Juan Ocampo. Getty Images.

When the Final Four of the Thunder, Bucks, Mavs and Hawks was officially decided, the general consensus was that this was OKC’s NBA Cup to lose. They were by far the best team in the group up to this point in the season, and then when they beat the Mavs and made it to the Finals, most (including you, really) thought it was a foregone conclusion. They came from the Big West and had an MVP candidate and arguably the deepest roster in the NBA. No matter who came from the East, they had no chance against this caliber of basketball.

Does this sound familiar?

Well, just like we saw in the NBA Finals, another team from the East defeated the supposedly best team from the West and won another banner. Sure, this is made up and technically the game didn’t count at all in terms of stats and records, but if the NBA wants me to believe in its validity then I will.

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I’m a firm believer in all competitive reps being important, and while I’m not sure the players are trying “harder” because it’s cup games, I think a situation like this final where “something “What is at stake is useful. A matchup like OKC vs. MIL was a good litmus test for both sides. A fun test to see how both sides dealt with their own problems/questions.

For OKC, it was the first chance as a supposed title contender to come through and “win” something. The lights are bright, the hype is there, the anticipation is there, how do you react? Can you answer the call? Based on how we played on Tuesday, the lights looked a little too bright. Their biggest concern (a subpar offense) has been exposed by a team that can’t even really defend. The lack of shooting (5-32 from deep) coupled with an inefficient SGA performance (8-24, 2-9) reared its ugly head again, similar to what happened to the Thunder’s “others” in their loss to the Mavs last spring.

Considering how they looked against the Rockets and Bucks, you probably don’t feel good if you’re someone who may have been a little nervous about the Thunder’s offensive woes and what that could mean in the postseason. They are a great team with a deservedly historic defense, but if your goal in 2024 is to win the title, you need to be able to shoot.

But of course the real story here is the Bucks.

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The Bucks started the season 2-8 and were largely considered dead. They are currently 14-11 (+1 win, which doesn’t count). The fact is, this entire turnaround has largely been about beating the worst teams in the NBA. This isn’t the Bucks’ fault. You never apologize for beating teams you should beat, but heading into the final the question was whether they could be as successful against a legitimate opponent. Despite their turnaround, the Bucks were still 4-8 against teams that were .500 or better this season. So when it came to beating someone who was good, they hadn’t really shown that they were capable of it yet.

That’s what a win like this can do for a team like the Bucks. They don’t get any credit for it in the standings, but it’s impossible to just ignore what the hell they just did to the best team in the West. They cheered that asshole. Giannis bullied everyone in sight, checkers gave you checker things, the “others” hit their 3s, and the team blew up doors. At least they deserve recognition for that. Everyone said they had to prove it against a good team and they went and proved it. There’s not much more you can do.

Now the question arises: Was it just the Lakers 2.0? A mostly mediocre team that won the NBA Cup and then fizzled out in the postseason? We’re about to find out! There’s a big difference between doing something once and doing the same thing four times out of seven, but you can’t really answer playoff questions in December. For a team that started like a crapshoot, getting enough wins to bounce back in the standings and then get such a high-profile victory is a good thing. It doesn’t answer all of their playoff questions, but it certainly shows you that the Bucks are officially back from the dead.

What their ultimate ceiling will be is still unknown, but at least we’ve learned that you can’t beat them by missing every shot you take. The Bucks only scored 97 points and it was largely a wash. OKC should be ashamed of themselves.

So congratulations to the Bucks, who clearly respected the trophy. Enjoy the next 24 hours until the regular season returns and everyone immediately forgets about this.