Alright! The Steal Open is officially in the books, which means I can finally unveil my final 3v3 power rankings of the season! Congrats to Bucks Gaming on getting through the dredges of our last-chance qualifier, Knicks Gaming gets a tip of the cap as well for their clinching efforts. But now, it’s playoff time. We’ll have a full playoff preview for everyone early next week along with a fresh podcast episode, so for now, let’s get into our power rankings.

 

The Favorites

1. Magic Gaming
2. Lakers Gaming

 

It’s really these two and everybody else. We can be honest, it’s okay. These two have been far and away the best two teams we’ve had in 3v3 this season and should be considered the heavy favorites to get to the Finals. If they both do get there, keep in mind that the official season series for these two is 1-1 and the games are split 9-8 Magic. Insanely close, we deserve one more battle of these two before the season comes to a close.

The Contenders

3. Gen.G Tigers
4. Heat Check Gaming
5. Pistons GT
6. T-Wolves Gaming

 

Despite our two favorites, these 4 are right behind them and a good hot streak could see them rise into that top tier just like we saw with T-Wolves Gaming during the Switch Open. One team to really keep an close eye on is Pistons GT. It’s been a bit of an underwhelming regular season for them, but it’s playoff time and they’ve made back to back 3v3 finals. Until someone officially puts the stake in them, they are as likely as any team in the league to make a run.

 

The Dark Horses

7. Grizz Gaming
8. Nets Gaming Crew
9. CLTX Gaming
10. 76ers GC
11. Bucks Gaming
12. Knicks Gaming 

 

This group of teams has so many fun storylines, but what binds them for me is how reliant all of them are on their star guard to carry them home. Vandi, Greens, Leche, Dre, JohhnyRed, Radiant, I mean it’s a hell of a list. But can the rest of the team step up enough to really take down the big dogs? It’s been the season-long question for most of these teams, it’s going to come to a head whether they like it or not.

 

Eliminated – Just Not Enough

13. Cavs Legion GC
14. Warriors Gaming Squad 
15. Pacers Gaming
16. Hawks Talon GC
17. Jazz Gaming
18. Raptors Uprising GC
19. NBL Oz Gaming

 

I think you can dump all of these teams in the official “disappointment” category too. None of these teams have an issue with talent, but whether it was inconsistent lineups, cold streaks, horrible shooting seasons, or any other myriad of issues, they could never get out of their own way to succeed. There is definitely a lot of frustration and “could have beens” in this group, I’m sure they are going to have a tough week watching everyone have fun in the playoffs without them. But alas, 5v5 is right around the corner, time to get their heads back in order.

 

Eliminated – Quadrant of Woe

20. Blazer5 Gaming
21. Dux Infinitos
22. Wizards DG
23. Mavs Gaming
24. Hornet Venom GT
25. Kings Guard Gaming

 

There is so much to say about this group. I think I’ll save it for the official final review article that I do for each team to close out every season, but man…these teams were pretty bad this year. I think the special shoutout I need to give this year is to Mavs. Hornets, and Kings who were at the very bottom of the league for the 2nd straight year. These teams definitely tried in the offseason to improve, but it’s upsetting, to say the least, to see these teams at the bottom once again. Hornets especially, who become the first team in 3v3 history to have the worst point differential in the league for back to back seasons. Bad title to hold. Anyway, so long to our eliminated teams, it’s time to switch our focus back to the big dogs!

 

That’s it for this week! See everyone on Wednesday for the start of the playoffs. Remember to tune into the next episode of Virtual Courtside with Dirk and Harris dropping every week!