The second annual NBA Cup is in the books, with Milwaukee Bucks Dominating a poor shooting Oklahoma City Thunder The team 97-81 In the anticlimactic finale.
Compared to last year’s inaugural edition, briefly called the less memorable “In-Season Tournament,” this NBA Cup felt more mature as a concept. Teams figured out how to navigate the point differential tiebreaker from day one and still bought into the importance of the NBA Cup.Largely baseless) are concerned about how it might hurt them down the line.
The result was an exciting finals matchup that pitted the favorites to win the Western Conference against the championship hopefuls from the East with two of the top MVP contenders in Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo — who won NBA Cup MVP honors — and Oklahoma City. Shy Gilgeous Alexander.
Let’s revisit how we got there by looking at some of the highlights from the NBA Cup’s group and knockout stages, including my picks for the awards given out by the league — MVP and All-NBA Cup Team — Plus unofficial picks for top rookies, best coach, best game and more.
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
One of my lasting memories from last year’s semifinals was Antetokounmpo coming to terms with his team’s loss to the Indiana Pacers in the postgame news conference. He ensured that only his opponents would feel the disappointment this time.
Antetokounmpo averaged 31.7 PPG in the knockout rounds, before setting a record against the Thunder with a triple-double in a semifinal win over the Hawks.
Even more than those impressive stats, Antetokounmpo set the tone for his team with playoff-caliber defensive intensity. His block on Trae Young in the fourth quarter against Atlanta was the most memorable play of the knockout round. Against OKC, he had three blocks and two steals. There was never any doubt about the MVP during the Finals.
All-NBA Cup Team
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Shy Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Damian LillardMilwaukee Bucks
Alprin Sengan, Houston Rockets
Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander were locks, and so was Lillard. The Bucks had the strongest 1-2 punch among the teams to reach the knockout stages, with Antetokounmpo and Lillard averaging nearly 60 points per game and more than 16 assists per game in the tournament.
Young led Atlanta’s run to the semifinals with 24.2 ppg and 10.8 apg, more than any other player in the NBA Cup.
Choosing a representative from the semi-finalist Rockets was the most difficult. No other Houston player averaged more than 20 ppg and Sengan wasn’t particularly effective in NBA Cup games overall, but his 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals vs. Golden State Warriors The quarter-finals were enough to give him a place in the final.
Coaches of the NBA Cup: Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee didn’t run a challenging gauntlet toward the Finals and benefited from the Thunder’s off-shooting night there, but it’s impossible to deny Rivers’ work during the Bucks’ undefeated run. Milwaukee’s defense was a mess this time a year ago, falling to 22nd on a per-possession basis after the Pacers torched them for 128 points in the semifinals.
This time, the Bucs were well prepared despite playing the final without wing Khris Middleton due to illness. Milwaukee’s game plan to pack the paint and force Oklahoma City to win the game with jumpers was sound, and the Bucks get plenty of credit for the Thunder’s 44% shooting inside the arc.
Also shout out to Milwaukee assistant Darwin Hamm, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to last year’s tournament victory and has yet to lose an NBA Cup game.
Biggest Coaching Mistake: Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat
Spoelstra is rightfully considered one of the NBA’s top coaches, and perhaps even the best, but he wasn’t at his best during overtime of the Heat’s NBA Cup opener. Detroit Pistons. Two up with less than two seconds left in overtime after one Tyler Hero Score, Miami noticed Cade Cunningham lob the ball. Jaylen Dorn To remove an out-of-bounds condition.
Frustrated with the team’s poor performance, Spoelstra called a timeout Miami didn’t have, giving the Pistons a chance to win. Malik BeasleyK’s technical free throw.
A win would have started Miami’s Cup campaign on the right foot and given the Heat a chance to advance to the final night of group play via either the group winner or the Eastern Conference wild card.
Rookie of the NBA Cup: Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
A truly amazing stat: Entering Tuesday’s final, all first-year players had combined for 14 points in six knockout-stage games. Pick number 1. Zachary Rescher Started all six games as the Hawks reached the semifinals, but shot 2 of 19 from 3-point range and averaged 6.3 ppg. So the Cup race rookie looked a lot like the original before McCann Untimely knee injury.
He averaged 24.8 points in four NBA Cup group games, making 18 3-pointers at a 51% clip. That edge Dalton Cachet Of Los Angeles LakersWho also made 18 3s (54.5% shooting) but wasn’t as successful inside the arc, averaging 19.5 PPG.
Best Team: Atlanta Hawks
Oklahoma City made the biggest jump in results after going 1-3 in last year’s edition, but the Thunder actually had a plus-24 differential thanks to one blowout win and three close losses.
Atlanta operates on several levels, both season-to-season as detailed above and year-to-year. In the 2023 tournament, the Hawks went 1-3 with their only win over the Pistol Pistons and outscored them by 32 points – the worst of any team to reach the knockout stages that season, barring the semifinals. give
Biggest Disappointment: Cleveland Cavaliers
In Group C in the East, the top two teams in the conference this season, Cleveland and The Boston Celticsyet the Hawks emerged as unlikely winners. The Celtics finished at least second and would have advanced because the East’s wild card Magic defeated the Knicks on the final night of group play.
The Cavaliers were eliminated by then, going 2-2 in showdowns in Atlanta and Boston. The NBA Cup seemed like a golden opportunity for Cleveland to hang a rare banner. Instead, the Cavaliers will have to hope their strong start translates into a deep playoff run next spring.
Best game: Golden State 120, Dallas 117
The first night of NBA Cup play produced the most memorable matchups: Clay Thompson returns to the Bay Area to face the Warriors for the first time since leaving for the Mavericks via sign-and-trade this summer.
Both player and team handled the emotional reunion (Complete with sailboat captain hats.) Of course, Thompson made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points. The finish also lived up to the hype, with Stephen Curry scoring the final 12 points for Golden State, which rallied from a 114-108 deficit with 3:10 to play to win a game that was still undecided. Luca Donic Missed a 3-pointer to tie in the closing seconds.
Both teams advanced to the knockout stages, but the result gave Dallas a tough matchup after a quarterfinal loss in Oklahoma City.
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Klay Thompson came in to receive a standing ovation from the Warriors employees.
Before playing Golden State, Klay Thompson returned to the Chase Center to receive a standing ovation from Warriors employees.
Most frustrating injury: Franz WagnerOrlando Magic
The Magic group was one of the best stories of the game, overcoming the absence of an All-Star Paolo Banchero After losing at Madison Square Garden to win their first three games in convincing fashion and claim the East wild card.
Wagner was arguably the MVP of the group stage, averaging 30.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.5 steals while stepping into the banchero role as the go-to guy on offense. Alas, when Orlando arrived in Milwaukee for the quarterfinals, Wagner had joined Banchero on the sidelines after suffering a similar injury (an oblique tear) the previous weekend.
Without Wagner, the Magic put up a good fight but lost 114-109, ending the hopes of one of the eight active NBA Cup contending franchises without an NBA championship.