The Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the championship of the NBA Cup after their semifinal win against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The championship will be held on Tuesday night in Las Vegas against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The victorious Bucks spoke with the media postgame.
Following a hustle-filled 32-point, 14-rebound, 9-assist, 4-block performance, Giannis Antetokounmpo commented on his leadership approach, “I’ve been using my voice throughout my career. Obviously, I played with very experienced players…from George Hill, Jrue Holiday, Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez. They were very, very experienced vets. I believe that as I got more comfortable, I’ve become more vocal. Now, I view myself as a vet…I feel like the more I use my voice, the more I’m engaged within the game.”
The Greek Freak elaborated on his nightly effort, saying, “What matters is being able to be selfless–sacrifice your body, your own ambitions/goals to help your team win. That’s winning plays. This is what it takes to win games.”
After recording 25 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, Damian Lillard shared his thoughts on his growing chemistry with Antetokounmpo, “You got to play the game the right way, especially when you’re on a good team. I’m on the floor with a lot of good players, a lot of shooting. You’re out there with a guy like Giannis, who’s going to draw a lot of attention when he’s getting downhill. There’s really no reason for me to force the action. There’s nothing wrong with getting off of the ball and spacing–because of that, that’s been a huge part of our successes, allowing the ball to move. It ends up where it’s supposed to when everyone is doing the right thing.”
Coach Doc Rivers discussed his team’s motivation to win the NBA Cup, “A lot of people say it’s the money and it’s not. It’s the competition. Now, the guys who aren’t playing, it’s the money. I’ve never been hugged more by our rookies in my life than after that game. They were celebrating like it was a big game. I just think it’s a competition, man. You want your team to be competitive. Accept the challenge–that’s all I’ve been talking about. I think we run from challenges a lot…There’s nothing wrong with saying you want to win something…I’m proud of our guys…I think it’s good for our team.”
The Bucks will look to secure the NBA Cup championship that will be played on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 pm EST and the game can be watched nationally on ABC.
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