NetsGC rookie (and Brooklyn native) Tariq ‘Greens’ Reed leads NBA2K team to surprising finish

It’s either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows for NBA teams every year when May rolls over into June. For two lucky clubs, there’s a chance you’ll be able to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. But for 28 other teams, these early summer days might as well be spent in a waiting room. With their seasons cold in the grave but free agency and the draft weeks away, there’s not much to do other than twiddle your thumbs.

Our Nets are in that waiting room — and have been for some time. You don’t need me to tell you that twice. Sweeping them out of the postseason, the Philadelphia 76ers put an exclamation point on Brooklyn’s ending to the 2022-23 campaign.

With exception to the Liberty, basketball in the Barclays Center has essentially come to halt. In the world of esports, however, the Nets are still working their controllers, putting up shots for hours at time in their state-of-the-art gaming room inside the same arena where the Nets and Liberty play.

Brooklyn’s NBA 2K League affiliate NetsGC just capped off a groundbreaking playoff run in 3v3 play. Although the team “failed” to capture it’s first title (sorry for the word choice Giannis), they ripped through their competition as an eight seed, going further than any 3v3 unit in NetsGC history.

The NBA2K League got started in 2018 basically as way to entice younger fans. NetsGC (for Gaming Crew) was one of the 17 original teams, all affiliated with NBA clubs. After multiple expansions, it boasts 25 teams, 22 affiliated with NBA teams, along with unaffiliated clubs in Mexico City, Shanghai and Melbourne. Now, with a big assist from a quintessential New York point guard, the Nets are starting to make waves.

Indeed, that point guard, Tariq “Greens” Reed, played a crucial role in propelling the team this season. Being the first Brooklyn-native player in team history and spearheading this historic run, the rookie made some quick ground in accomplishing his goal of making his hometown proud.

NetsGC

“It means a lot,” Greens, a native of Bushwick, told NetsDaily. “For me to be able to come out and put on for the team, for my hometown, it means a lot.”

The NetsGC knew what they were getting as a player in Greens, trading for his rights, but as his head coach told Brooklyn Reader, that was only part of it.

“I knew we were getting a great talent, but I also knew we were getting a great person and a great kid,” said Ivan Curtiss said. “As a player, he’s been phenomenal.”

The 19-year-old spoke frequently about the confidence his team carried into the tournament even while sporting a combined 5-13 record against their first two opponents: Cavs Legion GC and TWolves Gaming.

“We always had that confidence,” said Greens, who estimates he’s played hundreds of thousands of games.. “We always say to each other we’re really good on stage — we’re a great stage team.”

It was a great and very unexpected run.

Greens, alongside his teammates “Streetz” and “Steez” proved that in the first round stage. They smoked Cavs Legion GC three games to none, bouncing back strong after falling to them via a sweep and later a gut wrenching 3-2 series loss roughly a month prior.

“The Cavs beat us twice in group play the tournament before,” recalled Greens. “They beat us off our own mistakes. They wasn’t better than us.”

Greens led the way averaging 10.3 points per game while going 5-of-8 from deep.

NetsGC kept the broom in hand during the following series, sweeping TWolves Gaming as well. Greens averaged 11.6 points and 2.6 assists per game in the series. He went 4-of-4 from deep in the deciding Game 3. That helped him shoot a collective 7-of-13 from deep during the series, as did a game-winner he splashed at the horn to swipe Game 1.

“That’s a move that I’ve always kept in the back pocket,” Greens said. “It was kind of in my little bag of tricks that nobody’s ever seen me ever do. I would say six-to-eight times out of ten that move and that shot it there.”

He kept up the onslaught against Glo Navy Glosquitos — part of hip hop artist Chief Keef’s gaming lifestyle brand. in the following round. NetsGC coasted to a 3-1 series victory. Despite the change in opponents, the team’s 3-point heavy game plan remained successful and naturally easy to stick to.

“Streetz and Steez both of them were top shooters in threes this year, as well as myself,” said Greens. “Anybody can go off at any point. We just stuck to the game plan. Play smart, make the right reads.”

But like all memorable playoff runs, this venture from NetsGC did meet some resistance. Facing off against Dux Infinitos, the league’s Mexico City team, in the following stage, NetsGC found themselves on the other end of a sweep this time around, losing and coming up just one round short of the finals.

Greens admitted the emotional swing from a 9-1 playoff record to coming out on the wrong end of a sweep hurt, but the team remained upright with more games to play and a second chance to reach the finals with them now slotted into the lower bracket.

They put up a strong fight, pushing the series to five games, but the team failed to cash in on that chance less than an hour later, falling to Pistons GT.

Greens averaged 8.2 points and 2.8 assists per game. Streetz averaged 5.4 points per contest while Steez averaged 2.6 points. The team shot a collective 45.8 percent from deep. Until that point, they had been shooting a scolding 58.1 percent from three. Greens gave credit to Detroit’s preparedness in nerfing their 3-point arsenal.

“They were just very prepared,” said Greens, in a lessons-learned summary. “I would say they kind of had a feeling they would play us at some point. They were probably seeing things we might have ran the whole playoffs.”

Although Greens was disappointed to not reach the finals, he acknowledged the impressive nature of his team’s run and its bright future.

“When it came to playing in person and playing on stage I felt like we were one of the best teams in the league,” said Greens. “I know we were one of the best teams in the league. So obviously I don’t think anyone can take that away from us. This is my rookie year and I’m proud of what me and my team accomplished but also I hold myself to a high standard and I know I can take us to a championship.”

“3v3 we’ll be back next year,” Greens added. “Expect to see us in the Finals. I will not settle for less.”

For esports in general, this is a critical time. After a growth spurt, it’s hit a wall as the New York Times reported last week. Like any sport, esport teams needs stars. The Nets believe they have one in Greens.

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