Twist Draft 1st round. Need your votes judges...

[CellarDoor]

Please post all write-ups here. Write-ups are due by Tuesday at 12pm CST. There will be a three day judging period to follow.

[Mascot]

Brackets:
1. Bness
12. MK
6. Poopdamoop
7. Blazer

2. Hoffa
11. BlackIce
5.DCash
8. SS

3. Denied
10. KGB
4. Mascot
9. Bryant

Consider team chemistry, gameplan, match-ups on offense and defense, etc.

NOTE: When the trading period has ended, all rosters must be posted and complete on the rosters thread. A mod will be locking it at that point and anyone you do not have listed CANNOT BE USED in the game. Additionally, I will be penalizing you for inaccuracies on your rosters as far as personnel goes.

so am i playing against Bryant or all 3?

[BlackIce]

Writeup

Panthers Roster

PG - Chris Paul (39)/ Baron Davis (inactive)/ John Salmons (9)
SG - Ray Allen (34)/ Raja Bell (14)/ Jamal Crawford (injury reserve)
SF - John Salmons(26)/ James Posey (14), Al Harrington (8)
PF - Chris Bosh(39)/ Al Harrington(9)
Cc - Kendrick Perkins (34)/ Anderson Varejao (14) / Rasho Nesterovic (injury reserve)


Starting 5


Bench


Backups


General Team Overview: Starting 5


C- Kendrick Perkins:

9/8/1 with 2 bpg, 58% from the field and 60% from the free throw line.

Currently a top defensive center in the NBA, he has had a great season in BOS, and did a great job of defending Howard one on one in the playoffs. He is a guy that knows his limitations on offense and plays within them. He has one of the highest FG%'s in the league for a reason, he lives in the post and gets garbage baskets, although his offense has improved this year and he has a few nice post moves now.

His job is to anchor the defense from the C spot, and do the things he has always done, provide great post and help defense, block shots, and provide some serious lane intimidation. We will have fun building a defense around a center like Perkins, and great perimeter defenders. Due to the makeup of the team, he will get a lot of open looks, and has the perfect front-court mate in Bosh.


PF- Chris Bosh:

23/10/3 with 1 bpg, 1 spg, 49% from the field and 82% from the free throw line.

One of the best big men in the game, and the best offensive big man not named Dirk (Amare had a down year, 21/8). He will create mis-match problems for opposing bigs, and can score at will. His mid range game is automatic. He has the ability to post you up if you try to cover him with a smaller quicker guy as well as good passing ability for a big man. His defense has improved over the years and he also rebounds like a center. With the all help he has now, he will be able to get his points a lot easier. He can no longer be doubled and tripled

He is decent defensively, and now that he doesn't have to carry the whole team on his back, he will have more energy to concentrate on defense. In the Olympics he looked like a DPY, so we know that he is a good defender but the problem is that in TOR he has to carry the whole team without any help. Not the case here.


SF- John Salmons:

18/4/4 with 1 spg, 42% from 3, 47% from the field and 82% from the free throw line.

One of the more underrated players in the league, he is a good shooter from mid range and a great shooter from the 3. He can score in a number of different ways and is great on the fast break, but can also break down his man in the half court set and take it to the hoop. He is a fantastic defender, and can lock-down the other teams best wing player, in this case though he will be guarding PP, and has shown in the Bulls/Celtics series that he can do a great job on him.

On this team his role will be a bit different then the one he has on CHI. Primarily his job will be to try and shutdown PP, and on offense he will be a 4th option. He also gives my starting lineup a shot of athleticism, and a target for Paul to throw the alley to. Since Bosh is a perimeter based big, it will give Salmons more room to operate in the post, more room to drive. Add that to the fact that he is surrounded by great 3 point shooters, and I think he will thrive on this team.


SG- Ray Allen:

18/4/3 with 1 spg, 41% from 3, 48% from the field and 95% from the free throw line.

The best 3P shooter in the league, and probably the best off the ball star in the league as well. His job will be similar to what he does in BOS spread the floor, run off screens and rain the threes. We want to tire Kobe out, and will have him fighting through countless screens to get to Allen. A big reason that I traded for him was because he is such a good player off the ball. He is very active, and will cut and set screens and do all the little things that win games. It is a rare quality, a star that is willing to hustle for that extra possession. He has no ego and that is important in a league like this.

Allen's an outstanding clutch player, too, and a good defender. His defense largly goes unnoticed, he isn't a bowen or battier by any means, but consider the fact that he rarely goes for the steal and concentrates instead of staying in front of his man and contesting shots.

PG-Chris Paul:

23/11/6 with 3 spg, 36% from 3, 50% from the field and 87% from the free throw line.

Best point guard in the game. After a season in 2007-08 that ranked with the best point guard seasons in history, he simply topped it in 2008-09, raising his rebounding, scoring, shooting percentages, and steals. Not bad for a guy who has now led the league in assists and steals twice in four years as a pro.

He is a tough physical defender that will make you work for every basket, he was an all NBA defender, first team. Fantastic passer, great dribble penetrator, and a great all-around player. Has no real flaws he can hit the three at a pretty high %, he knows when to get everyone involved and when to take over. He's the primary playmaker on our team but we will have him be aggressive due to the lack of defense at the opposing PG spot.

Paul had no help in NO, here he has a team that is basically tailor made to suit him. Bosh is a legit 1st option on most teams, here he takes a ton of pressure off of Paul and in turn Bosh benefits from having a playmaker of Pauls caliper. I want the ball in Paul's hands as much as possible, and having Allen in our backcourt makes this possble. Allen with be getting a ton of open looks from 3. Paul is the ball-handling guard and Allen is the perfect off-ball guard.

A link that gives a bit of perspective on what Paul accomplished this season.

http://www.3hoopsfans.com/2009/03/10-ga ... ld-be-mvp/

Ladies and gentleman, the Panthers starting 5.

Bench

We feel that our bench is a REALISTIC one that has low maintaince guys that can accept their roles and do them well. This is the playoffs and we feel that our starters can handle heaver minutes, so we have them playing enough minutes to have as big an impact on the game as possible, but get enough rest to stay relatively fresh.

I've got size and rebounding in my front-court. Our frontcourt also has great defense and offense in both Variejo and Harrington. Posey will do his thing off the bench, lockdown defense on Pierce and hit the open three, spread the floor. Another reason I love Posey is that he is a savy vet that has rings and can be that calming presence on our team, a guy that knows what it takes and can guide some some our younger guys. Bell is similar to Posey except at the SG spot, he will make Kobe take lower % attempts, and Harrington is my “score in bunches” guy. Salmons can handle some PG duties, I have enough ball handlers on the team so that the few minutes that Paul isn't in the game, we can get by without a true backup PG. Salmons versatility is a big part of why we traded for him. We could play Baron Davis but we feel that would cause chemistry problems, Davis isn't a guy that would take well to playing off the bench.

Ladies and gentle men the Panthers bench!

Strategy

We built our team on three platforms. Defense, efficiency and balance. All starters shoot above at or above 47% from the field. My three point shooters are highly efficient, Ray Allen is the most efficient player in the league and Salmons is also amongst the league leaders in 3P%.
Defensively all my starters are commited two way players, Bosh is the worst defender out of all of them but now that he isn't carrying the team he will have more energy to concentrate on it, much like with the Olympic team. In terms of balance, everyone has a clear and defined role. Paul is the go to guy, Allen is the off the ball shooter, Salmons is the secondary wing creater and primary wing defender, Bosh is the dominant big, and Perkins is the defensive anchor. My bench is built the same way, our team chemistry should be perfect.

In terms of our gameplay, the team will run through Paul. Paul/Bosh pick and roll/pop will be near impossible to stop. We will primarily be a half court team, though we can ignite the fast break with our tight defense. Paul is a one man fast break. In the half court, we have a very balanced attack, and can score in a variety of ways, be it Allen raining 3's off of created shots from Paul, Bosh can create for himself and take also take advantage of the oppurtunites that Paul creates, same with Salmons.

