The NBA Cup has now been narrowed down to two teams, with the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs set to meet in the championship game on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic in the semifinals to reach the title game, while the Spurs ended the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16-game win streak to advance.

The NBA Cup final doesn’t count. New York will enter with an 18-7 record. San Antonio will enter with an 18-7 record. And when Tuesday night’s game between the Knicks and Spurs is over, those

By how the NBA defines pace, which is a bit of a flawed stat, the Knicks aren’t playing that much faster. They’re still bottom-five in that category. Their secondary assists and passes per game aren’t much improved, if at all.

The NBA Cup was supposed to be a midseason curiosity, a made-for-TV experiment designed to juice December basketball and give fans something shiny to argue about before Christmas.

The Magic and Knicks square off first in a game that could provide fans a preview of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks and Magic are among the best teams in the East this season, with New York coming into the game on a four-game winning streak.

If the Milwaukee Bucks end up in a situation where they have to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, a new suitor from the Western Conference has emerged as a potential landing spot.

The Knicks are looking at guards as the NBA December 15 contract date unofficially opens trade season in the league.

According to NBA reporter Howard Beck, Giannis Antetokounmpo will show interest in the Miami Heat as a potential option after the Knicks.