East Cross Era Duos - SF1 - Fadeaway_J vs durantbird*

[durantbird]

Here is a quick list of what you need in your writeup.

1. Specific years for each player on your team
2. Rotations and minutes for each player
3. Reasoning as to why your team will win and/or why people should vote for you.

Do not vote in this thread until both managers have submitted their writeups.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

**First to 3 votes wins the championship**

[durantbird]

PG: James Harden 21' - 16.7
SG: Danny Green 21' - 7.9
SF: Julius Erving 82' - 17.6
PF: Kevin Garnett 08' - 13.9
C: Al Horford 18' - 10.5

Bench: Mo Cheeks 81' - 7.2
Bench: Robert Covington 18' - 10.5
Bench: Rick Mahorn 93' - 3.0

Rotation:
PG: James Harden 24 / Mo Cheeks 24
SG: Danny Green 24 / James Harden 14 / Robert Covington 10
SF: Julius Erving 38 / Robert Covington 10
PF: Kevin Garnett 36 / Robert Covington 12
C: Al Horford 38 / Rick Mahorn 8 / Kevin Garnett 2

87.3/88

Vs

C - Mourning (38), Love (10)
PF - Love (26), Anunoby (12), Ariza (10)
SF - Anunoby (22), Ariza (16), Peterson (10)
SG - Wade (38), Peterson (10)
PG - Price (37), Daniels (11)

Matchup:
- Defensive assignments: Green/RoCo vs Wade, Harden/Cheeks vs Price, Erving vs Anunoby, Garnett vs Mourning, Horford vs Love.
- Our team is based upon a superb leading trio in Harden Erving Garnett who all fit together really well, with prime Horford as a great fourth option. We are also very deep with Covington and Cheeks off the bench who will play an important role in this series, and in that sense we have the deeper team here with better top end talent.
- We match up well here. Covington plays a significant chuck of minutes off the bench and spends most of the game on Wade, plus Green Erving and Cheeks are all good options to throw on him. Cheeks also covers for Harden on Price. Garnett and Horford are two players who operate further from the basket, which means Mourning is pulled further away where he is much less effective as a defender, plus Love cannot be hidden here.
- Good luck Fade

[Fadeaway_J]

Starters
C - Alonzo Mourning (1999-00)

Spoiler:

21.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 3.7 bpg, .551 FG%, .711 FT%, .596 TS%
- Led the NBA in bpg
- NBA All-Star
- Defensive Player of the Year
- All-NBA Second Team
- All-Defensive First Team

PF - Kevin Love (2017-18)

Spoiler:

17.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, .458 FG%, .415 3P%, .880 FT%, 137 3P (2.3 pg), .614 TS%
- NBA All-Star

SF - OG Anunoby (2019-20)

Spoiler:

10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.7 bpg, .505 FG%, .390 3P%, .706 FT%, 89 3P (1.3 pg), .600 TS%

SG - Dwyane Wade (2009-10)

Spoiler:

26.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.1 bpg, .476 FG%, .300 3P%, .761 FT%, 73 3P (0.9 pg), .562 TS%
- NBA All-Star
- All-NBA First Team
- All-Defensive Second Team

PG - Mark Price (1991-92)

Spoiler:

17.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 7.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.2 bpg, .488 FG%, .387 3P%, .947 FT%, 101 3P (1.4 pg), .610 TS%
- Led the NBA in FT%
- NBA All-Star
- All-NBA Third Team

Bench
F - Trevor Ariza (2012-13)

Spoiler:

9.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, .417 FG%, .364 3P%, .821 FT%, 76 3P (1.4 pg), .538 TS%

F/G - Morris Peterson (2003-04)

Spoiler:

8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, .405 FG%, .371 3P%, .809 FT%, 126 3P (1.5 pg), .539 TS%

G - Antonio Daniels (2006-07)

Spoiler:

7.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg, .442 FG%, .302 3P%, .832 FT%, .572 TS%

Rotations
C - Mourning (38), Love (10)
PF - Love (26), Anunoby (12), Ariza (10)
SF - Anunoby (22), Ariza (16), Peterson (10)
SG - Wade (38), Peterson (10)
PG - Price (37), Daniels (11)

FGA Per Player

Spoiler:

Dwyane Wade - 19.6
Alonzo Mourning - 15.0
Mark Price - 12.5
Kevin Love - 12.4
OG Anunoby - 8.2
Morris Peterson - 7.2
Trevor Ariza - 8.1
Antonio Daniels - 4.9

Total: 87.9/88.0

Wade can be tricky to build around, but we managed it pretty well with elite shooters at PG and PF, plus a clutch of solid 3-and-D guys in OG, Ariza, and MoPete. That opens up the lane for Wade's slashing game as well as Zo's exploits in the mid-to-low post. Price is a great PG to pair with a Wade type as he's a dynamic creator who also generates an off-ball threat with his shooting. Love gives us plenty of options as he can run pick-and-pops/DHOs with Wade or Price, or simply spot up and space the floor, plus he can still crush smaller defenders on the block. Defensively, Price and Love are the weak spots, but we have amazing help defenders in Zo and Wade, along with the aforementioned trio of wing stoppers, to plug the gaps.

Matchup
- Assignments to start will be Price-Green, Wade-Harden, OG-Doc, Love-Horford, Zo-KG. MoPete and Ariza will see time on Harden and Doc respectively off the bench. Our more switchable bench group matches up well with durantbird going smaller.
- This is a favourable matchup for our backcourt. 2021 Green has lost much of his previous quickness, and is more suited to defending bigger wings than an explosive guard like Wade. RoCo isn't that great of a one-on-one defender to me either - what makes him special is his help defense. Meanwhile, Harden trying to stay in front of Price is a harrowing prospect. Both guards will be able to get downhill and wreak havoc.
- Harden's spread pick-and-roll loses some of its edge when guys like Doc and Cheeks who don't shoot threes are playing big minutes. Younger Harden had the explosiveness to get where he needed even without a Moreyball setup, but this version needs a more favourable ecosystem. Conversely, Wade here is at or near the peak of his powers, and was able to light up a great Boston defense for 33.2 ppg on 65% TS despite playing on a Heat team with mediocre shooting and post-prime Jermaine O'Neal as his second best player.

Good luck durantbird.

[Laimbeer]

Feel like DB's big three of KG/Doc/Harden is superior. I don't think Wade is generally maximized in these games. The fit is good for both and the both benches are meh. I don't see where the big three advantage is bridged.

Vote - DB

[Snakebites]

I do prefer Wade as a first option to Dr J, but not to the extent that I prefer the rest of DB’s team. I’ve got KG as the best player in this series.

Harden shrinks in the playoffs but I also massively prefer DB’s front court here.

Vote DB

[Dr Positivity]

I don't see enough difference on the perimeter to make up for having KG and Horford frontcourt vs Love and Mourning, I also like durantbird's bench bench more. Vote durantbird.

[durantbird]

durantbird advances

[Fadeaway_J]

GG, just as well because Ness would have murdered me anyway

[Snakebites]

GG, just as well because Ness would have murdered me anyway

I don’t think any of the low picks really had a credible chance in this one.

The combos available to the low picks were either weaker or just harder to build around.