NBA 2K League Broadcasts On ESPN 2 Today

Norris Howard

Updated Aug 14, 2020 7:40 PM EDT

The NBA 2K League may not be in a bubble-like its physical counterpart, but its season rolls on. But unlike traditional basketball, in the NBA 2K League, there are two chances to make the post-season. The top nine teams get seeded into the playoffs proper, but it's below there where it gets interesting. That's where the Ticket Tournament comes into play and its also coming to ESPN 2.

A New Position On Playoffs

The Ticket tournament is one of the most unique brackets in esports. The #10 team in the league is automatically seeded into the finals of the Ticket. Teams 11-13 get first-round byes and the rest duke it out in the opening games. The winner of the brackets faces the #10 T-Wolves Gaming (Of the Minnesota Timberwolves) in the finals. And the victor will see themselves as the final entry into the NBA 2k League Playoffs.

This kind of bracket is wild. How often have we seen teams that struggle in the early season, only to barely miss the playoffs? Or a dominant squad taper off and get bounced in the first round? This kind of bracket could create the drama of a late-season run like we've never seen in traditional sports. Imagine a team like CLTX Gaming (of the Boston Celtics), who finished 19th in the regular season, making a late run into the playoffs. It's unheard of but very exciting.

The Inside Stuff

We caught up with the Head Coach of Hawks Talon GC (Atlanta Hawks), Wesley Acuff, about what being on this side of the postseason is like. We also asked, how difficult has it been to coach an esports team in a post-COVID world.

You can catch all of the action on Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and ESPN streaming platforms starting at 5 pm Eastern time on August 14th.

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