Create your dream game

[jdzimme3]

If you had the power to sit courtside and watch a game of basketball of your choice, what would it be? Some examples:

Original dream team vs most recent

A team built around bron vs a team built around Jordan

Two teams filled with interesting individual matchups (Kobe v Jordan etc)

Maybe two teams with all your favorite players

Maybe a bunch of loose cannons like Draymond, rodman, artest, sheed

One era vs another

You pick the players/teams, it is for your viewing pleasure. You can be as specific as you like (era style of f play, coach, etc). One rule, can't include hypothetical players that never existed, meaning len bias, never injured d rose, European sabonis). Only reason I exclude that is I think it may dominate answers.

[ReggiesKnicks]

1998 Pacers vs Jazz in the NBA Finals.

[homecourtloss]

1998 Pacers vs Jazz in the NBA Finals.

You would have it if hadn’t been for Kukoc of if the Pacers could get a defensive rebound or make a few FTs. Jordan was clanking away and giving the spacers a chance (even if the Bulls shot 41 FTs, many of those not drawn at the rim).

[Tomtolbert]

Finals:

1998 Lakers vs Bulls
2005 Heat vs Suns
2009 Lakers vs Cavs

[70sFan]

1962 Lakers vs Warriors would be awesome.

[penbeast0]

I would have loved to see some of the ABA v. NBA champions with something real on the line. They played some exhibitions between teams like the Celtics and the Pacers but when the NBA lost, they claimed they weren't taking it seriously (though Pacers coach Slick Leonard did point out that Cowens and Havlicek were left in for 40+ minutes).

73 Pacers v. Knicks would be fun though I think the ABA was still catching up with a ways to go. 75 Kentucky v. Golden State, 76 Nets v. Blazers would be my favorite matchups. I'd favor Kentucky over the Warriors though I think Walton would be too much for Dr. J and crew.

I originally thought enjoy some cross era matchups if they used the equipment and referees of the earlier eras to make up for superior training and coaching of the later ones but having second thoughts. Not sure I'd really like seeing guys like Jordan or LeBron unable to do the things that made them most famous with unsupportive canvas shoes and referees who would call carry and travel rules forcing them to play in an unfamiliar style and I'd hate myself if there was a knee injury because of it.

[Owly]

I would have loved to see some of the ABA v. NBA champions with something real on the line. They played some exhibitions between teams like the Celtics and the Pacers but when the NBA lost, they claimed they weren't taking it seriously (though Pacers coach Slick Leonard did point out that Cowens and Havlicek were left in for 40+ minutes).

73 Pacers v. Knicks would be fun though I think the ABA was still catching up with a ways to go. 75 Kentucky v. Golden State, 76 Nets v. Blazers would be my favorite matchups. I'd favor Kentucky over the Warriors though I think Walton would be too much for Dr. J and crew.

I originally thought enjoy some cross era matchups if they used the equipment and referees of the earlier eras to make up for superior training and coaching of the later ones but having second thoughts. Not sure I'd really like seeing guys like Jordan or LeBron unable to do the things that made them most famous with unsupportive canvas shoes and referees who would call carry and travel rules forcing them to play in an unfamiliar style and I'd hate myself if there was a knee injury because of it.

The '76 NBA champs were Boston (not Portland).

And at least somewhat in contrast the '77 Trail Blazers, this was not a relatively dominant champion. Boston's 2.25 SRS was narrowly third (far behind GS at 6.23 despite Barry's regression, and narrowly behind Cleveland's 2.34) and they barely outscored Cleveland in their series and didn't end up having to play GS. Portland of '77 weren't overwhelming (5.39 SRS) but could be better with Walton, and did at least have best SRS (and weren't clearly lagging behind someone ... and just decidedly better than Boston's SRS in absolute terms - then fwiw in a stronger league given the addition of contracted form of the ABA). That said it could be noted that Portland weren't exactly lapping Denver (4.95 SRS) and then only relatively narrowly beat them (outscoring the Nuggets by 10 points over the series with Denver shooting - without looking at who went to the line, quite a bit worse than their RS FT percentage - their RS FT% would have Denver scoring a little over 9 more points than they actually did).

