The Milwaukee Bucks’ romp to the title in Year Two of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas was dwarfed by a persistent bugaboo: the NBA Cup doesn’t really matter yet
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s NBA Cup final opponent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokić have deservedly been garnering a lot of MVP buzz a quarter of the way through the regular season. But over three days in Las Vegas, Antetokounmpo added to what is already a pretty convincing case of his own to take home his third NBA MVP trophy. He’s been putting up tremendous numbers all season, averaging a preposterous 32.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists while logging a 19-rebound triple-double in Tuesday’s final, a 97-81 win over Oklahoma City. But his stat line isn’t existing in a vacuum; he’s looking as dominant, if not moreso, than he ever has. And he’s been deadly from the mid-range this year (as Kevin Garnett gave him props for over the weekend), which is a significant complement to his near-unstoppable inside game. In Tuesday’s showdown between MVP frontrunners, Giannis looked decidedly like the best player on the floor.