Week 5
Welcome to Console Corners’ NBA2k League Power Rankings. Week 5 of the 2020 Season has come and gone and it was another exciting week as well. Not only did we see the Raptors and Warriors continue their historic Seasons but we also watched the Nets show off how good they actually are even with a new Player as a last minute change. You can check out all of the action Live Tuesday-Friday 7 PM EDT on Youtube, Twitch, and the ESPN Watch App.
1. Raptors Uprising GC
Raptors once again show they are the top team in the League and come out as the victorious team again. They only had one match up this past week against the Nets who were able to keep the games close at times but ultimately fell 0-2. Kenny put in work once again with 32 and 43 points while ReeceMode at the SF was able to contibute heavily on the scoring end as well with 25 in Game 1. The Nets were able to contain the outside shooting from Raptors in Game 2 forcing them to shoot an ugly 9 for 24 but as we have seen time after time this season the Rap’s know how to adjust in games on the fly and did so feeding the ball down low late into Game 2 and allowing Kenny to do what he does in the half court.
2. Warriors Gaming Squad
Warriors also remain undefeated alongside the Raptors through Week 5 after they get taken to game 3 by the Blazer5 Gaming team. This is only the second time all season the Warriors have had to play a Game 3 and they didn’t show any weakness during it. Losing Game 2 wasn’t something people didn’t expect since Blazer5 is actually stacked and an insane team in their own right. Plus when you have Mama and Walnut playing great on both sides of the ball you just have to allow some things to get through. It’s tough to contain the Warriors with CB13, Slaughter, and Gradient all putting up huge numbers each game and as the night went on it clearly showed these three would not be contained.
3. Wizards District Gaming
Wizards had their only match this Week vs the Jazz postponed which during remote play seems to be a trend we as viewer still cannot escape 5 weeks into the season. However the Wizards are still a dangerous team, proven themselves vs the Hornets and with Blazer5 Gaming losing this week shows they still belong in the Top 3 in the Power Rankings through Week 5 without even playing their match up.
4. Hornets Venom GT
Hornets Venom GT is back in the top 4 once again after a tough week for the Blazer5 Gaming squad. Now the Hornets didn’t actually play in Week 5 but we still think they can contend with the best as they have clearly shown through the first 4 weeks only losing to the Raptors and Wizards who happen to be 2 of the top 3 teams in the League as I have already stated and they have already shown. The Hornets do play 2 more matches in Week 6 vs the struggling Celtics and the rising Jazz, where they can secure themselves as a Top 4 team league wide with wins.
5. T-Wolves Gaming
The T-Wolves also did not play in Week 5 but they continue to move upwards in the rankings and standings themselves posting a 5-1 record as of now and firmly putting themselves tied for third in the league with the Wizards.
6. Blazer5 Gaming
Tough week for Blazer5 Gaming as they lost both of their matches. First they lose to the Kings and then the Warriors. Now losing to the Warriors wasn’t too much of a surprise given the fact that the Warriors have been extremely good as of now and continue to remain undefeated alongside the Raptors. However, Blazer5 losing to the Kings who started the season on a rocky start was something I myself didn’t come to expect. Now the Blazer5 squad do for some reason get taken to Game 3 by many often but it’s usually Game 2 where they fail to close things out. This time however, Mama time couldn’t come in Games 1 or 3 and with Yusuf able to help out on the defensive and offensive side Walnut wasn’t able to truly find a consecutive rhythm and thus the Blazer5 team fell short of the victory. The best regular season team has always had problems in the post season but maybe once they hit the 2k Studio again they will find their true dominance, until then remote play is starting to take a toll and not a good one.
7. Hawks Talon GC
Hawks were scheduled to play the 76ers and Warriors in Week 5 but due to problems relating to the tech side of things they were both postponed. So we couldn’t really see what they have been working on since we have last watched the Hawks play. They remain at number 7 in the Rankings but are slowly slipping down like some other teams due to Teams getting to play and make a jump in the Rankings. Hopefully we get to see the Hawks soon since they were sort of a dark horse team to watch early in the Season.