On defense we will attempt to stop Kobe (or at least limit him) by tiring him out on the defensive end, by having him chase Allen around screens. It is a tiring task guarding Ray Allen, and on the other end Allen will have help guarding Kobe. We have Raja Bell coming off the bench and his task is to force Kobe into taking lower % attempts, and basically making him work for every shot. Salmons and Posey will also see some time on Kobe, and we will try our best to play him straight up but will double when needed. Salmons and Posey will guard PP, and if I had to choose any two SF's to do this outside of Battier, I'd think these two would do the best job on PP.

Bosh can handle Amare and now that he doesn't have to carry the team all by himself he will have the energy to concentrate on slowing down Amare.. Bosh vs. Amare should be a fun matchup but Amare is used to having help (Nash, Marion, Shaq, etc.), while Bosh...isn't.

Paul is a first team all nba defender and will give Nash hell on the defensive end. Our bench is also built around defensive stoppers that will make the Raptors work for every basket and force them into turnovers and lower FG%'s.

A few quotes regarding Pauls incredible defense.

But any and all small lapses aside, Paul's defensive pressure in the half court game is what truly makes the Hornets defense go. Putting pressure on the ball is what keeps the opponents' dribble drive to a minimum ... and that is what allows the team to double as much as it does. That can be a point of contention among critics of Byron Scott's scheme (why double at all?), but it's hard to argue that Paul's presence at the top of the key does not impact the effectiveness of this defense significantly.

Of course it is the doubling itself which is where he makes his living in the steal department, so to speak, so I'm not going to pretend like that isn't helping his numbers. But it can also be argued that the scheme works only because he is so good at generating turnovers out of it.

Regardless, Paul's importance on the defensive end is profound, and it's time people started recognizing that. Take the anecdotal evidence out of the equation, and you're still left with the best thief in NBA history.

http://blog.nola.com/gladow/2008/12/chr ... llian.html

My perimemter defenders are all good and our rotations will be tight and help defence will be there in case anyone gets beat..

We feel the Raptors have two main holes on their team, defensively, that we can exploit. The first is their frontcourt. Beans/Amare may be the worst defensive frontcourt in the league. Beans has a hard time staying in front of average big men and is a huge defensive liability so much so that Don Nelson takes him out of games and puts in Turiaf at the end of games. Amare has no interest in playing defense, he simply won't (though he has the tools to), so who is anchoring their teams defense? Bosh is going to have a field day. So will Paul who will create havoc in the paint.

The other hole we will exploit is Nash. He is quite possibly the worst defender at his position in the league.A lot worst then Calderon, at least he bothers to clap his hands. In their head to head matchups Paul KILLED Nash, every chance possible we will iso Paul on Nash and let Paul drive past him and make a play or create a shot for himself. His backup, A.I isn't any better.

But perhaps the biggest hole on their team is the lack of balance. Nash, Iverson, Bryant, Martin, Pierce, Turkoglu, even Stoudamire are all ball dominant guys, they all need the ball in their hands to be effective.

PP stated after the 08 finals (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... =nba,96670); “"Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world? Pierce: I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself.". So who is the man on the Raptors team? PP won't concede the ball to Kobe in the clutch, the reason that PP, Allen works in BOS is because Allen doesn't need the ball to be effective.

“When asked Stoudemire if he’s better than Bosh, the Suns forward said, “Oooh man, are you kidding me? Ask Chris Bosh that question.”So that’s a yes? “No doubt about it, I’m better than Chris Bosh”. Luckly Bosh now has the chance to make Amare eat his words. Amare also stated that he wants to be “the man” on his team, and doesn't want to be a second fiddle. On the Raptors hes what a third fiddle? Fourth even, if we include Nash?

I don't think I have to talk about how successful bringing A.I off the bench was for DET. He destroyed that team, and simply saying “if A.I doesn't like his role he will sit” doesn't suffice, if you don't want A.I playing make him inactive.

Nash is a wizard with the ball in his hands but how often will he be able to make plays when his backcourt mate is Kobe Bryant?

The Raptors have no semblense of balance or team chemistry, its a team simply waiting to self destruct. They have a ton of offensive talent but it simply doesn't mesh.


Panthers in 6.

[Sports Arsenal]

Dcash4 vs. ShaqSux

ShaqSux's Starting Lineup:



Starting lineup summary:
As you can clearly see this lineup has extreme balance. You have got a ton of playoff and championship experience while still having great youth on the floor. You have offensive threats waiting to erupt, while still having tenacious defenders. This lineup is a lineup that can take you to the O'Brien Trophy.

The bench:


Summary of the bench: Once again what you will notice is balance. The bench once again has youth and experience. Some great offense and shooter in Fisher and Smith and loaded defense from the whole bench. This team is loaded with clutch leaders.

Way deep:


Summary of the deep guys: These guys are great players who will definitely get some time off the pine. Brooks is a dynamic scoring point guard, Chandler is capable of putting up big numbers any game and Collison played 156 games in 07-08, how was he not the MVP?
(See. http://www.realgm.com/src_playerfile/839/nick_collison/)

07-08 SEA 156 28.5 50.2 73.7 0.0 9.4 1.5 0.6 0.8 9.8

Minutes:

Deron(38)/Fisher(10)/Brooks*
Ginobli(34)/Smith(10)/Bowen(4)
Prince(30)/Bowen(14)/Chandler(4)
Scola(28)/Camby(12)/Nene(8)/Collison*
Bynum(28)/Nene(10)/Camby(10)/Collison*

*= Denotes blow out minutes only

Strategy: Most importantly, defense wins games. This is the best defensive squad in this game. Having the guys to match up with his greatest strength, big men, is going to be one of the keys to this series. Camby, Nene, and Bynum are all superior interior defenders. While they may not completly lock down Yao,Shaq, and Gasol they will definitely limit their production. While my opponents strength may be his big men, it is also his weakness. The fact that 2 of his top 3 players can't play on the court at the same time is going to suit me very well. Also, my opponet has left himself with some terrible spacing problems. Yao and Shaq are very limited while playing with a forward who dominates the interior (i.e Gasol). Notice how Yao's production has jumped significantly since adding Luis Scola. While Gasol can play the high post, he is most effective in the paint. My opponent can also make plans to have no production out of his wings while being guarded by a tandem of Tay/Bowen/Manu. Expect to see Bynum front Yao on every position, because Yao CAN NOT beat the front. While Scola will battle down low with Gasol, we will be able to double him on the weak side when shooting with Bynum/Nene/Camby just depending on who is down low guarding Yao/Shaq at the time. If needed Bynum will force Yao out to about 14 feet every now and then to throw him off. Once Yao loses his rythym from a few forced bad shots, it takes him a long time to get back into his shot. Deron has the capability to stay outside with Bibby if he is firing from deep, or can stay in front of him all day long if he decides to take it to the rack. Look for Tayshaun to switch onto Artest and Ginobli to defend Green also.

On offense, Deron and Scola will run the pick and roll some. We will search to ISO Deron and Bibby because there is an extreme mismatch there. Deron will dominate Bibby. Manu is much to quick for Artest and will serve as an excellent option to shoot the long ball or create his own game. This team can shoot from long as well as anyone, can take it to the rack with high consistancy or lob it down low to one of the bigs who are all capable of throwing it down. Scola will spread the floor for the center, his hustle offense will create many plays for the guys down low.


Summing it up:

A. This team has the fundamentals that it takes to be the best. Veterans with playoff experience, an elite defense, playmakers, and skill.

B. My opponent has too much left on the table. By not moving Shaq he has sacrificed talent at other positions he could have had.

C. Balance. My team has the edge in all around balance.

[deNIEd]

deNIEd vs Teddy KGB

Rosters
deNIEd

Starting Lineup

J. Kidd/V. Carter/G. Wallace/J. Smith/D. "Superman" Howard
Backup Guards

J. Terry/R. Felton/R. Hamilton/M. Finley
Backup Forwards/Centers

M. Miller/P. Stojakovic/C. "Birdman" Andersen/E. Okafor

Team Philosophy
Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.

