Golden Era ATL write-ups *Wilt/Oscar regions

[TrueLAfan]

There is 1 pre game write up for each team and 1 halftime speech/writeup (optional). Pre game writeups should not be counters to other pregame writeups. Good luck to everybody!

[TMACFORMVP]

First off I'd like to say zong you've created a great team, and one as formidable as all the other 15 teams. If I were to lose to anybody it'd be you (or one of the Rocket fans hehe). May the best team win.

Lineups

Houston Rockets


Isiah Thomas///John Starks
Tracy McGrady///Manu Ginobili
Bruce Bowen///Robert Horry
Charles Oakley///Dan Roundfield
Patrick Ewing///Emeka Okafor

Toronto Raptors

John Stockton///Kirk Hinrich
Ray Allen///Allen Iverson
LeBron James///Rick Fox
Horace Grant///Wes Unsled
Yao Ming///Tree Rollins


Head to Head Comparison

PG- Isiah Thomas vs. John Stockton

Both teams are headed by two of the generations best PG's to have ever played. One is more cerebral in his attack and mainly uses his basketball IQ to outsmart his opponents, on the other hand one is one of the quickest players to have ever played with a great sense of direction and finishing ability.

I was honestly surprised to see Stockton go before Isiah though. At their respective peaks, Isiah was a comparable assist man/play-maker while being a much more dangerous offensive weapon and 4th quarter player. And though Stockton might have the edge defensively, I feel he was severely overrated on that end of the floor, as he was more of that disrupt your team's offense with steals than a lock down defensive player, and when you consider Isiah was similar in that regards that he was a menace in the passing lanes (obviously not quite as good) the defensive edge is minimal.

Look at Terry Porter's stats in the playoffs in 92 against the Jazz (2nd round)
Game 1: 26 points
Game 2: 41 points
Game 3: 13 points
Game 4: 34 points
Game 5: 24 points
Game 6: 18 points

That's an average of 29.3 points per game. And no dis-respect to Terry Porter, but he was NO where near the caliber of player/scorer that Isiah was. In fact, of the only few meeting they've played each other (only twice a year considering east v. west)

30 points on 12-21
28 points on 9-15
44 points on 15-22
40 points on 14-29

those are only a few games obviously highlighted, but it's shown that Isiah has had success against Stockton and in the playoffs where Isiah is a much more prime time player, I'd expect even greater play. I don't think either would do much to stop the other, so the fact that Isiah is more offensively dangerous, gives me the edge at this matchup

Edge: Rockets

SG- Tracy McGrady vs. Ray Allen

This honestly isn't close, the only thing Allen does better than McGrady is shoot the ball and T-Mac isn't too shabby in that area either, shooting a higher FG% and making over 300 three's in the two seasons combined. He's much more prolific getting to the line, a better defender, rebounder, passer, play-maker and just overall a more dominant player on both ends of the floor. Allen isn't anything to write home defensively about, never was (even this past season where he gets credited for his solid defense, was lit up by Rip Hamilton and Joe Johnson in previous rounds.) I'd expect McGrady to fully dominate this match-up as he's also despite the lack of success shown his level of play and intensity has gone up in the playoffs.

Edge: Houston

SF- Bruce Bowen vs. LeBron James

Look, this isn't close either (towards zong favor obviously), but my main argument in this matchup will be the undeniable, in the effect that Bruce Bowen will do a much better job on LeBron, than either Ray Allen or LeBron would do on T-Mac.

Take last years finals as an example (you knew this was coming), LeBron being guarded by Bowen essentially one on one with help at times of course, really struggled to get anything going from his offensive or defensive game.

Game 1: 14 points on 4-16 shooting
Game 2: 25 points on 9-21 shooting
Game 3: 25 points on 9-23 shooting
Game 4: 24 points on 10-30 shooting

One word essentially describes that performance in the finals, ugly.

So while LeBron would most definitely outplay Bowen, I feel the defensive pressure Bowen would put on LeBron would even out or give me the edge at the wing positions overall since they don't have anyone remotely close to Bowen's class of perimeter defense guarding McGrady.

Edge: Toronto

PF-Charles Oakley vs. Horace Grant

Honestly, I think this is as much a wash as there is. They are both terrific fits next to their C's. Grant is a better shot-blocker and offensive player while Oakley has the intimidation factor, a better rebounder, and better man to man defender. Oakley should get some cudo points though for the fact that he's played next to Ewing and shown that it's been a very successful front-court duo.

Edge: Wash

C- Patrick Ewing vs. Yao Ming

I love Yao, I hope he surpasses Ewing by the time his career is over, but at this stage, I think this comparison is much like the McGrady-Allen one, Ewing has the considerable edge. Being a Rockets fan, I know all of Yao's weaknesses. He:

1.) Doesn't like to come out on big man that have range out up to 15 feet. Perfect example was the series against Utah where Carlos Boozer absolutely murdered Yao and the Rockets constantly hitting jumpshot after jumpshot. Ewing has just as good a jumpshot as Boozer does and an even better post game. I honestly expect Ewing to dominate this match-up.

2.) The most frustrating thing about Yao is not the fact that he doesn't dunk everything or have a mean nature. He's still a fine player even without those qualities, but it's the fact that he can easily be taken out of the game with a certain level of physicality. He's as finesse a center that's ever played and with Ewing and Oakley upfront, his toughness in this competition will really be tested.

So I think though Yao is a great player, this isn't the right series for him where he'd get tested physically and would have to play a C, that's better than him in virtually every category (scoring, passing, defense, rebounding, whatever). To put it into more perspective, Ewing made the All-NBA First team OVER Hakeem and David Robinson while Yao in the era of weaker C's (and stronger PF's) has never made an All-NBA First.

Edge: Houston

Bench

John Starks, Manu Ginobili, Dan Roundfield, and Okafor at spots will be my main rotation off the bench. For Toronto, it'll be Allen Iverson, Rick Fox and Unsled/Rollins splitting time upfront. Defensively, I'd say it's a near wash considering I'm better in the backcourt while he has the edge upfront. Offensively he has the most dominant offensive player, but I feel I'm more well rounded in terms of two way players at each position.

I think while it's comparable from a paper perspective, the deciding factor is my main players have had experience coming off the bench (Ginobli and Starks both 6MOY) and others like Horry having had their career on the bench and Iverson never having that experience. Just watching a Nuggets game last season, you could see the frustration of him having to sit in BLOWOUT games. Now in a big time game where he might have to be sitting on the bench, wouldn't sit well with him and possibly create some animosity in the locker room especially when considering he feels he's one of the top players to have ever played the game.

So overall my bench is similarly defensively upfront while I take the cake in the backourt and the deciding factor, I feel my bench should be more productive just due to the fact that everybody has their roles and have been accustomed to it throughout their careers.

Edge: Houston

So overall while being comparable offensively, I have the considerable edge defensively and other certain intangibles that win games THAT should lead me to advance to the next round.

[zong]

Now how about that, I had this quirky feeling I’d face you, TMACFORMVP, somehow our paths wont stop crossing, but this time, it gets competitive, and fast! So first off I'd like to congratulate you on picking a phenomenal balanced team, that somehow, eerily, resembles mine in certain ways Good luck with this competition and if I happen to lose, we both know this could be the best scenario either of us could have in the early going.

Lineups
Toronto Raptors

PG: John Stockton (36 MPG) / Kirk Hinrich (7 MPG)
SG: Ray Allen (27 MPG) / Allen Iverson (30 MPG)
SF: LeBron James (36 MPG) / Rick Fox (8 MPG)
PF: Horace Grant (30 MPG) / Wes Unseld (18 MPG)
C: Yao Ming (34 MPG) / Tree Rollins (14 MPG)

V.S.

Houston Rockets


PG: Isiah Thomas / John Starks
SG: Tracy McGrady / Manu Ginobili
SF: Bruce Bowen / Robert Horry
PF: Charles Oakley / Dan Roundfield
C: Patrick Ewing / Emeka Okafor



Head to Head Comparison

PG: John Stockton (89-91) vs. Isiah Thomas (83-85)

This was the matchup I had hoped would happen, to be honest, I skipped on Isiah and picked Stockton for two reasons: stability and efficiency. Forget all the arguments about defence for one minute, as both players are about the same on defence, just that Stockton managed to steal more and disrupt the flow of the other team’s offence a bit more. On a lockdown-basis, its mostly a wash, as neither can effectively “shut-down” the opposing team’s PG with ease.

John Stockton played under Coach Jerry Sloan his entire career, understanding the main facts about running a stable offence and abusing the pick and roll. On a stability notion, Stockton had one of the lowest assist-turnover ratios for a PG that played almost 38 minutes a game, where as Isiah had the same amount of minutes and averaged almost an entire turnover more. Not that one little turnover mattered, but how we get there is important. Isiah would average close to 17 shots per game during his prime years chosen by my opponent, scoring close to 21 points and shooting in the mid 40% region. Stockton, on the other hand, had numbers that were not as volatile, he had about 11 attempts per game, scoring 17 points while racking up over 13-14 assists per game, with a field goal percentage over 51%. What does this tell you? Stockton is better at running a team, with higher efficiency and picks his spots a lot better than Isiah Thomas.
Yes, the greater opinion here is that Isiah was a prolific scorer and playmaker that can take over games, but efficiency is key in this matchup, as both of our teams have closely resembled positions and if it goes down to the wire, the more efficient team comes out on top.
(Stockton will get close to as minutes as Isiah on the court, I will assume its close to 36-40 minutes)
Edge: Raptors, efficiency + teamwork are the deciding factors over a young, inexperienced Isiah in the 83-85 campaigns


Wing matchup:
LeBron James (04-06) vs. Tracy McGrady (01-03)
Ray Allen (00-02) vs. Bruce Bowen (04-06)

These matchups directly are quite misleading, obviously McGrady is the better overall player than Ray Allen in a distinct matchup, but on defence, it shall be LeBron guarding McGrady while Allen takes on Bowen in the pocket or perimeter.

