Middle America Semis - poopdamoop* vs. ChicagoSportsFan21

[Laimbeer]

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 their roster page.

**First to 4 votes advances**

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[Laimbeer]

Per mutual agreement, let's hold off voting on this one until write-ups are posted.

[poopdamoop]

PG: '04 Sam Cassell - 20/7/3, 40% 3PT, 4.3 BPM, All-NBA 2nd
SG: '09 Shane Battier - 7/5/2, 38% 3PT, 3.4 BPM, All-D 2nd
SF: '08 Carmelo Anthony - 26/7/3, 37% 3PT, All-NBA 3rd
PF: '05 Kevin Garnett - 22/14/6/2, 28.2 PER, 9.7 BPM, All-NBA 2nt, All-D 1st,
C: '96 Arvydas Sabonis - 15/8/2, 38% 3PT, 24.7 PER, 5.6 BPM

B1: '95 Detlef Schrempf - 19/6/3, 51% 3PT, 4.5 BPM, All-NBA 3rd
B2: '94 Nate McMillan - 6/5/4/3, 39% 3PT, 5.2 BPM, All-D 2nd
B3: '84 T.R Dunn - 6/7/3/2, 2.6 BPM, All-D 2nd

Cassell(36) / McMillan(12)
Battier(26) / Dunn(12) / McMillan(10)
Anthony(37) / Schrempf(6) / Battier(5)
Garnett(20) / Schrempf(28)
Sabonis(28) / Garnett(20)

Good luck CSF

This team is extremely well balanced across the board. KG is our star player, and we've reunited him with Sam Cassell (who helped KG carry the Wolves to a 58 win season) while adding an elite isolation scorer in Melo, an All-NBA caliber player off the bench in Schrempf, a 24+ PER center with elite passing, rebounding, and floor protection in Sabonis, and a number of All-D players in the backcourt in Battier, McMillan, and Dunn.

Our offense will hum with Cassell and KG being the primary playmakers, as Melo can act as a finisher where he's performed most effectively over the years. We've got incredible floor spacing, with everyone on my team besides TR Dunn and KG able to hit the 3, and quality tertiary scoring. Cassell and Melo can both create in the clutch, while KG fills in the gaps everywhere else.

Against CSF, we've got great options for his two primary scorers. Sabonis has the size to keep Walton out of the paint and is very comfortable guarding outside the key, while KG can handle Walton as well when we go small. Bill is amazing, but he's not a 25 ppg beast down low, and his main skill (playmaking out of the post) isn't as useful with Payton pounding the ball. Battier will get the majority of the time on Aguirre, with Dunn and McMillan all getting a few minutes to slow him down as well, and all of them should do a good job. Payton has a size advantage on Cassell, but Sam is a pretty feisty defender, and we have the defensive interior to bother GP if and when he gets into the paint. Outside of those 3, CSF doesn't have any other dangerous scorers, and as long as we chase Robinson and Green off the 3pt line, his offense should struggle.

On our end, we can run through KG and Melo in this series. I assume Danny Green will get the assignment on Melo, and although he's great, he's not strong enough to handle Carmelo in the post. Cassell and KG can run their two man game and allow KG to work on Robinson in the mid-range area while Sabonis pulls Walton out of the paint and Battier spaces the floor. Schrempf off the bench is huge for us as well - he's got a massive quickness and skill advantage on PJ Brown, and we'll look to him to have a huge series here.

Overall, CSF has a great defensive team, but with Battier on Aguirre and KG/Sabonis on Walton, his team will struggle to put up points, while our myriad of offensive weapons give us more flexibility.

