2025-2026 Tank Race Prediction Contest and Current Results Thread

[KqWIN]

IMO: tanking apologism is usually a bad look.

We have two months ahead of us of the fanbase simultaneously saying that we need to be grimier than any other to make our tank work while attacking any hint in the national media that the Jazz are doing anything untoward. ... Ugh.

Doesn't help that this plays into the tendency/image of Utah to be overly sensitive about its image.

So I’m reading the reaction from tonight’s game and it’s actually spot on. The Jazz have a persecution complex like crazy. I’m guilty of it too, though I don’t leave Jazz circles. Two things seem to be true:

1) The Jazz are picked on more
2) The Jazz fans engage with criticism more than anyone

It’s a chicken or egg situation, but I get the feeling that if Jazz fans began to stfu there would be less engagement and less targeting.

It gives the same vibes as Jazz fans being extra sensitive about players wanting to be here. There wouldn’t be so much attention to it Jazz fans weren’t so defensive about it. #Nightlife.

 

[Jingled]

View: https://x.com/DJJazzyJody/status/2020348453096943882

 

[MTS]

View: https://x.com/DJJazzyJody/status/2020348453096943882

Eh.

If you're going to tank, prepare to be criticized for it. NBA fans complaining about it is probably a good thing, because change really is needed.

But, as I said in another thread, it's an NBA problem, not an individual team problem. At this point in the season, if everybody else around them is tanking, the Jazz should obviously be doing the same.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

I hadn't quite paid that close of attention to Chicago's deadline, but they are definitely joining the tank race. They started Yabusele at center yesterday.

 

[Flc]

Twitter is so mad about the Jazz’s 4Q last night and it’s so damn funny.

 

[rippimpc]

Media is out in full force shaming the Jazz specifically. Their position is in-game tanking is worse than sitting players for the rest of the year with fake injuries. Would we be better off sitting our guys?

Is Big Media concerned the Jazz will come away with a tier 1A prospect? Is Sam Presti leveraging his media contacts? Is David Stern secretly gallivanting the world with Epstein making sure the Utah goyim don’t get Darryn Peterson?

 

[sip]

Twitter is so mad about the Jazz’s 4Q last night and it’s so damn funny.

The funny part is that the 2 fan bases that matter are the magic who will gladly take the win and the Jazz who will gladly take the loss.

 

[NUMBERICA]

The funny part is that the 2 fan bases that matter are the magic who will gladly take the win and the Jazz who will gladly take the loss.

I think about this all the time.

Who is actually afflicted by teams surrendering wins? The tanking team’s fans and their organization’s bottom line.

Meanwhile, opposing teams pick up schedule wins and might even get to take it easy.

 

[infection]

I think about this all the time.

Who is actually afflicted by teams surrendering wins? The tanking team’s fans and their organization’s bottom line.

Meanwhile, opposing teams pick up schedule wins and might even get to take it easy.

I’ll tell you exactly who loses… the fans of teams trying to win, who can’t even beat teams desperately trying to lose.

 

[infection]

I’ll tell you exactly who loses… the fans of teams trying to win, who can’t even beat teams desperately trying to lose.

As a corollary, fans of tanking teams also lose because they can’t even count on getting an L from a team ostensibly trying to compete.

 

[KqWIN]

I think about this all the time.

Who is actually afflicted by teams surrendering wins? The tanking team’s fans and their organization’s bottom line.

Meanwhile, opposing teams pick up schedule wins and might even get to take it easy.

The real answer is people gambling. Nobody actually gives af about the Wizards style tanking where they bench the game beforehand. All that matters is gamblers know who is in and out. But this mid game tanking stuff adds a new variable that gamblers don’t like. They aren’t just betting on the outcome of the game, but degen things like over/under Lauri 7 rebounds.

Gambling is an addiction and disease. People legitimately believe that Will Hardy is benching guys because he has prop bets and/or is specifically out to get them and destroy their parlay. Every time they lose they think something is rigged, and it doesn’t help that stars like Giannis are joining companies like Kalshi.

Nobody has ever given a flying **** about what happens to the teams at the bottom. But now every game is a casino game. The league tried to get at the Jazz for why the Wizards were doing last year, so this is the alternative.

 

[jumpin bean]

Utah is doing everything within the rules and only because they hate the Jazz they are blinded to that fact