On Saturday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks formally punched their ticket to the ultimate spherical of the Emirates NBA Cup match with an exhilarating win over the Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas, Nevada. Giannis Antetokounmpo was far and away one of the best participant on the court docket throughout the matchup, making large performs on each ends of the ground down the stretch to assist seal the victory for the Bucks.
Whereas the sport on the court docket was entertaining, many had been vital of the obvious lack of vitality from these within the crowd all through the matchup, and Antetokounmpo appeared to echo these sentiments after the sport, referencing a visit he made to the EuroLeague Last 4 lately.
“That was my first Last 4 in Berlin this yr. Clearly, the ambiance there’s a little bit completely different with the gang of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, and Actual Madrid. It is form of completely different,” stated Antetokounmpo, per BasketNews.
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“I want we had that form of ambiance within the NBA, however we do not,” he continued. “However the depth inside the recreation, I feel, is just about the identical. Everybody understands that it is one recreation, and you must play effectively. If you happen to do not, you get knocked out.”
Antetokounmpo then reiterated that the ambiance, not the product on the court docket, was the issue.
“So, the depth inside the recreation from the groups, you see high-level basketball, groups are competing, the depth is excessive. In that facet, it is just about the identical,” stated Antetokounmpo. “The one factor that is completely different, I consider, is the ambiance. I want the NBA may have that sort of ambiance right here.”
When the NBA in-season match was first introduced, many had been questioning how the league would get followers to care concerning the proceedings, questioning if the prospect of ten and hundred millionaires doubtlessly successful an additional half million {dollars} was actually sufficient to generate fan curiosity.
Primarily based on the gang vitality in Las Vegas on Saturday, the reply to that query was no.
Can the Bucks win the NBA Cup?
The Bucks will tackle Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder within the last spherical of the match. The Thunder punched their ticket to the championship recreation with a dominant defensive efficiency vs the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, a pair hours after the Bucks accomplished their win over the Hawks.
The Thunder and Rockets are slated to tip off at 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, as soon as once more from Las Vegas. The sport will likely be carried nationally by ABC.