After this game, the Milwaukee Bucks will return to their regular season schedule defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Finals earlier this week. Unlike other NBA Cup games, the Final did not count towards a player’s regular season record, and statistics recorded in this game did not count towards a player’s regular season stats.
These facts have led many fans to believe that the NBA Cup is pointless, and the fact that Damian Lillard will not play tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers has sparked more discussion around this belief (Lillard is out with a right calf strain).
However, players don’t feel like the NBA Cup was meaningless. Giannis Antetokounmpo and other well-paid veterans have said they want to win the Cup so that lower-paid players like center Liam Robbins can employ the $500,000 prize money given to each player on the winning team to buy a house.
Still, the Bucks need to avoid the NBA Cup hangover that last year’s champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, experienced, come what may Bobby Portis he is sure they will succeed.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis attacks the Los Angeles Lakers
After the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup last season, they lost 10 of their next 13 games. They were 14-9 when they won the NBA championship. 13 games later it was 17-19.
As fans will remember, the Lakers had to fight to get to the play-in round of the NBA Playoffs and were easily defeated by the Denver Nuggets in just five games. Darvin Ham was fired as head coach and replaced by former Bucks shooting guard JJ Reddick.
Ham has since joined the coaching staff in Milwaukee and, ironically, remains undefeated in NBA Cup play (as does former Lakers forward Taurean Prince).
After the Bucks won the NBA Cup, perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis told reporters why his team won’t fall into the same trap the Lakers did.
“We are not Hollywood,” said Potis, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. “We have hard-working guys (who are) selfless and sacrifice for the good of the team. It’s not about points scored. It’s about winning and being connected.
“Our group is different from their group. The only difference we have is the selfless guys who give up. You can’t compare the two teams – at all.
“The NBA puts a gigantic tournament in front of you, and you’re going to win that damn mother. It’s that plain. They put something in front of you. You set a goal. You chop wood every day. Carry water. And finally you get here and you have a medal around your neck. … And then on Thursday you go back to work, which is what we signed up for. It’s part of the concert.”
There is something to be said about what Portis announced about the Bucks. Even though ESPN intentionally misquoted Giannis after the game, Milwaukee doesn’t consider its job “done.” Although winning the tournament during the season was their goal, this was not to be the case the goal.
As such, the Bucks (on Ham’s advice) did not celebrate with champagne after winning the Cup. Sure, they enjoyed the moment, but it was just that: a moment.
Milwaukee still has a lot of work to do. After defeating the top team in the Western Conference in the NBA Cup Finals, the Thunder now prepare to face the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers, in their first straight game and the first of three games in four days.
Let’s hope Portis is right in his assessment of his team and the team doesn’t experience an NBA Cup Finals hangover like the Lakers did.
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