Stiles Points: Figuring Out Alternatives to NBA Cup Tiebreakers

The NBA has tried hard to make the NBA Cup feel special. From different courts, a name change and even special basketballs that few can even notice the different tournament patterns on without the vision of a hawk, and to date, it hasn't worked.

Partly due to the timing, going heads up against football season in America is a losing battle for all forms of entertainment much less fellow sporting events. But also due to the complicated nature of it.

These special NBA cup games are sandwiched between non-cup games but do take place on Tuesdays and Fridays - though, your team is not guaranteed to be on the hardwood on that specific Tuesday or Friday. Hunting and pecking through the docket to figure out which games mean what can be difficult for casual fans.

Then you move on to the pool play portion of the event which is different from anything else in American sports, despite being a popular part of global events such as soccer. Finding the standings within your group and comparing them to other groups is something most myopic American sports fans save for the FIFA World Cup once every four years.

This brings us to the crux of the issue, the point differential tiebreaker. A system that NBA fans, coaches and players, admit at times to throwing their hands up and not understanding - or simply not being able to keep track of.

That is the category the Thunder fell into Tuesday. From not controlling its own destiny to start Tuesday night's game against the Utah Jazz to catapulting up the standings, taking home the No. 1 seed out West thanks to its 133-106 win over Utah.

Oklahoma City didn't care much to distance themselves further from the Jazz as their head coach would admit after the game.

"Zero," Mark Daigneault said when peppered with questions about how much thought he put into the point differential tiebreaker.

"Number one because of player health. Imagine if it's an NBA Cup game and we're up by 30 and I run a 35-minute player out there and, God forbid, something happens because I'm chasing a point differential. That would be really bad for the league and the team. I don't love the design because it's incentivizing that. Or running the score up on the opponent. There's a certain grace you win with that they create an incentive that flips that on its head. I think there's other ways to do it," The Thunder bench boss continued.

That grace was not shown to the Thunder during its 73-point loss in Memphis back in 2021 with Daigneault pacing the sideline and tasting his own blood - Before the NBA Cup was even thought of! Oklahoma City's head coach didn't offer much in terms of alternatives.

"Maybe quarters but I'm not sitting in a room thinking about that. I just know what it feels like to be in the games and you got the angel and devil on your shoulder but we're going with the angel," Daigneault explained.

Oklahoma City has done a great job of leaning toward the angel on their shoulder, which we all should strive to do. But unlike the busy bench boss, this scribe had time to sit in a dark room, with Elvis' Christmas album blaring and think of solutions. Perhaps, Daigneault would appreciate one of these tiebreakers. Adam Silver, feel free to use any suggestion free of charge.

1) NBA Cup Committee

Are you kidding me? Does the NBA love anything more than drama and hot takes? How jealous is this league over what's happening in the world of college football right now? Fans and pundits alike going to proverbial war over a couple of three-loss squads and soft schedule beneficiaries being left out of a 12-team tournament - the largest field in the sport's history to crown a National Title.

After all, it is at least a little silly. Some bigwigs with personal bias are wined and dined in Dallas for a weekend before voting on who should face off in the gridiron without much concrete reasoning and certainly no consistency. That sounds like every NBA Player podcast.

If no one truly cares about going to Vegas or not in mid-December, at least lean into the Viva Las Vegas aspect of it all and make this a pure spectacle.

Get Kevin Garnett, Gilbert Arenas, Charles Barkley, Paul Pierce, Shaq, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson in a room and let them pick the two wild card squads.

This would allow teams not to be coaxed into poor sportsmanship, or bend their mind into pretzels to figure out all of the different rules and requirements to get in.

2) A Talent Show

Before the NBA Cup begins, you must designate a talent on your roster. Perhaps someone has a great set of pipes, can belch the ABCs or anything in between. They would record a video of themselves performing this act to which the NBA circulates and fans - or even a jury of their peers - vote for the best talent and that team gets the spot.

This would again be an off-the-court tiebreaker, that also gives a peek inside who the people are off the floor. Imagine if there is an NBA player out there unimpressed by the chin-balancing halftime act because, they too can balance a ladder on their head? These things can be unearthed.

3) H.O.R.S.E

Remember when the world - and sports - were shut down? To give a tiny breadcrumb of competition ESPN brought NBA players together for a game of H.O.R.S.E played via Zoom. It wasn't much, but it was something. The same concept can apply here. If the Thunder and Mavericks are tied in the NBA Cup standings, the two teams put a player on a Zoom call and hammer things out through this trivial game and former All-Star Weekend event.

4) NBA Regular Season Standings

The NBA is always searching for a way to make the regular season mean more. You want a shot at the $500,000 dollar prize that players take home for winning the cup? You better take all of the games seriously, as the fate of a Vegas trip might come down to how you have performed in non-cup games. Sure, these are supposed to be two separate entities, but given that cup games already count in the regular season table, it only makes sense for the regular season to contribute to the cup.

Stiles Points:

Alex Caruso is set to return to the lineup after a five game absence on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors. The Thunder have missed the additional support on defense and just before his hip injury flared up, the defensive ace was finding his stride on offense.
Over the last three games, the Oklahoma City Thunder have started the exact same starting lineup. A group that pushed Isaiah Joe to a more consistent bench role, where he continues to show is where he is most productive.
The NBA announced the NBA Cup Bracket and make-up games for the two missing contests in the schedule, including the makeup game should the Thunder lose on Tuesday against Dallas.
Oklahoma City's ability to force turnovers has helped them in more ways than one this season.

Song of the Day: Signs by Tesla

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.