/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/2MAUIHAQFVBRDMOPYX2ZHLVBIE.jpg)
The most successful team in the NBA against another team that has never won a title. Veteran LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers against rising star Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers. The NBA Cup final, the new tournament of American professional basketball, is served and it is quite a surprise. At the start of the competition, no one would have bet on such a final, but the cup is the cup, even if it is the first time it is played. Single-leg ties in such a close championship lend themselves to any result. On Saturday in Las Vegas, the trophy cabinet will be unveiled.
Along the way, all the favourites have been left behind. The first to fall was Nikola Jokić's Denver Nuggets, who didn't even make it past the group stage. The Boston Celtics stumbled in the quarterfinals against Indiana, who on Thursday also beat Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks (128-119).
The NBA Cup has seen a star grow. Tyrese Haliburton is so far the most outstanding player of the tournament. Since he began his NBA career, he has been able to maintain averages of more than 40% success on 3-point shots and close to 50% on field goals. At 23 years old and 1.96 meters tall, the point guard was already the third-best rookie of his debut season, the 2020-2021, with the Sacramento Kings. In February 2022, he entered a trade that saw Domantas Sabonis leave the Pacers for California and he ended up in Indiana. Last season was his first full season and he has already made a place for himself in the Salt Lake City All-Star, after showing a maturity unbefitting his age and a range of resources that are difficult to stop. In his games against the Celtics and the Bucks, he has established himself and the Pacers are nearing what could be their first title.
Against Boston, he had his first career triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds without a turnover. He was key in his team's victory, just like this Thursday. Against Milwaukee he had 27 points, 15 assists and 7 rebounds. "We're playing the right way and we're surprising the world right now. We're going to keep doing that," Haliburton said after the game.
Myles Turner scored 26 points for Indiana, while Obi Toppin had 14 on a series of six on eight shots from the field. The Indiana team is unleashed on offense all season, averaging 128.3 points, and 132.6 in cup games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo pulled out all he could and had 37 points and 10 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks. Damian Lillard scored 24 points; Khris Middleton, 20, and Brook Lopez, 18. However, Indiana's reserves far outnumbered Milwaukee's, scoring 43 points to 13. "Our bench really made the difference in today's game," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have one of the best benches in the NBA, if not the best bench in the NBA," Haliburton said. "We are a very deep team, with a lot of different players who can do their bit. I'm sure we've got a lot of guys that people aren't very familiar with, but I'm sure they will be very soon."
The semi-final was fairly close until the end. The first quarter ended with Milwaukee leading 27-29. In the second, Indiana's reserves opened the gap with a 36-22 run. The Bucks recovered in the third quarter and the decisive moment was reached with an advantage for them (91-94). Indiana came out more plugged in in the fourth quarter, with a 14-8 run and Haliburton's successes in key moments were consolidating and extending that advantage in the face of Antetokounmpo's impotence.
Lakers' LeBron James (left) and Anthony Davis during the semifinal against the Pelicans.Kyle Terada (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)
Meanwhile, the Western Conference semifinals had much less history. The current Lakers are an inconsistent team, but except for their days of nonsense, they are far superior to the Pelicans. The New Orleans team held on for only the first quarter (29-30 in their favor). In the second they sank (38-24) and in the third they disappeared (43-17). They went into the fourth quarter with a 110-71 lead in favor of the Lakers or, in other words, with the semifinal more than resolved. In the end, the gap widened even further, to 133-89 at the end of the game.
Darvin Ham, the coach of the Angels, decided to rest LeBron James, who went to the bench with 30 points in just 23 minutes, and Anthony Davis, who added 16 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes.
The NBA has made a strong commitment to this new competition format, similar to traditional European cup tournaments, with strong promotion, new designs of the parquet floors of the pavilions and the excitement of the single-game playoffs. The new tournament seems to have boosted television ratings in this early part of the season.
In addition to the title, the players of the champion team will receive a prize of $500,000 each. The runners-up will get $200,000 per head, while the two losing semifinalists get $100,000 and the players of those eliminated in the quarterfinals get $50,000. This Saturday, the best player of the tournament and the ideal quintet will also be chosen. LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton have a lot of ballots.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and X, or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.