Build a team 1995 Round 1: Writeups Due MIDNIGHT EST Sunday

[penbeast0]

Sorry Poop, thought I had cleaned that up but it must have been in a couple of spots.

[SabasRevenge!]

Going to post my thoughts during work tomorrow. sorry i've been absent guys, finals were this week, just finished today.

Do you have a write up for your match against SamBone? Am I missing it?

[SabasRevenge!]

Bracket 1:

Group One:

Warspite v. poopdamoop

I'm going with poopdamoop - barely. He has put quite a bit of firepower on one squad with four 20+ppg guys. It's teetering on too much, especially with three front court guys who are over 21ppg including Shaq at almost 30. I like Mason's fit for this squad and I'm almost baffled at how he got so much talent on one team. I'm not sold on his bench, but Mason is a great sixth man. In addition to having great offensive player, I believe that his team would be pretty good defensively with some tremendous athletes and good toughness.

poopdamoop v. nba_addict

I'm going with poopdamoop here because I don't see how Shaq doesn't singlehandedly win a series going against Vin Baker. addict has built a team that gives Stockton a ton of weapons to use, but it's not quite enough against a great big man.

nba_addict v. Warspite

Once again, I see Pat Ewing having a huge series against Baker. Stockton will probably again have a big series and I could see Eliott doing some damage here as well, but ultimately war takes this one.

Group Two:

Snakebites
SabasRevenge!
bryant08

Bracket 2:

Group One:

TMACFORMVP v. penbeast0

Pen had an incredible first three picks, has a fantastic bench, and offers good balance in his starting five. The trio of Barkley/Miller/Smits with great options off the bench ultimately prevails in this match up. TMAC the best 4/5 in the game, but pen counters with a fantastic front court of his own. This was a very difficult series for me to decide, but ultimately Reggie Miller was the big difference maker as the dominant perimeter scorer and shooter in this series.

penbeast0 v. BlackIce

In this match up I have to favor pen because I believe that his big three once again prevails against Penny and Webber. Majerle and Jones provide good perimeter defense, but I see Barkley and Smits (who is quite underrated offensively) having their way inside and the points in the paint being very lopsided in this series.

BlackIce v. TMACFORMVP

This bracket was a really tough draw for BI and I've got to give this one to TMAC. Grant and Hakeem is a really tough draw for Webber and Bradley. I favor BI's perimeter scoring and shooting, but I don't think it's quite enough to overcome TMAC's advantage on both ends of the floor inside.

Group Two:

Miller4ever v. CellarDoor

Glove and Richmond are the best backcourt in the game and a tough draw for any team, but I have to go with Cellar in this one. Here's why: Divac, Radja, and Pippen form daunting front court as well. Cellar made the right move by putting Pippen on Richmond. In a league like this I also like the all-around playmaking that Cellar's team has to offer. Radja and Divac are both very capable scorers and I don't see McKey and Brown taking advantage of Radja's defensive deficiencies.

CellarDoor v. SamBone

This was a really close match up for me in a very even group, but ultimately I give SamBone the edge. I like his overall balance on both ends of the floor. Prime Hill v. Pippen will be a real treat to watch and even though Pippen has an edge, Mourning gives SamBone an edge in the middle on both ends. CD has very good scorers all around, but I see SamBone's team working very well to compliment Hill and Zo.

SamBone v. Miller4ever

Mookie and Hawkins are no Payton and Richmond, but I see Hill and Mourning winning their match ups pretty handily, giving SamBone this series. Mookie is a very good defender and Hawk's pretty good as well, so I don't see Miller's backcourt running wild in this one. The front court edge is just a bit too much to overcome.

[Snakebites]

I'd agree on Tarpley if his role was a little more significant, or if he was at least playing considerable minutes side by side with DRob. And Starks was never a cancer the level that Rodman was that season (and the Spurs still managed 62 wins lead by Drob even in the face of those issues), so I think any chemistry issues I have may be overstated there.