On defence, LeBron is as good as anyone in the league when it comes to help defence and lateral quickness, he can stay in front of anyone he wants, as well as pick off lazy passes and slippery hands. If it’s one thing LeBron has a knack for, is playing like the best player the NBA has ever seen, when he wants to. Therefore, I have no doubt that LeBron can effectively muzzle T-Mac’s effectiveness 1-on-1, as he possesses quickness to stay in front, power to seal off McGrady’s inside game, and wingspan/length to cool off McGrady’s outside shot.

On offence, We can argue as much as we can about McGrady’s scoring and his fearlessness, but no one can deny the fact that McGrady has not helped a team get past the 1st round of the playoffs in any given year. Whereas Ray Allen has already won a ring, and Lebron has carried his team single-handedly to a NBA Finals appearance.

Ray Allen is really the hidden gem within my offence that can run through multiple focal points. The range factor comes from Ray Allen mostly as he possesses such a beautiful and consistent stroke from beyond the arc. Yes on offence he will be guarded by T-Mac likely, but that’s IF Yao is doubled, hence having T-Mac to collapse onto him leaving Ray Allen wide open. Another technique Ray Allen is masterfully skilled at is the off-the-screen-curl shot, provided by a pick set from Grant or Yao, Ray Allen make T-Mac wish he wore a football helmet to the game to guard him.

In the other matchup on offence, no matter how Bruce Bowen does it, he cannot stop LeBron from taking over. Sure, we could use the Spurs-Cavs finals as an example, but LeBron was forced to take jump shots after being doubled/triple teamed in the post on LeBron’s cuts to the basket. LeBron has no teammates on the current distinctively below-average Cavaliers squad, as seen by the sweep at the hands of the Spurs, who had a handful of players that could score and help each other. On this team, no matter how much Bowen tries to guard LeBron, The King will have more weapons at his disposal, he can force the Rockets perimeter D to collapse around him, then shovel a pass to Yao for an easy close-range basket, or send an outlet to Ray Allen for an easy open 3-pt shot, or even Iverson/Stockton for a open jumper or cut to the basket. One thing’s for sure, when LeBron is motivated, theres not a player on the Rockets team that can stop his determination. With better teammates at his side, I can’t even imagine how scary LeBron will be.

Edge: Toronto, as LeBron and Ray Allen provides the perfect complement to a McGrady-Bowen duo.


Frontcourt matchup:
PF Horace Grant (04-06) vs. C Patrick Ewing (01-03)
C Yao Ming (00-02) vs. PF Charles Oakley (04-06)

Lets skip the Grant-Oakley matchup, its funny how both players played with each other and the legendary MJ, but if it’s a matchup we’re concerned about, its going to be Grant vs. Ewing while Yao takes Oakley.

Yao Ming is a 7’6” behemoth that few have ever seen so elegant yet deadly in the post. He is not your traditional dominant center, but more of a finesse-subtle type that can play inside-out, with range extending beyond 15 feet. The Rockets will likely counter with Ewing guarding Yao, and Oakley coming over to double as soon as Yao’s within 7 feet of the basket. In all likely cases, Houston will send multiple defenders at Yao because he can find his way to the rim or pop a jumper from anywhere within 20 feet. However, that’s where the Rockets will find themselves scrambling to cover for shooters, as I possess a team that has Ray Allen and Rick Fox, some of the best catch-and-shoot players who thrive off the extra pass. Yao’s soft hands also makes it easy for him to catch lob passes and entry passes off of pick-and-rolls. Where if Yao gets into his comfort zone, he can score or pass with ease. He is not the type of dominant C that can make others quake in their boots, but everyone respects Yao on the court for his size and effectiveness without the ball. Even setting picks and screens enables shooters like Ray Allen and Iverson to get open for the easy jimmy, and with LeBron, Yao’s life on the court is a lot simpler.

Horace Grant will be my main post defender against Patrick Ewing. What Horace does is provide adequate strength and lateral movement to seal off post-scorers like Ewing, and even Roundfield. Grant will not likely shut-down Ewing effectively, but with Yao as a help defender, Ewing will have a tough time getting his shots through in the post, and if he elects to pass to Oakley for the mid-range jumper, I will gladly let him shoot it at a high volume as Oakley can shoot, but with Yao sticking a hand in his face, Oakley will likely not find himself shooting high percentages.

Edge: Toronto, only by a little, as Yao’s size gives the entire team around him a slight advantage on offence.



Bench

This matchup will be closely contested, as the fate of the winning team will likely be victorious due to their bench production. What I’ve assembled is a team of role players on the bench to supplement Allen “The Answer” Iverson, the scoring sparkplug off my bench. Iverson was a steal for me in the 7th round, an MVP and repeating scoring champ, Iverson was a perfect fit next to LeBron James, as The King needs someone else who can create their own offence, while drawing fouls at an alarmingly quick rate. The rest of my my bench consists of defensive stoppers and 3pt shooters, a perfect blend for Iverson to get his shots in, the knock on Iverson nowadays is that the Nuggets have next to NONE defensive players on the team that can help them win games, but rather, score so much they wouldn’t NEED defence. As flawed as that is, Iverson has indeed succeeded with Philadelphia when players like Deke, McKie, and Snow were on the team. Similarily, Unseld, Rollins, Fox, and Hinrich all provides that defensive spark with a specialty on offence, but none that disrupts Iverson’s game as he likes to create his own shot that can drive Manu and Starks nuts.

Iverson will not sit on the bench for very long in this matchup, he will get a huge amount of minutes coming off the bench, around 25-35 a game depending on how things are going, he will likely share the backcourt with Stockton who provides off-guard shooting and defence, while Iverson creates for himself or LeBron, looking for Ray Allen on the perimeter if sealed off. Iverson can also effectively cut off passing lanes easily with his quickness, a feat he has mastered throughout the years and is widely known in the NBA for his quickness.

Rollins and Unseld will likely get a lot of minutes depending on how my team is performing against Ewing and Roundfield. They are notoriously known for their specialty in shotblocking and rebounding respectively, as some even come with hidden bonuses like Unseld’s outlet passing and Fox’s 3pt shooting and defending.

Edge: Toronto, my bench unit possesses a multi-year scoring champion and MVP, that would not mind coming off the bench if he can get around the same number of shots he did in his career.



Offensive Schemes:

1) LeBron, LeBron, LeBron -> get the ball in his hands, drive, slash, outmuscle the defender, draw and kick, you get the idea, Houston has no answer for this

2) The Great Wall of China -> entry pass to Yao, post-up, if defence collapses, find Stockton, LeBron, or Ray Allen for the easy jimmy

3) Grant serving dinner to Ray -> Ray Allen possesses a lethal off-the-screen shot, and this should be the perfect chance as the 3rd option on offence, beat the Rockets’ perimeter defence with Ray’s clutch and deadly 3pt shooting

4) The Answer is now -> Iverson will get close to 20 shots off the bench if he desires, as he draws a lot of fouls, and get Isiah into foul trouble if possible

Why I will win:

The Rockets will run out of shots. Plain and simple. McGrady, Ginobili, Thomas, Roundfield, and Ewing all require close to 16-20 shots a game, that’s already close to 85 shots per game, and they also have Oakley, Starks, Horry, and even Bowen who needs close to 6-10 shots per game to be effective. That amounts to a total of over 110 shots, something that’s not likely going to give them the win as they will limit the effectiveness of their players.

On the other hand, my team has the shot distribution mapped out perfectly. James and Iverson will both get close to 20 shots per game, while Yao and Ray will get close to 15-18 shots per game, that leaves Stockton as my other scorer, who requires about 10-12 shots a game but at a really high percentage. What about my other players you say? Well, they all pick their spots on offence and don’t need the ball to be effective. Grant, Rollins, Unseld will mostly get their points off of offensive rebounds, while Fox and Hinrich will mostly get a few 3pt attempts from Iverson if he elects to pass, but mostly, these guys’ jobs will be on defence.



Overall, I would say this is quite the closest matchup anyone’s anticipated, however,

the Raptors will prevail,

as T-Mac’s inability to get his team past the 1st round will likely haunt the Rockets once more.


VS.

[Myth_Breaker]

Golden State Warriors
(GM - Myth_Breaker)

I. GENERAL WRITEUP
(I shall add more to this part later)

ROSTER

STARTERS
(may be changed depending on matchups)

PG - Mark Price
(6-0, 170 lbs)

1991/92 season
17,3 ppg (.488/.387/.947)/2,4 rpg/7,4 apg/1,3 spg/0,2 bpg in 29,7 mpg. 57-25 team record.
All-NBA Third Team, All-Star, 7th in MVP voting. Led the NBA in FT percentage.
1992/93 season
18,2 ppg (.484/.416/.948)/2,7 rpg/8,0 apg/1,2 spg/0,1 bpg in 31,7 mpg. 54-28 team record.
All-NBA First Team, All-Star, 8th in MVP voting. Led the NBA in FT percentage.

SG - Dennis Johnson
(6-4, 200 lbs)

1979/80 season
19,0 ppg (.422/.207/.780)/5,1 rpg/4,1 apg/1,8 spg/1,0 bpg in 36,3 mpg. 56-26 team record.
All-NBA Second Team, All-Star, All-Defensive First Team, 5th in MVP voting.
1980/81 season
18,8 ppg (.436/.216/.820)/4,6 rpg/3,7 apg/1,7 spg/0,8 bpg in 33,1 mpg. 57-25 team record.
All-NBA First Team, All-Star, All-Defensive First Team, 8th in MVP voting.

SF - Julius Erving
(6-7, 210 lbs)

1979/80 season
26,9 ppg (.519/.200/.787)/7,4 rpg/4,6 apg/2,2 spg/1,8 bpg in 36,1 mpg. 59-23 team record.
All-NBA First Team, All-Star, 2nd in MVP voting.
1980/81 season
24,6 ppg (.521/.222/.787)/8,0 rpg/4,4 apg/2,1 spg/1,8 bpg in 35,0 mpg. 62-20 team record.
All-NBA First Team, All-Star, Season MVP.

PF - Rasheed Wallace
(6-11, 230 lbs)

2000/01 season
19,2 ppg (.501/.321/.766)/7,8 rpg/2,8 apg/1,2 spg/1,8 bpg in 38,2 mpg. 50-32 team record.
NBA All-Star.
2001/02 season
19,3 ppg (.469/.360/.734)/8,2 rpg/1,9 apg/1,3 spg/1,3 bpg in 37,5 mpg. 49-33 team record.

