey with the STEAL and the 🔨 FOR THE @CavsLegionGC WIN! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LZcy0sOYB3

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 1, 2019

Keep up the good work, fellas.

This article represents the thoughts and opinions of the writer and not of the NBA 2K League.