The NBA Cup is nearing its finale with the Semifinals taking place this Saturday in Las Vegas. In the Quarterfinals, the Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat fell to the Orlando Magic. The Knicks will face the Magic for their fourth and final regular-season matchup. With the Knicks finding their rhythm with new head coach Mike Brown, they look to even the regular-season series with the Magic to 2-2. They will advance to the NBA Cup Finals against a Western Conference contender should they succeed, providing a potential preview of the NBA Finals.
Knicks Advance in NBA Cup: Who Will They Play in Vegas?
Desmond Bane and the Magic
On Tuesday, the Magic started slowly, allowing the Heat to score 15 unanswered points. Meanwhile, the Knicks had the best start in modern NBA history by going up 23-0 against the Utah Jazz. The Knicks will look to come out shooting while attempting to bottle up Desmond Bane, who just dropped 37 against the Heat. Team defense has largely been the weakness for this Knicks team, and they can alleviate pressure by leaning into their strengths of consistent offensive production and rebounding.
This will be the final regular-season matchup between the Knicks and Magic. Just this past Sunday, Bane earned a technical foul and a $35,000 fine after spiking OG Anunoby with the ball out of bounds. A confused Anunoby kept his cool, and both teams eventually defused the situation. A dumbfounded Bane was left trolling referees and players alike, insisting he was falling out of bounds. Nevertheless, the Magic have started to earn a reputation around the league as a physical team, and will provide a real challenge on Saturday.
Asked after the Raptors game, Karl-Anthony Towns said, “The Cup brings out a competitive edge in all of us,” and that he values the playoff atmosphere. Should they overcome the Magic, they will most likely face the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder just blew out the Phoenix Suns 138-89 last night, adding another win to their historic 24-1 start to the season.
A Potential NBA Finals Preview
The Thunder, under head coach Mark Daigneault, have carried over their momentum from last year’s championship run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has ascended to arguably the best player in the league, scoring from anywhere on the floor with ease, and drawing fouls or feeding his teammates when necessary. Not only do their starters close out games on their own, but their bench has averaged 40.9 points during 98.2 minutes per game. In comparison, the Knicks’ bench averages 31.5 points during 82.3 minutes per game.
It looks unlikely that Miles McBride will dress for the Magic, but he could potentially be out for this game as well, and the Knicks would surely miss his perimeter shooting. The Knicks have many scorers, but their offensive rebounding is what sets them apart. They are third in the league with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, while the Thunder are at second last with 8.8. After the Raptors game, Brown stated that he “started getting comfortable, [and as a result], it helped the group get more comfortable.”
It would be the first coaching showdown between Daigneault and Brown. Brown has implemented a take-what-is-given philosophy to this team, and the players appear to have bought into it. Daigneault has a deep bench to deploy a variety of matchups, and Brown will need to do his best without Landry Shamet and McBride if his ankle turns out to be serious.
This assumes the San Antonio Spurs don’t win this Saturday and advance to the NBA Cup finals. They look to bring back Victor Wembanyama, who is nursing a calf injury. Without him, the Spurs and most of the league don’t stand much of a chance against the rolling Thunder.
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