[ChicagoSportsFan21]

Starting Five:

PG: Gary Payton-Seattle SuperSonics-1995/96: 19.3 PTS/4.2 REB/7.5 AST/2.9 STL

-NBA All-Star, All-NBA Second Team, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA Steals Leader

SG: Danny Green-San Antonio Spurs-2013/14: 9.1 PTS/1.0 STL/0.9 BLK/41.5% 3PT

-NBA Champion

SF: Mark Aguirre-Dallas Mavericks-1983/84: 29.5 PTS/5.9 REB/4.5 AST/1.0 STL

-NBA All-Star

PF: Clifford Robinson-Portland Trailblazers-1996/97:15.1 PTS/4.0 REB/3.2 AST/1.2 STL/34.6% 3PT

C: Bill Walton-Portland Trailblazers-1976/77: 18.6 PTS/14.4 REB/3.8 AST/1.0 STL/3.2 BLK

-NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star, All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA Rebounding Leader,
NBA Blocks Leader

Bench:

SG/SF: Tony Allen-Memphis Grizzlies-2014/15: 8.6 PTS/4.4 REB/2.0 STL

-NBA All-Defensive First Team

PF/C: P. J. Brown-New Orleans Hornets-2002/03: 10.7 PTS/9.0 REB/0.9 STL/1.0 BLK/59.2% TS

PG: Mark Jackson-Houston Rockets-2003/04

Depth Chart/Rotation:

PG: Gary Payton (40)/Mark Jackson (8)
SG: Danny Green (28)/Tony Allen (20)
SF: Mark Aguirre (40)/Tony Allen (8)
PF: Clifford Robinson (32)/P. J. Brown (16)
C: Bill Walton (40)/P. J. Brown (8)

FGA:

Gary Payton-Seattle SuperSonics-1995/96-15.8
Danny Green-San Antonio Spurs-2013/14-7.4
Mark Aguirre-Dallas Mavericks-1983/84-22.3
Clifford Robinson-Portland Trailblazers-1996/97-12.9
Bill Walton-Portland Trailblazers-1976/77-14.3
Tony Allen-Memphis Grizzlies-2014/15-7.2
P. J. Brown-New Orleans Hornets-2002/03-7.7
Mark Jackson-Houston Rockets-2003/04-2.4

Total FGA: 90/90

Write-Up:

Team Concept: I have a potent big three who are very dynamic in Payton, Aguirre, and Walton who are in their peak seasons and I also have a great balance/flexibility of offense/defense that should carry my team.

Offensively, it's going to be a tough for any team to stop all three Gary Payton, Mark Aguirre, and Bill Walton as one is bound to go off and exploit their match-up. They all provide solid playmaking even Aguirre that season at 4.5 APG. Uncle Cliff and Danny Green provide spacing with their 3 point shooting and helps Payton, Walton, Aguirre, or even P. J Brown to do work from the mid-range or post offensively, which plays to their strengths. Walton and P.J Brown are good rebounders providing second chance opportunities.

Defensively, Payton is an arguably the best defender at his position with his tenacious effort on that end (might I add DPOY that season) while Walton anchors down the front-court defensively. Green/Robinson are decent enough defenders who aren't considered liability on that end. Aguirre might have a tough time defending, which is why I have Tony Allen who is first team all defender helping him out as well as Danny Green being another option. P.J. Brown is another solid defender who alongside Walton has Aguirre's back if he gets beat.

Balance-My team has great balance and flexibility from top to bottom overall. At the two position, I can opt to start Tony Allen if defense is needed and put Danny Green off the bench to provide offensive spark which is dependent on match-up. At the three position, Aguirre provides great offense as he averaged nearly 30 points that season while Allen can provide the defense as his back-up. At the four position, Robinson can provide the offensive punch either starting or from the bench as he's a decent three point shooter or I could opt to start P. J. Brown if defense is needed depending on match-ups. As you can see, I have great mix of offense/defense.

Match-Up Specific:

