NBA Cup 2024: Here are 3 big questions ahead of the Bucks-Thunder championship game

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We can dispense with the complications now: the jacked-up point differentials and byzantine tiebreakers, the special scheduling and alternate playing surfaces, etc. What’s left at the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup is all that’s ever left when the game matters most: two teams, with only one game and one another standing between them and a big ol’ gold trophy.

What began as a league-wide effort to inject some flavor into the period between opening night and Christmas Day concludes with just two teams vying for the crown.

Out of the West: the Oklahoma City Thunder, a two-way juggernaut on a 66-win pace that delivered its fifth-straight double-digit victory in the semifinals, outshining the Houston Rockets behind suffocating defense and a now-customary 30-plus-point outing from MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:

And from the East: the Milwaukee Bucks, who’ve bounced back from a dismal 2-8 start to win 12 of their last 15, advancing to the final by holding off a spirited charge from the upstart Atlanta Hawks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP dominated on the interior, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks — none more impressive than the rejection of a would-be alley-oop to Hawks center Clint Capela to keep Milwaukee up two scores late in the fourth quarter:

Let’s set the table for what’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion between the top seeds in the tournament by considering three big questions ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC):

1. How will Oklahoma City guard Giannis?

The Thunder saw Antetokounmpo only once last season … and, honestly, that was probably more than enough for head coach Mark Daigneault and his staff.

An Oklahoma City rotation replete with smart, opportunistic athletes could get away with playing small against a lot of opponents. Giannis, however, isn’t “a lot of opponents.” He’s a whole different thing, and defended primarily by players half a foot shorter than he is, he had a field day in March: 30 points on 13-for-18 shooting, with every bucket coming inside the paint, plus 19 rebounds, eight on the offensive…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-cup-2024-here-are-3-big-questions-ahead-of-the-bucks-thunder-championship-game-205850513.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-16 20:58:00

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