The foundation of our team was built on this philosophy. The best team has to be the best defensive team.

Defense
Defense is anchored from the paint. The best defensive teams throughout history were great defensive teams because of their impenetrable bigmen rotations. Our team’s defense is anchored by the defensive player of the year, Dwight Howard, as well as 3 other elite defenders in: Emeka Okafor, Josh Smith, and Chris Andersen. The top two shot blockers, Howard & Andersen, along w/ a career shot blocker of 2.4 in Smith & Okafor would prevent all shots from ever leaving the ground. We comparing front lines, our team contains the better defensive players as well as rebounders.

Offense
Run baby Run.
This team was built for the fast break. This team will run KGB’s team to a pulp. With 3 terrific fast break pointguards, the rest of the team consists of players that can and will run and score in transition. Carter, Wallace, Smith, and Dwight provide a scoring ability and speed that KGB has absolutely no answer for. His bigs are too slow and his defenders not skilled enough. Terry, Carter, Miller, Kidd, Stojakovic, and Finley combine for over 7.5 3’s a game w/ 3 players shooting over 40%. We have all seen what Orlando has been able to do w/ their three point game and Dwight, now add 2 three point champions and an army of terrific three point shooters and its game over.

Head To Head
My team was built to be a team. We run whenever we can. When we can't, we toss the ball down to Dwight or find the open three. If that fails we have Gerald slashing or Carter going one on one. Our team does not have the ego's or chemistry problems that KGB's team has.

His team may be talented, but it isn't a team. His team combines for a total field goal attempts of 172 compared to my 110. He claims that the ball will primarly be in the hands of Garnett. Parker, Gordon, and Carmelo NEED the ball in their hands to be effective. Take the ball away, and they are shells of their current self. Having Jackson and Randolph on the bench getting almost no playing time doesn’t help his cause either.

His team is sloppy. A combined 29 TO’s a game compared to 18 for me. His team cannot hold onto the ball and doesn’t have enough balls to go around.

When the two rosters are plugged into 2K9, the results are as you would expect, his team loses.
117 deNIEd 91 TeddyKGB
45 reb, 27 ast, 8 stl, 13 TO
compared to
35 reb, 22 ast, 7 stl, 17 TO

Conclusion
When it's all said and done, his team can't contain my team, while my team will out rebound, out defend, and out play his.
He has a team filled with ball dominant players, while my team contains only 1-2 ball dominant players. He claims that his PG rotation will be the game decider, but he forgets that four of the top shot blockers in the game (three of all time) are in the paint waiting for the little French flopper to make his way down here. He can draw one player out, but three more await. We will run his ass day and night and he won’t be able to stop us.

’07 Suns sexed up with ’04 Pistons
Gives you ’09 deNIEd

[bringbackhoffa]

Line Up:

Steve Nash(35)/Chalmers(13)
Kobe(38)/Martin(10)
Pierce(36)/Hedo(12)
Amare(20)/Hedo(13)/Haslem(15)
Biedrins(27)/Amare(12)/Kaman(9)

Im going with a 10 Man rotation and having the following players inactive for this series:
Allen Iverson
Eddie House
Jeff Foster


VS


PG - Chris Paul /Baron Davis
SG - Ray Allen /Raja Bell /Jamal Crawford
SF - John Salmons/James Posey
PF - Chris Bosh/Al Harrington
Cc - Kendrick Perkins /Anderson Varejao /Rasho Nesterovic


Back Court
Steve Nash/Kobe vs Chris Paul/Ray Allen

This is a great backcourt for both teams but when it come right down to it, Nash and Kobe have 3 MVPs and loads of playoff experience. Some may say that Nash is regressing but have you looked at his numbers
Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
05-06 Not found 79 79 35.4 0.512 0.439 0.921 0.6 3.6 4.2 10.5 0.8 0.2 3.49 1.50 18.8
06-07 Not found 76 76 35.3 0.532 0.455 0.899 0.4 3.1 3.5 11.6 0.8 0.1 3.78 1.50 18.6
07-08 Not found 81 81 34.3 0.504 0.470 0.906 0.3 3.1 3.5 11.1 0.6 0.1 3.64 1.40 16.9
08-09 Not found 74 74 33.6 0.503 0.439 0.933 0.3 2.8 3.0 9.7 0.7 0.1 3.35 1.50 15.7


The main reason his numbers dropped in 2009 was because playing with Shaq was cramping his style, and with Amare playing minutes and both the PF/C it will bring him back to a style of play that he loves to play. With the addition of Pierce and Kobe he will probably always have one man open and Nash is amazing at finding the open man. Also with the defence focusing on Pierce and Kobe it will leave Nash with plenty of looks from the three point line where he shot 44% from last season.

Though on defence Nash may have a problem guarding the quicker Paul, but I don’t have a problem with Biedrins,Amare,Hedo, or Kaman committing the hard foul under the hoop to tell him whose “boss”.

Then what can I say about Kobe, he had a tough time in boston last year, but it was not ray allen guarding him it was paul pierce, and we all saw the piss poor performances that ray allen put in these playoffs, and if there is any one player that has digressed most in these playoffs it was him. In this years playoffs Kobe has matured more as a player and does not have a problem of giving the ball to someone else and letting them win the game aka Derek fisher hitting the game tying three in game four. I feel in a up tempo offence he will be tough to guard and will get plenty of good looks on the floor. I do not see Kobe having any problem guarding Ray allen as he is a spot up shooter on most positions.

Front-Court
Pierce/Amare VS Salmons/Bosh

With plenty of scoring options on this team you are thinking will Pierce get his teammates involved, I believe he will. Though Pierce is a ball dominant player he is not afraid of letting his team mates make the last second shot (aka Glen Davis), and is also not afraid to make a clutch shot which a great thing to have on a team. Pierce’s defence is really underrated and I feel he will not have a tough time guarding Salmons.

Lets get to the Real Discussion

AMARE VS BOSH WHO IS BETTER

Well, Amare has always played great against the Raptors, for instance here is what he did in the past Season

Game1: Shot 60% and had 31 points and 6 rebounds, while only commiting 2 fouls, meaning he was always in front of his man and did not have to commit a foul
While Bosh had an alright night he put up 20 and 12, he did commit 5 fouls because he could not stay in front of his man.

In my opinion with Amare playing with a point guard that he has excelled playing with he will continue to dominate Bosh inside the paint. However Bosh will also benefit from a point guard that is better then calderon but he is a player that is too jump shot happy and if his jumper isn’t going in, he will not be having a great night.

Center:
Biedrins VS Perkins

Biedrins main assignment in this series is too grab rebounds and he has shown in his career he is great on the glass, his offensive ability is great but will not be needed in this series. He will have a tough defender on him in Perkins who has really stepped up his game in Boston. With help from Amare boxing out Bosh I feel as though Biedrins can ot rebound Perkins on any given day.

Bench Main Players
Hedo/Chalmer/Martin/Haslem/Kaman VS Baron/Bell/Crawford/Posey/harrigton/varejao/Rasho

With Black Ice already informing me that Baron will not be competing in this series I will not consider him in this matchup(You better have not lied about that).

I feel that his primary player coming off the bench will be posey who is a great defender and bring with him an NBA championship which is great experience to bring off your bench. I counter that with Hedo a very versatile Player who can play the 1-4, but will be primarily be seeing time at the 3-4 in this series.

The other 2 player that I have playing a good shar of minues are Chalmers and Haslem. Chalmers though a rookie put together a great campaign in Miami this year, and will learn great insight in the game from Nash. I am assuming that Paul will be playing around 40 minutes a game so, he will have the tough assignment of guarding him at time, and may leave me a bit vulnerable.

Haslem an NBA champion brings some great championship experience and a great tough rebounder/defender. I wish I could play him more in this series but I could not allocate any more minutes that I did. He will be going up against a similar player in Varejao who I feel cancel each other out.

