Based on my super secret, highly secure record keeping we are down to relatively few options.
Remaining OptionsRemaining Options
| Stacker | Hawks | Bucks | Thunder | Rockets |
| @supercyclone | x | |||
| @Carresan | x | |||
| @grayruby | x | x | x |
It's looking pretty bleak for @grayruby. His best hope might be everyone taking the Thunder now and getting lucky with a Rockets upset.
Taking the Thunder now might be a good idea for @Carresan and @supercyclone, since they'd be guaranteed to still have the winner of Bucks vs Hawks available and not taking the Thunder is the only way to possibly lose to @grayruby.
I was hoping the remaining strategies would be more interesting, but unless someone goes rogue this is heading towards a tiebreaker between at least @Carresan and @supercyclone.
Semifinals MatchupsSemifinals Matchups
Hawks @ Bucks
Rockets @ Thunder
Both games are in Vegas, so home-court might not mean much.
1st Tiebreaker1st Tiebreaker
Since we're coming down to the wire, and a tie is plausible, the survivors need to submit their tiebreaker predictions.
Who will win the NBA Emirates Cup MVP award?
Best of luck everyone!
In case it wasn't already obvious I will take the Thunder.
MVP is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Terrible pick.
I'll explain why at whatever time is most embarrassing for you.
I pick Thunder, Carresan picks Thunder. We both win. He has to pick Bucks or Hawks in the final since he doesn't have Thunder, I have to pick no one since I have no one left. When Thunder win we both lose and it goes to tiebreaker.
Since I didn't read your rules that is how i am interpreting them.
Nope. You will have forfeited the final round, so anyone making a pick will have beaten you. They survived longer.
There's a very good chance that I didn't articulate that clearly, but it is how the rules were enforced last year. Since there's established precedent, you'd have to appeal it all the way up to whoever runs this territory. Good luck with that.
I am filing an official protest. Winning a round is surviving. If you die of starvation instead of in the heat of battle it is still death.
I would like to take it to an independent arbitrator. I suggest the most impartial individual would be whoever runs the Stacker Sports account.
Truth be told. I didn't even look for Carresan's pick I just told supercyclone we had to get our picks in and we should do it now because I have to work tomorrow and didn't want to forget. After I submitted it, I noticed Carresan had picked the Thunder.
But since I found this glaring loophole in your rules, I believe I have a right to due process.
No one's a bigger believer in due process than me, so I say run it up the latter. I'll just tell the other two contestants where to file their complaints.
There is an actual reason for why this rule exists. I realized that there's potentially a slight advantage to skipping a pick: you get a strike without eliminating an option. It also rewards better resource management, but the arbitrator might not agree with that assessment.
I won't skip the finals. I will use the Warriors in the finals since I haven't used them yet.
I am pretty content with Carresan or Supercyclone winning. Supercyclone has suffered enough crushing defeats from the baseball pools and the football pool to know enough misery and failure that I don't mind if he wins. Even if he will hold it over me.
Why are you zapping so much?
No idea who I should pick. Haha
You could still screw this up.
@supercyclone must be counting his sats now. I'm sure they'll buy a lot of maple syrup or ice fishing gear.
Your chances aren't looking so good. Your only hope is for then to pick wrong, but it seems Carresan already picked the Thunder, and I really don't think the Thunder will be losing to the Rockets. Good luck!
Thunder
tiebreaker Giannis
Very smart pick.
I'll let you explain why to @grayruby.
Ok. Going back a bit. I wasn’t sure about going down the East side. Mainly because I was thinking about picking Hawks. Thought Rockets was safer. So I ended up going through and two options in East.
Now, I think Thunder may be safer (who knows) in this round and if , big if, I going through I have assured an option in the final.
Tiebreaker: I could give a thorough explanation but, to be honest, Giannis belongs to International team and I can only root for him!!
@grayruby may have discovered a loophole that slightly undercuts why I thought this was such a brilliant pick.
I don’t mean to alarm you but I have already been in consultation with my legal counsel.
Normally they only represent dogs but Violet put in a good bark for me and they have agreed to take my case.
🤣
It’s fine, let’s wait and see what happens tomorrow. We may lose and Hawks win which will make @supercyclone a winner.
Hawks
SGA
Do you even want to win?
He is confident Hawks will win after they beat the Knicks but will lose to Thunder in the Finals.
You can keep criticizing people's picks from the Bleachers. Haha Knicks. You are the biggest KAT hater and you lost with the Knicks!
You better believe I'm going to try to make all of you feel as dumb as I do for your losing picks.
LET'S SETTLE THIS @grayruby pick Thunder @Carresan pick Hawks @supercyclone pick Bucks
Hawks+Rockets win - @Carresan wins Hawks+Thunder win - @Carresan wins Bucks+Rockets win - @supercyclone wins Bucks+Thunder win - @supercyclone wins
Please @Carresan and @supercyclone, don't both pick either Bucks or Hawks and risk @grayruby winning it all!!
Or actually do that. Because if I've already lost, then I want @grayruby to win. GO @GRAYRUBY!!
Why would they collude and ensure one of them is eliminated?
For me
And here I thought our nyms were case sensitive.
Did u learn from my wild cowboy shooting from the hip that they’re not?
I did