The Oklahoma City Thunder will face a different test in the Emirates NBA Cup Final as they will face the best player in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does not see it differently.
For the Thunder superstar, it is just another day.
“To be completely honest with you, I don’t differentiate games on who I play against. If we played the worst team, the best team in the league, I try to take their head off,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked about facing up with the Greek Freak and the weight of the Tuesday game.
The Thunder advanced to the NBA Cup last dance after beating the Houston Rockets in the Final 4. The Bucks one-upped their last season’s performance and now has a shot for the title by taking care of business against the Atlanta Hawks.
OKC will come to the game as the no. 1 team in the West while the Bucks have been playing inpsired basketball in the last month although that is only enough for a 6th spot in the East.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thinks NBA Cup has more implications
SGA does not mind who they face. He’s all about their game plan.
However, he acknowledges that there’s more at stake in the NBA Cup finals other than the $514,971 cash prize for each winning player.
To him, they can use the in-season tournament’s final dance to have a feel on how to win a significant game during the regular season.
“Obviously the added stakes in the game gives it a little bit of a different feel,” he said. “It’s good prep for postseason.
“It’s obviously heightened stakes than a regular season, 82-game season, and it’s good to get reps in games that mean a little bit more and have stakes to it.”
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