C - Alonzo Mourning
(6-10, 261 lbs)

1998/99 season
20,1 ppg (.511/.652)/11,0 rpg/1,6 apg/0,7 spg/3,9 bpg in 38,1 mpg. 33-17 team record.
All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team, Defensive Player of the Year, 2nd in MVP voting. Led the NBA in blocks and blocks per game.
1999/2000 season
21,7 ppg (.551/.711)/9,5 rpg/1,6 apg/0,5 spg/3,7 bpg in 34,8 mpg. 52-30 team record.
All-NBA Second Team, All-Star, All-Defensive First Team, Defensive Player of the Year, 3rd in MVP voting. Led the NBA in blocks and blocks per game.

BENCH

- PG Tony Parker
(6-2, 180 lbs)

2005/2006 season
18,9 ppg (.548/.306/.707)/3,3 rpg/5,8 apg/1,0 spg/0,1 bpg in 33,9 mpg. 63-19 team record.
NBA All-Star, 9th in MVP voting.
2006/2007 season
18,6 ppg (.520/.395/.783)/3,2 rpg/5,5 apg/1,1 spg/0,1 bpg in 32,5 mpg. 58-24 team record.
NBA All-Star, 15th in MVP voting, Finals MVP.

- G Eric Snow
(6-3, 190 lbs)

2001/2002 season
12,1 ppg (.442/.111/.806)/3,6 rpg/6,6 apg/1,6 spg/0,1 bpg in 36,5 mpg. 43-39 team record.
2002/2003 season
12,9 ppg (.452/.219/.858)/3,7 rpg/6,6 apg/1,6 spg/0,1 bpg in 37,9 mpg. 48-34 team record.
All-Defensive Second Team.

- SF/SG Glen Rice
(6-8, 228 lbs)

1996/97 season
26,8 ppg (.477/.470/.867)/4,0 rpg/2,0 apg/0,9 spg/0,3 bpg in 42,6 mpg. 54-28 team record.
All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, 5th in MVP voting. Led the NBA in 3P percentage and minutes played.
1997/98 season
22,3 ppg (.457/.433/.849)/4,3 rpg/2,2 apg/0,9 spg/0,3 bpg in 40,2 mpg. 51-31 team record.
All-NBA Third Team, NBA All-Star, 11th in MVP voting.

- PF Kermit Washington
(6-8, 230 lbs - I don't have data about him measured in shoes and with updated college weight, should be about 6-9, 245 lbs then)

1979/80 season
13,4 ppg (.553/.642)/10,5 rpg/2,1 apg/0,9 spg/1,6 bpg in 33,2 mpg. 38-44 team record.
NBA All-Star, All-Defensive Second Team.
1980/81 season
11,4 ppg (.569/.628)/9,4 rpg/2,0 apg/1,2 spg/1,2 bpg in 29,0 mpg. 45-37 team record.
All-Defensive Second Team.

- PF/C Jermaine O'Neal
(6-11, 260 lbs)

2002/2003 season
20,8 ppg (.484/.731)/10,3 rpg/2,0 apg/0,9 spg/2,3 bpg in 37,2 mpg. 48-34 team record.
All-NBA Third Team, All-Star.
2003/2004 season
20,1 ppg (.434/.757)/10,0 rpg/2,1 apg/0,8 spg/2,6 bpg in 35,7 mpg. 61-21 team record.
All-NBA Second Team, All-Star, 3rd in MVP voting.

II. FIRST ROUND OF THE GOLDEN ERA LEAGUE: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS. INDIANA PACERS

WARRIORS ROTATION

PG – Mark Price 36 mpg/Tony Parker 12 mpg

SG – Dennis Johnson 36 mpg/Eric Snow 12 mpg

SF – Julius Erving 36 mpg/Glen Rice 12 mpg

PF – Rasheed Wallace 36 mpg/Jermaine O’Neal 12 mpg

C – Alonzo Mourning 36 mpg/Jermaine O’Neal 12 mpg

Reserve – Kermit Washington


PACERS ROTATION

PGs: Cooper ('86, '87) - Porter ('90, '91) - Armstrong ('99, '00)
SGs: Kobe ('07, '08) - Cooper ('86, '87) - Porter ('90, '91)
SFs: Battier ('07, '08) - Barkley ('90, '91) - Cooper ('86, '87)
PFs: Barkley ('90, '91) - Camby ('07, '08) - Lucas ('83, '84)
Cs: Daugherty ('92, '93) - Sabonis ('98, '99) - Camby ('07, '08) - Lucas ('83, '84)


General remarks

While jeahwe undoubtedly assembled a talented team, some his drafting decisions left me scratching my head (and I wrote about it before we were matched against each other, so you can trust my sincerity). Though my opponent at least gave up on idea of Barkley at 3, what would be absolutely horrible from defense standpoint (not that Chuck at 4 is markedly better… ). But still, Cooper as starting PG? Do you remember criticism which TLA attracted for having him as backup 1, and despite this you’re making him a STARTER? Even if you adapt some form of triangle offense with Kobe as the main creator as I suppose, Coop isn’t your ideal starting playmaker. (BTW, wouldn’t it be better to let Bryant focus on scoring and defense, while relieving him of some playmaking burden by some competent PG, like your Terry Porter?). Moreover, this move arguably doesn’t even makes you better in defense since Cooper was the best against forwards and biggest guards, while was pretty much helpless vs. quick, small guys like Isiah… or my Mark Price (more about it later).

Then you have the problem of Kobe/Barkley. In their prime both were by far dominant scorers for their respective teams. What about pecking order: could one of them be willing to become second option? It may be hard, especially as they don’t form your classic inside-outside duo by any means: on the contrary, they share many favorite spots on the floor. Add to this baggage of both: Kobe’s from Shaq’s era and Barkley’s from practically his whole career: his laziness and unwillingness towards practice, insubordination towards coaches, lack of effort in defense, and history of conflicts with players like Kevin Johnson and Scottie Pippen (despite both being much less trigger-happy than prime Kobe!) – and this pairing seems more and more risky. I passed on drafting Barkley for a reason: but even if drafted Chuck, never would pair him with Kobe-type player.

My offense vs. Pacers defense

PG
As I’ve mentioned before, Coop is to slow to guard Price. So perhaps you’ll guard him with Kobe? Not worth the risk: it isn’t coincidental that during Lakers games, even very important ones, coaches almost never put Bryant on smaller, TP-like players: the risk of catching some early fouls vs. quicker player by your star is too big. Besides, there’s still very dangerous offensive player in DJ, able to put 20 ppg even in the Finals situation: with him and Price, Pacers cannot afford to double Erving. But no matter what defense you adapt on the perimeter, Price should have a field day against slower defenders, bothering my opponent with his excellent long-range shooting (and arguably best FT shooting in history in case of being fouled) and crisp passes. Mark will be engine that makes my team go: and your guys aren’t well-equipped to stop him.

SG
If Kobe’s on DJ, he will undoubtedly limit the latter, but Bryant, while very good defender, is not on DJ/Dumars level. In fact, when you consider that KB’s offense is similarly superior to Johnson’s offense as DJ’s defense to Bryant’s defense, net production of these two may be surprisingly similar!

SF
Battier is a good defender, so it doesn’t wonder that jeahwe inserted him into the starting lineup: however, is also decidedly the worst player in both starting fives. Of course, you may say you always need role players, but do you really believe that Battier’s defense will affect Erving, who in his career wasn’t contained by even perennial All-Defensive Teamers in Cooper or Bobby Jones? (while if you want to put Coop on Dr J, Battier on Price will be absolute disaster). Shane also severely lacks in playoff experience department: didn’t even went to 2nd round once in his career!

PF
Barkley was traditionally bad and lazy defender. He isn’t going to block or stop in any other way much taller and long-limbed Wallace with his superior range. Also bear in mind that Sheed’s range will draw Chuck further away from the basket, what shall limit Barkley’s rebounding advantage.
What about alternatives off the bench: if Pacers decide to guard Rasheed with physically similar (though weaker) player in Camby? Marcus prefers to collects rebounds and blocks (argument about drawing away from the basket=decreasing his stats applies also to him), while not being good man-to-man defender by any means (ask Denver fans how overrated his defensive impact is: they prefer even past-his-prime K-Mart over him!). Also such move forces Indiana to put Barkley on Mourning, who like Rasheed is bigger, but unlike Sheed just as strong as Chuck, so combined results of these matchups may be even worse for the Pacers. While past-surgery, aged Sabonis is far too immobile to cover Zo with any semblance of success.

C
Pen likened Daugherty to rich man’s Brad Miller. I think it’s accurate: both are good scorers and adapt passers, but not exceptional rebounders, shotblockers or man-to-man defenders: also aren’t very strong or athletic. Alonzo is both stronger and more athletic than Daugherty, with more explosive first step: he’s also much more aggressive and mentally tougher, not to mention his obvious tremendous advantage in all aspects of defense. Mourning will overpower Brad with ease: and of course won’t even notice physically weak and rail-thin Camby with his uninspired defense. In fact, the only Pacers player comparable to him in strength is Barkley: too bad Chuck’s too bad and lazy defender to utilize it (also, to be fair, his inferior height and wingspan doesn’t help him in guarding much bigger players).


My defense vs. Pacers offense

PG
Price won’t stop bigger Coop and hardly will even try, considering Michael is mainly garbage offensive player, relying on dropping occasional 3s as his best weapon. However Mark at least will bother bigger, slower Indiana’s playmakers in Cooper, Kobe and Porter with his quick hands. Combine this with DJ’s, Doctor J’s and Snow’s prowess in stealing the ball and passers beware!

SG
Dennis Johnson was called by Magic not only his best defender, but even – on another occasion – the best perimeter defender he’s ever seen! No need to add that he will be also excellent weapon against Bryant, who’s smaller than Magic (albeit more athletic). As great as prime Kobe is, he’s always been struggling vs. Bowen (at least until Bruce lost a step this year). Add to this the fact that DJ is even more renowned defender than Bowen and the fact that handchecking/hard fouls will be a norm in our league and Bryant’s life will be really hard… perhaps I’ll even introduce some kind of Kobe Rules.

