NBA 2K League Draft Clash Tournament Recap

The NBA 2K League kicked off with a bang today, as ten of the best players from the draft took place in a friendly best-of-three match to showcase what fans can expect as the league prepares to start in early May. With the draft having occurred on Wednesday the 4^th of April, the players were eager to show off exactly why they were considered the best. Here’s a brief breakdown of the games.

With the first match underway, the Blue Team got off to an excellent start after scoring the first points with a monster dunk. The Red Team did not let that go easily, however, quickly firing back to take the lead for themselves. Though the Blue Team put up more points, the Red Team managed to keep their lead as they closed out the first period. As the teams stepped up their attack in the second period, the Red Team managed to keep a pretty consistent lead over the Blue Team, with their long rang shots finding the bucket time after time. As the first half of game one came to a close, Red Team kept their lead by 8 points.

The second half proved just as close as the first, with the Blue Team continuing to chase the Red Teams lead. As the third period came to a close, the Red Team continued to extend their lead, punishing the Blue Team for their repeated fouls. When the teams started up the fourth period, the Red Team were quick to continue their dominant streak, building their lead up even higher as they showcased the skills that got them selected in the NBA 2K League Draft. As the first match came to a close, the Blue Team tried their best to fight back, but the Red Teams lead proved to be too much, closing out the game with the Red Team victory, 82-58.

The teams were randomised for the second match, with several players swapping sides before the matches kicked off once again. With the teams now settled, game two started off with Team Red taking the early lead, scoring three times in rapid succession before the Blue Team could respond. The first period was again a very tight contest, though the Red Team were once again able to put up a strong lead heading into the second period. The Blue Team fired back early in the second period, scoring first and recovering the ball for a very nice play. The Blue Team took the lead midway through the second period, and closed out the first half of game two with a 36-31 lead.

As the second half of game two started back up, both teams were quick to put up points, though the Blue Team kept their lead for the time being. The Red Team did manage to regain the lead midway through the third period, though with a minute remaining in the period the Blue Team managed to tie things up. As the buzzer rang on the third period, both teams were sitting at 50 points apiece, with just 6 short minutes remaining for either team to try and secure the victory. Both teams spent the remaining minutes in the tightest contest we’d seen so far, with the score never getting out of reach for either team. In the end, the Blue Team claimed the victory with just a two point lead, 71-69, to tie up the series.

With the teams again mixed up, the third match got underway with both teams putting up early points. The Blue team set a three point lead as the first period closed out, though both teams were showing off their offensive and defensive skills. Over the course of the second period, both teams did their best to pull ahead, but it was ultimately the Red Team that managed to claim a lead of six points, 29-23, heading into the second half.

The second half again got off to a good start for the Red Team, putting the first points on the board through free-throws off the back of a foul. The Red Team were quick to extend their lead, and as the third period came to a close, the Blue Team found themselves behind by 11 points, 46-35. As the final period began, the Red Team again scored first to extend their lead. The Blue Team continued to battle their way forward, but were never quite able to catch up to the dominant performance of the Red Team. As the clock ran out of time, the Red Team claimed their second win of the series, 69-53.

Though the Red Team would take the series 2-1, the fact that the teams were randomised each match softened the blow for the Blue Team. With all the players involved showing off their impressive skills at the game, the NBA 2K League is sure to quickly become a must watch event when it starts up in early May. For more on the NBA 2K League, check out their Official Website, here, and for more on the players selected, check out our coverage of the Draft Day, here.