Seeking a more representative playoff campaign in season two, the NBA 2K League has changed its playoff format to best-of-three series in the quarter and semifinals and a best-of-five NBA 2K League Finals, league sources tell DIMER.
The quarterfinals in season one were merely a one-game contest. Three lower seeds won and advanced to the second round. No. 8 seed Knicks Gaming, the eventual NBA 2K League champions, beat No. 1 seed Blazer5 Gaming in the first-round in part thanks to a freak animation late in the game:
“There just can’t be any one-game eliminations in the playoffs, especially with how NBA 2K is,” league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year OneWildWalnut said. “Anything can happen in one game, and to determine the best team in a series it must be at least a best of 3 or 5.”
The new format coincides with a new, more spacious season schedule. Gameplay weeks now take place over a three-day period, rather than a quick Friday night-Saturday day turnaround.
The NBA 2K League playoffs will start on July 24, 2019, and the NBA 2K League Finals will take place on Saturday, August 3. The season will begin with the Tip-Off Tournament on April 2, one month after the NBA 2K League entry draft on March 5. See the full league dates for the season here.
