The New York Knicks won the NBA Cup for the first time and prevailed in the final against the San Antonio Spurs led by Victor Wembanyama.
Jalen Brunson’s Knicks won 124:113 against the Texans and earned a decent bonus payment of more than half a million US dollars per player shortly before Christmas. Brunson was voted MVP of the mini-tournament in Las Vegas.
“We were down ten (points) or something and we had to find a way to win, whatever the cost,” Brunson said. “Without my teammates I wouldn’t be here.”
Knicks with a 25:29 run
The Spurs seemed to have the game under control, leading 92-81 in the third quarter. But then the Knicks worked their way back with a 25:9 run.
“It’s nice to see how seriously it is taken. The Cup has gotten bigger every year. It was fun to watch, the Knicks really deserve it,” said Dirk Nowitzki in his role as a TV expert at Prime.
Knicks after Lakers and Bucks third winner in the NBA Cup
The NBA has now played the NBA Cup for the third season. In the first year, when the Los Angeles Lakers won, the competition was still called the “In-Season Tournament,” and when the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the final against the Milwaukee Bucks last year, it was already the NBA Cup.
The league wanted to add additional excitement to the phase of the season before Christmas. With the exception of the final, the games also count towards the balance sheet for the main round.
Changes announced for next year
The semi-finals and final were played in Las Vegas – that may change. It is already certain that the semi-finals next season will be played by the better placed team. NBA boss Adam Silver also suggested that the final could be played in the arena of a college team in the future.
The financial framework is attractive. Every professional with a full NBA contract in the Knicks’ squad will now receive $530,933 as a result of the victory – this is an enormous sum, especially for supplementary players at the back of the squad.