It’s almost time for another week of NBA 2K League action, and you know what that means: power rankings. In an attempt to make everyone angry sort through what should be a competitive season, we’ll be ranking each team based on a number of factors: results, quality of play, strength of schedule and so on. Results aren’t everything, otherwise we’d just copy and paste the league standings into here.
These are a composite ranking of three of our writers’ own rankings, aggregated into one. Let’s get to it.
21. Pistons GT, (1-14 regular season record, 1-19 overall record), last week: 21
“Can they climb over the Lakers and Knicks in their last three games?” we asked last week. Narrator: They could not.
20. Lakers Gaming (3-12, 4-15), LW: 20
They picked up a fun win over the Pistons in week 11, but wins have been mostly few and far between throughout the Lakers’ first-ever NBA 2K League season.
19. Knicks Gaming (3-11, 8-14), LW: 19
The Knicks will wrap up their championship hangover season this week and immediately turn their sights to next year.
18. Hawks Talon GC (5-9, 5-13), LW: 18
The Hawks exacted a measure of revenge against the Pacers, picking up an impressive win without Shotz just a little too late.
17. Heat Check Gaming (5-9, 9-13), LW: 17
Time to regroup for next year after a disappointing season that came nowhere close to the Heat’s championship aspirations.
16. Jazz Gaming (6-8, 9-11), LW: 14
Can the Jazz pull off the unthinkable and sneak into the playoffs at just 8-8? Most probably not.
15. Raptors Uprising GC (6-8, 10-11), LW: 13
It’s been a story of inconsistency for the Uprising, who never strung together enough wins to replicate last season’s turnaround.
14. Wizards District Gaming (6-8, 7-11), LW: 15
The Wizards have acquitted themselves extremely well over the second half of the season, but a second consecutive playoff berth seems out of the question.
13. Bucks Gaming (8-7, 9-11), LW: 10
The Bucks could be one win away from the playoffs, but might also be one loss from a second straight lottery selection after a miserable home stretch.
12. NetsGC (7-7, 9-10), LW: 9
Two inexcusable losses have the Nets on the brink of elimination, needing two wins to jump back up the standings.
11. Cavs Legion GC (8-7, 10-10), LW: 11
The Cavs will need some luck and a win over the Knicks, but they’ve stabilized after an erratic first half of the season.
10. Grizz Gaming (7-7, 7-11), LW: 10
Who are these guys? Huge wins in the last weeks over the 76ers and the Nets have the Grizz within striking distance of either a playoff berth or a .500 record.
9. Pacers Gaming (8-6, 14-8), LW: 5
Talk about a drop off. The Pacers squandered a crucial game against the Hawks and now need to take care of business against two tough teams to earn a playoff spot of their own.
8. Warriors Gaming Squad (7-8, 16-9), LW: 7
The Warriors, with the eighth seed essentially locked in, should get back on track in their final game of the season after four consecutive losses.
7. T-Wolves Gaming (9-6, 14-9), LW: 12
A mammoth jump for the T-Wolves, who’ve taken care of business in six straight games. Can they finish the job against Blazer5 and become the first-ever expansion team to book a playoff berth?
6. Magic Gaming (8-6, 13-10), LW: 8
The Magic jump up thanks to losses below them, but they’re in perilous position and very much in need of wins to avoid just missing out on the playoffs for the second straight year.
5. Celtics Crossover Gaming (10-5, 16-8), LW: 6
Once again, no one is hotter than the Celtics, who earned a big win over the Magic and have raced toward the top of the standings with nine straight wins.
4. Kings Guard Gaming (10-5, 11-9), LW: 3
The Kings have completed the turnaround and will get one more game to prepare for the playoffs. All is well in Sacramento, especially with BP’s MVP finalist nod (though he’s a more realistic ROY candidate).
3. 76ers GC (10-5, 17-7), LW: 4
When the going gets tough, the 76ers get going. Philly took home two massive wins in week 11 to cement themselves as the league’s second-best regular season team of all time.
2. Mavs Gaming (11-4, 13-7), LW: 2
Playoff seed? Check. Bye week? Check. Rux back in the lineup? Check. Next up: playoffs. The Mavs, aside from a small late-season slide, have been one of the most consistent teams all year.
1. Blazer5 Gaming (14-1, 15-4), LW: 1
They don’t care about trying to knock T-Wolves Gaming out of the playoffs or taking a staggering seven-game all-time regular season lead on the second best team. It’s championship or bust for Blazer5.
