2024-25 West Cross Standings - Playin - lilroddyb vs uberhikari*

[durantbird]

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. Once the writeups are posted, I will add a poll, and the team with the most votes after 24 hours will advance. EACH MANAGER SHOULD ALSO VOTE FOR THEIR OWN TEAM IN THE POLL - IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU ARE SIMPLY GIVING AWAY A VOTE. If the votes are tied, we will decide the matchup via AI vote.

You are not required to state or explain your vote, but you are free to comment in the thread if you want to.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

[lilroddyb]

C: Nikola Jokic 38 min / Jaylin Williams 10 min
Pf: Draymond Green 38 min / Jaylin Williams 5 min / Peja Stojakovic 5 min
Sf: Peja Stojakovic 33 min / Royce O'Neal 10 min / Jason Kidd 5 min
Sg: Anthony Edwards 36 min / Jason Kidd 12 min
Pg : Terry Porter 36 min / Jason Kidd 12 min

2023 Nikola Jokic 14.8
1991 Terry Porter 11.7
2025 Anthony Edwards 20.4
2009 Jason Kidd 7.6
2016 Draymond Green 10.1
2003 Peja Stojakovic 14.4
2024 Jaylin Williams 3.3
2021 Royce O'Neal 5.5

Tfga: 87.8

offense

the team is build around Jokic. Everyone single player on my team is good to elite threepoint shooter. I got 5 elite unselfish passers/Playmakers that will find the best shot every single time. Anthony edwards can get anywhere on the court and with elite spacing around him and great passers, screen setters in Draymond/Jokic I think he will score a lot.

Defense
I think the defense will be good despite having Jokic and Peja because everyone else is elite and Draymond and Kidd are among the best ever for their position


Jokic/Jaylin on Marc Gasol
Draymond on Rasheed
Anthony Edwards/Royce O'neal on Kawhi
Peja/Kidd on Eddie jones
Terry Porter/Kidd on Nash

overall

Uber build a really good team, not much to nitpick at. I think I got few advantages.

I got the best player in Jokic. Better passers/Playmakers overall. Uber has a really good spacing but mine is still quite a bit better with every single player being great/good threepoint shooter ( I got Draymond at his peak and he was decent shooter then )

and Lastly I think of the 4 highest Iq guys I got three in Jokic, Draymond and Kidd vs Nash

Best of luck Uber

[uberhikari]

PG: 2007 Steve Nash: 19-11, 4.5 3PA, 45.5 3P%; All-NBA 1st, MVP(2)
SG: 1998 Eddie Jones: 17 ppg, 4.6 3PA, 38.9 3P%; All-Star, All-Defense 2nd
SF: 2017 Kawhi Leonard: 26-6-4, 5.2 3PA, 38 3P%; All-NBA 1st, All-Defense 1st, MVP(3), DPOY(3)
PF: 2003 Rasheed Wallace: 18-7, 4.1 3PA, 35.8 3P%
C: 2013 Marc Gasol: 14-8-4; All-NBA 2nd, All-Defense 2nd, DPOY

Bench
PG/SG: 2021 Patrick Beverley: 8 ppg, 3.8 3PA, 39.7 3P%
SG/F/PF: 2006 Mike Miller: 14 ppg, 4.6 3PA, 40.7 3P%; 6MOY
C: 2011 Chris Andersen: 6-5, 1.3 blks, 63.6 TS%

Rotations
PG: Steve Nash (40) / Patrick Beverley (8)
SG: Eddie Jones (36) / Patrick Beverley (8) / Mike Miller (4)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (40) / Mike Miller (8)
PF: Rasheed Wallace (36) / Mike Miller (12)
C: Marc Gasol (38) / Chris Andersen (8) / Rasheed Wallace (2)

Defensive matchups: Nash on Porter; Jones on Ant; Kawhi on Peja; Rasheed on Draymond; Gasol on Jokic.

