T-Wolves Gaming overcame two squandered leads and a technical-related delay of more than three hours to outlast 76ers GC 3-2 in a five-game series Saturday night in New York and win the NBA 2K League Finals.
Michael "BearDaBeast" Key was named Finals MVP after putting up 23 points and six assists in the deciding fifth game, which the T-Wolves won 52-35. A day earlier, BearDaBeast's celebrity team went 3-0 to claim the SZN 2 Showcase championship.
With Saturday's victory, the Wolves took home the first prize of $360,000, half of the total prize pool. The victory was completed not long before 1 a.m. ET, 9 hours, 21 minutes after the first game of the Finals tipped off.
The series began with a pair of blowouts. The T-Wolves took the early edge with a 71-36 stomping, riding 32 points and 10 assists from BearDaBeast. The 76ers were paced by Alexander "Steez" Bernstein, who had 12 points and seven rebounds.
But the Sixers responded with a resounding rout of their own, winning 70-23. Ethan "Radiant" White and Christopher "BreadwinnerLA" Lafanette each had 18 points, with Radiant adding nine assists and BreadwinnerLA chipping in nine steals and seven rebounds. BearDaBeast was limited to 10 points and four assists with seven turnovers.
The third game was interrupted a few minutes after the start by technical issues, which stopped play for 3 hours, 12 minutes. When action resumed, Game 3 began anew, with the T-Wolves taking an early lead and hanging on for a 56-47 victory. BearDaBeast racked up 23 points and eight assists, while Rashann "ZDS" Petty scored 28 for the Sixers in defeat.
But the Wolves again squandered their advantage, falling 53-46 in Game 4 despite leading 40-38 entering the fourth quarter. Radiant led the 76ers with 24 points and 10 assists, while BearDaBeast again paced T-Wolves with 16 points and nine assists.
In the final game, Steez and ZDS led the Sixers with 10 points apiece, with Steez adding nine rebounds. Radiant had eight points and seven assists.
The 76ers earned $120,000 as runner-up.