LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA Cup Final doesn't count. New York enters with an 18-7 record. San Antonio enters with an 18-7 record. And when Tuesday night's game between the Knicks and Spurs ends, those records won't change.
But the game will make a lot of sense. The teams are sure of this.
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A trophy, bragging rights and a ton of money will be on the line when the Knicks and Spurs play for the NBA Cup title. This will be the first time these teams will meet with a trophy on the line since San Antonio beat New York in the 1999 NBA Finals.
“It's a high-stakes game and both teams will be very keen to win,” said Spurs star Victor Vembanyama. “It just shows that we're getting ready and will take the next step for bigger games in the playoffs. It's a complicated explanation, but it's so simple: As competitors, we want to win every game, and this one brings something new to the table, so we want to win it even more.”
This will be the conclusion of the third tournament of the season: The Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana in the first season when it was part of the so-called Intraseason Tournament, and Milwaukee beat Oklahoma City last year after being rebranded as the NBA Cup. At stake: $318,560 per standard-contract player on the winning team – they earned $212,373 in Cup bonus money by making the finals, and the winners' share jumped to $530,933 each.
“You don't win and you don't get anything on your record, but you go out there and compete,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. “You're not just playing for yourself. You're playing for your team, your organization and your city. There's a lot at stake beyond the record. You go out there and compete no matter what.”
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Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox added: “People love money. It is what it is. It's life.”
Financial gain is one thing. The Spurs and Knicks could win another award this spring.
The previous four Cup finalists—the Lakers and Pacers, then the Thunder and Bucks—all made the playoffs after playing for the trophy, with the Pacers reaching the East finals in 2024 and the Thunder winning the title last season.
“Whether it’s the Cup, the NBA Finals, winning any game, when you feel the victory, it’s addictive,” Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Obviously I want us to get into a mindset where we're dependent on the next championship if we can win this one. I think this is a great start for us to understand the standards required to win at a high level, at a championship level.”
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Vembanyama will likely remain on some sort of minutes restriction; he played 21 minutes off the bench Saturday night in San Antonio. Win over Oklahoma City 111-109.his first game since missing 12 with a left calf strain.
The Spurs came into Monday still deciding whether to start Vembanyama against the Knicks.
“When it comes to a guy like Wemby, given his size and skill set, nine times out of 10 he misses because he misses,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “But we have some pretty good defenders with length, and hopefully they can, at the point of attack, try to make it as difficult as possible on him, knowing they have help behind them.”
The Knicks and Spurs advanced to the Cup Final with a 5–1 record in the tournament; each went 3-1 in group play and then went on their way to quarterfinal victories (New York over Toronto, San Antonio over the Lakers) before New York overtakes Orlando and San Antonio beat the Thunder in Saturday's semifinals in Las Vegas.
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And now a game that means nothing. Or everything, depending on your point of view.
“I think we're going to try to win the NBA Cup on Tuesday and that's the approach,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “Our guys are really, really excited to be here. They were excited from the start… I think we've seen our group really embrace the Cup. We've earned the right to be here and I think we're going to attack the game and be really excited to try and win it.”
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NBA AP: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
