Well that was…interesting. A week of blowouts and sweeps has come to an end! With remote bracket play in the books, we now move on to the big kahuna of the NBA 2K League – in-person 5v5 play. Feels good just typing that, can’t wait to see what that stage is like. But, before we move on, let’s recap that week. 5 topics for 5v5!

 

1. The Gap Between Bad and Elite Has Never Been Wider

 

Usually when I make statements, I try to back it up with stats, science, and a little bit of fun. This one though. I’m going off vibes and my eyes. The less-than-elite teams got absolutely smacked this week by the best of the best. Some of the games looked like scrimmages, teams simply couldn’t keep up with the well-orchestrated systems on both ends. Heck, even Pistons GT, who I think are pretty good, got wiped off the court in Games 1 and 3 against T-Wolves Gaming. At least they won a game, the rest of the losers this week couldn’t even manage that. A couple put up a good fight, but for the most part, there was a huge gap this week between the teams that mean business early and teams that haven’t figured it out yet. The 8 teams we have going to D.C. are definitely the right 8, but even then, I wonder how round 1 in-person will go. There still might be more weeding out to go.

2. The Best Statistical Players May Surprise You

 

Alright, back to the stats, science, and fun. Over the past few seasons, I’ve been poking and prodding with my home-cooked stat, 2KR, to try and create an all-encompassing offensive stat to truly see who were the best players in the league. I’ve mentioned it a few times in my articles over the years and I think it’s done a good job of capturing the best of the best this season. The top 5 is currently Ant, JohhnyRed, ShiftyKaii, Greenlight, Mama Im Dat Man. All have usage rates above 30%, score at least 20 ppg, but most importantly, all of them hit over three 3s a game. Not surprised that the top 5 are guards. It’s been that way for a few seasons. What’s really surprising is the lack of Centers. Our first one to appear is BigReign all the way at 34. Just goes to show how different the Center position is nowadays. No longer the offensive powerhouse, but more of a utility position that can dominate in its role. But, 3-point shooting has taken over officially. Shoot More Threes wins again.

 

3. Will 3-Point Shooting Survive the Stage?

 

Last season in Indianapolis, we saw an interesting trend. PG scoring went down, SG scoring went up, but overall scoring was down in general. Defense dominated the stage as PGs, for the most part, struggled to consistently green shots from deep. This time around, I wonder if the same thing will happen. The top 4 teams in 3-point % are all heading to DC. Magic Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, T-Wolves Gaming, and 76ers GC top the charts and you have to wonder if A: stage regression will happen and B: how do those teams win without hot shooting? Warriors Gaming Squad and 76ers GC should be alright – they have two of the best defenses in the league right now, but I wonder for all 8 teams playing on stage. How will it affect them this season? The D.C. stage takes no prisoners. This should be fascinating.

 

4. It’s the Power Forward’s World, We’re Just Living In It

 

The takeover is almost complete. After being probably the most useless position on the court back in Seasons 2-3, PF is now arguably the second most important position on the court and for some teams, it’s downright the most important position. The defensive revolution of the position has been incredible to watch and has spawned some of the league’s most unlikely stars. Seese went from nearly out of the league to the best PF in the world currently and has transformed WGS from a good team to downright unstoppable. Anias on Gen.G has basically saved their season with his defense, and DJayTooCold on NBL Oz is pushing the limits on what it means to be a PF with his 2-way play. They are starting to become so dominant, teams are having to run 5-out just to get them out of the paint and spread the floor more. It’s an epic turnaround for a formerly throwaway position that just sat in the corner and let the big boys work. Now, it’s the principle defender on most teams and a key cog in every elite offense. A PF has never won the DPOY award despite a few great cases, but this might be the year they finally grab one from the Centers.

 

5. Who is going to win THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T?

 

What an incredible field of teams we have. We have the four best teams from each conference represented in this tournament, at least in my opinion. The TIPOFF s never really one for huge upsets, it has always been an easy litmus test to see who are the best of the best and we got it again. Personally, I think the winner will come out of the Western Conference. I think you could make a strong argument that the four West teams are maybe the four best teams in the league in general? NBL Oz has an argument of course, but with how Bucks Gaming and Grizz Gaming went about their business this week, I think the argument has made itself. This isn’t to say the East isn’t a gauntlet, but the brands of basketball are so different. The high-flying transition offenses of the West just look so much smoother and lethal than the locked down half-court slugfest the East has taken on. Thankfully, we’ll see the conferences slam together during THE TURN, but for now, it’s going to be a war on both sides just to get to the Finals. Can’t wait to see who is built for the stage and who is built for remote, that will ultimately decide our winner.