I'll get my votes up sometime later today.

[SabasRevenge!]

Sabas -- I had thought you were the one team without serious chemistry issues until you changed your lineup for the matchup. I know it's fantasy but I can't help but feel that drastically changing a team's rotation to face a particular opponent shows weakness, not strength. It's letting the other side dictate the terms of the engagement.

I said the same thing in a previous game when my opponent changed his lineup on me, but nobody seemed to buy that it was an issue so I didn't think it would be here. Davis instead of Campbell isn't a chemistry issue to me because Davis isn't a high volume guy in the least and played a good amount of C through his career. It was a defensive move for me because I like Davis better on Robinson.

to say nothing of Barros or Rauf tryiing to defend a 6-5+ wing and a potential ballhandling backcourt of Gill and Augmon. I have to give this to Snake though I thinkg Sabas had maybe the best writeup in the league and nearly convinced me otherwise.

I think you misread my write up.

To be clear, Augmon is NOT playing any PG, he's merely defending Hardaway for about 20 minutes and Kukoc for the rest of the time. The minute allocations that I listed were defensive. Two of Barros, Abdul-Rauf, and Schrempf will always be in the game, giving me two good playmakers at all times. I thought I was pretty clear about trying to match Barros/Abdul-Rauf with the smaller Starks while Gill was primarily matched with Anderson.

By explaining that in my write up I was trying to avoid the impression that Barros/MAR would be spending significant time on Anderson.

IDK if Augmon at PG was a big factor in your judgment, but that's absolutely not happening.

[penbeast0]

Fair enough; either of them can guard Starks, and for that matter Kendall Gill has decent handles if Schrempf is in there. It wasn't a major issue, just one of several. Thanks for the clarification.

Like I said, that's the downside of going first, you hang yourself out there -- that and, as my wife will be the first to tell you, I'm not all that tactful.

[poopdamoop]

Will have my votes up soon

[CellarDoor]

Going to post my thoughts during work tomorrow. sorry i've been absent guys, finals were this week, just finished today.

Do you have a write up for your match against SamBone? Am I missing it?

Crap. I didn't post one? Waaaaay too late now. I'll take my beatings where needed by the All Inexperienced team

[CellarDoor]

Alright, these are incredibly late, and most people have posted some justification for my votes already (thanks for doing the lifting, Pen). After reading through the write-ups, here goes:

Warspite over Addict--Even for Ewing, who isn't a vaunted PO performer, you've got to see a big series coming here.

Poopdamoop over Addict--Baker against Shaq is going to be...unimaginable.

Poodamoop over Warspite-- Agreed on the Sealy comment, I feel like PDM has too much firepower outside of Shaq. Even if he can be limited, he's got too many other options for this team.



Pen over TMAC--I tend to agree with Pen's assessment of the Rockets teams, and Pen certainly isn't lacking in frontcourt talent, even against a team with Hakeem on it.

TMAC over BI--God I feel bad for BI. There isn't really a much worse draw on the board in terms of GMs than Pen and TMAC. Too much talent, and Bradley isn't suited to guard Hakeem. At all, imo.

BI over Pen--It may be the Penny homer in me, but I think he'll do well here, and Webber and Jones have trouble in championship games, not in first round games



Sabas over Bryant--Anytime your write-up has to rely on making me believe Coleman is going to do a respectable job on Malone, it's probably in trouble as I have absolutely no respect for his D. I also wonder how effective post-surgery LJ is going to be on either bigger guys (Detlef) or good defenders (Augmon).

Snake over Bryant--I feel like if Deke can do even a modest job of limiting DRob which, thanks to his PO reputation, is possible, Snake doesn't have a lot of iso scoring; however, even a limited DRob is more productive offensively than Mutombo, and I feel like Tim, Tony and co can keep them ahead and edge out the series.

Snake over Sabas--At this point in time, I see the two PF/C rotations playing themselves to a near-standstill, so it comes down to Timbug, Nick, and Tony against Barros, Augmon and Schrempf. Even considering Augmon's defense, I like Snake's trio here more.