And the rest of the bench players are just fillers in my opinion as I don’t see Crapford or rasho or harrigton playing any major roles for my opponent.



Offensive Strategy

I will be running an uptempo offence with Steve Nash as my anchor, who will be dishing the ball to whoever is open or is being guarded by Crawford,bell,allen. Also if Amare is not getting the double team I will have him going right at Bosh and if Salmons or Perkins steps in I don’t have Amare either posterizing them or dishing the ball out to the open man.

Defence
What defence? Do I even need defence with this offence. Well I believe I do have quality defenders in Kobe, Pierce,Amare, Hedo, and haslem. Chris Paul is a series threat to my team and good on black ice for pulling that trade but leaves his SF position really vulnerable.

I would have gotten more into the Number crunching but I just can’t see me not winning this series in 4 games, I believe I just have to much experience and leadership on this team not to.

Steve Nash
2× NBA Most Valuable Player
(2005–2006)
6× NBA All-Star
(2002–2003, 2005–2008)
3× All-NBA First Team
(2005–2007)

Kobe Bryant
4× NBA Champion
(2000, 2001, 2002, Perhaps 2009 Champion)
NBA Most Valuable Player
(2008)
11× NBA All-Star
(1998, 2000–2009)
2× NBA Scoring Champion
(2006–2007)
7× All-NBA First Team
(2002–2004, 2006–2009)

Paul Pierce
8-time NBA All-Star
1-time NBA Champion
(2008)
NBA Finals MVP
(2008)

Amare

4x NBA All-Star (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009)

So to conclude Raptors in 4.

Btw theres going to be a ton of spelling mistakes

EDIT: KOBE BRYANT 2009 NBA CHAMPION/FINALS MVP, just saying...

[CellarDoor]

Brackets:
1. Bness
12. MK
6. Poopdamoop
7. Blazer

2. Hoffa
11. BlackIce
5.DCash
8. SS

3. Denied
10. KGB
4. Mascot
9. Bryant

Consider team chemistry, gameplan, match-ups on offense and defense, etc.

NOTE: When the trading period has ended, all rosters must be posted and complete on the rosters thread. A mod will be locking it at that point and anyone you do not have listed CANNOT BE USED in the game. Additionally, I will be penalizing you for inaccuracies on your rosters as far as personnel goes.

so am i playing against Bryant or all 3?

Bryant

[bringbackhoffa]

Writeup



The other hole we will exploit is Nash. He is quite possibly the worst defender at his position in the league.A lot worst then Calderon, at least he bothers to clap his hands. In their head to head matchups Paul KILLED Nash, every chance possible we will iso Paul on Nash and let Paul drive past him and make a play or create a shot for himself. His backup, A.I isn't any better.

Rebuttel #1
SO in 2 Regular season meetings this year Nash went 1-1 against Paul, while paul shot less then 45% in both games, while nash shot 77% and 52% respectively in those two games so out of the most recent games HOW did Paul KILL nash?

and John Salmons as your backup PG, i will get into that a bit later...

[poopdamoop]

ROTATION
PG: Williams(35)/Ford or Duhon(13)
SG: Wade(38)/Parker(10)
SF: Durant(36)/Deng(12)
PF: Wallace(18)/Aldridge(30)
C: Jefferson(34)/O’Neal(14)/Gortat(spot minutes)

OPPONENT:
C:Joel Pryzbilla/Brad Miller/Brook Lopez
PF: Dirk Nowitzki/Antonio McDyess/Tyrus Thomas
SF: Shawn Marion/Jeff Green/Azibuke
SG:Michael Redd/Randy Foye/Azibuke
PG: Devin Harris/Andre Miller

STARTERS
PG: Mo Williams – 18 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, .436 3pt%
A fantastic shooter and all-around scorer, Mo is the perfect backcourt mate to a ball-dominant superstar. He can easily create opportunities with his ball-handling and shooting abilities, as well as spot up for an open look created by one of the other stars on this team. Mo’s scoring touch helped bring the Cavs 20 extra wins in the regular season, and although he struggled against Orlando, he still played aggressive defense, something he lacked in previous years, and just his presence on the floor helped give LeBron extra room to operate. Though his three-point shooting ability will do much the same for Wade, Durant, and Jefferson, Mo will be expected to do much less on my Cavs.

As the fourth option, Mo will be able to get many open looks off penetration from Wade and Durant, as well as kickouts from Jefferson, and when left open, is one of the best shooters in the league (11th in 3pt %, 10th in 2pt jumpshot %). Defensively Mo will have to do his best to stay in front of quick guards and try and force them into bad shots or simply funnel them into weakside help. Though he is historically been considered a bad defender, Mo was an integral part of one of the best defensive teams in the league, and really improved under a solid defensive system.

SG: Dwyane Wade – 30 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5 rpg, 49% fg
This is almost self explanatory. Wade is one of the three best players in the game, an unstoppable force that can do anything on the court. He’s a fantastic slasher, possibly the best foul-drawer in the game, an elite mid-range shooter, an improving three-point shooter (37% after the All-Star break), a creative and willing passer, a fantastic ball-handler, and has developed into one of the most feared help defenders in the game, with exceptional stats for any player, let alone a 6’4 guard.
Wade’s athleticism and long arms are what make him a truly special player, and I plan to use them to their fullest.

With so many other scoring options, Wade will be able to conserve energy and roam defensively, creating havoc for my opponent and starting deadly fast-breaks. With the ball in his hands, he can create easy opportunities for Mo and Durant, and dish off down low to Jefferson, Aldridge, or Wallace, the latter two whom are also perfect pick and roll compliments. I can use Wade off the ball as well to get him some easy backdoor cuts and alley-oops, or just keep the ball in his hands and let him make plays for my elite shooters. Wade’s versatility and skills are what make this team special.

SF: Kevin Durant – 25 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3 apg, 48% fg
The NBA’s foremost rising star, Durant was a scoring sensation this year, and really transformed from a rookie chucker to a superstar shooter and scorer. He shot great percentages from all over despite having pitiful offensive help, and even upped his rebounding and defensive intensity. With his all-around scoring ability, opposing swingmen are going to get nightmares trying to contain two of the top five scorers in the game.

On the Cavs, Durant’s talents will really be emphasized as he will be given a multitude of open looks. Though he is more than capable of iso-ing and creating excellent opportunities, I feel he would be lethal coming off screens, filling the lane in transition, or posting up smaller defenders, all of which will be available to him. He can also catch and shoot with the best of them, while still having chances to take his man off the dribble and hit clutch shots. He will even be able to rest (somewhat) defensively, and let Wade take the tougher swingman matchup. Overall, Durant will be deadly with such capable talent around him.

PF: Al Jefferson – 23 ppg, 11 rpg, 50% fg
One of the best, if not the best, low post scorers in the league, Jefferson will be the second or third option (depending on the matchups for him and Durant). He has an array of low post moves to use on any defender down low, so even the best shotblockers can be fooled by his fakes and spins. Jefferson is a very good scorer down low (50% shooting), and though his overall efficiency was unremarkable (due to his lack of free-throw attempts) he, like Durant, played with very poor offensive talent in Minnesota. The two of them together would be a perfect inside/out match, but adding in arguably the best player in the league just makes it so much better.

Jefferson will be given so much more room to operate on the Cavs, and double teams will be far and few with such an elite 1-2-3 combo. His post scoring will be a major asset to picking up easy baskets when stopping runs or slowing the game down, he’s one of the best rebounders in the game, he’s an underrated shotblocker (1.7/game, same rate as Tim Duncan and Emeka Okafor) and he has fantastic hands for catching lobs and/or drop passes from the perimeter guys. Jefferson is the perfect complement to a perimeter duo like Wade and Durant.

