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Orlando Magic Daily Podcast Episode 91: The NBA 2K League winds down with Jeff Eisenband

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - JULY 27: NachoTraynor of Magic Gaming reacts during the game against Mavs Gaming on July 27, 2018 at the NBA 2K Studio in Long Island City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Alex Nahorniak-Svenski/NBAE via Getty Images)
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - JULY 27: NachoTraynor of Magic Gaming reacts during the game against Mavs Gaming on July 27, 2018 at the NBA 2K Studio in Long Island City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Alex Nahorniak-Svenski/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The NBA 2K League’s first season is coming to a close. I review what happened and what has worked with Jeff Eisenband of The Post Game.

There is still a small bit of curiosity factor with a lot of people when it comes to the NBA 2K League. Images from other gaming ventures where the Overwatch League had massive crowds for its grand final at the Barclays Center still feels like an oddity.

That is, of course, not anything unusual to people who watch these things. And the NBA smartly used the cultural currency of NBA 2K to form its own league.

The first year has been a big experiment for everyone involved. The league has tweaked some of its broadcast to help bring out more of the personalities of the players and create a more familiar video game presentation on top of the 2K basketball.

The games themselves have remained exciting. And the final week of the regular season starting Thursday night and continuing through Saturday figures to be full of drama as teams fight for the final Playoff spots.

Magic Gaming will be at the center of this drama.

Magic Gaming has been one of the best stories of the entire 2K League. Predicted by many as one of the worst teams in the league, they lived up to that billing early on, losing their first four games and getting off to a slow start.

But the group figured things out. They slowly came together as a team and their balanced attack became devastating for teams around the league. Magic Gaming kept winning close games and climbed the standings.

Entering the final week of the season, Magic Gaming is in the driver’s seat.

Sitting in sixth place, they need just one win in their final two games to reach the Playoffs. But even that will not be easy. They face Cavs Legion GC in their first matchup in a virtual play-in game before taking on the powerful Celtics Crossover Gaming in the nightcap at 5 p.m.

Magic Gaming’s dream season is still very much in the balance. All their work could end up for nothing if they cannot find a win against two tough opponents.

It should make for an entertaining final weekend for those watching Magic Gaming and throughout the packed NBA 2K League. It will be a great finish to a fun first year for the 2K League.

For those that are still trying to get their heads around competitive video games and what the 2K League is or just need a catch up on the season so far, I spoke with Jeff Eisenband of The Post Game and official host of the NBA Twitch channel about the first year of the NBA 2K League, where the league goes from here and what we might see in the final week of the season:

On This Episode:

  • The Orlando Magic’s big announcement they will play two regular season games in Mexico City
  • How Magic Gaming turned into one of the surprising stories of the NBA 2K League
  • The learning process to help the NBA 2K League evolve in its first year
  • Why the athletes in the NBA 2K League are unique and how their stories make the league
  • How Magic Gaming has put together a team-first approach and depth to make waves in the NBA 2K League
  • How Magic Gaming has evolved its internal operations as the season goes on and improved because of it
  • The NBA 2K League still figuring out a formula for success
  • Why the NBA 2K League is popular among younger millennials and how the league has tried to tap into that
  • Where can the NBA 2K League still improve?

Thanks to Jeff Eisenband for hopping on the podcast and discussing the NBA 2K League with me on the podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @jeffeisenband to check out his coverage of the NBA 2K League. You can watch all NBA 2K League games on the league’s Twitch channel.

Magic Gaming takes on Cavs Legion GC on Saturday at noon and then Celtics Crossover Gaming on Saturday at 5 p.m. to close out their regular season. They need just one win to clinch a Playoff spot.

Next. Orlando Magic Top 25: Searching for the most popular player in Magic history. dark

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