SF
Erving wasn’t worse overall defender than Battier, that’s for sure. I think he was even better, taking into account his marvelous help defense (4 blocks and steals per game combined!). Anyway, he won’t have so much to do in this department, considering Shane is marginal scorer (that’s why Rockets fans complain about lack of true 3rd option) even for the standards of the current NBA, lest far more talented Golden Era League!

PF
Rasheed is an excellent man-to-man defender, always harassing even the best opponents’ bigs. He’s been doing as good job as anyone on prime Garnett and Duncan, so should contain Barkley, whom – unlike KG/TD – he may additionally trouble with his superior length (time for block party, especially if you add Zo’s presence!). Of course, Charles is stronger and more explosive. But with Rasheed following him all the way to the basket only to meet Mourning’s intimidation in the paint, he will have time tougher than it ever happened during his actual playing days!

C
It will be short: Mourning, absolute defensive monster in his 2-year peak, is able to contain any Pacers bigs, while none of them can really contain him (only Sabas can give him some trouble with his height and range, but on the other hand in his NBA days he wasn’t dominant enough to really make a difference). But Zo’s defensive impact, as in case of all greatest shotblockers in history, extends far beyond man-to-man defense and affects shooting of the whole Indiana team. The only Pacer even remotely resembling Zo’s in this department is Camby, but a) he’s inconsistent, being mores skilled at weakside shotblocking than at blocking his man; b) unlike Mourning, often gets blocks for the cost of leaving player he guards open; c) even of not for a) and b), he’s still clearly less prolific shotblocker than prime Alonzo; d) he finished at the end of Pacers bench anyway, so what we’re talking about?


Benches

This subject has already been partially covered. Additional points: Pacers bench is good, but lacks both significant scorer on the perimeter and defensive stopper against bigman (Maurice Lucas in our league is past his defensive heyday). Giving more PT to Barkley as reserve backup over Coop is IMHo wrong tactic: Cooper at least would have a chance to keep up with Erving. You center rotation ended up being very unclear: is Camby, whom you initially envisioned as your starter, going to end without real PT or do you plan to play “center by committee”, with no guy receiving starter minutes and thus none of them getting into real game rhytm?
While my bench has it all and is one of stronger benches in this competition, if not the strongest. Headed by MVP candidate in prime Jermaine and Finals MVP in Tony Parker, who aided by superb scorer/shooter in Glen Rice give you all you may dream about as to scoring in the post, slashing, long-range shooting, passing and overall clutchness. JO is also a great rebounder/shotblocker and good man-to-man defender, capable of being defensive anchor of my second unit. Add to this two defensive stoppers in Eric Snow (who can run the offense as well) and my enforcer Kermit Washington and the picture is complete.
Advantage: Nuggets.


Intangibles and conclusion

As currently constituted, Pacers in practice play 4 on 5 in offense, what only makes easier task of my versatile defense. They have serious question marks as to chemistry of Kobe-Barkley duo. They start SF at PG spot, what forces their potential 30-ppg scorer in Kobe to be simultaneously their main playmaker: no team won anything with the main star carrying so heavy burden! Even adding bench, Indiana doesn’t have even one good bigmen defender (Lucas is past his defensive prime) and has at disposal only one really good shotblocker! In addition, I have much better defenders to put on opponent's superstars (Dennis Johnson on Kobe, Sheed/Zo on Barkley) than those he can put on my guys (Battier on Erving? Camby on Mourning? Meh!).
When Indiana plays vs. my Warriors, being much more balanced squad, the conclusion of all this may be only one: GSW by 15!

[Sharpie]

Philadelphia 76ers

Starting Lineup:

F – James Worthy
F – Cedric Maxwell
C – Dikembe Mutombo
G – Michael Jordan
G – Maurice Cheeks

Bench:

6 – Amaré Stoudemire
7 - Detlef Schrempf
8 - Andrew Toney
9 - Nate McMillan

0 - Caldwell Jones

Statistics:

Code: Select all

Michael Jordan
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1990-91  82  37.0  .539  .312  .851  6.0  5.5  2.7  1.0  2.5  2.8  31.5
1991-92  80  38.8  .519  .270  .832  6.4  6.1  2.3  0.9  2.5  2.5  30.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-92  81  37.9  .529  .291  .842  6.2  5.8  2.5  1.0  2.5  2.7  30.8

1991: MVP, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, Finals MVP
1992: MVP, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, Finals MVP

Code: Select all

Dikembe Mutombo
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB   AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1993-94  82  34.8  .565  .000  .583  11.8  1.5  0.7  4.1  2.5  3.2  12.0
1994-95  82  37.8  .556  .000  .654  12.5  1.4  0.5  3.9  2.3  3.5  11.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-95  82  36.3  .561  .000  .619  12.2  1.5  0.6  4.0  2.4  3.3  11.8

1994: 1st in BPG, 3rd in Rebound%
1995: DPoY, All-Defensive 2nd Team, 1st in BPG, 3rd in Rebound%

Code: Select all

Maurice Cheeks
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1982-83  79  31.2  .542  .167  .754  2.6  6.9  2.3  0.4  2.3  2.3  12.5
1983-84  75  33.3  .550  .400  .733  2.7  6.4  2.3  0.4  2.4  2.6  12.7
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-84  77  32.3  .546  .284  .744  2.7  6.7  2.3  0.4  2.4  2.5  12.6

1983: All-Defensive 1st Team
1984: All-Defensive 1st Team

Code: Select all

James Worthy
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1987-88  75  35.4  .531  .125  .796  5.0  3.9  1.0  0.7  2.1  2.3  19.7
1988-89  81  36.5  .548  .087  .782  6.0  3.6  1.3  0.7  2.2  2.2  20.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-89  81  36.0  .540  .106  .789  5.5  3.8  1.2  0.7  2.2  2.3  20.1

1988: Finals MVP
1989: All-Star

Code: Select all

Amaré Stoudemire
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
2006-07  82  32.8  .575  .000  .781  9.6  1.0  1.0  1.3  2.8  3.6  20.4
2007-08  79  33.9  .590  .161  .805  9.1  1.5  0.8  2.1  2.2  3.7  25.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2006-08  81  33.4  .583  .081  .793  9.4  1.3  0.9  1.7  2.5  3.7  22.8

2007: All-NBA 1st Team
2008: All-NBA 2nd Team

Code: Select all

Detlef Schrempf
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1990-91  82  32.1  .520  .375  .818  8.0  3.7  0.7  0.3  2.1  3.2  19.7
1991-92  80  32.6  .536  .324  .828  9.6  3.9  0.8  0.5  2.4  3.6  20.5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-92  81  32.4  .528  .350  .823  8.8  3.8  0.8  0.4  2.3  3.4  20.1

1991: SMoY
1992: SMoY

Code: Select all

Andrew Toney
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1982-83  81  30.5  .501  .289  .788  2.8  4.5  1.0  0.2  3.3  3.1  19.7
1983-84  78  32.8  .527  .316  .839  2.5  4.8  0.9  0.3  3.8  3.2  20.4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-84  80  31.7  .514  .303  .814  2.7  4.7  1.0  0.3  3.6  3.2  20.1

1983: All-Star
1984: All-Star

Code: Select all

Cedric Maxwell
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1979-80  80  34.3  .609  .000  .802  9.9  2.9  1.2  0.9  3.4  3.3  19.0
1980-81  71  33.7  .588  .000  .787  8.8  2.5  1.0  0.8  2.9  3.3  16.9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-81  76  34.0  .599  .000  .795  9.4  2.7  1.1  0.9  3.2  3.3  18.0

1980: 1st in FG%
1981: Finals MVP, 1st in FG%

Code: Select all

Caldwell Jones
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB   AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1980-81  81  32.6  .449  .000  .767  10.0  1.5  0.7  1.7  2.1  3.3  7.2
1981-82  81  30.2  .497  .000  .817   8.7  1.2  0.5  1.8  1.9  3.7  7.9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-82  81  31.4  .473  .000  .792   9.4  1.4  0.6  1.8  2.0  3.5  7.6

1981: All-Defensive 1st Team
1982: All-Defensive 1st Team

Code: Select all

Nate McMillan
Season   GM  MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  REB  AST  STL  BLK  TOV  PF   PTS
1993-94  73  25.8  .447  .391  .564  3.9  5.3  3.0  0.3  1.7  2.8  6.0
1994-95  80  25.9  .417  .342  .586  3.8  5.3  2.1  0.7  1.6  3.4  5.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-95  77  25.9  .432  .367  .575  3.9  5.3  2.6  0.5  1.7  3.1  5.6

1994: All-Defensive 2nd Team, 1st in SPG
1995: All-Defensive 2nd Team, 5th in SPG

Estimated Offensive Production:

Code: Select all

Player      MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  AST  TOV  PTS    FGA
Jordan      38.0  .529  .291  .842  5.7  2.5  30.2   22
Mutombo     34.0  .561  .000  .619  1.4  2.2  10.6   7
Cheeks      30.0  .546  .284  .744  5.7  2.0  10.7   8
Worthy      30.0  .540  .106  .789  3.4  2.0  18.1   14
Maxwell     28.0  .599  .000  .795  2.2  2.6  14.8   8
Stoudemire  25.0  .583  .081  .793  1.0  1.9  17.1   14
Schrempf    20.0  .528  .350  .823  2.4  1.4  12.5   7
Toney       20.0  .514  .303  .814  3.0  2.7  12.7   9
McMillan    15.0  .432  .367  .575  3.1  1.0  3.2    3


Strategy:

I should be able to copy and paste my offensive strategies from past leagues: The 76ers are going to run at every opportunity. Just imagine Deke blocking a shot, Amaré recovering and passing it to Cheeks, Cheeks breaking down the court with Worthy and Jordan on each wing and Amaré as the trailer. When they can't run --which I understand will happen more often than I would like because their rebounding is not the greatest nor is Deke the greatest of outlet passers, however, he hardly ever sent shots out of bounds--, they will play a post-up heavy half-court offense --Jordan, Maxwell, Worthy, Stoudemire, and Schrempf are all capable post players--, in addition, they will also have the option to run pick-and-rolls with Cheeks and Amaré or isolate Jordan or Toney. On the whole, I think it will be very tough to defend the 76ers, because besides being very talented, they are very smart and efficient, and because despite the talent on the team, all of the players will play their normal offensive roles.