[Snakebites]

Sorry for being late (to my own game, no less, way to go ) .

Warspite over Addict- Sorry addict, Vin Baker at center (guarding two of the best centers in the league, no less) simply wasn't working for me. That matchup alone is a concern to near prohibitive levels, and I feel that Warspite's team is big and talented enough to overcome the rest of the lineup.

Poop over Addict- Same issue, really, but considerably worse. A more noted pick and roll partner for Stockton would have been helpful here against Shaq, but I can't in good conscience vote any other way.

Poop over Warspite- I'll be honest here, I wanted to get into Warspite's team, and was really looking forward to a writeup that extolled the virtues of a team with that level of talent and firepower. A persuasive writeup may just have swayed my hand here, but, alas, it was too brief, so I had to go with my first instincts.

Cellar over Miller- I really loved the backcourt that Miller4ever had building up there. Unfortunately by the time that front court was put together I became more than a little concerned about how he'd fair against more balanced opponent's. I really like the dynamic of Cellar's team and I think he proved that, in this game at least, you don't necessarily need a dominant big to build a legitimate contender. The overall balance and chemistry I see here is just too difficult to beat.

Sam Bone over Miller- This was a tough one, but again, the balance and synergy demonstrated by Sam Bone's team is too difficult to beat. For a team largely built on youth, Sam Bone's team is surprisingly balanced and relatively fundamentally sound.

Cellar over Sam Bone- I generally hate voting in favor of the team that was missing a writeup, but given the genuine nature of the mistake I feel compelled not to penalize here. Others have expressed my thoughts reasonably well on this matchup prior to me.

Penbeast over BI: I felt an immediate tinge of sympathy for BI when I saw who he was matched up against in this round. For what its worth, I really do think Penny can make this a competitive series and an interested in this matchup, but ultimately I feel like Charles Barkley is going to take home the MVP in this series and am worried about pre-peak level (and injury prone) Chris Webber and his efforts to guard him. I'm also a big fan of Reggie Miller and have serious concerns about BI's center position.

TMAC over BI: Again with the sympathy. Sorry BI. The center matchup here is daunting, perhaps the most daunting advantage anyone has in any individual matchup. And the rest of the team just doesn't quite sell me enough to override the initial instinct I get looking at that matchup.

Tmac over Pen- I really hate voting on this one as I really like both teams. Having Hakeem anchoring the team on both ends is a sizeable inherent advantage, and though the group surrounding him isn't perfect, I still think there is enough overall ability there to see it through, particularly given the defensive issues Pen figures to have up front. The tenacity of Barkley/Miller (the most frightening playoff duo in this league IMO) makes this a tough 7 game series but in the end I had to go with Tmac.

[Miller4ever]

I became more than a little concerned about how he'd fair against more balanced opponent's.

fare.

[Snakebites]

^If I could give you a negative vote right now, I totally would.

[SamBone]

I will vote later tonight. been busy and have not read all the posts

[TMACFORMVP]

I'll just get something up, here it goes:

Bracket 1:
Warspite
poopdamoop
nba_addict

I feel poop goes 2-0 here, I like what he's done around Shaq both offensively and defensively. I think of all three teams he has the best balance, combined with the best player.

When I look at the matchup between Warspite and addict, I see both teams with a lot of offensive talent, but Warspite's with a lot of offensive talent and a defensive caliber of Ewing's caliber. That itself is enough a tipping point for me to go War here.

Code: Select all

poopdamoop - 2-0
Warspite - 1-1
nba_addict - 0-2


Bracket 1B:
Snakebites
SabasRevenge!
bryant08

Need more time to think, and fully read over writeups


Bracket 2:
CellarDoor
Sam Bone
Miller4ever

No writeup for Cellar against SamBone, so Bone gets the vote by default.

