The best of the NBA Cup: Giannis' MVP run, Klay's return and Miami's error

The 2nd yearly NBA Cup is successful the books, pinch the Milwaukee Bucks dominating a poor-shooting Oklahoma City Thunder squad successful the anticlimactic final, winning 97-81.

As compared to past year's inaugural edition, concisely called the little memorable "In-Season Tournament," this NBA Cup felt much mature arsenic a concept. Teams understood really to navigate the constituent differential tiebreaker from time 1 and bought into the value of the NBA Cup contempt (largely unfounded) concerns astir really it mightiness wounded them down the line.

The consequence was a tantalizing last matchup pitting the favorites to triumph the Western Conference against a title hopeful from the East, featuring 2 of the apical contenders for MVP successful Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo -- who won NBA Cup MVP honors -- and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Let's relive really we sewage location by looking astatine immoderate superlatives from the NBA Cup group and knockout stages, including my picks for the awards handed retired by the convention -- MVP and all-NBA Cup squad -- arsenic good arsenic unofficial picks for apical rookie, champion coach, champion crippled and more.

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

One of my lasting memories from past year's semifinals was Antetokounmpo coming to position pinch his team's nonaccomplishment to the Indiana Pacers successful the postgame news conference. He ensured only his opponents would consciousness that vexation this clip around.

Antetokounmpo averaged 31.7 PPG successful the knockout rounds, coming wrong an assistance of a triple-double successful the semifinal triumph complete the Hawks earlier signaling 1 against the Thunder.

More than moreover those outstanding stats, Antetokounmpo group the reside for his squad pinch playoff-caliber protect intensity. His artifact connected Trae Young successful the 4th fourth against Atlanta was the astir memorable play of the knockout round. Against OKC, he had 3 blocks and 2 steals. There was ne'er a uncertainty astir MVP during the final.

All-NBA Cup Team

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander were locks, and truthful excessively was Lillard. The Bucks had the strongest 1-2 punch of the teams to scope the knockout stages, pinch Antetokounmpo and Lillard combining to mean astir 60 points per crippled successful the tourney and much than 16 assists per game.

Young led Atlanta's tally to the semifinals pinch 24.2 PPG and 10.8 APG, much than immoderate different subordinate successful NBA Cup play.

Choosing a typical from the semifinalists Rockets was the astir difficult. No Houston subordinate averaged much than 20 PPG and Sengun wasn't peculiarly businesslike successful NBA Cup games overall, but his 26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals vs. the Golden State Warriors successful the quarterfinals were capable to springiness him the last spot.

Coach of the NBA Cup: Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee didn't tally a challenging gauntlet toward the last and benefited from the Thunder's disconnected shooting nighttime there, but it's intolerable to contradict Rivers' activity complete the people of the Bucks' undefeated run. Milwaukee's defense was a messiness this clip a twelvemonth ago, dropping to 22nd connected a per-possession ground aft the Pacers torched them for 128 points successful the semifinals.

This clip around, the Bucks were good prepared contempt playing the last without helping Khris Middleton owed to illness. Milwaukee's crippled scheme of packing the overgarment and forcing Oklahoma City to triumph the crippled pinch jumpers was the correct one, and the Bucks get plentifulness of in installments for the Thunder's 44% shooting wrong the arc.

Shoutout besides to Milwaukee adjunct Darvin Ham, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to past year's tourney triumph and has yet to suffer an NBA Cup game.

Biggest coaching miscue: Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Spoelstra is rightly regarded arsenic 1 of the NBA's apical coaches, and possibly moreover the best, but he wasn't astatine his sharpest during overtime of the Heat's NBA Cup opener against the Detroit Pistons. Up 2 pinch nether 2 seconds remaining successful overtime aft a Tyler Herro score, Miami saw Cade Cunningham lob the shot to Jalen Duren for a dunk disconnected an out-of-bounds situation.

Frustrated by the team's mediocre execution, Spoelstra called a timeout Miami didn't person remaining, allowing the Pistons to triumph connected Malik Beasley's method free throw.

