Andrea Montolivo
Las Vegas (USA), Dec 17 (EFE).- The Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder meet this Tuesday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with the NBA Cup and a check for $514,000 for player of the champion team at play, in a party atmosphere in the City of the Game.
After the semifinals last Saturday, the T-Mobile Arena reopens its doors for the game that awards the first trophy of the season and from early in the afternoon many fans with T-shirts of the teams could be seen in the stadium area. Bucks and the Thunder.
Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo’s number 34 is the most common among Bucks fans, while many Thunder fans attended the event wearing ‘vintage’ t-shirts of protagonists such as Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, who left Oklahoma City several years ago. years.
Several Las Vegas basketball fans also came to the stadium, also thanks to the affordable ticket prices.
A few hours before the game began, there were still tickets for sale for less than $100 on platforms like Vivid Seats.
The Bucks reach the final after eliminating the Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals and the Thunder beat the Houston Rockets.
They will face each other this Tuesday with a notable economic incentive, since each member of the winning team will receive a check for $514,000.
“It’s life-changing money. With $500,000 you can put a down payment on one house. You can make a down payment on two houses. Some players are not going to make that money in their entire careers. So we’re definitely playing for them It’s a joke we make in the locker room, we say we’re going to play for the young guys. But this means a lot to all of us because it’s a lot of money, Antetokounmpo reflected at the press conference the day before.
“In my case, I don’t think so. I think about money when we talk about young people. Personally, I don’t think about money. I love playing basketball and it’s not for money anymore. I’m not going to lie. When I got to the NBA I obviously wanted take care of my family, you want to allow your siblings to go to a better school than yours. You want to give your parents a better life, buy your mother a house,” he continued.
For the Thunder it is the first great opportunity to give OKC its first NBA title since its founding in 2008.
The Bucks reach the final with a more experienced squad, led by Giannis, Damian Lillard or Khris Middleton, who have already turned 30 years old. EFE
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