Magic Gaming Set to TIPOFF NBA 2K League Season

ORLANDO – As the Orlando Magic close the book on their season, Magic Gaming is getting set to write their opening chapter.

Magic Gaming begins their 2021 NBA 2K League campaign with THE TIPOFF tournament on Wednesday as they get set for opening round matchups against 76ers GC and Cavs Legion GC.

“We’ve done a lot in the last few weeks to build our team and to build our chemistry,” Magic Gaming General Manger/Head Coach Jonah Edwards said. “I feel confident in our ability, but more so in our environment. That’s what’s been really impressive to me. Our environment right now is conducive for learning and growth, and it’s a really healthy training environment currently.”

Orlando brought back three players from last season, including point guard Brendan “Reizey” Hill, power forward Daniel “DT” Tlais and center Robert “May” May. Magic Gaming acquired Justin “Snubby” Stemerman from Hornets Venom GT in an offseason trade and added Josue “FutureClutch” Acosta Gomez in the second round and Jackson “Potts” Potts in the third round of the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft.

“We’re working on getting better, trusting each other, (getting down) rotations, when to drop, when not to, and they’re teaching me a lot of stuff that I didn’t know was in the game,” FutureClutch said.

Although teams only recently received the league build version of the game – it differs from the commercial experience many gamers may be familiar with – Magic Gaming has still spent significant time preparing for their opening matchups.

76ers GC made many changes to their team this offseason, including adding Dayne “OneWildWalnut” Downey from Blazer5 Gaming, while also selecting Andre “Dre” Marshall, Robert “Caliraq” Ruiz, Elijah “UnderRatedGoat” Spears, and former Magic Gaming player Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush in the draft.

“We’re certainly going into the matchup expecting a dogfight because that’s the kind of team the 76ers have been for the last three years,” said Edwards, who also noted that Orlando’s experience may prove to be an advantage against a youthful Philadelphia squad.

Cleveland also had its share of significant changes, acquiring Albano “oFAB” Thomallari from Celtics Crossover Gaming and then selecting Devin “DLAW” Lawrence, Mario “avemario” Ortega Ariza, and Timothy “BigRiM” Hayworth in the draft.

“They had a complete re-work of their lineup, and they were able to somehow do that and still keep their two best players from last year in Strainer and Goddof2k,” Edwards said. “They did a good job of overhauling in the offseason without unloading too much, in my opinion.”

THE TIPOFF is a four-day tournament (Wednesday, May 19 – Saturday, May 22) with all 23 teams participating remotely from their local markets. It features two days of group play on May 19-20 to determine the eight teams that advance to the tournament playoffs on May 21-22.

“It’s certainly seen as more than a preseason tournament,” Edwards said. “There’s a couple of things to play for. Obviously, you’re playing for pride because you want to win and be the best team and set the tone for your season, but you’re also playing for $170,000 and you’re also playing for THE BANNER CHAIN.”

Each team will play four games in group play, competing against two other teams in its group twice. Orlando will take on Philadelphia on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET before going head-to-head with Cleveland at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

“In general, we feel that this is the most talented roster that we’ve had and we’re capable at every position,” Edwards said. “We feel pretty excited to be getting started now.”

The team in each group with the best record will advance to the tournament playoffs. The non‑group winner with the best record will also advance to the tournament playoffs as a “Wild Card.” Playoff rounds seeding will be determined by record during group play and (if necessary) the use of tiebreakers. Each matchup in the playoff rounds will be played in a best-of-three format.

Group play is broken down as follows:
Group 1: Knicks Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, Heat Check Gaming
Group 2: Warriors Gaming Squad, Pacers Gaming, T-Wolves Gaming
Group 3: Hornets Venom GT, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Wizards District Gaming
Group 4: Magic Gaming, 76ers GC, Cavs Legion GC
Group 5: Raptors Uprising GC, Hawks Talon GC, Grizz Gaming
Group 6: Jazz Gaming, Blazer5 Gaming, Mavs Gaming, Lakers Gaming
Group 7: Nets GC, Pistons GT, Bucks Gaming, Kings Guard Gaming

Games will air live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Games will also be available on ESRevolution, Loco in India, Sport1 in Europe and Dash Radio.

All 23 teams will compete for a total prize pool of $160,000. The prize pool will be awarded as follows:
First place – $70,000
Second place – $50,000
Third and fourth place – $20,000 each

THE TIPOFF is the first of three in-season tournaments (THE TIPOFF, THE TURN and THE TICKET) in which teams compete for banners as part of THE BANNER CHAIN powered by AT&T.