8. Kings Guard Gaming
Kings Guard Gaming came to play in Week 5! Blazer5 Gaming put Hood back in the lineup but this time at SF and the Kings were ready for it. Beating Blazer5 Gaming in Game 2 is usually a trend and then Blazer5 steps up and takes Game 3, “usually” but that wasn’t the case this time. Kings took Game 1 to set the pace and Mama putting up 33 points wasn’t enough but they were able to crawl back in the set to force a Game 3 where the Kings took off. Bash went nuts with 31 points and 5/8 behind the arc with Seemo adding another 2/3 and Yusuf shooting 3/6 from the three at the PF as well. Plus the way Crush has been playing on both sides of the ball at SF these past 2 weeks the Kings look like a contender more and more. Look out for the Kings as they could make a climb to a top 5 team sooner than you think.
9. Jazz Gaming
Jazz got destroyed vs the Kings in Week 4 but they stepped up big in Week 5 and proved they can actually ball out in their own fashion. Now their match with the Wizards was postponed and would have been the tougher of the two they had scheduled we will have to go off of their match vs the Lakers as our only proof right now. They played great at it too and Ria showed why he is a top Center and Player in the league. He gathered another 2 double-doubles and posted 31 points in their 2 games. Ria just needs someone else outside of the PG to step up and help him out on both sides of the court as well as find more consistent shots when working the half court game and the Jazz will trend more towards the upside.
10. Mavs Gaming
Mavs didn’t play in Week 5 and hopefully took the time to figure their most recent struggles out. They only move down due to some other teams making leaps in Week 5 due to them playing and the Mavs not with a couple losses recently.
11. Nets GC
We watched the Nets play well in Week 4 but still lost with their new lineup due to the aforementioned reasons. However, in Week 5 they leap a tremendous amount in the rankings due to their insane play. They played every single night of the week of course since they have a ton of games to catch up to the rest of the league. They lost to the Raptors but actually kept it close most of the time, that is until the Raptors did what they do best and take off in the 3rd quarter. For the other 3 nights however Choc and Chess played insanely well and led the Nets to win vs the Heat, Magic, and Celtics. Now besides the Celtics coming into this season that wouldn’t be too much of a big deal but the Celtics have also not looked good since they started playing either. These aren’t impressive wins currently because of the opponents strengths but it is due to the fact that the Nets have had Roster changes and problems and sat out from playing the most. Only losing 1 game in all of those finishing them 6-1 is pretty darn good for a team that is behind in games played and again had to add a new player late into the season after a suspension came from the League.
12. Knicks Gaming
Knicks don’t move up or down, mostly due to the Nets success otherwise the Knicks might have been slotted in at the 11th spot themselves after beating Gen.G. Duck continues to show why he should be with JBM in the Rookie of the year race as well posting beautiful scoring numbers. The Knicks have a young team and are sort of trying to figure out what meta works best for them and each week they seem to show slight improvements and they keep climbing higher and higher.
13. Pacers Gaming
Pacers didn’t play in Week 5 and due to this they have fallen because some teams did play and took a higher spot then them. Pacers still have been playing better as of late and will have to show that continued success against a very tough T-Wolves Gaming in Week 6. They also play the Bucks afterwards but if the Bucks continue to play like they have been recently the Pacers should be able to take the win there no problem.
14. Gen.G Tigers
The Tigers want people to believe they are good and Kai wants people to stop leaving him out of the conversation when talking about Rookies or PGs in the League. In order for people to do just that they need to win and they cannot seem to find a way to do it against top teams consistently. Matching up against the Knicks was their best chance to show that they are the better new kids on the block when both teams are primarily new players in the League. They failed to do so but did manage to win of the 3 games payed. Not all hope is lost but they still have a ways to go before anyone considers the tigers a true threat, including myself.