Defensively, I think they could use some help for Mutomobo at the forward positions, but opposing teams' offenses will have some trouble setting up because of Maurice Cheek's defense, and the great shooting guards in this league will also have to deal with Jordan's defense. Despite that, I know that Deke can and more than likely will get into foul trouble, and for that they have Caldwell Jones. All in all, I think the 76ers have the guard and center positions well guarded, and I think that will make their total defense solid, and great against some teams who rely heavily on the offensive production at those positions.

Rebounding wise I believe they are average; they have one great rebounder in Deke, and a lot of good rebounders that should help out, but in no way give them a great advantage against most teams in this league. Add to that the fact that they will run and one can only expect to give up some offensive rebounds, but I think they will make up for that on the offensive end through taking care of the ball and making a high percentage of their shots and free throws.

1st Round Strategy:

I was very lucky to start out with the #1 pick in the draft, and now unlucky to have to face the team who picked 5th.

The Laker's advantages are the 76er's weaknesses, but I think the inverse is also true. Who can't envision Bird and McHale taking Worthy, Maxwell, Schrempf, and Amaré to school? On the other hand, who can't envision Jordan doing the same to Finley, Pressey, and Christie? Maybe even worse if you take into consideration the probability of Jordan actually resting on defense while Bird and McHale have to defend the 76er's forwards.

Defensively, I think Cheeks can slow down Nash --remember, hand-checks are allowed--, Jordan will be able to be a disruptive force as a held defender --he was, after all, one of the best of all time at help defense--, and Deke will be able to help out on Bird and McHale.

Luckily, on the boards we match up well, which is to say neither of the teams are great rebounding teams.

I also think that the 76ers have an advantage off the bench, probably not significant, but a clear advantage nonetheless that will impact the outcome of this series considering the fact that 3 of the 4 76er reinforcements will play at least 20 minutes and the other will play 15.

In the end, I think it would be a great well played series, who wins? I'm biased, but I say the 76ers.

[Warspite]

Flint Tropics vs Orlando Magic

DRob/Willis/King/Ellis/Kidd
VS
Moses/Jones/Gervin/Wade/Williams


At the opening tip it becomes apparent the adv of the Tropics and its height/length. The Tropics are much bigger at every spot on the court. The tropics win the tip and start on offense. The Tropics play a conventional high low double screen for the SF and post him up on the low block. B King recieves the ball guarded by Gervin and proceeds to work over the guard playing post defense. Gervins defense is legendary for being bad. I would expect either 2 quick fouls or the Magic to switch Jones on King. Jones is a great defender and would slow down King somewhat. The drawback of Jones gaurding King is that the Gervin is now guarding K Willis or DRob and these guys are free to hit the offensive glass. These matchups should lead to easy baskets early in the game and force Dyese to come into the game for Gervin before he can be effective on offense. If King is doubled down low he has the option of passing out to Dale Ellis (45% 3pt) who then can shoot or pass it Kidd who can drive the lane or get DRob the ball in the high post.

The Tropics on defense are set up to slow down Moses and keep him off the offensive glass. I know thats impossible but the Tropics want Moses to shoot around 45% and limit him to 4 off rebs. The Tropics will start with Willis on Moses and switch Laimbeer if Willis is in foul trouble. Both are solid bigmen and are excellant def rebers (Willis 15rpg laimbeer 12rpg) DRob a DPOY winner and avg 12rpg 4.0 BPA will be free to come from the weakside to challenge shots and cut off dribble penetration. With Jones (6'7" and 5rpg) playing PF the the def can concentrate on Moses and att to keep him off the glass.

The Tropics also want to slow down the Magic by pressuring young Williams with MVP candidate Jason Kidd. Any ability to slow down the Magic from getting into there offense will help limit Moses and his touches. The tropics realise Wade will be a handfull but Earl Strom will be the ref not Donaghy. Since there is no line in Vegas on this game and the handcheck is legal I believe Wades effectiveness will be reduced and he will be managible. Still a 25pt performance would not surprise me but he will be flying through trees and have to take it strong into Laimbeer who will try to knock him out or DRob who is just as quick/fast jumps higher and is 8" taller. I believe because of the matchups Wade and Gervin will rarely be on the floor together. When they are the Magic will have a hard time rebounding the ball offensively or defensively.

The Tropics with there size want to control the boards. A def reb quickly outletted to Kidd can be converted into an easy basket and with DRob who is the fastest C in the ATL the Tropics have the ideal trailer coming down the middle. An offensive reb is a another chance to physicaly wear down the Magic, draw fouls and get easy scores. There is nothing more heartbreaking than playing good defense for 23 secs and then giving a putback dunk to the off reb and then being limited to 1 shot and watching Kidd/King/DRob run the break and get easy uncontested layups.

The Tropics have another adv on the bench. The Magic have athletic bigmen w/o polished low post games. They have a great shooter in Houston and an experienced Hardaway. Jones is a good swingman defender. none of them have the ability to take over a game or provide instant offense. the Tropics however have differance makers in Laimbeer (best backup C in ATL) and Dantley (ATL 6MOY). No team can bring in a 30ppg 58% shooting bench player. Dantley is the only HoFer in the ATl who comes off the bench and plays vs your scrubs. Sending in fresh Jones to handle King is easily countered by Dantley who then proceeds to destroy the SG playing SF.

The Tropics like to use the SF in the low post and can do effectively with DRob and Laimbeer who can face up and play on the wings. This ability forces opposeing Cs to play away from the basket and out of posistion. With Moses/Ratliff at the FT line guarding DRob/Laimbeer King/Dantley can work over the wing defenders who lack the post defense that it takes to gaurd a 30ppg 57% 10FTA player. Dantley is basicly Shaq on offense but he can shoot 80% from the FT line. I expect the Magic in the penality early and players like Ellis, Kidd, Ainge and Rivers will benefit from easy baskets. the Tropics also as a team are very good FT shooters with the worst shooters DRob and Willis shooting 74 and 76%. the other starters and rotation players all shoot 80% or better.

[TMACFORMVP]

As both of our teams have closely resembled positions and if it goes down to the wire, the more efficient team comes out on top

Nope, stars win games in the 4th quarter, and frankly I have the best closer in this game in Isiah. He was despite his age one of the most poised PG's in the league and just a monster down the stretch of games. Even at this young age, he had one of the most memorable last minute performances EVER (16 points in 90 odd seconds). In a single elimination game, who do you trust more, Isiah Thomas or John Stockton?

Sure, Stockton was more efficient, but when comparing volume of scoring differential, Isiah is bound to outplay Stockton overall, especially in a playoff series.

What's funny, is the playoff stats for both the years you listed as Stockton's 2 year peak and comparing it to the so called "unexperienced Isiah."

Stockton
89/90- 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 15.0 assists on .424 FG%, and 0.77 from three point land
90/91-18.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 13.8 assists on .537 FG% and .407 from three point land

2 year average: 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 14.4 assists on .485 FG% and .242 from three point land.

What's funny is, that was one of his better stretches in the playoffs, considering his stats go down ACROSS the board in the playoffs (around 13 points, 10 assists on 47% and 32%).

Isiah
84/84- 21.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 11.0 assists on .470 FG% and .333 from three point land
84/85- 24.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 11.2 assists on .500 FG% and .400 from three point land

2 year averages: 22.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.1 assists on .485 and .365 from three point land.

What's funny is, that wasn't even one of his better playoff performances as he's had a couple greater ones and his stats go up ACROSS the board in the playoffs.

So when comparing playoff statistics, the efficiency is minimal.

Again, I'll ask who would you want more in an elimination game, Isiah Thomas or John Stockton.

On defence, LeBron is as good as anyone in the league when it comes to help defence and lateral quickness, he can stay in front of anyone he wants, as well as pick off lazy passes and slippery hands. If it’s one thing LeBron has a knack for, is playing like the best player the NBA has ever seen, when he wants to. Therefore, I have no doubt that LeBron can effectively muzzle T-Mac’s effectiveness 1-on-1, as he possesses quickness to stay in front, power to seal off McGrady’s inside game, and wingspan/length to cool off McGrady’s outside shot.

LeBron has never been heralded for his defense, in fact just up until last year it was considered one of his weaknesses. He has all the tools and potential to be a great defender but until this stage of his career, all he's shown is inconsistency in that department. McGrady has actually always had a large amount of success when playing against LeBron. Obviously the stats are flawed considering LeBron has evolved into a better defender from his earlier days, but the reverse can be said in another way considering those stats were AFTER T-Mac's 2 year prime that I'm using. (These orders are in consecutive meetings).

1st Meeting- 41 points on 15-29
2nd Meeting- 36 points on 11-19
3rd Meeting- 35 points on 11-32*
4th Meeting-34 points on 13-32*
5th Meeting-31 points on 11-21
6th Meeting-34 points on 14-29

There are two poor shooting games in their though, but considering this also goes into his Houston years, it's pretty obvious LeBron wouldn't do much to limit McGrady, though moreso than Ray Allen would. But that's a risk you'd have to be taking considering LeBron would be exerting a lot of energy guarding McGrady. I'd still fully expect McGrady to have a very good series. Keep this in mind, T-Mac who scores at a similar rate and is my THIRD OPTION would almost match LeBron who's your #1 option.

On offence, We can argue as much as we can about McGrady’s scoring and his fearlessness, but no one can deny the fact that McGrady has not helped a team get past the 1st round of the playoffs in any given year. Whereas Ray Allen has already won a ring, and Lebron has carried his team single-handedly to a NBA Finals appearance.

I don't see how this has to do with anything. Basketball is a team game, you don't see me spewing that Yao Ming on your own team has never been out of the first round while Ewing has carried his team to the finals before. Or the fact Isiah is a two time champion and Stockton hasn't won any especially when playing with a player of Karl Malone's caliber. And bringing up Ray Allen saying that he has a ring as a third option, then I could brag about how I'm bring Manu Ginobili off the bench who's a three time champ and the 2nd/3rd option on two of those championship teams.

