The Bucks’ Nba Cup Victory Over the Thunder Proves That It’s Never Too Late to Get It Right

Las Vegas — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard’s expressions were filled with delight as streamers descended from the sky of T-Mobile Arena following the Milwaukee Bucks’ 97-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They needed it not as a dress rehearsal for June or to complete their comeback from the NBA’s early doldrums, but for each other and the brick-by-brick strategy they must follow between now and April.

But, as much as the Bucks needed it, the NBA perhaps needed it much more, and in plenty.

A similar refrain seems to have been said around this time last year, when the Los Angeles Lakers demonstrated that they could concentrate in one-game sample sizes earlier in the season better than anyone cared to, but we were previously aware of this.

Teams appeared to comprehend the concept of an NBA Cup better this time around, and even if Tuesday night’s final didn’t have a significant impact on the overall standings, it felt different.

“It was something we wanted to win and just being in something like this, the second year, I feel that teams cared about it a little bit more,” Lillard told the crowd. “I think teams played with a little bit more pride about trying to reach Vegas and having an opportunity to win at the end.”

There was a sincerity in the air, possibly heightened by greater physicality and some minor technical errors.

The situation felt aggressive, but not scary.

At the very least, it didn’t seem as analytical. It didn’t feel so antiseptic.

And that’s the best win NBA commissioner Adam Silver could’ve hoped for, regardless of who was in the spotlight in Vegas. Sure, the big American stars would have helped, but they didn’t make it here, and it’s becoming increasingly doubtful that the typical suspects will be available when the playoffs begin in a few months.

The irony was that earlier in the day, the NBA announced its newest plans to restructure All-Star weekend or the Sunday afternoon showcase game that has become far more of a farce than anyone would like.

Silver admitted as much during a brief interview with reporters an hour before the Cup final.

“I was wrong about last year,” Silver said. “I thought in Indiana that, you know, given the sort of the fact it was sort of viewed as the heartland of basketball and a strong presence from some legends there, that the guys would roll the clock back a bit and play a traditional game, and it wasn’t meant to be.”

What followed was the most awful midseason showcase, where the term “mid” would have been an exaggeration. The murmurs in the aftermath concentrated on possibly increasing the financial incentive — again, the premise of the league having to beg the players to play rather than someone stepping in among the 24 stars to say “We have to do better”.

Better was on display Tuesday, and while it is wrong to compare one type of exhibition to another, the point remains. This was a pure competition. Even though Oklahoma City’s woes were mostly due to poor shooting (five of 32 from 3-point range), the team of long, rangy competitors got after it and battled the more seasoned, determined Bucks.

The final spread was not the result of effort, but of execution. Again, these outcomes are simpler to accept when the game appears to be governed by emotion rather than a mathematical equation.

Milwaukee easily won the 3-point game, outscoring the Thunder by 35 points, but the tone was aggressive. Fans can connect with hostility, and the league can package and sell it — they’d undoubtedly want to bottle that magic elixir and spread it around if only to shift the notion that players are indifferent and unserious until at least Christmas Day.

“I’ve even heard from some players, and you see this, it’s not unique to the NBA, where analytics start to be too controlling,” Silver informed the crowd. “And create circumstances in which players do somewhat unusual things because they are being instructed to take a more efficient shot.

“And part of what we’re focusing on, too, is that what makes these players so incredible is the joy they bring to playing the game and the freestyle notion of the game too.”

Silver again admitted the league’s flaw in leaning too heavily on offense through the rules and attempting to walk a delicate balance of gradually balancing the scales — fans want to know what they’re seeing is truly remarkable and difficult while also being amazed at the creativity of players and the investment of a team coming together for a common goal.

The latter is what Oklahoma City has begun to perfect as they sit atop the West standings for the second year in a row, and they stand to become more recognizable over the coming few seasons as a club built for longevity.

The latter is what Milwaukee has been able to accomplish over the last few weeks following a rocky start, and with their star duo finding chemistry through repetition, we can expect a high-stakes playoff series against the Boston Celtics — one that hopefully does not revolve entirely around math.

“One advantage we had, and again, we came in here and we heard about the old team and all the young guys (Oklahoma City),” Rivers said. “And we just kept talking about our size, and as the slower the game gets, the bigger we get.”

That’s the benefit of having a superstar like Antetokounmpo and another legend in veteran Brook Lopez. They should be able to play a variety of styles, especially now that Khris Middleton (who was absent due to sickness) has returned to reasonable health.

But their main strength is the man who is elbowing his way to the top of the MVP race, the player who is unafraid to admit how much he wanted this seemingly worthless award just because it was a competition he wanted to win.

“It’s the greatest sensation ever. Just winning. “Winning feels good,” Antetokounmpo explained. “Playing big games feels good when you’re able to come to the game and execute your game plan, and then the outcome is exactly what you want it to be.”

Make no mistake: no championship was won, and if either team fails to deliver when it matters most, a December night in Las Vegas will feel more like a mirage than a memory.

For one night, however, Silver and the rest of us were reminded that beauty does not look and feel the same way, and it is never too late to start getting it right.