Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s Milwaukee Bucks has entered the NBA Cup final and will face off against Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas. The Bucks are now one step closer to victory, but Giannis knows it’s not yet time to take it easy. In a post-game interview, shared the official X account of Milwaukee Bucks, he said, “We’ve changed our season around but we got to keep going. The job’s not done, the job’s not done so far. We have 55 games left so we just got to keep playing the game and hopefully, we can keep getting better.”
His statement is very similar to Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers after being traded by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, barely a month after they picked him. In 2009, the Lakers were up 2-0 over the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup finals. In a post-game press conference, the media asked if he was happy about it. However, Bryant responded, “What’s there to be happy about? The job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so.”
The Lakers ended up winning the finals in 2009, 4 games to 1. Kobe Bryant led his team to victory by scoring 30 points to lead the Lakers to victory over the Magic. In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Thousands of people attended a memorial for Bryant and his daughter at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He made a name for himself over his two-decade career and has inspired many young professionals. His quotes are famous for embodying his “Mamba Mentality,” which emphasized hard work and a winning mindset.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks in Semi-Finals recap
Bucks’ star player Giannis (Image via Sky Sports)
In their match against Atlanta Hawks in the semi-finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds making his team win by 110-102 to go to the NBA Cup finals. His performance was the key to the Bucks’ victory in the semifinal. He only missed five shot attempts but dominated the Hawks in both offense and defense. Damian Lillard was another key player in the match, scoring solid 25 points and did seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Additionally, Brook Lopez scored 16 points, the third-highest-scoring player in the Semi-Finals.
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The NBA Cup final between the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder will take place on Wednesday, 18 December. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are known for their elite defense and physical dominance. However, the Thunders have star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in their roster along with young talents like Chet Holmgren. In the Semi-Finals against Houston Rockets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and had eight rebounds and six assists. The winning team will not only get the championship cup, but the players will be awarded over 500k dollars as prize money.