Ray Allen is really the hidden gem within my offence that can run through multiple focal points. The range factor comes from Ray Allen mostly as he possesses such a beautiful and consistent stroke from beyond the arc. Yes on offence he will be guarded by T-Mac likely, but that’s IF Yao is doubled, hence having T-Mac to collapse onto him leaving Ray Allen wide open. Another technique Ray Allen is masterfully skilled at is the off-the-screen-curl shot, provided by a pick set from Grant or Yao, Ray Allen make T-Mac wish he wore a football helmet to the game to guard him.

Honestly, Yao is not the guy I'm worried about, he won't see many doubles and won't dominate one on one. Once again, he's easily taken out of a game with a certain level of physicality, just look at that Utah series two seasons ago. Mehemet Okur who's considered a lousy defender just bodied up, played him one on one and forced him into nearly 5 TO's a game and 44 FG%. Then considering Yao's performance in the playoffs, it shouldn't be too much an issue since McGrady will be assigned to drape Ray Ray wherever he goes. He won't stop him certainly but most definitely limit him moreso than LeBron would on Mac. And I highly doubt Mac would need a football helmet especially when considering Grant and Yao are two very finesse players.

In the other matchup on offence, no matter how Bruce Bowen does it, he cannot stop LeBron from taking over. Sure, we could use the Spurs-Cavs finals as an example, but LeBron was forced to take jump shots after being doubled/triple teamed in the post on LeBron’s cuts to the basket. LeBron has no teammates on the current distinctively below-average Cavaliers squad, as seen by the sweep at the hands of the Spurs, who had a handful of players that could score and help each other. On this team, no matter how much Bowen tries to guard LeBron, The King will have more weapons at his disposal, he can force the Rockets perimeter D to collapse around him, then shovel a pass to Yao for an easy close-range basket, or send an outlet to Ray Allen for an easy open 3-pt shot, or even Iverson/Stockton for a open jumper or cut to the basket. One thing’s for sure, when LeBron is motivated, theres not a player on the Rockets team that can stop his determination. With better teammates at his side, I can’t even imagine how scary LeBron will be.

Bowen won't certainly stop LeBron, but you have to keep in mind, the Spurs played LeBron one on one more than any other team throughout that playoffs. Bowen is one of the best perimeter defenders to have ever played the game and does a terrific job of staying with his man. He'll perform better than he did in the Finals last year because like you said due to better teammates, but considering I have stronger weak-side defense with Ewing and Oakley in the paint, the difference between won't be TOO large imho. I mean the task of trying to score on Bowen is hard enough and then having to try to finish between Ewing (4 blocks per game one season) and Oakley?

Horace Grant will be my main post defender against Patrick Ewing. What Horace does is provide adequate strength and lateral movement to seal off post-scorers like Ewing, and even Roundfield. Grant will not likely shut-down Ewing effectively, but with Yao as a help defender, Ewing will have a tough time getting his shots through in the post, and if he elects to pass to Oakley for the mid-range jumper, I will gladly let him shoot it at a high volume as Oakley can shoot, but with Yao sticking a hand in his face, Oakley will likely not find himself shooting high percentages.

Part of this is true, but in reality, this could cause more matchup problems for yourself. Grant was more known for his speed on defense (ala Shawn Marion) and how good a rotation defender he was. And while he was a good man defender, that was specifically against PF's. In this matchup, he's giving up nearly 3 inches and 30 pounds. Ewing is really one of the most underrated players to have ever played. Once again, in one year that I've chosen, he was selected to the All-NBA First Team over players like Hakeem and David Robinson. He was just bigger, tougher and really too skilled to be slowed down at this stage of his career before all the injuries.

Yao is one of the slowest recovering players in the league, and I'd fully take advantage of that considering now Grant is guarding Ewing. He's a guy that likes to hang around the paint and by the time he'd get out to contest the shot, it would already be up, and that fully takes away his ability to alter shots. Just ask Boozer, how good a rotation defender he is. Also expect to see more of Roundfield (who was more a face up/mid-range player) and Horry in this series, considering they'd stretch the floor out and bring Yao out even MORE. In this case, my PF's would fully take advantage of Yao's weakness.

And, btw Oakley's game was primarily based on the mid-range 17 foot jumper, and he knocked it down with solid efficiency and consistency (nearly 14 points on over 50% from the field).

Yao Ming is a 7’6” behemoth that few have ever seen so elegant yet deadly in the post. He is not your traditional dominant center, but more of a finesse-subtle type that can play inside-out, with range extending beyond 15 feet. The Rockets will likely counter with Ewing guarding Yao, and Oakley coming over to double as soon as Yao’s within 7 feet of the basket. In all likely cases, Houston will send multiple defenders at Yao because he can find his way to the rim or pop a jumper from anywhere within 20 feet. However, that’s where the Rockets will find themselves scrambling to cover for shooters, as I possess a team that has Ray Allen and Rick Fox, some of the best catch-and-shoot players who thrive off the extra pass. Yao’s soft hands also makes it easy for him to catch lob passes and entry passes off of pick-and-rolls. Where if Yao gets into his comfort zone, he can score or pass with ease. He is not the type of dominant C that can make others quake in their boots, but everyone respects Yao on the court for his size and effectiveness without the ball. Even setting picks and screens enables shooters like Ray Allen and Iverson to get open for the easy jimmy, and with LeBron, Yao’s life on the court is a lot simpler.

I know it's almost getting redundant to an annoying extent but Yao is not the type of player that would succeed against Ewing's toughness and strength. He honestly wouldn't see too much doubles, maybe from Oakley at times, but I honestly think Yao's passing is overrated (I've said it countless times on the Rockets board). He keeps the ball low, which is just inviting guys like Isiah (over two steals per game) to come and swipe it away. He can be a turnover machine at times and when posed against a more physical and tougher team, he tends to force the issue and make a bad play. Against Utah he averaged over 5 turnovers per game on basically single coverage and there's no denying that Ewing and Oakley is far more intimidating and much better defenders than Boozer/Okur.

It'd likely be all man defense, so shooters like Ray Allen wouldn't be getting all the open looks that was first expected before this series started.

This matchup will be closely contested, as the fate of the winning team will likely be victorious due to their bench production. What I’ve assembled is a team of role players on the bench to supplement Allen “The Answer” Iverson, the scoring sparkplug off my bench. Iverson was a steal for me in the 7th round, an MVP and repeating scoring champ, Iverson was a perfect fit next to LeBron James, as The King needs someone else who can create their own offence, while drawing fouls at an alarmingly quick rate. The rest of my my bench consists of defensive stoppers and 3pt shooters, a perfect blend for Iverson to get his shots in, the knock on Iverson nowadays is that the Nuggets have next to NONE defensive players on the team that can help them win games, but rather, score so much they wouldn’t NEED defence. As flawed as that is, Iverson has indeed succeeded with Philadelphia when players like Deke, McKie, and Snow were on the team. Similarily, Unseld, Rollins, Fox, and Hinrich all provides that defensive spark with a specialty on offence, but none that disrupts Iverson’s game as he likes to create his own shot that can drive Manu and Starks nuts.

Iverson is the best player off the bench (offensively that is), but I honestly believe my bench is more well rounded. My main core have all had experience coming off the bench (and in these type of competitions that's crucial). And mine all contribute more on both ends. Hinrich is a guy that won't play in this series, considering Iverson will be taking all the guard minutes and Fox is questionable too considering what I'm understanding from your minutes distribution.

I essentially match your defense, rebounding and shotblocking upfront (while being more offensively talented) and really take the considerable edge defensively in the backcourt considering Iverson will be the only player getting the minutes there.

Iverson will not sit on the bench for very long in this matchup, he will get a huge amount of minutes coming off the bench, around 25-35 a game depending on how things are going, he will likely share the backcourt with Stockton who provides off-guard shooting and defence, while Iverson creates for himself or LeBron, looking for Ray Allen on the perimeter if sealed off. Iverson can also effectively cut off passing lanes easily with his quickness, a feat he has mastered throughout the years and is widely known in the NBA for his quickness.

I don't see how that's possible. Earlier you said you'd play Stockton the exact amount of minutes as Isiah would. Assuming Isiah gets nearly 40 minutes, that'd mean Stockton gets the same, which leaves 8 minutes left at the PG position. So to reach 35 minutes per game (where Iverson wouldn't complain as much and that's still questionable since it's lower than his career minutes per game) he'd need nearly 27 minutes at the shooting guard position, which would mean Allen would play the remaining 21 minutes and the 7-8 odd minutes at the SF position (which would mean Fox is rendered useless considering Allen would take those minutes). And those 8 odd minutes Allen would be playing SF next to a guy like Iverson and Stockton, would be the time my big scorers like McGrady and Ginobili would be on the floor to expose their defensive deficiencies. The minutes distribution would be more a problem for your team that mine, just due to the fact Iverson has more a volatile nature towards coming off the bench while guys like Ginobili, Roundfield and Okafor are class acts to do whatever it takes to win. And then guys like Starks and Horry have been off the bench and have had that experience before.

The Rockets will run out of shots. Plain and simple. McGrady, Ginobili, Thomas, Roundfield, and Ewing all require close to 16-20 shots a game, that’s already close to 85 shots per game, and they also have Oakley, Starks, Horry, and even Bowen who needs close to 6-10 shots per game to be effective. That amounts to a total of over 110 shots, something that’s not likely going to give them the win as they will limit the effectiveness of their players.

On the other hand, my team has the shot distribution mapped out perfectly. James and Iverson will both get close to 20 shots per game, while Yao and Ray will get close to 15-18 shots per game, that leaves Stockton as my other scorer, who requires about 10-12 shots a game but at a really high percentage. What about my other players you say? Well, they all pick their spots on offence and don’t need the ball to be effective. Grant, Rollins, Unseld will mostly get their points off of offensive rebounds, while Fox and Hinrich will mostly get a few 3pt attempts from Iverson if he elects to pass, but mostly, these guys’ jobs will be on defence.

I like how you say the other guys on your team won't demand shots and then go onto to imply earlier that guys like Bowen and Oakley demand shots. They're primarily defensive players that are get their points from open looks from the stars. They don't demand anything on the offensive end.