[jojo4341]

old vs new:

Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Bird/Hakeem/Stockton/Miller/Barkley/Malone/Robinson/Dumars/Ewing
vs
Steph/Kobe/Lebron/KD/Jokic/CP3/Wade/Kawhi/Dirk/Dwight/SGA/Giannis

Best of 7 under 1990s FIBA rules. Everyone in their primes.


1989 Pistons vs 2017 Warriors:
Best of 7 series. Each game is alternating the "home" games to the ruleset of their year. You have to win by 2 games once you get to at least the 4th win. I realize the Warriors would be heavy favorites, but I wanted to see how it will play out against one of my favorite teams of all time.


1994 Rockets vs 1994 Bulls:
Replace Pete Meyers with unretired Michael Jordan. These are the versions with Horace Grant on the Bulls and Thorpe/Maxwell on the Rockets.


USA vs World today:

Steph/ANT/Kawhi/AD/Bam/Brunson/Booker/KD/Tatum/KAT/Brunson/Lebron
vs
Luka/SGA/Markkanen/Wemby/Jokic/Murray/Bennedict Mathurin/Wagner/Giannis/Sengun/Siakim/Embiid

This would be literally today in their current forms. So yes, Lebron/Kawhi/Steph/KD wouldn't technically be in their primes.

under 6'5 guards vs skilled giants:

CP3/Steph Curry/Jerry West/Westbrook/D.Wade
vs
Wemby/Porzingis/Ralph Sampson/Rik Smits/Yao Ming


old school wings vs modern wings:

Penny Hardaway/Clyde Drexler/Scottie Pippen/Dominique Wilkins/Grant Hill
vs
Lebron/PG/Kawhi/Durant/Carmelo

[Jaivl]

2008 Spain vs USA under actual FIBA rules.

[penbeast0]

I would have loved to see some of the ABA v. NBA champions with something real on the line. They played some exhibitions between teams like the Celtics and the Pacers but when the NBA lost, they claimed they weren't taking it seriously (though Pacers coach Slick Leonard did point out that Cowens and Havlicek were left in for 40+ minutes).

73 Pacers v. Knicks would be fun though I think the ABA was still catching up with a ways to go. 75 Kentucky v. Golden State, 76 Nets v. Blazers would be my favorite matchups. I'd favor Kentucky over the Warriors though I think Walton would be too much for Dr. J and crew.

I originally thought enjoy some cross era matchups if they used the equipment and referees of the earlier eras to make up for superior training and coaching of the later ones but having second thoughts. Not sure I'd really like seeing guys like Jordan or LeBron unable to do the things that made them most famous with unsupportive canvas shoes and referees who would call carry and travel rules forcing them to play in an unfamiliar style and I'd hate myself if there was a knee injury because of it.

The '76 NBA champs were Boston (not Portland).

And at least somewhat in contrast the '77 Trail Blazers, this was not a relatively dominant champion. Boston's 2.25 SRS was narrowly third (far behind GS at 6.23 despite Barry's regression, and narrowly behind Cleveland's 2.34) and they barely outscored Cleveland in their series and didn't end up having to play GS. Portland of '77 weren't overwhelming (5.39 SRS) but could be better with Walton, and did at least have best SRS (and weren't clearly lagging behind someone ... and just decidedly better than Boston's SRS in absolute terms - then fwiw in a stronger league given the addition of contracted form of the ABA). That said it could be noted that Portland weren't exactly lapping Denver (4.95 SRS) and then only relatively narrowly beat them (outscoring the Nuggets by 10 points over the series with Denver shooting - without looking at who went to the line, quite a bit worse than their RS FT percentage - their RS FT% would have Denver scoring a little over 9 more points than they actually did).

Not quite as much fun because those Walton Blazers were so iconic. But Kentucky and the Nets were probably the ABA's two truly peak teams (though Denver had better regular season records, just didn't make it through the playoffs) and both got broken up before entering the NBA.