（原文发表于12月4日，作者为The Athletic网站的快船队记Law Murray，文章内容不代表译者观点）
经过小组赛最后一晚充满戏剧性的比赛，NBA杯淘汰赛阶段的赛事已经准备就绪。晋级球队包括魔术、雄鹿、老鹰、尼克斯、独行侠、雷霆、勇士和火箭，这八支球队将在四分之一决赛中展开激烈角逐。胜出的四场比赛将前往拉斯维加斯参加半决赛，而败者则将在12月15日或16日进行复战，这些对局也将计入常规赛积分榜。
在拉斯维加斯举行的两场半决赛获胜球队，将于12月18日争夺NBA杯冠军。虽然这场最终对决不会影响常规赛成绩或统计数据，但获得冠军团队的所有球员都能分享超过50万美元的奖金，并拥有炫耀权利。
值得注意的是，在NBA杯上表现优异并不意味着该队会在明年春季大放异彩。例如去年湖人夺得首届季中锦标后，仅有步行者成功赢下至少一轮季后赛系列，而雄鹿和湖人甚至更换了主教练。因此，更重要的是享受比赛过程！以下是The Athletic网站快船队记者Law Murray对于NBA杯八强实力分析及预测：
魔术VS雄鹿（12月11日）
本赛季双方是否有过交手？
This will be their first matchup of the season, with two more games scheduled at Milwaukee later. Last season, both teams split wins in regular-season matchups.
双方在季后赛中的交锋记录如何？
The magic and Bucks have met twice in playoffs history, where the Bucks eliminated Magic in both instances — once during 2020's bubble play and previously back in 2001 when current Bucks coach Rivers was still coaching Orlando.
进攻与防守分析
- 魔术进攻时……
- Their offensive ranking is among the bottom ten while the Bucks' defense has shown significant improvement recently winning nine out of last ten matches. The Magic’s three-point shooting percentage ranks near lowest this season only above Wizards’ performance.
- 雄鹿进攻时……
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谁会赢?
< P > This face-off features league’s hottest competing squads overcoming early adversities together! As home team ,Bucks hold an edge being sole returning playoff contender from previous year.< /P >
预计：雄鹿晋级.
(纯文本格式) 独行侠 VS 雷霆 (日期：2021 年 10 月)
" 本次较量双方已有先例，上个月曾以121比119击败雷霆，其中PJ-华盛顿成为关键人物。这一次可能结果有所不同，因为之前因伤缺席之东契奇与哈尔滕施泰因均已回归."};
- < li>Bucks rank top ten offensively whereas Orlando remains one of Eastern Conference's best defensive units limiting opponent shots from beyond arc effectively though facing Dame Lillard poses a challenge due to his long-range capabilities!
