We talked about EVERYTHING related to the NBA Cup in our podcast, The Weak Side, analyzing the quarterfinals and then closing with predictions on the winners. Happy listening!
Because it exists NBA Cup? Every time, for whoever wins it it’s important, for whoever goes out it’s a game like any other – for LeBron James himself, apparently, it’s just basketballbut he and the Lakers themselves celebrated the victory in 2023 with revelry and champagne. But it is actually difficult to deny that it has lost appeal. There is less media buzz, many stars have rested, the glow of novelty has died down (even if that of the fields remains clearly visible and ready to blind us), the same “boredom” that forces the format of the All-Star Game to change every year.
It’s even hard to remember who won the NBA Cup – and we apologize for the typo in the podcast, it’s the Bucks and not the Pacers, obviously. And anonymous Las Vegas doesn’t help. But lest it be said that we started to discredit it just because the Lakers left, it is important to clarify a fundamental aspect underlying the existence of the tournament in the middle of the season: the stories.
First of all, the NBA Cup represents a nice showcase for those teams that in May we might be forced to call underdogs, especially in the east. For the Orlando Magic it is a great opportunity to get noticed, for example, to shout to the Knicks that they are there too, just as it would have been for teams like the Pistons or Raptors – eliminated in the quarterfinals. A sounding board for those who play with the so-called “chip on the shoulder”, and the Suns and Spurs also benefit from it.
Which, among other things, they recovered Victor Wembanyama with enormous surprise, and it will be a nice opportunity to see what is considered the future of the League against the strongest team ever – we only mentioned it in the podcast, having recorded on Thursday morning when there were still no updates. In any case, the gist remains, this too is a story.
As is yet another meeting between Magic and Knicks, which also brings some spice to the Desmond Bane – OG Anunoby affair. Or the potential final between Thunder and Knicks, what for everyone would be a preview of the NBA Finals, and so on. In that long and boring marathon that is the regular season, even these short stories make the difference, the creation of narratives and rivalries that can then continue into the Playoffs. This is why the NBA Cup is important.
With this brief introduction, based on the first minutes of the podcast, we leave you to listen without tiring your eyes any further. You can find us on Spotify, where you can access directly from below, and on Apple Podcasts:
For those who prefer the video format, we remind you that you can see us and interact with us every Thursday on the Twitch (click HERE) and YouTube (click HERE) channels. The Weak Sidethe live recording of the podcast found above. Happy watching, happy listening and happy NBA Cup!
/cityscape-of-the-los-angeles-skyline-at-dusk-los-angeles-california-united-states-of-america-north-america-530065311-57924bb33df78c17348ace09.jpg)