A triumph would person started Miami's cup run connected the correct ft and fixed the Heat a chance of advancing arsenic either the group victor aliases the Eastern Conference chaotic paper heading into the last nighttime of group play.

Rookie of the NBA Cup: Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers

A genuinely astonishing stat: entering Tuesday's final, each first-year players had mixed to people 14 full points successful six knockout-stage games. No. 1 prime Zaccharie Risacher started each six games arsenic the Hawks precocious to the semifinals, but changeable 2-of-19 from 3-point scope and averaged 6.3 PPG. So the Rookie of the Cup title looked a batch for illustration the existent 1 did anterior to McCain's untimely knee injury.

He averaged 24.8 points successful 4 NBA Cup group games, making 18 3-pointers astatine a 51% clip. That edged Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers, who besides made 18 3s (shooting 54.5%) but wasn't rather arsenic prolific wrong the arc, averaging 19.5 PPG.

Most improved team: Atlanta Hawks

Oklahoma City made the biggest jump successful position of results aft going 1-3 successful past year's edition, but the Thunder really had a plus-24 differential by kindness of a blowout triumph and 3 adjacent losses.

Atlanta useful connected a mates of levels, some the in-season betterment arsenic elaborate supra and twelvemonth complete year. In the 2023 tournament, the Hawks went 1-3 pinch their only triumph complete the lowly Pistons and were outscored by 32 points -- worst of immoderate squad that reached this season's knockout stages, fto unsocial the semifinals.

Biggest disappointment: Cleveland Cavaliers

Group C successful the East featured the conference's apical 2 teams this season, Cleveland and the Boston Celtics, yet the Hawks emerged arsenic improbable winners. The Celtics astatine slightest vanished 2nd and would person precocious arsenic the East's chaotic paper had the Magic defeated the Knicks connected the past nighttime of group play.

The Cavaliers were agelong eliminated by then, having mislaid some to Atlanta and successful a showdown successful Boston to decorativeness astatine 2-2. The NBA Cup looked for illustration a aureate opportunity for Cleveland to bent a uncommon banner. Instead, the Cavaliers will person to dream their beardown commencement translates into a heavy playoff tally adjacent spring.

Best game: Golden State 120, Dallas 117

The first nighttime of NBA Cup play produced the astir memorable matchup: Klay Thompson returning to the Bay Area to look the Warriors for the first clip since leaving for the Mavericks via sign-and-trade this summer.

Both subordinate and squad handled the affectional reunion (complete pinch sailboat skipper hats) perfectly, pinch Thompson making six 3-pointers and scoring 22 points. The decorativeness lived up to the hype too, pinch Stephen Curry scoring the last 12 points for Golden State, which rallied from a 114-108 shortage pinch 3:10 to play to triumph a crippled that wasn't decided until Luka Doncic missed a 3-pointer to necktie successful the closing seconds.

Both teams precocious to the knockout stages, but the result gave Dallas a tougher matchup astatine Oklahoma City successful a quarterfinals loss.

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Klay Thompson walks successful to ovation from Warriors employees

Before playing Golden State, Klay Thompson returns to Chase Center to an ovation from Warriors employees.

Most disappointing injury: Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic

The Magic were 1 of the champion stories of group play, overcoming the absence of All-Star Paolo Banchero to triumph their first 3 games successful convincing manner and claiming the East chaotic paper aft losing astatine Madison Square Garden.

Wagner was arguably the MVP of the group stage, having averaged 30.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.5 steals while stepping into Banchero's domiciled arsenic go-to feline connected offense. Alas, by the clip Orlando sewage to Milwaukee for the quarterfinals, Wagner had joined Banchero connected the sidelines aft suffering an identical wounded (an oblique tear) the erstwhile weekend.

Without Wagner, the Magic put up a bully conflict but mislaid 114-109, ending the hopes of 1 of 8 progressive franchises without an NBA title laying declare to the NBA Cup.