The Milwaukee Bucks secured the 2024 NBA Cup title with an 97-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo earned MVP honours, adding to his growing list of accolades, which already includes two league MVPs, a Finals MVP, and an NBA championship.
After wrapping up his post-game news conference, Antetokounmpo took a moment to savour the accomplishment.
“Oh man, what a feeling,” Antetokounmpo said. “What a great feeling. I’ll see you guys again, I promise.
“What a great feeling. What a great feeling.”
Despite their triumph, the Bucks opted for a more subdued postgame celebration.
The Bucks are the 2024 #EmiratesNBACup Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TiOp0m1iX7
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024
The champagne provided by the NBA was left untouched, with the players enjoying a relaxed atmosphere – listening to music and sipping drinks at their lockers.
Antetokounmpo, who delivered an impressive 26-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, joked about skipping the champagne.
He said: “Last time I drank a little bit of champagne, when we won the championship [in 2021], I had like a full body cramp.
“There has to be [a celebration]. This has been a great trip. Everybody has been locked in, on time for the film sessions, so focused on the walkthroughs. At practice, we were able to be so sharp.”
The decision for a quieter celebration may also have been influenced by experience.
Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham and forward Taurean Prince were part of the Los Angeles Lakers last year when they won the inaugural NBA Cup.
The Lakers celebrated with a champagne shower but faltered afterwards, losing 10 of their next 13 games.
Giannis adding these to his collection of hardware…
🏆 🏆#EmiratesNBACup pic.twitter.com/SIY580zlK7
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024
The Bucks held the Thunder to a season-low 81 points, including just 31 points in the second half.
The victory over Oklahoma City, a team with the best record in the Western Conference, demonstrated Milwaukee’s resurgence after a rough start to the season.
The Bucks began with a disappointing 2-8 record, but since then, they’ve turned their season around and now boast the best record in the NBA at 12-3 (excluding NBA Cup games).
Antetokounmpo urged his teammates to savour the NBA Cup victory while staying grounded and focused on the games ahead.
“We have just got to stay humble, keep on improving,” he said. “We have a lot of basketball in front of us. We play Cleveland on Friday – a very, very good team. They are going to be waiting for us.
“Right now, the emotion is at an all-time high. We have to bring it down, be humble. Once we leave here tomorrow, go back to the gym, lock in, and hopefully we can go and get a win against the Cavs.”