I'll also give Miller a a bone, his team is underrated, it's got the best backcourt in the competition, and Willis often gets underrated. I think it can decently outplay the backcourt of Bone's, while upfront production is a slight, but not enough of an edge.

But Miller then loses to Cellar, I think Pippen/Jackson is a nice counterpart to his perimeter players, and upfront it's comparable, but Pippen being the best player.

Code: Select all

Cellar - 1-1
Miller - 1-1
SamBone - 1-1

[poopdamoop]

My votes:

SamBone over Cellar by lack of writeup (hate doing it, but it's hard reading a writeup and having no devil's advocate opinions to consider)

Cellar over Miller - I like Cellar's team a lot. Great balance and a nice fit around Pip. Miller easily has the best backcourt in the league, but the problem with that is it inevitably leads to problems in other areas, and the Cellar's Euro big men should help him pull this out.

Bone over Miller (hehehe) - I think Payton's pressure defense on Mookie is negated by Hill being able to take over the playmaking role, and while I like Richmond a lot, Mourning and Hill should be able to pull the win out here



pen over Ice - echoing what everyone else said. Just not a good matchup for Ice, and his defense isn't good enough to slow down Reggie, Charles, and Smits.

pen over TMAC - very tough call. I expect Hakeem to beast, but TMAC doesn't have enough offense to really match up, and I think pen's more balanced offense will do wonders here.

TMAC over Ice - Hakeem vs Bradley is brutal, and I don't think Thunder Dan or a rookie Eddie Jones is enough on the wings, where TMAC is weakest.


Sabas over Snake - Maybe I'm a bit biased, since I REALLY wanted Schrempf and Barros and Sabas plucked them both one spot before me, but I like those guys a lot and think they're incredibly underrated in this particular season. DRob is the best player in the series, but Malone is a comparable talent, and if Barros plays Hardaway fairly evenly (which I think will happen), then I think Schrempf will outplay anyone else on Snake's roster

Snake over bryant - it's a shame bryant wasn't able to post any rebuttals, I think he has one of the best all around teams, but Deke won't be able to roam too much with Robinson in the game, and neither an old Drexler or a post-injury LJ will be enough to pull this out

Sabas over bryant - again, no rebuttals, Malone vs Coleman won't be pretty, and Deke isn't as effective against fantastic jump shooters like Schrempf and Barros

[BlackIce]

I expected as much. Will try and get mine up tomorrow or Wednesday.

[SamBone]

Bracket 1:

Warspite
poopdamoop
nba_addict

War vs Poop:
Shaq is too much for Ewing to handle, and I like the Spreewell vs Seally matchup. But the advantages at the other positions outweigh what Shaq does in this series. Vaught, Rod and Glen Rice help pick up the load
I vote for Warspite

War vs Addict:
Ewing eats up the out of position Baker, Glen rice eats up AH. Kemp and Stockton just aren’t enough to win vs the much better TEAM that war has put together here. Houston didn’t start regularly in Det so starting him in this type of game doesn’t work (IMO).
I vote for Warspite

Poop vs Addict
Kemp and Stockton again have advantages, but it stops there again. Shaq has a monster series and that alone should win it for poop, Add to that his wings are much better, it isn’t that close
I vote for poopdamoop



Snakebites
SabasRevenge!
bryant08

Snakes vs Sabas:
Again Mailman and Detlef have great series and they win there matchups, I think the SG position is a wash. But DRob has an MVP type of series and Hardaway also does his thing. I think Starks (being guarded by Barros/Rauf) does have an impact on this series.
I vote for Snakebites

Sabas vs Bryant:
Mailman and Detlef have great series as well as Deke and Clyde. This series is a toss up (IMO). The PG spot is also an advantage for Sabas, but that is balanced by Bryant having the better bench.
Game 7 is later tonight, will announce winner then (I want to look into this more)

Snakes vs Bryant:
Clyde again has a great series and I like matchup of LJ against Tony Kool. But I think Hardaway and DRob are just too much to handle.
I vote for Snakebites to win a well played series in 7 games

