West Cross-Era Duos SF1 - Snakebites* vs. uberhikari

[Fadeaway_J]

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. Please ensure you give a rationale for your vote; votes with no explanation will not be counted.

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 advances.**

[Snakebites]

89-90 Magic Johnson- 14.4 FGA
MVP, All NBA First
22/12/2, 39% 3pt in 3.5 Attempts, 62% TS, 8.9 VORP

20-21 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 7.6 FGA
10/3, 41% 3pt on 3.8 Attempts

19-20 Anthony Davis 17.7 FGA
All NBA First, All Defensive First, 2nd in DPOY Vote
26/9/3/2, 61% TS, 5.4 VORP, .250 WS/48

85-86 Michael Cooper 9.4 FGA
All Defensive 2nd
9/6/1, 39% 3pt on 2 att

18-19 Marc Gasol 11.0 FGA
14/8/4/1, 38% 3pt on 3.5 Att

03-04 James Posey 9.3 FGA
14/5/2, 39% 3pt on 3.5 Att

90-91 Clyde Drexler 16.3 FGA
All NBA Second
22/7/6/2, 6.4 VORP

15-16 Ed Davis 4.2 FGA
7/7, 62% TS

Total: 88/88 FGA

Starting Lineup: (please note this denotes offensive positions, defensive matchups will vary)

PG: Johnson (38)/Cooper (10)
SG: KCP (30)/Cooper (18)
SF: Drexler (37)/Posey (11)
PF: A. Davis (32)/Posey (16)
C: Gasol (34)/Davis (6)/E. Davis (8)

Alright let’s do this.


I think Magic is the best offensive engine in this game and that he’s got a really scary collection of weapons around him. My front court has enough size and defensive prowess to match his, and they’re both good shooters (AD in the mid range, Gasol from three) to stretch the defense. AD in particular is the perfect role man for a modern offense- great in the p/r and the p/p. Gasol spreads the floor while also himself serving as a great 2-man option. KCP is my floor spacing point of attack defender, and I’ve got Clyde Drexler as a perfect cutter in a fast paced offense- I always thought he’d fit extremely well into that scheme.

Uber has a great team but I think this is the first team he’s faced that has the proper big men to match up to his duo. AD is mobile and big enough to keep up with Dirk and Marc is a very strong man defender.

While I won’t deny their prowess he can’t rely on a mismatch to carry the day here, and he doesn’t have a high powered perimeter scorer to balance things out.

We start with KCP on Stock, Drexler on Battier, Magic on Marion. Not wild about Magic on the Matrix but Marion is a supporting piece and not a guy who creates his own shot.

There really isn’t a consistent way to stop Magic’s playmaking IMO, and he’s surrounded by a diverse and well rounded enough set of weapons who cover him defensively. I think that’s enough to overcome here.

[uberhikari]

PG: 1995 John Stockton: 15-12, 3PA 2.8, 44.9 3P%; All-NBA 1st, All-Defense 2nd
SG: 2010 Shane Battier: 8 ppg, 4.2 3PA, 36.2 3P%
SF: 2007 Shawn Marion: 18-10, 59.4 TS%; All-Star, DPOY(4)
PF: 2011 Dirk Nowitzki: 23-7, 2.3 3PA, 39.3 3P%; All-NBA 2nd
C: 1993 Hakeem Olajuwon: 26-13-4; All-NBA 1st, All-NBA 2nd, MVP(2), DPOY

Bench
PG/SG: 2005 Jason Terry: 12 ppg, 3.1 3PA, 42 3P%
SF/PF: 2021 Joe Ingles: 12-4-5, 6.1 3PA, 45.1 3P%; 6MOY(2)
C: 2023 Bismack Biyombo: 4-4, 1.4 blks, 55.5 TS%

Rotations
PG: John Stockton (40) / Jason Terry (8)
SG: Shane Battier (32) / Jason Terry (16)
SF: Shawn Marion (36) / Joe Ingles (12)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (38) / Joe Ingles (10)
C: Hakeem Olajuwon (40) / Bismack Biyombo (8)

Defensive matchups: Marion on Magic; Stockton on KCP; Battier on Drexler; Olajuwon on AD; Dirk on Gasol.

Overall the talent is roughly equal: 3 stars surrounded by complimentary talent with good bench depth. However, my biggest advantage is that the defensive matchups heavily favor me, especially Marion vs Magic and Hakeem vs AD. AD in particular is due for a brutal series of having to guard Dirk on one end while having Olajuwon defend him on the other.

On defense, everything starts with the Marion vs Magic matchup. Magic was a hyper-aggressive passer who relentlessly hunted mismatches and loved to push the pace in transition. But here there is no mismatch to hunt because Marion is a long-limbed, freak athlete who should be able to keep up with Magic in transition and the half-court. And Marion/Olajuwon will cover any P&R or P&P between Magic/AD.

If Magic tries to attack Dirk, I'll have Dirk come up to the level of the screen to stick with Gasol, have Marion fight over the Gasol screen, and have Hakeem use his defensive IQ and spacing to rotate behind the play.

On offense, everything revolves around Stockton's passing either in transition or the halfcourt. Although I only have two high-volume scorers in Dirk and Hakeem, I've surrounded Stockton with shooting, slashing, and bench scoring which should allow him to make my offense more than the sum of its parts.

And if all else fails, the spacing around Hakeem should allow him to use his athleticism to put Gasol in the torture chamber with his isolation scoring in the low post. A 34-year-old Gasol has no hope of containing peak Hakeem.

[Dr Positivity]

I prefer the balance of perimeter starpower with a superstar big man on Snake's team to double MVP big, and the frontcourt is a bad matchup for uber. Vote Snake.

[Fadeaway_J]

I'm torn on this one. AD being the rare big who can match up with Dirk without being dragged completely out of his comfort zone is a big plus for Snake, who also has superior perimeter creation from Magic and Drexler. On the other hand, the Hakeem factor looms large here; AD will have a warm time scoring against him individually (although Magic and to a lesser extent Drexler will help mitigate that issue with their playmaking), and there will definitely be instances where his quickness and agility are too much for Gasol on the other end. The trump card for Snake is that his team looks a lot more dangerous in transition with Magic in the middle, AD and Clyde running the floor, and KCP trailing. Those extra easy points per game can make the difference in a close series.

Vote: Snakebites

[Laimbeer]

Hakeem/Dirk is a fantastic duo, but their both being interior players takes a little shine off the pairing. Snakebites has better balance and the fit looks great.

Vote Snakebites

[Fadeaway_J]

Snake advances