NetsGC Fights For Playoff Berth in Week 12 Matchups

NetsGC will close out the regular season in Week 12 with two matchups that put everything on the line for the team’s playoff hopes.

Brooklyn sits at 7-7 on the year and is in contention with a number of other teams for one of the three remaining spots that would qualify them for an automatic postseason appearance. Critically, Brooklyn must jump ahead of four teams who have just six losses, whole also fending off a few outside contenders with eight losses on the season.

The stakes are high, the pressure is on and the path to the playoffs won’t be easy as NetsGC must take on Knicks Gaming and Hornets Venom GT, two teams also fighting for their postseason lives.

The series kicks off on Tuesday with another edition of the crosstown rivalry between Brooklyn and Knicks Gaming. A loss to the Knicks would officially end NetsGC’s playoff chances and force the team to fight for its way into the postseason through THE TICKET, an unenticing prospect and difficult feat of its own.

Knicks Gaming has had an up-and-down journey the past couple of weeks. It took down Pistons GT in the first round of THE TURN two weeks ago but then suffered a swift sweep at the hands of Kings Guard Gaming, a series that included a 102-46 drubbing. Last week, the team fell to Sacramento yet again before taking down a struggling Pacers Gaming.

The Knicks’ backcourt duo of Duck and OriginalMalik is the pair NetsGC must key in on in order secure a win. Duck, this year’s second overall pick in the entry draft, has proven his scoring and playmaking ability, evidenced by his 39 points on a 68% shooting performance in the series closer against Pacers Gaming last Wednesday.

Duck’s partner, OriginalMalik, has been one of the most improved players of season three. The secondary scorer’s offensive game has expanded in his second year and he has proven to be a threat from both inside and outside.

NetsGC then takes on Hornets Venom GT in its regular-season finale on Wednesday. Charlotte mostly controls its own destiny with an 8-6 record and is currently tied with Bucks Gaming for seventh in the league standings. A win on Wednesday would help solidify its playoff bid.

The Hornets will be a lot tougher to face now than they would have been just a couple weeks ago. The team’s starting center, Type, was first benched then suspended until last week when he saw his first game action against T-Wolves Gaming.

Type is perhaps the best defensive center in the league, but NetsGC can take notes from Minnesota whose point guard-center duo of BearDaBeast and Feast put up big numbers in the teams’ three-game series last Wednesday. BearDaBeast averaged nearly 30 points per game, while Feast outrebounded his matchup in every game, including a 22-point, 22-rebound effort in game one of the 2-1 T-Wolves win.

Playoff Scenarios

The final week of the season, as it usually is in the NBA 2K League, will be a hectic one. There are seven teams vying for the three remaining playoff spots. Here are the current standings entering Week 12 (“X” notes teams that have clinched playoffs):

There are a dizzying number of outcomes depending on how the final week shakes out, however there are still a few clear scenarios.

NetsGC controls its own postseason destiny. Two wins against Knicks Gaming and Hornets Venom GT would guarantee Brooklyn a spot in the playoffs, though their seeding would be determined by other results.

If Brooklyn loses just one of its final two games, the situation gets murkier. If NetsGC beats Knicks Gaming on Tuesday but loses to Hornets Venom GT on Wednesday, Brooklyn needs both Bucks Gaming and T-Wolves Gaming to finish 8-8 because it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over those two teams. Brooklyn must also hope that 76ers GC doesn’t finish 8-8 since Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker over Brooklyn.

If NetsGC loses to Knicks Gaming but beats Hornets Venom GT, it gets harder for them. Brooklyn would need T-Wolves Gaming, Bucks Gaming and Hornets Venom GT to all finish 8-8 or worse, and hope 76ers GC finishes 7-9 or worse. In that scenario, all the mentioned teams would go 8-8 or better and NetsGC will be eliminated.

Two losses in Week 12 would also guarantee doom for a guaranteed playoff appearance for NetsGC, however, there’s still hope. THE TICKET tournament provides the winner an automatic spot into the postseason. No matter the results of Week 12, there will still be Brooklyn basketball left to play.

NetsGC faces off against Knicks Gaming on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. before taking on Hornets Venom GT the following night at 7 p.m. Both series can be viewed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.