THE TIPOFF Rewind: 76ers GC Repeat Behind MVP Radiant
April 8, 2019
Take a look back at the week that was in the NBA 2K League at THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T with a collection of some of the best games, performances, highlights and more from around the 2KL world.
* * *
Games of the Week
76ers GC 70, Celtics Crossover Gaming 52 — Yes, this game was all but decided in the first quarter when Philadelphia raced out to a 21-3 lead. Still, dismantling a strong CLTX squad to run the table and capture THE TIPOFF title in back-to-back seasons is downright impressive. In the process they become the first multiple tournament champions in league history. Something tells me it won’t be their last.
Celtics Crossover Gaming 46, Heat Check Gaming 44 — This one wasn’t necessarily pretty. CLTX was ice cold offensively while Heat Check controlled the pace and stayed comfortably ahead. Until the fourth quarter. ProFusion shook off a cold-shooting performance, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, the second giving his team their first lead of the game with under a minute remaining. It would stand as the final points of the game, with Boston moving onto the finals.
76ers GC 57, Magic Gaming 53 — Magic Gaming appeared set to continue there, well, magical run to the finals with a dominant first half. Things slowly unraveled thereafter against the reigning tournament champs. Even when DT gave Magic Gaming late life by cutting the lead to one point with 27 seconds left, 76ers rookie BreadwinnerLA answered on the other end with a 3-pointer of his own to send his squad back to the championship game.
Bucks Gaming 71, Blazer5 Gaming 56 — Yes, you are reading the score correctly. After talking a big game entering the tournament, Blazer5 Gaming was shocked in their opener by upstart Bucks Gaming, a squad most gave little chance at coming out victorious. Bucks Gaming not only secured the victory, but did so in dominant fashion. This easily goes down as the biggest upset of the early season.
76ers GC 63, Heat Check Gaming 61 — We were so close to getting a rematch in the finals of this classic group-play showdown. The best on-paper matchup of the early tournament slate matched the hype. What looked like a sure win for 76ers GC slowly slipped away as Heat Check used a 9-0 run to tie the game with 23 seconds left. Yet, a perfectly executed play resulted in ZDS finding Steez for an uncontested layup and Philly victory.
Outstanding Performances
Radiant, 76ers GC (19.6 PPG, 8.2 APG, 16 3FGM) — He’s now a two-time MVP of THE TIPOFF. And rightfully so. He was the best player on the court all week, not missing a beat in picking up from his stellar 2018 campaign. He did it while drawing the attention of opposing team’s best defenders, putting his scoring and playmaking abilities on full display for the repeat champions.
ProFusion, Celtics Crossover Gaming (23.6 PPG, 26 3FGM) –The best shooter of the tournament was none other than this guy. He averaged an insane 5.2 3-pointers per game over the five contests. With oFAB constantly finding him open on the outside, ProFusion was at times a one-man scoring army for CLTX, including pouring in a pair of 30-plus point outings.
KingCamRoyalty, Magic Gaming (13.2 PPG, 17.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG) — He was a rebounding machine throughout the tournament, at one point coming just shy of a 20-20 outing. His play in the paint propelled Magic Gaming to within a few baskets from reaching the finals. Cam blossomed down the stretch last season and appears to have taken his game to the next level on this new-look squad.
Hotshot, Heat Check Gaming (16.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.5 SPG) — An MVP finalist while filling up the stat sheet last season, Hotshot was back at it again at THE TIPOFF. He led his team in scoring and rebounding and did a little of everything else as Heat Check nearly advanced to the finals as the wild-card team coming out of group play.
ARooks, Bucks Gaming (18.0 PPG, 4.3 APG) — A move to shooting guard freed him up offensively. ARooks was Bucks Gaming’s best offensive option this week, with his production propelling them to a surprise appearance in the quarterfinals. It helped that his 3-point shot was falling, as he got a number of looks from deep to fall.
Swizurk, Pacers Gaming (18.3 PPG) — Usually the forgotten man among Pacers Gaming’s “Big 3,” he carried the offensive load for a team that prides itself on being defensive stalwarts. Swizurk poured in 27 points on five 3-pointers in his second game, showing why he’s among the league’s top sharpshooters.
Must-See Plays
BreadwinnerLA is cleared for takeoff.
Throw it up to @BreadwinnerLA_ and watch him GO GET IT! 🔨 pic.twitter.com/GMIfBdp9Qq
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) April 6, 2019
Gradient’s heave from beyond half court beats the buzzer.
The @Gradient half-court heave is…… GOOD! @WarriorsGaming vs. @HawksTalonGC on @Twitch: https://t.co/gfNLNJ3aJM pic.twitter.com/tXg8Gk0vX2
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) April 4, 2019
Mama Im Dat Man with the slick drive for the posterize jam.
Just your standard bucket by BearDaBeast23 from the seat of his shorts.
Nifty, Radiant. Nifty.
Oh mama, @iTz_Radiant is out here putting people on POSTERS! pic.twitter.com/aTAitZ13c3
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) April 6, 2019
Fun with Numbers
2 – TIPOFF titles in 76ers GC’s franchise history
3 – Consecutive losses in tournament finals for Celtics Crossover Gaming, dating back to last season
5 – Number of teams still searching for their first win of the season
13 – Made field goals without a miss by G O O F Y 7 5 7 in a double-OT loss to Magic Gaming
36 – This season’s individual scoring mark, set by ProFusion in Celtics Crossover’s opener vs Pistons GT
Tweet of the Week
Radiant silences the naysayers.
Took a break from 2k last offseason. Heard all the doubters saying I wouldn’t be good anymore. Saying i fell off, just added fuel to the fire. I also want to shoutout my guys for believing in me from the jump through all the ups and downs. Back 2 Back champs babyyyyy 💙❤️🏆🏆
— Ethan White (@iTz_Radiant) April 7, 2019
Boom, Boom, Boom
The 2019 season got off to a booming start, on and off the the court. The league enlisted multi-platinum recording artists X Ambassadors to help kick things off with a live, in-studio performance that included the band’s recent hit, “Boom.”The musical guest brought a whole new energy to the NBA 2K League Studio Powered by Intel.
BOOM! @XAmbassadors with an awesome start to Day 2 of THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T as special musical guests 💥👏 pic.twitter.com/zXU1RrdTfY
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) April 3, 2019
Quotables
“There’s no better backcourt than me and Hood. The league better hope we don’t figure it out. They better hope we don’t put it together. If we put it together, it’s a (championship). I’m dead serious.” — T-Wolves Gaming’s BearDaBeast23 on his backcourt pairing with Hood.
“It feels amazing! It feels so good!” — Nets GC’s NateKahl after beating his former team and reigning league champions, Knicks Gaming.
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come and the journey that it’s been. I’m definitely proud of myself.” — Cavs Legion GC’s oLARRY on returning from a serious thumb injury suffered in a shooting at a Madden event in August.
