Finally, a sim with a day that has exactly 10 games. What a nice round number. In any case, that day is 12/28, and we're going to focus on point differentials. I know that the Sim 2 pick 'em that focused on point differentials was pretty challenging, so this one will work differently. You get 50 points for every winning team you pick, but in addition to picking the winning team, you have to pick how many points will separate the winner from the loser. You get 50 points for each winning team you pick correctly. However, we subtract one point for every point away from the difference your guess is.
So, for example, if you pick the Nets to beat the Knicks by 20, and the Nets beat the Knicks by 10, you get 40 points (50 points for the correct team, -10 for the difference between 10 and 20). If you hit the nail on the head with the point difference, you get 100 bonus points. If you pick the wrong team to win, you get 0 points, no matter what you thought the differential would be. More info in my example at the bottom of this post.
Once again, EVERYONE can play every week. The best score from your division will be ranked against the best score from the rest of the divisions, so participation can only help your division's cause. And remember, you'll get points at the end of the season for having good attendance. Here's how the participation points break down.
Participate in 11+ Pick 'Ems: 5 points
Participate in 10 Pick 'Ems: 4 points
Participate in 9 Pick 'Ems: 3 points
Participate in 8 Pick 'Ems: 2 points
Participate in 7 Pick 'Ems: 1 point
Participate in 6 or fewer Pick 'Ems: No soup for you
Furthermore, if your division has the most cash at the end of Pick 'Em, you get 5 points...UNLESS YOU DON'T PARTICIPATE IN ANY PICK 'EMS. Here's the standings after week 1.
Answer Sheet
12/28/2014
@Heat 118, Mavericks 96 - Heat by 18
@Warriors 118, Knicks 109 - Warriors by 9
Nets 103, @Celtics 102 - Nets by 1
@Wizards 105, Kings 83 - Wizards by 22
@Rockets 107, Hawks 99 - Rockets by 8
Bucks 104, @Spurs 95 - Bucks by 9
Pacers 100, @Timberwolves 88 - Pacers by 12
Nuggets 121, @76ers 107 - Nuggets by 14
Hornets 99, @Pistons 94 - Hornets by 5
@Suns 118, Trailblazers 103 - Suns by 15
Winners
4th place, with a performance so forgettable I forgot to even chastise them (us): Central
3rd place: Midwest (JNR - 312 points)
2nd place: Atlantic (ballsohard - 452 points)
1st place: Pacific (MESSI_2.0 - 505 points!)