NBA2ktourney quarter finals

NBA takes distance shooting to the next level

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Max Woodward

The NBA has been expanding its range on the court in recent seasons, with three point shots from near half-court becoming almost commonplace. In February, the outbreak of COVID-19 put the current season on hold, but the NBA has taken on a different type of distance action, entering the realm of Esports.

NBA 2K is played by a number of NBA stars. An 82-game season involving travelling across one of the vastest countries on the planet means players have a considerable amount of down time.

Last weekend saw the start of the NBA’s first-ever official NBA 2K Players Tournament, which sees 16 basketball pros battle it out for a $100,000 donation to a charity of their choosing.

The first round and quarter-finals are a one-match shootout, with the semi-finals and grand final being played in a best-of-three format.

So that players aren’t hampered by having to use their own teams, giving an unfair advantage to players on stronger teams, each player chooses 8 franchises from the current NBA roster, and can only use each team once throughout the tournament.

This brings an added edge to the tournament – do you use your strongest teams first to ensure a place in the final four, forcing you to use lesser teams later in the tournament? Or do you save your best teams for last, believing in your ability?

The biggest name competing in the tournament was Kevin Durant. KD has missed this season through injury, and some of that rustiness may have crept into his gaming, as he fell to defeat in the opening round.

The best viewing in the opening round was between Rui Hachimura, a rookie for the Washington Wizards, and Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz star who was one of the NBA players publicly diagnosed with coronavirus – from which he has thankfully recovered. Hachimura, using LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, edged Mitchell, using Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, 74-71. Mitchell had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but it wouldn’t go.

Not all the matches were quite so close. The final clash of the first round saw Cleveland Cavaliers’ star centre Andre Drummond demolish Lakers big man DeMarcus Cousins 101-49.

The creation of this tournament was a brand masterstroke from the NBA. Knowing it has a base of influencers who know the sport inside out and play the game regularly, it has resulted in some great content after just the first round, keeping the NBA front of mind and relevant despite the shutdown.

The NBA has become prolific on social media in the last few years, with anywhere from 2-14 matches taking place every night over a 6-month period. This means that the postponement of the league was removing a huge amount of content from the NBA channels.

This tournament has provided a perfect alternative. It has given fans the opportunity to see more of the players’ personalities, and the NBA have produced a huge amount of content around it, with highlights and best-play videos filling their social channels. It feeds into the wider Gen Z trend of heroising athletes to generate real brand traction.

The tournament resumes on Thursday with the quarter-finals, then the semi-final and championship rounds are conducted on Saturday.

We’re looking forward to watching more and playing more over the course of the next few months.