NBA 2k League makes history because it was the league’s first night ever

The NBA 2k League achieved many firsts on Tuesday, May 1. That’s mostly because prior to that date, it didn’t really exist.

The NBA 2k League saw its first basket, first win, first overtime game, first double-double, etc. on Tuesday May 1 as “The Tipoff” tournament got underway with four of the 17 teams in action. Because it was the first night of league play ever, the league couldn’t help but see historic firsts. That history by default was a theme for the feeling of the entire night.

The first game in Group A for this week’s tournament tipped off just after 5 p.m. ET between Bucks Gaming and Pistons GT. With just over 9,000 active viewers on Twitch, doubts about the size of the initial audience for the league seem to have been founded. To be fair, a solid amount of potential viewers were likely still on their way home from or still at their jobs at that time.

Just seconds after tip, the first basket in NBA 2k League history was scored by Bucks Gaming’s Game6Drake.

In a relatively low-scoring affair, the first dunk in NBA 2k League history didn’t come until there were just over four minutes left in the second quarter.

JosephTheTruth helped PistonsGT claim the 49-44 win, the first in NBA 2k League with the league’s first-ever double-double, snagging 10 points and 14 rebounds. The night’s second game, between Cavs Legion GC and Kings Guard Gaming, came shortly after.

Kings Guard, heralded with a state-of-the-art training facility and the likes of UFC Hall of Fame member Urijah Faber and NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal behind them, was able to power to a 37-29 edge at halftime that thankfully held more scoring than the first contest.

That lead evaporated as Cavs Legion GC opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run. The game was tight all the way through the second half, and Sick x 973 put the league’s first-ever come-from-behind victory to bed with this shot, which made the final score 76-73.

Cavs Legion GC was quickly part of history again, playing as the home team against a Bucks Gaming squad determined not to fall to 0-2 in group play. The result was a close game all the way through. Both teams answered each other’s runs, and after four quarters, a winner hadn’t been decided off of this offensive rebound and bucket by Bucks Gaming’s KinG PeroXide.

After Bucks Gaming avoided the 0-2 hole with the 57-53 win over Cavs Legion GC, Kings Guard Gaming and Pistons GT both stepped back onto the stage. Kings Guard’s Lets Get it Ramo and Worthingcolt showed that the NBA 2k League comes complete with poster treatments.

While Kings Guard may have posterized its Pistons GT opponents, Pistons GT ultimately had the edge that mattered in securing the 62-61 win and moving to 2-0 in group play. At 0-2 in the same group, Kings Guard needed a win and some help in order to have any chance to move forward to the single-elimination round.

Kings Guard stayed on the stage to face Bucks Gaming, and was able to maintain a razor-thin lead through much of the game. The back-and-forth affair resulted in the second game of the night heading to overtime. Cowboyxcollazo kept his team from going 0-3 in the group stage with this catch-and-shoot J as time nearly expired.

With both Bucks Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming now sitting at 1-2 in group play, Pistons GT was guaranteed to move on to the single elimination round regardless of the result of the night’s final game against Cavs Legion GC. Coming into the game at 1-1 on the night, Cavs Legion could advance as well with a win. A loss by Cavs Legion would create a three-way tie. $5,000 was also on the line as a bonus for the winner of the group.

Cavs Legion left no doubt about whether or not it belongs in the single elimination round this weekend by taking Pistons GT to task. A 21-point lead at the half ended in an 86-59 victory that ended the week early for Bucks Gaming and Kings Guard Gaming.

The league MVP thus far is Cavs Legion’s Hood Is Glitchy, who dropped 41 points against Kings Guard and 46 on Pistons GT. Cavs Legion will participate in Saturday’s single-elimination round of “The Tipoff” as the Group A winner and secured a $5,000 bonus. Pistons GT advances as the Group A runner-up.

On Saturday Pistons GT will face the winner while Cavs Legion will play the runner-up of Group B, which will decide those distinctions on Wednesday, May 2. Wednesday’s action gets going at 5 p.m. ET and is as follows:

• Jazz Gaming at Wizards District Gaming
• Warriors Gaming Squad at Knicks Gaming
• Jazz Gaming at Warriors Gaming Squad
• Wizards District Gaming at Knicks Gaming
• Knicks Gaming at Jazz Gaming
• Warriors Gaming Squad at Wizards District Gaming

There were definitely some exciting moments during the NBA 2k League’s first day, and five of the six games were very competitive. At times the action felt slow, however, and games when both teams combine for just over 90 total points are probably going to leave fans wanting more offense. There were several two-minute commercial spots during the night that are currently void of content, but the brand power of the NBA and Take Two Studios should enable the league to fill those spots with content from actual sponsors soon. That begs the question to be asked: if not for the backing of the NBA and Take Two, would even the audience these games did draw have cared enough to fire up Twitch?

An obvious difference between most Twitch feeds and this broadcast was the audio. The NBA 2k League filled Twitch feed viewers’ ears with traditional commentary and play-by-play. Most Twitch feeds’ audio is filled with commentary and reaction by the gamers themselves. It’s uncertain how this choice by the league is going to go over with esports fans who the league wants to appeal to, but what is certain is that the decision loses out on a significant reason why Twitch is so popular. That gamer commentary and reaction allows viewers to get a feel for who the gamers are. The league will have to find some other way to fill that void if it isn’t going to mic up the gamers during the competitions.

Next: 15 WWE Superstars who could take on White Walkers

At times it was obvious that it was the first night of NBA 2k League play but there were moments during which the potential of the product to entertain were visible. It’s too early to make a call on the NBA 2k League’s success either way.