With nearly 1,800 concurrent viewers at its peak the ESBA Finals matchup between Team DUX Gaming and Bayern Ballers Gaming was very well broadcasted both in Europe and beyond. The series was a best-of-five, and was hotly contested between both talent-packed teams.
Rafael TGR on Twitter
Hey @NBA2KLeague 1.6K viewers watching EU ProAm 📝 https://t.co/rGK6qraeEv
Both teams ran very similar lineups, having a 2-Way Finisher at SF, a Playmaking Glass Cleaner at PF, and a Paint Beast at C, although they differed at the guard positions. For Team DUX Gaming, Aitorvk11 was the dominant ball-handler on a Playmaking Shot Creator, while Eduardopv played the SG position on an Offensive Threat. On the other side, DOGANIII ran an Offensive Threat at PG, while IIChamp_ played on a 2-Way Sharp at SG.
Team DUX Gaming ran a dual-ball handler system with eventual Finals MVP Aitorvk11 and Eduardopv sharing the duties. In Game 1, the pair were outstanding, shooting well from outside early in the game and going 4/4 from three-point range. However, they struggled in Game 2, shooting a combined 2/7 from three at the end of the first half. As a team, DUX rebounded well on the offensive end, and incorporated a good amount of motion and ball movement into their offense. Everyone was involved and they were all comfortable dribbling and driving, and I thought it was different seeing AveMario32 bringing the ball up as the C sometimes. AitorBigBoy was also consistent out of the corner, shooting threes well and hitting an impressive pull-up jumper in Game 2.
ESBA Electronic Sports Basketball Association on Twitter
Its time to present our “KOBE BRYANT MVP FINALS” Congratulations to @aitorvk11 ( @TeamDUXGaming ) for his amazing night 👏👏👏
For Bayern, their offense was slightly more stagnant, although given the performance DOGANIII had at PG, I don’t think it was the end of the world. His shot creation was outstanding, making space for himself to score from three or at the rim on a very consistent basis. He carried his team to their only win of the series in Game 2, where he had 31 points in a very impressive performance. Although unfortunately I couldn’t watch all of Game 4 due to a technical issue with past broadcasts on Twitch, AcidShadow_GER finished with 26 points on 11/11 shooting, showing that he could carry the scoring load when DOGANIII was struggling. As a team, they took care of the ball well, although I think getting the other players outside of the PG and C more involved in the offense would take some pressure off and allow them to fully showcase their ability.
Dogan 🇩🇪 on Twitter
Ngl losing in the finals hurts 😑, huge for EU breaking 1800 viewers in a finals series. Hope this was the start of something bigger for this community. Congrats to @TeamDUXGaming for winning the 🏆👏🏼
The saying “defense wins championships” was in full effect during this series, as I believe the defense of Team DUX Gaming was the difference maker between the two sides. They rotated and communicated well, and I think they played more cohesively as a unit on that end of the floor than Bayern did. The chemistry between RafaelTGR and AveMario32 in guarding the pick-and-poll was evident, while AitorBigBoy and Aitorvk11 did a good job helping from the corner on occasion. Looking at Bayern’s defense, one noticeable thing was the ease with which AveMario32 simply slipped past opposing C AcidShadow_GER and scored at the rim. This happened multiple times throughout the series, and while giving up easy points is inevitable in a best-of-five series, getting beaten to the rim consistently is something they could look out for as a team in future matches.
Overall, it was a very entertaining series to watch, and the streaming numbers show the massive potential of EU Pro-Am to grow in terms of viewership in the near future. Congratulations to Team DUX Gaming, who came out as 3-1 winners in this series, but I have to say I’m looking forward to seeing both of these teams compete again in future competitions.
ESBA Electronic Sports Basketball Association on Twitter
HONOR FOR THE FINALIST AND CHAMPION
