League News
West
2nd Round:
1. Blazers (Windchill) V. 5. Pelicans (Melanoid)
Both teams came out with sweeps out of their first-round matchups, albeit close games for sure, especially in the Clips/Pels matchup. I didn’t play Windchill this season, but he was extremely active and smoked a lot of talented guys in the league. His roster isn’t OP at all, led by Embiid with some good complementary pieces (Tyus, Hield, Ingles) and rookies (Wendell and Knox). I did play Melanoid this season, and we had an extremely tight game. Melanoid should be able to D up Embiid decently well with Gobert, but I think skill difference (if I suspect Windchill is as good as he is) will be the difference. 3-1 Blazers
2. Kings (X2Piece) V. 3. Suns (Ocho)
Ima be honest. I’m getting my ass kicked. 3-0. But really, Simmons at point with some versatile wings and good shooting bigs like Melo and Horford is a recipe for disaster. Granted, I’m bad at this game and don’t know how to play defense compared to past 2ks, but Simmons destroyed me in the reg season and I expect that to continue. Covering him with Brogdon is a size mismatch and Tobias isn’t a very good defender. My one hope is if I can take over with Towns and get some bench production from my young guys (Sexton, Lonnie Walker, Jacob Evans), but X2 is too good to let that happen. 3-0 Kings.
Conference Finals:
1. Blazers (Windchill) V. 2. Kings (X2Piece)
I’m really curious for this matchup. New stud of the league, Windchill, versus MLBA HOFer, X2. The regular season matchup ended 96-88 Blazers, although this was when X2 had just joined the league and still had Oladipo. Addition of Simmons + Blazers’ team being extremely young both work against Windchill in this conference finals matchup. I guess he puts Ingles on Simmons, but any hope of lockdown there is gone. Maybe Embiid/Wendell dominate downlow versus Melo/Horford, but I really don’t see the mismatches on paper in favor of Windchill. I’d like to see Windchill be the next newcomer to fight for the ship, but until I’m proven wrong, I have to go with the vet. Kings 3-2.
East
2nd Round:
1. Pistons (Drummond) V. 5. Knicks (Timi)
Ah, the coveted Westbrook vs. Harden matchup. On paper this looks extremely intriguing. Both teams are built similar with stud PGs, versatile wings, a stretch PF, and a defensive big. I think I like Timi’s starting lineup better, but Drummond’s bench more, which is important in 8min Qs and in the playoffs. Drummond won handily in the regular season, and even though Timi has improved from his bottom of the league days, I’m not sure he can match up with a former champ. I think skill + roster depth come up big in this series. Pistons 3-1.
3. Raptors (Duya) V. 7. Pacers (WhiteGhost)
Ghost pulled out the upset over Army in the first round, and with Curry a deep run is definitely possible. However, Duya matches up quite well with Bledsoe running the point, who should be able to give Curry some fits. Neither team has notable bigs, and the big wildcard is the fact that Duya has Kawhi. Bojan and Reke are going to be completely outmatched on both ends of the floor, which could quickly cause this series to get out of hand. Duya also has a formidable bench, similar to the Raptors of real life. Not sure the Curry carrying will continue in this one. Raptors 3-1.
Conference Finals:
1. Pistons (Drummond) V. 3. Raptors (Duya)
Pretty much everything about this matchup is similar to Raptors-Pacers in Round 1. Just replace Curry with Westbrook and add in a more skilled owner in Drummond. Drummond’s team actually matches up better than Duya’s team did, as Barnes might actually be able to corral Kawhi a least a little bit. Serge and O’Quinn also should have the advantage down low, but who knows with these rosters and how 2k is feeling. If WB can dominate Bledsoe, this is Drummond’s series. If that doesn’t happen, and instead Kawhi dominates Barnes, Duya should waltz into the finals. Ultimately, I think the most likely scenario is that Drummond’s user defense is able to contain Kawhi, and his effective usage of WB leads him back to the finals. Pistons 3-2.
Finals
1. Pistons (Drummond) V. 2. Kings (X2piece)
Feels like we just hit rewind and are back in a past 2k, with two former champs meeting in the finals. Drummond’s team even looks like it did in every single past iteration of MLBA, just replace WB with PG and you’re pretty much there. Anyways, I actually think Drummond matches up pretty well on paper, as Barnes should be a good matchup on Simmons, leaving WB to play more offball on D and not drain his stamina. On the offensive end, Drummond might struggle to score though, unless he finds a way to abuse the Ibaka-Melo matchup. I expect these games to be pretty defensive, but probably still high scoring because of the pace of both of these guys. Both benches are good, but I see X2’s as being more elite and he can easily swap guys in and out fluidly depending on Drummond’s lineup. This versatility and the fact that he may have the hardest player to guard in 2k (especially in these rosters), I think X2 gets back in the Hall of Champs, barring any herculean effort from Russ. Kings 3-2.
Predicted Champion: Sacramento Kings (X2Piece) – Finals MVP: Ben Simmons
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