PACERS GAMING 2021 PLAYOFF PREVIEW
August 23, 2021
PACERS GAMING PLAYOFF PREVIEW – The 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs Delivered with DoorDash will begin this week at Mavs Gaming Hub in Dallas, Texas and for the second time in its history, Pacers Gaming will be in the postseason. This time as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. By virtue of its 20-8 regular-season record and No.2 seed, Indiana will avoid first-round play on Thursday and automatically advance to the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m.
The opening round through the semifinals will be held from Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 26-28, and the Playoffs will culminate with the Finals on Saturday, Sept. 4.
The quarterfinals opponent for Pacers Gaming is not yet known but will come from one of these three teams: Jazz Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad or Pistons GT. The Pacers all-time record vs. each of those teams is Jazz (3-1), Warriors (2-6) and Pistons (6-2). Ironically, the Pacers played each of those teams this season.
JAZZ GAMING
Pacers Gaming has faced the Jazz four times in its history and all four contests were regular season encounters with Indiana leading the series 3-1. The Pacers won the first game in the league’s initial season in July of 2018, 76-60 and then came back one year later on April 10, 2019 to capture a 80-42 conquest. Earlier this season the two teams split a twinbill – with the Pacers wining the first game, 84-68 before losing the second contest, 87-85.
7/21/18 W 76-60 Swizurk 24 PTS; Wolf 13 PTS, 16 ASSTS
4/10/19 W 80-42 Swizurk 30 PTS; Wolf 12 PTS
6/26/21 W 84-68 630 32 PTS; LavishPhenom 16 PTS/12 REB; Swizurk 17 PTS
6/26/21 L 87-85 630 38 PTS, LavishPhenom 15 PTS/19 REB; Swizurk 19 PTS
WARRIORS GAMING SQUAD
The Pacers are 2-6 all-time vs. the Warriors with only two of the games coming in the regular season. The two teams met in Year 1 of the league on August 9, 2018 with the Warriors nipping the Pacers, 61-60 in a regular-season contest. On April 4, 2019, the Pacers won 53-51 in THE TIPOFF and later that season the Warriors won 52-47 in a regular-season matchup. The teams then met each other for the third time that year in THE TICKET with Golden State winning 59-49. Last season in June of ’20, in THE TICKET, the Pacers won 61-57 and the Warriors won 96-69. Earlier this season in THE TIPOFF the Warriors took both games, 78-69 and 81-79.
8/9/18 L 61-60 Wolf 12 PTS/9 ASSTS
4/4/19 W 53-51 Swizurk 16 PTS
5/29/19 L 52-47 Swizurk 14 PTS
6/15/19 L 59-49 Swizurk 13 PTS
6/15/20 W 61-57 Swizurk 20 PTS; Wolf 17 PTS; Jomar 13 REB
6/15/20 L 96-69 Swizurk 20 PTS; Wolf 19 PTS; Jomar 10 REB
5/19/21 L 78-69 630 32 PTS; LavishPhenom 14 PTS/9REB; Jomar 15 PTS/13 REB
5/19/21 L 81-79 (OT) 630 23 PTS; Lavish Phenom 22 PTS; Jomar 26 PTS/16 REB
PISTONS GT
The Pacers won the first four games of this series before Detroit and Indiana split the last four with the Blue & Gold holding a 6-2 series advantage. The teams first met in Year 1 of the league on June 23, 2018, with PG winning 69-63. A year later the Pacers captured a 60-53 decision on April 18, 2019. Last season Indiana swept a doubleheader from the Pistons, 79-58 and 64-52 on May 29, 2020. Earlier this season the teams split in June (72-69 Pacers loss and 66-53 Pacers win) before splitting another twinbill just two weeks ago on August 12: Pacers winning 89-70 to clinch the playoffs and the No.2 spot in the West and the Pistons winning the second game,108-105.
