Does winning the NBA Cup carry a curse for a franchise? So far, the answer is yes.
Last season, the NBA announced the inaugural In-Season Tournament to battle plummeting TV ratings in the middle of the year.
The Los Angeles Lakers ended up winning the inaugural IST, and this season, after the tournament was rebranded to the NBA Cup, the Milwaukee Bucks were crowned champions.
There is one unwanted similarity between the two sides, however, and no, we are not talking about coach Darvin Ham.
The 2023-24 NBA season was terrible for the LA Lakers as they wasted another year of LeBron James and Anthony Davis‘ prime. But even during the course of the season, the Lakers’ most frustrating stretch came right after winning the NBA Cup.
Ham’s Lakers. had a 2-6 record in the next eight games of the regular season. Well, the Bucks seemingly wanted to learn from the Lakers’ mistake, but they have failed.
The Bucks have a 3-5 record since winning the 2024 NBA Cup. As a result, the organization has slipped to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Last season and the beginning of the 2024-25 season, many doubted whether Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were complementing each other.
After all, they had an early exit in the 2024 postseason, and the Bucks were off to a terrible start this campaign.
However, when the Bucks won the 2024 NBA Cup, things finally started to fall into place for the franchise. Sure, the duo may not be the best in the East, but their chemistry has improved.
As a result, Antetokounmpo made a promise to the fanbase that he looks forward to winning more trophies with Dame on his side.
Unfortunately, looking at the Bucks’ recent form, it feels like Giannis’ promise is in jeopardy. The next few weeks will be key for Milwaukee to bounce back.
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