NBA Cup Predictions! Who will win the single-elimination stage and be crowned champion?

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 has reached the knockout stages and eight teams will compete in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday. Who will survive the single-elimination round and be crowned this year’s champion? Our authors participate.

1. The NBA Cup is _________.

Kevin O’Connor: An upgrade from the regular standard season. While I understand the criticisms, they pale in comparison to the rather boring nature of the October to Christmas season. The NBA needs to do something to make all these other games feel more important. Maybe the key is to go even further and focus the entire first quarter of the season on the NBA Cup. Once the expansion happens, why not have a 32-team single-elimination tournament every year before Christmas?

Dan Titus: Necessary. Viewership is down, so it’s the perfect time to drum up interest in watching the NBA on a random Tuesday or Wednesday night in early December. Liven up the noisy courts with increased competitiveness – especially in the Western Conference. All the star power is brewing as the Mavericks face the Thunder. Plus some Rockets drama as Houston tries to end its 15-game losing streak against the Warriors. I won’t speak for the East, but these games won’t disappoint.

(Ben Rohrbach’s NBA Cup Power Rankings)

Vincent Goodwill: A sign that players need to be aware that their effort in the 82-game marathon is not enough. There are many positives, such as the introduction to teams that aren’t household names (Orlando Magic), and perhaps it was a springboard for the Indiana Pacers’ promotion to the ECF last season. But most importantly, if the league bothers to say that only the playoffs matter, players will start to believe it. You don’t want fans to think the regular season story is meaningless, and while a trip to Vegas is exciting, I still worry about the message.

Tom Haberstroh: A welcome addition. The NBA had to fit some stakes into the unnecessarily long 82-game regular season. It makes sense to do it now. Statistically speaking, we basically know who is good and who hasn’t reached the 20 game mark yet. So we might as well take advantage of that with a tournament. If you think group play is weird, I expect the NBA Cup format to change dramatically with domestic and international expansion in the coming years.

2. Which quarterfinal game are you most looking forward to?

Haberstroh: Mavericks Thunder. For my money, these are the two best teams in the West. The Mavericks are just a few steps away from entering this matchup with a 17-game winning streak. Even though the Thunder will be without Chet Holmgren, I’m excited to see the OKC Dobermans attack Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

Titus: Mavericks Thunder. The Mavs are on a roll, knocking off seven straight opponents and are 1-0 against the Thunder this season. OKC is just as dangerous and didn’t have Isaiah Hartenstein or Alex Caruso when the two teams first met in November. Still, the Thunder’s top defense will have a lot of work to do. We know what Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving can do, but with the Mavs’ role players progressing and exceeding expectations, I give them a slight edge based on their health and roster depth.

(NBA Cup Quarterfinals Preview by Dan Devine)

O’Connor: Mavs Thunder. It is the best team in the West so far this season, even since Chet Holmgren was injured in the final against last year’s West representative And one of the hottest teams in the league. This should be an entertaining game.

Goodwill: For variety’s sake, Rockets-Warriors. The Fighting Imes are upon us and the Warriors are displacing former champions in search of solid ground. This was once an annual playoff matchup in another NBA life and seemingly only Stephen Curry remains. It will be nice to see if the Warriors get up to speed for a game, if Steve Kerr extends Steph, and if the Rockets can handle the extra attention.

3. If you had to pick one player for an elimination game who is still in the tournament, who would it be?

Titus: Kyrie Irving. Irving has the highest FG% and eFG% among active players with one minute left in the fourth quarter or overtime, with a shot to tie or take the lead (minimum 20 shot attempts). The man is cold-blooded and thrives in high-pressure situations. He has proven that there is no shot he cannot hit. Irving has the IQ, skill and skill to make winning plays with the game on the line.

Haberstroh: Stephen Curry. Name me the reigning NBA clutch player of the year and the guy who put everyone to bed in Paris this summer. Always with a flair for drama, it seems only fitting for Curry to let everyone know it’s bedtime in Vegas, a place famously without clocks.

Goodwill: Kyrie Irving. While he has more success or failure than Curry and Giannis, he has been absolutely spectacular and consistent in terms of efficiency this season. And…he’s the guy who hit one of the greatest shots in NBA history.

O’Connor: Giannis Antetokounmpo. We saw this man score 50 points in Game 7 of the Finals. Give me Giannis.

4. Who will be NBA Cup champions this year?

Goodwill: Knicks over Warriors. Why? Because Tom Thibodeau would sell your limbs to win a game, no matter the stakes (don’t tell him the finale doesn’t count toward the regular season tally). And we all know Steve Kerr always plays the long game. Maybe you just want to see Steph against Jalen Brunson.

Haberstroh: Warriors over dollars. With Fred VanVleet dealing with a sore knee and Tari Eason just passing concussion protocol, the Warriors may be facing a struggling Houston Rockets team in desperate need of a 100 percent FVV. The West is 56-41 (.577) against the East this year, so I’ll be picking the West’s squad for the Cup, and I don’t know who, if anyone, will survive the Mavs-Thunder bloodbath. The old Warriors clinch the 25-game trophy knowing they may not have enough reserves to snag the 100-game trophy.

O’Connor: Bucks over Mavericks. Milwaukee proves it has turned the corner, with Giannis taking the lead in the early MVP race.

Titus: Mavericks over Knicks. Apparently I have a type. Powered by the league’s best offense (121 points per 100 possessions) and a top-10 defense (109 points allowed per 100 possessions) during their current seven-game winning streak, the Mavs are a formidable underdog in the NBA Cup. Despite the long odds, Dallas’ scoring ability, versatile frontcourt and strong perimeter defense allow them to upset the field and capture the trophy.