Late last night the Cavs defeated the Pistons 86-59 to start their season 2-1 and top Group A. The Cavs Legion GC, that is, and Pistons GT. While the NBA version of Cleveland was busy overturning a 14-point first quarter deficit to defeat the Raptors 113-112 in overtime in Toronto, SportTechie was watching the NBA 2K alternative in action in the new esports league’s opening contests.
The NBA 2K League Tip-Off Tournament started yesterday with both highs and lows. Group A consisted of Bucks Gaming, Pistons GT, Kings Guard Gaming, and Cavs Legion GC. The teams played six games total, three each, to determine a winner and runner-up from the group who would move on to Saturday’s playoff. Up for grabs this weekend will be $35,000 for first place, $25,000 for second and $10,000 for third and fourth.
The Highs
Commentary: Larry Ridley, Jamie “Dirk” Ruiz and Scott Cole kept the intensity high and had a natural chemistry in their first show. Because basketball is a mainstream sport, the commentators didn’t need to explain the game to new fans and were able to go deeper from the jump. Cole’s one-liners were a highlight: “You know why they call it a jam right? ‘No’ Cause jelly don’t shake like that.”
Player cameras: Developing fandom for virtual characters on the court might be a challenge. But the player cameras gave the viewer constant looks at the emotion of the players behind their virtual avatars.
Teamwork: Unlike games such as Madden and FIFA, NBA 2K works with multiple human players on a team, like real basketball. Having team dynamics leads to more dramatic celebrations, increased communication and will increase storylines as the league goes on.
Engagement: The beginning of games can be slow, but contests last less than an hour and heat up by the end. Credit for that goes to the player cams and commentary for getting fans invested in individual storylines and building stars. Competing for viewers with the NBA playoffs will be tough, but for basketball starved fans in the summer, NBA 2K is worth a look.
The Lows
Glitchy gameplay: Instead of blaming referees for bad calls in the real world, NBA 2K players may blame the game’s code when plays don’t seem to work right. With three minutes left in the game between the Kings and Cavs, a pass from Kings PG TimelyCook was aimed at a rolling Mootyy in the center of the lane. Despite the pass being from the top of the key, it somehow managed to hit the back of the backboard and go out of bounds. That was a costly turnover in a three-point game that the Kings ended up losing.
Lack of breathtaking moments: Most sports have moments that get fans out of the edge of their seats. Think of LeBron James posterizing a poor center in real basketball or League of Legends star Faker turning defense into attack in a single motion. (“Faker WHAT WAS THAT?”) Game-winning shots In NBA 2K have that potential but so far there doesn’t seem to at least be the possibility of something crazy happening on every play.
First-show jitters: The stream audio started off out of sync with the video, which was a little disorienting for anyone who tuned in at the beginning. Fans who have played 2K but not watched it were also clamoring for the “NBA 2K cam” instead of the broadcast cam. And the teams seemed nervous: the first game was very low scoring and teams appear to still be working out some kinks in their game plans.
*****
Overall, the debut will probably be marked down as success. The viewership number hovered around 10,000. Too low for the NBA’s liking, but this is just the start and no esport became popular overnight. The second half of last night’s games were also competing with LeBron against the Raptors and the return of Steph Curry against the Pelicans in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, a tall order for any show.
What’s next in the NBA 2K world?
MSG Networks is set to announce the launch of “Knicks Gaming,” a first-of-its kind show that will feature Knicks Gaming, the official NBA 2K League team of The Madison Square Garden Company.
The show will follow the team throughout their inaugural season and will include profiles on the six players as well as actor Jerry Ferrara, known for roles in Entourage and Power, who was hired as the team’s Head Scout and Creative Consultant.
The show will premiere this coming Tuesday, May 8th.