It's a final four not many would've expected.
The 2024 NBA Cup semifinals features four teams all vying for their first win in the tournament founded last year, as the Los Angeles Lakers, the first ever winners, did not qualify past the group stage.
Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets are still alive. Oklahoma City currently is first out West, with Houston in a tie for second. Milwaukee has bounced back from a slow start to be above sixth out East while Atlanta is just meeting expectations as the last Eastern team above .500.
So, which two teams should meet for the hardware? Let's rank the possible NBA Cup final matchups from least to most entertaining:
4. Atlanta Hawks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
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The least intriguing matchup is not between the two "worst" teams. Instead, it's the Cinderella of the bracket against an elite title contender that could result in a predictable outcome.
Atlanta is an entertaining team led by Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter, with head coach Quin Snyder having a relatively deep roster to call upon. But Oklahoma City, steered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, could prove to be too much.
Both teams met on Oct. 27, which resulted in a 128-104 win for Oklahoma City. The context of a rematch would be different in the final, but it'd be a game the Thunder would likely be easily favored to win.
3. Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets
Houston, like it did last season, has launched into a positive start with Ime Udoka at the helm. But while the youth-filled team couldn't sustain that form, there's more optimism this time around now that the players and coaching staff have had more time to jell.
Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Amen Thompson highlight a number of promising youth, with Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks providing the veteran scoring and defense.
Given the Rockets are at least one level below the Thunder, it would likely make for a more even match against Atlanta.
2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets
Milwaukee claims a spot in each of the top two rankings given its edge in star quality over Atlanta. The Hawks can still play spoiler given their track record against good teams this year, though the Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
The Bucks would likely be favored in this matchup, too, but some of the individual battles would be intriguing: Sengun with Brook Lopez, Antetokounmpo being guarded by Tari Eason/Jabari Smith Jr., Lillard vs. Green and more.
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
This is easily the premier battle of the four options. Oklahoma City was expected to grow and stay near the summit of the contenders while Milwaukee is clinging onto the Antetokounmpo era with an aging core supplementing him.
Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Lillard, Holmgren, Middleton, Williams is the best group of stars left, with the notable headline being a potential battle of two players at the top of the current MVP race.