C: Rasheed Wallace – 12 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 35% 3pt
Wallace won’t play too much, but I wanted him to start because of the defensive presence he brings. Though everyone knows about how talented he is, how he can score from anywhere, and how he should have been so much better, people sometimes forget how good a defender he is. He and Big Ben anchored some elite defensive teams, and while the other Wallace has lost a step or six, Sheed’s game isn’t based too much on athleticism.

He’ll be another floor-spacer for my stars and will be able to take the toughest defensive matchup to save Al some energy, be it a perimeter PF or a banging C. He may not be able to play heavy minutes anymore, but I have such a deep crop of big men that all I need from him is 15-20 minutes of solid defense and open threes, and he’ll fil his role perfectly.

BENCH:
I considered putting Aldridge in the starters section since he’ll be playing much more than Wallace, but he’ll come off the bench and provide another scoring threat when one of my big 3 or Mo is sitting down, or join them and form an absolutely devastating Mo/Wade/Durant/Aldridge/Jefferson lineup to close out games or when I really need scoring. He can pick and pop with Mo or Wade, take his man down low or bring him out to space the floor, and guard some of the more mobile PFs of the league. Luol Deng will back up Durant and possibly play some small minutes at PF if necessary, but mostly he provides another scoring option that plays great defense and doesn’t need the ball to cut and space the floor. Parker does much of the same, providing another great three point shooter and tenacious defender, while T.J Ford’s slashing and penetration is a nice change of pace from Mo’s outside shooting. Jermaine O’neal will be my other primary backup big, and he can also anchor a defense and provide a little scoring if necessary. Duhon, Gortat, and Dalembert won’t play much, but if a point guard or big center is really giving us trouble, they can come in and provide solid defense. Overall, my bench can come in and really D up the opposition, while retaining some of the scoring punch that makes my starters so deadly.

MATCHUP STRATEGY
First off, props to CB-Blazer for building a strong, well-rounded team. Best of luck to you man.

Now matchup-wise, I think we can handle most of their big guns. Mo and Devin Harris should be a good match, though I do give Harris the slight advantage here, but Mo will be able to put up points of his own, since Harris will be more focused on scoring and playmaking than defending our fourth option.

Wade should be able to abuse Redd fairly easily. They might move Marion onto Wade, but that would give Durant the same advantage. Either way, whoever Redd guards will look to exploit his poor defense, and will likely succeed. Assuming Mike stays on Wade, he just doesn’t have the lateral quickness or defensive mindset needed to stay in front of an elite player like Wade, who should be able to get to the rim at will. Once he gets there, he’ll likely meet Pryzbilla, but since either Joel or Dirk will be guarding Sheed or Aldridge near the three-point line or the long mid-range area, he’ll be able to drop it off to Jefferson fairly easily. Defensively, Wade has the athleticism and speed to stay with Redd through screens and curls, and can use his wingspan to really bother Redd’s shots. Overall, Wade wins this matchup handily.

Durant will likely be guarded by Marion, and though Shawn is a good defender, Durant will still be able to get his points by shooting over Marion or taking him off the dribble. Marion likely won’t do much on offense besides spot up, cut, and get putbacks, so as long as Durant watches his man carefully he should take care of Marion and win this matchup as well.

Jefferson vs Dirk is a very intriguing match. I would be surprised if they guarded each other, as I’m going to have Sheed, Aldridge, or Durant guard Dirk at all times. All of those guys have length to contest his shots and speed to stay with him when he takes them off the dribble. He’ll definitely still be able to get his, but we’ll make him work for it, especially since he can’t be hidden or rest on defense against any of our bigs. Offensively, Jefferson is going to be able to dominate whoever tries to match up with him, and I can easily hide him on Pryzbilla and use him as a weakside shotblocker to bother Dirk, Redd, or Harris. Jefferson is also a fantastic rebounder, and as long as he keeps Pryzbilla off the boards we really only have to worry about Dirk and Marion, both of whom can be taken care of with Sheed and Durant pulling them away from defensive rebounding position.

Sheed and Pryzbilla are just two quality role players in this series. Both guys will be counted on for great defense, while Joel will look to intimidate my guards and anchor their defense and rebound as Sheed looks to space the floor and shut down the opponent’s best big one on one. Both guys should play their role fairly well, though I’m gonna give the edge to Sheed just because he’s a flat-out more talented player.

As for the bench, I’ll look to Aldridge to provide some firepower off the pine and play off my perimeter players with pick and pops and some post touches, while JO will come in to body up on Blazer’s big men and anchor my defense while Sheed is out. Deng will come in to try and slow down Jeff Green when he’s in, and Parker will do the same for Redd and Foye. Depending on how Harris and Andre Miller are playing, I will either put Ford in to provide more offense or Duhon to try and slow down their point guards if they`re playing really well. Blazer has some nice scoring options off the bench, but none of them can impact a game like Aldridge IMO, and my bench guys are all well suited defensively to deal with them while being able to put points up as well.

For Blazer to win, Dirk, Redd, and Harris all have to have big nights, because I don't see a truely great 4th option on his team (Shawn Marion, Jeff Green, Andre Miller and Randy Foye, imo, are not capable of shouldering a heavy load in this twist draft league compared to guys like Mo Williams and LaMarcus Aldridge). At the end of games, the ball will likely be in Dirk's hands, but as long as we stay out on Redd, who else is there to win them games? I don't mind if Devin Harris beats us with long jumpers (44% shooter, 29% from three), Pryzbilla is fairly useless offensively, and Marion shoots a whopping 19% from beyond the arc. I can see Jeff Green, Foye, or Brad Miller coming in for shooting purposes, but replacing Marion or Pryzbilla means you're giving up a lot of defense, which my stars can take full advantage of while still playing solid defense of their own.

Overall, I think my team is just too well rounded offensively for his guys to match up with. Either Wade or Durant, two of the most dangerous scorers in the league, will be matched up with a well-below average defender in Redd, and my opponent`s best scorers can all be defended fairly well by my guys. I think in a league like this, you have to be dominant offensively or defensively to win, and CB-Blazer`s team, while possessing good offensive players and good defensive players, doesn`t have any dominant two way players necessary to truly create an elite team, and that will be his downfall here. Once again, I think I`m facing a strong, well-rounded team, but my versatility, offensive firepower, and favorable matchups will allow me to come out on top.

[MadNESS]

cellar door what is your email, i need to talk to you about something important.

[CellarDoor]

cellar door what is your email, i need to talk to you about something important.

mh478@lab.icc.edu

[Mascot]

The New York Knicks vs The Bryant08s

Starters


Bench



PG: Kirk Hinrich (32)/Jameer Nelson (16)
SG: Shane Battier (32)/Tracy McGrady/Ronnie Brewer
SF: LeBron James(38)/Rudy Gay/Grant Hill
PF: Kenyon Martin(32)/Lamar Odom(16)/David Lee
Cc: Zydrunas Ilgauskas(33)/Marc Gasol(15)



The Point Guards

Kirk Hinrich vs Derrick Rose
This match up is pretty much a wash, Hinrich is one of the best defensive PGs in the league
Rose is one of the quickest point guards in the league. No real winner


The Shooting Guards

Shane Battier vs Brandon Roy
Once again Battier is a great defender and will give Roy lots of trouble. No real winner here.


The Small Forwards

LeBron James vs Danny Granger
Poor Danny is going to have his hands full here, LeBron wins this matchup of course.


The Power Forwards

Kenyon Martin vs David West

Game One of Playoffs - Denver Win
Kenyon Martin - 4pts, 4 Rbs, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1To, 2/5 40% fg%, 29 mins.
David West - 12pts, 6rbs, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1To - 4/16 25% fg% 32 mins.