Offense: The focal point is obviously going to be running my offense through my BIG 3 in peak Payton, peak Aguirre, and peak Walton. Two of these three players will be on the court at all times. Out of these BIG 3, I'm going to rely on Gary Payton the most who I think will have a huge series against Cassell offensively. He has the length/size to punish him inside by posting him up, which he does best. Walton/Robinson can clear out the post as they are capable shooters away from the post and let Payton do his magic inside one on one. Let's be honest..Cassell isn't a great defender..he has had a negative DBPM every year in his career besides in his rookie season. Cassell did have a good year that season offensively, but if I recall he's rarely selected in these games if ever as there are better alternative point guards out there imo. Melo has the assignment on Green, which will really hurt Melo offensively as he is going to have to exert a ton of energy defensively running around screens to guard Green who will be ready to shoot the three pointer. Aguirre definitely does have a tough match-up against Battier, but Battier does better as a perimeter defender than defending the post, which Aguirre does excel at and he does have a size advantage that he can use to have success offensively. Cliff Robinson has the toughest match-up without question against KG..the best thing you can do is get him out of the paint, which Cliff can do with his ability to hit 3 point shot and for better rebounding chances. This is a rookie Sabonis going against peak Walton. Sabonis wasn't a starter yet and I feel like Walton's high bball iq and experience will help him be successful offensively. I don't need Walton to be a 25 point scorer as I do have other scorers who are a little bit more dynamic. His playmaking is going to be very vital for my three point shooters in Green/Robinson even if Payton is going to be successful in the post.

Defense: Payton is going to be on Cassell who should do very well against him who won DPOY that season. I'm going to have Green/Allen on Melo who I believe will struggle with their pesky defense and especially Allen getting in his head sort of speak. I also have Allen off the bench who is a great defender to go at it against Schrempf. I will hide Aguirre on Battier who is not a major scoring threat. Robinson/PJ Brown/Walton will be guarding KG. KG is KG so all you can do is limit him as much as you can and throw fresh bodies against him in this case three players. Brown/Walton will be on Sabonis who will use their experience/high bball iq to their advantage once again.

Overall, my BIG three will rise to the occasion especially Payton who I think will have a huge series against a weak defender in Cassell. KG will get his points, but I do think Cassell/Melo/Schrempf will struggle offensively against Payton/Green/Allen. Overall, I like my defense better and I like my offense to be more successful/potent/reliable than his offense will be. I also think I have more high end talent in this one. Vote CSF21!

Good luck poopdamoop!

[Laimbeer]

Very tough matchup. KG will be huge here. Walton provides a solid edge over older Sabonis, but I buy poop's argument that Walton isn't a volume scorer, minimizing the damage. Payton also isn't an ideal point to run with Walton.

Vote: poop

[Laimbeer]

Poop leads 1-0.

We got off to a late start here and need votes.

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[Fadeaway_J]

Between KG, Melo, Cassell, Sabonis, and Schrempf as sixth man, I see poop having more reliable points of attack in this one. CSF's defense is stout and a trio of Walton-Payton-Aguirre is nothing to sneeze at in terms of pure offensive punch, but I'm not feeling Cliffy as the #4 option and I think scoring will be a bit of a slog when any of his stars are off the floor.

Vote: poopdamoop

[BdeRegt]

CSF has a great defense but great offense beats great defense at these levels for me. I think Poop will be able to get enough stops with his own good defense to take this one.

Vote: Poop

[Dr Positivity]

Poop's offense is slightly better but I like the matchup of Payton being a perfect matchup to shut down Cassell's style of play to even it up. Both teams have the awkward fit of a ballstopping SF (Melo/Aguirre) playing beside a playmaking big (KG/Walton) which may make it hard to run the offense through them, especially when Payton is added in CSF's case. Detlef is the best offensive player off the bench. Overall I think CSF has more high end talent here with Walton/Aguirre and KG/Melo being comparable, but then CSF having Payton

Vote CSF

[Laimbeer]

Poop leads 3-1.

[Jory04]

I actually feel the opposite of BdeRegt, I think that in close matchups like this the elite defense prevails. I think that Robinsons range limits KG's defensive effectiveness somewhat, and will allow Aguirre to flourish without help defense. I also feel like Waltons play making will lead to easy shots for whoever Anthony has to guard. I am not sure the big series KG will undoubtedly have will make up for it, so I will go with CSF.

[8on]

I don't think this is close. I don't see what y'all see in CSF's team. Poop's offense is very good; CSF's is not.

vote: poopdamoop

[Laimbeer]

Poop advances to the finals.

[poopdamoop]

Phew - dodged the comeback bullet there. GG CSF