The 2019 NBA 2K League Finals are here. Third-seeded 76ers GC, regarded among the pre-season favorites, is in the Finals, shocking few. It’s fourth-seeded T-Wolves Gaming, who sat just 3-6 at the end of May, who are the surprise team in the Finals. Being the surprise team worked out for inaugural champions Knicks Gaming in 2018, but we’ll see if that trend persists this year too.
For now, let’s take a look at how T-Wolves Gaming and 76ers GC stack up on numbers alone.
Team Stats
The 76ers are on an eight-game winning streak, playoffs included. They haven’t lost since dropping a game to the Grizz on June 26. For the second consecutive season, the 76ers won the Tipoff Tournament; they also made the final of the Turn Tournament in Las Vegas.
Regular season (11-5)
PPG: 66.1 Opp. PPG: 58.4 FG% 58% 3FG%: 48.4% RPG: 18.2 APG: 18.1 SPG: 9.5 BPG: 2.1 TO/G: 9.3
Playoffs (4-0)
PPG: 68.8 Opp. PPG: 53.8 FG% 60.9% 3FG%: 52.9% RPG: 16.3 APG: 19.3 SPG: 8.8 BPG: 1.8 TO/G: 7.4
Famously, T-Wolves Gaming is riding a seven-game win streak, but that’s actually an 11-game win streak. They haven’t lost a regular season game since May 31 or any game, tournaments included, since June 14.
Regular season (10-6)
PPG: 64.0 Opp. PPG: 58.2 FG% 60.8% 3FG%: 50.6% RPG: 18.2 APG: 18.2 SPG: 9.1 BPG: 2.4 TO/G: 10.4
Playoffs (4-0)
PPG: 64.8 Opp. PPG: 49.8 FG% 62.4% 3FG%: 51.7% RPG: 17.0 APG: 17.3 SPG: 9.3 BPG: 3.0 TO/G: 6.3
Point Guard: Radiant (76ers GC) vs. BearDaBeast (T-Wolves Gaming)
Radiant, the 14th overall pick in the 2018 draft, earned his first MVP nomination this season after an eyebrow-raising snub last year. He was named Tipoff Tournament MVP for the second consecutive season and took home All-NBA 2K League Second Team honors at the end of the year.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 23.8 APG: 11.1 TO/G: 4.3 FG%: 53.5% 3FG%: 50.5%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 23.8 APG: 12.8 TO/G: 4.0 FG%: 60.7% 3FG%: 64.0%
BearDaBeast, the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft, led the T-Wolves to the playoffs with a seven-game win streak to close out the season. He was named player of the week twice in the season’s final three weeks, including after a playoff-clinching masterpiece that included a game-winning assist to beat Blazer5 Gaming.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 15.6 APG: 9.1 TO/G: 3.6 FG%: 56.9% 3FG%: 52.1% SPG: 1.1
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 19.8 APG: 12.0 TO/G: 4.3 FG%: 64.3% 3FG%: 50% SPG: 1.3
Shooting Guard: Newdini (76ers GC) vs. TURNUPDEFENSE (T-Wolves Gaming)
The 76ers drafted Newdini in the second round of the 2018 draft and retained him following the 2018 season. While he primarily played on a sharpshooting build in 2018, he moved to lockdown defender this year, staying in the starting lineup.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 7.0 SPG: 2.1 BPG: 0.3 FG%: 62.2% 3FG%: 50.0%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 12.0 SPG: 2.0 BPG: 1.0 FG%: 66.7% 3FG%: 61.5%
Stat to know: The two point guards Newdini has guarded in the playoffs—Matty and Fab—averaged just 13 points per game in two matchups apiece against the 76ers.
TURNUPDEFENSE is the lone member of T-Wolves Gaming with playoff experience, although he was Cavs Legion GC’s sixth man for the duration of their 2018 run to the semifinals. Drafted by T-Wolves Gaming in the second round of the 2019 entry draft, TURNUP has played every game after immediately slotting into the lineup as a lockdown defender.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 9.5 SPG: 2.3 BPG: 0.2 FG%: 61.4% 3FG%: 46.2%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 13.8 SPG: 2.3 BPG: 0.5 FG%: 57.9% 3FG%: 43.8%
Stat to know: TURNUP has allowed opposing point guards just 9.5 PPG in the playoffs and has limited them to an AST/TO ratio of just 1.48, good for 5.25 turnovers per game.
Small Forward: ZDS (76ers GC) vs. JMoneyRep817 (T-Wolves Gaming)
In the 2018 draft, 76ers GC found a sixth-round gem in ZDS, who has yet to miss a start and has turned into one of the league’s best shooters. ZDS set a 2019 season record with 52 points in the team’s week 12 win.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 17.5 SPG: 1.4 TO/G: 1.2 FG%: 53.8% 3FG%: 47.2%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 16.3 SPG: 1.0 TO/G: 0.8 FG%: 56.5% 3FG%: 43.5%
JMoney, the only player in this Finals ever to have been traded, has made an immediate impact since joining the team from Heat Check Gaming. His move to small forward coincided with the team’s impressive win streak
Key stats – regular season (15 games)
PPG: 18.2 SPG: 1.6 TO/G: 2.9 FG%: 55.5% 3FG%: 46.8%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 11.8 SPG: 3.0 TO/G: 1.3 FG%: 50.0% 3FG%: 38.9%
Power Forward: BreadwinnerLA (76ers GC) vs. Feast (T-Wolves Gaming)
Somehow, Breadwinner fell to 76ers GC at 19th overall in 2019. The steal has paid off big time for the 76ers, as Breadwinner earned spots on both the All-NBA 2K League Defensive and All-Rookie first teams.
Key stats – regular season (15 games)
PPG: 8.6 RPG: 5.8 SPG: 3.0 BPG: 1.1 FG%: 61.9% 3FG%: 44.7%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 5.3 RPG: 3.8 SPG: 4.0 BPG: 1.0 FG%: 64.3% 3FG%: 28.6%
Feast, winner of the 2019 Sportsmanship Award, is facing his former team for the title. The only expansion draft selection to make a playoff appearance has shined at power forward after swapping roles with JoJo to kick off the team’s massive win streak.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 10.4 RPG: 8.7 SPG: 2.6 BPG: 1.1 FG%: 67.9% 3FG%: 65.0%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 5.8 RPG: 4.8 SPG: 2.3 BPG: 2.8 FG%: 64.3% 3FG%: 83.3%
Center: Steez (76ers GC) vs. JoJo (T-Wolves Gaming)
Steez has been and figures to be a 76ers mainstay for a while. One of the smartest players in the league, the former financial analyst has solidified himself as Radian’t rock-solid pick and roll partner.
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 11.3 RPG: 9.8 SPG: 1.8 FG%: 69.6% 3FG%: 44.4%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 11.5 RPG: 9.0 SPG: 0.8 FG%: 84.6% 3FG%: 0.0%
An unheralded third-round pick who worked as Pacers Gaming’s intern last summer, JoJo has turned himself into the league’s last standing Sharpshooting Rebounder. They’ve lost exactly one game with JoJo anchoring their current lineup—will they lose any more?
Key stats – regular season (16 games)
PPG: 13.8 RPG: 5.5 SPG: 1.7 FG%: 67.9% 3FG%: 56.8%
Key stats – playoffs (4 games)
PPG: 5.8 RPG: 4.8 SPG: 0.5 FG%: 78.6% 3FG%: 50%
The 2019 NBA 2K League Finals tip off Saturday, August 3 at 3 p.m. ET at the NBA 2K League Studio in Long Island City.