Game 2 - Denver Win
Kenyon Martin - 13pts, 5 Rbs, 6 Ast, 1blk, 1To, 6/12 50% fg% 31 min
David West - 21pts, 10rbs, 2Ast, 2blk, 4To, 9/20 45% fg% 40 Min

Game 3 - New Orleans win
Kenyon Martin - 12pts, 10 rbs, 2Ast, 1 stl, 6 To, 5/8 62.5% fg% 37 Mins
David West - 19pts, 9Rebs, 1Ast, 1stl, 3 To, 7/18 38.8 Fg% 40 Mins


Game 4 - Denver Win
Kenyon Martin - 6pts, 5Rebs, 3Ast, 1Stl, 1To, 3/8 37.5 Fg% 33Mins
David West - 14pts, 3rebs, 4To, 4/10 40% FG% 30 Mins

Game 5 - Denver Win
Kenyon Martin - 15Pts, 7 Rebs, 1 Ast, 1Stl, 2 To, 3 Blk, 7/9 77.7% Fg% 32 Mins
David West - 24 Pts, 9 Rebs, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 To, 8/16 50% Fg% 34Mins


Martin does a much better job on defense than West. When Martin forced West to miss shots
New Orleans were without their second option and lost. Martin didn't need to be a scorer
in the offense in Denver and he still doesn't on this team, hes there to guard West and
get garbage buckets. I give this match up to Martin because of his strong defense.


The Centers

Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs Joakim Noah
Ilgauskas definitely wins this matchup, While Noah is an energy guy off the bench he is not a
starting caliber center, big Z can step outside and shoot while Noah is lucky if he can get a bucket
outside of 3 feet. Hes also going to clog up the middle on Roy and Rose and get in their way. Big Z fits my offense much better than Noah fits Bryants.



The Benchs

PG: Jameer Nelson vs OJMayo
SG: Tracy McGrady/Ronnie Brewer vs Andre Iguodala
SF: Rudy Gay/Grant Hill vs Andrei Kirilenko
PF: Lamar Odom vs Antawn Jamison
Cc: Marc Gasol vs Mehmet Okur



A pretty even match up here with some wins on his side and some wins on my side, I plan to have McGrady or Brewer on the floor depending on what is needed the most, defense from brewer and energy while TMac can offer up some scoring threat if hes on, if hes not then he will sit back down. same goes for Gay and Hill, hill comes in for defense and Gay comes in for Offense if its needed. Odom is a great backup to Martin since he can come in to do the exact same thing as Martin did. Marc Gasol and Okur are matched up well with Okur being able to draw Gasol out and Gasol being able to out rebound Okur.




Strategy

Obviously LeBron is going to control the ball on my team which is why I have Hinrich and Battier playing off of him along with Kenyon Martin and Bigz. LeBron or Hinrich will carry the ball up the court, Hinrich being a larger PG will see whats available or maybe back down Rose. If nothing shows then its LeBrons time to work the perimeter looking for an opening, he can drive and kick or take it all the way here. Having shooters in Hinrich and Battier playing alongside of him allows me to spread the floor. Also Big Z can hit a 15 footer with ease and so can Kenyon Martin. LeBron, Martin and Z are all great offensive rebounder's so i expect a lot of extra shots going up against weaker defensive rebounder's like West and Noah.

Bryant has 3 guys who need the ball in their hands to run their offense, Rose, Roy and Granger. Rose and Roy are not a threat to knock down 3s, their game is all based on the drive to the hole, Kenyon Martin and Big Z will put a stop to that especially when Martin gives them a couple of hard fouls. The only guy that he can kick out to is Granger who is going to be covered by LeBron. West can hit the 17 footer well but as i have shown when Martin is put on him his FG% drops dramatically.


Conclusion
I feel i have the better rounded team in this match up and a much better defensive minded team. Also my team has much more experience while he has Mayo, Rose, and Noah playing big minutes.

New York Wins

[bryant08]

The New York Knicks vs. The Bryant08s

NYK:
PG: Kirk Hinrich (32)/Jameer Nelson (16)
SG: Shane Battier (32)/Tracy McGrady/Ronnie Brewer
SF: LeBron James(38)/Rudy Gay/Grant Hill
PF: Kenyon Martin(32)/Lamar Odom(16)/David Lee
Cc: Zydrunas Ilgauskas(33)/Marc Gasol(15)

bryant08:
PG: Derrick Rose (30)/OJ Mayo (10)/Roy (8)
SG: Brandon Roy (30)/Andre Iguodala (18)
SG: Danny Granger (24)/Andrei Kirilenko (24)
PF: David West (32)/Andrei Kirilenko (10)/Antawn Jamison (6)
C: Joakim Noah (18)/Mehmet Okur (30)

The Point Guards:
Derrick Rose vs. Kirk Hinrich
Don't flatter yourself Kirk, Rose has a beastly offensive game, and even if you are a good defender, based simply on his physical capabilities, Rose holds the advantage here. His ability to get to the rack isn't matched by many.

The Shooting Guards:
Brandon Roy vs. Shane Battier
Battier is a solid defender, but once again to consider this a wash is the biggest joke I've ever seen. Roy was guarded by the physical Ron Artest in the Rockets series for a reason; Battier may be a good defender, but Brandon Roy is one of the elite players in the game today.

The Small Forwards:
LeBron James vs. Danny Granger/Andrei Kirilenko
Don't give Granger your pity here, over their 16 previous meetings, Granger has limited LeBron to 28 points, which is still fantastic, but shooting only 47% FG, and 31% 3PT. There isn't much better you can do than that on a guy like LeBron. In 8 meeting with LeBron, AK47 has been able to hold LeBron to 31 points a game off 45.8% FG, and just 28% from beyond the arc. AK also managed to put up 15/6/4 as well as 3.4 blocks and 1.8 steals (obviously not all of LeBron, but impressive nonetheless). Yeah, LeBron wins the matchup, but it ain't no landslide, and it won't be easy for him with Granger's smart defense and AK's length and quickness.

The Power Forwards:
Another joke. Kenyon Martin might have been able to slow David West down, but how does the match-up go in K-Mart's favour? In my squad's system, you won't be seeing David West taking 15 attempts a game, he doesn't have to be doing so. You'll see him operating the pick and roll with Derrick Rose or Brandon Roy, because of his ability to make the smart pass or hit the 17-18 footer. West will be taking 8-9 shots a game, and doesn't have to force things with my backcourt's ability to create. On the other end of the floor, it's great that West's average defense won't really be exposed by the non factor in Kenyon Martin. If Martin wants to be taking 18 footers, I can live with that.

The Centers:
Zydrunas definitely is the more seasoned veteran, but again he's no great low post threat, which is great for a solid defender in Joakim Noah. Zydrunas might fit your offense better with the clear out, but Noah isn't going to be clogging the paint, I mean 20 teams have a center that plays in the low post, and does that center get in the way of the guards doing their work? Noah is barely going to be looked at to do anything offensively, but if there's one thing he proved in the playoffs, it's that he can up the tempo defensively, get stops, and rebound the basketball. Okur will be seeing most of the minutes here anyways, and he brings similar qualities as Zydrunas in terms of spacing, but he shoots 49% FG, and 45% 3PT, which is just fantastic efficiency for a big man that doesn't tend to play in the post.

The Benches:
Jameer/Brewer/Gay or Hill/Odom/Gasol vs. Mayo/Iguodala/Kirilenko or Granger/Jamison/Okur

Tracy McGrady shouldn't be considered a factor, and if he is, great, I could use a broken down wing on the floor to take advantage of. I'd the say the benches are similar, but Iguodala is going to be absolutely huge in this series. The only reason I'm not starting him is to get the game going with some drives rather than jumpers with Derrick Rose. I like having a more traditional start to the game, then constantly wearing on the opponent with jumpshooting. I have deadly scoring threats in Okur/Jamison/Granger than can spread the floor ridiculously. Odom doesn't bring what Kenyon Martin brings, he is not the same type of post defender and relies on his length, therefore he won't have the same effect as Martin. In terms of Gasol being able to outrebound Okur, Okur had a rebounding rate of 13.4% this year, vs. his 17.6% last year. Marc Gasol had a rebounding rate of 14.7%, so I wouldn't consider Gasol being able to easily outrebound Okur. As well, as mentioned, Okur will draw the center out of the post, whoever it is, and create more opportunities for my guards and Granger.