Bracket 2:

penbeast0
BlackIce
TMACFORMVP

Pen vs ICE:
I like Smits a lot in this series and Chuck (not a fan of him at SF at all). Webber has a great series and not sure how good Reggie will do guarding Penny? And while being a great defender nate was a backup in real life, not sure he is a deserving starting PG in this type of game. He is a great 6th man or 3rd guard but not starter quality
I vote for BlakeIce

pen vs Tmac:
Hakeem is just way to much for Smits. JKidd also has a monster series (no way Reggie can guard him). DScott also should see a ton of 3's with no perimeter defense on him at all. Ho should keep Sir Charles from going off.
I vote for TMACFORMVP

ICE vs TMac:
I like the matchups for Webber, Penny and Thunder Dan, but not sure they have enough to match Hakeem. Bradley will foul out in the 1st half, and O just isn’t enough support. I like the fire power Tmac has off the bench (Mash and Nick). The Dream wins this matchup on his own, sorry ICE!
I vote for TMACFORMVP

[penbeast0]

Pen vs ICE:
I like Smits a lot in this series and Chuck (not a fan of him at SF at all). Webber has a great series and not sure how good Reggie will do guarding JKidd? And while being a great defender nate was a backup in real life, not sure he is a deserving starting PG in this type of game. He is a great 6th man or 3rd guard but not starter quality
I vote for BlakeIce

pen vs Tmac:
Hakeem is just way to much for Smits. Penny also has a monster series (no way Reggie can guard him)
I vote for TMACFORMVP

To respond.
(a) Barkley started at SF for the Suns next to AC Green just as I am using him. That way they could use Green's quickness and defense to handle defend the more dangerous of the 4 or the 3 while freeing Chuck as much as possible to focus on offense and rebounding. Here, Green, a top defender, will be handling Webber, in Webber's Washington days when his flashy FG% disguised the fact that his true shooting percentage was low for a big because he avoided contact and went to the line very rarely (and shot FT poorly when there).

(b) I have a NBA and ATL starting PG in Kenny Smith who started for the Champion Rockets and finished in the top 5 in the league in offensive efficiency. The thing is, we don't need another great offensive option in our starting five, we do need Smith and Elie's scoring off the bench. Thus we start Nate McMillan instead of using him as 6th man (with starting minutes). His length and quickness allow him to defend either quick points or tall wings, like at forward, this means Reggie won't be relied on to stop the other team's superstar like Penny. And McMillan may have been a part-time starter but he was NBA All-Defense doing it. That isn't common -- Michael Cooper and Bobby Jones are the others "reserves" I remember doing it -- pretty good company.

(c) Snake is right. Kidd and Penny are on the wrong teams in this judgement thread. I do admit that a team with Hakeem and Penny would be nasty though McMillan is as good a defender for Penny as exists and remember, Indiana with Smits and Reggie as the stars was the 6th best defensive team in the league. BUT, Penny and Webber isn't nearly as dangerous nor does that team play great defense. And Hakeem is still nasty but Kidd couldn't shoot at all as a rookie and Majerle and Eddie Jones (the other secondary scorer) both disappear in the playoffs. So, hopefully, I can get a fresh look and some votes after all here (not holding my breath).

[Snakebites]

I am completely confused as to why Penny is included in the evidence for Tmac against pen.

[SamBone]

I am completely confused as to why Penny is included in the evidence for Tmac against pen.

I fixed it, I had ICE and TMAC's guys mixed up in my notes. If you read it completely i mentionded JKidd in ICE's writeup as well. It should be fixed!

PS: I love pen rebutting the voting, great job man, I wish my opponents bothered with rebuttals (or even a writeup)

and as for Chuck starting at SF, that was because they pretended to start a C (I think Joe Kline averaged like 13 min a game (so for the first 6.5 min of games Chuck was a SF, not the entire game). 80% of the game they ran with AC at the C position and played small ball.