Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals, Knicks vs. Young Rivalry and Jayson Tatum as MVP
by Lou Aguila | by Tyler Doty
The playoff stages of the Emirates NBA Cup promise to elevate the level of competition of NBA regular-season matches by offering a prize pool of almost a million dollars.
But more from the cash incentives, these eight remaining teams are fighting for the bragging rights of being crowned the 2024 NBA Cup champion. This year's winner will join the Los Angeles Lakers in the pantheon of NBA Cup champions, being the only two teams to ever lift arguably the most prestigious trophy next to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, which is awarded to the NBA Champion.
Moreover, it seems the NBA Cup knockout stages might be a prelude to this Season's Playoffs, given that the teams that qualified for the quarterfinal round are the same teams that are doing well in the season.
The Golden State Warriors (14-9), Dallas Mavericks (16-9), Houston Rockets (16-8), and the Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5) are all in the top-5 of the Western Conference standings, establishing their ground as the cream of the crop in the West.
The Milwaukee Bucks (13-11), New York Knicks (15-9), and Orlando Magic (17-10) are in the top 6 in the Eastern Conference ladder, while the Atlanta Hawks are coming into the playoff stages of the NBA Cup with some momentum, winning the last six games before 111-141 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Top 5 Players to Watch in NBA Cup Playoffs
- Giannis Antetokounmpo – The Greek Freak has been more than just a freak this season. He's a monster. The Bucks star is averaging 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game this season. In the last 10 games, Giannis has averaged a double-double with 32.8 points and 10.6 rebounds while dishing 6.4 assists per game. He also remains an unstoppable force on the defensive, swatting 1.5 blocks per game.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Another MVP-contender, Gilgeous-Alexander is in a position to earn another top-5 finish in the MVP voting as he averages 29.3 points, 5.3 rebounds,s and 6.3 assists per game. The fleet-footed guard has just earned the Western Conference Player of the Month nod for October/November for powering the Thunder to the franchise's best starts since the Kevin Durant era.
- Trae Young – Ice Trae is smoking hot this windy December. Young averages 20.9 points and 12.2 assists per game this season, but he has taken his playmaking to another level this month, in which he averages 13.3 assists in four games. In the Hawks's 134-132 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on December 6, Young dropped a 30-20 game after posting 31 points on 36 FG% and 20 assists. The growing backcourt dynamics of Young and defensive demon Dyson Daniels is fascinating to watch, making Hawks fans excited about what these two guards with contrasting skills can achieve together in the coming seasons.
- Karl-Anthony Towns – KAT has acclimated seamlessly to life in the big city. It takes just a couple of months for Towns to put up a hands-down dominant season of his career. The Knicks star big man is averaging 25.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting a jaw-dropping 53.1 FG%. He has also become a more lethal three-point shooter, converting 44.7% of his shot attempts from behind the three-point line. Towns also boast a defensive rating of 109.9 points while averaging 1.0 blocks and almost one steal per game.
- Alperen Sengun – From one big man to another, Alperen Sengun has proven to be more than just a Nikola Jokic copycat. In his third NBA season, Sengun is averaging 18.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game for the resurging Rockets. Houston's offense runs through him, putting to use his incredible court vision and offbeat playing style that catches even top-notch defenders off guard.
Game of the Week: Knicks vs. Trae Young / Hawks
New York Knicks vs. Trae Young /Atlanta Hawks – Talking about rivalry, there hasn't been a more acrimoniously entertaining rivalry than that of the Knicks and Trae Young. Throughout his career, Young averaged 25.6 points, and 9.6 rebounds while converting 40.6 percent of his shots. Who would forget Ice Trae's performance against the Knicks in the 2021 Eastern first-round series? The Hawks superstar is phenomenal in that series, torching the Knicks with 29.2 points and 9.1 assists in a five-game series.
The first time the Hawks played the Knicks this season, Young racked up 23 points and 10 assists to power his team to a 121-116 win. During the postgame interview, Young left a parting message for Knicks fans at State Farm Arena that encapsulates his raw hatred for Knickerbockers.
"I hope that New York fans find their way to the exit real real quick," Young said in jest.
MVP Year for Jayson Tatum?
One noticeable absence in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal cast are the defending champion Boston Celtics. The Celtics finished with a similar 3-1 record just like their groupmate Hawks but they could not make it to the knockout stages because of their inferior point differential.
Nevertheless, it's looking like Jayson Tatum has established himself as a legitimate contender for the regular-season MVP. In the latest issue of the KIA MVP Ladder, the Celtics star sits behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic in the MVP race and ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns.
- In the latest odds on FanDuel, Tatum has the fifth highest odds to win at +1300 behind Antetokounmpo (+750), Luka Doncic (+700), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+330) and Nikola Jokic (-115).
Tatum can be a stronger contender for the prestigious individual award if he can take the Celtics to the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and possibly best record in the NBA. Nikola Jokic's Nuggets haven't been as formidable as they used to be in the previous seasons. Doncic and Antetokounmpo are monster performers statistically, but like the Nuggets, the Mavs and the Bucks have yet to prove their dominance in their respective conferences.
The Celtics (19-5) are 1.5 games behind No.1 Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4) in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston heads into a four-game stretch in which they will be playing sub. 500 teams such as Detroit, Washington, and Chicago. Tatum has an opportunity to back up his case for the MVP honors by pumping big numbers in these games and of course,e leading his team to emphatic wins. Perhaps, this will finally convince NBA pundits to put him ahead of everyone in the MVP.
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