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Oh snap, the Golden State Warriors’ official pro eSports hoops team is moving on up! Warriors Gaming Squad is in Dallas, Texas right now for the NBA 2K League playoffs and are off to a hot start after defeating Pistons GT.
WGS won their best of three series to advance to the quarterfinals, but it wasn’t easy. After dropping the first game 69-63 and falling behind 0-1, the Bay’s team roared back in a major way.
Warriors Gaming Squad won Game 2 73-68, led by 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists from rookie center Veron “Hezi” Coates. Charles “CB13” Bostwick dropped 18 points and 6 dimes as well, as a full team effort pushed WGS to the victory.
Hezi @YooVC_ showing off his BIG man plays! pic.twitter.com/6jjABSgHIn
— Warriors Gaming (@WarriorsGaming) August 27, 2021
And in the tie-breaking Game 3, WGS showed heart by finishing Pistons GT off in a 81-64 victory. CB13, last year’s MVP runner up, went bananas with 29 points and 11 assists. Samuel “Gradient” Salyers chipped in 17 points on efficient 8-of-9 shooting, while Hezi added another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
.@WarriorsGaming came back in a big way in Games 2 and 3 to move on to the Quarterfinals of the 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs delivered with @DoorDash! pic.twitter.com/2cu6fuPCQ8
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 27, 2021
Playing on that stage is really so much fun compared to online, hard to experience anything like the 2kleague atmosphere.. excited for tomorrow round 2 vs @TWolvesGaming
— Sam Salyers (@Gradient) August 27, 2021
This gutsy victory is the first step in the postseason on the way towards a major cash prize. Per the 2K League site:
The NBA 2K League will award more than $1 million in prize money during the 2021 Playoffs, with the NBA 2K League champions receiving $450,000 from that pool. The remaining $630,000 will be distributed among the teams that qualify for the 2021 Playoffs (second place – $180,000, third and fourth place – $80,000, fifth through eighth place – $42,500, ninth through twelfth place – $30,000).
But there’s plenty of competition standing in their way on the road to the moolah. Next up, a best of three battle with the West’s #1 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves eSports outfit, T-Wolves Gaming. (Only in NBA 2K will we see Minnesota basketball as a number one seed, amirite? JK LOL).
Here's how the bracket shapes up after Day 1 of the 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs delivered with @DoorDash!
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) August 27, 2021
Who ya got advancing pic.twitter.com/OXUCJaipkE
T-Wolves Gaming is anchored by center Malik “Slaughter” Leisinger, a former member of Warriors Gaming Squad who was traded last November following the team’s Finals defeat. There’s no doubt he’ll be looking for payback, and his matchup against Hezi should be a barnburner as WGS centers past and present battle.
This heated contest starts at 5PM PT and can be viewed on Twitch. For more information on Warriors Gaming Squad, check out their social media @WarriorsGaming and visit their website at WarriorsGamingSquad.com. For more info on the 2K League, head over to NBA2KLeague.com.