Best of luck, Laimbeer!
RotationPG: Gary Payton (38) / Michael Cooper (10)
SG: Michael Cooper (28) / Aaron McKie (20)
SF: Jayson Tatum (38) / Larry Bird (10)
PF: Larry Bird (28) / Robert Horry (20)
C: Robert Parish (36) / Andrew Bogut (12)
OffenseThe big 4 of Payton-Tatum-Bird-Parish should complement each other well. The first three are 3-level scorers. Parish lacked 3pt range, but had a reliable mid-range jumper. Cooper, McKie and Horry stretch the floor. Parish sets hard picks for my ball handlers including Larry and Tatum. I assume 7'2'' Gilmore never switches these picks, meaning Larry/Tatum will have loads of open looks from the perimeter. We know for a fact Bird-Parish had great synergy in real life having won 3 rings together, 1 of them in their selected season. When Payton rests, Bird-Tatum are the de facto PGs in the half court. Fwiw, Tatum was never scared of LeBron. Rookie Tatum famously posterized LeBron in the clutch of Game 7 of the ECF. I'd argue the Bird-Brown assignment is a mismatch in my favour. Bird is 3 inches taller. He can shoot over Brown all series long or he can bully his way to the basket forcing a double team. Needless to say, Bird was an exceptional passer. I'd trust him to find the open man if doubled.
DefenseParish/Bogut anchor the defense. They drop back to protect the rim against Gilmore's postups or LeBron's/Brown's slashing game. Both my bigs are at their best in a drop scheme. Gilmore cannot force them to step out of their comfort zone. Wing D should be strong with 6 switchable defenders on the roster to throw at LeBron. 6'8'' Tatum and 6'9'' Bird in particular have the size and the BBIQ to at least try to slow him down. If LeBron beats his defender off the dribble and attacks the basket, my rim protector comes into play. Parish is widely considered a top 15 Center of all time. I'd argue Bogut is one of the best backup bigs in our games. He was a regular starter for a team that reached the Finals in his selected season and recorded a DBPM of +3.2. On-ball D against secondary ball handlers should be elite with 2 DPOY winners in Payton and Cooper. McKie was a terrific defender in his own right as evidenced by his DBPM of +2.0.
FGA1986 Larry Bird 19.6
2023 Jayson Tatum 21.1
1996 Gary Payton 15.8
1986 Michael Cooper 7.4
1999 Robert Horry 3.8
1986 Robert Parish 11.9
2016 Andrew Bogut 4.0
1997 Aaron McKie 4.4
Total: 88.0