Magic Gaming Hopes to Keep Season Alive and Punch TICKET to NBA 2K League 5v5 Playoffs

ORLANDO – There are 15 teams in the NBA 2K League that are hoping to reach the postseason by punching their TICKET to the playoffs via the final 5v5 tournament of the season.

The TICKET, a single elimination tournament, offers 2KL squads the opportunity to claim the final two spots in the playoffs – one in the Eastern Conference and the other in the West.

In fact, it’s the very path to the postseason that Magic Gaming took last season when they reached the 5v5 playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Now, Magic Gaming hopes that history truly does repeat itself when they tip off their TICKET run on Friday night against Celtics Crossover Gaming at 6:15 p.m. ET.

“We’re absolutely hoping that (history repeats itself) and there is belief in the room that we can make it happen,” said Magic Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “I keep telling our guys that if we win our first game, we’re going to win the whole thing. We’re the kind of team that once we get going, we’re really hard to stop.”

Magic Gaming will need to rattle off three straight wins to qualify for the TICKET finals, which will award them a postseason berth.

In order to do that, they’ll need a stellar showing from point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter. Orlando’s floor general has put together a sensational sophomore campaign, averaging team highs in points (25.6) and assists (11.2) per game.

“I think the biggest challenge is consistency,” said unguardable on the latest episode of the Magic Gaming podcast. “Considering (games in the TICKET) are all best-of-ones and our offense has clicked at such a high level, all it has to do is click for four games and then, we’re the TICKET champs and we’re in the playoffs. We have the potential and we’ve shown it throughout the year. It’s just being consistent with it. If we do that, we’ll probably win it all.”

First, Orlando must get past Boston. Coincidentally, it was Magic Gaming’s triumph over CLTX Gaming in the TICKET last season that propelled Orlando into the tournament finals and earned the franchise a playoff berth.

“They’re a really talented team,” said Edwards. “Torin ‘TayZo’ Williams, their lock, and Christopher ‘Chrizzy’ Garcia, their power forward, are both really talented in the pick-and-roll defensively. TayZo, to me, is a top-three lockdown defender in the league this season. He gets a lot of credit in our room. We’re certainly going to do what we can to try and get him out of the play. On the offensive side, (shooting guard) David ‘Leche’ Jamous has been an absolute steal for them. They got him in the second round. He’s been phenomenal. He’s a really, really patient player.”

A big advantage for Orlando is the fact that it’s made a run in the TICKET before. With all the matchups taking place in-person on stage in Washington D.C. with win-or-go-home stakes, the pressure of that environment is hard to replicate. Unguardable, small forward Matthew “Matty” Grant, and power forward Robert “May” May were all part of Magic Gaming’s unit last season, while shooting guard Jarvis “Simptoms” Thompson played against them, then as a member of Mavs Gaming.

“We’re one of the few teams in the tournament that (has that experience),” said Edwards. “So, we’re looking forward to showcasing that experience a little bit. We are a better team in-person than we are in remote play. I’m not sure everyone in this tournament can say that. We’re hoping that’s the case this week.”