The NBA, forced to deal with OKC’s rise, seems to be dismissing the Thunder’s jolly postgame antics and barking as mere yipping. OKC let it be known Saturday that there’s some bite, too.

Following a victory over the Houston Rockets, the OKC Thunder punched a ticket to the NBA Cup Championship against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

But a semifinal win and NBA Cup finals appearance comes at a price. They'd play the Milwaukee Bucks or Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Dec. 17 and extend their stay in Las Vegas for three more days. The NBA Cup finals game itself not counting towards the standings also deflates some of the excitement, as it'd be an 83rd game for both squads.