Thunder headed to NBA Cup semifinal game against Rockets

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Winning the NBA Cup won’t bring a championship parade to Oklahoma City, Houston, Atlanta, or Milwaukee. There’s a trophy. There’s some cash. There are bragging rights. And that’s about it.

The way the final four teams in the tournament see things, that’s enough.

The semifinals of the NBA Cup are Saturday: Atlanta takes on Milwaukee, and Houston faces Oklahoma City. Those games take place in Las Vegas — as will the championship game on Tuesday night.

“As a kid, you grow up, you watch Lakers versus Boston on TV. You watch Miami versus Cleveland. You watch marquee matchups and you watch big games, and you dream about getting there one day,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “To be in this position is special. You don’t take it for granted.”

For most of the players in these NBA Cup semifinals, this is their first time on such a stage. Only nine players currently on the Hawks, Thunder, Bucks, and Rockets have ever been to the NBA Finals.

It’s not a totally surprising final four: Oklahoma City was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for last season’s playoffs and if the season was over Friday the Thunder would have that seed again — just ahead of No. 2 Houston. And in the East, the Bucks (winners in 11 of their last 14) and Hawks (winners in seven of their last eight) are among the hottest teams right now.

“For a lot of guys that haven’t tasted the playoffs yet, it’s the closest thing to that as far as intensity and physicality and something on the line,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of the NBA Cup. “Meaningful basketball is really good for our young guys. They haven’t had a ton of those games.”

It’s also a chance for teams that are considered small-market — there’s no Boston or New York or Los Angeles teams in this final four — to get more national TV games and maybe pick up a few more fans.

“At the end of the day, you just want to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But it’s pretty sweet to be highlighted and showcased in a way. Yeah, it’s what dreams are all about, and for them to come true is special.”

—Houston vs. Oklahoma City, Saturday. 8:30 p.m. EST (ABC)

Season series: Split, 1-1.

Outlook: The Rockets had to rally late and hold off Golden State in the quarterfinals, and the Thunder — since losing to Houston on December 1st — are 4-0 and winning those games by a margin of 22.3 points.