West Cross-Era Duos CHAMPIONSHIP - Snakebites** vs. Fadeaway_J

Post #1 » by **Fadeaway_J** » Sat Apr 13, 2024 6:56 pm

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 wins the championship.**

Post #2 » by **Fadeaway_J** » Sun Apr 14, 2024 11:44 am

Starters
C - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1979-80)

Spoiler:

PF - Draymond Green (2021-22)

Spoiler:

SF - Kevin Durant (2012-13)

Spoiler:

SG - Ray Allen (2005-06)

Spoiler:

PG - Mike Conley (2021-22)

Spoiler:

Bench
F - Bryon Russell (1997-98)

Spoiler:

G - Jon Barry (1995-96)

Spoiler:

G - Austin Reaves (2022-23)

Spoiler:

Rotations
C - KAJ (40), Green (8)
PF - Green (26), Durant (14), Russell (8)
SF - Durant (26), Russell (12), Allen (8)
SG - Allen (30), Reaves (10), Barry (8)
PG - Conley (32), Reaves (16)

FGA Per Player

Spoiler:

Our attack is two-pronged: we can dump into one of the most unstoppable post scorers of all time, or we can lean on our flamethrowers on the perimeter. Even with his limited shooting, Draymond fits in perfectly with his ability to run DHOs or screen away for KD, Allen, Conley, Reaves, or Barry; playing off Draymond (an excellent screener) runs the risk of giving up a wide-open look to an elite shooter. Defensively, Kareem holds down the paint, Draymond does his "everything everywhere all at once" routine, and KD uses his length to provide supplementary rim protection. Russell is a solid bench option to throw at opposing wings.

Matchup
- Defensive assignments will be Draymond-Magic, Conley-KCP, Allen-Clyde, Kareem-AD, KD-Gasol. Draymond is the perfect defender for Magic, with the mobility to stay in front of him all over the court, as well as the size and strength to counter his deadly post game. Russell is a nice option to put in play against either Magic or Clyde as rotations dictate.
- KD should be in for a big series here, as Posey (who is certainly a plus defender but not some elite stopper) is the wing player on Snake's roster with the size to remotely bother him. The other option is AD, but that severely hampers Snake's ability to defend the paint and potentially help on Kareem, especially once we start running KD around Draymond screens 25 feet away.
- Magic, AD, and Clydeput a lot of pressure on the rim, but we also have elite rim protection from the Kareem/Draymond/KD frontcourt.
- While both teams have a dominant big three doing the heavy lifting, Conley and Reaves provide us with an additional dose of off-the-dribble creation which should pay off over the course of the series.

Good luck Snake.

Post #3 » by **Snakebites** » Sun Apr 14, 2024 6:02 pm

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: Drexler (37)/KCP (11)
SF: Posey (20)/KCP (14)/Cooper (14)
PF: Davis (34)/Posey (14)
C: Gasol (34)/Davis (4)/E Davis (10)

Alrighty, lets do this.

This is one of my favorite teams I've ever put together. The offense around Magic has incredible synergy and I think the role of every player is clearly defined. I also think I have great balance on both ends of the floor. The 2 man game between Magic and Anthony Davis should be a site to behold, especially with Gasol and my various 3 and D players spreading the floor and Drexler as the perfect cutter to complement the rest of the offense. The this teams' synergy cannot be matched.

In this particular matchup, while we'll own up to Durant being poised to have a solid series (though keep in mind this is pre- Warrior KD with a somewhat up and down playoff resume up to that point), I'm not super wild about the matchups on the other end for Fade. This is why Posey gets the start over KCP in this one. We'll mostly stick position to position in terms of who guards who in the starting lineup.

I'd also like to point out this is an offensively downgraded Draymond Green who was a total non-shooter. This means Davis really only has to worry about his passing, which will allow him to be a major disruption to our opponent's offense, which is a defensive role he's perfectly well suited for. It also puts him in a great position to help on Kareem- Fade's most reliable playoff scorer.

Older Gasol was still a threat in the post and a solid all-round offensive player, and I don't think this version of Durant (skinnier, played less like a bigman and more like a really big shooting guard) defending him is optimal. Kareem is a very good post defender but AD's mobility and ability outside of the paint will stretch Kareem, and Dray can’t help. I'm also not sure Draymond gets to do his "everything everywhere all at once" thing all that effectively if he needs to focus on stopping the best player in the series (and best playmaker in this competition) all the time. Magic will keep him busy.

Overall I think I've got enough to carry the day here. I think Fade has a strong team but that my team clicks just a bit better.

Dr Positivity · Post #4 » by **Dr Positivity** » Sun Apr 14, 2024 8:42 pm

Pretty close as putting Durant on Gasol was a creative idea albeit it being Thunder version makes it a bit more sketchy, however I think Davis defense being able to play off Draymond is a trump card, and I like Snake having more on ball creating/penetration compared to Conley, Allen and Durant while Kareem has to guard Davis on the perimeter. Vote Snake.

durantbird · Post #5 » by **durantbird** » Mon Apr 15, 2024 8:58 am

I don't think Fade matches up that well here. KD Allen was an insane duo in this that I regretted not thinking about, but pretty vulnerable defensively especially with this version of KD. This comes into effect here. Snake is pretty talented and matches up better.

Vote Snake

Post #6 » by **Fadeaway_J** » Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:11 pm

uberhikari wrote:.

lilroddyb wrote:.

MadNESS wrote:.

flaco wrote:.

Laimbeer wrote:.

Larry_Russell wrote:.

Post #7 » by **Fadeaway_J** » Tue Apr 16, 2024 12:40 am

Fadeaway_J wrote:
uberhikari wrote:.

lilroddyb wrote:.

MadNESS wrote:.

flaco wrote:.

Laimbeer wrote:.

Larry_Russell wrote:.

Come on people

Post #8 » by **MadNESS** » Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:23 am

I’m leaning towards Snake here as well.

Drexler is a tough cover for Fade. Both AD and Marc can sorta defend KAJ. Posey is a decent KD cover.

Magic pushes and AD is a good finisher. Cooper off the bench is huge.

Both teams are loaded and I think the 2 best teams. Tough.

I’ll go Snake with all them Lakers man.

Post #9 » by **Snakebites** » Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:32 am

GG Fade

I felt strongly about my team this round. Valuing the pairings with good 3 and D guys proved an effective strategy here. In particular KCP, while probably the weakest “second guy” taken in round 1, is exactly what you need next to Magic. The pool was deep enough to get my third star (Drexler) later.

Post #10 » by **Fadeaway_J** » Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:46 am

GG Snake. Honestly thought I'd messed things up in the last couple of rounds, so this is a better result than I expected.