15. Cavs Legion GC
Cavs took dow nthe Pistons this week but were sloppy in doing so. The Pistons had a chance to win this and wasn’t able to do it depsite the Cavs not playing much better. The Cavs are not that great this year and every match shows even against terrible teams that need to grind it out to the very last minute. Again, Cavs need to find success fast since time is closing out for them in remote play.
16. Grizz Gaming
Grizz stepped up huge this week as they continue to trend upwards. Might have to do with that fact that Goofy is grinding and starting to prove why he is a force in the paint on offense and defense. It also is in large part ot Vandi finally balling out and putting up big scoring numbers, something he wasn’t doing earlier in their season. Although the Pistons and struggling Celtics aren’t much of bragging wins it is still something to be proud of especially the way the Grizz started their season and the fact that remote play is closing out soon.
17. Celtics Crossover Gaming
Celtics got destroyed in Week 5 and I am still giving the veteran squad the benefit of the doubt. If this were a lesser known or experienced team they would probably have dropped to bottom 5 in the League. However we are talking about a team with players who have been staples in the league in years past and a PG in Fab who is regarded as one of the best to ever play the game. I guess for Fab and the Celtics they have caught some of the “2020 76ers” bug in a year with virus’ running a muck everywhere.
18. Magic Gaming
Another week goes by where the Magic give up leads, people feel bad for Reizey and Toxsik gives away money on the internet. Yet the Magic continue to lose and it is always frustrating to watch it happen. The best chance they had to grab a win would have been against the 76ers but that like many others this week was postponed. They then lost to the Nets where they like mentioned before gave a up a lead in Game 1 that changed the momentum for the worse. This killed anything the Magic were planning as they proceed to losing Game 2 in almost blowout fashion. Looks liek the Kagic need some roster changes or adjustments like many other teams in the league during remote play. Problem is, it’s not as simple as years past with protests and Covid stopping travel and keeping people on edge more so than not.
19. Bucks Gaming
The Bucks didn’t play this week but somehow after rewatching their week 4 games I have realized they are worse than I thought at the time. I would say I cannot wait to see how they play in Week 6 but then again I think I am the only viewer who can actually say that.
20. Heat Check Gaming
I mean no disrespect to Hotshot or Glenn but the Heat are looking worse and worse as the season goes on. Hotshot graqbs 19 rebounds and the Heat win the battle on the boards but still lose by 10? Maybe its the lack of a half court game as the Heat seem to only score on transition and cannot find a way to share the ball with the worst Assist per Game average among the league. This was the Heat’s last game in remote play so it was rought to watch but they might have another since there were a ton of postponed matches, I cannot remember at this point to be honest. If not then they need to find a solution before they hit the studio.
21. Lakers Gaming
The Lakers WON! Their first win of the season! The Lakers beat the Celtics 2-0, wait how do you lose to the Lakers? I have no idea what happened honestly, maybe the Celtics had connection issues again, I mean I would blame the internet after allowing the Lakers to beat me, especially when the game plan is just give Sav the ball who again dropped 70 points in those 2 games. In all seriousness however, Dweq stepped up posting a huge 22 points in Game 2 and showed he can ball out himself all night and not just Sav. It seems Sav passing the ball more often does have its benefits.
22. Pistons GT
The Pistons play terrible 2k and it was shown in Week 5 throughout. When you have a player in JT who gets called the worst Starter in the League by other players in a Player’s periscope it calls for a magnifying glass on yourself. The Pistons still don’t shoot enough threes and don’t play defense well enough to get stops when needed most. They do look good during brief moments but not enough of those during games leads them to not be able to escape with more wins than they have.
23. 76ers GC
Another postponed match up from the 76ers and they still find themselves at the 23rd spot. At this point though they could move up by not playing since the Pistons and Lakers are still battling for the the bottom spot.
Blu is a senior content writer for ConsoleCorner.Co. To keep up with all things esports, check out the website or follow Console Pro News on Twitter.