Magic Gaming Confident Heading Into SWITCH OPEN
June 14, 2022
ORLANDO – Magic Gaming heads into the NBA 2K League’s second 3v3 tournament of the season, the SWITCH OPEN, determined to make it to the stage for in-person bracket play for the first time this season.
This go around, they have some momentum on their side. Fresh off a thrilling victory over Heat Check Gaming to close out their run in THE TURN – the league’s second 5v5 tournament of the year – Orlando will look to build upon a balanced attack on both ends of the floor as they make the switch back to 3v3 play.
Unlike their first go around in this style of play, their floor general, Christopher “Duck” Charles, now has a familiarity with his surrounding cast. Duck was acquired by Magic Gaming in a blockbuster four-team trade just hours before Orlando tipped off action in the SLAM OPEN, the opening 3v3 tournament of the season. Although he made an instant impact with his new squad, having some chemistry under his belt this time around will certainly aid Magic Gaming in their quest to advance deep into the tournament.
SWITCH OPEN– WEEK 1 OPPONENTS:
76ers GC – Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. ET: Talk about a challenge right out of the gate. Orlando will go head-to-head with Philadelphia, the team with perhaps the most momentum in the 2KL. 76ers GC walked away with THE TURN title and shooting guard Enrique “630” Xavier Barraza was named tournament MVP after averaging 22.5 points, 4.5 assists and shooting 61 percent from the field in the finals.
Point guard Andre “Dre” Marshall was equally effective in the championship round, averaging 21.5 points and 8.0 assists per contest.
“Philly brings unique challenges, especially with Dre, who is a really elite guard,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “They have good defense in general in 5v5 and they carry that over into 3v3.”
The meeting also marks the first time Philadelphia’s Daniel “DT” Tlais will play against his former squad since Orlando chose not to retain the power forward prior to the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft. DT spent three seasons with Magic Gaming after being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft.
Knicks Gaming – Wednesday, June 15 at 8 p.m. ET: Speaking of facing former teams, Duck will once again get a chance to go head-to-head with his old squad when Orlando takes on New York on Wednesday.
When the teams met two weeks ago in a 5v5 setting, point guard Anthony “Ant SZN” Costanzo, shooting guard Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson, and small forward Jakari “Whats Stick” Hunt all delivered 20-plus point efforts to help Knicks Gaming cruise past Magic Gaming.
“I want to beat the Knicks for him, just because they traded him after he’s been there for a few years and they drafted him,” said Magic Gaming power forward Robert “May” May. “That’s his home, New York. So, I personally want to win for him. I feel like the rest of the room feels that way as well. When we play the Knicks, we know the circumstances.”
Dreamshakers – Thursday, June 16 at 10 p.m. ET: Orlando closes out the opening week of the SWITCH OPEN with a matchup against Dreamshakers, one the tournament’s amateur teams.
They’re comprised of point guard _Blixx, lockdown BADGEPLUG, and center TheReaIDario.
“They’re not quite the team that Handlez is, though they’re still good and competitive,” said Edwards. “Handlez was a beast, and they were really, really tough to beat (in the SLAM OPEN). Probably the top amateur team in the world as far as that game mode goes.”
Quote to Note: “It was a tough draw again in this group stage. We have one of the tougher groups here, again. But we’re more prepared than these teams going in and we know that. So, we have that edge on them. We certainly think that we can contend, especially in this group. We think we can win the group. There’s belief in the room that we can. I think that if we play to our potential, we can still be an elite team in this 3v3 mode.” – Edwards
More on SWITCH OPEN:
SWITCH OPEN group play includes the 24 NBA 2K League teams, North American amateur teams that earned a spot through the tournament’s qualifying events and community teams selected by the league and consisting of top players from the 2K community and social media influencers.
The two weeks of remote group play will determine the two teams from each four‑team group that advance to the round‑of‑16 in-person bracket play at the NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis from June 29 – July 2.
The 32 teams – 24 NBA 2K League teams and eight amateur/community teams – are divided into two conferences – East and West. Each conference is then divided into four groups with four teams per group (thee NBA 2K League teams and one amateur/community team).
Each team will play six series in group play, competing against each team in its group twice. The two teams in each group with the best series records will advance to the round of 16. Round‑of‑16 seeding will be determined by series records during group play.
Series in group play and in the round of 16 will be played in a best-of-five format. Series in the quarterfinals through finals will be played in a best-of-seven format.
The team breakdowns for group play are as follows:
Group 1 (Eastern Conference): Raptors Uprising GC, Heat Check Gaming, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Team Smoke
Group 2 (Eastern Conference): 76ers GC, Magic Gaming, Knicks Gaming, Dreamshakers
Group 3 (Eastern Conference): Grizz Gaming, Hawks Talon GC, NetsGC, Green Beanz
Group 4 (Eastern Conference): Wizards District Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, Hornets Venom GT, Rim Runners
Group 5 (Western Conference): DUX Infinitos, Kings Guard Gaming, Pistons GT, Team Clutch
Group 6 (Western Conference): Lakers Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, Cavs Legion GC, Dot Squad
Group 7 (Western Conference): Blazer5 Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Handlez
Group 8 (Western Conference): Jazz Gaming, Mavs Gaming, Pacers Gaming, Ankle Breakers
How to Watch:
Fans can watch games live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Games will also be available on Dash Radio, eGG Network in Southeast Asia, Loco in India, and Sport1 in Europe.