I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but THE TURN is my favorite tournament and this week again reminded me why. Upsets, chaos, huge performances, all wrapped up in one week leading into an incredible in-person crescendo coming next week in D.C. Let’s jump right into the recap, we’ve got lots to say.

 

1. Bubble Teams Wanted It More

 

It was really impressive how well teams in the middle of the pack played this week. They are all fighting for their playoff lives and the series results told the entire story. All four lower seeded teams on the right side of the bracket pulled off upset victories in sweeps. Warriors Gaming Squad, Gen.G, Bucks Gaming, 3 of the top 4 teams in the league, all got swept by teams with far worse records. In fact, 3 of the 4 teams on that side of the bracket were outside of the playoff picture entirely with NBL the lone team sitting comfortably in the playoffs. And then there is Hornets Venom GT. A team that simply, against almost all odds, refuses to die. A massive sweep over T-Wolves Gaming to save their season, a throwback to the 2021 season when they stormed through THE TURN to win the first and only banner in team history. Could we see another legendary run? Everything seems to be on the table heading into next week.

 

2. What awards should AntoineLove be up for?

 

I think we can all admit that the AntoineLove story has been one of the more incredible storylines of the season. From the add/waive controversy with Bojui to now being probably a top 3-5 point guard in 5v5, he’s really taken his opportunity and ran with it. But, with all that acclaim comes restructuring. His talent and performance has earned consideration for award season, but is he even eligible? Is it fair to the other players in the league who played a whole game mode more than him? How do we balance his great performances with competitive fairness with awards? There is money on the line for them now, so they matter even more than in previous seasons. For me personally, I don’t think I can seriously consider him for MVP. I think not being in the league for a full half a season takes him off my list, just purely out of fairness for guys who played three whole months more than he did. But, Rookie of the Year? That seems like the sweet spot. I think right now, I’d have him fourth in the race. Greens for me holds the top spot with Connor and LowkeyGodlike behind him. But after that, I feel comfortable putting AntoineLove right after. I think a huge run in THE TURN, including a massive game against Greens and NetsGC, will do a lot for his candidacy. But, it’s important to not let too much recency bias into the mix. We’ll let the last three weeks of gameplay decide.

 

3. Who the hell is actually in the Playoffs?

 

Alright, I’m going to make this really easy for everyone. In the East right now, your clinched playoff teams are 76ersGC, Gen.G Tigers, and NBL Oz Gaming. NetsGC has the #4 seed for right now. For the 5 seed, Heat Check Gaming, Hornets Venom GT, and Cavs Legion GC are all currently tied on points and win%. However, since Cavs Legion has beat Heat Check and Hornets Venom, they currently are in pole position for the spot. Here is the kicker. Since win % is the higher tiebreaker and all three teams are at 50%, if Cavs Legion or Hornets Venom (or both) lose in the next round, their win % will drop under 50% and Heat Check Gaming will get the spot right back. This story is far from done, all going to come down to next week.

 

In the West, it’s a little simpler. Warriors Gaming Squad, T-Wolves Gaming, and Bucks Gaming have all clinched a spot. Pistons GT is in pole position for the #4 seed, they are about as close to clinching as you can. The #5 seed is tricky, but simpler than the East. Grizz Gaming and Blazer5 Gaming are currently tied, but Memphis has the head to head tiebreaker, so they are still in the spot. If Blazer5 Gaming wins one more round of THE TURN, they are in the playoffs. Pacers Gaming are still in the mix as well, but they need to basically get to THE TURN finals to confirm a playoff spot, so we’ll track that throughout the week. Three teams in each conference are clinched, the current #4 seed is basically locked in, and the #5 seed is pretty chaotic. Get it? Got it? Good.

 

4. How worried should the top teams in the league be?

 

When Warriors Gaming Squad got swept earlier in the week, we all properly freaked out. “WARRIORS LOST OMG THE SEASON IS OVER THEY ARE FRAUDS.” Then Gen.G lost on Thursday and we all freaked out again “GENG LOST OMG THE SEASON IS OVER THEY ARE FRAUDS.” And then…Bucks Gaming…and T-Wolves Gaming…both got swept…so…is everyone’s season over? I think what we should take away from this week is that the NBA 2K League is really hard and sometimes you give teams two weeks to prepare and all hell breaks loose. Personally, I still think all four teams are title contenders and should be just fine during the playoffs. But…not a great time of the year to be getting swept. Maybe they should take some notes from 76ers GC and NBL.

 

5. Remote Broadcast, Begone!

 

At last, remote broadcasting is done. 47 days in our living rooms bringing you guys the best broadcasts we can. It may seem easy, but broadcasting remotely brings a lot of extra issues you may not see. You don’t get to feed off your co-casters energy in the same way, a lot of that energy has to come from inside every night. It can be very draining, especially when we get into the dog days of the summer. Not to mention, we are all at the mercy of our respective Wi-Fi networks, so we’ve have plenty of funny moments this season. Just want to thank everyone for their support while we’ve been broadcasting from home. We do this job for all of you and it’s great to see the love and support we’ve gotten from the fanbase this year. But now, 10 broadcasts to close out the season, all from our in-person home in District E. Can’t wait to see everyone there to close out one of the best seasons in league history. Godspeed everyone, safe travels.