Golden State is back in the final! Well, maybe that’s not the way we’ve been expecting for the past half-decade.
The Warriors Gaming Squad, the NBA 2K League affiliate team of the Golden State Warriors, has advanced to the 2020 NBA 2K League Finals, its first appearance in the franchise’s history. The esports team will take on Washington Wizards affiliate Wizards District Gaming in a best-of-five series to be held on Friday, August 28 at 4:00 PM (Pacific).
This isn’t the first time Golden State and Washington have faced each other in a final, of course, as the Warriors defeated the Bullets in 1975 to win the NBA championship. Memories of the match are still fresh in the minds of the two players who led their respective teams in scoring that series: Warriors Hall of Famer Rick Barry and Washington Bullets legend Phil Chenier.
“It had to be the biggest mismatch in NBA Finals history, they should have wiped us out, it had to be a joke,” Barry recalled in the “Runnin Plays” podcast, “and it turned out to be the biggest upheaval in NBA Finals history, because we wiped out the team that was supposed to wipe us out. “
Led by Barry, who averaged nearly 30 points per game, the Warriors have won all four games against the Bullets. “I remember Rick Barry was pretty much unstoppable,” Chenier told NBC Sports Bay Area.
The rematch between the two franchises will now be in the virtual world, a space Barry and Chenier admit they’re not very familiar with.
“I know absolutely nothing [about NBA2K]”Chenier said with a laugh,” and hopefully owner Ted Leonsis won’t hear this as he is very proud of his NBA2K team. “
That doesn’t mean Chenier doesn’t enjoy the basketball video game, however.
“One of the biggest emotions I had was that my grandchildren came to me and said ‘Hey Pop Pop, did you know you’re in 2K basketball!?’” Chenier recalled with his ever-present smile. “For my grandchildren to see and identify me, you couldn’t ask for more.”
The NBA 2K League isn’t just for sentimental and recreational purposes, as there is a lot of money at stake. A total prize pool of $ 920,000 is waiting to be split, with the NBA 2K League champions receiving $ 420,000. The Warriors Gaming Squad should feel very confident about competing for the top prize. NBA 2K League 2020 point guard and MVP finalist Charlie “CB13” Bostwick averaged 37.5 points and 6.5 assists per game in the semifinals, while Samuel “Gradient” Salyers scored 16.5 points with the 93.3% of field shots (14 out of 15 FG) along with 3.5 steals.
Obviously, Barry and Chenier will not participate in the series, but their competitive fire has not abandoned them. “This time we’ll find you guys,” Chenier replied when asked if he had words for Barry. “The roles will be reversed”.
Barry, as one might expect, had none of that.
“It won’t do him any good, he lost what something meant,” Barry replied. “I know Phil well … he’s a really good guy and player … [but] if his esports team won, it won’t matter, he won’t get the upper hand over what ever happened to him, he’ll remember it for the rest of his life. “
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The series kicks off this Friday with games airing live on ESPN2, ESPN’s digital platforms, and the NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube channels.
Barry will be cheering on his team.
“I hope our Warriors guys with esports can do it.”
