We’re about to see which team secures over half of the $180K prize pool and an automatic berth into the NBA 2K League Playoffs! We asked some of the personalities, content creators and journalists around the league for their predictions for:

• THE TICKET Champion
• THE TICKET MVP
• THE TICKET Sleeper Pick

Here are the predictions from the experts!

Ronnie 2K

i) THE TICKET Champion: Mavs Gaming
That loss to 76ers snapping the 10 game win streak may extract exactly the focus that is needed to put together a championship run – the first ever for the squad. Finally the promise is fulfilled.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: Dimez
The promise is finally fulfilled. The first-ever draft pick of the 2K League finally puts it together with his team to put a MVP next to his tournament championship on the mantle. 

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: Celtics Crossover Gaming
The always tournament-frisky Celts come close to winning this same tournament. They finished with disappointment in the championship game last year, again. The pieces around Fab work until their eventual demise but Fab is absolutely dominant throughout the tournament, even garnering MVP votes in a losing effort.

BlkFrankWhite
Community Ambassador, NBA 2K League

i) THE TICKET Champion: Wizards District Gaming
DemonJT has finally come into himself at PG,with Resse & DayFri as the other major pieces, plus the emerging play of the best shooting lockdown defender in MrUserPick, I think the ticket train stops in Washington. All Aboard.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: ReeseDaGod
His shooting and increased skill at ball handling makes him a force to be reckoned with

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: Knicks Gaming
If there was ever a time to believe in the champs, it’s now! Knicks Gaming makes history again.

Jeff Eisenband
Journalist, Host at NBA 2K League

i) THE TICKET Champion: 76ers GC
The top tournament team this season, 76ers GC has found another gear, winning three straight. A sluggish regular season start has this team playing with even more urgency, and with ZDS now becoming an elite scorer, this offense is humming. The 76ers know how to win in tournaments and still have a bad taste from Vegas.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: Radiant
Radiant cooled off for a bit, but was elite again during “The Turn.” ZDS’ hot streak makes opponents think twice about how to guard the 76ers and opens up Radiant. He’s not letting his MVP chances slip this year. Expect a big “THE TICKET” followed by a monster few weeks as he attempts to take a swing at MamaImDatMan’s MVP grasp.

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: T-Wolves Gaming
Take away that devastating Cavs loss and T-Wolves Gaming has been one of the NBA 2K League’s most impressive teams over the past couple weeks. Coming back and demolishing Hawks Talon was a big statement. Minnesota has figured out how to work JMoneyRep817 at SF and BearDaBeast at PG, and the team seems to have bought in. This could be T’Wolves Gaming’s only shot at the postseason, so they need to come in with a sense of urgency or start thinking about new creative content ideas to stay relevant in the offseason.

Jonathan Raber
Journalist, Writer for NBA 2K League.com, Curator of The Fast Break Newsletter 

i) THE TICKET Champion: Magic Gaming
It’s no fun picking chalk, so I’m going with the crew from Orlando to take home the title. They are playing in their backyard, with the luxury of not traveling coupled with having a built-in local fanbase aiding their cause. They’ve won three of four games since acquiring ToXsiK, who has supplied a much-needed veteran and defensive presence. Lastly, they’re right on the cusp of the playoff picture with no guarantees of getting in, so they’ll have extra motivation knowing a win this week helps them rest easy until the postseason begins.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: Reizey
Come tournament time, it’s hard to overstate the importance of having a quality point guard leading the way. There aren’t many point guards in the league playing better than Reizey over the past few weeks. He had a strong showing at THE TURN, so taking that confidence into the season’s final tournament will only benefit him. If Magic Gaming are going to prove my winning prediction correct, Reizey will be the reason why.

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: HEAT Check Gaming
Yes, HEAT Check Gaming currently own the second-longest losing streak in the league in dropping five straight. But this team has one of the most talented rosters in the league, they just haven’t yet put it all together since acquiring Hood. I think this could be the week that changes, with 19th-seeded Heat Check mimicking what 15th-seeded Knicks Gaming achieved last season in making a surprising run to the tournament title.

Josiah Cohen
Writer and Reporter at Dimer2K 

i) THE TICKET Champion: 76ers GC
It’s a boring pick, perhaps, but the 76ers have looked extremely impressive, whether ZDS scores 42 points or 2. The defense has taken things to a whole new level, and Radiant is firing on all cylinders as usual. Surprise is the byword of the tournament, but 76ers GC (with the exception of last year’s THE TICKET) are one of the best teams at living up to high expectations.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: Radiant
This could well be ZDS if he maintains his hot streak—a season-high 42 points are a good launch point entering this tournament—but how do you pick against Radiant, who’s one of the most consistent players in the league? Tournament MVP tends to be an offense-focused award, but if 76ers GC win this tournament it will be in no small part due to their team defense and the savvy of Steez.

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: Jazz Gaming/Wizards District Gaming
The Jazz might have the aura of a tournament team about them. They were semifinalists in Vegas at THE TURN, losing to eventual champions Warriors Gaming Squad, and they have the talent to surpass that this time around. Their rookie quarter has to strike the right note, but there’s something about the Jazz that screams hot streak.

It hasn’t been an easy road for the Wizards, and it won’t get any easier if they want to win this tournament. But the road less traveled is the path that leads to banners, and the Wizards—winners of four of their last six—have certainly taken the road less traveled. There’s a lot that has to break WDG’s way, but JT going off to complement Reese might be the biggest factor.

RUSSREBRANDS
Content Creator

i) THE TICKET Champion: Pacers Gaming
The Pacers can masterfully control the pace of a game, something that many teams have struggled with throughout the season. If they can go into this tournament and establish their slow, grit-and-grind defensive minded play early they can dictate the flow of their games and win.

ii) THE TICKET MVP: Ramo
Ramo is a player who can effect the game on both ends like no other; there’s a reason they call him the unicorn. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent that can defend the pick and roll, put a ton of pressure on opposing ball handlers, and is phenomenal at creating something from nothing on the offensive end. When it looks like the Pacers are down and out is when Ramo can take over and turn the tide of the game.

iii) THE TICKET Sleeper: Wizards District Gaming
The Wizards are coming off of two huge wins against the Knicks and the Raptors (two teams in the tourney). Before that they had two very close losses to Grizz Gaming and Celtics Crossover losing by only a combined 7 points between those two games. This is a team that can get surprisingly hot at the right times and sneak up on some teams.

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Who do you think will win it all at THE TICKET? Tell us your predictions for Champs, MVP and Sleeper by replying to our tweet on the league Twitter handle. See you in Orlando!

2 DAYS til #THETICKET! 🎟

The experts have had their say, now it’s YOUR TURN!

REPLY with your picks for:

– THE TICKET Champs 🏆
– THE TICKET MVP 😤
– Sleeper 😴 pic.twitter.com/ERN3MRzUdW

— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) June 11, 2019