And the shot attempt argument is kinda bogus IMO. Roundfield and Ginobili will be coming off the bench and like mentioned earlier, they're class acts that do whatever it takes to win. They'll be fine coming off the bench, taking lesser shot attempts but contributing in other aspects of the game (which I feel is the main strength about my bench, it's all around ability) which especially Roundfield specializes in. And then Isiah/Mac/Ewing will take the majority of shots, but all three are unselfish players that also are happy contributing in other aspects of the game if the offense isn't rolling through them.

Shot attempts distribution will not be a problem IMHO. I honestly don't think it'll be a problem for you as well, but it's arguably in more question than my bench, just due to the Iverson factor. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, same with LeBron and Stockton. Iverson takes an abnormal amount of shot attempts (even in the years mentioned) and considering the amount of times he gets to the line, he's constantly holding the ball. He's led the league 5 times in Usg rate and has a career average over 32 which matches McGrady's career high in that department. LeBron is almost at that same rate, just far more efficient. Though Stockton and LeBron are players that are unselfish, the amount of time they're dominating the ball, even if it's for a pass is very high.

The Rockets edge in rebounding, defense and overall offensive 4th quarter dominance should lead the Rockets to advancing to the next round.

I wanted to post a picture of Isiah with his championship trophy and Stockton with a sad face or Ewing with a ECF champs trophy and Yao with a disappointed face, but it'd be kind of contradictory considering what I said earlier......and the fact damn pictures don't work!!

[jeahwe]

Golden State Warriors vs Indiana Pacers

First, thank you all guys for very interesting draft. I thought that it would be much easier but it was hard as hell, everybody shows that they know “golden era” very well. And it was great because in this kind of games harder means much more fun.

Mytch, you have very interesting team, it's no secret that you stolen one player that I want badly (Zo) but that only makes this competition more interesting.

Now let me introduce the Indiana Pacers!

GUARDS
'07/'08 Kobe Bryant (MVP, ASG MVP, 2x all NBA1st team, 2x all defensive 1st team, 2x ASG, once 3rd in MVP voting, one lead NBA in scoring)

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Year      G    MPG    PPG   RPG  APG   SPG   BPG  FG%   3P%   FT% 
2006/07   77   40.8   31.6  5.7  5.4   1.4   0.5  .463  .344  .868
2007/08   82   38.9   28.3  6.3  5.4   1.8   0.5  .459  .361  .840


'86/'87 Michael Cooper ('87 Defensive Player of the Year, All Defensive First ('87) and Second ('86) Team, 7th ('86) and 8th ('87) in 3pts%)

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Year      G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT% 
1985/86   82   27.7    9.2   3.0  5.7   1.1   0.5  .452  .387  .865
1986/87   82   27.5   10.5   3.1  4.5   1.0   0.5  .438  .385  .851


'90/'91 Terry Porter
('91 ASG, 9th in MVP voting ('91), 4th in 3pts% ('91), 6th in FT% ('90), 6th ('90) and 9th ('91) in APG, 5th ('91) in TS%)

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Year   G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   eFG%   TS% 
'90   80   34.8   17.6   3.4   9.1   1.9   0.1  .462  .374  .892   .508   .597
'91   81   32.9   17.0   3.5   8.0   2.0   0.1  .515  .415  .823   .584   .632


'99/'00 Darrell Armstrong ('99 MIP and 6th man of the year, 15th ('99) and 13th ('00) in MVP voting, 3rd ('99 and '00) in FT%, 8th ('99) and 3rd ('00) in SPG)

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Year   G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   eFG%   TS% 
'99   50   30.0   13.8   3.6   6.7   2.2   0.1  .441  .365  .904   .507   .575
'00   82   31.6   16.2   3.3   6.1   2.1   0.1  .433  .340  .911   .494   .542


FORWARDS
'90/'91 Charles Barkley (All NBA First Team both years, 2nd and 4th in MVP voting, also 2nd and 4th in FG%, great offensive rebounder - 1st three years in a row form `87 to `89 and then 2nd in `90)

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Year      G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT% 
1989/90   79   39.1   25.2  11.5  3.9   1.9   0.6  .600  .217  .74.9
1990/91   67   37.3   27.6  10.1  4.2   1.6   0.5  .570  .284  .72.2


'07/'08 Shane Battier (5th ('07) and 3rd ('08) in DPOTY voting, All defensive 2nd team in '08)

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Year   G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   eFG%   TS% 
'07   82   36.4   10.1   4.1   2.1   1.0   0.7  .446  .421  .779   .567   .589
'08   80   36.3    9.3   5.1   1.9   1.0   1.1  .428  .377  .743   .540   .561


'83/'84 Maurice Lucas ('83 ASG, 14th in MVP voting ('83), 9th in off reb% ('84), 9th ('83) and 2nd ('84) in deff reb%, 9th ('83) and 4th ('84) in total reb%)

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Year   G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   eFG%   TS% 
'83   77   33.6   16.5  10.4   2.8   0.7   0.6  .474  .333  .781   .474   .528
'84   75   30.8   15.9   9.7   2.7   0.7   0.5  .497  .000  .765   .497   .555


F/C
'07/'08 Marcus Camby (2006/07 Defensive Player of the Year, '07 and '08 All Defensive First Team, '07 and '08 first in BPG, 5th ('07) and 2nd ('08) in RPG)

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Year      G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT% 
2006/07   70   33.8   11.2  11.7  3.2   1.2   3.3  .473  .000  .729
2007/08   79   34.9    9.1  13.1  3.3   1.1   3.6  .450  .300  .708


CENTERS

'92/'93 Brad Daugherty ('92 All NBA 3rd Team, 1992 and 1993 ASG, top 11 MVP voting in `92 and `93, 2nd (`93) and 4th ('92) in FG%, 2nd ('92) and 1st ('93) in TS%, 7th ('92) and 9th ('93) in PER)

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Year      G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT% 
1991/92   73   36.2   21.5  10.4  3.6   0.9   1.1  .570  .000  .777
1992/93   71   37.9   20.0  10.2  4.4   0.7   0.8  .571  .500  .795


'98/'99 Arvydas Sabonis (13th in MVP voting ('99), 10th in RPG ('98), 3rd ('98) and 4th ('99) in def reb%)

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Year   G    MPG    PPG   RPG   APG   SPG   BPG   FG%   3P%   FT%   eFG%   TS% 
'98   73   32.0   16.0   10.0  3.0   0.9   1.1  .493  .261  .798   .511   .581
'99   50   27.0   12.1   7.9   2.4   0.7   1.3  .485  .292  .771   .493   .546


1. General team philosophy

During draft I was looking for several things from players I was picking:
- defense (however one of my best players - Barkley - is also the weakest on the defensive end, but not as much as some people thinking, what I will try prove later),
- efficiency from major offensive options (what I get),
- three point shooting from perimeter players (what I get) - that allow Pacers to spread the floor very well,
- above average passing and range from big men (what I get) - what is very important to our offense
- and as much team oriented players as possible (what I also get).

Pacers will run triangle offense (you was right Myth ). Our “golden era” = 29 NBA season. 9 times in those 29 years championships were won by triangle (plus two others trips to the finals). That's why I want good passing from bigs and three point shooting from perimeter players.

We all have to remember that all those stars were stars when they often have ball in hands and could shoot many times. As someone pointed before (TrueLAFan?) team have average 90/91 FGA. In other words many stars wouldn't be as much star in this “golden era” teams as they were in theirs normal teams. That's why I choose players like Cooper (played in Showtime teams, so we are sure he would also play good in “golden era” team), Battier (like Cooper, also perfect team player), Lucas (I don't think he would have problems with limited minutes and coming off the bench, he was to intelligent to that), Camby (played with Iverson and Melo ans still was effective - that's all what have to be said) or Armstrong (6th man of the year) and even Sabonis (he was mega star in Europe and never had problems with that in NBA he wouldn't get ball as many times as in Real or Zargilis). They all prove in their careers that they don't need ball to be effective.

The only true problem in chemistry and team play may be between Kobe and Barkley. But Kobe I using is Kobe, who mature. He prove that he mature to be true leader (that's why he finally gets MVP). He also is 28/29 years old so he's older than my Barkley (26/27). So Bryant will be Pacers first option and leader. Will Sir Charles have problems with that? I don't think so. Remember, this isn't frustrated Barkley from the end of his career, who know that never win championship. That's Barkley, who few years ago have no problem with beings in shadows of Dr J or Moses. In this league he would also be younger, less experienced (Kobe even have rings - and that's something what Sir Charles will respect) that Pacers leader. So I think it would work pretty well. Especially that problems with Kobe or Barkley appear mainly because they always want to win. Kobe want trade Bynum because Lakers where weak team, Barkley want out from 76ers because they also were weak. But when they get strong team, opportunity to win championship, they never failed. And they gets that opportunity when play together in Indiana.

2. Defense

The biggest problem Pacers are facing is defense in the paint. Lakers have presence of Shaq (who in his prime was terrific defender), Bulls Grant/Rodman. Pacers don' have that type of bigs (however strong case could be make that Camby>Horace), but that doesn't mean that our defense would be weak. Generally defense is always a team effort (look at 2008 Celtics, yes they had KG - but TWolves have him also in earlier years, and they weren't good defensive team - but they were as good defensive team because every player contributed).

Maybe my bigs don't seem to be very good, or at least good at defense, but in fact they were in worst case average defenders (of course expect Barkley):
- Daugherty, look what TrueLAFan say about him in previous ATL: (...) Grant and Daugherty are no wallflowers; Michael Cooper backed down from nobody. I'm not sure when Horace Grant (6'10", 230) and Brad Daugherty (7'0, 250) became "lanky" either (viewtopic.php?f=64&t=791550&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15) and Brad Daugherty, is a very good defender. (viewtopic.php?f=64&t=788771)

- Camby, whatever bad could be say about his defense, he's DPOT, all defensive first team and from '99 regularly among leaders in defensive RTG (5 times in top5, overall 8 times in top 10) so if '91-'93 Bulls work very well with Grant as they best defensive big I think pacers could work at least as well with Camby ver. '07/'08. What's also important with Camby is that he couldn't show all his defensive potential in adefensive Nuggets. I mean, look what he has done in '99 Knicks. He had huge impact coming from the bench (became starter in finals), so I think when he have proper environment, he could be more effective defender than what we see from him in Denver.

