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The Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder battle for the second NBA Commissioner’s Cup, now known as the Emirates Cup. This tournament is the dream child of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Silver’s thought process was to bring more meaning and excitement to the league’s regular season.
Following the Los Angeles Lakers capturing the first Commissioner’s Cup last season, Silver declared the event a major success. The idea was first brought to the experimental stage by the WNBA in 2021. It played so well that it has become a marquee event for both the WNBA and NBA.
The Bucks advanced to this year’s title game with their 110-102 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 32 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. But the clutch shooting of Bucks All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who added 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds, proved to be the difference down the stretch. Antetokounmpo’s horrid foul shooting, 12-18, helped the Hawks stay close with a chance to win.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, drives to the basket. PHOTO: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER/NBA
Atlanta’s All-Star guard Trey Young, who had 35 points and 10 assists, played the starring role for his young team that earlier defeated the Eastern Conference-leading and defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden again, to advance to the semi-final competition.
The Bucks’ opponent will be the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder, who pulled away from the Houston Rockets in the second half to record a 111-96 triumph. The Rockets are helmed by former Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 32 points and six assists, and Jaylen Williams, who had 20 points, sparked the Thunder offense during their second-half run. This contest was an NBA old-style, physical, defensive game that the game officials had a difficult time controlling. Hard fouls with a touch of the flagrant variety were a dominant factor in this game. Former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka had his Rockets team geared to play a challenging, physical game. His strategy worked until the Thunder raised their level of physicality and pulled away.
By the time you read this article, the young Thunder, with a 3-1 record in Cup play, or the veteran Bucks, undefeated in the tournament, will be the victors in this competition. Remember that if the game is close, the Thunder will foul Giannis Antetokounmpo, a poor foul shooter despite being the NBA’s leading scorer, every chance they get.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers is confident that his veteran team will step up to the task of trying to slow down the young Thunder team. He said, “This year’s team is still steaming from not making it to the championship game last season. We are here now and plan to make the most of this opportunity.”
Despite Adrian Griffin’s winning record, Rivers has been under fire since taking the coaching reins from him last season. Watching his team get off to a putrid 2-8 start this season, the Bucks head coach knows that winning the Emirates Cup title will take some of the heat off of him and his staff. His Bucks team, 10-2 in their last 12 games, are on a run that gives them momentum going into the Emirates Cup title game.
“We have been playing good basketball offensively and defensively over this stretch of games,” said Rivers. “I like our chances to win this in-season title game. We’ll see how it all turns out.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault feels his young team is ready to take the next step toward an NBA title. “My team is the number one defensive team in the league. We believe our defense gives us a chance to win every night,” said Daigneault. “My team is looking forward to showing everyone just how good we are. And from watching this team grow from last season to this year, I think we are a strong and together unit.”
Each member of the winning team will pocket a half-million dollars. At the same time, members of the losing team will take home $250,000.
The dream of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is now a burgeoning reality that is here to stay. Enjoy it NBA basketball fans.
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