There is just something special about the NBA 2K league and in-person events. Remote is fine, but the energy coming off an event like that is a reminder of why we do what we do. All of us being able to come together and compete at the highest level – it’s special for everyone involved. But with the sappy stuff out of the way, let’s get into the actual gameplay. No Power Rankings this week, we’ll pick it back up after Switch Week 1, but for now, let’s get into our 5 biggest takeaways.

 

1. DEEEEEETROOOOOOOIT BASKETBAAAAAAAALL

 

I mean, good god, give the rest of the league a chance. Once group stage ended and we turned over into bracket play, no one even came close to the dominance of Pistons GT. Six series wins, four sweeps, and only three total game losses along the way. The only team that has had a better run to a 3v3 banner ws Pacers Gaming last year who only dropped one game on their way to a Switch title. BagMotion and Connor were excellent all week. They’ve developed some incredible trust on the defensive side of the ball. ANT showed us again why he was an elite PG prospect coming into the draft and why him dropping to the second round was a mistake last season. He’s operating at an extremely high level and he’s still just getting better. I wonder what this Pistons GT team will look like when we get to playoff time, they might be even better.

 

2. Wolf Pack

Even though they lost in the Finals, T-Wolves Gaming continues to dominate the league. We all figured it was only a matter of time before they figured out 3v3 and started winning everything and with a Finals appearance now under their belt, sky is the limit. Looking back at the bracket, it’s a bit shocking to see how dominant they were after losing to NetsGC. They went 9-0 over 3 series against Celtics Gaming, Hawks Talon, and a revenge series against NetsGC to earn their spot in the Finals. All that talk of “stage issues” should be out the window for this team now. They’ve now proven across both modes they can get it done with money on the line. Pistons GT were our best team, but T-Wolves Gaming found something just as valuable. Confidence.

 

3. Greens Era Has Begun

 

I think the league and its community has done a really good job over the years with who we bestow greatness upon. It’s actually incredibly rare nowadays for a guy to enter the league with a ton of hype and not live up to it at all. Greens is another outstanding example of that. All the talk about him being the next big thing and how he’s going to take over the league, it’s all true. This guy is something else, he’s as polished a rookie as I can remember this early in his career. It’s just one tournament, but his composure through bracket rounds is something we will be talking about for a long time. He ended up falling to Pistons GT and T-Wolves Gaming, but no shame at all for that in my book. He’s living up to the hype and he’s only going to get better.

 

4. Community Teams Should Not Be Messed With

 

The addition of community teams last season has been one of the best wrinkles the league has ever added, shoutout to BFW for getting it over the finish line. Allowing amateurs to come in and compete on the highest stage is a special and unique thing in esports and we saw why this past week. Watching Glitchy and Glo Navy compete on stage was really special. They pushed our 2KL teams to the brink in almost every series. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a couple more community teams involved late in bracket stages for the Switch Open. These teams are getting better and better and if league teams don’t catch up, the community teams will most certainly pass them.

5. Vibes Are Undefeated

 

I’m a total sucker for this stuff, so bear with me, but the vibes around the entire league are very good right now. Great viewership, incredible games, big-time performances, the league is truly riding a high coming off the Slam Open. The new structure has brought a true sense of gravitas and drama to every matchup and I think the fans have responded to it in a very good way. There was a lot of talk of people liking or disliking 3v3 and I think for remote broadcasts, I can understand some fans turning away from it. But in-person 3v3 is the real deal. The fast paced games and continuous action is perfect for stage play and it should only get better and better as the season goes on. We’ve got one more big tournament before the Steal/Playoffs, so let’s enjoy the Switch before we close out 3v3 in style. Cheers to the 2KL fanbase for a great week in D.C. Couldn’t ask for a better way to start the 2023 season.