By: Lucky Ngamwajasat
History was made Friday night and IdrisDaGoat6 was at the center of it.
For the first time in NBA 2K League history, a player recorded a triple-double, as the Knicks Gaming power forward ripped off 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Knicks Gaming 87-63 win over Cavs Legion in the first round of “The Turn” tournament.
The two-day, single-elimination began Friday with Knicks Gaming seeded 12th, taking on a Cavs Legion GC seeded 5th.
Midseason action from The Turn in 1 hour @NBA2KLeague
🖥: https://t.co/tkFjLvMflR pic.twitter.com/xJZo9DyALo
— NBA 2K19 (@NBA2K) June 8, 2018
Fresh off a win last week in league play, the Knicks Gaming squad made their way to the arena with the enthused support of the home crowd.
.@CavsLegionGC & @KnicksGaming ready to get started here at THE TURN
💻: https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/DRfnueJZyU
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
With the winners of the tournament taking home a cool $150,000 prize, Knicks Gaming knew they had to bring their “A” game throughout. IdrisDaGoat6 showed off his early dominance in the paint with an emphatic jam and Knicks Gaming took an 18-14 lead after one quarter.
.@ImThat6MB with the powerful two-handed jam for @KnicksGaming!
💻: https://t.co/jyRINAVZW8 pic.twitter.com/JBF3oggg17
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
Fast-break points proved to be crucial in this matchup, with Knicks Gaming using their transition game to full effect.
.@yeynotgaming hammers it home in transition and @KnicksGaming is up by 6.
💻: https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/6LTLYI43sY
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
A huge second-quarter run gave Knicks Gaming a commanding 46-21 lead heading into the halftime interval.
15-4 run for @KnicksGaming forces a @CavsLegionGC timeout.
The hometown squad is on 🔥
💻: https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/De9DEymL10
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
A stone-cold look from IdrisDaGoat6 showed that he wasn’t fooling around.
.@ImThat6MB ! 🤫
💻: https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/85wmRySBWg
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
IdrisDaGoat6 continued to dominate the paint in the second half and was throwing down hammer blows seemingly every trip down the floor.
🔨🔨🔨@ImThat6MB throws down the hammer!
💻: https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/fOPDEswGpX
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 8, 2018
Knicks Gaming’s Twin-Tower duo of IdrisDaGoat6 and G O O F Y 7 5 7 simply had their way down low, as they cruised to a surprisingly easy first-round win.
49 combined points from @ImThat6MB and @Goofy757__ guides @KnicksGaming to the HUGE win over No. 12 @CavsLegionGC. pic.twitter.com/jXr19X2MAl
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 9, 2018
After the game, IdrisDaGoat6 reflected on his historic effort.
WHAT A GAME@ImThat6MB joins the @Intel Analyst Desk to talk about his 24 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist and 5 steal triple-double that spearheaded the @KnicksGaming win. pic.twitter.com/ho1uvGUCLF
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) June 9, 2018
Team consultant Jerry Ferrara heaped loads of praise on the team via his Twitter page.
Way to go @Goofy757__ @ImThat6MB @iamadamthe1st @NateKahl @yeynotgaming @Mr_BrAzYBoii @LetsBallUp_ @KnicksGaming https://t.co/UrbwKH1abR
— Jerry Ferrara (@jerryferrara) June 9, 2018
Knicks Gaming moves on to Round 2 Saturday. where they’ll take on 13th ranked Warriors Gaming. Warriors Gaming pulled off an upset of their own, knocking off PistonsGT, 56-51, Friday. Knicks Gaming prevailed over Warriors in come-from-behind fashion, beating the boys from the Bay Area, 77-74, back on May 11 for their first NBA 2K League victory.
Next Game: Knicks Gaming will take on Warriors Gaming in 2nd round action of “The Turn” tournament. You can catch the action live on Twitch.
Stat of the Night: A 28-7 2nd quarter was all Knicks Gaming needed to put Cavs Legion away
Tune In: Don’t miss the next episode of KNX Gaming: Inside the NBA 2K league Tuesday at 10 PM on MSG and MSG GO.