By Austin Cunningham
By now, we were all prepared for a gripping showdown of potential playoffs matchups going down the final stretch of the NBA regular season. Sadly, Covid-19 has taken that away from us. Ultimately, the human spirit rises up in trying times, and in a world currently without sports, we’ve found a way to somehow incorporate them to our quarantine life.
Like many of us at home, professional athletes have turned to video games to occupy their time, (obviously in between practicing their craft). Thus, the NBA 2K Players Tournament. We find some of the top NBA talent, taking each other in the virtual world of NBA 2K. The opening round commenced last week, and saw several elite players fall, such as Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, and Zach Lavine. While it may not be as intense as the regular NBA season, we did get some theatrics and elite trash talk by one Patrick Beverley, all nationally televised on ESPN 2.
Beverley was in mid-season form with his trash talk, as he triumphed of Whiteside with the Greek Freak and the Bucks. While not as intense of course, the two went back and forth and shared a few laughs, as this was the closest thing to NBA action they’d be getting. Along with that, we had the elite gamer of the NBA players, Devin Booker, share some feelings about his personal 2K rating. The Suns SG was asked why he wouldn't just play as his team, to which he laughed saying “No.” He later revealed the reason in a twitter post,
stating he did not agree with his personal player rating. Well tell them how you really feel Book. Booker is the clear favorite to win, but as all of us know in the video game world, anything can happen, especially in 2K. I’m sure many players have felt disrespected by their ratings at some point, and this tournament might give the fans some insight on how the players in these games feel. After a hard fought first round by the tournament competitors, we find ourselves preparing for the Quarterfinals this Tuesday, April 7th, 2020.
We have four matchups taking place. Trae “Ice Trae” Young vs. Deandre Ayton, Patrick Beverley vs. Andre Drummond, Devin Booker vs. Rui Hachimura, and lastly this year’s slam dunk champ Derrick Jones Jr. vs. Montrezl Harrell. Winner of the tournament takes hoe a $100,000 prize for a charity of their choice. The quarterfinals, and the rest of the tournament will air live on ESPN.
While we may have no live sports due to the global pandemic, the NBA is finding ways to keep its fans entertained and engaged while remaining at home. The NBA has also proposed a prolific game of H-O-R-S-E with some of its brightest stars going head to head. It would take place from the comfort of their personal home gyms, and also air live for fans around the world to spectate. While this may not be the reality we wanted, it’s the best we can do right now in a time of crisis. As a sports fan, this gives me something to smile about, albeit virtual or not as meaningful as live sports, but this is more than just sports. It’s a display of perseverance during crisis, and will ultimately lead us out of it.
Credits:
ESPN/GETTY IMAGES (Beverley VS. Whiteside Matchup)
Twitter @DevinBook (Tweet from Devin Booker regarding 2K Tournament.)
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