NBA Cup 2024: Top Teams Battle in Final Eight

The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup is in full swing, and we are now down to the last eight teams in the quartefinals’ win-or-die sudden death round. There will be no repeat champ this year as the inaugural champs Los Angeles Lakers were booted out unceremoniously in the preliminary round-robin phase. Gone too are the defending regular season champs Boston Celtics, nipped by the Atlanta Hawks in their first Cup game. The Celts were never able to regain their footing after that. Another surprising early out were the Cleveland Cavaliers, proud owners of a dazzling 15-0 start, bundled out as well by the giant-killing Atlanta Hawks.

With the preliminary round-robin phase over, the Eastern qualifiers were: the New York Knicks, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks, with the Orlando Magic taking the 4th and last wildcard slot. For the west, the surprising Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma Thunder and the Golden State Warrios took the group slots, with the Dallas Mavs taking the wildcard slot.

That said, the mano-a-mano match-ups will be: the Magic vs the Bucks, Mavericks vs Thunder on Tuesday, 10 Dec; while the Hawks square off with the Knicks, and the Warriors play the Rockets on Wednesday, 11 Dec.

The abbreviated tourney follows a format similar to the US NCAA. After a round robin initial round, single elimination knockout rounds follow. Hence, it’s 1 wrong move and it’s pack-up time. The tourney was envisioned to create a higher fan interest at the start of the season, as the NBA’s early schedule for November and December compete for viewership with the NFL. Based on the feedback generated from the inaugural season last year won by the LA Lakers, the in-season tournament – now known as the Emirates NBA Cup – was a big success. Hence, we have round 2 with the Emirates taking the title rights.

On the New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks face-off, I see Knicks bundling off the Hawks with their more potent firepower. The guard match-up pitting all-star guards Jalen Brunson and Trae Young, while intriguing, will cancel each other out. It will be the battle of the next level of stars, with the Knicks’ Karl Anthony Towns, veteran OG Anunoby, Cam Payne taking the lead over the Hawks’ Clint Capela and the rest. The Knicks own a 14-8 regular season record, good for 4th spot in the east; while the Hawks occupy 5th spot with a 13-11 slate.

Same holds true for the Milwaukee Bucks – Orlando Magic match-up. The Magic will be playig minus their main man, Paolo Banchero, out on account of an injury. Despite Franz Wagner’s herculean contributions, that will be simply no match to Giannis Antetokounmpo and his band, led by fellow all-stars Damian Lillard, Kris Middleton and the rest. The Bucks have been relaxing in the regular season, carrying a 11-11 win-loss slate – good for 6th; while the rampaging Magic have a better record at 16-9, good for 3rd in the east. However, Banchero’s absence will be the more significant item in this match-up. Expect the Bucks to join the Knicks in advancing to the semifinal round in the east. (More bad news for the Magic: Franz Wagner suffered a torn right oblique, taking him out of the game for a couple of months.)

The top draw for the quarterfinals will have to be the Oklahoma City Thunder going up against the Dallas Mavericks. The OKC Thunder have shown resiliency and much development, with Shae Gilgeous Alexander leading a young, talented club. With Chet Holmgren protecting the shaded lane, the team is a strong candidate for the regular season pennant, with a western conference-leading 16-5 slate. However, Chet’s recent injury will be massive for the Thunder. This gives the advantage to the Luka Doncic-led Mavs. The Mavs’ notable acquisition, Klay Thompson, brings playoff savvy that could work wonders for a young team like Dallas. This should be a toss-up, but with Chet out of the game, I’d go for the Mavs to squeeze through, despite their lower regular season slate at 15-8.

As for the final match-up between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, it will be experience versus youth, court savvy versus strength. The Wrriors started the season like a house on fire, and now carry a 5th-ranking 13-9 record. Steph Curry and Draymond Green may have the veteran moves, but the Rockets, now with an impressive 15-8 record good for 2nd slot in the west, have shown refreshing resilience since the latter part of last season. Under new coach Ime Udoka, steady center Alperen Sengun and veteran guard Fred Van Vleet, the Rockets have been showing a refreshing brand of mature basketball. Will they be able to hold off the Curry-led Warriors? I believe they will.

So there you have it, folks. The short format has been interesting but brutal for the likes of the record-setting Cleveland Cavs (21-3) and the defending champs Boston Celtics (19-4). Despite their league-leading numbers in the regular season, one miscue was all it took to take them out of contention. Gone too were some of the games’ biggest stars in Lebron James, Kevin Durant, NIkola Jokic and Joel Embiid. My picks to go to the semis next week: it will be the veterans from the Knicks and the Bucks in the east; while the upstarts in the Mavs and the Rockets will do battle in the west. Who you got?

Cover pic courtesy of KGET.com.