The Group Stage is done! Storylines, upsets, and narratives galore, you couldn’t have asked for a better way to tip-off Season 5. No long intro today, let’s get into the Group Recap then we’ll do a small matchup preview for each conference! We’ll do a full bracket play preview later in the week before games start.

Group A (The Normal Group):
Jazz Gaming – 5 points
Lakers Gaming – 4 points
T-Wolves Gaming – 3 points
Pistons GT – 2 points
Blazer5 Gaming – 1 points
Cavs Legion GC – 0 points

As a whole, this group went as expected. Jazz Gaming, Lakers Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming, Pistons GT, were all the favorites to come out of the group. Blazer5 Gaming had the best chance to upset that, especially with Cavs Legion GC not getting their star PG Bash back until Game 5. They couldn’t break through, so we are left with a very interesting top 4. Starting with the Jazz Gaming, they are the team to beat in the West currently. A dominating storm of 3-point attempts, steals, and incredible pace make this Jazz Gaming team not only the favorite to win, but also the most fun team to watch in the league. Splashy said him and Gen were the Splash Brothers, he’s certainly convinced me. 5-0, on to the next. Lakers Gaming are the big surprise of the group, going 4-1 and setting the franchise single-season win record. I’m not kidding about that by the way, 4 wins is the most they’ve ever had in the regular season. They are a great addition to the West with their great 2-way play and the re-emergence of Regg as a star PG is great news for anyone who watches the league regularly. T-Wolves Gaming and Pistons GT are sort of in the same boat. Tons of talent and star power, but inconsistent results. I’m not inclined to doubt either of these teams, the reigning Tipoff champ T-Wolves Gamung especially, but they seem to be a few beats behind currently. However, both feel like slam dunk playoff teams. T-Wolves Gaming gets Dux Infinitos in R1 in a fascinating expansion team duel.

Group B (The Group of Death):
Warriors Gaming Squad – 4 points
DUX Infinitos – 4 points
Bucks Gaming – 3 points
Mavs Gaming – 2 points
Kings Guard Gaming – 1 point
Pacers Gaming – 1 point

This group should be proof to everyone that pre-season rankings, while fun for content, mean nothing. No one had Kings Guard Gaming AND Pacers Gaming missing out. Credit to Dux Infinitos and Mavs Gaming for bucking the expectations and playing well enough to get in. BucksGaming too, however their inclusion is less surprising given their talent. Cooks and Johnny are as good of a combo as we could’ve imagined, but work remains, room to grow is good thing. Dux Infinitos continue to fight off the haters with a 4-1 record. BallLikeSeem is playing like a top 5 PG and the rest of the team is falling suit. Majestic and Lord Beezus are two of the best corner shooters in the world, they’ve been a huge engine for the expansion squad. Warriors GS are the Warriors GS. Defense is amazing, offense is slow to start, it’s just another year for the evil empire. The difference is, this time they actually made it out of their Tipoff group! This is actually the first time that CB13 and Gradient have made it out of the group stage in The Tipoff. Crazy right? Lastly, good ole Mavs Gaming. I stand by this, I’m still not sure if they are good or not yet. 2-3 record including a loss to the 0-4 Pacers Gaming to end the group stage makes this team a bit of a mystery heading into in-person play. Maybe they can use that to their advantage…against…Jazz Gaming…uh oh.

Group C (The Fun Group):
Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai – 5 points
Wizards District Gaming – 4 points
76ers GC – 2 points
Heat Check Gaming – 2 points
Celtics Crossover Gaming – 1 point
Hawks Talon GC – 1 point

The Fun Group lived up to its name. Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai and Wizards District Gaming led the way and really separated themselves. Wizards DG aren’t quite up to their 2-time champ selves, but Awkward-Dini-Dayfri is still the best trio in the league. They could win this tournament by themselves, but they really need Brich and Ty to show out. Especially considering how good the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai have looked. They didn’t really start hitting big shots until their win over 76ers GC, but once they did, it was a spectacle. Gen.G still has another gear or 2 somewhere in there, maybe we will see it in bracket play. Heat Check Gaming made a great late run to get into bracket play. We all wanted Sav to get more aggressive and he did juuuuuust enough to get them to Indy. We still need more, but he’s getting more and more comfortable by the game. Then, we get to the 76ers GC. What happened? 3 straight losses to end the group stage including games to Gen.G Tigers and Wizards DG. They were best of 1 matchups, so we’ll see how much they mean going forward. Dre has been on a heater for 2 straight weeks, but they only have a 2-3 record to show for it. They got to ramp it up, and fast.

Group D (The Group of Chaos):
NetsGC – 4 points
Raptors Uprising GC – 4 points
Knicks Gaming – 3 points
Grizz Gaming – 2 points
Hornets Venom GT – 1 point
Magic Gaming – 1 point

The Group of Chaos also lived up to it’s name. I can’t believe Grizz Gaming got out of this group, I’ll be straight up. I’m stunned, I thought they wouldn’t win a game, but they played very well against Hornets Venom GT and Magic Gaming and got it. Credit to Coach Lang Whitaker for keeping his team focused after an 0-3 start and leading them to Indy. Nets GC-Raptors Uprising GC are in similar spots. Both played very well against worse teams and have 1 signature loss to another good team. To me, that makes both of them a bit of a wild card heading into bracket play. I’m not sure how to predict either of these teams because I feel like it could go either way. Both have talent, but a ton of question marks remain. The East is going to be a very tough challenge for any of these teams, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the East representative in the finals comes from this group. Knicks Gaming are included in that. I still side that if they figure it out and get hot at the right time, they are as good as any team in the East.

BRACKET ROUND MATCHUPS

Jazz Gaming vs Mavs Gaming

T-Wolves Gaming vs DUX Infinitos

Lakers Gaming vs Bucks Gaming

Pistons GT vs Warriors Gaming Squad

These match-ups look great in the West. All 4 are packed with storylines that we’ll discuss in our preview next week. Lakers Gaming vs. Bucks Gaming is the highlight for me, the battle of Regg will be a good one.

Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai vs Grizz Gaming

76ers GC vs Raptors Uprising

Wizards District Gaming vs Knicks Gaming

Heat Check Gaming vs Nets GC

Same thing in the East, 4 great matchups. The playoff rematch of Wizards DG vs. Knicks Gaming is a prime-time matchup build for the stage. It’s the highlight for me, but we’ll break down everything next week.

Last note, this is the first in-person play for the NBA 2K League that wasn’t playoffs or all-star since 2019. It’s a credit to the league and its fans that the league has survived, evolved, and continued growing through one of the most difficult periods in recent history. So, thank you. Thank you to the fans for supporting the league and making this possible. Getting back in person was always the goal, we’re getting to do it again because of you.