And then there were 2.

After a thrilling Saturday of NBA 2K League postseason action, back in-studio and live in Dallas,  the defending champion Wizards District Gaming and Jazz Gaming emerged from the respective conferences as the last teams standings.

.@UtahJazzGaming vs. @WizardsDG for the Championship.

Who do you have winning the NBA 2K League Finals delivered with @DoorDash ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/Hiu9Dg6Frx

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 29, 2021

The two teams will meet in next weekend’s NBA 2K League Finals. The most appropriate word to use to describe Wizards District Gaming’s run through the regular and postseason would be: dominance.

In back-to-back sweeps over Knicks Gaming and Nets GC, the Wizards proved to be the true Kings of New York. In a blemishless playoffs, the Wizards won their four games by an average of 19 points, and very few, if any games were in doubt. They began the opening game of their Game 1 win over Nets GC on a 10-0 run, and they never looked back. 

After Nets GC got off to a slightly better start in Game 2, the Wizards DG’s defensive pressure and offensive efficiency pounded Choc and Co. into submission. By the final buzzer, Nets GC had tapped out to the tune of a 40-point blowout loss.

Dayfri’s face belongs on the Mount Rushmore of NBA 2K League stars, but I’m not sure enough people appreciate how good JBM is at competitive 2K. His ability to make the right reads, knock down clutch shots and do his part defensively is elite. He is literally the John Stockton of the league, only he already has one ring to show for his talents, and he’s two wins away from a second.

As good as the Wizards DG’s duo has been, it’s a team effort, which means Brich, Just Awkward and Newdini have all played significant roles. After qualifying for the second straight NBA 2K League Finals, Just Awkward spoke with the media about the journey. 

He made it clear, he and his teammates aren’t satisfied. When asked what it feels like to be headed to their second straight NBA 2K League Finals, he said:

“It feels good, but we’re really not satisfied. We’re back to where we were last year. We just want to finish the job now. We’re right there and just taking it one step at a time. We’re not, like, totally excited. I mean, we’re happy with it, but we’re not where we want to be, but we still have to finish the job.”

The response was indicative of the vibe we’ve gotten from the Wizards throughout the season and the playoffs. If you want to see what a professional 2K League team looks like, look at Wizards District Gaming.

Opposing them in the Finals will be a spirited, hot and emotional Jazz Gaming squad. The Jazz Gaming team took the stage with heavy hearts as one of their players, Compete, was dealing with the death of his brother earlier in the week.

While the loss was clearly impacting Compete and his teammates, it seemed to galvanize them and all of the emotions came pouring out during a raw post-series interview after the team eeked out a tight win over Warriors Gaming in the Western Conference Finals. 

An emotional @GFGCompete after the @UtahJazzGaming victory. pic.twitter.com/SUICkAyWOy

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 29, 2021

Compete talked about playing for his brother, and his teammates had his back. It was a special win for them because of the circumstances, and also because the victory came to them differently than it had all season.

Most of the year, Jazz Gaming had been led by the stellar play of point guard Splashy. The legitimate MVP candidate was among the league’s top scorers all season, but he seemed to struggle with his shot–especially in Game 3 when he made just 4 of 11 three-point attempts. That’s 36.3%, which is subpar in the 2K League. 

For perspective, Splashy converted 51% of his long-range shots during the regular season. During his post-game interview, Splash was hard on himself, and admitted shedding some tears of anger. However, he also said he “learned the meaning of team” during this experience. That’s going to be an important lesson as he and his team get ready to take on a well-oiled machine that seems to be functioning optimally at the perfect time. 

Can Jazz Gaming pull off the upset over Wizards District on the biggest stage? If next week’s Finals are anything like Saturday’s playoff finals, you won’t want to miss a minute. 

 

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