My advantages:
1. Offense
- My team is just deadly offensively, so much so I think it will be the key to the series. I have guys who can get to the hoop, shoot the 3, create plays, and shoot the mid range shot. Granger/Iggy/Roy can easily be players who ALL command double teams, and if even one is left open, they'll light you up.

2. The Knicks' lack of offense
- Besides LeBron, none of the players on the floor are threats, and none of them are double team worthy. Hence you'll see if AK/Granger are on the floor together, the double teaming of LeBron will be executed. With Kenyon Martin at the PF position, if he chooses to take the jumper, we can live with him beating us. WIth AK's speed, he should be able to rotate back fast enough to make this double team VERY effective.

3. Spacing
- The Knicks have it too, but it's been mentioned how important spacing the floor as so clearly illustrated in the NBA Finals. Whether it was the 3 point shooting that helped the Magic win games, or the clutch 3s hit just yesterday by Lamar Odom to put the game beyond reach, spacing the floor has never been more important. With Okur/West/Granger/Iggy/Roy as fantastic shooters from various spots on the floor, they'll definitely be causing problems.

Style of Play:
We're a half court team tailor made for Brandon Roy's needs. As mentioned earlier on, I like the idea of Rose starting the game as the primary playmaker, and using Roy for the majority of the game on the ball. Granger is the major perimeter threat for my club, and we're not the type to go into the low post and look for scoring there. The pick and roll is going to be a valuable part of our offense, as I think from the pick and roll, many opportunities are created due to sloppy rotations by the defense. On defense, it's going to take lots of pressure on LeBron James, and I'm not afraid to use the double team due to a lack of offensive options for the Knicks. Other than that, single coverage on everyone else should work, and I really don't see anyone who could just turn it on and light me up.

Conclusion:
Mascot had a decent idea, building around LeBron with shooters and defenders. But really, LeBron has shooters on his team currently and his team isn't that much different than the Knicks (besides of course the stacked bench), and we've all seen how that has worked out for the Cavs (despite a successful regular season). LeBron NEEDS a second fiddle, he could elevate his team to entire new level with another star player alongside him, but the Knicks don't have one. My squad features one of the most athletic and energetic young backcourts in the competition. They may not have that much experience, but it didn't stop either of them from performing well (27/5/3 for Roy, 20/6/6 for Rose both in over 40 minutes a game). LeBron might win the Knicks one game in the series, but the rest, we've got em.

[Teddy KGB]

Teddy KGB vs deNIEd

Roster [projected minutes in parenthesis]:

A Bogut [30]/T Murphy [18]
K Garnett [30]/P Millsap [18]
C Anthony [35]/R Fernandez [13]
S Jackson [25]/B Gordon [23]
T Parker [30]/R Alston [10]/B Gordon [8]

IR: M Beasley, Z Randolph, R Westbrook

Position Analysis:

Cc: Andrew Bogut/Troy Murphy vs Dwight Howard/E Okafor

No arguments here, his Center rotation is significantly more talented than mine. Dwight Howard is one of the best players in the NBA, but his effectiveness is based around perimeter play, a Turkoglu type of player to run the pick and roll and such. He does have one of those in Carter but I have the personnel to slow down Vince Carter and when the main perimeter threat is slowed, Howard's game does significantly suffer, as shown against the Lakers. On top of this, Bogut is a big and strong guy with solid defense who can man up Howard in the post and get some rebounds as well. On offense, Bogut's ability to step out for a mid range jumper [which is money!] will negate some of Howard's defensive prowess as he'll be taken away from the basket. This will be the case even more in the Murphy-Okafor matchup where Okafor has to go all the way to the 3 point line to mark Murphy because if he doesn't I don't mind the guy who finished #3 in 3pt% taking wide open 3 pointers. Overall, my plan to deal with Howard and Okafor is to use my Centers' jumpshooting abilities to force Howard and Okafor away from the paint in defense because this will leave his team without the defensive anchor in the middle. On defense it's a case of trying as hard as possible to keep Howard away from the paint and denying him the ball and hoping for the best. Howard will get his though, and deNIEd's team has a definite advantage here, just not as much as it would appear on paper due to matchups.

PF: Kevin Garnett/Paul Millsap vs Josh Smith/Chris Andresen

Again, don't think there's really any room for argument here, my PF rotation is clearly better than deNIEd's. Garnett is an extremely seasoned veteran who has no flaws to his game except that he is sometimes unselfish to a fault. On a team with Parker and Anthony this will not be a problem and Garnett will be the 3rd or sometimes even 4th [when Gordon is on]. He will however have the ball a lot as I will be running a very Spurs-esque system and he will be the Duncan of my team and have almost an identical requirement of him. On offense, I am not looking for 20ppg out of him, much more like 15ppg but with 5apg in the extremely slow system that I am planning to run. Defensively Garnett will be the anchor of my team and he has proven himself throughout the years of being extremely capable of being the anchor. I am very confident in Garnett's ability to absolutely dominate Smith for a whole series to the point that Smith shoots a lot of those crappy 3s he can't make. In terms of backup, I love Birdman but Millsap had near all star production, no questions asked Millsap will outproduce the Birdman.

SF: Carmelo Anthony/Rudy Fernandez vs Gerald Wallace/Mike Miller

Another no brainer. Carmelo Anthony is a top 3-4 scoring talent in the NBA and his style is such that Wallace's defense won't be effective. Wallace is NOT a good man to man defender, his rep on D comes from his highlight reel blocks which he will get some of but in the end it will be Melo lighting him up with mid range jumpers and his newly acquired long range repertoire. I will be relying on Melo as my 1st option on offense and he will be allowed to shoot as much if not more than in Denver. On defense, Melo has shown massive improvements this year and should be able to do quite an adequate job on a guy like Wallace who isn't exactly Jordan on offense. Rudy is also a simply better version of Miller.

SG: Stephen Jackson/Ben Gordon vs Vince Carter/Rip Hamilton/Jason Terry

At SG, it is a pretty close matchup with deNIEd's team having the slight advantage. Vince Carter is clearly the best player here but if you remember back to the days of the Kidd-Carter backcourt in NJ, it just did not work because Carter needs the ball to work and so does Kidd but it's Kidd always holding the ball. I think that SJax will do a marvelous job on denying Carter the ball and keeping him away from the rim when he does get the ball. His SG is full of crappy defensive players and so Gordon will light any of those guys up when he is on the court. On offense, my SG's role will always be to hit the open 3 which will definitely be avaiable quite often with the defense needing to cover Garnett-Anthony-Parker, none of whom can really be single teamed often. Jackson and Gordon are more than capable of hitting open 3s.

PG: Tony Parker/Rafer Alston/Ben Gordon vs Jason Kidd/Jason Terry/Raymond Felton

The point guard spot is where the series is going to be decided and as a Mavs I can tell you that Tony Parker absolutely destroyed Jason Kidd and Jason Terry and would have no problems doing it again. Neither are quick enough to keep up with Parker and his penetration will lead to open open shots for the other players on my team, all of whom are capable of hitting at the minimum a mid range jump shot at a good clip. With Howard/Okafor pulled away from the basket as detailed in the Cc section, Parker will have a field day in this series and and average similar to the 29/7 he put up against Dallas.

Overall, my team will come out on top because deNIEd's team is just redundant when facing my team. All of his stud defenders are primarily weakside shotblockers and most are not good man defenders which does not set up well to defend against my team which is chock full of accomplished jumpshooters. There is also the fact that my team is just simply too talented, too good on both sides of the floor, especially offense, to lose to his team. Teddy KGB in 4 imo.

EDIT: deNIEd's motto is "offense wins games, defense wins championships". My motto is "my team is ridiculously balanced and talented and does not rely on any one facet on the game to win and thus would constitute a dynasty." Beat that.