6/23/18 W 79-58 Wolf 16 PTS/10 ASSTS
4/18/19 W 60-53 Swizurk 15 PTS; Wolf 12 PTS
5/29/20 W 79-58 Swizurk 29 PTS; Wolf 19 PTS
5/29/20 W 64-52 Wolf 10 PTS; Jomar 12 REB
6/24/21 L 72-69 630 38 PTS; Jomar 14 PTS/13 REB
6/24/21 W 66-53 630 32 PTS; Jomar 13 PTS/16 REB
8/12/21 W 89-70 630 43 PTS; Wolf 17 PTS; Swizurk 15 PTS; Jomar 10 PTS/16 REB
8/12/21 L 108-105 630 65 PTS; Jomar 13 PTS/10 REB; Wolf 14 PTS
Pacers Gaming only previous visit to the NBA 2K League’s postseason came at the end of the 2019 campaign, when the Pacers faced 76ers GC in the first round. Philadelphia swept the best-of-three series, winning 55-50 and 69-55. In Game 1, the Pacers led at the half 27-24. Philly used a 18-11 surge to start the third quarter and outscored Indiana 13-12 in the fourth. Swizurk led the Pacers with 21, followed by Ramo with 14. Indiana was outrebounded by nine in the contest. In Game 2, the 76ers started the game on a 9-0 run and led 24-8 after one. The Pacers pulled within seven in the second quarter but trailed 39-27 at the half. Philly outscored PG 18-11 in the third and Indiana outscored the Sixers 17-12 in the fourth. Indiana suffered 13 turnovers to Philly’s five. Ramo led the way with 18, followed by Wolf with 15 and Swizurk with 12 tallies.
All NBA 2K League Playoff Games will be simulcast live at 5 p.m. ET each day on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels, and will also be available on Dash Radio, ESRevolution, eGG Network in Southeast Asia, Loco in India, Sport1 in Europe and Tencent in China. Pacers Gaming fans are encouraged to follow the team via its social channels.
The 2021 Playoffs feature the top five teams from each of the Eastern conference and Western conference based on regular‑season standings. The 13 remaining teams competed in THE TICKET Powered by AT&T from Aug. 19-21, with the winning team from each conference earning the 11th and 12th spots in the Playoffs.
The first round, quarterfinals and semifinals of the Playoffs will be played in a best-of-three format. Teams seeded 3rd through 6th in each conference will participate in the first round with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals where the teams will be re-seeded. The NBA 2K League Finals Delivered with DoorDash will be a best-of-five format.
For the first time in league history, the NBA 2K League will implement an innovative studio design featuring two stages allowing for simultaneous in‑person games. The broadcast will switch between games in real-time to capture the most exciting action.
“The NBA 2K League live studio experience and stage is unlike anything in esports, with an electric energy and passion that is palpable. Add the high-stakes of the Playoffs and we have the perfect storm that our fans have been waiting to see for two years.” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together the league’s top teams to safely crown a champion and share this excitement with our fans watching around the world.”
As the presenting partner of the 2021 Playoffs, DoorDash will connect both fans and players with unique activations to elevate the gameday experience through expert analysis, content, social media interactions with talent and influencers, and DoorDash giveaways.
Debuting Wednesday, Aug. 25, The NBA 2KL Playoff Preview Delivered with DoorDash will be a special 60-minute 2021 Playoffs preview show featuring interviews with special guests from the NBA 2K League, stories, recaps and highlights from the season, and the DoorDash x NBA 2K League Delivery Moment where fans will have the opportunity to facilitate delivery through DoorDash directly to broadcast talent.
During every halftime throughout the Playoffs, a player who has made significant plays for their team and been “in the zone” will be recognized through branded DoorDash graphics, and fans in the Twitch chat who use #DoorDashInTheZone will have the opportunity to win DoorDash gift cards.
The Daily NBA 2K League Pick’em Game will be available on league social channels and com throughout the Playoffs. Fans will have the opportunity to climb up the leaderboard and win prizes by answering a series of predictive questions related to the 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs Delivered with DoorDash.
The NBA 2K League will award more than $1 million in prize money during the 2021 Playoffs, with the NBA 2K League champions receiving $450,000 from that pool. The remaining $630,000 will be distributed among the teams that qualify for the 2021 Playoffs (second place – $180,000, third and fourth place – $80,000, fifth through eighth place – $42,500, ninth through twelfth place – $30,000).