Milwaukee Bucks news: Let’s be honest. The NBA In-Season Tournament did not exactly come out with a bang when it first started. In fact, more than a few folks out there frowned on the whole concept when Commissioner Adam Silver first announced it.
Perhaps even the players felt this way initially. However, as the tournament progressed, it became clear that they were playing for something significant. Right now, with the semifinals set, there’s now a full-blown hype surrounding the tournament — for both the players and the fans.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Gets Real on In-Season Tournament
One of the best parts of the IST is that it gave all 30 teams an equal opportunity to win the title. Of course, some teams still had an advantage over others, but the fact that the group stage featured just four games per team meant that it was pretty much a free-for-all.
According to Bucks superstar Damian Lillard, who will now be hoping to help his team overcome the Indiana Pacers in the semifinal, the unique format of the IST is a captivating aspect that provided an added layer to the competition:
“I think that’s a confidence builder for any team,” Lillard said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I think it shows who’s going to fight for it, who’s going to go after it when the competition is at its highest. And I think you see in a lot of these In-Season tournament games you can see the competition rises. Teams are going after it. You come out of this on top, the last time standing, I think it’s a pretty strong statement. It’s something that everybody around the league has to respect.”
To be honest, the Pacers are not expected to be a title contender this season. The same can be said about the New Orleans Pelicans out West, who will be battling LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the semis on the opposite side of the bracket.
However, both the Pels and the Pacers are now just two wins away from winning the NBA Cup and bringing home a piece of silverware this season.
Of course, the Bucks will want to see to it that that won’t happen.
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