- Sabonis, yes, he was relatively old (33/34 years), after injuries, but he's 7-3, 280 with still amazing mobility and presence. I think he was underrated defender what could be seen when we look at defensive RTG: during his first five years in NBA he always was in top7 in def RTG! Even Olajuwon haven't as good result when was as old as Sabonis!

- Lucas, in years I using, wasn't all defensive team player, but was in previous seasons. How much worse defender was he in '83/'84 than in '79 (his last all defensive team selection)? I will only add that he was still young (30/31) so that couldn't be much difference. And one fact is interesting. After '79 he was traded to bad team (Nets), then to another (Knicks) and players in bad teams usually don' get awards and lose their reputations (even if they still as good as in previous years). But ok, I don't claim that '83/'84 Lucas was as good defender as '79 Lucas. But for sure he wasn't less stronger or less intelligent. And I remember that even later in 1987 playoffs against Rockets (I watched one of the games recently) he do great job defensively against Hakeem - who had great series, but Lucas was the only Sonics player who effectively challenge him (but then Lucas was too old - 34 years - to play more than 20 minutes).

- Barkley, well, what could I say... defense wasn't his strength But please, remember that I using '90/'91 Barkley, so he was still young (26/27) and very athletic. His problem wasn't that he couldn't defend at high level (because for sure he could - he was strong and athletic) but that he most of the time wasn't interesting in defense. But when it count the most he became very good defender. Maybe not during all games, but for some stretches , when he cares, he defend. Please, look at this video (at least to 00:49) http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=DodSArpNMTM Ther's a reason why he's among so great defenders as Hakeem, Zo, Wilt, Robinson or MJ. And since format of our league is tournament, so every game counts I think Sir Charles will care.

My point is - even if it may seem that Pacers didn't have bigs very good defensively (in fact they have at least one - Camby), we have bigs, who were underrated defensively and who together could make solid defensive frontline.

Perimeter defense is one of Pacers strength. Cooper, Kobe and Battier (plus Armstrong from the bench) create one of best perimeter defense in “golden era” league. Only Penbeast team (Payton, Mullin, Pippen), TrueLAFan (Billups, Mocrief, Pierce) and Sharpie (Cheeks, MJ, Worthy) could compete with us at that area.
We will use full court press in some stretches (especially with Armstrong on the floor), usually late in the games if result will be close.
Great perimeter defense allow Pacers to negate (at least in some part) weak points in frontcourt defense. You couldn't use your bigs if they don't get the ball. And even if they get the ball they can't do many things when they would be doubled or when time running on the clock (and it could be taken for sure that after press from Pacers perimeter defense there wouldn't left much time on the clock).

3. Offense

As I said above, Pacers will run triangle with a lot of isolations for Kobe and Barkley. '90/'91 Sir Charles is one of the most effective players of all time (66.1%/63.5% TS, 25.2/27/6 ppg) and couldn't be stooped. Most of us remember Barkley from Phoenix or Houston, so I think it's good idea to look at some videos where we could see him in Phily.
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=_v9XE7BijJA
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=35sY43bjfCM
Look at his ballhanding, his athleticism, his reach, his energy, his speed.

Kobe... well, I use Kosta description from previous ATL: Best two way player in basketball right now, the absolute complete package of offense, defense, intangibles and clutch play. The combination of his athleticism, strength, vision, ball handling, shooting, ability to finish in the lane after contact and high I.Q make him a lethal force at both ends of the floor. His determination and winning attitude is infectious to his ball club and in return makes everyone else around him better. Probably the toughest competitor since M.J. Kobe Bryant is the M.J of this era.

This two players couldn't be stooped one on one, and when they will be doubled, or entire opponents defense collapse on them, that will free the rest of Pacers players. Cooper, Battier and from the bench Porter with Armstrong are excellent three point shooters. Every big have range and Daugherty, who will score the most from them is also very efficient (62.9%/63.5% TS, 21.5/20.2 ppg) so doubling Kobe or Barkley would be lethal for oppenets. Not doubling them would be even more lethal

If something would goes wrong Pacers will run triangle until someone is open, in good position. We have very good or excellent passers, even among bigs (Sabonis, Barkley, Daugherty, Lucas, even Camby are all above average passers) so it will work.

My rebutal (“half time speech”) to Myth's writeup will be tomorrow.

[Warspite]

Votes Warriors, Rockets, Spurs

[jeahwe]

Rebuttal

1. Cooper as PG
If you watched some Lakers games from the 80s it should be obvious for you that he played both guard positions. In years I using he played 27 mpg in regular and 30 mpg in playoffs - so he definitely could be starting PG in terms of minutes playing.

Cooper also was better player in the playoffs (.463/.486% 3pts, .470/.484% FG), very underrated in terms of offensive game. Don't forget he was very athletic (even participated in slam dunk contest once) and very good three point shooter, so he was offensive threat, but you don't have to score often many points with Worthy, Jabbar, Magic and Scott on the floor.

And even if his assist ratio isn't too high, that's not problem, because triangle don't need classic PGs (see for example Harper in Bulls).

I don't know where you get idea that he couldn't guard smaller guards. He was one of the only four guards IN HISTORY who won DPOTY. He also was 8 all defensive selection. And his defensive ability is easily seen on the court. For example I recently watched game 3 of WCSF in 1988 between Lakers and Jazz. And Cooper guard almost every perimeter player - Hansen (6-6), Hughes (5-10) and mainly Stockton (6-1). He had stretches, when keep Stockton off the ball and Hansen have to be playmaker for Jazz . He also was defending by Hughes and Stockon, so both smaller and quicker guards and he have no problems with dribbling or overall playmaking (and I hope everybody remember how good defender - how much steals he had - how quick was young Stockton).

So Cooper is perfect for triangle, because he could effectively guard every perimeter player and have range beyond three point line.

2. Kobe/Barkley problem
That I explained in my writeup.

3.Daugherty as rich man’s Brad Miller.
Interesting idea but completely not true. Daugherty was much better scorer than Miller, much more efficient - he have .570%FG, while scoring +20ppg. Brad never have more than .524%FG (well, once he had .565%, but it was when he was rookie and scored 6.3 ppg). Look also what TrueLAFan wrote about his defense in links in my writeups.

4.Myth, you said: As currently constituted, Pacers in practice play 4 on 5 in offense,
Again, I don't know where you get this, but my every player is offensive threat, especially my S5.

Battier or Cooper aren't know for scoring, but you can't leave them, you must be honest in defense, because they are very good three point shooters. Pacers spread floor very well what couldn't be say about Warriors.

You had only one true point shooter in your S5 (Price) and another one on the bench (Rice). That only will help my excellent perimeter defense. And for sure that didn't help Mourning, he wasn't great offensive player, he need space and ball in specific place to do anything. There's reasons why his best years (and years which you are using) happened when he was surrender by very good three point shooter - T. Hardaway, Majerle, Mashburn and Lenard.
And Zo also often have problems with fouls what limited his defensive greatness.

The other problem you are facing is your guards. They small and Price is weak defender (that's reason why so great playmaker and shooter stay until fourth round). Of course DJ was excellent defensive player, but I think we all have to remember what happened last times ('86 and '87) when he defended player similar to Kobe.

Dr J will score his points, he was to great to be stopped, but with Battier (strong, quick and excellent defender in seasons when hand checking was forbidden - how good he will be when official was more “liberal”?) on him he have to work hard on his every point. And if Battier will be in foul trouble there's still Cooper or even Kobe.

Pacers will play some minutes with both Porter and Bryant on the floor. That means nothing good for Warriors. Price couldn't guard Porter, DJ must guard Kobe (Erving shouldn't, because risk with fouls is to hight, Dr J is too important for offense). On the other side all my guards will effectively defend against yours. Even Porter, and especially Armstrong (if Cooper on Price wouldn't work, Armstrong definitely will. Armstrong is also very good defender on quick Parker) from the bench.

About Zo I said above, but it's true that Rasheed may be a problem. He always created matchup problems. However remember what I said about Barkley in writeup. Barkley in 76ers definitely could defend and when it count the most his effort on defensive end was much bigger than during ~80 games in regular season.

And the most important - you couldn't stopped Kobe or Barkley. Bryant will have to work hard on his points with DJ on him but Rasheed (despite being very good defender) couldn't do much against Sir Charles who is both quicker and stronger. Besides, Wallace, similar to Zo, often have foul trouble. You have not much possibility left - you couldn't double, because that will leave open Pacers shooters (my bigs also have range), you couldn't effectively defend one on one... hmm I'm sorry to say that, because it doesn't mean anything good to your Warriors, but Kobe-Barkley duo (surrender by shooters and defensive stopper on the perimeter, and with Daugherty as third option) is duo you couldn't sopped. Even if you focus on one of them and in some strange way imitated his production, what you do with other one? Not to mention Daugherty.

[tsherkin]

Do I put my stuff for my matchup with Farm Raid in here?

[TMACFORMVP]

Yep, your in the Oscar region.

[penbeast0]

Despite superior writeups for some of them (coaching?), I have to go with Toronto, Orlando, and Indiana here. Will catch the 4th matchup hopefully when either tsherkin or FarmRaid submits a writeup, if not tomorrow.

[TrueLAfan]

Vote: Raptors, Warriors, Tropics

[jeahwe]

vote: Rockets and Tropics

[Baller 24]

Voted, Rockets, Tropics, Warriors

[TMACFORMVP]

Vote: Warriors, Tropics and will vote after writeups are posted for the other series.

[Kosta]

I vote Tropics, Pacers and Rockets.

[tkb]

Early vote tally


Wilt region

Houston Rockets (TMACFORMVP) - 4
Toronto Raptors (Zong) - 2

Golden State Warriors (Myth_breaker) - 4
Indiana Pacers (jeahwe) - 2


Oscar region

Chicago Bulls (farm aid) - 0
San Antonio Spurs (tsherkin) - 0

Orlando Magic (T-Mac United) - 1
Flint Tropics (Warspite) - 5

[studcrackers]

i'll take tmacformvp, jeahwe, and flint tropics