While lilroddyb has built an impressive offense, I easily have the best defense in this game. I have two DPOY caliber defenders with peak Kawhi and Gasol, and versatile/switchable defenders 2-4. My biggest advantage on defense is that Draymond is a major offensive weakness that doesn't fit. Over 163 playoff games, Draymond shoots 30.2% from 3, and there are no off-ball, movement shooters to take advantage of Draymond's passing. Furthermore, because of Wallace's defensive IQ and athleticism, he can shade off Draymond to double Jokic and still recover to Draymond at the 3pt line because of his slow release.

On offense, the plan is to do what Nash does best: push the pace and aggressively attack the paint. My team has perfect synergy for a Nash-centric attack with athletic wings (Jones/Kawhi) and an athletic P&P/P&R partner in Wallace. No team with Jokic at the 5 should be able to offer adequate resistance to Nash. Jones, Kawhi, and Wallace will consistently beat Jokic down the floor. In the half-court, because of Wallace's 3pt shooting and Jokic's lack of rim protection, Draymond will be stretched too thin, which means Nash, Jones, and Kawhi should have no problem attacking the paint.

[durantbird]

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Voting is open. uber and roddy please vote for yourselves

[wackbone]

This one is really, really tough.

[GeorgeMarcus]

Ditto what wack said, still making up my mind

[Fadeaway_J]

Yeah this was close, I feel like uber has all the bases covered and a good framework to slow down Jokic/Ant.

[uberhikari]

When the vote goes to AI, are specific years for each player used, or just a list of players? And are starters vs bench players specified?

[durantbird]

When the vote goes to AI, are specific years for each player used, or just a list of players? And are starters vs bench players specified?

I copy everything including writeups

[durantbird]

ChatGPT vote uberhikari - uberhikari advances

Spoiler:

Assuming health and optimal coaching, I’d give the edge to uberhikari in 7 games, but it’s close and heavily matchup-dependent. Here’s the breakdown:


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Strengths of Uberhikari’s Team:

Defense: Uber's defensive core is elite — Kawhi (2017 DPOY-level), Gasol (DPOY), and Eddie Jones (All-Defense) create a formidable perimeter and interior wall. Rasheed adds switchability and savvy help D.

Offensive Fit: The Nash-led high-tempo attack is perfectly tailored — everyone besides Nash is a plus defender and either a solid 3pt shooter or a smart cutter/slasher. Nash's gravity and passing will carve up Jokic in transition and drag Draymond into uncomfortable situations.

Scheme Exploits: Rasheed spotting up drags Draymond out, Gasol facilitates, and Kawhi can bully smaller wings like Peja. With no rim protector, Nash will feast in the paint.



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Strengths of Lilroddyb’s Team:

Star Power and IQ: Jokic is the best player in the series and can be an offense unto himself. Pairing him with Porter, Draymond, and Kidd creates maybe the best passing ecosystem possible.

Spacing: There’s elite shooting everywhere except Draymond. Even with Peja’s defense being suspect, his scoring and off-ball gravity matter. Edwards gives them a dynamic go-to scorer and downhill threat.

Defensive Adjustments: Kidd off the bench gives some defensive versatility. And Draymond, at his peak, is a genius who may find ways to cover for Jokic in spurts.



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Why Uber Edges It:

Jokic is Targeted: Despite Jokic’s offensive brilliance, Uber's scheme is built to run him ragged — transition pressure, spacing, and forcing him into switches or drop against Nash is fatal.

Defensive Coverage: Uber has no real defensive liabilities, while lilroddyb starts both Peja and Jokic, which gives Nash and Kawhi multiple entry points.

Secondary Creation: While lilroddyb has elite passers, Uber has better self-creators: Nash and 2017 Kawhi are much more potent than Edwards and Porter as scorers.



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X-Factor:

If Jokic dominates to the point where Kawhi is forced into help roles consistently and Edwards punishes weak-side help, lilroddyb could flip it. But Uber’s balanced roster and matchup-specific advantages hold up over 7 games.

Prediction: Uberhikari in 7, with Nash winning a couple shootouts and Kawhi controlling the tempo defensively and offensively.

Want a game-by-game breakdown?