Radiant, Mama Im Dat Man Showdown Takes Center Stage - NBA 2K League

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Radiant, Mama Im Dat Man Showdown Takes Center Stage

Through the opening month of the NBA 2K League season, two point guards have separated themselves into a tier of their own above all others. That would be Radiant and Mama Im Dat Man, who each exemplify excellence at their position.

Week 4 brings with it the season’s first showdown between the two as 76ers GC takes on Blazer5 Gaming on Friday night (6 p.m. ET, live on Twitch). Let’s dive inside the matchup of this early-season individual showdown that should live up to the hype.

Tale Of The Tape

Radiant
Team: 76ers GC (2-1)
Regular-season statistics: 21.3 PPG, 10.3 APG, 1.3 SPG
Accolades: Two-time MVP of THE TIPOFF; led 76ers GC to semifinals of playoffs last season

 

Mama Im Dat Man
Team: Blazer5 Gaming (5-1)
Regular-season statistics: 23.5 PPG, 12.8 assists, 1.3 steals
Accolades: Finalist for league MVP; helped Blazer5 Gaming to last season’s best regular-season record

It’s no surprise to see these guys on top of their games. Both played at an MVP-caliber level last season and have picked right back up where they left off. Coincidentally enough, the duo rank 1-2 in the latest Race to the MVP Rankings heading into Week 4, and both are among the four finalists for the inaugural Intel Player of the Month honors.

 

Recent Performances

Radiant

  • 16 points, 6 assists vs Kings Guard Gaming
  • 20 points, 16 assists vs Celtics Crossover Gaming
  • 28 points, 9 assists vs Raptors Uprising GC

Mama Im Dat Man

  • 32 points, 14 assists vs Knicks Gaming
  • 24 points, 9 assists vs Nets GC
  • 22 points, 8 assists vs Cavs Legion GC

Their overall regular-season stats are nearly identical, with Mama holding bit of an edge in assists at the moment.

Mama just so happens to be coming off his best statistical outing of the season in a 38-point dismantling of Knicks Gaming. Most importantly, the win was Portland’s fifth straight since dropping its regular-season opener.

As for Radiant, he didn’t have the best showing by his standards the last time out, with

76ers GC suffering a loss to Kings Guard Gaming. It was a minor blip as he was averaging 24.0 PPG and 12.5 APG his prior two games.

Scouting Report

Radiant

Heat Check Gaming got a firsthand look at Radiant when they faced 76ers GC in the group stage of THE TIPOFF. Heat Check GM and head coach Famous Enough breaks down what makes Radiant such a dangerous player.

“Radiant is so hard to game plan against because he’s so intelligent. One minute you can have him at 0 of 6 shooting, but by the end of the game, he’ll be 8 of 14. He knows all the defensive animations, so if he catches you leaning away from him, he’s pulling the shot. If you try to over-help, he’s dotting you, and it’s extremely rare that the 76ers GC miss open shots. You have to try to get exotic and play types of defense you would never play, just to give him a look he hasn’t seen before.”

Mama Im Dat Man

Nets GC took on Blazer5 Gaming in Week 3, giving Nets GC GM and head coach OG King Curt an opportunity to game plan against Mama:

“Mama is the complete package. He is one of the smartest PGs in the league in the pick and roll. He knows when to be aggressive and how to keep his teammates involved. His unique style of trash talking allows his teammates to stay engaged and push them to another level, as well. Mama is playing MVP caliber basketball. Blazer5 have a veteran team and everyone plays their role. The leadership that Mama displays each game will have them in contention for an NBA 2K League championship.”

 

Key Plays Analysis

It doesn’t take long when watching Radiant and Mama to realize their talents. Both bring an abundance of skill and IQ to the court. Here is just a small sampling of plays that make these two point guards so special.

 

Radiant

  1. Patience, patience, patience. Perhaps Radiant’s best trait is he’s never in a rush and rarely tries to force things. Here, he is looking to create space off the dribble to pull the trigger on a 3-pointer. When the initial screen set by Steez doesn’t take, Radiant simply works his dribble in the other direction, this time running his defender directly into the screen for the nearly-uncontested release.

 

  1. Court vision. It’s easy to spot your teammates in the halfcourt coming off a high-post screen or wrap off the corner, but what Radiant does here takes both vision and guts. By keeping his eyes upcourt, he spots BreadwinnerLA streaking unabated to the basket with a perfect dot from three-fourths of the way down the court.

 

 

  1. Unselfishness. In late-game situations, the responsibility falls on Radiant to go full playmaker and either create a shot for himself or find a teammate for a good look. The best part about this particular play is that he understands the situation being on a cold ring and simply acts as a decoy running to the corner on the perfectly executed play for the game-winner

 

Mama Im Dat Man

  1. Want to know an easy way to spot how much opponents fear you? When you draw triple coverage. Here, Mama gets past his defender but makes a smart decision to come to a stop at the free-throw line. That causes two other defenders to subsequently leave their men, allowing Mama to feed OneWildWalnut for an easy look under the basket.

 

  1. He’s a burner. There might not be a better player in the open court in the league than Mama. He seemingly finds a second gear that others simply don’t have at their disposal. Just sit back and enjoy watching him turn on the jets to finish with a high-flying dunk, another staple of his game.

 

  1. Confidence, you either have it or you don’t. Mama is never one to shy away from a 3-pointer, no matter the distance. Here, he knows he has the advantage with a center on him, and instead of trying to get past him to a crowded paint area, he simply pulls up from deep for the trey.

The Matchup

While they won’t spend much time guarding one another, Radiant and Mama will attempt to dictate the offensive flow for their squads.

It’s not a stretch to imagine the game’s outcome being decided by which point guard puts together the better individual performance.

“Radiant and those guys, they’re good. We respect the hell out of them and can’t wait to get to it,” Mama said following Blazer5 Gaming’s win over Knicks Gaming on Thursday night.

While the respect is likely mutual, we’ll find out soon enough which point guard will grab the edge in this season’s head-to-head crown.

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