The Washington Wizards are continuing the season, 2K style
By: Jalon Dixon, Staff Writer
With the recent suspension of the 2019 – 2020 NBA season, the Washington Wizards official YouTube Channel has found a unique way to still give hoop fans a little taste of regular season basketball.
NBA 2K: The game where fans of NBA basketball join each other around the couch or play against each other online while embracing their favorite players and teams as an active member of the basketball loving community. With games like NBA 2K20 and NBA Live that allow you to watch and compete as the NBA superstars they know and love, what better way to give the fans some inkling of the NBA season than to just pick things up in 2K where they left off and play the season out?
Starting back on March 21, about a week after the season suspension was announced, Washington debuted their 2K simulations pitting the Wizards against the Milwaukee Bucks, who they would have actually been playing that same night. Some D.C. fans would say that the first game was not very promising as the Bucks defeated Washington 80-61.
Since then, the 2K Wizards are currently on a six-game winning streak with big wins over the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Bucks, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Although it may not be the real thing, there have definitely been some highlight moments where an NBA fan can not help but get excited when watching.
Here are just a couple of them:
Despite Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo showing up in a Wizards-Bucks rematch, guard Bradley Beal got the last laugh by hitting a big three with 2.1 seconds left in the game to steal an 80-79 victory. Washington beat two title contenders in the Celtics and Lakers by double digits.
But the best, and maybe even funniest, moment might have been at the beginning of the Wizards vs. Pelicans game where 2K commentator Kevin Harlan started out the broadcast by saying “Welcome to 2K sports presentation of the NBA, but the bad news is there is not basketball, there is no NBA. The game has been canceled. Haha, happy April Fools Day baby, this is the NBA and we’ve got a great one in store!” I could not help but laugh despite hoping for a second that maybe it was true.
For people who may be thinking “why does any of this matter” or “what is the point of all this,” the point is very simple: NBA fans love their basketball and they will take it any way that they can get it. Whether it be watching old highlights on YouTube, having basketball debates with their friends or watching 2K simulations just sit back and be a fan of their team again, true basketball fans find a way to enjoy the game in whatever way they can. Even the numbers on these simulations reflect that. The simulation debut has over three thousand views. Every simulation so far has hit at least 400 views, and the first game currently has 80 likes. This might not sound like a lot on the surface, but the point is that people are watching.
If you are a Wizards fan, an NBA fan or even just a basketball fan in general, the channel is definitely worth looking into. It is a great way to cope with the season suspension and it is unique because the Washington Wizards official YouTube is the only team channel in the entire league doing something like this for their fans.
