*By Jimmy Mondal*
After a tumultuous season and a disappointing 5-9 record, the New York Knicks Gaming team was at the bottom the 2K league barrel.
But clutch seems to be the team's middle name ー the Knicks Gaming squad was able to pull off not one, but two miracle runs to qualify for the NBA 2K League playoffs.
By executing a victory in the TICKET tournament and harnessing the power of the fans at New York City's NBA 2K studio, the Knicks emerged the league winners in the last quarter of the finals match.
But now the question becomes: can the team trounce their competitors a second time?
According to Jeff Eisenband, host and analyst at the NBA 2K League, it's unlikely.
"The short answer I can give you, is probably not," he told Cheddar Sports. "There are 21 teams in the league. There were 17 in year one ー these teams are all so even.”
That said, Eisenband also thinks the team has serious talent on its side, including “ four players coming back, losing the NBA \[2K League\] Finals MVP, Nate Kahl, but … iamadamthefirst is one of the prime players in the league, and a lot of people forget about Goofy757, who is probably, in my mind, the best rebounder in the league.”
As for the future of the Knicks team, Eisenband thinks burnout will be a major factor.
"They had dominated the season, but I also think there’s a sense of burnout in that they had a target on their back the whole season."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said West Virginia is the company's next, best opportunity for replicating the monster success it's seen in New Jersey as it rolls out a mobile sportsbook in the Mountain State. "West Virginia is an early mover and I think they're being smart and thoughtful about how they actually legislated and regulated," Robins told Cheddar Friday.
After the gymnastics world was rocked by a major sex abuse scandal, the sport's most decorated Olympic athlete says education for child athletes can protect them from similar abuse in the future. The Magnificent Seven's Shannon Miller told Cheddar that fear of abuse should never prevent young athletes from pursuing their sport.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
Riot's COO is suspended, Fortnite vaults the Infinity Blade, and Overwatch League announces its plans for Season 2. Featuring beastcoast CEO Grant Zinn, University of Califonia and Irvine Director of Esports Mark Deppe. Plus - EndGameTV COO Aiden McCaig previews Smash Ultimate's first major, Don't Park on the Grass 2018.
China is considering banning battle royale games, the legendary Virtus.Pro roster disbands, and the Winter Royale is ruined by the Infinity Blade.Featuring interviews with Ghost Gaming's Kayuun, DC Overwatch Assistant GM Kate Mitchell, StackUp Director of Veteran Services Dave Crouse, and a Capcom Cup preview with Amanda Stevens.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
New Jersey is on track to overtake Las Vegas as the new sports betting mecca, Darren Rovell, senior executive producer at The Action Network, told Cheddar in an interview Friday. With fewer than 7 months of sports betting on its books, New Jersey is expected to hit $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in bets by the end of the year, Rovell said.