[-MK-]

Miami Heat
Line-up for round 1:

PG: Rondo (33) / Stuckey (15)
SG: Joe Johnson (35) / Delonte West (13) / Garcia*
SF: Richard Jefferson (33) / Marvin Williams (10) / Joe Johnson (5) / Garcia*
PF: Marvin Williams (18) / Duncan (15) / Bargnani (15) / Bass*
C: Duncan (22) / Horford (26) / Dampier *

(*blow-out minutes)

vs

PG: Chauncy Billups / Jose Calderon / Eric Gordon
SG: Jason Richardson / Matt Barnes / Eric Gordon
SF: Caron Butler / Corey Maggette
PF: Rashard Lewis / Boris Diaw / Nenard Kristic
Cc: Carlos Boozer / Tyson Chandler / Greg Oden

Match-ups:

Guards:
Starters: Rajon Rondo/Joe Johnson vs C.Billups/J.Richardson
Matchup of the best defensive PGs in the game, with Rondo being very slightly better at it than Billups. Offensivly, Billups' main assets are clutch shooting and leadership, while Rondo's are the ability to blow by anyone and create for others, while being a pretty good leader himself. But, I'll give a slight advantage to Billups here.
At the SG position, JJ is a more versatile offensive player and a much better defender than J-Rich.

Advantage: Miami Heat

Bench: Rodney Stuckey/Delonte West vs J.Calderon/M.Barnes(?)
Calderon is a great shooter and playmaker, but possibly the worst defensive PG in the league. Whoever he's guarding, will have an open path to the basket... Stuckey, on the other hand, is a very good defender with excellent combination of size, strength and quickness. He's pretty much Billups without the 3pt-shot and leadership.
Delonte West is a shooter, who can also handle the ball a little and a scrappy defender, who can even guard players much bigger than him very well. Barnes? Has he ever played SG?

Advantage: Miami Heat (slight)

Wings:
Starters: Richard Jefferson/Marvin Williams vs C.Butler/R.Lewis
While bness's wings are slightly better 3pt shooters, I feel that my forwards match up with them very well defensively.

Advantage: bness88 (slight)

Bench: [Marvin Williams]/[Joe Johnson] vs [R.Lewis]?/C.Maggette
JJ is very capable of playing spot-up minutes at backup SF, but my main backup there will be my starting "PF", when I decide to go big.
Maggette is a guy who can score in bunches by getting to the FT line, but doesn't do much else, has never played winning basketball and is an average defender at best.

Advantage: Miami Heat (slight)

Bigs:
Starters: Tim Duncan vs C.Boozer
This is where the series will be decided at. Tim Duncan is the best PF/C in the game at both ends of the court. Boozer is a pretty good offensive player and a very good rebounder, but he's an average defender at best. I will run a lot of early isolations for TD on offense and he's just gonna abuse Boozer in the low, mid or high post and score or get him in early foul trouble fairly easily. Or if he's doubled, he can pass the ball to the open man for the open J (or Rondo for the cut to the basket).

Advantage: Miami Heat (huge)

Bench: Al Horford/Andrea Bargnani vs T.Chandler/B.Diaw
Horford vs Chandler seems like a wash to me... Bargs and Diaw match up very well with each other too on both ends of the court, so that's a wash too...

Advantage: none


My main advantages:

1. Defense
While my opponent has some great defenders, I have above average to great defense all around. (yes, even Bargnani, my worst defender, can play above average defense on the ball). And bness888 doesn't have anyone in the starting lineup who can contest shots at the basket.

2. Go-to guys
Bness888 has Billups and ... err ... Caron Butler?
I have Tim Duncan, Joe Johnson (both better than Billups), Rajon Rondo and to some extent, Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams.

3. Balance with talent
While my opponent also has a pretty balanced squad, he doesn't have the talent that i have at both ends of the court.

4. Unselfishness
All of my players are very unselfish, don't have big egos and all of my main ball-handlers (JJ, Rondo, Duncan) are also excellent passers.
For bness888, everyone, except Billups and Calderon, will look for their own shot first, second and others third.

Conclusion:
If you build a perimeter oriented team, like bness888's, you either need superior talent or an extremely dominant inside presence to give the shooters open looks. Right now he has neither. So his players will be taking contested jumpers all day and if they can get really hot, he'll maybe win a game or two. And there are also some defensive holes and no-one to mend them down low (in the starting 5).
I feel that I have a more balanced team with better overall defense and talent.

Heat in 5


(Since bness888 hasn't posted a write-up yet, this is based on the latest updated information in the roster thread. If he changes his line-up, I might change my lineup/gameplan as well)

[dockingsched]

dcash vs. shaqsux

pg: m. bibby 30 / l. barbosa 18/ r. mason
sg: r. artest 34 / m. pietrus 14 / c. lee
sf: j. green 30 / t. ariza 18
pf: p. gasol 36 / r. turiaf 12 / b. wallace
c: yao ming 28/ s. o'neal 20

vs.

Deron(38)/Fisher(10)/Brooks*
Ginobli(34)/Smith(10)/Bowen(4)
Prince(30)/Bowen(14)/Chandler(4)
Scola(28)/Camby(12)/Nene(8)/Collison*
Bynum(28)/Nene(10)/Camby(10)/Collison*

offense: on offense i will attack my opponent in the paint. with gasol/shaq/yao, i do not believe my opponent stands a chance with his defenders. bynum showed that he is both very inexperienced and very foul prone. same with nene. both were fouling at incredible rates in the playoffs, against none other than yao and pau gasol. scola doesn't even guard big men (he guarded ariza most lakers series) and camby is a help defender too weak to keep my big men from the paint. i honestly think this is such a huge mismatch that my offense will have no problem scoring at a high percentage, getting to the line, and generally having my opponent in the penalty/foul trouble as soon as the game starts. for example, bynum is slotted for 28 mpg, which he won't even come close to since there will be no breaks. 28 mpg from him against yao/shaq isn't happening. camby playing 10mpg at center against yao/shaq, thats 10 minutes of offensive onslaught. camby can get seriously hurt. i also have a huge size advantage in the 2/3, where artest can post up any of his guards/small forwards. on the perimeter i have big men that can spread the floor (pau, yao, turiaf) for whoever is posting up, i have small guys that can hit the 3 bibby (has hit huge threes in his career), artest (shot like 40% from 3 in the playoffs), green (38-39% 3pt shooter), and very good shooters in pietrus/barbosa/ariza.

defense: my opponent cannot attack me from the post, simply can't. bynum's game is too raw against yao/shaq, nene has no real post offense, camby has none too. ginobili, although still good, was not the same manu of years past. artest can look down manu's limited mobility. only thing of concern is deron williams, who only has one player to pick n roll with, luis scola. other than that, he's limited to breaking down my defense and being faced with towers all around that aren't leaving the paint because nene/bynum/camby can't spread the floor.

[CellarDoor]

Blazer and Bness have no write-ups, so while the other judges may do what they wish, my votes go to MK and Poopdamoop.

The other judges can do what they please, but i'm going to reserve judgement until the end of the day to allow time to rebuttals.



Good luck to all.

[CellarDoor]

And Denied, you've got a "write-up" listed out there, but I promise you if something substantial isn't written by tonight you will be down at least one vote.

[-MK-]

The other judges can do what they please, but i'm going to reserve judgement until the end of the day to allow time to rebuttals.

CB Blazer and Poop are disqualified. I We will vote on them as a unit and find a replacement or I will write the write-up myself for the next round.

Good luck to all.

What did he do wrong?
viewtopic.php?f=340&t=913603#p19800080

[CellarDoor]

The other judges can do what they please, but i'm going to reserve judgement until the end of the day to allow time to rebuttals.

CB Blazer and Poop are disqualified. I We will vote on them as a unit and find a replacement or I will write the write-up myself for the next round.

Good luck to all.

What did he do wrong?
viewtopic.php?f=340&t=913603#p19800080

Nothing. His lack of an avatar made me skip over his post. My fault.

Poop and MK: you still have to be judged, but with no write-ups to combat against, it's looking pretty good.