While everyone continues to be cooped up in their homes, looking for ways to entertain themselves aside from grocery store runs amid sneeze-inducing pollen, others have turned to their gaming consoles.
This past week, the NBA 2K League began its “Three for All Showdown,” a three-on-three tournament of games to 21 in a best two-out-of-three games series. Hawks Talon Gaming Club, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, will compete tonight at 8 p.m. against Wizards Gaming, the Washington Wizards’ official affiliate.
Before the big matchup, Hawks Talon GC head coach Wesley Acuff caught up with The Signal. Among the topics discussed were tonight’s keys to the games.
“Just playing the same way, playing the way we’re capable of playing,” Acuff said. “In Park mode, it’s easy to get derailed and start having a little bit too much fun. Like, I tell my guys the key is to remember to take this thing seriously.”
Tournament-wide talent
The team is coming off of two impressive rounds. In round one, they swept Team Savage, which featured Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice, winning 22-19 and then 21-13. Along with Guice, Jaylen Hands of the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn Nets’ affiliate) and well-known YouTube sneakerhead Jeremy Jones are all competing on different teams.
A variety of people are competing, and the rosters are quite diverse.
“It’s the perfect place for influencers, celebrities, pros like our gamers and everybody to be able to have a little bit of fun and provide some entertainment together,” Acuff said. “Because we all love video games at the end of the day.”
In the second round, Hawks Talon GC defeated Knicks Gaming 25-22 before beating them again 21-11 in game two.
“I think that obviously, the first two series that we won gave us a huge confidence booster going into the next round,” Acuff said. “Shoutout to both of those teams we played against. Team Savage and Knicks had good players who gave us good runs for our money. It was entertaining, and it was fun, man.”
Who will be competing tonight for Hawks Talon GC?
Acuff and Hawks Talon GC boast a solid roster in the tournament.
The leader, Michael Diaz-Cruz, better known as BP, enters his second season in the 2K League. A stellar 2019 saw him go third overall in the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft. Later that season, he finished as a finalist for the MVP.
Joining BP are two of the team’s newest members, Levi Lamb, known as Lee, and Kwan Niblack, also known as followTHEGOD.
“Lee had a big game-winner for us and hit some big shots, and then that was huge. And then [followTHEGOD] actually doing what he needed to do out in the corner and kinda playing his role,” Acuff said about his role players.
But just as on the real court, players have to get along well and gel together. So far, there have been little to no problems regarding chemistry among the three players.
“The main thing that helped us get the win was the fact that [the three players] were communicating with each other,” Acuff said. “They stuck to the game plan, and they did what they had planned to do out there, and that put us in the position to get those wins.”
If you can’t play basketball, may as well watch it
With sports not going on, Three For All offers an outlet for fans to continue enjoying the games they love. Nearly two million people play NBA 2K every day now. Unlike the real game of basketball, not much cardio comes with being a 2K League athlete. Height and long arms are crucial for success in the NBA. Here, it is different – it is OK to be different.
“We have one of the unique sports where any and everybody who can operate a controller to a video game can participate,” he said. “So, it’s a cool thing that I think our sport has that separates us and makes us a bit unique. It doesn’t matter what gender, what age, however old you are, or any of that stuff.”
Tune in to the streams on YouTube and Twitch to watch all of the NBA 2K League’s games. Those wishing for just Hawks Talon GC coverage can head over to the team’s official Twitch channel at 8 p.m to watch Acuff’s team battle.
“Anybody who’s watching or listening, just spread the word and try and get more people in here so we can entertain you guys,” Acuff said.
