Post-season feel for Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks in NBA Cup final

LAS VEGAS – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks hope to add the NBA (National Basketball Association) Cup to their list of accomplishments, but they will need to go through an Oklahoma City Thunder group who have established themselves as the premier force in the West.

The two teams will square off in Las Vegas on Dec 17 (Dec 18, Singapore time) in the second-ever NBA Cup championship game.

Antetokounmpo rose to the occasion in Milwaukee’s 110-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the semi-finals on Dec 14. He fell one assist shy of a triple-double but was dominant nonetheless, tallying 32 points and 14 rebounds.

A victory in the NBA Cup final would mark a drastic early-season turnaround for the Bucks, who have won 12 of their last 15 games after starting the year 2-8.

Antetokounmpo is averaging a league-high 32.7 points over 23 games this season and is firmly in contention to win his third MVP (Most Valuable Player) award.

Damian Lillard’s recent performances have also been key in Milwaukee’s turnaround, with the eight-time All-Star scoring 25.7 points per game.

As much as Antetokounmpo wants to go down as an NBA great, the Greek forward does not dwell too much on what winning the NBA Cup – or another MVP gong – would do for his own legacy.

“I think when you approach the game that way, things like being in the finals of the NBA Cup, winning the championship, things just fall in place,” said the 30-year-old.

“I think any player that approaches the game thinking all season, ‘I want to win the MVP, I want to do that, I want to do this’... it won’t happen. Because you approach the game the wrong way and you’re thinking about yourself.

“It takes so much more. You’ve got to sacrifice so many things. You’ve got to be consistent. You have to have a fearless mentality about yourself. You’ve got to have confidence...

“I try to give everything I have for the game, and if that sometimes leads to individual accolades, that’s good. If not, it is what it is.”

The Thunder advanced to the final with an 111-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Dec 14, led by 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Oklahoma City are atop the Western Conference with a 20-5 record overall and earned the top seed for the knockout stage after going 3-1 in group play.

For a Thunder core who are still looking to make their first significant splash in the post-season, winning the NBA Cup over a Bucks team with championship experience would be a true stepping stone.

The atmosphere surrounding the NBA Cup final is also giving the Thunder some extra experience in dealing with the limelight.

“This is like the closest thing that you can get to a play-off environment (in the regular season),” Jalen Williams said.

“It’s a good learning moment for us... We get to simulate a lot of what’s going on during the play-offs, during those stretches, to where we can kind of flex that muscle now and be better later in the season.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is once again an MVP candidate, averaging 30.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

“It’s good prep for post-season,” he said, agreeing with his teammate.

“It’s obviously heightened stakes than a regular season, 82-game season, and it’s good to get reps in games that mean a little bit more and have stakes to it.” REUTERS, AFP