The list of the ‘NBA 2K18’ classic teams you were looking for

NBA 2K18’s release is right around the corner, and the 2K squad continues to roll out new information by the day before the game hits stores Sept. 15. One of the features everyone has been looking forward to are the new classic teams being added to the game.

As part of the launch effort, 2K has been releasing the teams under the Twitter hashtag #2KClassicTeamTournament. In the tweet, 2K asks fans which team would win a matchup between two of their classic teams.

Users tweet their selection out to their followers who can then make their own choice in the matchup. This strategy allows the 2K team to showcase the classic teams they’re featuring plus it sparks a debate among fans and builds their excitement for the game.

So far, 14 teams have been released to the public with more to come by Aug. 25. Here’s a complete list of the teams included on this year’s game:

NBA 2K17 featured 45 teams from the past with teams ranging from the 1964-65 Boston Celtics to the 2012-13 Miami Heat. Plus, they included 10 all-time rosters for the college basketball teams featured on the game.

This year’s collection of new teams is completely different. The 1997 Heat and 1999 Knicks are the only two teams on the list from the 20th century and there are no teams included that played before 1996.

Normally, when you think of classic you’d think of Magic’s Lakers and Bird’s Celtics. Fans of 90’s basketball would think about Jordan’s Bulls tearing up the NBA — last year’s classic team roster included five different variations of them. But this year’s game strayed away from that and included content that a younger generation of fans can consume in some knowledgeable way.

Those who play the game in their late teens and early 20’s are going to remember the 2013 Grizzlies as the team who upset the Thunder to make it to the Western Conference Finals. They’ll remember the 2014 Indiana Pacers as the team that always seemed to be one piece away from upsetting LeBron James’ heat. It’s an interesting approach we haven’t seen from 2K just yet.

It’s unclear whether the other 45 teams included in last year’s game will be included in this year’s. In the past, 2K has kept some teams around and dropped a few others — we’ll see if they adopt that strategy this year. On top of these classic teams, this year’s version of the game will also allow users to play with their favorite team’s all-time rosters.

So what do you think? Is NBA 2K doing the right thing with their classic team rosters? Who are they missing? Let us know.